Turbulence - 4. Chapter 4

Authors Note:

Fifteen Face Charges in Hazing Incident
Riverside Journal, June 18th

When asked about the suspensions, parents of some students threatened to file lawsuits to overturn the suspensions. Others said they might go through the school's appeals process.

Freshie Party
Saturday night

At 8:00 p.m. Denver pulled into his driveway and the two teens proceded into Denver's bedroom to get ready. Daniel's first impression was that the room was cluttered and personal. The shelves contained more books than Daniel's room had; the titles were mostly fiction, whereas Daniel's books were nonfiction. Daniel's walls were covered with posters, while Denver only had a few paintings and sketches. Daniel was amazed to find there were no games besides whatever might be on the lap-top. The computer wasn't open, so Daniel left it alone. He was curious about what Denver kept on it, but his own computer was a private expression of his personality he was unwilling to share with his friends, so he was inclined to respect Denver's cyber space as well. Denver didn't have many CD's out; most of the artists were unfamiliar to Daniel. There was an acoustic guitar on a stand.

Daniel sat down on the queen sized bed; Denver sat down in the black leather chair at the desk.

“Some seniors get excited playing dress-up with their Freshies. I think we can get by with the T-shirt.”

He told Daniel to loose his watch, wallet and cell phone. Denver slipped Daniel's phone in his own pocket, “Just in case your mom wants to get in touch with you later. . . but for now. . . it's time to get back into the water kid.”

Daniel pulled off his shirt and then put on the Blackhawk t-shirt. Denver pulled the other t-shirt on and as far as Denver was concerned, they were ready to go.

“Come to the bar for a minute.”

Denver realized that despite his confident air with the boy, this was as new an experience for him as it was for Daniel. The last time he had gone to the party it had been him decked out in sluttish drag.

Denver pointed to a bar stool and Daniel perched expectantly. Denver rolled his eyes to heaven.

“I want you to show some restraint tonight, Daniel. You don't have to treat it like you're going to a kegger. Be cool. . . pretend you don't care about the drink."

Daniel did an imitation of slouching casually in his seat. Denver remembered the thirst a fourteen-year-old had. He opened the bar fridge and took out a fresh lemon. Daniel watched him with curiosity as he sliced wedges. Denver grabbed two shot glasses and filled one to the brim with gold tequila. Then, as if giving a lab demonstration, he licked his hand, sprinkled some salt, took the shot and finished the lemon. Denver raised an eyebrow to Daniel and poured a jigger into the second glass. He pushed it closer to Daniel with the point of a lemon wedge. Daniel leaned forward, as he slid the dish of rock salt over. The freshman copied his mentor's actions up to the point when he felt the fire drain into his belly. Tears streamed down Daniel's cheeks as he squeezed the acrid lemon juice into his mouth to create the satisfying after-taste. He finished by slowly settling back into his original slouch. He let out a strangled cough a couple of times. Then he leaned forward again to casually push the glass back. Denver narrowed his eyes at Daniel and the freshman mimicked the expression back at him.

“Don't do anything unless I tell you to. Stick close to me. Do whatever anyone asks. I'll be there to keep things under control.”

Denver poured them each another drink. This time they drank together. Daniel's head was swimming as he watched Denver clean up the bar.

“Don't know why I'm bothering. Mark will just mess it all up again before we get back. He is definitely not the fussy gay guy in this relationship.”

Denver came around the bar. Daniel swung around on his seat to face him. Denver put his hands on the boy's shoulders and speaking with a quiet intensity borne from bad memories said, “Keep it together till we get back. There are no more time outs.”

He led Daniel out to the car and they silently drove to the party.

Daniel was silent; his mind was filled with questions. He pictured high school parties as crowded house parties where alcohol flowed freely, people danced, necked and bullshitted their way into happy oblivion. If every senior and every freshman show up then there would be hundreds at the party. He wanted to ask Denver, but the game was on. The silence in the car finally got to him so as they were crossing the river he decided to ask, "where are we going?”

