Chapter 6

Cactus, cactus, telephone pole, cactus

It'd been four days since they visited the Grand Canyon, Drake bored as usual, "It's nothing but a big hole with a river running through." he muttered as Josh tried to organize a mule ride down to the murky Colorado. "No I do not want to ride an ass. You can seeing as it's the only one you ever will." Drake taunted to a Josh who was about to lose it. The boys hadn't talked much in the four days. Drake uttering insults the whole time. Josh wishing he'd stop acting like the ass hole he was, especially since they had Taylor, a girl, on the trip with them.

They were just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, nothing but cactus, telephone poles, and long forboding deserts. Josh was driving and Drake had moved to the back seat one to keep Taylor company, two to get away from Josh. This trip was turning out to be disastrous for the both of them. Both were glad to see the other alive after that fight in Arizona, but still pissed about what the other had to say, Josh respectivally more.

"Go fish." Drake said drearly as Taylor picked a card out of the pile.

"Got any Jacks?" She asked as she placed down a two of spades and a two of clubs.

"Yes.." Drake groaned as he handed her the Jack of hearts. "Why do I suck so much at this game?"

"Don't know? One more round?" Taylor asked as she picked up the cards.

"I don't think I can take another ass beating." Drake laughed as he turned and looked out the window. Nothing but the pretty damn boring Desert. He couldn't wait to get out of the midwest, there was nothing interesting out here anyway. He wanted to see San Antonio, though he knew it was way to out of the way, just like New Orleans was. But they were going to Memphis, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Providence, and Boston. All cities that he could stand seeing, all places he could score.

Though he thought about hitting on Taylor, he decided against it. If they ended up fighting after they hooked up he was going to have a long, long trip back home. Plus she wasn't really his type.

"Look we're in Santa Fe!" Josh exclaimed as he pulled over on the side of the road.

"God, Josh, not another picture time. I want to get to our Motel. I need to pee badly." Drake complained as he got out of the car. "No I'm not taking your picture." He added hastly as he found the nearest cactus.

"Sorry he's been such a sour puss." Josh appologized to Taylor as she took the camera from him.

"It's okay...a little more to the left." She said as she held the camera up to her face and Josh positioned himself perfectly to the left of the sign that said, 'Welcome to Santa Fe!'

"Are you sure?" Josh asked as she finished taking the picture.

"I'm sure. Josh can I ask you something?"

"Anything. We're sort of friends now."

"Is Drake always like that, I mean, jerkish and self absorbed?" She asked as she leaned against the navy blue car.

"No, I mean yes, I mean I don't know. He's so hard to read. One day he's your best friend, the next he hates your guts, but most of the time he's alright. I love the guy, he's my brother. I'd do anything for him and I know he'd do the same, he's done the same. Something's just bugging him." Josh sighed as he looked over at his brother walking across the street.

"Well I feel better." Drake said as he opened the car door. "On to Santa Fe!"

They all piled back into the car and drove off to find the next motel.

"400 dollars?" Josh exclaimed as the concierge demanded that they pay that for three people for a night. "But we're all sharing a single room! We paid 500 for one night in the Venician and let me tell you this is no Venician." Josh yelled as he noted the pealing pink floral wallpaper, the carpets that smelt like cat pee, the cracked ceiling, the swimming pool filled with leaves and algea. He was not paying that much for a crap hole.

"I'm sorry." The latino concierge stated. "That's how much it is." Josh groaned and walked back towards Taylor and Drake.

"He wants 400. He's not giving in." he sighed and sat back down.

"Let me try him." Taylor winked as she walked over to the counter rolling up her shirt to reveal a pretty amazing six pack.

"H o ly sn ot..." Drake breathed as he watched her. "Under all that automotive grime and guyish attitude she really is pretty hott."

"Oh no you don't." Josh whispered loudly as he smacked Drake aside the head. "You're not doing her."

"You can't tell me who I can and can't do."

"Excuse me.." Taylor began as she leaned forward on the desk. "I'm in pretty bad shape, cash wise, and I really need a cheap room about 100 bucks." She flirted madly.

"Well, I would love to give you a room for that much but the books say I have to charge 400." The latino said as he patted the binder next to him.

"Well, it's either that or I do a bank job to get the money I need. You wouldn't want a pretty girl like me in jail, would you?" She asked tenderly as she made circle patters with her finger on the desk. "I wouldn't survive in jail." The guy was giving in just a few more minutes.

"I really can't..."

"I'm sure you can, I could even do you a favor, anything you wanted..."

"Anything?" He gulped.

"It probably gets real lonely out here in the desert."

"real..."

"I could keep you company for a little while, if you just gave me and my brothers a deal."

"They're your brothers."

"Yep, we're triplets."

'Triplets?"

"Yep, so you up for that offer or not?" She cooed as she placed her hand over his and batted her eyes. She'd seen enough of the classic westerns to know how to do it right.

"Well, as long as you keep your offer."

"I intend to, meet me up there tommorrow around noon. I'll be waiting." She winked as she strutted back towards Drake and Josh swinging the key around her finger.

