Hey, Brother: Part Two
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Playing tours in California is like a one-night-stand. Sexually and intensely charged, but, well, you might want to get yourself checked out afterwards, you know. Just in case.
He knows his state inside and out, having been playing tours here since he was a teenager. Every city he lands in, he knows the best clubs, the best restaurants, the streets to avoid and the hotels with the best room service. It's familiar but still exciting, and well. Maybe doing yet another California tour isn't so bad after all.
There is one leg of the tour, however, that Drake isn't familiar with. He's always stayed away from Silicon Valley for the most part, the area being far too upscale and pretentious for Drake's taste – not to mention that Santa Clara's occupants have never been the type of fans that are won over by Drake's type of music. But Cara/Carrie assures him that it's a 'new market,' and Drake goes in with his guard up, an open but wary mind.
He has two shows, both at the same club in San Jose. The first night goes okay – a little low-key and not the most intense show he's ever played, but they don't throw tomatoes at him or anything like he'd feared they would. The second night, however, is a dud. Half the patrons aren't even listening to him, and the other half are openly disdainful. He's a few minutes away from being booed off the stage when he hightails it out of there, not in the mood to deal with an angry crowd.
In the back room, he's loading up the truck with his band when a silky voice reaches his ears. He freezes in the motion of picking up an amp, thinking for half of a second that this whole weirdness with Josh really has driven him insane.
"…hands off of me!"
No, not insane. Just incredibly unlucky.
He turns around and goes to the door that leads to the main part of the club, which has been propped halfway open with a stopper. He peeks and sees a slim, sleek brunette in the half-light, struggling with a guy twice her size.
"How dare you!" she spits and Drake almost wants to smirk. Mindy Crenshaw.
"Oh come on," the guy says, sliding his hands down to her butt. "Don't be like this."
Mindy struggles against him, but it doesn't look like she's grown at all since high school, and therefore is puny compared to the decent sized scum ball that's feeling her up. The fact that she still seems to enjoy the sinfully short skirts doesn't seem to be helping her case, either. "Excuse me for having self-respect, but I'm going to have to ask you to fuck off, now," she snarls, and Drake does smirk, then.
"Hey," the guy starts, sounding angry, and that's when Drake steps in.
"Mindy?" He says, striding out into the club. Mindy whirls around, eyes widening. "Wow. Wow. Talk about coincidences, I was just thinking about you. Been a while, right?"
"Uh, yeah," she says, frowning. She manages to slip out of her date's grasp as the guy turns to size up Drake, and she straightens her clothes, glancing at the thug nervously. "Drake, hi. This is Mitch." She motions to him meaningfully with her eyes.
"Well hiya, Mitch!" Drake says enthusiastically, pumping the guy's hand and taking it away from Mindy's backside in the process. "It sure is great to meet you. Any friend of Min's a friend of mine!"
"Min?" Mindy repeats, looking vaguely as if she's just swallowed a frog.
"Drake," Mitch replies. "Right. You're a…friend of hers?"
"Oh, we go way back," Drake replies. He sidles up to Mindy and puts an arm around her shoulder, pulling her out of Mitch's reach. She almost shudders and he looks over to see a sour look on her face, arms crossed and hands clenched on her upper forearms. He's having way too much fun with this, he decides. "Fun times, eh, Min? Say…this isn't the guy you've been talking about so much, is it?"
"You've been…talking about me?" Mitch says, eyebrows furrowed.
Mindy looks slightly sick and her voice is flat. "Apparently."
Drake looks over at Mitch innocently and drives the final nail into the coffin. "Oh, she won't shut up about you! She's practically got the china patterns picked out already, right, Min?"
"Uh…" Mitch laughs nervously. "Is that my cell phone? I think it is." He dashes off and Mindy instantly shoves Drake's arm off her shoulders, scowling.
"Wow, he went fast. I think I saw those little motor things on his feet." Drake smiles proudly. "Just like the Roadrunner."
Mindy eyes him incredulously for a few seconds, then shakes her head, closing her eyes. "Drake Parker," she says evenly, eyes narrowing. "Regardless of the idiotic way you went about it, it did get rid of him…" she sighs. "I…suppose I should thank you."
"Now why would you want to do that?" Drake asks. "It would so ruin my opinion of you."
Mindy's mouth flattens out slightly, not quite a smile. "I caught the last part of your set," she says. "So you really are attempting to make a living with your little hobby, after all."
"Am making a living," Drake corrects. "Not everyone is cut out for…rocket science, or whatever it is that you do."
"I'm a doctor," Mindy says, superiority coating her voice. "Or I will be soon. I'm doing my residency now, at a hospital here."
"Oh, is that where you met your date?" Drake asks innocently, smirk lurking at the corners of his mouth.
She sniffs. "Hardly. That…pathetic excuse of a person was a blind date gone horribly wrong."
"Blind date?" Drake repeats. "Wow. Never thought you'd have to resort to that."
"Not all of us can pick our companions from the line at the free clinic," Mindy replies disdainfully. "My work schedule is very hectic. You wouldn't understand."
