At school, Adam, Chase, Kyle, and I were watching a kid play an electric guitar. "Oh, sweet!" Adam says when the kid was done. "Look at your fingers go! It's like each one has a little brain of its own."

"Thanks. You know, you guys are the only people who have talked to me at this school. I hate being the new kid." The kid with the guitar says.

"Yeah, we used to be the new kids that no one talked to. Now we're just the vaguely familiar kids that no one talks to." Chase says.

Leo walks up to us. "Hey, peeps. What's the deal-io?"

"Hi, I'm Marcus." The kid with the guitar says, holding his hand out to shake Leo's hand.

"I know. We have gym together. And study hall. And also chemistry. We're lab partners." Leo says.

"Oh. I...did not know that." Marcus says.

"Chase, you ever play guitar?" Marcus asks.

"No, but I've always wanted to," Chase says.

"Well, I'm a jammer as well," Leo says. "My rocking is only eclipsed by my rolling."

"Leo, your mom said you played the clarinet for three weeks until you swallowed the reed," I say.

"I passed it," Leo says.

"Here, Chase. You want to give it a go?" Marcus asks, handing Chase his guitar.

"Well, yeah. Sure. Why not?" Chase says, taking the guitar. As I sat next to Adam on the bench that was in the hallway, Chase used his bionic eye to scan the guitar and started playing it at an expert level, jumping from the bench to the floor while shredding it. Everyone's eyes widen in shock as we watch Chase play the guitar. He stops after a bit and gets off the floor, looking a little embarrassed.

"Whoa! Dude, that was awesome!" Kyle says.

"Yeah...well...what do you know? Beginner's luck." Chase says, handing the guitar back to Marcus.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So me and my dad moved around a lot. I was homeschooled for most of my life." Marcus says as he, Adam, Chase, and Kyle sit together in the cafeteria.

"No way! So were we!" Adam says. "We are so similar! Do you have a third nipple too?" Marcus, Kyle, and Chase give Adam weird looks.

"Anyway...that's a pretty sweet guitar, Marcus," Chase says.

"Yeah, and you're a natural, bro!" Marcus says. "Guys! We should start a band!"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Adam says. He starts drumming his chopsticks on the table. "But what should I play? Oh, I got it! No, I don't got it."

"I think you're gonna be our drummer, Adam," Kyle says.

"Hmm. Interesting choice." Adam says. "I had been pondering the French horn."

"I'm pretty decent at the keyboard," Kyle says.

"Really?" Chase asks.

"Yeah. My life is not always about football." Kyle says. "Believe it or not, I come from a musical family. After my dad retired from being a football coach, he opened up his own guitar shop."

"Nice," Chase says.

"Cool!" Marcus says.

Leo and I walk over to the table with our lunch trays. "Hey, guys, guess what? Marcus, Kyle, Adam, and I are forming a band." Chase says.

"Well, you guys just met. Don't you think it's a little too soon?" I say.

"A little soon for what? Taking the deeply committed step of jamming together?" Chase says.

"Now if we could just find someplace to practice," Marcus says. "I live in a pretty small place, so..."

"Yeah, and my house is being renovated so we're staying at my aunt's house till it's finished," Kyle says.

"Oh, I know a place. The lab." Adam says, getting up from his chair. Chase slams the table while Leo coughs, and I give Adam a look.

"Oh. L...Labrador retriever park. Yeah, the dog park. Nice acoustics. Plus, they have dogs." Adam says. He looks down at Chase and says in a sing-songy voice. "Saved it." He sits back down.

"Well, you know, Marcus, we have a pretty big place. We can all just jam there." Chase says.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your horses, cowboy. Come on." Leo says, pulling Adam, Chase, and me aside while Marcus and Kyle talk. "Chase, what are you doing? Do you really think it's a good idea to let a total stranger into our very private home?"

"That's okay, guys. We don't have to jam. Not everyone needs a bright spot in their otherwise horrible life." Marcus says, getting up from his chair.

"Oh, look, Leo, you're making him feel bad," Chase says. "Don't worry, Marcus. We'll practice at our place later. Come on over. You too, Kyle."

"Great. See you guys after school." Marcus says, leaving the cafeteria.

"Yeah, see you later. Bye, Cass. I'll save you a seat in study hall." Kyle says, leaving the cafeteria.

"You guys are making a big mistake. I mean, you've only been in the real world for a little while. There's still a lot of stuff you don't know." Leo says.

"Look, Leo, I'm not gonna run my play dates past you. Hel-lo! Genius!" Chase says.