“The Senior class has rented a warehouse for tonight's rave.”

“That sounds expensive!” Denver glanced at him.

“Not really. First, it's not that nice. Second, ten or twenty freshies like you bring in enough to pay for five hours.”

“Is everyone going to be there?”

“Maybe five hundred: The big party is at the school in September after everyone has been matched up. Most of the seniors will be there, but I bet only about fifty of you freshies will be there. Only about one hundred of you got bought. The rest will just get matched by computer.”

Denver was negotiating heavy traffic now and he decided it was better to walk the rest of the way in. Daniel failed to register the small number of ninth graders attending. If he had, then he might not have questioned why Denver was taking the whole thing so seriously.
When they got out of the car Denver pulled Daniel close.

“Look you keep timing-out on me. Stay focused now.”

Denver patted Daniel's butt a couple of times to remind him about what he was referring to. They walked towards the warehouse with Denver 's hand on Daniel's shoulder. Daniel began seeing intimations of things to come. Clusters of oddly dressed fourteen year-old boys were headed in the same direction. It was a scene from a Halloween party. The occasional police officer hovered around the edge of the warehouse. Denver steered Daniel to a door and they entered the building.

Inside it was all noise and confusion, strobe lights and music. Denver dragged Daniel in the direction of sanity. Sanity seemed to be a group of about seventy or so people clustered around picnic tables. Denver swept his eyes across the room to establish the geography of the party. Centered on the D.J. was a seething mosh pit of mostly seniors. Likely these were people without freshies. A few small bodies were mixed into the press, probably taking a beating. Across from the picnic tables was the 'bar'--actually a collection of beer kegs. Somewhere over there would also be tubs of soda and water. Drugs were probably being sold over by the portable toilets; the haze over there had a different smell. The recognizable school gangs were occupying clearly defined spaces around the room; the troops eyed each other warily. The familiarity of it all hit Denver like a blow to the stomach. He let go of Daniel for a moment and wiped the sweat off his face. He glanced quickly around as if he expected to see Justin looming over him with the stupid toy whip. He turned back and grabbed Daniel a little too tightly before continuing on into the crowd.

Daniel had nothing to connect with. It was all a darkling confusion of loud music, and shouting. Clumps of people seemed frozen in place while others seemed to be in frenzied motion. People bumped into him. Daniel's nose was over-whelmed by the locker-room smells of tightly packed bodies, cigarettes, dope and beer. His body was still reacting to the Tequila.

Denver redirected Daniel over to the drinks and had him grab six bottles of water. Someone dropped ice down his back as he reached into the tub. They headed back toward the tables. Daniel kept scanning the crowd looking for friends. The mosh pit looked like a blast! The music was excellent and he hadn't seen anything too frightening. As they approached the tables Daniel thought he saw Mandy sitting next to an overweight senior. It took him a moment to be sure because the hair and face didn't look right to him. He paused to stop Denver 's progress and catch his attention. Unable to speak he pointed his chin in the direction of the table.

Denver took in the doe-eyed pleading. God, if he was a dog he'd be wagging his tail and straining at the leash. Denver gave in and they headed to the table to join the girls.

“Hey Claire,” Denver took the bottles from Daniel and dumped them on the table to share.

He noticed Daniel's little wave to the ugly girl; his freshie must have a kind heart. Other than that, Daniel stood where he was and kept his mouth shut.

“Jesus Denver! You're changing the whole effect of the table.” Claire shouted over the noise. She glanced around the room to see who was looking. “Mandy, this is Denver and his over-priced freshie. . . Say 'hello'.”

The girl responded in a sweet voice that made Denver take a double-take. It was like trying to focus on one of those 3-D pictures--after a second, Denver was able to see behind the oily stringy hair, the horn rim glasses consuming her eyes, and the puss-filled acne along the chin. When she smiled shyly, Denver was treated to braces sparkling in the harsh strobe flashes. Denver revised his opinion of the sketch of a woman, and concluded Daniel was proving himself to be a man of taste. The senior sat down on the rough cut bench.

