I had always heard about drugs on campus- mainly in Health- but I'd never actually believed they could exist at a place like Willow Academy. And yet, here one was, staring me in the face as if to say "I told you so".

Despite my new rebellious tendencies, I still had some morals. These included NOT engaging in any illegal substances. Hell, look what drugs had done to my parents. No fucking way was I touching that!

Time to play it cool, Owen.

"Dude, you gotta be kidding me," I exclaimed, slapping the joint out of his hand so it lay dejected on the grass. "Why in the hell would I smoke that right before I go home? Last time I did that I didn't go outside for months!"

Riley smirked, picking the joint up off the ground and handing it back to Mason. "I knew you were too much of a pussy to be cool, Kherrington. Why don't you go back home and cuddle with your brothers, huh?" The group surrounding us chuckled; they probably had no idea what was going on, they were so high.

"Shut the fuck up, Riley! I'm not being a pussy- I'm just being smart! I've tried the shit before, and all it does is get you a little dizzy. Big whoop!" Of course, I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.

What little I knew about weed had come from Danny, who'd puffed it once and nearly coughed one of his lungs up. Needless to say he never touched a joint again.

Riley glared at me, sizing me up to see if I was telling the truth. "Then what would you recommend, if you know so much about drugs?" He voice was dripping with sarcasm, but I could detect a hint of curiosity.

I racked my brain for all the possible drugs a teenage boy could get his hands on. Heroin, crack, meth- those all seemed a little... harsh. Shrooms and huffing were 90's, something Dana and Ben probably encountered. So, that left...

"Ecstasy," I blurted out, surprising even myself. "The high is so much better than this shit." I gestured to the joint in Mason's hand, which he was gazing at as if the answers to the world's deepest secrets lie within.

Riley looked taken aback, looking at me as if I'd grown a second head. "You've tried ecstasy? How in the hell did you get ahold of it?"

Dammit. I was running out of lies. "My, uh, my cousin. He lives in California; it's pretty big over there. He gave me some this past summer." Okay, that had to be the worst lie in the history of lies. Maybe second. The first can go to Penny claiming this is all my fault. Bitch.

"Damn," Riley muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. The group around us was now quiet, listening intently. The chance at an even better high than they were currently experiencing must have been music to their ears.

A hand fell on my shoulder, and I wheeled around to see Danny behind me. He was also looking at me like I'd grown a second head- maybe even a third.

He pulled me away from Riley and Mason, to the fringe of the crowd.

"Owen, what the hell? Do you even know what you're doing?" Danny asked, looking like the spitting image of Dana scolding me.

"I have no fucking idea what I'm doing," I rasped, raking a hand through my hair. "I just want some friends, Danny. I know how pathetic that sounds, but these guys seem cool and..." I trailed off, looking back at the awestruck group of guys. Beneath the constant intoxication, these guys really were genuine people; Danny wouldn't have hung around them otherwise.

"You don't have to impress Riley to be their friend, you know," he said, voice heavy with sorrow.

"I kind of do," I pointed out, and Danny knew I was right. Riley was the ringleader; I had to get on good terms with him if I wanted this to be my new "clique".

"Kherrington!" Speak of the devil. I took one last glance at Danny, hoping beyond hope I had passed whatever kind of initiation this was.

Riley had a genuine smile on his face as I walked up to him- good news, so far.

"Alright, you're in," was all he said, as if I were being inaugurated as president.

"In...what?" I finally asked, gazing confusedly at the eager faces surrounding me. Was this some kind of drug cult, or...?

He swept his arm past the group of guys, like a conductor introducing his orchestra.

"The Willow Academy Deal or No Deal."

~*~

I felt like I was in some movie- some teen drama like 'Dead Poet Society' or even 'Scarface'. Even the name was surreal, something the audience would have found both unrealistic and hilarious.

But it wasn't.

Everything about this was real.

Riley had gotten right down to business as soon as I'd halfway accepted. He had connections everywhere. I mean everywhere.

Before I knew it, I was due for a meeting with some senior dealer in less than a week. Apparently, I was the best candidate for negotiating, since he didn't normally associate with underclassmen.

"But you know your shit, Owen. I bet you could get your hands on some ecstasy and deal to the underclassmen. We could be fucking rich!" Riley was more excited about this venture than even Mason, and that was saying something. I don't know how much of his life that kid spent sober.

By the time I rushed home, I was practically Riley's sidekick. Danny was naturally wary of the situation, and I tried to assure him everything would be okay.

"Where were you?" a voice demanded as soon as I stepped foot into the foyer of our house.

I groaned. So much for not getting caught. I knew I should have left earlier!

"I just wanted to hang around outside for a while. I was in the East Courtyard." There, that was a good alibi. Farther away from campus, not too many people, and on the complete opposite of where I'd actually been.

"I don't care if you wanted to 'hang around'", Dana's middle and pointer fingers curled obnoxiously in a "quote" gesture. "You're grounded, which means you come home straight after school." Geez, someone wasn't in a good mood today.

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking at the hardwood floor beneath my feet. It needed to be swept, and mopped, and polished, and-

"Owen." My head snapped back up to attention, looking at my second oldest brother warily.

I must have looked really sorry, because what happened next almost gave me a coronary.

"Just don't let it happen again," Dana sighed, uncrossing his arms and walking back towards the living room. "Go start on your homework," he called over his shoulder.

I stood there, shell-shocked, for a moment, and then leapt upstairs before he changed his mind. I was going to have to be a lot more careful from now on.

I sighed as I started on some Chem make up work. Trust Peskova to assign extra work because she thought I was "worth it".

As I tried to salvage what little knowledge of the previous lessons I had retained, the impending doom of a meeting later this week swung over my head like a guillotine.