John Dandy Boys Club

Chapter Twenty-Six: Shopping with the John Dandy Boys Club

Vion's POV

The rest of the week flew by without much warning and it was soon Friday as De'Andre and I were joined by Brian Westley for a day of shopping for new clothes at the premium outlet mall in nearby Andrews Beach. Joining him were Hector, Wyatt, and Mario- all of them working together to give me and De'Andre a new wardrobe to symbolize our new life in Stonehaven Pointe as well as being part of the all-male brotherhood.

"Try these jeans, Vion," Wyatt's voice rang from my private dressing room as a sales clerk handed me a set of Sean John jeans in  various colors. We were currently at Nordstrom's as he and Brian assigned themselves to work with me while De'Andre was paired with Hector and Mario with them at Dillard's. "Estelle will be bringing some dress shirts and pants that are from Kenneth Cole."

"I never had this kind of luxury before," I commented as I stared at my reflection in the mirror in a comfortable Benetton ensemble- red Polo shirt, black slacks, and a pendant that didn't scream flashy or elegance. "I usually settled for some hand-me-downs from neighbors and had nice clothes gotten only for Christmas."

"That'll change since you're going to be part of us," I heard Brian intone good-naturedly. "Your old clothes will need to be donated to charity save for the one you'll be wearing when you head to my place tomorrow. After that, it's new designer clothes to symbolize you being a part of the boys, Vion."

I hummed to myself. "Listen, guys, I mean it when I say that I never had this kind of luxury before," I said as I got out of the Benetton outfit before making a beeline for a pair of Sean John jeans that were in black. "Back home, I had to settle for less and watch Kenya live it up. And now? Well, who can say what's ahead of me? I'm not one to put on airs since I was taught to be humble by my parents. And thanks to me being Kenya's personal chew toy, I guess it leaves little room for any extravagance back in New Orleans."

"That's because Kenya didn't want to see you outshine her, fearing that you might take her spotlight when she didn't deserve it in the first place," Wyatt commented, him coming into my dressing room. "She wanted you to remain small in her eyes and wanted you to be out of her way. De'Andre knows of this because he too had to be beneath her in anything she wanted to do. You two had to defer everything to her to make her happy but ended up getting the raw end of the deal."

I faced Wyatt's serious demeanor, his sly persona not in sight. "That's true," I commented. "I mean, I never felt like I belonged anywhere thanks to Kenya placing so many restrictions back in Louisiana. Now that she's in prison, I can only imagine what it must feel like to be a part of something that's bigger than me. This is going to be a game-changer for me as it will be for De'Andre. I only hope that I don't end up making a fool out of myself."

"You won't," Wyatt assured me, "and you know why? It's because you came from a family that has strong morals and you have that no-nonsense demeanor. You keep your distance, focus on your life, cordial with everyone, and never abuse or neglect your gifts. Vion, if you can only see what everyone else can see; you'd be surprised how much of a priceless work of art that you really are. You'd been good to someone who treated you bad for far too long. I could be wrong for saying this, but I know that Brian and his dad as well as everyone around you agrees with me on this: it's high-time that you start being good to yourself."

I nodded just as Brian joined us. "He's right, Vion," he said. "Kenya doesn't know how good she has it and only sees you as a threat to be eliminated when she got tired of you. She had her moment to shine yet caused only scandals. It's time for everyone to know who you are. And by the end of this weekend, you'll be ready to let them know and be a part of the winning team."

"Thanks," I breathed. "I needed that."

"What are bros for?" Wyatt smiled. "Now, let's get your wardrobe updated down to your socks, bro. It's time for a total makeover and you're going to be playing dress-up all day."