Third-Person POV

Meanwhile, at the Browning residence...

Gentle reader, if Tamarious Browning and his family ever knew one thing when it came down to an ominous feeing that would lead to certain uneasiness in the world of hip-hop, especially regarding people of a certain wholesome and non-stereotypical caliber; they believed that there is a time to continue to play the figurative game of Texas-hold-'em and a time to cut one's losses and fold before making a hasty exit.

And as Homecoming week went on at Sandifer Bay High School, Tamarious and his lady Tiffany noticed that more and more of their fellow Outsiders were either being exiled, defecting to the other side, or transferring without so much as an explanation. Omarion was the only one who made a lethal exit with a brush from one of his family's rivals. That left Tiffany, Tamarious and his sister, Yesenia, and Mavis to deal with the leery glances and sneers from Marcel and Company as the Beautiful Teens were continuously keeping Kyle under their heavy watch.

When Friday arrived with the excitement of the big game and the final festivities of the week in the air, the Outsiders noticed that Kyle wasn't in attendance despite rumors of a thoroughly-planned schedule that was set by Lita and Diana. In fact, Kyle wasn't in any of his classes or even homeroom while the Beautiful Teens were there in their festive glory- with the girls dressed in their cheerleading uniforms and the boys sporting their football jerseys and jeans that complemented their newly-acquired varsity jackets. "Ladies and gentlemen, Kyle York is unable to attend the football game or the preceding pep rally due to some unexpected circumstances," Marcel announced with a formal tone, his friends also appearing somber. "But he sends his regards and my teammates and I will make sure that we will win the game for him."

Tamarious shot a worried glance at Tiffany, who mouthed "Meeting at lunch. Something's up."

The young man nodded just as the rest of the morning went forward with little to no delay.

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

"I don't like any of this," Tamarious said as he finally joined his friends and sister at their lunch table with a tray of food on hand. "Something inside of me is telling me that Kyle is either under lockdown or with those Titan Club losers and he discovered something that may have had him exposed."

"Maybe he's not feeling too good," Kennedy suggested. "There's flu season to consider and all the stress from him being kept busy and all that may had him feeling tired and his immune system compromised."

"Still, Browning, you gotta admit that there's some dark auras going on around here," Yesenia commented, pausing briefly to pull out her rosary beads before placing them back while facing some sneers from Principal Dermott. "My abuelita said that she woke up with a dreadful feeling in her corazon as she went to her private room to pray to Guadalupe before telling me that she saw Kyle and another guy being surrounded by a dense fog with a storm in the background. She thinks that something wicked is coming to this town and Kyle's trapped in all of it."

Tamarious snuck a glance at the table where the Beautiful Teens were holding court, his gaze falling on the smirking Marcel who stared at him right back with a cocky look in his eyes. "You could be right, Maldonado," he said tersely. "If I know any better, Dermott knows what's going down. And so do his group of goombas and his kin."

"What do we do?" Mavis asked, looking around with concern. "I think that we could be over our heads in all of this."

"But we're in too deep with our own plans to expose these guys," Tiffany rebutted. "We may be low in numbers and we've been placed in detention for the rest of this week; but we still have a mission to complete. For now, we lay off the spy games and keep our distance. Later on, we check up on York and see if he's doing okay."

"That won't be necessary, Miss Detweiler," came the sharp and domineering voice of Mr. Brian York as he and his wife arrived at their table. "Kyle is indisposed at the moment with being under the weather, but he will be at his full peak by the end of this weekend. However, he will not receive any visitors until Sunday evening."

Tamarious stood up with indignation in his eyes. "Look, sir. Kyle may be trapped with your group of snobs and that ragtag group of Barbies and Kens, but your son should at least be able to see one of us to offer some moral support," he said fiercely.

"Ah, but he'll be under the best of care with his father and myself," his mother shot back smoothly. "And pretty soon, he'll have no need for either one of you. Kyle is bound for better things and he cannot be distracted with any of you nobodies clouding his mind with any of your conspiracies against his friends or this town. So if I were you, I'd consider finding someone else to harangue or even consider calling it with your hate campaign and get with the program. Save face and fall in line. We won't think less of you than we already do."

Her husband nodded. "My wife and I, alongside the Dermotts and their friends, have bright plans for Kyle," he intoned, echoing his wife's earlier statement. "And he doesn't need your ilks or propaganda to distract him. Don't become a part of the problem any more than you already are. Be part of the solution."

Mavis snorted loudly. "We rather drop dead," she spat.

"There's an idea," Mr. York sassed before he and his wife left.

Tamarious sat down. "They're up to something," he muttered as he watched the York couple sit with the Beautiful Teens as Marcel's parents also joined them. "All of them, no good and low-lying thieves and dogs. They're all no good."

"What the hell do we do now?" Yesenia said, finally breaking out her rosary beads and performing her prayers.

