Don't tell mom
-I'm so worried, it's 2:52 p.m. and Drake isn't home yet. I think his, our, Mom knows, she seemed pretty angry around midnight. I hope he's okay, it isn't like him to stay out this late past curfew. Mindy told me that the party got busted, I hope Drake isn't in jail or worse. He doesn't know how much I worry about him, plus even if he did I don't think he'd care much. Plus the only way he'd ever find out I worry would be if he read this journal. Which he won't ever read because I hide it really well. Megan hasn't even found it yet. I wonder if he used the one I got him for Christmas? Anyway, I've got to stop wondering about him and get some sleep, I have a test on Monday.
-Josh
Drake awoke on the red couch at Claire's house. He woke up with that feeling you have when you think you're home, but when you can see and think more clearly you realize that you're not. He looked around and took in his surroundings once more, this time in daylight. Trevor was still asleep on the day bed, he was moaning incessently though. -He must have one hell of a hangover- Drake thought.
He looked around for Claire, moving the white fleece blanket off of him. She'd taken extremely good care of him and Trevor last night, he made a mental note to write her a card or get her a gift. He heard water running and figured she was in the shower. He glanced at the digital clock on the DVD player by the TV. -8:32- it read. 3 and a half more hours untill I can go home Drake told himself.
He didn't want to go home, at least not yet. He knew he was going to be punished for not being home by curfew, that was the least of his problems. What concerned him most was the fact that Josh probably knew where he had been last night and he didn't want questions.
Claire walked out of the door to her bedroom, glad to know that Drake was awake. She hadn't slept well last night and had gotten up around 6:30.
Drake turned to see Claire exit her room. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark blue cami. Her wet blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail.
"Drake, you can take a shower if you want. I can get you a change of close also." She told him while picking up the blanket and folding it.
"Thanks so much." Drake thanked her. He knew that no ammounts of Thank you's or I'm sorry's could ever repay the kind of debt he owed her.
"It's no problem really." Claire replied, still a little embarrassed and self concious to be around Drake.
"So the clothes are where?" Drake questioned getting up from the couch.
"Follow me." Claire stated as she walked through yet another door.
The door led to a hallway. To the left there was another staircase, I gigantic one. The ceiling had skylights and a rather large and very eloquent chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Drake looked down and realized that it was her front entryway he was looking at. The walls were painted an off white and there was wood floors beneath.
They walked down the hallway, family potraits lined the walls. Four faces gazed down upon him. Claire's mother, father, older brother, and herself, all with smiling faces and perfect hair and clothes. He hated that kind of stuff. He knew that in all family photos like that everyone was pretending to be perfect. To him that was lame. In his family photos you could always tell how everyone felt, no one tried to be 'perfect'.
Claire entered a room to the right, it was her older brothers. Charlie, Claire's older brother, had been one of the most popular kid in his class. He had graduated when they were only Freshmen. Charlie was the all around good guy, straight A student, pro athelete, popular with the ladies. Charlie was also know for his party side when the teachers, parents, and coaches weren't looking. Rumor had it that he was invovled in countless frat parties, drinking games, and pot circles. Drake alleged all these rumors to be true. Considering a lot of the upper classmen, who had adopted him in his younger years of high school, had been at those parties.
The room was a pale shade of blue with a full sized bed in the middle. It was evident that Charlie had been home for the past few weeks, some clothes were scatered about, and the bed wasn't made.
"Here this'll probably fit you." Claire said handing Drake a pair of jeans and a pink Abercrombie and Fitch shirt. If there were two things Drake hated the most it was Abercrombie and Fitch and pink. He didn't say anything though, Claire had been nice enough to offer him the clothes.
"Thanks."
"There's another bathroom down the hall, second door on the left. If you want to change." Claire added as she walked out, leaving Drake in the room.
He walked into the bathroom and changed his clothes. He was relived to put on something clean and something that didn't smell like booze. He brushed his hair and rinsed his mouth out with water. Last night was still hovering in his mind. The sites and the sounds were enough to make him change his lifestyle, he didn't want to end up like that, he didn't want to go down that path. The former Drake Parker, the womanizing, slacking, partying, rule breaking, Drake Parker was no more. Sure he'd still devote himself to his band, but he'd also spend less time chasing girls, focusing on his popularity, and spending more time trying to get better grades. Josh could help him with that.
Drake walked back to the playroom, down the stairs and to the kitchen. Claire had out a blender and a can of tomato juice. She was looking through the cabinets for something. Drake sat down on a chair at the island.
"What are you making?" Drake asked as he watched Claire put some lemon juice into the blender.
"A remedy for hangovers. My brother taught me how to make it." Claire said. "It's for Trevor, I'm assuming he has a pretty nasty one."
