A/N: Play song above as you read part one of this chapter.

It's amazing how the last couple of days of summer vacation can fly by without warning, especially for a foster kid of my caliber. And after the events from Ryan's barbeque (which had me convinced to stay away from both Ryan and Jillian Kendrick), I was lost in a sea of final preparations for my big debut at Pacifica Glades High School of the Arts (The same school where my foster brothers would attend as my fellow juniors) with immunizations at the doctor's office, dental appointments, back-to-school shopping, and even family time in the evenings all to get us prepared for what's ahead.

And it was now Monday morning as everyone was getting dressed for work (Joel and Taylor) and school (me and my foster brothers). And while the boys were excited to begin their third year, I wasn't too keen on being seen in the spotlight at my new school. I mean, I was used to being faceless in the crowd back at Frederick Douglass High as everyone usually left me alone while I focused on my schoolwork. And I was definitely grateful for not being used as a punching bag by the jocks or target practice by the gang-bangers. While I had no one around, I was grateful for being left to my own devices.

But with me attending one of the most-prestigious schools in Texas and living in the rich side of Fort Worth, you can pretty much guess that I was definitely feeling jaded as I finished getting dressed in my newly-acquired Tommy Hilfiger ensemble.

What if things are worse at Pacifica Glades than they were at Douglass High?

Would all the students brush me off or use me as their whipping boy and punching bag?

Would I even be given a chance to be taken seriously?

"Demario?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to see both Joel and Taylor coming inside my bedroom as I stared down at my reflection in the mirror. "Sorry, lost in thought," I muttered as I smoothed the invisible wrinkles out of my Henley shirt. "I'm a little nervous about my debut at Pacifica Glades, to be honest."

"That we can tell," Joel hummed as he stood on my left and his husband took to my right. "But as everyone tells you, Demario; you'll need to hear this again: this is your moment to spin the straws of your life into gold and let yourself shine like the stars."

"That's right," Taylor noted. "And remember the goals that the judge told you to take on as you begin your junior year: to make new friends outside the ones you made so far, join a few clubs to enhance your student resume for college and to gain connections, and be more of a participant in classes rather than being in the background. You need this new beginning more than you ever know, boy. Your family has done you wrong in so many ways that you felt like you had to hide everything to gain approval, only for them to continue to treat you like trash. This is your moment, Demario. Show the world who you can become."

I nodded as Joel fixed the back of my collar. "I just don't know if anyone will even give two cents about this nervous wreck right here," I commented.

"They will, Demario. And you're not a nervous wreck," Joel replied, giving me a fatherly stare while his husband handed me my music player. "Remember to speak life into your beig and encourage yourself. Play some music on your iPod and relax a bit before you get ready for school."

My foster dads left my room as I continued to face my reflection, knowing that what they said was the truth. Sighing heavily, I grabbed the headphones and found a simple song by The Winans to help me relax before I began my debut. Because I could use all the encouragement that I could get if I wanted to have somewhat of a successful school year.

***************

Thirty minutes later, I was in the large and Spartan-themed office of Principal Dominic Callaway (an athletic middle-aged man who surprisingly had some youth in him from his sable brown hair that he kept trimmed to his steel-gray eyes) as the  principal in question and the vice-principal (who was also his wife) were waiting for me. "On behalf of everyone here at Pacifica Glades High School of the Arts, we'd like to give you our deepest sympathies after the loss of your parents and siblings," the former stated as I sat down on the leather chair that faced his desk, the man and his wife behind and giving me comforting grins. "Judge McGillivray and everyone else has thoroughly given all the faculty and staff members your backstory regarding them and your attempt to end your life after being abandoned and orphaned and we'll make sure to help you come out of your shell and thrive as a prominent student here."

"Yes," Mrs. Callaway said, her voice crisp as if she represented New England. "It broke my heart to hear that no one in your extended family were willing to take you in and that you were basically facing a bleak future. If your former landlord and his family hadn't interfered, things might have been more tragic. You have so much to live for, Demario. Remember that."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said. "If I may speak frankly?"

