Number Nine
First Friday in October
Contains: Mature subject topics mentioned in this chapter.
FridayAfter school
Every first weekend in October was an unofficial non-sanctioned event called
Campland on the Bay. It was for any high school senior in the San Diego area.
It gave an excuse for the rival schools to show up the other, for cliques to stage
even more power because there weren't any parents or teacher's around, it also
was an excuse for kids to get drunk and have meaningless sex and it was also the
place for an unofficial battle of the bands contest. It was more of a city pride thing
and not anything you could put on your resume unless your gig was in San Diego
where the club owner would get it because more than likely they went to Campland
on the Bay in their senior year. Giving it a kind of Fraternity or Sorority house vibe
where the older and younger generations would give respect to each other
because they were there and no secret handshake was required.
In the recent years the local law enforcement was doing unannounced checks to
any illicit booze could not be out in the open like it was in the free wheeling sixties
and seventies.
You were encouraged to bring your own tents and/or sleeping bags, but even
without many young couples still fucked in the woods with the music blaring out of
their boomboxes. It was one of those rites-of-teenage-passes weekends if you
didn't attend then unless you had a valid reason like getting your appendix out of
awaiting your trial in juvenile court you weren't cool enough. And then there were
those people who were considered cool but their girlfriends or boyfriends weren't
and the cliques would let them know about it on why they were even allowed to
attend the Campland on the Bay.
Drake Parker was this paradox. The skanks of the school didn't think he was
popular/cool anymore, but the guys still did. And many people from other schools
saw him at the Brew Note and other places his band performed at so it was
expected that he attend this party despite what a small fraction thought concerning
the popularity status of his girlfriend.
If Drake was a paradox than Josh Nichols was what was called (by someone in the
Belleview class of '75) a 'turnaround'. You may not have liked him, but you could
always count on him to do something outlandish for the entertainment benefit
factor of the rest of the youth tribes. Rumor had it that he was lifting weights but you
couldn't really tell and actually tried out for the football team and NOT to be its
Equipment Manager either. He was trying to be at Garfield High what he wasn't at
Belleview. A jock. And not a bumbling one either but one that actually knew his way
around a football. It wasn't because he had aspirations to go on to a college team
in the NCAA and win the Heisman Trophy; it was because he wanted to get Mindy
Crenshaw back and to get her to have sex with him. They were in almost every
class at Garfield but she wouldn't talk to him but there was certainly a lot of
whispering and note passing back and forth with her fellow pseudo cheerleader
girlfriends.
The weather was a nice seventy-three degrees. It was one of the perks of living in
California in October.
Torey was quiet for most of the trip up here. She told Drake that she would go, but
that was only because she wanted to see his band play. It was going to be Hell
with Sandy Crane and Melanie Patterson's clique. They lived for weekends like
this. Drake put his hand on her shoulder. She kept saying she was "all right" and
with a smile, but she wasn't.
"Are you okay, Torey?" He stopped his car a mile away from the parking site.
"Yeah, Drake, I'm all right. Well, I don't want to deal with Sandy, Melanie, and the
rest of the clique brigade. They've been extra bitchy all week with their dirty looks
and 'accidental' shoving in the halls."
The truth was there was more to her state of mind. Way more. She'd have brought
her diary, but that's all those girls would have to see and she would have been
humiliated and not to mention that she didn't want them to do anything to Drake.
"They're just jealous because you are more of a real woman than they are."
To think he almost wanted to make out with Melanie. It might have taken Drake
longer than Spidey to be faithful to one woman but it did happen. He didn't know if
his father waited for marriage to have sex and that is nothing that a male wants to
discuss with his mother so he'd have to go with his instincts on that one. Hopefully
though with Megan having a sleepover weekend at a friend's house and with he
and Josh out of the house maybe Audrey and Walter would reconcile. At least
Drake hoped so. He just didn't want to hear the gross details of it. But at least no
legal representation was called by either of them. However, it was more than a few
days. Audrey Parker could be stubborn but she had to realize that Walter Nichols
loved her? And who the fuck really cared where Josh went to school or if he
wanted to spend time with his biological mother after graduation? It was good
riddance as far as Drake Parker was concerned. Josh was many things and none
of them good, but a tool came into Drake's mind as well.
Torey had to take the focus off of her. She couldn't break. Not here at Campland
on the Bay.
"I'm sure your band will beat the Frankie Fuller trio."
