A Crumbled Piece of Paper
Two weeks later
Few things in this world made Drake Parker happy. One was a hot chick or two on his
arm. Two was being able to play his music with his band. It made the five days in school
almost bearable, but then that went back to the pretty girls there. And the third was every
other week when he stood Jim Barber's office who owned Soily's coffeehouse slash
club to collect his earnings for another weekend gig well done.
"Here ya go, Parker." The middle-aged man in his forties with the receding hairline said
to him as he handed him a white legal sized envelope.
"Thanks, Jimmy," Drake didn't need to open the envelope. He knew he earned two
hundred dollars. "I'll see you on Friday." Drake said turning away as he folded the
envelope to put in his inside jacket pocket.
"Wait, I forgot," Barber opened up his top side desk drawer and handed Drake a piece
of crumbled up paper, "When Holly was cleaning she found this."
Drake didn't put it in his pocket for some odd reason he felt compelled to open it right in
front of owner of the club who signed his checks. The paper smelled of perfume.
Dear Drake,
That was crossed out with a thin brown crayon type pencil.
Drake,
I---
A big brown 'X' placed over that.
Dr—A smaller brown 'X' was placed beneath that.
"Probably from one your fans."
"Probably." Drake replied monotone.
He wasn't so sure. Patty from school didn't send him that package and she wasn't the
one who was still calling the house and hanging up. Although, they did go out a couple
of times, and she was beautiful, she wasn't part of this mystery.
Drake folded the note and put it in his back jeans pocket. Maybe, he had a stalker?
There was girl in one of the mean cliques called "Katie the Killer" because she dressed
in all Goth and she did seem to stare at him a few times when they were in detention
together. He got his detention for sleeping in Mrs. Hafer's class whereas Katie told the
girl's phys.ed. teacher to "fuck off".
Still, he wasn't sure. Drake was never one much to Josh's dismay to "talk over things"—
so even though he was tempted to ask Barber if Holly caught a glimpse of the person
who wrote this attempted piece of correspondence. He chose not to.
Drake didn't look back as there was no more to be said on the matter.
Not to Jim Barber owner of Soily's anyway.
It was a mix of relief and dread all at the same time when Drake saw Josh having a fight
with the Coca-Cola machine that was near the payphones.
"Who's winning?" Drake enquired
"I gave it a dollar and twenty-five cents. Where is my soda?" Josh kept hitting all of the
buttons.
"Here. Let me try. What did you want, a Coke?"
"No—a Diet Coke."
"Right." Drake lightly punched the Diet Coke button and the 16oz bottle came out of the
machine.
"Aww, come on! Are you superhuman now?" Josh went to get his soda. He was banging
this machine for ten minutes and Drake walks by, hits the button and the soda magically
comes out?
It figures.
"No. Just relaxed. Good things happen to you when you relax." Drake said putting his
own money in the machine to get a soda.
"So you've said."
"Why are you here, anyway?"
"Just thought I'd say hey. So—hey."
"Hey. Are you having problems with Mindy?"
"No. I wouldn't be this calm, bro."
"True."
Drake wondered if he should talk to Josh about this mystery? Nah. Josh was not a calm
sort. He liked to have fights with soda machines that wouldn't cooperate.
"I need to go to the mall and pick up a new tie. Do you want to help me pick one out?"
Drake laughed as he put the cap back on his soda, "That's not my idea of a fun time.
Why do you need a new tie?"
"I'm going to take Mindy to a fancy restaurant next week. And I want to look extra nice."
"Well, I'm going home. I hope you don't need a ride."
Drake had a used maroon colored 1977 Trans Am. Walter and Audrey helped him with
the insurance. It was a cool car and all the women seemed to like it. And that was the
whole point. Whereas Josh had Audrey's safe 1988 beige colored VW Jetta.
"No, I'm walking today."
Drake and Josh walked out of Soily's as the camera clicked from the entrance way to
the 'she's' and 'he's' rooms.
He was beautiful.