“She's a little over the top Claire; what if someone figures it out?”

Claire appraised her handywork for a second. “No. It will do. Nice twin outfits Denver. Way to stand out in a crowd.”

Claire suggested Daniel should sit down before the wolves started to circle. Denver watched Daniel and Mandy practicing telepathy across the table. Claire was a good soul and Daniel had made his feelings about the girl clear enough. Denver decided to invite Claire to come back to his place when she was ready to go.

“That's great Denver, but we came with some friends.”

Denver sensed Daniel slump next to him. “You could ride over with us.”

Claire agreed and the two freshies smiled at each other. Some rowdies came close to say hello to Denver. Daniel tried to become invisible. When the boys glanced at Mandy she peered at them through the ridiculous glasses and actually picked her nose. Daniel looked away with a smile which drew the seniors' attention to him.

“What are you smiling at cum breath?”

Daniel froze and Denver smoothly took control--without looking at Daniel he pleasantly remarked “Kiss their feet freshie and apologize for your rudeness.”

With a lump in his throat Daniel lost no time in slipping over the bench and onto the dirty floor to kiss each boy's foot. With his face close to a dirty red and white high top he finished off with a quiet apology. His best bet was to stay on the floor until Denver told him what to do. One of the boys used his back as a foot rest; the other probed his balls with his foot playfully. The remainder of the conversation was brief and Denver waited till they had moved on before telling Daniel to sit down. Daniel threw a glance at Mandy feeling humiliated that she had witnessed the scene. He felt reassured when she smiled sympathetically at him. His stomach twisted into a knot, he realized it was not much fun to be at a party where you were the entertainment.

He began to notice other things in the darkness around him. A boy his age with slave chains and a small cloth wrapped around his underwear. A girl with long corn rows and a yellow top, eyes tightly closed as a senior thrust his hands past a wide white belt down her pants. A boy in a blue hat and a red and gray hoody with Trilogy across the front was puking, while a senior in a red, white, and blue shirt patted his back. In the mosh pit a girl was being cast above everyone's heads before falling into the seething mass. Daniel unconsciously shifted closer to Denver. He glanced at Mandy and when their eyes met they shared a moment of fear.

The four sat together taking it in for awhile and then things took a turn for the worst. Troy (The Pimple) showed up towing a girl Daniel didn't know on a leash. He had her dressed in tight black leather pants and a halter top. As the pair wandered, Troy was pausing to have her kiss male and female freshies. He would fondle her behind while she kissed. Troy ignored Mandy as she quickly kissed the girl on the lips when she was told to; then Troy turned to Daniel.

“God I knew you would find a little faggot companion to suck your dick Denver,” he sneered. “Does he have a sore ass yet?”

Daniel was frightened of Troy and shrank against Denver's side. Troy turned to Daniel and ordered him to kiss the little slut. Denver gave him a slight nudge. Daniel slipped over the bench and kissed the unhappy girl quickly on the lips. He wished he hadn't had to do it in front of Mandy. She had on thick lipstick and there was no feeling in her eyes. Daniel reflected that the kiss and the rave were nothing like the party the night before.

When Daniel broke the kiss he thought he was finished and turned away. Troy grabbed his t-shirt and shook him like a doll.

“Hey you little man-whore, stick your faggy hand down her pants and feel a cunt. It's probably the closest you'll come to one. . . what with you being a cunt yourself. . .”

Daniel restrained himself from telling Troy to fuck off, but he couldn't bring himself to carry out the order. As he began to turn away Troy reached out and grabbed a handful of hair. He dragged Daniel off his feet and down to the ground. Daniel was startled and unprepared for the sudden violence. Troy reached down and grabbed his shirt to pull him up and then pushed his face into the girl's crotch. The girl fell back a little in confusion until Troy jerked her back with the leash. Denver introduced himself into the scene with a few quiet words.