Did she think that Drake didn't know that she was changing the subject to get the
focus off herself? He spent most of his seventeen years changing the subject
especially after the death of his father but he didn't want to push her.
"As long as he doesn't win I'll be happy."
That's when it hit Drake that the reason why he was jealous of Frankie was that
idiot transfer student took away his label. He was supposed to be the rocker of
Belleview High. Just like Witherspoon was one of the top football players or that
Eric was an honor society geek. Regardless of whether or not the girls liked him.
Drake was the musician of the school and he didn't want Frankie to take that away
from him. It's one thing if someone surpasses your talents after you've been
graduated and gone, but not while you are still there.
Besides Drake never saw Frankie play his Fender, only pose with it and that said
a lot right there to him and how he felt about music.
"Drake--" Torey nervously played with the ends of her hair as they got near the
unpaved parking area
"Yeah?"
"I don't mean to inconvenience you, but can we park closer to the back and not the
front?"
"You're not inconveniencing me. I think that's a good idea."
She did say that she wanted to attend this gathering but Drake was feeling more
unsure by the minute.
"Thanks."
"Torey, do you want to leave? It's okay if you want to."
"No, Drake! I want to stay. It beats working at our jobs."
Her mother worked too frigging much to know that there even was a problem and
that was quite disturbing to the young woman.
Drake unbuckled his seat belt and kissed his girlfriend on the lips.
"Smile."
"I am on the inside."
But in reality she wasn't and Drake knew it.
Torey Becker's diary entry for 10/6/05Dear Diary,
Drake and I are going to Campland on the Bay for this weekend. We return
home Monday afternoon because it's Columbus Day and there's no school.
He asked me if I minded sleeping with him (not sleeping as in sex, but sleeping
as in sharing a tent and a double sleeping bag)? No. I don't mind. I want nothing
more than to cuddle with him in a sleeping position. But I'm scared. He's not
going to want me for much longer. I can't give him what a young man like him
deserves. I felt guilty giving him that hickey. Not that I didn't enjoy doing so.
I really don't know what he sees in me.
I wish I could bring you diary with me but if Melanie, Sandy, and the rest of the
Belleview Bitch Squad (and god knows what other school clique as well) saw this
diary Drake and I would be even more of a laughing stock at school. I don't mind
what they think about me. But I sure as hell care what they think about Drake.
Besides, I want to hear his band play. I don't get to much what with my work
schedule. Even though I do work it around Drake's Guitar World schedule. There
are times when I do have to go home myself. He always feels bad about that like
he did something wrong. But he hasn't. My Mother won't let me stay out passed
curfew so I can't always meet up with him at his shows.
Drake has a wonderful future. I don't want to ruin anything for him. I stocked up
on my strawberry lip gloss because that Drake's favorite flavor. I just want to
enjoy my time with Drake because—ink smear—crying for the historical
record—it's going to be over with before we know it. I'm just happy—grateful—etc.
that we got back together. I can understand why he felt afraid to be with me
causing us to break up twice. I don't even like to be with me. Diary believe this: I
love Drake Parker so much. And while I do want the future that he wants, I know
it's not going to happen. It can't happen. This might very well be our last weekend
together. I hope that someday when the dust settles, I'll turn on the radio and
hear Drake sing a song about me and I hope that he remembers the happy
times that we shared together. I'll always wear my junior prom ring. I'll never
forget Drake. –more ink smear—Never.
Never Ever After.
T.B.
October 6, 2005
"You did well, Drake." She helped him put their tent up. It was Megan's old one
from her Campfire Kids days.
"We both put the tent up."
Torey sat on the well-placed tree branch that was right by their tent. The tree was
knocked over by a vicious storm a few months ago leaving a well-sized branch
tipped on it's side perfect for couple kissing or future of the world pondering.
Drake sat next to her. He didn't want to push, but something was not quite right
with Torey. He noticed it the day she gave him his ID bracelet. He put his arm
around her and if she didn't jump ten feet in the air after he did so.
"Sorry," she said, "I don't mean to be a bundle of nerves today."
"You have nothing to be sorry over."
She rested her head on his shoulder. This could have been a lovely weekend if it
weren't for all these people in the way. Especially the nasty ones of any particular
school not just Belleview.
They'd come later as it was customary for certain types to arrive already drunk
and/or high. Take your pick. Hopefully those cliquey girls would be too busy doing
illegal activities to pay Torey and Drake any mind.
