Shivers
3 days later
Drake tossed and turned in his bed once more. He couldn't get comfortable and it
didn't help matters any that Josh's nose was blocked and was snoring at a loud
volume. His brother sounded like a cat when someone steps on its tail. He felt weird.
There was no other way to describe it. Every so often for reasons that he chalked up to
just not being able to "shut off" his mind completely and go into slumber his body would
feel strange. Like he wanted to run, but didn't know where to. He used to have these
feelings quite a great deal when he was little, but he never told anyone. Not even his
mother. The only good thing about going to the doctor was seeing the pretty nurse who
gave him a grape Charms lollipop after his check ups.
Something was wrong, but he didn't know what it could be. Megan was her usual
prankster self, Josh was his usual nerdy self, and Audrey and Walter were the same as
they always were.
Did it have to do with Dennis Parker? Who left the family to go shack up with his slutty
mistress in Arizona when he was ten years old. There was never a card, a letter, a
phone call, or any form of contact. Which was fine by Drake as he hated the son of a
bitch. But he had a feeling that Megan would like to hear from him again. And Audrey?
She was already in her new second-chance life with Walter—and Dennis Parker was
ancient history.
"What's the matter with you?" Josh called out, "You're driving me crazy with that tossing
and turning, Drake!"
"Me? You are the one constantly snoring, Josh!"
"Do you have to keep banging your pillows? I hate the rustling sound."
"No. I can choose to do this instead." Drake threw the pillows at his brother where
they hit him as if they were missiles falling down in a cornfield.
"Hey! Guess what? I'm keeping your pillows!"
"Guess what, Josh? I could care less. Goodnight!"
Drake put the covers over his head and rested his head on the flat mattress but could
not sleep.
In a sleazy and cheap bare bones motel room Denise Roberts paced the worn
avocado green colored shag carpeting. Her bare feet were cold and she was glad that
there was something covering the floor. The rest of her body was hot though and she
always chose to sleep in her form fitting tank tops and her checkered cotton sleeping
pants. This combination was pink and purple.
She went over to the dresser to pick up the photographs of Drake and his band
performing at Soily's. Not only was he extremely good looking as she knew he'd be,
but he was also very talented. Her money was running out and Denise knew she only
had two choices either face her fears and meet her brother or go back to New York
and get the grounding of her life.
Denise Roberts was always a confident person, she rarely cried, or showed emotion—
but she was scared to death. What if Drake hated her? Resented her? Blamed her?
She couldn't live if he hated her.
It was a risk. She stroked his face in the photograph and didn't know what to do. She
probably wouldn't know until the last minute.
"Ow," she muttered to herself looking down on the floor. "Don't the maids clean up
around here?"Denise picked up a piece of hard plastic that was probably here since
Clinton was President and tossed it in the small yellow wastebasket.
Denise's fantasyThe air was crisp as it always was in autumn in the Northeast. She sat on the cold
cinderblock stairwell of her school waiting for her ride.
All of the girls thought he was cute and some of the boys hated him for being so
popular and wanted to beat him up. But only she could be in this fantasy.
The Trans Am pulled up to the old red brick building and Denise jumped up to run to
the car.
"Hey, Drake."
"Hey, Denise."
The CD was blasting good old-fashioned proper rock and roll.
"Why do you insist on driving out all this way? If you took a plane…."
"If I took a plane, I wouldn't be able to drive my own car. And besides I have those gigs
in Boston soon."
"Then you have to turn around and drive all the way back to San Diego."
"I was thinking about that," he turned the CD player that was playing The Who's Behind
Blue Eyes off, "I might get an apartment outside of New York City…or maybe the
Jersey side where it's cheaper."
Denise's eyes widened with joy.
"Really? Then we'd only be like an hour away!"
"I know and I can make sure you don't go out with any guys I don't approve of."
"And I'll make sure you won't go out with any tramps."
"Touche."
Drake smiled as they drove on to an unknown destination.
End fantasyDenise sat on the foot of the musty motel bed and sighed and contemplated the
biggest decision of her young life to date. Should she meet her brother and hope that
he'd want to get to know her or should she just go back home and ponder what might
have been?
She laid on top of the bed and turned off the light—but could not sleep.