"Oh." Drake sighed un-enthusiastically. Claire was going to such extremes to make him and Trevor as comfortable as possilbe. Drake would have gladly accepted sleeping on the couch with his jacket as the only source of warmth.
"You can have whatever you find." Claire said as she pulled a jar of tyme out of a cabinet and added a pinch to the blender.
"You don't happen to have sugar-O's and Mocacola do you?" Drake asked, that being his favorite thing for breakfast.
"Yeah, Sugar-O's are in that cuppboard and that Mocacola is in the fridge." Claire said indicating a cabinet to her left. She reached up and pulled out a bowl and got a spoon from a drawer. She handed them to Drake.
She watched as he poured a bowl of Sugar-O's and then proceeded to fill the bowl with Mocacola.
"I had no idea anyone else did that." She stated in awe.
"You eat Sugar-O's with Mocacola instead of milk?" Drake questioned looking up at her, a sanguine smile crossing her face.
"Yeah, I know it's kind of disgusting and bad for you, but it tastes good." She laughed, Drake laughed too. All this time he thought he was the only one stupid enough to eat something like that.
"You want a bowl then?" He offered as he grabbed a bowl out of the cuppboard she'd just taken his from.
"Why not." She said as she turned on the blender crushing the ice cubes and mixing the contents of the hangover elixar. Drake poured her a bowl of Sugar-O's with Mocacola. She poured the tonic into a glass. He took her bowl and they walked up stairs.
Trevor was awake when they got upstairs,it was evident that he was in pain.
"Here drink this." Claire whispered as she placed the drink in Trevor's hand.
"Who are you and what is this?" Trevor questioned.
"That's unimportant, just drink." Claire instructed, her voice still hushed. It was apparent that she had handeled someone with a hangover before.
"This tastes like shit!" Trevor exclaimed.
"I know, just drink, it'll make you feel better trust me." Claire said standing up and walking back towards the couch. She and Drake sat their eating their breakfasts while Trevor sipped the tonic holding his nose.
"You have to be home by 12, right?" Claire asked Drake.
"Yeah."
"We'll leave at 11:15 to get Trevor home." Claire stated. She'd been planning this out for the past few hours. She didn't want Drake or Trevor in anymore trouble then they'd had been. She also didn't want the two of them there if Charlie came home.
"Can we leave after I finish eating?" Drake queried, he wanted to impress his mom, hoping for a lesser punishment, and wanting to tell Josh not to tell mom if he hadn't yet.
"Fine, whatever you want." Claire said looking at her watch. It was only 9:15.
The Parker-Nichols household was up and busy with their affiars. It was Saturday, chore day, and Mrs. Parker was more stern then ever with her chores all because of Drake.
"Mommy, I don't want to clean up Josh's mess." Megan cried as she pointed to a pile of video games on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"Sweetie, you don't have to, you've done enough for today go play outside." Mrs. Parker said as she patted Megan's head. Megan ran outside past Josh who'd seen the whole thing, an evil smile on her face.
"Josh pick up you games now." Mrs. Parker instructed her step-son. A don't-mess-with-me look on her face. Josh quickly picked up the games and retreated to his room. It was 9:30 and Drake still wasn't home. His step-mom hadn't said anything regarding Drake, so Josh didn't worry as much, but he still worried. He called Mindy, hoping she was awake.
"Josh, what's wrong? Our designated taking time isn't for another 10 and half more hours." Mindy asked a worried tone in her voice.
"Drake went to a college party last night and never came home." Josh told Mindy frantically. Concern plastered throughout his voice.
"Drake was at that party, the one that got busted?" Mind asked, amused and sort of happy. She silently wished that Drake had been arrested so Josh would have to find something bad about his step-brother.
"Yeah, I think so." Josh stated. "I hope he's not in jail or something." He worried.
"I'm sure Drake is fine." Mindy soothed Josh. She didnt' like to see Josh fret, she liked him calm.
"Is that all you called me about?" Mindy asked, she wanted to get her homework done early so she could see Josh later.
"Yeah, I'll call you later Mindy. I've got homework to do and questions to ask." He joked, Mindy always made him feel better.
"Love you Joshie Pie."
"Love you too."
Josh hung up the phone. He sank deeper into the couch he was sitting on. He was still worrying about Drake. He couldn't believe his brother had done something this stupid. Drake had done stupid things before, but this was something entirely new. Josh grunted in pity for his brother. -Why can't Drake just be a good kid for once, do the right thing? Why does he always have to be the James Dean?- Josh wondered. -Why?-
The white Jeep pulled over to the sidewalk, a block away from the Parker-Nichols house. Drake had asked Claire to do that so his mother wouldn't see him get out of her car.