"Hel-lo! Annoying!" I say, receiving a glare from Chase.

"What you have is book smarts. I have street smarts. And I've gotta watch what's happening on the street." Leo says.

"Oh, Leo! Relax! We are not going to be playing in the street. We're going to be playing in the house. This guy." Adam says. Adam and Chase leave the cafeteria.

"Don't worry, Leo. I believe you." I say.

"You do?" Leo asks.

"Yeah. Ever since we met Marcus, I've been getting this strange feeling about him. He's up to something. I'm just not sure what." I say.

"Don't worry. I have a plan. We're gonna find out who he is and why he's here!" Leo says.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At the Davenport Mansion, Adam, Chase, Kyle, and Marcus were playing their instruments while I sat at the kitchen counter. Even though I really didn't like Marcus all that much, I promised Kyle that I would watch him as they finished up their song. As I listened to them play, I noticed Leo sneaking into the living room.

"Well, it's only our first day, but you guys sounded great!" Marcus says once they finished playing their song. "I think you three have real raw talent."

"Oh, well, if our talent is raw, then we better get cooking!" Adam says. He does a rim shot on his drums.

"You sounded great, Kyle," I say, walking over to him and hugging him.

"Thanks, Cass," Kyle says.

"Ahem. What about us?" Chase says, pointing to him and Adam.

"Oh, you guys sounded great, too," I say. "And Adam, I'm really impressed at the way you played the drums. I had no idea."

"Aw, thanks, shorty," Adam says.

"Do you really have to call me that in front of everyone?" I ask.

"Yep," Adam says as he does another rim shot on the drums. I rolled my eyes at Adam and turned to look at Marcus, who was waiting for me to compliment him, but I noticed that Leo was standing a little bit too close behind him. Marcus turned around and looked at Leo.

"Leo, what are you doing?" Chase asks.

"Just asking Marcus a few questions," Leo says. "Where were you born? What is your birthday? Who is the president of Venezuela?!"

"I don't know," Marcus says.

"Aha! So he's not from Venezuela." Leo says.

"Okay, that's it. This practice just became band members only. Except for Cassie." Chase says.

"Well, then, I guess I'm in the band," Leo says.

"Leo, you don't even know how to play an instrument," Chase says.

"That's where you're wrong," Leo says. A minute later, Leo was hitting his butt with a tambourine. The next instrument he plays is the washboard, but he isn't good at it. Leo brings out a pair of maracas and starts dancing. He started playing the accordion, and Marcus and I were laughing while Adam danced along. Kyle was just standing there giving him a weird look, and Chase grabbed Adam's arm so he would stop. The last instrument Leo played was a big wooden bass. He was wearing a pair of dark glasses, and Adam, Chase, Marcus, Kyle, and I just shook our heads.

Once Leo was done, he smiles and holds out his arms. "Like, I said, you don't even know how to play an instrument," Chase says.

"You know what, guys? Let him in. He can play this." Marcus says. He grabs a cowbell and holds it out to Leo, who takes it hesitantly.

"Thank you. I've never played the cowbell before, but let's see what I got." Leo says. He hits the cowbell once. "Wow! I'm a natural!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the lab, Mr. Davenport was working on an invention when Bree walked in. "Hey, Mr. Davenport," Bree says.

"Hi, Bree." Mr. Davenport says.

"So, guess what? I signed you up for career day at school." Bree says. "I was thinking since you always do fun things with the boys and Cassie, you'd like to do something fun with me."

"I'm sorry, did you say "fun?" or "mind-numbingly torturous?" Eddy says.

"Does he have a plug? Because I would really like to yank it." Bree says.

"Look, Bree, I'm...I'm more of a...fun uncle than a school activity dad." Mr. Davenport says. "It's just, I can't stand around with a bunch of dads talking dad. Hey, there, Pete! How's the station wagon? Real good, Joe. How's the lawn comin' along? Is that a poly-cotton blend? Oh, my!" Mr. Davenport does a fake yawn.

"Come on, it'll be fun. You and I could do a presentation about your career." Bree says. "It's the perfect place to talk about all of your inventions."

"My inventions?" Mr. Davenport says. "Ah. Which invention are you talking about? I mean, there are so many."

"Ooh! What about your holo-pet?" Bree says.

"Yes! The holographic family pet. And if it barks too much, you can use the mute button." Mr. Davenport says.

"That's great. We'll do that." Bree says.

