John Dandy Boys Club

Chapter One: In Mourning

Third-Person POV

Bay'Vion Copeland.

Remember the name, dear reader, as he was currently sitting in the pastor's office of Mount Sinai Baptist Church which was located in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans while waiting for early-morning worship services to begin. At the moment, Vion (which was short for Bay'Vion) was feeling rather depressed since losing his parents and unborn sibling to a fatal car crash two weeks ago. And the worst part of it all was that he had to endure the spiteful words of one Kenya Halliday, him being surprised with a paint-bomb for not throwing a party on the day he laid his parents to rest. "I don't see why you have to attend something that I could easily hire a stand-in for," she had said rudely, her smile never fading as she watched him be drenched in the multi-colored liquid. "Besides, you should've been putting your attention towards making me happy all summer long before we start our senior year together. Maybe this'll remind you to make sure that you know what's important- me."

"Vion?"

The young man snapped his focus back to the present, him facing the saintly faces of Reverend and First Lady Barker alongside Kenya's pure-hearted cousin Talia Newman (his one and only true friend) who arrived with her parents. "Sorry, I was deep in thought," he said. "It's been a chaotic couple of weeks for me with everything."

"I bet it has," Rev. Barker replied, his tone gruff yet gentle. "Son, I think that you're in dire need to get out of this town for your own good. And with your aunt Mona and her husband being your only family left, they're more than willing to take you into their home over in Stonehaven Pointe, Virginia."

Vion gave them a look of disbelief. "Me? Move away from New Orleans?" he replied. "Rev. Barker, I mean no disrespect and all, but you know why I can't just up and leave. Kenya won't allow me to leave her. She expects me to cater to her needs and whims. She hasn't been too happy with me since I chose not to throw her a party when I was burying my parents and unborn brother, hence me being given that paint bomb."

"And that's why you need to ditch this place and leave my cousin in the dust," Talia commented, frowning at the mention of her cold-hearted cousin. "Kenya's not someone to play God and expect you to be her little minion. And I think that you were too good for her to deal with her shit for far too long. You did everything right by her, yet she only kept you from branching out and making friends of your own kind. She expects you to only rely on her, thinking that she knows what's best for your welfare."

"I know that's right," her mother muttered. Out loud, "Vion, do you remember the birthday parties that she'd held for herself and made sure that you were the only kid who didn't get a thing to eat yet you had to stand there and let her puke on you? She said that she did it because she 'cares for you.' She even did the same thing for your birthdays, denying you food while she and her friends took away all those toys that her parents gave you before making you play her games and all that."

"Don't forget all her schemes to make sure that you had no other kids to play around," Mr. Newman commented. "With some false rumors, any chances of you talking to the other kids were basically shot down as you had to hear her words that shot down your self-esteem."

Those kids will only use and abuse you for sport, Vion. I do what I do because I gotta roughen you up for the real world.

You're too much of a loser to try out for anything at school. And why bother with any of that when you can be useful by throwing me parties and being my perfect little punching bag?

Your family is full of losers and lost causes, Vion. If they were to die, I'll make sure that all your free time is focused on me and my road to being a diva. I'm the belle of the ball and you're only my whipping boy to serve me whenever I need you until I think it's time to put you away.