Chapter 4

A Scene From a Mall

Friday Night

It was a simple plan Josh explained to Mindy in the car as the drove to the Pacific View

Mall. Josh would go to the music store to see if Torey was there. He didn't see this

being a problem as Drake was just there last week to look at some new cases. Mindy

would scour the food court where Drake usually took his dates and if she saw Torey

there to cut her off and bring her back to the car before she could see Drake with Vicki.

It really irritated Josh that Drake could even think about cheating on the best relationship

he was probably ever going to have. Josh would never in a million years cheat on Mindy.

Josh was told all of this when he got Walter's nervous "facts of life" talk when he was

eleven years old about puberty and respecting women. And if he didn't, he'd be

grounded for life.

"Do you have your walkie-talkie phone set?" Josh asked as they stood in the entrance

way of the mall.

"Yes, Josh."

"Okay. How about a kiss on the cheek for good luck?"

"You don't have to ask."

Mindy wanted to add "sorry, but your brother is still a jerk." But she refrained.

"See you later." Josh blew a kiss to Mindy who blushed in spite of her confidence.

It was a simple plan really. All they had to do was find Torey and make sure that she

didn't see Drake and Vicki together. He wasn't able to enjoy his Friday night of being on

the phone with Mindy and finishing up his homework so they could go out on a Saturday

night date.

"Testing," Josh whispered in the walkie-talkie, "Do you see Torey?"

"No. But all of Drake's psuedo groupies are in the food court. So I assume your brother

will show up here any minute now."

"Mindy! I see Drake and Vicki! They're by the Gap. She's making him shop with her!"

Mindy laughed in spite of the seriousness of the situation.

"His admirers are all in the food court. And if Sandy keeps giving me dirty looks I'm

going to kick her where the sun doesn't shine. Change in plan. Go to the Gap to stall

Drake and Vicki. I'll go to the music store to look for Torey. Bring them to the food court.

When I find Torey I'll make sure to keep her away."

"Okay, Good Buddy."

"10-4."

Vicki was the standard stereotypical Californian beauty. Blonde highlighted hair to

make it even more blonde, her glow courtesy of the tanning salon, and the latest

acceptable version of teen pop queen skank-o-rama clothes. Her personality was

wrapped up in trends, cliques, and having a cute boy on her arm. The fact that he could

play the guitar was a bonus.

"Hey brother!" Josh appeared out of nowhere as he good naturedly slapped Drake

'hello' on the back. "What's up?"

"Josh, do you mind? I'm on a date here."

"It's okay, Drake. Here hold my purse. I want to try these jeans on."

Low rise hip huggers of course. When Vicki left Drake put her knock-off designer purse

on the ground.

"Why are you here?"

"This is a public mall, Drake."

"Okay, then go someplace else."

"No. I'm bored. You are only going to the food court right? I'm hungry for some pizza."

"And you have to interrupt me on my date for this? Get the pizza yourself."

"Your own date interrupted your date and besides half of the female population of

Belleview High is in the food court waiting for you as if you were Elvis or something."

Drake turned up his lips and smiled, but it wasn't a content one, "Oh, really? Maybe I can

leave the mall with a different girl. Did you see Melanie Patterson there?"

"I don't believe you, Drake!" Josh slapped him on the arm

"You know what, hold on a minute," Drake handed Vicki's purse to the manager and

explained she was the blonde who went in the dressing room with the jeans, "Let's go to

the food court now."

"You're bailing on your date?"

Granted it was a superficial date but still you don't bail on your dates!

"If Vicki wants me she knows where I'll be. Do you have to be so melodramatic Josh?"

"You are unbelievable Drake."

He was like the old self-serving didn't care for anyone but himself Drake. Talk about a

regression.

"I know."

Josh wanted to reply with "it wasn't a compliment" but he figured they couldn't waste

time arguing when he had to usher him into the food court before Torey found him.

Josh turned off his walkie-talkie since he was with Drake so Mindy left a message for

Josh. "Maybe Torey went to another shop for the guitar strings or was putting it off for a

Saturday shopping trip. I'm going to call her at home to see---I just found her! She's

going into Hallmark. Talk to you later. LYJ."

Mindy ran to catch up with Torey who was looking at the 'happy, cheerful just because'

cards to buy one for her boyfriend who was dating someone else behind her back. Yeah

that Drake Parker was all class. Mindy thought. She couldn't stand him. He was a young

womanizing jerk. She wanted to rip the sweet card out of her hands.

"Hey, Torey."

"Hi, Mindy. What card should I get for Drake? The one with rainbows on it or the

horses?"

Too bad the store didn't sell a skull and crossbones poison variety.