"Do you want to go to the diner?" Drake asked five minutes later.
He could feel her shiver. Not out of coldness but out of fear. Drake didn't want to
say or do anything stupid. He figured it would be best to just be understanding of
whatever it was she was going through.
The local diner was within walking distance two minutes in a diagonal walking
direction from where they parked.
"Yeah," She lifted her head up, amazed that she wasn't crying. "That sounds good.
Don't forget to put your sticker on the tent."
Everyone attending was given stickers to put on their tents along with a note that
some of the more concerned parents had drawn up about leaving your valuables in
your locked cars and not to leave them in the tents. That was due to some idiot
and his juvenile delinquent buddies at Campland on the Bay from the class of
eighty-nine who robbed a few tents when everyone was off doing their various
activities.
"I won't."
Torey knew it was her last time with Drake and she wanted to enjoy all the
moments with him that she could before their eventual 'goodbyes' came so she felt
that she was going to have to do a better job with hiding her emotions.
Drake and Torey sat at one of the black vinyl booths of the old Waterside Diner.
The kind of place that had the old Coca-Cola logo on their lighted pole sign. Drake
flipped through the tableside jukebox selections.
"I don't have any change." He used the last of it buying a shared bag of Gummi
Bears earlier in the day.
"I do." She took four quarters out of her change purse.
"Thanks."
J9 was Devil's Paradise by Zero Gravity.
"What'll you kids have?" said a waitress thumping the eraser side of her pencil on
her order pad. She had seen better days since her own Campland on the Bay in
1965. There were always one or two couples like Drake and Torey every year that
would come in early or extra late to have the place to themselves. Whether their
love was real or fake was not for the waitress to decide.
Torey wasn't really hungry, but she knew she was going to have to force something
down her throat or Drake really would be concerned and she wanted their last
days to be special so she settled for a grilled cheese.
Drake wanted the breakfast side of the menu and ordered the pancakes and
bacon.
"Awesome,"
Drake smiled and Torey thought he had such a beautiful one. His smile went
beyond a little girl's poster for her overdone room, but something rather deeper
than just a physical trait for the masses of screaming girls to swoon over.
"What is it, Drake?"
"They have all of Zero Gravity's singles on the jukebox."
"Do you need more quarters?"
The waitress came by with their sodas in the tall wavy glasses.
"No, honey."
Her face grimaced when she an overcrowded red Trans Am drive by.
"They better not be stopping." Her heart started to race a bit
It was the Patterson-Crane clique.
"They won't come here until all the other sheep arrive. They're probably going to
set up their camp in the thick of the woods and get drunk not caring about any
random checks."
She nervously opened her purse when three lip glosses slid out and one stopped
by Drake's soda glass.
"Hmm. You're certainly stocked up on strawberry." He raised an eyebrow
"I know it's your favorite."
"It is." He held her hand.
She gathered her lip gloss tubes as the waitress came by to set their orders at the
table.
For Drake she would be happy.
11:30 PM
Drake was too sweet with Torey and she didn't know how she wasn't breaking
down crying. He was sitting on the rear bumper of his Fiero waving and saying
'hey' to those he knew while Torey did the magical dressing tricks she could do in
gym class to get ready without anyone seeing her do so. She thought the car
would be much safer than the tent. He wasn't going off with his guy friends and
band mates. She thought those guys must be furious with her because of it.
Shouldn't they be rehearsing for the battle of the bands? He was with her the whole
day and it's not that she didn't love him for it. Torey just didn't want Drake to get his
hopes up. Because what lasting future did they really have together? She stepped
into her powder blue sneakers, but couldn't find the energy to open the car door.
She was dressed rather conservatively in a pink t-shirt covered with a zippered
black hoodie sweatshirt and matching black jogging pants. She also put her hair in
a ponytail. Drake was going to find her revolting she just knew it.
Drake was still wearing his Who Quadrophenia t-shirt and faded jeans. Torey
knew Drake was going to come around to softly tap on the passenger side
window so she opened the door before he walked over.
"I'm sorry I took so long."
She threw her dirty clothes plastic bag in her big Belleview High duffle and put it in
the backseat.
"It's okay," he bent down, "You look cute."
"Thank you."
He kissed her as another wave of immense guilt washed all over her soul. It was
only a matter of time before her and Drake were no more.
Sunday11:17 AM
"Good morning, Drake," Torey put her hands through his hair with still closed eyes,
"You may not want to kiss me."