"A virtual friend to keep you company? What kind of desperate loser would want something like that?" Eddy says. Mr. Davenport gives Eddy a look. "Oh, right. Awk-ward."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Upstairs in the living room, Adam, Chase, Leo, Kyle, and Marcus start to play their instruments until Mr. Davenport walks in through the front door and unplugs the speaker. "Hey! Hey, hey! You know, it's not enough to just play notes, you want to get them in the right order." Mr. Davenport says. Adam does a rim shot.

"OMG, you're...Donald Davenport!" Marcus exclaimed.

"Guilty as charged." Mr. Davenport says.

"The genius billionaire scientific entrepreneur!" Marcus says.

"Don't forget multi-lingual mega-star." Mr. Davenport says.

"Oh, gracias," Marcus says.

"De nada." Mr. Davenport says.

"Wow, Mr. Davenport, I'd love to hear your theory on plasma gasification," Marcus says.

"Who wouldn't?" Mr. Davenport says. "Hey, you know, Bree and I were gonna demo the holo-pet for Career Day. But since you guys have a band, maybe we can demo my concert-in-a-can instead! That'll be such a great surprise for her!"

"That is good! That is good!" Kyle says. "What is it?"

"Uh, it's a can that creates a virtual holographic concert experience. It's something I designed for those of us who would be rock stars if we weren't busy being brilliant inventors." Mr. Davenport says.

"Well, you're a rock star to me," Marcus says.

"I know." Mr. Davenport laughs. "Bree is gonna love this." Mr. Davenport leaves the living room.

"Well, I'm gonna go get Mr. Davenport's gigantic mega-amp, because everybody knows louder is better," Adam says.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That amp is pretty heavy. Don't you think I should help you carry it?" Chase says. "'Cause, you know, you don't have the strength of ten men."

"Yes, I do...not," Adam says. He then says in a falsetto voice. "I'm frail." Adam and Chase run out of the living room.

"Hey, I gotta hit the restroom. Can you show me where it is?" Kyle asks.

"Oh, yeah. It's upstairs, first door on your right." Leo says, pointing to the stairs in the living room.

"Thanks," Kyle says. He leaves the living room.

"Wow, Marcus. You on guitar and me on cowbell, it's...magic." Leo says, putting his hand on Marcus's shoulder. Marcus flicks his hand away from his shoulder.

"Don't get used to it," Marcus says. "'Kay, the only reason I let you in the band is so you'd stop sniffing around my business."

Leo giggles weakly. "That's a good one. Oh, wait, you're serious. Hey, what are you..." Marcus grabs his guitar and smashes it.

"What is wrong with you?! Why would you break your own guitar?" Leo says. Marcus shoves the broken guitar into Leo's hands when Kyle, Chase, and Adam walk back in.

"What is wrong with you?! Why would he break my guitar?!" Marcus shouts.

"No! He...not...uh...ohhh." Leo stammers.

"Leo, why would you break his guitar?" Chase asks.

"No. No, no, no. That's what he wants you to think. He broke it and gave it to me. He's the breaker and I'm the breakee." Leo says. I walk into the living room and see Leo holding Marcus's broken guitar.

"Leo, what's going on? Hey, isn't that Marcus's guitar?" I ask.

"Yeah, Leo broke it," Chase says.

"What?" I say.

"No, Cassie, you have to believe me! I didn't break it. Marcus did. Tell them I'm not lying!" Leo says. I look at Adam, Chase, and Kyle.

"That is crazy!" Marcus says. "Why would I break my own guitar?" Marcus grabs his guitar from Leo.

"Look, Leo, I would like to believe you, I really would, but you do break things all the time," Chase says.

"That is not true!" Leo says. Chase, Adam, and I glare at Leo. "Yes, it's true, but it's not true this time. Cassie, please, tell them!" Suddenly, my eyes start to glow purple, and Adam's, Chase's, and Leo's eyes widen.

"Hey, Cass, what's up with your eyes? Are they glowing?" Kyle asks.

"Uh...it must be my glow-in-the-dark contact lenses. I forgot to take them off last night." I say.

"But the lights are on. How can they glow in the dark?" Kyle says.

"That is a very good question...that I do not know the answer to." I say.

"Excuse us," Chase says, pulling me aside. "I knew it, Leo is lying."

"No, Chase. It's not Leo. It's Marcus. He's not telling the truth." I say.

"Don't tell me your buying into this," Chase says.

"Yes! My bionics are telling me that Marcus is not who he says he is! Leo is innocent and I'm gonna prove it!" I say, walking off. Chase walks back into the living room.