"Beat that. Got us the room for 100." She laughed as she tossed the key to Josh.

"Oh trust me I already did." Drake was quick to respond as they headed out and up the steps to their motel room.

"Yeah, how?"

"I got us a night at the Venician for 500."

"I guess we think alike then."

"I guess."

Josh unlocked the door only to reveal a room that was totally not worth the 100 dollars. It was like country, meets modern, meets hobo chic. The walls were a smoke, water, and sun stained multi-colored, flora wallpaper that looked like it was straight from the 1800's. The carpet on the floor was stained in various colors, the bed spread probably contained lice of many sorts, the bathroom was growing mold in all the corners, there were long gone dishes in the mini fridge and the whole room smelled of vomit and cat pee.

"This is so disgusting." Drake moaned as he placed his bag on a somewhat clean area of the carpet.

"Yeah pretty gross." Josh said as he peeled the sheets off the bed. "Oh god...this is so gross, I think I'm gonna puke." Josh stated as he ran into the bathroom. He came back out a few seconds later. "We won't be using these."

"What was so gross? Dead animal? Human Hand?" Drake questioned as he went over to look at it. "Holy snot, who does that?" Drake stated looking at what was a dried up, used, condom between the sheets. "That's just so gross."

"You glad I bring my own sheets?"

"Love you for it."

Once the bed was sort of clean with Josh's sheets on it, Drake ordered pizza and they all sat at the table in the room and ate, not having really any conversation. They were all exhausted from being in the car all day.

They all crawled into the queen size bed, the pull out couch wasn't working and Drake swore that there was probably some kind of body in it. He'd sworn up and down he'd felt something move in it when he'd sat on it earlier. Taylor was sandwiched between Drake and Josh because they'd fought for twenty minutes about how they weren't going to sleep next to each other and Drake wasn't about to sleep on the couch with the alien in it or in the bathtub where the mold would eat him alive by morning. Taylor one never to mind sharing a bed with two guys voluntered to sleep between them as long as neither tried to pull any moves on her.

Drake was the first to wake up. He woke up feeling like he was home, just seeing the light reflect off the wall, not fully realizing he was far away from beach side San Diego and he wouldn't be back there for at least another month or two. If he was going to do what he planned to do on the way home, which was drive up through upstate New Hampshire, hit the white mountains, see foliage for the first time in his life, travel through Burlington and Montpelier Vermont. Hit Albany and Buffalo, Clevland and Detroit, where Ford started, maybe even see the Ford factory. Head on back down through Chicago and Des Moines. Drive down to Omaha, then Topeka, then Denver, then up to Cheyenne. Then all the up to Montana, where there were no speed limits. Then head on down through Idaho and Oregon. Then head all the way down the coast of California hitting, Sacramento, San Francisco, where he'd cross the golden gate bridge in a rented convertable blasting here comes the sun by the Beatles, then through Ventura, Los Angeles, Anahiem, Laguna, then back home to San Diego before the summer ended.

That was going to be his trip home, that was until Taylor happened. Where was she going to step off? Was she comming home with him or was she going to take her things and leave him in New Hampshire, Colorado, Michigan, or Northern California? What if they ended up falling in love or something crazy like that on the way home?

He didn't have time to think about that. Drake Parker could feel the changes happening. Standing over the Grand Canyon and watching the sun set over the Colorodo river. Making the red canyon walls look like they were on fire, the purples, the reds, the pinks. It was all too much for him. Being cold was how he hid his feelings. By being a jack ass he didn't have to admit he was weak, that he had failed at something.

Drake had always admired Josh's intellect. How he always acceled at school, how he never had to try hard to understand things. Drake had, he struggled in school, he gave up because he never wanted to take the time needed. Drake had quickly picked up being cook, getting girls, and playing guitar. How could he admit to not understanding how a sentence was put together, or how to pronnounce big words, or even how to divide and multiply? He couldn't and just not doing the work was his way of getting by. He envied Josh for getting into college when he himself had not.

Little did he know it worked both ways.

Drake grabbed his guitar and walked out onto the balcony. There were no other cars in the motel lot. It meant that it was just them there. He took the acoustic out of it's case sat down on the top stair and started playing. The chords had no pattern, the song no name. He played as the sun began to rise, casting an orange, pink hue over everything making it seem ethereal. It was like a dawning of a new Drake, at least on the inside. He'd never let the changes show quickly, a tiger never changes his stripes.

Taylor walked out when she heard the music. She knew Drake played, she'd seen the guitar and heard him bragging about being on TRL. She figured he was some mediocre player, one that got by on his poster boy looks. But she was shocked to find that he was really good.

She sat down next to him.

"Don't stop." She said softly as he stopped strumming.

"I can't keep playing when I really want to talk." He said softly.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked quietly.

"Everything."

A/N: Thanks again, midnightriot I would appreciate it so much if you helped with a title, normally I'm wicked skilled at thinking of them even before I start a story but with this one nothings comming, I feel though once I get further into it I'll think of something but it'd be wonderful if you could help. I'm also taking a little shift here towards the "changing" Drake though it'll be subtle.

Morgan