Chapter 2

Stolen

Next day

Drake was tearing apart the contents of his top dresser drawer when Josh walked in

holding a can of Mocha Cola.

"Drake, are you looking for something?"

"Boy, nothing gets by you."

"So what's missing? Maybe Megan took it."

The arrows always pointed to their 'evil' little sister in these situations.

"Why would Megan want my Zero Gravity photo album?"

It wasn't just any photo album. There were pictures of him when he played at with them

at the San Diego Mega Dome. Drake was never so happy over Josh's clumsiness.

In the back of the album was his ticket stub that he won off the radio and his backstage

passes. One from the radio station that would allow him to go the designated party area

to meet the band backstage and the other pass that overrode the previous one that was

from the Zero Gravity camp.

"To be a little demon and take it for her own amusement. You should check her room,

bro."

Drake stood up and was about to do just what his brother suggested.

"I DON'T HAVE YOUR STUPID BOOK!" Megan's voice boomed through the walls as if

she were an invisible 'God'.

"Did she set up a P.A. system?" Josh asked shaking his head

"Megan, you have 24 hours to…"

"She won't listen. Maybe you put that photo album in another drawer?"

"I gues---WAIT! Your annoying girlfriend was here yesterday! I bet she took it!"

"Mindy was here yesterday? She didn't tell me that at school this morning."

"Well, I'm going to her house to get my album back." Drake grabbed his jean jacket off

the sofa and breezed past his brother.

"Wait, Drake. I'll come with you!" Josh threw his soda can in the trash and almost

bumped square face first into the door as he tried to catch up to Drake.

"Maniac! You drive like a damn maniac!"

Where were the cops when you needed them? Josh thought as Drake ran up the stairs

to the Crenshaw's front porch and rang the doorbell.

Mindy saw the car made for fucking from the upstairs window and was glad like so

many others she was a latch key kid. Too bad Josh came along.

"Mindy! Where's my photo album?"

"What no 'hello', Drake?"

"You have five minutes before I go upstairs in your room and search for it myself."

"Drake, I'm sure that Mindy did not take your photo album. I tried telling him this all the

way to your house, but he wouldn't listen." Josh put his arm around his girlfriend and

kissed her on the cheek.

"Your photo album is not in my room." But the color-scanned copies of the pictures were

hidden in a place that Drake (and any other man for that matter) would never look. She

put them in her box of maxi pads that were on the floor of her closet. That would have

been like Kryptonite to Superman.

Mindy made the scans in the library office where she knew the assistant librarian.

"You think I'm going to take you for your word?"

Could he be any sexier yelling at her in his blue t-shirt and tight jeans?

"I'm sorry for all this." Josh bit his lip.

"Don't be. Go upstairs, Drake." She pointed to the stairs and with him going up first

she'd have a few seconds of enjoyment looking at his rear in the aforementioned tight

jeans.

After a minor search of checking her drawers and closet Drake sighed and realized that

maybe Mindy didn't take his photo album after all.

"See! I told you." Josh pointed out.

"I'm out of here. Do you want a ride home, Josh?"

"No. I'd like to spend some time with my lady."

"You can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I have to study for a very important test tomorrow, Josh."

He was a little disappointed but he wanted to take a page out of the Drake Parker

handbook and be smooth.

"Okay, Mindy," He quickly kissed her on the lips, "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Bye."

There was no need to acknowledge anything. All three of them went to Belleview.

When Drake and Josh left her house Mindy took her copied pictures and placed them

on her desk. She could finally upload these on her computer and if she took her photo

from the junior awards banquet and his picture on stage at the Mega Dome performing

the guitar solo on Devil's Paradise it would look like he was playing the guitar solo just

for her.

"Didn't you upload those pictures on your computer?" Josh asked when he and Drake

arrived back home and went upstairs in their bedroom to hang out before dinner. Well

Josh had homework to do and Josh rightly figured that Drake would be doing anything

but his homework.

"That's not the point. What the---?" Drake bent down and saw his dark red 5 X 7" sized

photo album sticking out from under the sofa.

"What?" Josh asked as he took his history book out of his backpack.

"My photo album. It was NOT under the sofa! That was one of the first places I looked."

"Maybe you are getting feeble?" Josh joked

"It had to be Megan."

"IT WASN'T ME YOU BOOB!" she called out from her P.A. system.

"Turn that OFF! Twenty-four hours!" Drake reminded her. He'd definitely go to his

parents with this. One of these days Megan was going to wind up in the juvie. He was

convinced of that.

His photo album was not under the sofa earlier which means when he and Josh left to

confront Mindy someone came into their room to put the album under the sofa to make it

look it look like it was there all along.

But who?