"By all means," Principal Callaway replied, nodding for me to do so.

I took a deep breath. "Since I started living with the Lomax family, I had a lot of questions about my self-worth and why it took me too long to finally snap since my family's death. For as long as I could remember, my late mother and father all but condemned me as a lost cause, a flaw in their world of ghetto-mentality perfectionism and would often hint about how easy it could be if I was exterminated. Do you know what my mother's last words to me in her recorded will were? 'I wish for thunder and lightning to kill you.' That's how much my mother and almost everyone in my former family hated me because I was too straightforward and transparent while they were Texan-backwards with their beliefs and ideals. I honestly wanted to die that day because I knew that I wasn't going to survive being homeless or try to live a life of crime. So I had planned to end my life to spare myself the misery- to be at peace knowing that no one in my family would dare to show any pity for me. But I guess fate has a way of changing plans on me, so here I am.

"And don't get me wrong about starting new here. I do want to find a new chapter in my life after being treated as if I was invisible at my old school. But you gotta understand that I would always feel out of place since I was mainly a wallflower for all my life. I'm still asking myself if anyone would really care for someone as myself or just leave me abandoned. All in all, Mr. and Mrs. Callaway, I'm that cynical when it comes to finding new adventures after being left alone and ignored. As they say, if something looks or sounds too good to be true then it practically is. So forgive me if I'm looking at hoards of gift horses in the mouth because I'm always prepared for the worst and rarely hoping for the best," I finished. "I'm even prepared to be rejected by my peers in classes and being judged unfairly by the teachers since I see this school as too rich for my taste, even though I feel like a fashionable teen model with designer clothing. In a way, I'm the odd duck out- a proverbial cheese that still stands alone."

"Oh, Demario," Mrs. Callaway said softly. "I promise you that everyone is sympathetic about your uncharmed life and are willing to help you in any way possible. They're not going to hate you because your family had treated you like garbage. My husband and I won't allow it and neither will the superintendents of schools. We want you to thrive, but you got to help yourself first."

"Agreed," her husband nodded. "Demario, did your family really wished you were gone?"

I looked into the man's eyes, my stare unwavering. "More than you can ever realize, sir." I replied. "And in a way, I guess candor trumps having rose-tinted glasses. I would rather be given harsh advice and prepare myself for any outcome than be fed endless lies that would send me to my demise. As the Bible says, faithful wounds of a true friend are better than the kisses of a liar that would ruin my soul. So all I ask of you and all the teachers here is this: don't let anyone send me to my ruin with their lies and sweet nothings. Make sure to call a spade for what it's worth and be candid and frank with me. I don't expect for much."

Without warning, I was soon wrapped in a giant hug by both the principal and the vice-principal.  "You deserve much better, Demario," I heard the man's voice say in my ear. "You had a hard life, but you will reclaim what was lost, son. I guarantee it."

After the hug was broken apart, I was then given my class schedule (all AP honors classes, much like my old school was alongside some art-related courses) along with my locker assignment, a school planner to help me keep with with assignment due-dates, and a list of clubs that were available. "Welcome to Pacifica Glades of the Arts, Demario Bader," Principal Callaway said as he led me out of the main offices and through the now-busy hallways. "This is the start of something new for you here and I promise you that you will graduate as a fine young man with a prominent future."

I took a deep breath, feeling all eyes from the students and passing teachers creep over me as a tide of goose flesh raced through my bloodstream. Something tells me that my time at Pacifica Glades High School was about to get interesting in more ways than one.

I bet it will, boys and girls! I bet it will!

Coming up, Demario takes a break from his classes and treats himself to a private concert where he loses himself in the music and relives the words of his vengeful mother.

Song mentioned for part one of the story: "A Friend" by the Winans.

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