“Lay off Troy.” Denver glanced down at the crumpled ball of fury on the ground. “He did what you asked the first time.” Denver could barely contain his anger and it didn't help that Troy probably saw through the mask he was holding in place.

Troy was filled with contempt. The fag obviously had a thing for the little prick. “He's your bitch, you should train him.”

Troy waited to see what Denver would do. He wanted to see the smug queen hurt the little shit. This was the second time the blond haired kid had refused to do what he had been told. Denver swung his legs over the bench and called Daniel over. Daniel crawled over to him and pulled himself up. Daniel was afraid to look at Mandy. Denver leaned over and gave him a light pat then for some reason, he couldn't resist leaving his hand over Daniel's tightly stretched jeans while he gave his childhood friend a mocking smile. Troy's sneer slipped and something that looked more like regret or hurt flickered across his face. The moment passed and Troy snorted in disgust before he jerked the girl away and minutes later he had her in a dark corner kissing. Denver blocked her out of his mind as he tried to recover.

Daniel fought for breath while his mind raced. He didn't know if he had made the right choice. Denver left him on the floor until Troy and the girl had departed. Then in a strangled voice Denver told the boy to get up and sit down. When Daniel looked fearfully over at Mandy he found that she had gone.

“Claire pulled her away about the time he grabbed your hair.”

A wave of intense relief flooded through Daniel; he could spare a moment of not having to worry about her. He glanced at Denver, but the senior would not look back--he just sipped water and gazed into the distance, feeling miserable and hurt. He had let Troy abuse his freshie. This moment was now between them. His hand was clenched on his leg below the table. He heard Daniel's ragged sigh and then, he felt Daniel's smaller hand cover his and squeeze it lightly. This restored some peace and tranquility--he patted the boy's leg.

Denver finally found the breath to say “Let's circulate a bit so everyone can get to know what a good boy you are.”

For a long time the evening became a blur of scraping at the feet of grade twelve's and brief moments with other grade nines. Daniel found that kissing and touching the other new ninth graders was oddly exciting. Being "forced" to do it took much of the shyness away. It was utterly unlike the uncomfortable parties and dances he had attended before--everyone too shy to talk or dance. The first boy he had to kiss was awkward.

God, Daniel thought, that was soooo gay!

He did not even kiss his mother much and certainly never on the lips. The fact that most of the boys were as uncomfortable as he was made it easier. By his fourth boy Daniel found himself comparing the boys. He noticed the ones with sweet breath or soft lips, the ones who met his eyes with a small smile on their lips before they kissed and the ones who liked to put a hand on his shoulder. Soon Daniel began anticipating the next encounter. The ones who took the fun badly annoyed Daniel. Hazing was just a game the rookies played and they were all just rookies at high school. The freshie party became a dirty game to him and when he found another boy or girl who seemed to feel the same way he did they vamped it up, pretending to be really gay if it was a boy or super macho if it was a girl. The surrounding crowd of seniors cheered or heckled them on depending on their mood or the quality of the young boy's and girl's performance. Even without the beer he saw so many others consuming, Daniel felt a little drunk on the hormonal rush. When Daniel was approached by the boy in chains and a loin cloth his heart pounded. The boy had an erection pushing against the band of his briefs. Daniel felt it when the boy pressed his hips against his jeans. He bumped into a few classmates. Simon was embarrassing trailing behind what was very likely the cheerleader his brother had promised. She was disinterested in him and his efforts to gain her attention. Arlo should have been there to share it with him. He was good at playing the gay game, very funny in class or at a party. It was all sex as far as he could see and Daniel could hardly believe the fantasies Arlo and he had shared late at night were coming true. Once he had paid his dues, once he had been a freshie, high school would rock.

By midnight Denver figured that Daniel had made proper deference to just about every small minded classmate he could find when he came face to face with Nolan Fry leading a battered freshie around with his hands tied behind his back. The kid had really been worked over. Denver looked at Nolan in disgust.

