Chapter 4- Listen To Me!
4 days went past, Drake had taped his note to his locker and it was gone by lunch. Masked hadn't written back yet, and this made Drake upset. It was now Saturday night. Josh was sitting at his desk chair typing away on his Miss Nancy column. Drake was sitting in his bed playing his guitar… softly and in a ballad. Drake was acting very strange. He jumped as Josh jumped up knocking the chair over, "DRAKE! You have to read this!" Drake threw his guitar on his bed and jumped off of it. He landed on his feet and walked over, "What is it?" He asked. Josh pointed to the computer screen.
Drake turned t he chair back over and sat down scooting closer to the screen:
Dear Miss Nancy,
There's a boy, I really like him. He said he's in love with me, but… he doesn't know who I even am. I'm afraid if he finds out who I am, he will run away.
Signed,
Masked
Drake re-read it more times than he read the note she gave him. His eyes traveled to the pink rose that was beginning to wilt on his desk. "Why is she so scared?" He asked himself. Josh shrugged. He had found out because Drake told him after losing a bet on the games sphere. "Maybe if you weren't such a pig all the time…" Josh said as he went back to his computer and pushed Drake out of the chair.
"Why would she care how I eat?" Drake asked running a hand through his hair.
"I meant towards girls, you only give the ones who are blonde, and/or hot to your liking."
"Well, that's how my dad was… he cheated on my mom and she found out. That's why they divorced. I was 12 and Megan was… 4."
"I never knew that," Josh said sympathetically.
"Don't worry about it…" He sighed. "All that matters is finding out who Masked is and never let her go again."
Josh grinned, "good for you Drake… what about your date tonite though?"
"Who? Oh Stacey! I have to call her and tell her I can't make it. If Masked is there and see's me, she might change the way she feels about me… and I'd be totally crushed." He went over to the phone picking it up and dialing the number on the hand. Ring, ring, ring, ring.
"Hello?" A high pitched voice answered.
"Stacey? Hey, um… it's Drake."
"Drake? Hi! I can't wait till tonite for our date."
"Yeah about that, Stacey, ummm I can't make it. Uh… I'm sick."
"That's funny, you don't sound sick."
"Oh I'm sicker than a dog," He coughed fakely, "Uhhh, I got to go, um… puke." He quickly hung up.
"Well, that was believable," Josh snickered and began to type again.
Drake hit Josh on his head and sat back up on his bedpicking up the rose as a petal fell off. He sighed, "Do you think I'm being crazy?"
"Besides the fact that you just hit me, not really. I don't know how you feel but I guess this is what you do when you're in love." Josh continued to type and then turned to Drake who was staring aimlessly at the pillow on his bed. Josh nodded and left the room and went down stairs.
Suddenly an idea popped into his head and he grabbed a piece of paper and began to write things down. All of a sudden he couldn't wait till school.
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Monday came and Drake had made sure he looked his best. Not that it mattered. He chose not to spike his hair and just brush it. His body had been adorned in a blue button up shirt and his legs were in his nicest pair of jeans. Not that it mattered. Drake ran downstairs and slung his backpack over his shoulder. A hand patter his pocket to make sure the paper was still there. Without speaking a word to anyone he was off to school.
Once he got there he rushed to the office. "I have an announcement. Would you mind if I said it this morning?" The office assistant looked up at him and shrugged not really caring. "We still have a few minutes. Why don't you take a seat and I'll tell you when we're about to start." Drake nodded and took a seat. His palms were sweaty and shaking. Why was he so nervous? Maybe this was a bad idea. What if she just thought of him as desperate? He stood up to leave and the office assistant looked at him, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You stay. I already have you written down for an announcement."
Reluctantly, Drake sat down and nodded wiping his hands on his jeans. The time seemed to fly before the assistant waved him over. She began her announcements and when she was done she said, "And now for an announcement from Drake Parker." She slid the mic. over to him. Her nodded and took the piece of paper from his pocket.
"Ummm, Hi. At the masquerade dance last week I met someone. She was wonderful." Drake read from the paper. He sighed and cumbled the paper up. "It's funny. I spent over 4 hours writing down what I was going to say and now it seems so pointless. I just want to say, Masked. Whoever you are, I want to meet you. Write me a note and put it in my locker. You are the most amazing person I have ever met, and I don't even know your name. I need to know who you are, it feels like I can't live without knowing your name even if I never get to talk to you again. Please. Please just answer me," He was now blushing, "Thanks."
He turned to the assistant who had a hanky dabbing her eyes sniffling. "That was beautiful."
"Thanks." He sighed and walked out to the hall where he looked around to see a girl dead in her tracks. "Uh… you okay?"
The girl was Mackenzie. She stared at him shaking then turned and walked quickly out of his eye sight. Something about her was familiar… Drake shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets walking back to his locker to grab his things for class.
