Ryan's POV

Demario Noah Bader.

Since his grand debut here at school (And even before that when he arrived to live with the Lomax brothers over the summer), anyone who's anyone had heard all about him and how he grew up in a toxic home and endured being the family's whipping boy, verbal/emotional punching bag, cook, maid, and all-around slave. And despite his best efforts to please everyone, he's always been kicked in the teeth and left alone to fend for himself. Everyone had admired his courage for putting up with everything and even surviving his failed suicide attempt over the summer while hating the people who made his life a living nightmare.

"That late mother of his loved to trash-talk about her while she did her rounds over at the bank," Dad had said. "She even told me once or twice that it would be easy to have him killed off- hire a hitman or someone from the rough side to shoot him when he was alone and make it look like the boy offed himself. I'd gladly put her in jail if her brother didn't hold sway over the police force in their neighborhood."

"I'm surprised that the poor dear lasted this long," Mom told me when she got a good look at him when she met with Holly's mother. "If it weren't for his former landlord and his family, things might have been more tragic than expected. Demario has been through too much already to deal with another bad hand."

"Some of the girls say that his late older brothers would threaten him with beatings from the football team if their homework assignments didn't meet their seal of approval," my older sister Candace (now a freshman at Houston) told me. "Demarcus and DeSean's friends would also like to join their mother in wishing that Demario was dead. I bet they're rotting in hell right now for their words. He's a good kid with so much potential."

And the moment that I met him during summer vacation, I knew that Demario was a black swan, a diamond in the rough who's ignored and almost tossed to the side one time too many. From his near-wiry frame (which had some muscle, much to my surprise) and flawless complexion to his cropped black hair and no-nonsense demeanor, Demario could catch anyone's attention and become the next model if people gave him a proper chance. But the one thing that captivated me were his eyes, the dark-chocolate orbs that had seen and endured some hard times that no one of his caliber should ever have to.

I knew that he was wary of me when I first shook my hand and introduced myself to him. He could easily tell that I reminded him of what his late mother said that he could never become: an American dreamboat that many women could admire. If only that witch would know that I was gay as they come and I had already had a bad relationship with one Jillian Kendricks that went nowhere despite the best efforts. It was Antonio who told me of Demario's story himself that night...

FLASHBACK (the night after Demario met Ryan)...

"Wow," I breathed after Antonio told me over the phone all about their newest addition to the Lomax family. "Mom and Dad had heard that this guy had a lot of issues thanks to his late family, but I never expected anything like this."

"Yeah," I heard the deep voice of my best friend say on the other line. "Demario's had a hell of a life. Gianna even told me that he was content to end it all and didn't want to risk living in a life of crime or prostitution. His birth family didn't want anything to do with him since he 'didn't meet their standards of the family name.' He suffered a lot of verbal and emotional abuse, Ryan. He didn't have it easy like the rest of us, and you know how Evan and I had it with our late druggie mom."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to remember his mother's death of cocaine overdose while he and his brother were only middle schoolers. "I remember," I replied softly. "But we need to make sure that Demario is going to fit right in at home, even more so than ever since he could still be ready to end it all."

"Not if Gianna or Jose can help it, never mind Dad and Pops or even the McGillivray-Sullivan clan," snorted Antonio. "The day that his failed suicide happened was when it was time for him to get the great reset of his life. It's his chance to finally live his life in the way he can live it. We all told him that everyone has something worth fighting for, and he just needs to believe that he has a lot worth fighting for."

"Amen to that, brother. I'll tell Mom and Dad what you told me and we'll work together to help him come out of his shell. He reminds me of Artem in so many ways that it's not even funny."

There was a pause at the mention of the transgender young man. "Don't remind me, Peavey. And if I know any better, Demario could face down Miss Blonde Bombshell and you know that she's not letting you go without a fight."

I rolled my eyes. "Jillian Kendricks was the biggest mistake that her family and mine made when it came down to an arranged marriage," I spat lowly. "She's so damn clingy and too ambitious for her own good. I still can't forgive her for almost ending Artem's life at Serenity's party."

"Which is all the more reason to keep her away from Demario at all costs- Jillian, that is. Who knows what can happen if things go south again? We can't let another fiasco become something else. If Demario met Jillian and you end up falling in love with him...I dunno, bro. Maybe you need to keep away from Demario for everyone's safety."

"No way, man. The moment that I met Demario earlier, I knew that there was something between us, Antonio. And something tells me that he might need me more than he'll know."

"Or it can go south and Demario could end up either in the hospital bed, a wheelchair or in a casket being prepped by the folks at Landhaven Mortuary," Antonio rebutted. "I still say that you should back off and let Demario decide whether to approach you or not."

"We'll see," was all I could say before saying goodbye...

And while Demario did run in with Jillian at my barbeque and had heard enough about her from everyone at school, I still believed that he and I were destined to be with each other. People might say that history could repeat itself with what happened to Artem, my trans-male crush who almost lost his life thanks to Jillian and her silent allies. But I'm not letting her or anyone else ruin my chance to finally embrace my love for other men, something that my family already knows after I left Jillian.

Demario Bader, you don't know it yet, but I plan to make sure that you chase the sun with me. And despite what happens, you and I are meant to be.

This is just a little filler chapter featuring Ryan and his thoughts about Demario Bader. And it sounds like he's invested in making our jaded wonder-boy his lover, despite the ominous warnings about Jillian Kendricks.

And speaking of wonder-people, we'll check in with Demario in the next chapter as he writes into his journal before meeting a new face who could give Ryan some competition or maybe even become a friend. Who is it? Stay tuned and find out!

Dedication: Cal_Wicks.

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