Chapter 16

Megan Finds a Bucket

Same night

Drake in spite of his 101-degree fever and scratchy sore throat forced his way

downstairs and eleven o'clock at night. He thought it was strange that Josh wasn't home

yet from his shift at the Premiere. Then he thought 'oh, he just couldn't give Mindy time'.

He was going through the stack of catalogues that his mother kept in the end table

cabinet.

Drake Parker couldn't believe that he was seventeen years old and thinking of

something that even older men run away from.

He didn't see Josh enter the house through the front door. But Josh saw him going

through his mom's Rutherford's department store glossy catalogs.

Josh couldn't take it if it was that. He popped two giant sticks of cinnamon gum in his

mouth as he held his dirty Premiere vest.

"Drake, you're supposed to be in bed. You're sick!"

"I k-now." He quickly threw the book in the cabinet and closed the door.

"So what are you looking for that you don't want me to see?" Josh asked

"N-n-nothing." Drake went in the kitchen to grab an orange Popsicle out of the freezer.

Not knowing of Josh's first taste of bulimia he handed his brother a Popsicle as well.

"Thanks." Josh went into the laundry room to wash his vest.

He had his own stain stick.

"That's better. A little. What if I can't sing on S-Saturday?"

"You will. Good things always happen to you."

"Josh, I wouldn't say always." Drake raised his eyebrow.

"You were looking at engagement rings!" Josh blurted out as he put the Popsicle stick in

the trash can. He was going to be damned if he was going to start making birdhouses

out of them.

"Keep your voice down, Josh. I was only looking at the prices. You had to see Mindy

tonight didn't you?"

"I didn't see Mindy. Can't I be in a bad mood?"

"Why are we fighting? I just asked you a question."

"You don't realize how well you have it, Drake. And there are times when I'm really

happy for you. And then there are other times like now, when I am sick and tired of how

things go so easily for you. You'll be a good little worker bee saving up to buy your

girlfriend an engagement ring. That makes me want to vomit."

Drake wouldn't know that that was an ironic choice of words.

"I'm not going to apologize for my life."

"No one asked you to." Josh pushed Drake out of the way so he could leave the laundry

room.

Drake could feel his throat being no longer being comfortably numb from the Popsicle

so he grabbed another one where he would enjoy it in the kitchen away from Josh. They

just got their friendship and brotherhood back. Something else was going on and Drake

was determined to find out what it was.

Saturday night/Sunday morning

Drake really hated not having his own wheels. It was most definitely car money

before engagement ring money. Torey couldn't see him and his band play at the San

Diego Country Club because her mother was putting the pressure on her to find her own

job. There were a lot of girls there that went to private schools and had no knowledge of

Belleview High's social cliques and there were many who winked and flirted. You know

like they do with cute lead singers slash guitarists. But he didn't want any of them. His

heart was with Torey and that's where it was going to stay. He put his amp in the garage

and was surprised to see Megan on the back porch at ten after twelve in the morning.

"Drake!"

"Megan, shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I found a bucket."

"Uh, that's nice."

"No! I found it behind the washing machine."

"Am I missing something here?" He opened the door and entered the house.

"Yeah you are!"

He put his guitar cases up against the kitchen wall.

"All I know is that you are freaking out because you found a bucket?" He opened the

fridge to take out a can of root beer.

"You're a Boob," she whipped it out from under the table and placed it under his nose.

"Eww! That's disgusting!" Drake pushed it away

"Now let's review who in this house is going to throw up in a bucket? Me? No. You? No.

Mom and Dad? No and No. Who does that leave?"

"Are you saying Josh is---no. I don't believe it."

"Well then explain why this bucket smells like vomit?"

"It's circumstantial evidence."

"Josh has been acting even more weird since Mindy and he spoke in the drug store."

"That's none of your business, Megan. You know you are invading people's privacy with

all of your little spyware gadgets."

"It's fun."

"One of these days I'm going to see you on the six o'clock news being whisked away in

handcuffs."

"Really? Cool."

"Now put that bucket back behind the washing machine and I'll take it from here."

Drake finished his root beer.

If this was true and Drake hoped to God that it wasn't. Then Josh would probably be

downstairs tomorrow.

This was why Drake had no faith. Ever since Spidey Parker was taken away from the

Earth too soon it made it difficult to believe in anything spiritual. He did get reunited with

Torey, but that was an act of Josh, not an act of God. He might have thanked 'a God',

but he didn't necessarily believe in one.

Drake got up and was about to pick up the telephone. But he changed his mind, not

because of the late hour, but he didn't want to make matters worse.

He hoped that Megan was wrong about Josh, but they did have that foul smelling bucket

of evidence. It didn't get that way by itself.

22 and a half hours later

Drake dozed off until his cell phone rang. He was surprised the battery wasn't worn out

from his "phone date" with Torey, she was understanding about why Drake couldn't go

out tonight. No wonder he was looking at engagement rings.

"Get up, you Boob!"

"Sorry, I fell asleep," Drake forced his body up, "I'll handle it."

He hung up the phone and his heart sank to find that Josh's bed was empty. Hopefully

he was just in the bathroom. No that would be too fricking easy.

Drake felt like he was sneaking around in his own house trying to catch a burglar.

Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans John Lennon sang

once and that is what precisely what happened when Drake got downstairs.

It was one of those events that if they were played back on a video screen everything

would be in slow motion.

He didn't know if Megan got scared and ran to their parents or if they heard something

downstairs and went to investigate on their own but Drake stood frozen in the doorway

between the kitchen and the living room. He felt his white socks were stuck to the

wooden floor and he couldn't move.

Audrey was clutching onto Megan as Walter was desperately trying to open the laundry

room door. Although he was big enough he had no success in breaking the door down.

"Is Josh still alive, Mom?" Megan asked

"We'll use a chair." Drake said to Walter

They both worked together as the knob came off the door,

"My hand will fit through!" Megan ran to door to put her hand in the hole to get the door to

open.

"Josh!" Drake ran in and found his brother lying on the floor. His breathing was getting

more shallow when Drake opened up his mouth and realized if it wasn't for 'hot teacher'

Miss Sanderson he might never have known how to dislodge the airway. He then

pinched Josh's nose shut to administer CPR.

"Don't you fucking die on me!" Drake pounded on his chest.

Audrey and Walter cried in each other's arms as Megan sat at her place at the kitchen

table. She didn't want the Boob to die.

Then as if Josh were a swimmer who was saved from almost drowning instead of water

he coughed and puked all over his brother.

"Dr—ake,"

"I'm here, Josh," Drake held back the tears, "I'm always here."