"Claire..." Drake began,once again swallowing his pride. This girl had been so incredably nice to him and Trevor. Letting them into her house, feeing them, taking care of them. He knew there was only one thing that could come close to repaying the debt he owed her. "Can I ask you, well more like offer you something?" Drake questioned.
"I suppose." Claire replied tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel.
"Since you said you were at that party to be cool for a minute, I figured we, or you, can quit that whole party scene and sit with me and my friends tomorrow at lunch. I mean you don't have to if you don't want to." Drake rambled.
"Drake that means a lot to me, you have no idea, but I can't. Those people you call your friends have been jerks, real jerks for the longest time. I don't think I'd feel comfortable sitting with them." Claire explained feeling kind of bad that she'd be missing out on the opportuinity of a lifetime.
"You don't have to worry about them saying any nasty stuff to you. I'll make sure of that, they'll listen to me." Drake begged, he wanted her to say yes.
All it took was a night for this girl to change Drake, to grow on him. He was falling for Claire, he wanted her to be his, he wanted to claim her. The instinctual need to protect her and to know her in way only a boyfriend could was kicking in. Drake knew the desire well, he liked the way it felt to be with a new girl. He liked the intial 'getting to know you' phase and the feeling of transitioning into the exploration phase by making out. Commitment, to anything, girls especially wasn't Drake's thing. Hence why his relationships never lasted long, but Claire was different. He felt the primitive desires to protect and support Claire.
"I'll think about it okay?" Claire countered. She too was falling for Drake. She'd had a crush on him since her Freshman year. She'd moved here from Cape Cod. She'd had had friends back there, back home she was popular. Back in Mass. she was like her brother Charlie. Claire played flute in band, brought her soccer team, the Wizards, to State Championships in Boston, and was a straight A student. Her Freshman year at Cape Side high school was going to be awsome. She had tried out for Cheerleading and Soccer and had made both. It was when her father had been transfered to San Diego and she found out she was moving, did her life change.
Claire moved that summer leaving all her friends behind. 'I'll come back don't worry. I'll keep in touch.' was what she said to everyone as she left in June. She kept in touch with a few friends for the first couple of months in San Diego, but soon all fell out of contact. The school year arrived and Claire was as depressed as ever. Everyone seemed to snicker behind her back, they'd been talking about the 'new girl' over the summer and had already assumed what she was going to be like.
Girls were jealous of her because of her grades and her good looks. She had long blonde hair, brown eyes, slender frame and long legs.She was what all the girls envied.
She'd seen Drake over the summer hooking up with random girls at the Primere and various other places. Like all the other girls in town Claire thought Drake was cute and the added bonus of him in a band did him more justice. As school went on Claire liked Drake more and more, he was like the other boy's she'd dated back home. She secretly supported everything he did over the next 2 years all the while going unoticed by him, except when she was the target of his groups slander.
"Okay, the offer's always going to be on the table. Thanks again Claire, I owe you." Drake said as he opened the door and hopped out of the car. Despite the short distance to his house, it was going to be a long walk home.
Drake silently walked into the house. He didn't want draw too much attention to himself, he never could deal with confrontation much. When he didn't see anyone around he sighed in relief, but it didn't last to long, Josh was probably in their room. He sighed and walked up stairs.
"Drake..." Josh began.
"Josh, don't go there." Drake said coldly to Josh as he walked by and took of the hideous pink shirt.
"I know about the party last night." Josh declared his knowledge of his brothers secret life.
"Just so you know I didn't stay long." Drake chided as he brushed past Josh who was discretly trying to corner him.
"So then where were you last night?" Josh questioned, he wanted the truth, they were step-brothers after all. Plus Josh didn't spend most of the night worrying, not to get the cold shoulder. Josh wanted information and he wanted it now.
"None of your goddamn business Josh." Drake relpied callosly. "Hasn't anyone told you that before Josh. We have a freakin' code Josh, a pact. You don't meddle in my life, I don't meddle in yours. I swear to god you're becomming as sneaky and devious as Megan." Drake yelled. Josh sat down on his bed. He hadn't ment to make Drake angry, he wanted Drake to know that Josh was concerned about him.
"I'm sorry Drake..." Josh began but couldn't find the words to prove he was sorry. He was only sorry for making Drake angry.
"Josh, just whatever you do don't tell mom." Drake stated staring his brother in the eyes. His face told it all, Josh knew that. Drake was hiding something, something far bigger than that stupid party. JOsh didn't want to disrepect his brother anymore then he already had.
"I swear I won't."
"Good."
okay so I hope to get more up here soon but there's way too many factors against me, O.o... a) I have band camp b) School starts next week c) I have to think of what's going to happen next considering I started this story on a whim and d) I'm just so gosh darn tired. Bleh...anywho read and review!