John Dandy Boys Club

Chapter Fifty-Six

Vion's POV

December 20XX, Trotter's Ridge High School, study hall...

The Daily Siren/Houlton Post

The Winter Formal: Seasons of Masquerade

Gentle readers, it's amazing how time can fly by without warning. As many of us are preparing for the holiday season, we must make time to reflect on the events that had transpired from the past. And for many of us here at Trotter's Ridge High School, so much has indeed happened for all of us: Nathan Bavier and Bay'Vion Copeland's debut and tragic deaths, our football team making it through the high-school state semifinals before falling to Wheeler Bay, the aquatics teams and marching band winning their championships, and new additions to the John Dandy Boys Club who bring life into this school and this fair town of ours.

Now, fall has given way to winter and with it comes the annual Winter Formal that will be held at a new location: Westley Manor, where our fair school superintendent and his son reside. Not only that, the John Dandy Boys and Men are set to host the festivities alongside a number of events that will be held around Stonehaven Pointe, Wickerby, and Suffolk Falls. For you all who plan to be there when not tending to preparations for exams, running errands, or getting your holiday shopping finished on time; this means getting lost in the cheerful time of the year to celebrate the incoming Winter Solstice while enjoying the finest of what's to come. For yours truly, this means covering all the events that would follow: the annual men's and women's Diving Grand Prix, a fashion show hosted in Wickerby's Metro Civic Center, a basketball tournament, carnivals, free breakfasts held at local churches, and other events.

Sadly, I could only wish that both Nathan and Copeland were alive to be a part of the celebrations. And with their killers Robby Beckham and Kenya Halliday still lying low in plain sight, all eyes will be on them as everyone hopes to bring justice to these ruthless and heartless monsters who took the lives of two young men who had their lives ahead of them. If it not for their murders, Nathan and Vion would've gone places and enjoyed living their lives to the fullest while staying true to themselves and to God. Miss Halliday and Mr. Beckham, I can only give you this piece of advice: save yourselves the inevitable humiliation and turn yourselves in to the police.
Do not make a mockery out of yourselves and this town. Because in this life, only the worthy are allowed to play the games of the Masquerade. And that is the bottom line.

"Robby was known to be the kind of teenager who can give Kenya a run for her money," Mrs. Annette Beckham, a plump woman who was now a bank teller living with her husband David and daughter Kaci in Sutton Springs, Texas, said as she, her family, and Kenya's parents joined me and Brian for a private lunch at school. "Like her, he was known to be caustic and cruel. I think that the rest of the family knew of his evil mindset as well, more so for Nathan since he was Robby's perfect whipping boy and punching bag."

Since Nathan's death and Adelaide setting up the plan to end Kenya and Robby's reign of terror, everyone and anyone who was willing to pitch in- Joneus brothers, Guardians, and even normal citizens- wanted to make sure that the duo were put away for good before anyone else got killed. And it was now the start of December with talks of end-of-semester finals and the Winter Formal flowing in the air as the latter was set up in two weeks' time. So it was crucial to talk with the Beckham-Bavier family to know more about Robby as well as get some advice about Kenya's soon demise.

"How bad was he?" Brian asked as his father, Fordham, and Talbot joined us inside the conference room.

"Nearly twice as worse as Kenya was to you, young man," Mr. Beckham commented. "Every time that Nathan was sent to visit us here in Stonehaven Pointe before that tragic  day, Nate had to do all of Robby's chores and face unexpected moments of being beaten up. 'It's the principle of showing the weak of their place in the world,' he'd defend himself when his mother and I grounded him for nearly putting Nate in a coma one summer ago. 'I'm the only one who can come out on top. And if I gotta suffer, so must Nate.'"

I turned to Kaci, the plus-sized dancer giving me a plaintive look. "Was it like that for you?"

She nodded. "But only in the verbally and emotionally method," she said. "He'd go one to say that I'd only be fitting to become someone's perfect taste tester and that I should go live on an island with other fat people who would only eat each other to death for survival. He'd remarked that no sane man would date me because I was a jellybean away from becoming the perfect pinata where I'd explode and food would be given to the poor people in Africa."

"Shameful mess, I call it," Fordham muttered. "My goodness, he and Kenya really deserve one another."

"Trust us, Madame Fordham, when we say that Robby has no filter or care for anyone's feelings but his own," Mr. Bavier commented. "No one in our families liked him because he treated everyone like horse dung. When he stayed at his grandparents' farm in Oklahoma, his grandfather- my and Annette's father- made him sleep with the horses because he was too unpleasant to be around."

I shot him an astonished look. "That sounds a bit harsh for a punishment," I commented.

"Not to us, but I should've thrown Robby out on the streets when he turned thirteen when his mean streak really kicked into high gear," Mr. Beckham noted. "Vion, you and Nathan shared a lot in common with each other with both of you dealing with bullies like Kenya and Robby, the dreams of starting over and wanting to find a new semblance of order, and even wanting to make friends that weren't restrictive. I told Mr. Halliday this before we all came in that you had a bad hand in life and it was by sheer fate that led you out of Louisiana and into this town. Kenya and Robbie were born evil and apparently they will go to their graves with evil in their hearts. Trust me when I say that no one will lay a lilly on their graves if they were to die at any moment."

"Definitely," Mrs. Halliday, who remained quiet with her husband until now, piped up as she finished her glass of iced tea. "In all fairness, Antonia and Angelique should've spirited you out of New Orleans before you began freshman year. But maybe it was all destined for you to wait until the end of summer to come here. As Pastor Barker once said, 'there's a time and purpose for everything under the heavens.' And who knows? Maybe you can use what happened as a learning curve for you to teach the next generation."

I nodded, shooting a glance at Brian as he nodded in assent. "So, what do you all suggest that we do?" I asked.

"Well, you guys are now these superhumans with a lot of manipulative powers that can give any bad guy a fright, right?" Kaci stated. "My suggestion is simple yet a bit unorthodox: invite them to the party and give them the ultimate freakout. My brother hates all things involving horror and supernatural, preferring to watch those films with sappy endings or films that show where the villain wins. With your powers and a room full of mirrors..."

"We can give them the ultimate final blow," Mr. Westley commented.

"Just what I had in mind," came the voice of Adelaide Monroe, she dressed in monochromatic Chanel as she sauntered into the room. To Kaci, "Not a bad idea, girl. Hell, we can put up mirrors all over the manor and make all the guests wear masks."

I smirked. "I like it," I commented. "Tell us more."

And from there, we continued to enjoy our lunch while piling up ideas to give Robby Beckham and Kenya Halliday their just desserts. If all goes to plan, both of them will soon realize that even in "death," I was not going to be denied anymore.

Let the games begin, ladies and gentlemen!

Oh, wow! I have a feeling that everything is going to be quite scandalous for the incoming masquerade-themed Winter Formal! And you know that this is going to be one wild ride for the end!

Coming up next, we check in with Kenya and Robby as they get their invites and debate whether or not they should go. Stay tuned!

Dedication: AuthorOliviaGrace. Song: "Radar" by Britney Spears.

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