Chapter Two: Market Days
He walked down Main Street in Concord, the next city over, and the capital. It wasn't the largest city, Nashua was the largest, followed by the Queen City, Manchester, home of the Monarchs, and the Verizon Wireless Center, affectionately deemed Manch-Vegas by everyone here.
Main Street, or downtown Concord, had no name brand stores like downtown L.A. did. No Forever 21, or Urban Outfitters, no Starbucks or Jamba Juice. Just stores like, Pachamama's, Pitchfork Records, Caring Gifts, League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, and Rowland's Art Studio. All old lady places, nothing for the youth, apparently even the mall here was lacking.
Drake had seen people walking around with old records and he quickly found the tent/booth with all the records, box upon box. This was his only love so far in New Hampshire, used albums for a dollar.
He spent a good two hours there. Finding a Stones, Sticky Fingers, album, with zipper still intact, the Who live at Leeds, Beatles, Rubber Soul, Double Fantasy, by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Aerosmith, Toys in the Attic, and Boy Dylan Desire, just to name a few.
He sat down on the sidewalk outside the records ten with his albums pile stacked next to him. He'd gone to CVS across the street and had gotten himself a RockStar energy drink, which he badly needed.
That's when he saw her, the petite brunette, with a nice figure, that was not at all petite. Her loose curls framing her face. She was talking to two younger boys about Queen and Billy Joel, talking about how she'd just found the Blues Brothers original soundtrack, that she was excited because that was the field show this year.
He watched her flirt with the two boys, innocent as it was. He watched as she noticed him, her face quickly losing expression, no doubt by his looks. Sarah's friends had said he was the hottest guys here, he wouldn't deny it. He watched as she smiled and went back to her innocent flirting and record buying. He was impressed when the older cashier asked her to name one song off each record and she did without flaw, she obviously knew her stuff.
He got up and decided that he'd go find his Aunt Laurie, she said that they would all meet at the fountain at Eagle Square. He walked down to the bone dry fountain and waiter for his family to show up. Aunt Laurie did an hour later. Drake had watched as kids played in the fountain, couples made out, and the elderly sat comparing wares.
"You hungry yet? I just gave Carrie and Kevin money for lunch, same with Sarah." She said as she brushed the hair out of his eyes. "I can't believe how long your hair has grown in two years." She added as she smiled a soft smile.
She sat down next to her silent nephew who she knew was still reeling from the past events, now here he was displaced. She had told her sister that what he needed most right now was familiarity, Audrey had agree but said it was what Walter had decided was best. But she knew better, they both did, they both knew that Walter had forced Audrey into this and Drake was going to suffer. Laurie just wished there was something she could do for Drake, for her sister.
"If you ever want to talk, I'm always here." Laurie said as she rubbed Drake's back.
"Thanks Auntie Laurie." He said with the first real tone of sincerity in his voice. "But I just want to go home."
There was nothing she could do but say –I know- and take him to get lunch, to get his mind off of home, even if it was for a few minutes.
"Now these are the best steak bombs you'll ever have outside of a Philly Cheese steak." Laurie said as she handed him the sub and a can of Mountain Dew, not the same as Mountain Fizz, not at all the same.
"Drake ate the sandwich and saw her again walking down the street with another set of people. The other girl looked like her sister, the boy appeared to be the sister's boyfriend, only because they were holding hands.
Their eyes caught each others for a second and she smiled, a confused look on her face. She said something to the other girl who looked over as she hit her, obviously scolding her for making it look noticeable that she had said something about him.
"Drake we decided if you want you can have the cooper to drive because we all use cars, all the time, we're just so busy during the school year. So if you want you can drive it. I'll drive the van, I know it's uncool to drive vans." Laurie said suddenly.
"Thanks." Drake replied. He figured that she was in a way buying him off by letting him have the mini Cooper, but he didn't care a car was a car, he just missed his falcon back home.
"You can also use our record player to play those." She added noting his records. "You know your mom and I used to listen to this all the time, in secret of course. Our parents didn't like Rock and Roll." She smiled.
Drake knew all the stories his mom used to tell when it was just him, her, and Megan. She would tell them on rainy afternoons when she'd play the Beatles or Aerosmith on her old turntable.
Oh how he missed those days. How he missed his Mom, even Megan's old pranks. Even if it had only been a week or so since he left. He still missed them. He still longed for home, for familiarity, for comfort, for someone to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay. Because all the while everyone was holding each other and consoling themselves over that whole incident, no one was holding him, everyone was just silently cursing him, whispering and wondering why he was the only one. Why wasn't he crying like the were? Why was he different?
A/N: I find it kind of fun to write a fic based ona place that I know well. And just so you know Emerson is not exactly like me, we have the same hair color but that's about it and the same taste in music. I make all my characters have the same taste in music as I do. We'll have a few more similairites but not much more than that, except for the fact that I hate Bow and that will be a pretty strong underlying factor in this fic. Enjoy.
-Morgan