Folks, being in detention is the last place a nerd wants to be, especially when one has perfect grades and is in good standing.

But if you happen to be in my shoes and your parents are involved in your detention, then it can be brutal.

Such is the case for me with Dad being as bad as his word. After the usual first-day-of-school rituals and all, I was indeed with my father in an empty classroom. "You mustn't think that this isn't meant to be a part of your new routine, Kyle," dear old Dad said, staring me down as I continued to look over the various syllabi from my classes and whatnot. "Like I said, you had PLENTY of time spending it with your grandparents and those riff-raff back at the old neighborhood in Oakland and I gave you chance after chance to make use of that time to connect with my clients' children- the real deal-makers and game-shakers who can give society a lot to talk about. But since you liked to hide in your room or doing who-knows-what with those nobodies, the move to Berkeley was the one decision that needed to be made so you can finally live your life."

"Dad, I-"

"No, son," Dad cut me off, standing up from the desk chair which he sat on. "I mean, when was the last time that you truly had fun being a teenager with kids of your own age? When was the last time that you dared to be something different and lived a little?"

I thought about it. "Never," I replied honestly. "And you might hate me for this, but Grandma and Grandpa were the ones who taught me to never take life for granted and to be mindful of what I do. It goes against everything that you and Mom stand for, I get it, but life's never promised for tomorrow."

"Exactly," Dad said, "but you're missing the point, son. You're only young once in life. When will you start to truly release those inhibitions and let yourself shine to the world? Or are you being too good for that?"

I took a deep breath. "Well, if being who I am and not living to your potential means being too good for anyone, then sue me," I replied firmly. "Look, Dad. I know that I'm now a senior and need to think about having some spontaniety in my life. And I know that neither you nor anyone else will let me forget that I was never like your precious daughters who could charm the birds. But I can only be myself. Frankly, this move to Berkeley was a BIG mistake, but I kept my mouth shut because I know that you won't stop being a big bitch until you get your way."

Dad gave me a glaring look. "What did you say?"

I stood up, crossing my arms. "Did I stutter?" I sassed, giving him my signature Bette-Davis persona. "You and Mom  both were popular in high school with you being the all-American footballer and college-catching prospect while Mom was the cheerleader with the aspirations of being a fashion model. Then came Khadijah and Khandi and they took to using their charms to not only keep their queen-bee statuses at their school but also get anything and everything they wanted. And then there's me, the kid who was an old soul yet needed to be molded to your perfect aspirations. But no matter how hard you try, you can never, EVER, break me into fitting your molds. I'm still the fashion-loving, street-smart, no-nonsense, motherfucking nerd who is in a class all by himself. And if you don't like who I am, Daddy-O, then you can kindly lay some eggs, milk cows, and then fly some kites. I am Kyle La'Van JanTwaine York and I approve this goddamned message. You can take me as I am or have nothing at all. Your pick!"

I swiftly collected my things and placed them in my bag. "Where do you think you're going?" Dad said, his voice sharp with anger.

"I'm going to take my tired-ass home and be the nerd who I am," I proclaimed.

"You're not going anywhere!" Dad retorted. "Not after what you said."

I turned to him, giving him a good stare-down. "Don't believe me? Just watch!" With that, I flipped him off before sailing out of the classroom and slamming the door behind me that would make him jump.

Ignoring the shouts of protest from my father, I walked up the halls of the sparsely-populated school before running into Marcel and Kaleb, both of them not being happy to see me. "Out of my way," I demanded.

"You need to apologize to your dad," Kaleb replied curtly.

"Damn him, damn you both, damn you all to hell and back! Now move!"

"Not until you apologize to your father," Mom said, now approaching the boys and standing in between them just as Dad came to me. "You're not going to make this any easier for yourself, young man."

"Too bad, Mommy Dearest, because this is who I am!" I retorted. "If you don't like it, then you all can drop dead!"

"That's enough!" Marcel barked before taking a deep breath to compose himself. "Look, Kyle, I think that you're a bit high-strung about today, so we can let you slide. But you're only hurting yourself and any chances of having some say for your senior year. All we ask of you right now is a simple apology to your dad and be sincere about it. I'm sure that you know that he only cares for you."

I scoffed. "No, he doesn't. All he cares about his having a clone whom he could control with his money. He only cares about himself and his visions that don't include me."

"That's not fair for you to say, bro." Kaleb pointed out. "Don't you think that this move to Berkeley can bring out the best of you, helping you to come out of your shell and maybe get to know this place a little better?"

I took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know what y'all are trying to sell to me, but I'm not the fucking one to try and pull the wool over my eyes," I spat. "I'll stick around and see what this place is like, but-"

"No buts," Dad interrupted, clenching his fists. "I told you once, boy. Your senior year will be when you make the right connections and be what is expected of you to be. If you don't want me to cause a lot of problems for you, then you better straighten up and act like you got some fucking sense. And since I've yet to hear an apology, this means that you're going to be on severe lockdown until I say otherwise- meaning less time doing what you want to do and more time spent with Marcel and his friends. If you try to defy me, I will make sure that you wished that you were never born."

I remained silent, knowing he would fulfill his threat by all means necessary.

"Now, unless you're going to say sorry, then you will head home and not eat dinner," Dad finished lowly.

I knew what I had to do. "You want me to apologize?" I replied. "Fine, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said...and I'm sorry for saying the mother-fucking truth, you jackass! Kiss. My. Grits! And for the record, I've been wishing I was dead since I was ten years old!"

With that, I sailed past everyone and headed for home. I may be facing a lot of heat for this, but at least  showed everyone where I stood. Sue me if you must!

Looks like the War of the Nerd is in full play, folks! But is Kyle doomed to lose or are there other elements in play? We'll have to find out for ourselves!

Coming up in the next chapter, Kyle meets Christina Velaquez and is stunned to learn how she is connected to Marcel before Lita and Diana school him on the art of being in Sandifer Bay's social hierarchy!

Dedication: MyWickedWays.

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