Kyle's POV

At the York Residence, early afternoon...

"Good Lord almighty. Kyle, is that really you?"

That was the first thing that left the mouth of one Kelante Parrish upon my arrival from fighting crime and hanging out with the guys, Marcel and his dads accompanying me and my parents when we soon were greeted by Grandma and Grandpa. And despite him dressing in his usual dressy-casual finest, he was definitely not feeling my new vibe nor was he pleased that I was now what Dad envisioned for my life. "And hello to you too, Cousin Kelante," I greeted, granting him a small smile as I gave him a small hug. "How's life back in Mississippi?"

"Everything was just fine until Mom decided that we'd be finding some new adventures here in Berkeley," Kelante said as he took a glance at the Dermotts. "And I take it that this is your boyfriend and his parents?"

"Of course," Andrew said, giving Kelante a cool stare. "I'm Andrew Dermott and this is my husband Phillip. And our son is Marcel."

"Charmed to meet you, young man," Phillip said, nodding slightly.

Kelante turned his attention towards Marcel, who didn't look too pleased to see my cousin. "Aren't you going to make yourself known to me?"

"I already had a good guess who you are thanks to Miss Deveraux and your ornery attitude to her earlier," he shot back.

"Yes," Dad commented, giving Kelante a sneer. "Kennedy is close friends with the Dermotts through a pen-pal assignment and she's coming over to this dinner to give you a proper welcome. This is your chance to make nice with her and apologize for what you said to her earlier."

Kelante scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Uncle Brian, the moment that I apologize to that Malibu Barbie wannabe is when I see three monkeys flying in the sky," he replied rudely. "She thinks she's the next version of Chanel Oberlin, but not with her Bucky-Beaver overbite and too-big breast implants. Believe me, she's as phony as her personality."

"Kelante!" Mom scolded. "Young man, she's-"

"I know who she is, but I'll make nice with her," Kelante interrupted. "I am from the Deep South where courtesy is key to making new friends, so I will swallow my pride and be courteous towards her. But if she tries anything, then all bets are off."

Grandma and Grandpa gave him proud looks before turning to me with looks of sadness in their eyes. "Everything okay with you, son?" the former asked me.

I nodded. "Just had a long morning with the guys and all," I replied.

"I bet," Grandma commented as she stood up to her feet. "Albert, wanna come with me for a while?"

"Of course," her husband answered.

"Don't forget about me," Kelante piped up as he joined them and walked out the door.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Dad gave the Dermotts an apologetic look. "I guess you all know that Kelante is quite a character," he said somberly. "Too rough and too loud for anyone to deal with."

"And he doesn't look like the type of person to make nice with anyone who's on our side," Marcel said tersely. He turned to me with a plaintive look. "Babe, were you two really close back in the day?"

I nodded. "Like they say, changes happen and people grow apart," I replied. "But he's coming to town with Aunt Vera and her parents in tow. Staying next door."

"Let's just hope he has common sense to take a chance to grow and learn from you," Phillip said, giving me a small smile. "You're coming into a fine young man, Kyle. Just stay true to the cause and know that you've got a lot to claim. Eyes on the prize, son. Eyes on the prize."

Definitely, I heard my alter ego Kevarix agree in my head. Let go of the past and embrace the now along with what's to come.

I smiled brightly. "I'm glad for all of you bringing out the best in me."

Dad grinned widely. "I've been hoping you'd say that," he said proudly.

And wasn't that what mattered?

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

Third-Person POV

At the Browning residence...

"I knew that things were getting serious, but I never expected to see my saintly cousin looking like a Adonis who's sickly in love with a fellow lunk," Kelante exploded in fury as he and his great-aunt and uncle recapped the Browning and Detweiler families with his encounter with his cousin and the Dermotts alongside his encounter with Kennedy. "What the hell did they do to him?"

"I just got some leads with that part," Mr. Detweiler (a private investigator) commented. "From what I learned from my intel, Brian and the Dermotts have been creating some kind of serum that rewires the mind through nanotechnolgy."

"You mean liquid nanobots?" Kennedy asked, eyes lit in confusion. "I never knew of such things."

"You might be surprised. Anyway, I also learned that they've also got Mavis AND Yesenia on their side," Mr. Detweiler went on.

"Shit," Tamarious hissed, eyes narrowed in silts. "That only means that they're now being trained to work with the Beautiful Teens through Lita and Diane. And with our numbers growing lower and lower, that could spell trouble all around."

"Which is why it might be best to just end things now and lie low," his sister suggested gently, which earned her some glares. "Hear me out, y'all. I think that whatever is going on could be out of our control at this rate and Kyle could be too far gone."

"But that could mean letting them get full control of my cousin as the Populars have full sway at my new school and shit," Kelante shot back. "I told myself that I would get him out of this town and away from them whether he's back to himself or lying in a body bag. I intend to do just that."

"Damn right," Mr. Tillman said. "Right now, we gotta make our move with tonight's dinner for Kelante. And with Miss Deveraux set to be there, you know that things need to be set in stone."

"Be careful," Tiffany (who'd been quiet until now) warned. "Make sure to not cause too much drama because I heard that Kennedy Deveraux is not someone to mess around with."

"Please," Kelante drawled. "I dealt with folks like her back in Waxiacalatchee. It won't be my first rodeo and it won't be my last."