"Oh right, because tours are perfectly calm," he shoots back.
She crosses her arms, causing her top to ride up slightly and expose her abdomen. Drake's eyes flicker down and back up quickly. "A tour, right. Because obviously your little dog and pony band is vitally important to the well-being of mankind."
Drake steps forward into her personal space, the old irritation combined with the vague feeling of missing something important roaring back with a vengeance, crawling beneath his skin just as it did in high school. "Right, and you think you're so important," he spits. "Just cause you…save lives or whatever." He scoffs, wincing inwardly.
Mindy smirks. "Brilliant. You wow me with your mental prowess."
"Okay, I don't know what a prowess is, but you're still a self-righteous bitch."
"And you're still an idiotic Neanderthal."
They stare at each other for a moment, breath heaving, before Mindy lets out what sounds suspiciously like a growl and throws her arms around his neck, crushing her lips to his. They lunge backwards together and Drake's back hits the door leading to the back room, knocking the stopper out and sending it slamming shut.
They tear apart at the sound and Mindy instantly curses, straightening her skirt again. "What the hell was that?" she spits.
"I dunno!" Drake squeaks. "You started it!"
"Ugh. Still as immature as ever, I see." Mindy runs her hand through her mussed hair, scowling and pulling it out of the clip it's already falling out of. "You messed up my hair, you idiot."
"You messed up my sanity," Drake grumbles. "What's your problem, anyway?"
Mindy glares at him. "You," she says shortly.
Drake rolls his eyes. "Brilliant comeback."
"It must be this little…interlude with you. Somehow my IQ is dropping simply by being in the same room."
"Oh yeah? Well the temperature dropped fifty degrees when you walked in, so I'm a little slower than usual, Princess."
"I hate you."
"I hate you more."
She pauses, eyes sparking with heat. "My place?"
Drake pauses, a jittery feeling in his arms and legs, and speaks without thinking. "Twenty minutes."
--
When Drake returns to San Diego, he feels like he's wearing a scarlet letter 'M' on his chest. He can hardly sit still, because bad, dirty, and wrong memories keep running through his head. His first night back, everyone throws him a welcome home dinner, and he can barely keep from twitching, recalling incredibly naughty things when he should be passing the salt or eating his pork. Josh keeps throwing him weird looks, and at one point, he catches Drake's eye and mouths 'are you okay?' Drake shrugs and thinks, I fucked your ex-girlfriend. So yeah, I'm peachy.
"So what was the best part?" Walter asks.
The second time, the thing with the backs of her legs, he thinks. "Uh – UCLA, of course," he says. "College shows are always wild."
Megan chews slowly, eyeing her brother. "I'm thinking of applying there," she says. "What's the campus like?"
"Big," he says, grasping for more. For some reason he can't recall a single thing about a school he's played at a dozen times. "Uh…fancy. I dunno. You'd like it, I think. Great…music program…I think?"
Wanda makes a noise halfway between a laugh and a snort. "Megan, if you're looking for a good music program, Stanford is the way to go," she says.
"Thanks, Wanda," Megan replies, subtly mocking, and Drake suppresses a smirk. "I'm pretty set on a state school, though."
Audrey smiles. "Megan, you could get in anywhere you wanted. You shouldn't settle on a state school if you don't want to."
"I want a state school," Megan replies, going along with her part in the Never Ending Argument. "What's the big deal with me not going Ivy League, anyway? Drake didn't even go to college."
"Hey," Drake says half-heartedly, mouth full of potatoes. "I went for…like, a whole semester."
"Right, and it thrilled us all," Megan replies, rolling her eyes.
Walter shrugs and smiles his goofy 'chance of rain' smile. "We're just worried that you're not going for your full potential, Megs," he says. His voice lowers. "I know that money's a little tight right now, but – "
"Is it so hard to imagine that maybe I don't want to go to Stanford or Harvard or where the heck ever else?" Megan grits out. "And trust me Dad, the tuition is barely a factor."
"If you're worried about affording it, there are tons of scholarships that Megan could apply for," Wanda chimes in, as if Megan hadn't even spoken. "Especially with her being a music student, and all. There are tons of opportunities for gifted young musicians like Megan."
The emphasis on 'gifted' does not escape Drake's attention. "Gift this," he mutters underneath his breath, shooting his green beans across his plate petulantly.
"Why, I never could have afforded my education if it weren't for my scholarship," Wanda goes on. "And Josh had quite a few scholarships as well, didn't you, honey bear?" Josh smiles at her and Drake rolls his eyes. He looks over at Megan briefly, who looks just as disgusted as Drake feels.
"How many times do I have to say it?" Megan bursts out. "I don't want private school. I don't even want state school, to be honest!"
"What?" Audrey asks. "Megan, don't tell me – "
Megan crosses her arms angrily. "Business school," she says. "It's what I've been talking about for the past three years, but nobody seems to be listening!"
Drake winces, exchanging a look with Josh. Both sink back into their seats.