"Hey, Chase. Is Cassie alright?" Kyle asks.

"Yeah, she's fine. Mr. Davenport created these purple contact lenses to help you see in the dark and she was messing with them last night and forgot to put them back." Chase says.

"Oh," Kyle says.

"Look, Leo, this reminds me of a story of a boy named wolf...who cried a lot. And after that, his friends never believed him. And then...his grandmother ate him." Adam says.

"Fine. But this goes deeper than a broken guitar." Leo says. "I will prove my innocence and show you that he's up to no good. I'm gonna go all C.S.I. on this one!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the cafeteria, the room is set up for Career Day, and Bree is sitting alone at her table with the holo-pet. A girl and her dad walk by. "I have a dad! He's coming. Just busy...with his career." The girl and her dad walk away. Mr. Davenport walks into the cafeteria.

"Ohh! Where have you been? First I said you were in the bathroom, and then I said you were in the car, and then I said you were going to the bathroom in the car. People are starting to think you're weird." Bree says.

"Look, I'm here now and I have a big surprise. I made a small change. We're doing something completely different!" Mr. Davenport says.

"What is it?" Bree asks.

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." Mr. Davenport says. "Just applaud when the lights come up."

"But we planned this together!" Bree says as Mr. Davenport leaves. "What..." Bree sighs and looks at the students standing by her table. "He'll be back. He's new at this. Suzy, your mom delivers cat food in an 18-wheeler. Are you really gonna judge me?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I'm telling you, Marcus is playing some kind of twisted psychological game, and we can prove it," Leo says, pointing to himself and me. "Exhibit A: I lifted a fingerprint from his guitar."

"Oh, that is fantastic, Leo. You proved that without a shadow of a doubt Marcus's guitar is...his." Chase says.

"True, but he then removed said guitar and deliberately...deliberately, mind you! Smashed it." Leo says.

"Exhibit B: paint chips and a hair. Which just happened to be Tasha's. Nonetheless...we know she did not do this!" I say.

"Guys, are you afraid that by us befriending Marcus there won't be any room left for you?" Chase asks.

"What? No, are you kidding? I'm awesome. That guy is bad news." Leo says.

"Yeah, Marcus is a total jerk," I say.

"Don't worry, guys. Leo you're still our best friend. But you can't have a best friend unless you have a friend who's a not best friend." Adam says. "Okay? So he does fill a void. And Cassie, you're our little sister. We will love you no matter what. Nothing can replace that."

"That's not what this is all about," Leo says.

"Look, Leo, Cass, we'll talk about this later, okay?" Chase says. "Adam and I have to go meet Marcus and Kyle. We're gonna be late for the concert." Adam plays a pre-recorded rim shot on his phone.

"I made it my ringtone." Adam laughs. Adam and Chase leave the house.

"Why won't anyone believe us?" I say.

"Maybe it's because Marcus is such a fantastic liar. And I respect that." Eddy says.

"Wait. How do you know he's lying?" Leo asks.

"I saw him do it. Hel-lo! Home security system!" Eddy says.

"So you have the whole thing on video? Why didn't say anything, Eddy?!" Leo says.

"Because the dim one's right...he does fill a void," Eddy says.

Back in the cafeteria, Adam, Chase, Marcus, and Kyle were getting ready for the concert. "Wait'll they get a load of this. My virtual concert in a can is gonna knock their socks off." Mr. Davenport says. "Now, it will activate itself, so don't forget to stand back. Couple of guys in research and development found that out the hard way." Marcus, Chase, and Kyle laugh while Adam looks concerned.

"Thanks for loaning me this awesome guitar, Mr. Davenport. It's almost as good as the one Leo so viciously destroyed." Marcus says.

"Well, hey, if I had a nickel for everything of mine that Leo destroyed, I'd still be down about two million and change." Mr. Davenport says.

"Yeah, and that's just the stuff you know about," Chase says. Mr. Davenport gives him a look.

"We don't know anything," Adam says.

"No," Chase says. Adam and Chase walk away quickly, and Bree walks in.

"Ohh! Where have you been? Have you been over here with the boys this entire time?" Bree says. "I should have known. You always do things with them."

"Bree, that is so not true." Mr. Davenport says.

"And now, for your Career Day entertainment. Concert in a can...can...can...featuring Adam, Marcus, Kyle, and Chase...Chase...Chase..." a voice recording of Mr. Davenport announces.

"Okay, I had nothing to do with that whatsoever." Mr. Davenport says. "I..."