A rare phrase escaped his lips, “Shit Nolan, aren't you getting carried away?”

He cursed himself as soon as he said it knowing he should have just walked away. There were far too many youngsters for him to get involved. Daniel didn't need to have attention drawn to them anyway.

“The little shit pissed me off. . . he told me to suck his dick.”

The collection of eavesdroppers gasped with fake horror and shock.

“Shame!” a few seniors retorted.

“Okay maggot, suck this freshie dry.”

Daniel was paralyzed as he looked at Chris. The other boy had a bruise beside his eye; his lip was split and it looked like his nose had been bleeding. Chris glanced at Daniel and their eyes met before Chris dropped his gaze. Denver worried about how Daniel was going to react to this. He had put up with everything since his defiance of Troy and Denver thought he had had enough. Denver considered exit strategies, but this felt like the moment of truth that could mark Daniel as a target for a long time.

Daniel knew things were taking too long. His thought was confirmed when Chris's senior whipped his freshie's butt with the end of the rope. Chris flinched forward, trembled and stalled again. There were tears in his eyes as he stared at the seniors egging him on. Daniel felt his rage growing again. He gazed at the senior and thought of the kindness Denver and Mark had shown him and he thought of his incredible experience with Amber the night before. The senior cursed and hit Chris again. Daniel realized his friend wasn't going to give in--Chris didn't get that he had to bend a little to get through the nights hazing. If they just went along with it for awhile the hazing would stop. But Chris did not have much of a sense of humor--he did not know how to mug and play to the crowd like Daniel had been doing.

Daniel wished he could show Chris it wasn't a big deal, lots of freshies were doing it. He glanced around to see where Mandy was, then ignored the fear and embarrassment threatening to overwhelm him. He swallowed back the bile in his throat and stepped forward.

Chris shook his head slightly in refusal as Daniel leaned close and whispered in his ear. “It's okay Chris. . . forget the asshole. . . we'll pretend. . . they'll be okay with that. They just want some fun, just a show.”

Denver caught Daniel's head movement and prepared to respond to whatever he was about to do. He was totally surprised when Daniel stepped close to the other freshie and whispered something in his ear, then slowly dropped in front of the other boy. Denver watched as Chris fumbled with his belt and zipper. The crowd hooted and cheered him on as Chris tugged the clothes away from his crotch and a stunned Daniel found himself staring at Chris's erect cock. Daniel was so involved in what he was doing that he had tuned the noise out. He tore his gaze away from the erection and looked uncertainly at the laughing faces around him. He had an impulse to get off his knees and run toward the door. This was more than anyone should be asked to do. He caught the look of concern on Denver's face, but it did not help him to guess what his senior expected him to do.

Will he be upset if I freak out right now? Should I treat this like it's a joke--just like the kissing?

Daniel felt momentarily dizzy and put his left hand on Chris's sweaty waist to stay steady and watched detached as his other hand hesitantly lifted toward the cock before him. He hoped the angry senior wouldn't see what he was doing and that the others might be satisfied if he simply touched the other boy. Cocks looked small from a distance but they looked big and imposing when they're staring you in the face. Daniel thought briefly of Denver as he watched the swollen head and then took it lightly between finger and thumb. It was so different than his own. Daniel thought he could feel Chris's heart beat throught the swollen veins benieth his light touch. Had his cock felt this damp and soft to Amber? The cock spasmed between his fingers as Chris thrust his hips forward suddenly. Daniel's face was suddenly covered with the cream from Chris's release. Daniel blinked in surprise. He continued to hold the pulsing cock as a few more shudders deposited the last of the freshie's cum over his wrist. He let go and tried to wipe the sticky mess off his face. In a panic he realized it simply seemed to push it toward his mouth.

Daniel stared up at Chris dumbfounded by what had happened.