"Honey, there are no music programs at a business school," Audrey says. "And you can always major in business at a state school, but also have the option of switching to something else."
"I don't want to switch!"
"You might in a few years! We just want you to keep your options open!"
"What, like Drake kept his open?" Megan says. She sends an even look at Drake, who raises an eyebrow at her. "He's a real musician now, yeah, but we never thought he'd actually make it. But you guys didn't pressure him to have a backup major in…I dunno, being an idiot. Or whatever else it is Drake can do."
"Sex?" Drake offers. Mindy's face flashes in his head again. "I'm uh…really good at that."
"Drake," Walter admonishes.
"What? Just the truth." Drake leans back and sneaks a look at Josh, who snorts, hiding a grin. Wanda stabs at her pork viciously and Drake smiles widely.
"You guys just let him go off without a word," Megan continues.
"That's true," Drake chimes in. "You were very willing to let me do my own thing, without a Plan B or whatever." Audrey swivels around to glare at him. "Which I'm very grateful for! I totally thanked you guys in my linear notes and everything."
Josh smiles whimsically. "I believe you even called us 'super awesome.' High praise." Wanda rolls her eyes.
"Can we not discuss this right now, Megan?" Audrey asks. "It's Drake's first night home, and it's a rare thing, to have everyone in the house at the same time. Soon, Josh and Wanda will be married and Drake will be gone again, and you're leaving for college soon…" she trails off, bottom lip trembling. Josh and Drake roll their eyes, grumbling. "I just want to have a pleasant family dinner, gosh darn it!"
Megan sighs, leaning her chin on her hand. "Fine," she says sourly.
An awkward silence falls over the table, and Walter breaks it with an uneasy chuckle. "So," he says. "Drake. Did you…do anything interesting?" A quick, dirty flash of Mindy Crenshaw instantly floods Drake's mind and he groans, dropping his fork. "What? What'd I say?"
--
Christmas is rapidly approaching, and apparently it's Wanda's favorite holiday. She decorates the entire house from top to bottom and is constantly humming carols to herself. Josh thinks it's adorable of course, and the golden couple becomes even more nauseating than usual. The transition from being on tour and in his element back to the house that holds his worst nightmare is grating and shocking, and everything seems so much worse than it ever was before.
Drake's constant stream of women ceases in his freak out over Mindy, and instead of resenting it, it's actually sort of refreshing. Instead of using multiple women to distract himself, he now only needs one, and finds himself thinking about his old nemesis whenever the WandaandJosh spectacle becomes too much to bear. He imagines how Josh would react, and every scenario he can think of involves some sort of fight, with lots of sputtering and squeaking on Josh's part. For some reason, this seems like a more enjoyable experience than watching him ride on Wanda's coattails, and there are times when he can barely restrain himself from blurting it out.
He says nothing, however, and keeps it close to his chest, something that is his, and his alone. His music is his only other saving grace, and he quickly builds up enough new material for an entirely new album, if not more than one.
He practices well into the night, and after the third morning of Megan snarling around the kitchen with dark circles beneath her eyes, he is sent to the backyard, where the noise won't disturb anyone (except the neighbors, of course). He sits on the grass with his guitar and a notebook for hours and sings until his voice is hoarse, and by the time he finally treks back inside to the guest bedroom, he isn't thinking of anything but chord progressions and lyrics – and occasionally Mindy Crenshaw – and it's exactly what he needs.
One night, Josh joins him. Drake instinctively stiffens when he hears his stepbrother approach, lowering his voice and switching from a new song to one of his older ones for a reason he can't discern. "Hey, man," he hears Josh greet, in that soft, friendly way of his, and Drake quickly turns his face to the sky.
"Hey," he says back, strumming the chords to Fallen for You. "What's up?"
"I dunno." Josh shrugs and leans against the fence, kicking at something on the ground. "Working on something new?"
Buddy Holly glasses on a Bettie Page negative. "Always am." Drake picks at the strings, humming the melody and keeping the words in his head. You're lookin so classic, handpicked by some Hollywood executive.
"Hey…we're okay, right?"
Drake stops strumming momentarily and keeps his eyes on Josh's cheekbone, a trick he's learned after a few years in the music business. "Yeah, of course, Josh. Why wouldn't we be?"
"I don't know. It just seems weird, is all." Josh fidgets and shuffles his feet, looking suddenly like a little boy being chastised for something. Drake looks down at his guitar, a lump in his throat. "You've seemed…off, ever since you got back from tour."
"Yeah, well." Drake shrugs, strumming harder. Just like Norma Jean. "Things are changing. It takes some getting used to, is all."
"Yeah." Josh smiles a bit. "Marriage. Wow, right?"
"Yeah."
"Look, you know that…" Josh shrugs, smiling a little. "No matter what happens with me and Wanda…we'll always be brothers, right? Married or not, we're still in it together."
Drake bites his lip and nods, moving into the chorus after a slight hesitation. "I know that, man."
"Good." Josh smiles and Drake looks away. I can't believe I've fallen for you.
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