Maybe we'll be two crazy kids.
"So Josh you ask Marissa out yet?" Drake asked his brother after 8th period History.
"Yeah, so how'd it go with you and Claire?" Josh asked, he didn't need to, the hallways were full of talk about Drake and Claire getting back together. He just wanted to hear it from his brother.
"Good, haven't you heard already? It's all everyone's been talking about." Drake stated putting his arm around his brothers shoulder.
Josh was glad that his brother was back to normal. He'd started to hang out with some of his old friends again. Scottie had appologized for everything that had happened and Trevor was now in jail. Josh himself was feeling better, he had a date for valentines day now. He just ignored the fact that it made him guilty.
"So who's driving?" Josh questioned. He liked to know the details, he also didn't like driving much anymore. The day the camry came back his Mom picked him up from work in it, he nearly cried sitting in the seat that Mindy had died in. His therapy classes were helping him cope with her death a little better.
"I'll drive, don't worry, we're taking the Subaru. I know how you feel about the camry." Drake whispered to his brother. Claire walked up to Drake and he kissed her on the cheek.
"So what time tonight?" She asked as she grabbed hold of his hands.
"Seven sound okay?"
"Seven sounds fine." Claire said. "I've gotta get home, I'm not feeling so well, but trust me I think I'm just tired." Claire mentioned as she was leaving. Josh had already left and was waiting for Drake at the car.
"If you still aren't feeling better I'll stop by at seven with a thermos of chicken noodle soup and we'll have our own special valentines day. I'll even find some with heart shaped noodles." Drake joked as he hugged Claire.
"You are too sweet." She laughed as she hugged him back.
"But I'm serious when I say that. I wouldn't want you to go out if you felt bad, so feel better." Drake said as he kissed the top of her head.
"Okay, well I'm going to head home now. See you." Claire replied as she let go of the embrace and walked out. Drake sighed contently and walked out to Josh.
Claire got into her white jeep and waved as she passed Drake and Josh in the subaru. She turned up the raido, Tiny Dancer by Elton John was on. She loved that song, it was funny though when she was younger she thought it said, Hold me closer Tony Danza instead of Hold me closer tiny dancer and when she found out Elton John was gay it made more sense to her.
She pulled into the driveway and grabbed her bag out of the jeep, she shouldered it and walked in. Once again no one was home. Charlie was back in College and her parents were both away on business. She had always been alone ever since she was a little girl. The last time someone had actually been her 24/7 was this Christmas when Charlie and his friends Marcus and Sean stayed for the week.
Claire shuddered, she didn't like Marcus and Sean, they were like the other kids that Charlie used to hang out with when she was nine. Seth and Dominic. Claire threw her bag down near the mail cubby and walked upstairs to her section of the house. She stepped into the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. She feared what she knew she had to do, she didn't want to do it, she didn't want to know the answer. The little pink box on the counter sat there, almost as though it had taken on demonic like abilitys and could see her every move.
Who was she kidding, Claire knew that it wasn't normal to be three months late. She knew what the stick would say, she knew that there'd be that stupid pink line, hell it'd probably be red by now.
Claire reached over and pulled the box off of the counter, she opened it and read the instructions- 1. Hold stick between thumb and forefinger. 2. Pee on stick. 3. Wait 15 minutes. 4. Pink line pregnancy, blue line not pregnant.
Claire placed the stick on the counter, she was now going to endure the longest 15 minutes of her life. She went to her room and logged on to the internet. She typed in The page loaded and a chubby brown eyed baby girl sat there in a pink gingham dress with a matching pink bow and little pink booties. She took one look at the baby girl and cried. She was too young to be a mother, she was only 17, just 17. She had her whole life before her she couldn't be a mother not now.
She minimized the page and walked back to the bathroom. If Claire had ever been an optimist in her lifetime, she couldn't have told you she was right then. She lifted the stick off the counter and cried harder. She placed it back down on the counter. What was supposed to be a little pink line was monsterous red one. She placed the test back down on the counter and slid back to the tub. She sat on the edge, ran her hands through her hair, placed her head in her hands and cried.
"Can I come in?" A voice in the doorway asked softly.
Claire looked up, her mascara running down her face. She wiped her eyes and stood up. She was shaking pretty badly for two reasons, one Drake had just scared the crap out of her. Second she just found out that she was pregnant.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Drake asked as he pulled Claire into a hug. He immediatly noted the box on the counter and the used test next to it. "Claire, you've got to be kidding me." He exhaled.
"I wish I were." She sobbed onto his shoulder. He was the one thing she needed right now.