"Why not?"
"I didn't brush my teeth yet."
"I'll risk it."
"Well?"
"You taste good even without the strawberry lip gloss. Hey---"
"What is it?"
"You look good in my shirt."
It was usually reserved for couples after their first time that the female claim
ownership of her boyfriend's/husband's shirt and Torey did when Drake took it off
in the middle of the night and only wore his plain cotton white t-shirt as it felt like it
was 100 degrees in the tent. She also had to take off her sweatshirt. When he left
to use the sparse old-fashioned amusement park styled bathrooms at three o'clock
in the morning that's when she scooped up his shirt. It was not out of a greedy
manipulative way. It was in the way for the reasons that she reached for her wizard teddy
bear at home.
She needed to be comforted. Yesterday was a wonderful day broken up by Drake
and herself talking and hanging out with some of the friendlier people from school.
It was a day when she didn't have to think about the heavy load that was on her
mind. She even learned how to play poker last night. Drake said he was going to
take her to Las Vegas so they could hit the tables someday.
"Thanks, Drake." She tried to smile.
"Do you want to go to the diner for breakfast?" He asked
"Not really. But I do need to brush my teeth and use the girl's room. "
"Okay."
"How about just soda and chips?" She really wasn't hungry but she had to eat
something so he wouldn't worry.
"That sounds like breakfast to me, Torey. I'll get more stuff out of the car."
"Do you think Melanie and Sandy's club is hogging the girls room?"
"They're probably passed out somewhere in the woods or the parking lot."
"I hope so."
He squeezed her hand and she felt safe for the moment.
Torey would escape their wrath for now but her luck of avoiding the Belleview High
bitch clique on this outing wasn't going to last forever.
9:00 PMIt was a rainy day in Campland on the Bay. Whenever this happened it was
immediately called The Woodstock Effect. Thanks to Lou Remini from the class of
seventy-two.
There would be no informal battle of the bands contest. Torey was allowing herself
to transfer her pain this weekend and listen to Drake play his acoustic guitar.
Sometimes he would sing a song and other times he had to write something
down. It was interesting to see how a creative mind ebbed and flowed. The diner
was packed but they had their own lunch in private. She saw an episode of The
Brady Bunch and knew to bring her own insulated picnic basket. Drake called her
"amazing", but he was being too nice. Rain always did make the cracks show in
the armor.
Everything can happen in the blink of the eye, one minute you are alive and waving
to a crowd of your supporters from your motorcade and then you get plummeted
with gunshots. Or you were simply washing your hands in the girls' room at the
wrong time such as it was at nine o'clock at night. A light drizzle hung over the
Campland on the Bay.
"Look who it is!"
Oh no. Torey knew this was going to happen.
"Shut up, Melanie."
"Hmm. Where's your bodyguard, Mindy Crenshaw?"
"I believe she left to become a popular cheerleader!" Sandy gloated
"Awww, did Drakey give you his shirt?"
Melanie touched her shoulder and Torey pushed Melanie's hand away
"Don't you girls have something better to do?"
"You are such a LOSER! And Drake is a LOSER for choosing you. Have you had
intercourse yet? Have you even blown him yet? Something tells me you haven't!"
"VIRGIN!" Sandy chimed in
"No one really likes a goody-goody two shoes!"
"STOP IT! Leave US alone!" She didn't know where the strength came from but
she pushed them away and once she started running she didn't want to stop.
She didn't even realize that Drake was behind her trying to catch up to her. His
heart beating rapidly when he noticed a speeding car almost hit Torey when she
ran across the street and went behind the diner. The driver called her "a bitch",
which caused Drake to say something nasty in return.
"Torey! What happened?"
As soon as Drake said that she fell on the concrete.
"Go away, Drake! I don't want you to see me like this," she forced herself up
before he was able to help her to her feet.
Her jeans were ripped in the knees and it wasn't cool to have ripped jeans as in
her mother would kill her for ruining her clothes.
He touched her shoulder and she flinched like she sometimes did. As if he were a
stranger and not her boyfriend. She hated herself for that.
"Leave me, Drake! I can't give you the relationship that you want! Just leave me!"
She walked around to the side of the diner as the tears poured out of her.
"I'm not leaving you."
"Then I'll leave."
"Torey," He never thought he'd be on the receiving end and you know what it did
hurt like Hell. But there was more to this than 'simple' teenage angst and Drake
wasn't going to let her give up.
He followed her back to the tent.
