SKINS – GEN 4 – SERIES 7 – 7.08: DREW
In a real writing mood right now, even though it's quite late, and I'm excited to begin my favourite story, I'm not sure if it'll pan out the way I want all I can do is hope, but it works much better as television content instead of a fanfiction but there isn't much I can do about that obviously. In other news, it's my birthday in 6 days! Which is rather fitting, as Drew is the character I imagine myself to play and relate the most with personally, so I do really look forward to this and if there's one story I hope to get right it's this. So here it is, Episode 8, Drew.
A Bright pink sunlight burned across the room like hot wax. Drew painfully drifted his eyes open and slowly the sun started to stir every bit of his body into a hot painful frenzy.
He let out a scorched gasp of air, which singed his throat, and his head felt like it had a steel vice, gripping onto the center of his brain.
He realized it was a Friday and he still had a college, so last night probably wasn't the best idea, then again it's not like any of it was ever fun.
He sighed and slowly rolled his legs over the bed until they fell out the side and he stood up like a tilting tower, which had just been punched in the face, if towers ever had faces.
He walked into the bathroom in just his trunks and looked at his face in the mirror covered in red marks as he let out a distorted grunt, "Fuck," he moaned.
He jumped in the shower and immediately afterwards pulled on his jeans, long-sleeve button-up shirt, his jacket and his beanie and sat down on the couch with his guitar.
He plucked a string, letting the sound reverberate across the room and then immediately began to break into an acoustic solo piece by John Butler called Ocean, one he usually used to help himself relax.
The movement in his hands spread to his arms, then his head and then his whole body, as he was absorbed into the rapid movement of the song, it revitalized him.
He still had time before college, as he always did, so he did what he did every morning before college… because it was one of the only times he was himself.
There was a knock at the door and he stopped mid-song, placing his guitar on the stand.
Drew opened the door to where one of the hotel staff stood with her cleaning equipment.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt your beautiful musica Drew. But the hotel says I have to clean." She said with a sincere look.
Drew smirked, "Not a problem Antonia come in." A young Spanish cleaning woman in her twenties walked in with a trolley full of gear as she began to polish all the furniture
"Ooo, Mister Drew, I cannot get over your accent, it's like saucy doves. The man downstairs told me to tell you to keep it down, but I told him to go shove his finger up his ass, because your music is celestial." She said with a ditsy smile as she brushed down the desk.
"Tell him I'll keep it down, especially since I'm not strictly speaking meant to be here." He said as he packed away his guitar.
"But it is provided for you, with your job, just like me." She said daintily.
Drew smiled, "Yeah, I got a flat because I'm a hooker, still doesn't sound right…"
"Mr. Martin, do not touch your song with such horrible words. You bring girls the most immense pleasure, you are not of filth, and you are high class. If I was not on minimum wage and paying money to fake my green card then I would have paid you too many times for a taste of your magia."
Drew laughed, "Easy there Antonia, flirtation is an art not a form of currency, there's a certain subtlety that is rather necessary."
"All the same Drew, I do not know how you can go around disgracing yourself with such tongue, when you are… Oops" she bent over, "You dropped a picture."
She picked it up and studied it, "Who are these girls with you? One of them looks like…"
Drew snatched it out of her hand without a word.
"Oh…" she said, "I'm very sorry Drew, I should leave you now, sorry again."
Drew shook his head, "It's not your fault Antonia," he said, "thank you as always."
"My pleasure Drew, believe me, my pleasure." She said as she watched him walk out of the room and giggled.
Drew walked into his room, he slid open the third draw and shoved the photo face down under a pile of t-shirts at the back.
He stared at the t-shirts for a minute before slamming the door shut and slipping on his shoes.
Drew purchased his coffee and his cinnamon roll and as he walked the town the music rang throughout his head again.
The city was beautiful; there was just something about that place, which became a part of him. The city was with him and he was with it. All these people going around and he was just there… yet he loved it.
He would occasionally pick up into runs or stop and spinning around staring at the sight above him, it was just something so beautiful and personal to him yet nobody would ever really understand it.
He ran up the stairs to where a fountain lay and jumped through it, ending up on the other side, mouth wide open smiling with glee and his arms outstretched and then he looked down to see a familiar face.
Hayley walking along the street and quite frankly looking a little lost. Drew ran down, yelling out her name across the city traffic.
"Hayley! Hayley!" he shouted across the people and she paused frowning and then turned around shocked to see him.
"Hi!" he said, "Sorry, I was calling out."
"Oh, where you?" she asked, "Cool… why are you wet?"
Drew shrugged, "Jumped through a fountain. What are you doing out here?" he asked.
"There was this store I had to go to it was having this sort of… release thing, early, it's nothing." She shrugged off trying to avoid it.
"No, you can tell me." He said.
Hayley hesitated, "There was a store here doing week early releases of Photoshop Version 8 Galaxy Edition."
Drew smiled, "That's cool, you do photo manipulations and stuff?"
Hayley nodded, "Yeah…"
"Sounds great, I'd love to see it sometime." He said.
"Really?" she asked.
"Sure, why not?"
Hayley smiled and looked around, "I don't really come out here."
"Not many people do. Only really Dean and Paulie to visit me, and sometimes Gemma for… Christmas…" he said staring blankly away as he swallowed his words.
Hayley smirked, "say the devils name and he'll appear."
Dean slapped his hands on Drew's shoulders making him jump, "Mr. Martin, how acquainted I am to have your company on this fine morning."
"Why are you talking like an old douche?" said Drew without skipping a beat or turning around.
"Would you rather me talk old English formal, or talk smack like a derro, honestly mate, you are never happy." He said shaking his head.
"To be honest Dean, I'd prefer it if you didn't talk at all, ever." He said.
"Sorry honey, not on the plates." He said, "Hi Hayley? What are you up to?"
"Oh you know…" said Hayley, "Just out here buying stuff and then Drew came to talk to me. How are you feeling? Any better since camp?"
Dean snorted, "Camp? Please I'm fine, camp means nothing."
"You seemed fairly upset on the camp," she said.
"We've all got to have one week to get it out of our systems, we all have something wrong. You don't have a boyfriend, I'm a dick and Drew is a dirty hipster."
Drew smiled, "1. Leave her alone, 2. I'm not a hipster, 3. What a merry fucking coincidence we all just decided to unload our emotional baggage at once."
Dean frowned, "I chose to unload it for that week, the rest of you are always emotional."
Drew sighed, "Look Dean, Hayley was already talking to me so why don't you get back to…"
"I came out here to talk to you mate," he said, "We have bro things to discuss from Healthy Jock to Mr. Cool hipster, perfect combo, plus I've got skittles."
"Damn," said Drew, "You really know how to win me over."
He turned back to Hayley, "Sorry he came out here to see me, I'll guess I'll see you at college, sorry about what he says."
"No it's fine," she said, "honestly doesn't affect me."
Dean slapped her on the shoulder, "That's the spirit, made of steel she is, words ain't gonna bring her down, you should be more like this little bird Drew, instead of being mopy all the time."
"Alright you," said Drew, "I think it's time we got you inside before you lower the IQ of the people around you anymore, see you at college Hayley."
"See ya," she said with a smile as she watched Dean slap his arm around Drew's shoulder and pull him off down the street.
Sorry if that was rather short, I'm afraid a few bits might turn out this way, because most of Drew's stuff is meant to be self-reflection, it's really hard to drag out solitary emotional bits, works so much better on screen, ah well, there can only be the hope that one day I'll be able to do that. Chapter 2 up soon.