Chapter 8

Carved in Stone

Sunday 12:32 AM

There was someplace that Drake needed to be. He waited until his mom fell asleep at

midnight. Drake was proud that his mother kept her promise and did not press him to

air out his feelings regarding his father. Audrey and Walter had already discussed his

punishment yesterday morning before Drake woke up. He was going to be grounded for

a month.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me that?" Drake had asked his mother over his slice of

overcooked pizza.

"Because there was more to this trip than just handing out punishments."

She could've done that from home after all. That's when Drake was expecting her to

start talking about his real father. But she kept her word and Drake was

grateful. The rest of the night was spent watching a movie back in their room as he

restrung his acoustic guitar. If no one was in the room he could have cried right there.

How was he ever going to make it right with Torey? There was no one to talk to. Even if

his mother didn't mention to do so he was still going to go Torey's house and apologize.

For all the good it was going to do. He was Drake Parker, he always got the girl. But

this was different. Good looks and charm couldn't help him now. He did a terrible thing.

Why was he afraid to talk to her? Wasn't that what grown-ups did in relationships? But

no. Drake who was one year away from being a chronological 'grown-up' had to do

something mean and vicious behind her back and it had to hurt her more with all of

those groupie girls making fun of her. He hated himself for what he had done. Josh was

right he was selfish and he always thought of himself first. This was the first and only girl

that Drake felt real feelings towards and not the kind of feelings that could be remedied

with self-love, but real, deep feelings for another person. If Torey didn't want him back

and he had to move on, he didn't know how he was going to. Not when she started to

show him the world. How could he go back to the shallow superficial skanks of

Belleview High?

There's always that one girl that stands apart from the rest. Josh had the insufferable

Mindy (God only knew what he saw in her!) and he had Torey. With whom he was stupid

enough to lose twice. Drake zippered his denim jacket as he sat on the ground. He

scraped the earth with his pink Zero Gravity guitar pick.

"Dad, I really could use your help right now," Drake traced the carved letters, "I made a t-

terrible mistake. Nope. I'm not going to cry. I w-won't. I-wish you were here. That doesn't

mean I hate Walter. I don't hate him. You have to believe me. I just see him as an older

friend. It's cool that Josh bonded with Mom so quickly, but I'm not built that way. Maybe,

in time I'll love him, like I do you. It's just difficult for me. Everything is difficult for me. No

one realizes except maybe Josh but he can never know it as a fact. That Drake Parker

is a fraud. I'm not this cool cat that everyone thinks I am. I don't think my music is all that

good like everyone says it is. I don't like chasing girls. I just don't want to be lonely. But

since I screwed that up big time with Torey, it looks like I'm going to be. And I just wish

you were here. Because I really need my father right now."

Drake put his hands in his face and cried at his father's grave. It was a modest gray

granite square headstone with a small inscription.

Peter James Parker

March 4, 1961 – April 12, 1998

Friend

"Drake," When Audrey heard the hotel room door close she knew exactly where her son

was headed.

To the Goleta cemetery to visit with his father. "Oh, Son. It's going to be all right."

She kneeled down and held onto him tight.

"I m-m-iss D-d-ad. "

His birthday would have been tomorrow.

"I know you do. Let it out, Drake. You've been keeping this bottled up for years."

Even before his father died Drake was the most popular boy in school. The little

neighbor girls used to fight over who'd get to walk with him to the bus stop, the boys

would always want him on their backyard softball teams, and when Megan was a baby

she actually liked it when her big brother would sing to her to get her to sleep. Peter

used to like calling him a "chip off the old block".

Audrey wasn't going to tell Drake that she heard his whole talk and she certainly wasn't

about to let on knowing about how Drake's feelings for his biological father was making

it complicated to form a deeper bond with Walter. She knew it would happen in time.

Everyone handles grief and acceptance in their own way. At least he referred to him as

an older friend.

She took a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped her son's eyes. The truth was she

needed someone to wipe the tears from her eyes too.

"M-mom." Drake tried to regain his composure. "If it's all right do you think we can go

back to the hotel and pack our things so we can go home now?"

"If that's what you want, Drake."

He covered up his mouth to stop a cough. "Yes. Maybe we can talk about Dad on the

way home?"

"Of course." Audrey had waited years for her oldest child to open up to her like this.

"Actually, I do have a question now. It's been on my mind."

"What is it?"

"If that picture belonged to Dad's ex-girlfriend why was the photo made out to Joe?"

Audrey laughed. "That's not a male Joe. That's Josephine Milton. She was in my

homeroom."

"There was another girl before you?"

"Of course. There were many. It was very hard to get Peter Parker's attention. Another

trait you picked up from your father. Being popular with the ladies."

"So how did you get his attention?"

"He asked me out but it took him awhile to understand the difference between

infatuation and love."

Drake raised his eyebrow, "Mom, do you realize we're still here?" He let out a short

laugh as he left the guitar pick on the base of the grave.

"Come on," she put her arm around him, "Let's go home."

If Peter Parker got his soulmate in the end then Drake Parker realized he still had a

chance to win Torey's heart back and this time for keeps.

After all it was in the genes.