"No, Drake. Let me pack my things and I can get a ride from Rachel in my history
class."
"I saw Melanie and Sandy laughing by the girl's room when you were running away.
What did they say to you?"
Drake was not expecting what was to follow. Torey couldn't even look him in the
eyes and the tent was too hot, more humid than it was the previous night. She had
to go back outside before she fainted. Torey sat on the long branch and was glad
to have a tent location that was rather private.
"It was Christmas Eve 1991 and I was four years old," She spoke softly as Drake
sat next to her, holding her hand. "Mom was working because well you know her
habits. I got an old hand me down Barbie still in its box. I think it was called the
Angel Face Barbie and she was dressed like Laura Ingalls. The corners of the box
were crushed. Dad took me into their bedroom and lit candles. I can remember the
Beach Boys Christmas record skipping on that annoying St. Nick song. He put his
hand down my underpants and made me touch his you know. You know you feel
pleasure and that's where much of the guilt comes from because you realize this is
WRONG. He did this for two years because that was the time mom divorced him.
He made me swear that I must not tell Mom. If she knew about the abuse she never let
on. And I never told her." Torey released her hand from Drake's and stood up, "So, I
can't give you what I know you want. You can leave me and I'll understand—just don't
forget me Drake. Because I do love you. I just know we can't last forever. As much as I
want us to last."
The tears were streaming down his cheeks as well. "Oh, Torey, I'm so sorry," he
hugged her in the most gentle way he could, "I love you and I'm not going
anywhere."
"You still want me. WHY? You should've heard the cruel things those bitches
said..."
"Ssh," he put his index finger to her lips, "Don't worry about them. You say you love
me right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I love you—and I'm not going anywhere. I'll admit I don't know what to say
except that I'd love to see your father get killed." He didn't really care about the
irony of that statement considering the uncalled for murder of Spidey Parker for
drug money.
Drake didn't want to scare Torey but what he really wanted to say was he wouldn't
mind being the one that pulled the trigger on such a sick man who would sexually
molest his daughter.
"It's a difficult subject. It's one that I'd rather forget myself, but of course you can't.
You don't find me revolting after all I told you?"
"No. You are wonderful. You didn't do anything wrong. By the way how is your
knee?"
"Sore. I'll be fine though. What time is it?"
He looked at his watch "Nine thirty."
"I'm really ruining this Campland on the Bay experience for you." She sighed
heavily.
"Torey, you aren't ruining anything." He was almost afraid to touch her, but he knew
that would send a bad signal and he didn't want to do anything that even remotely
looked like it would hurt her and her lifelong recovery. Drake ever so carefully put
his arm around Torey so they could walk back to their tent together.
Once they got in their double sleeping bag bed Drake and Torey snuggled next to
each other. He really wasn't all that tired, but he knew she was exhausted and
needed to rest.
"I love you, Drake." She whispered into his chest and rested her head on the red
number nine on his yellow t-shirt hoping that in time she could snag this one as
well. "Thank you for not letting me run away."
"I love you too, Torey." Drake kissed her head trying to stop the lump in his
throat, "You are always going to be safe with me."
His strong embrace was indeed keeping her safe from her constant nightmares
that were going to take a lifetime if at all to heal but she could face her demons as
long as Drake was by her side.
Drake let more tears fall down his face when he knew that Torey was asleep. To
carry that weight around for the length of time she had to, made him appreciate his
mother more than normal. It seemed you needed a license to drive a car, but any
jerk could be a parent.
Sometimes Torey would shake in her sleep. It scared Drake because he was
afraid of doing the wrong thing but he knew the best thing was to be there, hold
her, and whisper calmly in her ear hoping that it would reach her in her dream state,
to make her see the light at the end of a very dark and lonely tunnel.
When he got home he was going to do two things. One get his full emotions out the
only proper way he could—in a song and two open up his bottom dresser drawer
and play the tape Spidey made on his fifth birthday party.
Even if it still meant the end of Peter Parker he'd have traded childhoods with
Torey in a second.
"You spoke softly and revealed your truth and it was then that I realized your
abandoned youth." Drake Parker/2005
Notes: The reason Saturday's section is 'missing' is because it belongs to a Josh
storyline as this was getting too lengthy to include them both in the same
chapter.
A special thanks to RandomIsMyMind. I hope that you liked the results of
our t-shirt conversation. I know I took a more serious turn with it. Thanks for your
suggestions.