Denver saw the other boy's eyes close at the orgasm. There were mixed groans of disgust and awe from around the circle. Daniel sat back on his ankles and looked down at the floor while the seniors around him laughed and Chris's senior covered his Freshie's spent penis. The unintended hand job seemed to have distracted Nolan from his quest and he dragged the silent Chris away toward the beer. The crowd became distracted and drifted away. Some people ruffled Daniel's hair as they walked away. Traditions continue. Denver stood beside Daniel and glanced over toward where Nolan was pouring beer down his freshie's throat. It suddenly came to Denver that this was the same kid Daniel had refused to hit at the elementary school.

He looked down at Daniel's bowed head. “Come on Daniel. . .” He reached down and Daniel came to his feet.

Daniel glanced up at the older teen but he was still recovering from the moment. He didn't know what to feel about what he had done. He didn't know how he wanted to respond to Denver. He felt as changed by the act as he had by having sex with Amber. He didn't hear Denver 's response to someone's offer to let him blow another freshie. He let Denver guide him back through the crowd over to the picnic tables. Daniel sat heavily on the bench. The table was littered with plastic beer cups. He studied a puddle of liquid on the table. Sitting there he became aware that nobody was really paying any attention to him. People flowed around and he suddenly felt only a small part of it. He felt a wave of cold engulf him. He shivered violently with the first release of tension. Denver offered him a bottle of water. He took it, but didn't drink. Denver watched him play with the bottle, sloshing the water back and forth. No longer focusing on the antics around him, he contemplated the taste of cum still lingering on his lips. It reminded him of communion at church. Such a small amount of substance, but in the absence of other tastes it demanded his attention and consideration.

He had no idea it would go that far. . .

Lines everywhere and you tell yourself you will never cross them. Sometimes you don't know until you do. When Daniel was ten he had gone to the corner store with Greg. They had money, but they talked each other into shoplifting for a thrill. He had drifted down the counters, a familiar and trusted presence in the store. Greg found a key chain with his name on it, pointed out another with Daniel's name, but it was spelled wrong and he had rejected it. They scouted the store before Greg slipped a key chain into his pocket. He waited impatiently while Daniel continued down the isle before grabbing a pack of playing cards. He barely noticed Mrs. Quance when she said good bye as they passed the counter. He was certain eyes were on him as they left the store and ran to his apartment door. Greg laughed at the thrill, oblivious to his silent friend. Daniel had leaned against the elevator wall clutching the cards tightly as the amber numbers soared.

He tasted bile in his mouth and the bitterness of learning he was not who he thought he was. . . Actually, it really was not bile clinging to the roof of his mouth. It had tasted a little differently than his own semen. Funny, isn't it? Daniel thought to himself. He wondered absently if every boy had a different flavour like every kiss was a little different. Were some sweeter than Chris?

Daniel noticed two freshies stripped to the waist making out. Each had a hand buried down the back of the other's jeans. Their seniors seemed to be ignoring them completely as they chatted with others. When the boys paused to see if their seniors were satisfied, they were waved to go on with a tired movement. A drunken girl bumped against them and spun away, intent on some distant target. Caught off balance the boys shuffled their feet uncertainly and then returned to their mechanical task.

Daniel drew a mouthful from the bottle of water and swallowed it. Denver figured he was beginning to resurface. The party was getting wilder as the kegs got empty. It was almost 12:30 and probably time to get out. Denver remembered his invitation to Claire. He wished he could send up a flare. He poked Daniel to get his attention and give him something to do. He told him to get on the table and look for Claire. Daniel gave him a puzzled look.

“Look for Mandy.”

Daniel stood on the table, took another swig and started rotating around. He stopped three quarters of the way around and pointed.

“Over there”, he spoke for the first time.

Denver saw the girls chatting with a crowd of other girls. He forgot Daniel for a moment and forged through the tangle to connect with the girls.

“Claire!”

She glanced at him.

"Let's take off before everyone gets naked here.”