"We back off. For now," Tamarious replied. "This weekend's when we lie low and plan our move. One way or another, we will expose those Beautiful Teens and the Titan Club before we get the hell out of town for good."

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

Sunday arrived with its splendor with the thrill of pro football in the air, but the Browning household was on edge with fears for Kyle being under lockdown. "That boy's in deep touble," Mrs. Browning said as she and her family put their focus on some housework, her and Tamarious cleaning the kitchen while father and daughter were outside with yard work. "And you still haven't heard anything yet?"

Her son shook his head, sitting up from scrubbing the floors behind the oven. "Mavis planned to stop by his home with some goodies on hand, but Mr. York was outside and told her that Kyle will be on the mend and reminded her, albeit harshly, that he is not to have any visitors who are 'nobodies' like her," he replied tiredly. "There's something going on and-"

"Tam-Tam, Mama!" came the voice of Kennedy as she and Mr. Browning burst inside. "I just saw a post from Dermott's Instagram page, and it has something to do with Kyle."

That caught Tamarious' attention as he and his mother followed father and daughter into the now-spotless living room. "Did Tiffany, Yesenia, and Mavis get the same announcement?" he asked.

Kennedy nodded. "Yesenia was one of the first," she replied as she opened Instagram on her tablet before joining her parents on the sofa. "She and Mavis are on their way while Tiffany's still at her grandparents for the weekend."

"We might get some answers about Kyle," Mr. Browning commented. "Let's take a look."

Kennedy found Marcel's Instagram page that featured a reel before she and her family sat back.

The tablet screen showed a nicely-dressed Marcel as he was in his bedroom. "Hey, world," he said cheerfully. "As you may have known already, my friends and I have taken a newcomer under our wing and have been hard at work getting him refined and remade into the diamond standard at Sandifer Bay. It took a bit of doing since he was an atypical case, but let's just say that this past weekend was when he finally coming into the our world. And soon, you all will be amazed at the new Kyle York."

The air in the Tamarious home was thick with unease. "Fuckin' hell," the father said.

Marcel smirked, crossing his arms. "And to all those haters who tried to corrupt him and scare him out of town, let's just say that he'll not be spooked easily- not if his parents or even my friends, family and I can help it," he continued. "Kyle York is going to be a part of the new normal and will be a part of the diamond elite. And starting Monday morning, you all will fall in love with him. Not only that, Monday morning is when my male friends, Mr. Brian York, and I will have a surprise for you all, one that will definitely change the whole game and will soon revolutionize the world! Monday morning, a special morning assembly will be held at the Sandifer Bay High School gymnasium that will explain everything. And to Tamarious and Kennedy Browning, Tiffany Detweiler, Yesenia Maldonado, and Mavis Telfair...you'll be there to see the new version of Kyle La'Van Jan'Twaine York."

The reel soon ended as Tamarious sat back with a look of dread in his eyes just as Mavis and Yesenia arrived with parents and Macey following suit. "You watched the feed, too?" asked the Goth girl.

The young man nodded, his family soon doing the same. "Guys...something tells me that we could be in deep shit," he said, his tone thick with fear. "And the York family have been corrupting him."

"Blame our father for that," came the voice of Khadijah York as she and her twin sister Khandi and their grandparents came into the room, all of them dressed to the nines. "Tamarious Browning, you and your friends are going to be blown away come Monday morning. My sister and I came here early this morning. And all I can tell you is that Kyle York...is going to be unrecognizable. And our parents and the Dermotts are to blame."

"How do you know?" Kennedy asked suspiciously.

The twins turned to their grandfather, the older man looking livid as if he saw something that he should've never seen and was ready to throw down. "My daughter and son-in-law have been working with the Titan Club for the longest time," he said. "And in layman's terms, they done sold my grandson to the devils incarnate."

"Do you know who they are?" Tamarious asked as he stood up.

"Indeed, I do. And you should know them yourself," the older man intoned.

Realization soon settled in as the faces of the Outsiders and their families morphed into looks of shock. "No fucking way," Yesenia breathed, pulling out her Maltese cross and rosary beads, ready to pray fervently. "This can't be."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Macey groaned, clutching her stomach.

"I already am," Mr. Browning replied crossly.

"It's true, I'm afraid," Khandi intoned, taking off her sunglasses to reveal puffy, red eyes as if she'd been crying. "The Titan Club is none other than the male members of the Beautiful Teens, Marcel's dads, and my father. And they made my brother into a superhero."

Gentle reader, if there was a time for one to let out some colorful expletives, then the people in the Browning home had no problems letting them out as they cursed and swore revenge. And just like that, the tables had turned...and the odds were no longer in the Outcasts' favor.

Don't even think about going anywhere just yet, folks. We'll be back to hear more from the Outsiders in the next chapter with the addition of a new member into the fold. Stay tuned!

Dedication: BrianMullin0.

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