"I came by to make sure you were feeling alright. I brought you some soup and Josh made his famous brownies."
"Thanks." She said as she hugged him harder.
"You want to tell me about it? We were apart for three months. I'm not going to be mad at you for dating other guys." Drake said softly. He didn't know the whole story.
"It's not that, it's far more complicated." Claire started. She hadn't inticipated Drake knowing this early into it.
"Here let's go sit down." Drake said as he lead Claire to her bed. He sat down on the bed while she lay down with her head in his lap. The benifits of a king sized bed she thought.
"I kind of have to go back in time a bit so you know the whole story." Claire explained as Drake ran his fingers through her hair.
"That's okay, we've got time and I'm willing to listen." He whispered softly.
"I was about nine when they first started doing it. Charlie's friends. Their names were Dominic and Seth, they were all about 15 except for Seth he was 16. Charlie was home alone with me, it's always been that way, our parents are constantly gone. Anyway, we were home alone and he had his friends over. They were smoking pot in his room, though I didn't know that at the time. But anyway. I walked in because I wanted someone to play with me, Charlie actually. I felt like I was loosing him as a brother, that we were drifting apart, you know with the age difference and all. Anyway, one thing led to another and Dominic and Seth raped me." Claire told Drake quietly.
"So they raped you when you were nine?" Drake asked shocked.
"Yeah, and they continued until we moved this year. I got so used to it that it became almost like ritual. But Seth always used protection, always. And I had taken the pill. It was when I moved here that I stopped taking the pill because they weren't here to rape me anymore." Claire explained.
"So, how'd you get pregnant?" Drake asked.
"Well that party that you met me at was the night it all started again. Seth had come back with a few friends from college, Marcus and Sean. Well they got me to go to the party, not on my own free will, but they got me to go. At the party they took me into an upstairs bathroom and took their turns raping me, Charlie just looked on like he used to, just watching his friends rape his little sister, to much of a coward to do anything. Anyway, they did it again this Christmas and that's when I got pregnant, I don't know who it was who got me pregnant, but I know one of them did." Claire could feel the tears welling up again but couldn't cry.
"That's not right at all. Claire you could have told someone." Drake said, he was pissed that someone could do that to someone else.
"It's more complicated then that, as I said it was like ritual, I thought nothing of it."
"Claire that's bull and you know it. You were crying that night when I found you. You obviously didn't want to do it." Drake said a little louder then he had intended.
"You're right. Yeah I know I didn't want to do it, I didn't want to be there. But what the fuck was I supposed to do? Who the fuck do I tell? It's easy for someone to say 'Just go to the police' but it's another thing to be in that situation. I know because I used to think that way." Claire shouted. She was crying now. "Drake I don't know if I want this baby or if I don't. I'm 17 I know I'm too young but I also know if I have this child and give it up for adoption then I'll regret it later." She cried.
"I'll help you. We can take care of it together. I promise. Claire I love you and the past three months that I haven't been with you have been hell. I've wanted you here to hold my hand, to comfort me. But now all I want to do is hold your hand and comfort you. Claire you have no idea how much I love you and I mean it when I say it. Because I know a lot of people who can tell you that I'm just saying it because, but I'm not. I have the hardest time loving people because I'm scared I'll lose them. Claire I've lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again." Drake told her as he wipped the tears from her eyes. "I love you." He whispered as he leaned in closer to her, tears in his eyes.
"I love you too." she replied as he placed a hand on her cheek. He kissed her.
"I'm here for you. We might end up as two crazy kids trying to raise a baby, but at least we'll be crazy together." He stated as he placed his forehead on hers. She laughed. "Let's just be kids tonight, forget about the baby for an hour or so and go watch a movie." he said enthusiatically, the mischevious Drake grin on his face. "I promise this will be the best Valentines day you'll ever have."
"Have I ever told you that you're amazing?" Claire grinned. It was honestly amazing how he could make her smile all the time.
"No, but I don't assume this will be the last time." He joked. She punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"Let's go pick up Josh and Mindy and watch a movie. Later I'll treat us to a little surprise." Drake grinned. He felt like dancing with the devil tonight. He realized that even through all bad there was good, you just had to find it. Maybe he was right about being a crazy kid, but anythings only crazy if it doesn't feel right, and this felt right to him.
And yes wow how many of you didn't see that one comming? Mwahhahaha...I'm a genius at plot twist and I use them to my advantage, so expect more, expect a lot of things. Because if this is one fan fic that will make you angry...this is the one. ;)