She nodded and caught Mandy's attention.

“What did you do with your freshie?”

“Oh shit, I left him back there! Meet me at that door.”

Denver pointed at the closest exit then forged back into the crowd to find Daniel.

Daniel was still at the picnic table, but a very drunk female senior had his pants open and his t-shirt up. He was perched on the edge of the table for support while she wandered up and down his chest, kissing his nipples and licking swirls down to his belly. Daniel was watching her work over his body. Denver was going to intervene when he thought better of the impulse. He glanced back quickly to see where the girls were, and then turned back to watch as the hammered senior freed Daniel's scimitar from the boxers. Denver got a glimpse of his balls stretched high by the elastic band before her mouth descended on the urgent thrust of his cock. She worked quickly to draw him to an orgasm; treating Daniel to the sight of his own cum dribbling down her chin in a wet froth before she took a pull at her beer and wandered off. Denver heard a voice beside him remark in wonder, “one moment your giving head and the next moment you're getting it, this party rocks!”

Daniel watched her go and then noticed Denver beside him. “Where did you go?” he asked as Denver eased him back into his pants and buckled his belt. The boys were reluctant to talk about what had happened.

“Went after the girls. . . Feeling better?”

Daniel looked around as if he expected to see them standing there, and then nodded. “Sure. . . Are we leaving?”

Denver nodded. He guided Daniel around a pair of freshies coupling up against the table. Daniel glanced at them and then looked back at Denver.

“I never got to dance.”

Denver burst into laughter. When they reached the door and found the girls he told Daniel they all could dance when they got to his place.
Daniel missed the music when they got through the door. City sounds reached them now and the groups of teens were more subdued. The police were still hovering around the periphery as they walked out towards Denver 's car.

Mandy suddenly said, “Oh, hey, I've got to talk to my mom!” and she ran over to a police cruiser.

“Where is she going?” Denver wondered.

“That's her mom over there.” Daniel responded.

“No kidding!” Denver reached into his pocket and returned Daniel's phone to him. “Maybe you should phone your mom and tell her what's happening.”

Daniel moved away for privacy and Denver bet that his mom was going to get an abridged version of the evening. With a glance at his freshie, Denver went over to meet officer Mandy's mom. Claire had met her before and helped vouch for his good character. He slipped her his address and phone number with a few qualms about directing the police to his party. To give her credit she kept a comfortable balance between duty and indulgent mother. Daniel came into the conversation flipping his phone closed. She left it to her partner to grill Denver about his sobriety. The final crimp in Denver 's party plans was learning Mandy's mother would pick Claire and her up after her shift. As Claire, Daniel and Mandy walked ahead to the car, Denver made a quick call to tell Mark they were coming. . . And so was Daniel's friend. . . and so was her well armed mother. Mark wanted details but Denver put him off. After he cut the connection, Denver imagined Mark launching into party modifications.

Denver walked behind the other three lost in his own thoughts until Claire dropped back to join him. “Thanks for inviting us. I'm afraid I'm not that exciting. I saw her silly picture; all contrived to look dull and unattractive and I knew we could get along. She's cute under that make-up.”

“Don't sell yourself short Claire. You're always welcome at my place. We're not exactly the in-crowd these days.”

Denver linked arms with Claire. She squeezed his arm.

“You're in any crowd you want to be in Denver.” They couldn't hear what the two younger ones were saying. “Mandy thinks he's cute, but he misses her signals all the time.”

“Claire we all miss whatever it is you girls think you're signaling.” Denver caught a snatch of conversation. “He'd kill for her.” Or more likely will be killed for her.

Claire must have read his mind because she commented quietly, “you're not going to keep him safe this year.”

“I'm going to try. . ."

Which was all he could do, frowning to himself over the unsuccessful evening. Mandy and Daniel were leaning on the car waiting for them to catch up.

“You know Denver. . .” Claire added, “. . .the real question is. . . is he going to be safe from you?”