Chapter 8

M is for the Many

Sunday afternoon

Drake was surprised. Walter and Audrey didn't ground him but they did lecture him and

Megan for twenty minutes. Drake could've mentioned Josh's reaction to the whole

Mindy revenge scheme, but it didn't seem worth it. Apparently, Drake was "old enough

to know better" and shouldn't have dragged "poor little Megan" into it. Yeah, poor little

Megan! For their parents to think that way Drake had to give it up to his younger sister.

The little "demon" was a genius.

It was too quiet in the room. Drake had Sunday off and wasn't the good little Boy Scout

who would work on a Sunday to make up for the Saturday he didn't. His name wasn't

Josh. He was writing random words in his songwriting notebook, but most of it was 'I

heart Torey' in the margins. Josh didn't have to be at the Premiere until after Sunday

dinner and was actually occupying his time studying. Drake did not know what went on

after Josh stormed out of their room yesterday to apologize to Mindy, and he didn't want

to know.

So, it has come to this? How many times can people argue, make up, then argue some

more, then make up, infinity? Drake wasn't built like that. If Josh's physical life needed

saving again, Drake would be there. He had compassion. It's not like he'd let him die.

But as far as communicating and being more than brothers he could feel the tank

approaching empty and he wasn't sure if he wanted to fill it. He had his relationship with

Torey, his music, and his friends.

Josh wasn't a friend and as far as family goes it's not like he was blood related to the

guy. Yes, it was harsh but also true. Drake just couldn't stomach Josh anymore.

Sometimes people part ways. So what if it happened sooner rather than later? It was

bound to happen anyway with Josh going to college and Drake not. He also was going

to surprise Torey with a special Christmas present. Maybe, this was a good thing after

all. Gamesphere had a one-player option. Dust could gather around the spherical unit

for all Drake cared.

"Where's Josh?" Audrey asked Drake who was stuck with setting the table because

Josh wasn't downstairs.

"The last I saw him he was in my room."

My room.

His mother was too busy mashing the potatoes to catch Drake's not-so-subtle slip of the

tongue.

"He took off." Megan came in the kitchen and took a black olive out of the small crystal

dish.

"He knows we're about to eat dinner." Audrey put the wire potato masher in the sink and

went to talk to Walter who was in the garage.

"Where do you think he went, Drake?"

Drake put his finger in the mashed potatoes, "Don't know. Don't care."

"Eww!"

"Relax. My hands are clean."

"What do you mean you don't care where Josh went?"

"Did I stutter?" He grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge.

"So you hate Josh now?"

"No, I don't hate Josh, Megan. I just can't stand him."

Josh wanted to throw up. Not because he was binging and purging. He stopped that. He

just felt nervous in the pit of his stomach. Mindy did accept his 'family apology' and Josh

helped her clean the toilet paper and other doo-dads that were in her families yard.

Josh was still determined to get Mindy back. But that's not why he felt sick.

He had an appointment before his shift at the Premiere and didn't think it wise to inform

his parents about it. He was going to the Super 8 Bayview Motel.

He had to stop on the side of the road to collect himself.

It all happened yesterday during his shift at the Premiere.

Flashback

Josh put the money from the filled cash register in one of those long zippered money

bags and dropped it in Helen's office. He tried not to think about what Drake and

Megan had done to Mindy. At least there would be no criminal charges pressed and he

helped her clean up the yard before her parents got home. He remembered the clicking

of the billiard balls and the sounds coming from the music system from that up and

coming young man who all the teenage girls swooned over on TeenNick. It was also

raining outside. Josh had his hands on the box of soda cups and was ready to open

them up when Helen came up to him.

"Josh, there's someone in my office who would like to see you."

"Uh, okay?"

What could that be about? From the sound of Helen's serious tone he thought he was

about to be fired until she said there was someone in the office that would like to see

him. It couldn't it have been Drake; Helen would have been in a more jubilant mood. He

also didn't want it to be Drake. And why would he need to see him in Helen's private

office?

"Hello, Josh."

"Mother?" Josh clutched at his stomach.

Drake would have been easier to deal with.

"Let me get a look at you," She stood up, "You lost weight."

She wanted to hug him but Josh backed himself in a wall and almost knocked over

Helen's 'manager of the month' plaque.

"You can't just breeze into my life like nothing ever happened----WAIT! You sent me the

note and the cross!"

Josh took the cross pendant out of his pocket and threw it where it accidentally landed

in Helen's decorative Nick-at-Nite collectible ashtray from the '80s.

"I've wanted to see you for a long time. I know, I wasn't the best Mom, but after Walter

and I---"

"No. I don't want to speak to you."

"Okay, I can see you're in shock and I don't want to upset you or get your boss angry that

I'm taking up your time. If you want to talk I'll be at the Super 8 Bayview Motel until

tomorrow evening when I have to leave to go back to Ohio."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

He really wanted to puke up his guts.

Josie Nichols walked up to her son and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. You take care, Josh."

When his birth mother left his legs at that moment felt like they were jelly filled. He

needed to sit down before he fell down. He cried for a good ten minutes before heading

back to work. He couldn't tell this to his Dad---or the woman that he's grown to love as

his true mother. And most importantly he couldn't or wouldn't he wasn't quite sure. Josh

couldn't confide in Drake. Josh took the cross out of the ashtray and put it back in his

pocket.

End Flashback

Josh found his way staring at room door number 257 and knocked on the door.

"Josh! You came!"

"Yeah. I can't stay long I have to go to work today."

"How responsible you are. Come in."

And in that instant Josh Nichols was going to start a chain of events that was going

to take everyone by surprise.