John Dandy Boys Club

Chapter Sixteen

Vion's POV

Trotter's Ridge High School (Stonehaven Pointe, Virginia), Lunchtime...

"I still can't believe that you got the invitation to join the John Dandy Boys Club, Vion!" Felicity drawled delightfully as she and the gang sat down to lunch with me after I was swept up in the chaotic commendations after making me declarations known to join the charismatic all-male clique. After the auditions for the glee club, I was the biggest talk of the school (and would likely be the talk of the town if anyone could help it). "I am so jelly right now!"

"Me too, Chasity chirped, taking a sip of her milk. "Vion, this could be the biggest moment in your entire life. I hate to quote someone who said the same thing to JFK before he got shot, but I can't help it. You can't say that Trotter's Ridge High doesn't love you today."

I smiled wanly, feeling a bit sheepish. "Well, I'm glad to hear it," I replied, pausing to bite into my baked potato. "But when I was taking in the smiles and cheers after the audition, I thought I saw  some Black girl with dreadlocks frown at me, looking at me as if I had lost my mind. She just shook her head, crossing her arms before walking away."

That caught Tahira's attention. "What did she look like?"  she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Had a dancer's body, but was also athletic-looking, dressed in some track suit in green," I replied. "She had her braids done in a bun and she even had some beauty mark under her left eye."

Quintarrus looked around before pointing behind me, making me turn to a lone table where the girl in question was sitting with some of the ethnocentric kids. She gave me a sad stare before focusing her attention on her food. "You mean her?" he asked.

I nodded. "Anyone know who she is?"

"That's Sabrina Erdogan, Jamaican-American student," Tahira commented. "She's on the track team, but is known to be antisocial and all. A bit standoffish around Westley and the guys, but keeps her distance. However, she was known to be associated with some newcomers who also caught Westley's attention before they got scared off and transferred to a new school."

I took a sharp breath. "You don't think that she could be focusing her attention on me next, do you?" I asked.

"Maybe, or maybe not. Who can say?" Quez replied, him turning around and frowning slightly before turning back to me. "But you might want to let Talbot, Fordham, and even the Westleys know about this, Copeland. I don't know why, but I think that she could be Halliday's spy."

"I was afraid you'd say that, Houlton," Damon replied, "but you could be right. In my book, Vion, I think you might want to reconsider this offer to join those guys. You could be making a rash decision about all of this and there's no telling what could happen next. Maybe talk things over and-"

"I'm still going to join them, Damon," I interrupted, "but I will take talking to the adults about this. But I'm going to still join the John Dandy Boys, more so since I opened up to Wyatt at the house party."

"What about it?"

I recapped them about my conversation with Brian and Wyatt about my censors and me feeling unrestrained as well as Superintendent Westley's words earlier. "In a way, I always felt like something was missing and I never got a chance to find out since Kenya always had me on her radar," I finished. "I had to take care of her needs for too long. I thought about Westley's words and told myself that it was time to start living for me."

"And that ain't a bad answer," Quintarrus noted. "But Damon could be right, bro. Talk to the adults and maybe check in with what's going down back in N'awlins."