Brian and Micheal took their positions on the podium once more, Brian anxiously looking at the left scoreboard. He was already half way through to the second tick mark. Eric felt bad for the guy, but in the blonde's mind, it was better Brian than him.
"Okay boys, next question! Who was the monarch of England before Queen Elizabeth II?" Nicky proposed.
Again, Micheal quickly buzzed in. "King George IV," he stated.
"Right again. Micheal is now the proud owner of ten bucks. Next question: What does the abbreviation CPU stand for?"
Eric looked at his competitors. They didn't know it! He was a tech guy. Of course he knew the answer. Still, the blonde hesitated over the buzzer. What if he couldn't speak again? His stage fright had clearly proven itself thus far. If he got it wrong, only he'd be affected. He couldn't take the risk, right? But he had to try! Getting this right could mean that he'd be back in the game. Could he do it though? He didn't know.
Unfortunately, the choice was soon no longer his. The loud buzzing sound mean the clock had run its course, and Eric could no longer answer. "Uh oh, the correct answer was Central Processing Unit but it looks like no one was able to answer that question correctly. You know what that means: all of our contestants will receive a penalty. And what a shame, I'm guessing Eric probably knew the answer to that one considering he works with those things for a living. Oh well. Computer, time to twink!" Nicky announced.
Pink light illuminated the entire stage and Micheal glared at Eric. "What the fuck man? You work with computers and you couldn't answer that? Are you trying to fuck us over? What are you, some sort of fag?" Micheal yelled. The light was making him unable to attack the blonde, but he still looked ready to pummel him. Eric cringed in fear.
"Now come on guys. This isn't going to get us anywhere," Brian pointed out. Before, he would've been just as ready to beat the overweight man, but now he didn't even know what anger felt like. "Let's just hope the penalty isn't much."
"Shut up loser," Micheal grumbled as the pink light became harsh and blinded the room. Eric felt a prickling sensation all over his body. It didn't hurt, it just felt very weird, like if instead of just his leg, his entire body was asleep. As the sensation continued, he felt something build up in him. He'd never felt it before, but it didn't feel bad either. The blonde soon relaxed and closed his eyes as something deep inside him changed. When the light diminished, Eric looked around and saw that everyone, including himself, looked the same, but the scoreboard showed that they were definitely different. Brian had passed the second mark, leaving him halfway to the third while Eric was nearly passing the second mark. Micheal had just barely crossed the first but it was enough to cause a change.
"Mmm, I love it when no one knows the answer. Let's see what happened. Brian, what do you think changed?" Nicky asked.
"I dunno. I just feel so happy all of the sudden. Like I constantly just wanna jump outta joy. I haven't felt this way since I tricked my girl into leaving for the weekend so that I could hook up with those two roommates from across the street," Brian covered his mouth as he said it. His eyes showed only shock as he looked to Nicky for answers.
"Looks like someone likes telling the truth now," Nicky reasoned. "Hey Brian, what do you do for a living?"
"I sell drugs on the streets," Brian said before he could stop himself. "Why does it feel so good to say that? It feels so much better to not be holding those secrets in."
"You're welcome. Though you may need to find a new job now. Micheal, what about you?" Nicky continued.
"I don't feel any different. Maybe that thing doesn't work on people who's minds are too strong," Micheal stated cockily.
Nicky checked the screen on his podium. "Hmm, nothing? Have you maybe tried checking what you're wearing?" Nicky suggested.
"My clothes? I know I put on a suit before I came here. I had to for a client," Micheal explained. He then thought for a moment and proceeded to check inside his pants. "Oh wait, I'm wearing a jockstrap now. Okay, I understand."
Nicky smiled. "Really? So you don't see anything wrong with you wearing a jockstrap?"
"Why would there be? It's normal underwear. Sure, it may be a bit small, but they feel good on me. Besides, I think that's the only underwear I own anyways," Micheal responded, not picking up on the issue.
"Right, my bad. Anyways, Eric, got anything to add?" Nicky questioned.
"Nah, not really. I don't really feel any different either," the blonde blurted out. His eyes widened as he realized what just happened.
"I guess someone finally got over his stage fright," Nicky stated, ending the comment with a wink towards Eric. Suddenly, the eyes on Eric didn't bother him anymore. If anything, he... liked it? Yeah, he kinda did. Maybe the other changes wouldn't be so good, but this one felt great.
For the first time in the night, Eric relaxed as Nicky began speaking again. "Alright, let's continue. According to Greek mythology, who was the god of lust?"
"Eros!" Eric yelled after buzzing in quickly. He got it! He could win this!
"Correct and Eric now has a penny. For the next question, I'll give you a set of clues and you'll tell me what they are referring to. Here it is: A finger goes in me, you fiddle with me when you're bored and your significant other is happiest when you show him it."
Brian and Micheal simply heard the sexual innuendo of the question and focused more on their disgust than the answer. As a result, Eric took his opportunity. "A ring!" he yelled.
"Correct again! Eric's got a dollar! Next question: what animal is the male version of the hen?"
"The cock!" Eric answered. The audience laughed at his excitement but he didn't care. He was already tied with Micheal. The brunette lawyer glared at him, clearly angry that the game had become that much harder, but Eric actually liked the attention. If he kept this up, he'd win with nothing but a confidence boost. It'd be great!
Nicky seemed almost proud of Eric. "Correct again! Micheal and Eric are now tied at ten bucks a piece. Alright, it's time now for another physical challenge, right after this short break."