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

Kyle's POV

Later that evening, at the York residence...

"So, Kelante," Dad said as everyone- me and my parents my grandparents, the Dermotts, and a statuesque blonde who introduced herself as Kennedy Deveraux- sat down to Mom's grilled chicken dinner. "You'll be facing a lot of  attention at Sandifer Bay High School where Marcel's dads are the principal and vice-principal. This isn't the farmlands of Mississippi, you know."

"Believe me, Uncle Brian, I know that I'm heading into Beverly Hills 90210 and I need to govern myself," Kelante replied, taking a sip of orange juice. "Besides, I want to make sure that I know what I'm getting myself into."

"It'll be fast-paced and a lot of high expectations going on," I warned. "It'll take some time getting used to everything, but it might help if you stuck around myself and Marcel and even our friends. I'm sure that my boyfriend's willing to give you a chance if you let him work with you."

Kelante narrowed his eyes. "I'll give it some thought, though I'm still a bit uneasy about your man, Kyle darling. He and his family are bit...well, I don't think I can be able to handle Dermott."

"All the better to stay where you are, with the losers and prepare to be some janitor or at a fast-food joint," Kennedy sneered. "You'd be better off cleaning toilets, anyway."

"Watch it, tootsie." To me, "On second thought, Kyle, I think I will give Marcel's mentoring a chance. It'll be good to see you and your crew at work and give me a chance to keep my eye on Madame Turkey Nose over there since we're all going to the same school."

"Kelante," Mom warned. "Be nice."

Kelante turned to my mom, giving her a pointed look. "I'm always nice, Auntie Lisa," he replied. "But only to those who are nice to me."

Dad harrumphed as Grandma and Grandpa bit back chuckles. "Anyway, Thanksgiving is soon upon us and our family will be hosting the day with the Dermotts," he began. "Phillip, have the maids and servants met with my wife to talk about the meal being served."

"All arranged and will be supervised under my watch," Mom commented. "We might need to do one final headcount to make sure that everyone will be served."

"About that, I think that the last of those Outcasts- the Browning, Detweiler, and Dennard families- should be attending as a gesture of goodwill," Marcel noted. "Besides, I have a nice surprise to make on Thanksgiving and they should be there to hear the news."

"What's that?" I couldn't help but ask.

He turned to me with a winning smile. "You'll see, babe. It's one that you're going to love," he assured me.

"So cute," Kennedy gushed, clapping her hands. "I'm dying to know already."

"Sorry, Kennedy, but it won't be fair to everyone else. And you'd might give it away beforehand," Dad reminded her.

"True," the blonde agreed. To my dad, "Make sure that those outcasts dress properly, sir. I want them to be seen as nicely dressed for the occasion."

"But of course," Dad hummed, granting her a small smile.

Kelante rolled his eyes, but remained in his seat as he knew he couldn't leave until his plate was cleaned. "I'm going to be sick," he said.

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

Kelante's POV

After the dinner...

"I don't like this," I said to Tamarious over the phone as  I was upstairs in the guest bedroom while everyone was enjoying coffee and tea cakes during dessert downstairs. "You guys are now invited to this shindig and Dermott's planning something big. This is not looking good at all. This is probably a trap."

"Well, we intend to be there," I heard him reply. "Kennedy, on the other hand, is going out of town to see relatives and wants nothing more to do with this. For all I know, she thinks it's time to save face and end this now. But we're not going back down."

"Damn. So what now?"

"I gotta see my sister off at the airport as her flight to Knoxville is tomorrow. But she wishes us all the best and hopes that we could turn the tide. The rest of us are going to be at the feast on Thursday. For now, we lie low and keep our heads straight."

"Right. See you."

We disconnected just as I saw Kyle and Marcel walk into the room. "Kelante," the former said. "Listen, this is a bit much for you, but I really hope you can give me and my friends and boyfriend a chance. Dad thinks that you're too wild, but he does think that you have potential."

"Yes," his boyfriend agreed, though he did shoot me a dour look. "Look, kid. You can be a bit too brash and all, but maybe you can be a part of the winning team. All I ask is that you learn to make nice and learn how things roll. And that starts by making nice with Kennedy Deveraux."

Damn it to hell! The door opened to reveal Kennedy in her Barbie themed glory. Biting back some colorful words, I reigned in my inner Bianca Del Rio and gave her a chastened look. "Well, underneath my personality, I am a fair young man," I began. "I owe you an apology, my dear, for being quite a brat towards you. I hope you and I can be good friends in the future. If not, then I totally understand."

"Of course," she replied, giving me a cat-eating grin. "And there might be some hope for you after all. Just give this regime a chance and you'll catch on with the Dermott gang real quick."

I nodded. See, I can get along with haters just fine, I told myself. "I look forward to spending time with y'all," I said out loud.

"I'm sure you will," Marcel noted, nodding slowly. "Maybe you can hang out with us tomorrow and meet the others."

"All right. It's a date."

We all made our way downstairs, but my mind was racing a mile a minute. Something was not right and I had a feeling that things were going to be full of surprises during this holiday week.

He's not wrong, folks! We're wrapping up act two with game-changers, past letters, and a jaw-dropping announcement that will definitely change the game in so many ways and set the stage for a wild act three!

Dedication: tampamanatee.

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