Oscar Malone never pulled into the driveway when the curb was safe enough for his baby. In this case it kept his mom's friend from dragging him inside to smother him in food and bad singing. The trade-off was waiting for her son to finally get to the car so they could make it to school on time. "Hurry up, loser!"

Hearing that voice almost caused Daniel to turn around and walk back in on the lovebirds, but he didn't know if he could take another minute of a song that should have died in the previous century.

To anyone on the outside, it would look like the stroll of a young man who knew his worth, didn't care what others called him—and there was some truth to that because Oscar was trash—but it was an attitude that lied about how much he cared.

Honestly, Daniel was contemplating going to college just to get away from Oscar.

But there was a part of him that knew he was not upset because his friend was a bully, but only because he had to relive the nightmare of his death. It was a prison, one he voluntarily stepped into as he opened the car door.

Daniel finally responded to the taunt as he buckled. "Then why don't you drive off, wuss-burger?"

They didn't have a bus, and school was a mile away. Would walking be any better? The look on Oscar's face as he popped a pill in his mouth and dry swallowed his "vitamin" denied Daniel's ability to cope with walking. "Last time you did that three girls walked with you the whole way, talked your ear off."

"I don't have a problem with girls, Ollie. I have a problem with three of them trying to drag me into a nasty-ass motel" Of course, that was the excuse. Really his problem was having more people around his best friend. Anyone dumb enough to get with Oliver was used to try to provoke Daniel and anyone else big enough to try to fight back. He couldn't imagine the situation improving by changing who they started with.

There was a time, right before high school, where he thought his life would revolve around sex. He could only laugh at that goal, now.

"You've looked at the Wild Hearts previews, man? Is it a Monster Hunter style game or a damn phone puzzle? " Oliver grumbled as he peeled out for the fun of it. "This kitty curtain shit just sucks."

"Karakuri." Daniel always corrected him, about the only person who could get away with that, anymore. "Look, it comes out after Valentine's Day. I ain't making a decision about any game this early."

The rest of the drive covered games—pretty safe conversations to have.

School went normally: mostly people too busy at their own lockers to notice trouble walking the halls. The unlucky few who crossed their paths would skitter away.

But it wasn't like they were the only jerks in the halls. Oliver strode through a pack of jocks, deliberately shouldering them. Sean Williams flipped around face to face. "What'cha want, Old Money?"

"I just want to watch you back down because you don't have the balls to take on your coach, Weenie Boy."

Daniel didn't even posture or look away from the two. He could feel the rest of them shuffling as they let their anger weigh against their coach's discipline. He had learned early on that his own reaction would be the tipping point, and he wasn't giving anyone the satisfaction today.

The two idiots just snorted like bulls in each other's faces until the first bell rang. That was Daniel's cue. "You two are eating into my nap time. I'm out."

He shoved out the ring. Forcing himself like this wouldn't start a fight. Letting them hold him back would.

As usual, the action caused Oliver to turn and look at his friend while the circle melted away.

Sean hadn't moved. "We're on, tonight. You hear me, Silver Spoon?"

"Don't make my heart race, baby," purred Oliver.

That was always the cue for Sean to back off. "7 O'clock! Don't chicken out!"

"Like he would." Daniel muttered to himself as he entered 1st period and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep until Mrs. Chataignier smacked the back of his head, to silently remind him to behave. It was a history class, and she was somewhat interesting, so he humored her weird behavior.

Besides, you report any weird but cool teacher and they would be fired. A smack to the back of the head wasn't a bad price to sit in her class.

....

By third period, the exhaustion of chronic nightmares caught up with him and he passed out in the just-cool-enough class. Speech didn't mean much, an easy A. Unfortunately, it was his first class with Ollie, and that meant he was going to be messed with.

They used the auditorium for this class, and he was often asleep with his legs sprawled onto the backs of the next aisle. Pretty uncomfortable, but he had made it work for about 2 months, now.

What he woke up to, this time, was a tongue slipping past his lips, small hands massaging his chest, something hot grinding across his groin. Daniel found his hands steadying this girl's hips.

He wanted to do more than grind until she passed him a pill and he choke-swallowed it. In panic, he shoved her into the next row.

Hailee Leon protested in her squeaky voice, "What the fuck, Daniel?!"

That's all he needed, to know that she thought this has been something he requested. This chick regularly traded drugs under the pretense of making out, often did so in front of cops. Of course, Ollie's barking like a seal let Daniel know who paid for it.

Unfortunately he was as hard as a rock, mad as hell, and knowing Oliver, it was only going to get worse, so lunch was going to be interesting, depending on how long this trip would last.

"Settle down, kids!" Mr. Belfast noticed thing way too late to do Daniel any favors.

But now he had to stay awake, find out what had been done to him, this time.