"Brought to you by Donald Davenport...port...port...port."

"Hmm. It kinda-sorta sounds like you did...did...did." Bree says. The concert in a can activates, and Adam, Chase, Marcus, and Kyle are on a virtual stage. They start playing their instruments.

"I thought you would like this! It was a surprise! Look! Everybody thinks it's cool." Mr. Davenport says.

"I don't care what all these people think. I just wanted to do something with you." Bree says. "Like that girl and her dad...and them. We get it! Your mom's a foot doctor! Get your feet off there, that's where we eat!"

"But that all looks so boring." Mr. Davenport says.

"Yeah. It is really boring. But they're doing it together...which is all I really wanted out of today." Bree says.

"Okay. I think I know a way if you'll please let me make it up to you." Mr. Davenport says.

A minute later, Mr. Davenport and Bree are badly playing the guitar on the concert in a can virtual stage. Adam, Chase, Marcus, and Kyle were sitting at a table and covering their ears as they watched Mr. Davenport and Bree. "So?" Mr. Davenport says to Bree once they were done.

"This is a good surprise!" Bree says.

"You know what would be even better? If you knew how to play!" Mr. Davenport says. "One, two, three, four!" Mr. Davenport and Bree continue to play on their guitars.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Well, well, well. If it isn't our old friend Marcus." Leo says as he and I walk into the cafeteria.

"Sorry, Leo, you're too late. We've safely packed away all the guitars. Maybe now you can find something else to break." Marcus says. "Ha, ha, ha! 'Cause you broke the guitar."

"Excuse me, I would like everyone's attention right here," Leo says. "I have proof from our home security system." Eddy appears on the tablet Leo was holding.

"Hi!" Eddy says.

"Now watch, as I..."

"I have a confession to make," Marcus says.

"Oh, no, you don't," Leo says.

"I did it. I broke the guitar." Marcus says.

"That's not fair! I was gonna crack this case wide open!" Leo says.

"Ha! He got you guys again!" Eddy says.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Davenport asks.

"I broke my guitar and blamed it on Leo," Marcus says. "I owe everyone an apology."

"You broke the guitar?" Chase says. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"Yeah, why didn't you just say so?" I say, crossing my arms.

"Because I had already cracked the guitar, but if my dad knew that I broke it I'd be in so much trouble because my family is so poor and I just want everyone to like me because I'm always the new kid, so I made everyone think that Leo did it because I'm so scared and it's so hard to make friends and I'm just a dumb kid compared to all of you and my grandma just died!" Marcus says. He starts crying.

"Are you crying? Is he crying?" Mr. Davenport says.

"It's okay, Marcus," Bree says.

"Yeah, it's no big deal." Mr. Davenport says.

"We don't think you're dumb," Chase says.

"Yeah, and your grandma didn't die," Adam says. Chase, Mr. Davenport, and Bree glare at him. Adam mouths the words what? I don't know.

"Marcus, why don't you come out and have dinner with us?" Mr. Davenport says.

"Mm-kay. You guys go ahead. I want to apologize to Leo." Marcus says.

"Come on, Cass," Chase says. Before I leave the cafeteria, I turn to look at Marcus. I point to my eyes and then at him.

"I'm watching you," I whisper to him as I leave the cafeteria.

"Well?" Leo says to Marcus.

"You didn't actually think I was gonna apologize to you, did you?" Marcus says. "They totally believed me. My grandma's not dead...she's in Miami playing shuffleboard."

"What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?" Leo asks.

"It's a long story. But let's just say...you're in my way. Oh...and if you ever try and rat me out again...you're toast...for real." Marcus says. "Hey, guys, wait up! I don't want to miss any of the fun." Marcus leaves the cafeteria.

"Whoa! That guy is awesome!" Eddy says on the tablet. Leo shakes the tablet. "Hey-ey-ey-ey-ey! Puuut meee dooown!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the living room, Leo picks up Mr. Davenport's guitar. "What are you doin', Leo?" Mr. Davenport asks.

"I'm just trying to pick up another instrument. Some say I'm overexposed on the cowbell." Leo says.

"Well, do I have the perfect thing for you." Mr. Davenport says. "It is the world's smallest, yet most powerful, amplifier. This cord goes in here like so...voila. Now, be gentle." Once Mr. Davenport plugs the amplifier into the wall, Leo plays a tune, and the amplifier sparks, causing a power outage across the state.

"I think I'm gonna stick to the cowbell," Leo says.