"I always liked horses. I see you got his guitar strings already."

"How did you k—oh, did Josh tell you?"

"Yep."

"Oh no…"

"What is it?"

"Look who is outside staring at us Melanie Patterson and Sandy Crane. They have

been following me around and whispering and then laughing. I checked but couldn't tell

in the back…they didn't throw gum at my hair did they?"

"No, you're fine."

Mindy watched as Torey paid for the card and then filled it out in her fine pointed bubble

gum marker at an empty kiosk. She put the card into the bag that contained his guitar

strings.

"Drake doesn't love you!" Melanie couldn't keep it in any longer as she walked up to

Torey and Mindy

"I am sick of all you jealous bimbos. You just can't stand to see Drake happy."

"You are a moron!"

"Leave her alone, Sandy." Mindy faced her.

"You don't want to mess with Crenshaw. She just got back from the funny farm." Melanie

said

"Now, I suggest you two go away before I take you outside and beat the crap out of both

of you." Mindy replied

"Fine. We're leaving." Sandy replied

"By the way, do you actually think that Drake is going to like your stupid little baby card?

Why don't you and Mindy go to the food court? And you'll see Drake hanging around

with us! If you don't believe us ask Mindy she knows all about it." Melanie loved twisting

the knife in little miss goody-two-shoes Torey Becker. She was this close on going out

with Drake before Torey came along and proclaimed to be his "steady girlfriend". Drake

Parker doesn't have steady girlfriends.

"They're lying."

"I wish they were. I'm really sorry, Torey. That's why Josh and I came to the mall. You

don't have to see Drake with those girls."

"Mindy, I appreciate it, really. But I know Drake. He's too nice to tell them to back off.

And I'll prove it to you."

"I don't think you should go to the food court. You can come back to my house with Josh,

we'll play Monopoly."

"I'm not afraid of them. Come on."

Josh wasn't able to sit next to Drake. His followers made sure of that. He got Mindy's

message and was waiting just outside the food court. He almost got knocked down to

the ground by Sandy Crane and Melanie Patterson as they whizzed past him laughing

and cackling over that "loser bitch". He knew that they had to be talking about Torey.

"Hi, Josh." Torey said

"Hey the gang's all here! Let's go the Premiere!" He tried to shoo her away from the

entrance.

"Josh, it's all right. I know Drake is gorgeous and with that comes many loose girls that

like to flirt with him. He doesn't share those same feelings."

Mindy walked ahead and then turned around trying her best to keep Torey from

witnessing the teenage debauchery of Drake doing the shared French fry routine with

that Skankerella Melanie Patterson.

"drake…" Torey dropped her shopping bag and couldn't even raise her voice above a

whisper. She almost lost her footing when Vicki came back and demanded to know why

he left her at the Gap.

Drake looked up and saw Torey standing there. Her eyes watering up and the tears

ready to pour out of her head but she didn't want to cry in front of Melanie and Sandy.

She'd be joke of the school until graduation.

"How could you, Drake? I thought you cared about me." She quickly turned around and

ran away.

If looks could kill Mindy would have got Drake right on the spot. She ran off to catch up

with Torey.

"Yes, Drake, how could you do this? I'm ashamed to be your brother right now."

Josh knew what it was like be rejected and he felt bad for both Drake for being stupid to

throw away a serious relationship for the emptiness of random groupie trash and he felt

bad for Torey who had her heart broken in two just because of Drake.

When Mindy got Torey into the car that was when she cried her eyes out. Mindy stayed

in the backseat.

"I'll take you home." Josh didn't know what to say, "And I'm sorry that my brother is a

jackass."

"No, Josh. There's a stop you have to make first." Mindy announced as she held onto

Torey tight.

"What could be more important than to take Torey home?"

"Start the car and I'll tell you."

Drake was numb. The mean girls were victorious and went back to 'the big sleepover'

at Melanie's house that only the most popular girls at Belleview High were invited to.

Melanie invited Drake to sneak in when her parents went to bed.

It was surprisingly quiet as the cleaning lady was sweeping up.

"Hey kid,"

Drake looked up. "Yeah?"

"Is this yours?"

She put the bag on his table before he could respond. Drake dumped the contents onto

the table.

It was a pack of Elixir strings for his acoustic guitar and a card.

It smelled like bubblegum.

It was a white 'just because' card with a scene of horses in a country farmyard.

Dear Drake,

I missed you in school today. I hope that you are feeling better.

I hope these are the right guitar strings. The guy that knows you in the shop wasn't in

and the computer that has everyone's purchase history in it was down. You can always

exchange them for the right ones.

Always,

Torey

Notes: I created Torey's last name since the show didn't mention one.