April tucked in the front half of her chunky, white sweater into the waistband of the black body con skirt which stopped an inch or two above her ankles. The last thing she wanted was to have brunch with Mark's friends and family – believing him to have questionable choices when it came to the people of Brighton.

From what she could tell with Lisa, that was definitely the case, not to mention his perhaps, borderline, psychopathic son. Nevertheless, she was forced into attending his weekly brunch gatherings which consisted of the people he held close to him.

She fixed her hair, hoping it was properly straightened, from the exact same straightener Mark had gotten her, by 'accident'. In fact, he'd spend almost the whole afternoon 'accidentally' shopping for April, oddly knowing her clothing sizes. Of course she wasn't complaining, but kindness in general was very unfamiliar to her, so she felt weird.

One of those items consisted of a black pair of the Oran Herémes sandals, costing up to almost $800. She made a mental note to return them back to the shop, not wanting to walk in such expensive shoes – along with the fact that they weren't her style. None of the items he'd gotten her were, but it fit in with the 'rich' people aesthetic. Not to mention the tightness of the skirt made her feel practically naked, feeling it hug every curved of her bottom half, along with having her hair as straight as a Spaghetti noddle, as opposed to it's natural, wavy texture.

"Are you ready?" Mark knocked on the door, already dressed in his outfit. "It's been over an hour, just wanted to see if everything was alright." He added, not being able to take his eyes off the girl. In his opinion, he'd prefer her looking like this, it made her seem more 'put-together'.

"Everything's fine, besides the fact that this skirt might make my whale thighs skinnier – kind of prefer the beached whale look if I'm being honest." She checked herself out in the floor length mirror, not hating the look – but not liking it either.

Mark rolled his eyes, "Alright then, everyone's outside." He walked away as he spoke, hoping she wouldn't embarrass him by being late.

She made her way out to the backyard, seeing how beautiful the décor looked. A large dinner table which seated eighteen people, the theme evidently being white and gold. The plate and table cloth combo made everything look concise, along with the bouquet of fresh Tulips which sat in the middle of the table, encased in an elongated glass vase.

April felt anxious and extremely hesitant to mingle with others, God knows what they heard about her. Not to mention the fact that she saw Chad and his little minions in attendance, gathered up like a bunch of stray cats in an alleyway. Feeling out of place would have been an understatement, as April contemplated escaping back inside her room and calling her mother to come pick her up. Nevertheless, just so she wouldn't have to sit through another one of Mark's lectures (which she only stayed through due to how hot he was when he was mad), she decided to stay.

Lisa – who stood next to Mark – took quick notice of her ex-husband's reactions towards the teen's outfit, eyeing the girl from head to toe. She scoffed, feeling a little envious, but she would never admit to it truthfully.

"I'm guessing you took her out," Lisa gestured to April with her glass, the Mimosa shaking at the movement.

"No, not really." Mark sighed, pursing his lips as he took his gaze away from her, feeling as though people were noticing. "I just gave her my card and she bought all the clothes herself."

After a few hours, the brunch had begun, seeing people line up against the food table. April walked up with a plate in her hand, standing behind some random old guy who smelled like a Pine Tree on steroids. Her face was evidently showcasing boredom, not wanting to be at the brunch in the slightest. That was until she felt a tap on her shoulder, praying it was someone she knew.

The girl turned her head around, her eyes meeting that of a tall, dark-skinned boy, a charming smile plastered across his face. 'Perhaps the only person of color Chad at in his group' she thought to herself.

Meet James Abbas and Sudanese-American kid whose parents were living the dream the people of his country longed for. His family was from Khartoum, having owned large businesses back in the day. The patriarch of the family was a businessman, while his mother was a successful OB-GYN. His parents moved to the United States in the 80's, situating themselves in the growing city of Los Angeles, where James was born. Soon after his birth, James' family moved to Brighton Valley, where his mother works in the Brighton General Hospital, and his father travels from time to time in their luxurious private jet. The man made sure to be in attendance of his longtime friend – Mark Helms' brunch, having missed out on the previous one.

"Hey," April sighed, knowing not to entertain the boy too much, in case this conversation was a set up.

"Hey," He replied, flashing her a charming grin. "Just wanted to say you looked good." He added, only to gain an eye roll from the girl.

"Yeah well, these pants are closed for business so, go find someone else to hook up with," She turned her attention back to the line in front of her, getting impatient at how long it took people to decide between Cheddar and Blue Jack. "Oh, and I think it's against the 'bro code' to be sleeping with your best friends ex." She added, indirectly as her focus was on Pine Tree man still deciding.

James chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not trying to get in your pants, April." He frowned. "You know, not everyone is out to get you."

She bit her tongue, literally, in order to refrain herself from saying anything bitchier than she already did, possibly causing her to hide away in shame until the week was over.

"And don't worry, I don't believe the rumors around here." He added.

Her curiosity was peaked, her brows furrowing together as she turned around to look back at him.

"What rumors?" She asked, baffled that within her fourth day in Brighton, rumors were also produced and distributed like cocaine.

"The fact that you like it rough," He shrugged, narrowing his eyes. "Not saying I believe it, but Chad mentioned-"

"Yeah, I got it." April held her hand out in a 'stop' motion, rolling her eyes in repugnance. 'Of course Chad would mention it around town'

"From personal experience," James leaned towards her ear. "It'll blow over, plus, it's just Chad – I'm sure you'll get over it."

"Get away from my ear, weirdo." April bluntly whispered, moving herself away from him. She turned around, thanking the Pine Tree man for finally moving up in line.

James stood there, feeling bad for the girl. She was just staying in Brighton for God knows how long, and Chad had already ruined her reputation for her. Part of him felt partially responsible, since he could have stopped it, but the regret eventually caught up with him.

His parents, friends and acquaintances began seeing how James' innocent infatuation with April developed into a full blown crush. It would only take a lot of convincing at the brunch table for April to accept his desperate request to take her to Beverly Hill's 'it' restaurant – Spago. Although the dress code caused April to cringe, she began to develop a liking for it.

Fortunately for her, James rarely believed rumors, so with him – April could really start a whole new persona, using the same backstory she gave Jason when they first met. And thankfully for her, James believed it, even if she felt guilty about lying to him. But she knew he wouldn't date the daughter of a drug addict who wasn't even from the same social class as him, or at least she thought.

They only spent three days with one another, falling madly in love throughout. To an outsider looking in, it seemed like they'd been dating for a really long time. They would leave the mall with their hands intertwined with one another, and when he took her back to Mark's house, passersby's would notice the Mercedes G-Class he owned oddly shaking in the driveway, drawing questionable stares.

They spent almost the whole day together, only being apart during the hours of 12AM till 5AM. Up until the sixth day of April's stay, she informed James her mother would be returning back from Bali, and as a parting gift, he decided to throw his girlfriend a farewell party, wanting to make sure it was a night she'd remember, and a night that would leave her with great memories of Brighton Valley. Although she was hesitant at first, April reluctantly agreed to it.

However, not everyone took kindly to the two's relationship. Chad – as expected – began feeling a sense of loathing for the two, excusing his emotions by saying James violated the 'bro code'. When confronted, James decided to distance himself slowly from the boy, feeling upset that his best friend wasn't happy for him.

Unsurprisingly, Mark wasn't too happy about it either, and not in a fatherly-sort of way. He wasn't sure whether he was actually in love with April or if he was just infatuated by her bending over the couch to dust beneath it. Whatever it was, he disapproved of the relationship, and would ground April from time to time.