It was the color beyond purple that gave Daniel a clue about what he had been given. Well, that and the snakes tumbling off the stage with luminous hypnotic eyes. So he would need to carefully mind what he was seeing because while some of it could be real, the truest things might be a total lie.

That meant for lunch he carefully stabbed his salad with a fork as it tried to run off his plate. Next was a chemistry lab where his measurement freshly made for making Elephant Toothpaste disappeared. He wasn't sure if he had to double everything else or just to wing it-his partner Jesse saved that one. In math the numbers had a civil war while his left sock kept whispering the answers to a pop quiz that would be given out tomorrow. He sat out for PE and tried to sleep it off while his mom sang that damn song in his ear.

After school, he found himself shaking slightly as he leaned against Oliver's car. If it wasn't a hallucination, Hailee was the first to approach him and lean over with her hand on his crossed forearm to kiss his cheek and apologize. He really didn't want the apology.

It was surreal, especially since Oscar rushed him into the car so they could peel out, ignoring his partner in crime. "What's the rush?"

"You got to go and check in with you dear old mum before I haul you out to the party tonight."

" I thought you were just getting in the ring and trading punches with that muscleheaded instead of keeping me up."

"I still am. You know I don't need backup. You look like shit and need to sleep it off."

Daniel shrugged and went along with it. This would be a long weekend if he couldn't get some rest and get over whatever he was given, so he couldn't argue against the first bit of charity Oscar begrudgingly gave him in over a decade of friendship.

Daniel woke up as Oscar pulled in the driveway. Oscar never pulled in. For one, this meant that his mom was out with the boy-toy. "Ah, fuck, you may have to come in and wake me up when you're ready. Mom's not home."

"We're cool, man."

Daniel unlocked the door and slung his backpack on the couch. The house was just dead. It didn't feel like home, especially the giant centipede smoking a vape where the TV should have been. He shook his head and collapsed on the couch. Ain't no way he was trying to walk on stairs like this. He was out within minutes and didn't dream a thing.

~~~

Coming to was another problem. Oscar was standing over him, shaking his shoulder. "Come on, it's time to wake up, Princess."

"Ugh, my tongue feels like I sanded a cat with it." Daniel barely understood his response, but it made Oscar whip out an unopened sports drink. "Is it clean?"

"Yeah, you don't need anything else today."

"You're telling me, man. Can I at least go piss first?"

"Sure."

He stumbled around the bathroom-everything felt out of place: the toilet too tall, the sink too low-his backpack had disappeared.

"Did my brother pick up my backpack?"

"Sure, Dan."

Daniel stumbled out to the car and closed his eyes for most the ride while the radio played the sounds of a boxing match between Oscar and Sean beating each other half to death like they usually did.

Oscar himself remained unnaturally quiet for the ride.

~~~

Some of the party was well underway. These were the ones who wanted to cling to Oscar's connections, so they turned up as soon as the doors opened and could easily be pushed into doing anything. Normally the bastard would take one of the females off to a side room and get his first load out the way before stalking whatever girl was his recent obsession. The reason was twofold-waste a premature start on someone he hated, still get laid if his obsession avoided giving into him.

A smart girl stayed away from these parties.

A smart Daniel would do the same.

Tonight, Oscar picked this gorgeous curvy redhead, way outside his tastes and shoved her in the side room with Daniel. He knew it was clean, the servants here were scared to leave a room dirty, but this was Oscar's Splooj Room. Daniel would rather use a sewer grate.

"I haven't seen you here before," Daniel said this quite lamely while she tugged his arm towards the bed. It's not like there was anywhere else to sit, so he put up with it.

"Oh, honey, I belong to the streets," she said it like it was a cute thing to say. At least she seemed self-secure. "And I've been told to show proof that we did it or I don't get paid."

"Why the fuck is he doing this to me?!" Daniel shot back up and began pacing.

The woman grabbed his hand and pouted. Now that he was aware that this wasn't a background kid from their school, he could see the signs of age he wasn't looking for at first. He wouldn't put her as any younger than 30, although she didn't look like life had beaten her down, yet. Damned pretty woman, probably would have been just his type if things had been fair.

"I'm sorry." Daniel struggled with not tracing her lips with his finger, just keeping his hand at his side. That shade that was more than violet from when the pill first hit his system artfully brushed the shading on her face, making her look like an edible artwork.

Damn, he wanted to eat and food was in the other room.

"I'm not a fool, baby. I've got proof enough already in my purse. The only reason to ask is for your DNA, and I don't snitch. It will get the one who gave me this job in trouble, not you."

Reality of what his friend was crashed down on his shoulders. Oliver was finally going to go past petty pranks and wrap Daniel in some stupid intrigue. Most likely to force him to do things he wouldn't normally do. This is why Daniel hadn't got with anyone at school-and not for a lack of other's trying.

And honestly one condom full of someone else's jizz was a small price to pay, to keep this from escalating further.

But he'd be damned if he'd sacrifice this woman for that safety. "You have someone who can get you away from here, right now, that wouldn't turn on you?"

"No, what kind of line of work you think I'm in?" Her face turned hard. "You think he'd do it?"

"He'd use his grandfather's connections. Man owns most all the town in one way or another-and beyond." Daniel thought for a second. "I'm going to make a call. Then we are going out there-you turn it in and when he tries to get you to go somewhere, I'm going to loudly demand another go, and drag you off to do it in the bushes or something. I have people I trust."

"Alright, kid, let's see what you can do."

Thankfully, the number he needed was close to the top of his directory and the phone picked up immediately.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, I've got another one of Evan's Problems to sneak out this party."

"I'm close by, so maybe 5 minutes."

"Ok. Thanks."

Daniel hung up and helped the lady to her feet. "Alright, lead me to Oscar."

They wound their way through the crowd and found Oscar doing body shots off a freshman who was laughing hysterically because it tickled. A bit weird, risque, but not anything particularly dangerous, yet. He'd tell the kid to run, but not like anyone with innocence listened to him--not unless he hurt them himself.

This redhead whispered something in th bastard's ear, and he bit the underside of the freshman's bra, causing the girl to yelp-thing was over-padded, again no harm, but this one was out of her depth tonight.

Oscar stood back up, and took the napkin wrapped treasure from her gingerly. "Next one is out in the back, all ready for you, sweet-cheeks."

"I only came for the one contract..."

Oscar grabbed the woman's face hard. "Bitch, you'll do as you're told."

The kid on the table woke up to what she was messing with and got down off the counter to run out the room.

Daniel draped his arm over one side of the redhead and placed his face on the other. "Hey I want another go. I wanna watch how she claps."

That caused Oscar to laugh and let go of the sex worker. "Have fun, brother."

Then he went off in hunt for someone else to mess with.

Daniel let the woman lead him to the front door-the opposite of where she was ordered to go. Once outside, he walked her down the street, hooked a left onto the side street, then walked her down the golf course's winding driveway. Officer Akel met them at the discrete guard shack.

"A cop? Are you trying to get me arrested?!" The redhead hissed at Daniel but quieted down when the officer was closer.

Akel looked her over for a minute. "She looked like the type that he ordered for the force's party, so as long as I get her in the costume, she can get out with this batch of call girls. Lady, you've ever given lap dances to half a corrupt police force to keep out of jail?"

"Ah, I've done worse." She smiled, but fished for a promise. "I leave out with these girls when done, and I can escape whatever that kid was up to?"

"Sure. Let this one go so he can cover for us."

The short redhead patted Daniel's arm before walking after the cop. "Thanks, kid, I owe you one."

Daniel just wondered if he would come to regret not getting off, as he wandered back to the party.