A FRESH START

Walking into the Academy ground with renewed confidence and the mindset to destroy anything in his path that tries to stop him from reaching his goal, Ayo looks up in the direction of his class before walking forward.

"Hey do you know him?"

"I'm not sure but he looks familiar"

Whispers kept entering into Ayo's ears

"He looks great, why do I feel like I've seen him before?" said a girl looking at him with an infatuated gaze.

"Me too" replied her friend standing next to her.

"Maybe he's new?" asked another student

"A new student at this time?! Like that's even possible" said the other sarcastically with a smirk on his face.

"You're right, I guess I was over thinking things." He said but it was clear from his gaze he obviously had no impression of the student before then in his memory.

Ayo kept walking despite the fact he was being stared at like a monkey in a zoo, no matter how uncomfortable he felt he had to keep on walking.

"I know who he is" said a student with disbelief evident in his eyes.

"Who is he?"

"Don't you remember that student who went hysterical?"

"You don't mean the one responsible for the destruction of the wall behind the bleachers?"

"That's the one" he said

The other student stood in shock not realizing his mouth was open and he had the funniest expression to describe.

'How could anyone change so much' he wondered.

Walking into his class Ayo realized that not only was everyone staring at him bewildered by the sudden transformation he had undergone.

"Woah! Ayo is that really you?" asked Jasper.

"What do you want Jasper?" replied Ayo with a hint of anger.

"Nothing honestly, I just didn't see you as a guy that cared about how he looked" replied Jasper.

"I highly doubt that knowing you I'm sure you you're here to gloat about something" said Ayo.

"Hahaha, I didn't think…" Not giving Jasper the time to finish what he was about to say Ayo walks towards his seat leaving Jasper looking like a total fool.

As he was about to seat down Rayla walks into the class.

Stunned by the expression of everyone in the class she looks in the direction the whole class was looking at only to find some guy sitting in Ayo's seat.

She angrily walks in his direction with anger all over her face before asking.

"What are you doing here?" she asks in a low voice which could do little to hide how angry she was.

"what?" replied Ayo confused.

"This seat is already taken go find another one" she said disregarding everything what he said.

"It's my seat" said Ayo.

"No that's my friends seat, so I'll give you ten seconds to stand up and go find somewhere else to seat down before I destroy you" Said Rayla getting angrier.

Stunned Ayo stares at Rayla looking perplexed he asks.

"Don't you recognize me?" he asked.

"Why the hell would I recognize you, have we met before?" she asked as she pounded on his table.

"You don't recognize me Rayla?" asked Ayo.

"How do you know my name?" she asked stunned.

He suddenly starts laughing, while trying his best to maintain enough composure to speak as he slowly said;

"It's me Ayo" standing up as he told answered.

"How can you be Ayo?" she replied clearly stunned.

As she started paying a closer attention to his being as she slowly sized him up she realized that he really might be Ayo as she recognized his carefree smile that always ends in a smirk, deep brown eyes, tall but well-built frame.

"What happened to you?" she asked shocked.

"Well I decided I needed a fresh start with everything going on" he said as he swept his fingers through his hair.

"One hell of a fresh start, I couldn't recognize you" she said laughing. "You went from cornrows to this?" that's one hell of a transformation.

Ayo who usually had cornrows had a clean and lush hair after Connor and Spencer were done there forced him to go get a haircut of their choice. Obviously, they made him get his hair trimmed really low at the sides while having his hair dyed black with hints of a frosty white at the top of his hair.

When they went home, Connor and Spencer pulled a share from their savings and dragged him out for Shopping so that they could get new clothes before they decided his makeover was complete.

Ayo stood in front of Rayla with his new look completely stunning and shocking Rayla for a long time, with his frosty hair and White leather jacket with black stripes, black trousers and White Mid-top Sneakers.

"Well you have to tell me who made you transform into this because I need to thank them" said Rayla wide eyed and smiling.

"I know it's not me, I kind of don't like it" said Ayo.

"Are you insane? You look amazing, this is the best look for you dude" said Rayla getting angry. "If I hear you mention anything about going back to cornrows I'll pummel you" she said threatening.

"Okay, just don't hurt me" he said acting like he was scared.

The both of them start laughing forgetting the whole class was staring at them at that moment, they looked like they had both gone crazy with their maniacal laughter.

Rayla deep down was thankful she didn't have to go through all the drama alone.

…

Lunch time,

"Hey Ayo let's go meet Mr. Val" she said swinging her head in the direction of his office.

"Sure, I was just thinking the same thing." He said walking towards his office.

Outside his office, they both stood afraid to take the next step since doing so they would be walking into an entirely different world and it would be nigh impossible for them to have a normal life ever again.

Val opens the door of his office to find Rayla and a strange boy in front of his door.

"How can I help you Rayla and who is this your friend?" he asked not recognizing Ayo.

"Me?" asked Ayo confused.

"Yes who are you? I don't seem to recall you being student here." Said Val slightly confused.

"It's Ayo" laughing Rayla told Val before looking right at Ayo.

"Ayo, which Ayo?" asked Val since the Ayo in front of him didn't match the one in his memories.

"It's me Ayo, the only one you know" said Ayo getting a little angry.

"A-Ayo? Is that really you, wow I have to say whoever did this to you did a pretty amazing job I couldn't recognize you" he said as he started laughing.

"I hate this look" thought Ayo deep down but he didn't dare say it out since Rayla might suddenly punch him.

"Can we go inside and talk now" said Ayo before giving Rayla the evil eye so she would stop laughing.

"Don't look at me like that, am sorry but you saw he's expression. It was priceless" she said while walking into Vals office.

Sitting down on his chair his looks at them as they sit down before asking;

"What do you guys want to speak to me about?"

Rayla looks at Ayo for a moment as if to confirm that her thought and Ayo's was the same before asking;

"When do we leave?"

Smiling as he said "Good I can see you guys have already come to an understanding, we leave soon, very soon"

….