Ink (Drake Wants to Stay Cool)
…one month later
The sun felt good on Drake's back. He was beyond nervous on the inside as Jeff didn't
reveal his plans to the group on how to "get Josh good", which turned into "get the fag
good" and it's been a month already! He had a better idea and had to steal a set of
keys, which he was being extremely vague about. This wait-and-see attitude was driving
Drake crazy. He had Amanda, Kelly, Susan, and Alexandra among other 'hot girls' from
the 'hot girls' brigade. He was eating his lunch outside with his group of guy friends that
he really wished would all get sick and die. There were little tormenting of Josh
moments. Drake didn't see the real harm in a few little spitballs. He always aimed for
the legs in such a casual and smooth way that no one could tell he wasn't in on the daily
tricks and taunts. He always tried to stay far back and sometimes hidden so he wouldn't
be caught. It wasn't Josh he was most worried about. He didn't need a suspension
courtesy of Principal Raymond or a lecture from his parents. He also didn't need an
especially hypocritical one from Walter.
Drake still had his lock picking kit from Megan and gone were the days that he used it
for something good by breaking into Kathy's locker to put in the drawing that Josh
created. He used it to take the biggest stickiest wad of bubble gum with the guys
present and put it in Josh's library books so he'd have to pay a fine for damages. There
was no real harm done, right?
They were only books.
Drake drank his Mocha Cola and Jeff handed the reason God invented mini skirts girls
a bunch of dollar bills to get some snacks at the corner store. He was getting rid of
them. Drake was nervous not knowing of the big plan, now he was edgy over him having
it.
"Parker, you don't have a gig tonight?"
What a dumbass. It was only Tuesday.
"No, Jeff. It looks like your wheels are turning." Drake rubbed his hands together.
"Mike, just got the keys! We break into the school tonight."
Breaking into the school…next was going to be the declaration of stealing something.
Drake was too terrified of his own position in life to care about anything or anyone else
at the moment.
"Cool. What's the plan?" Drake asked
"We're going to break into Mrs. Henner's room." Jeff whispered.
He had blonde hair and blue eyes and looked like one of those obedient alien kids in
that movie based on the Midwich Cuckoos novel.
Mrs. Henner was the art teacher. Were they going to make obscene banners? That
could get them in serious trouble too. Yet, Drake was too powerless to choose between
the right and the wrong. Grammy was mistaken about the ease of standing up to peer
pressure.
"Mike, you're working part time at your dad's store this afternoon?"
Mike's dad owned a dollar/novelty store.
"Yeah, what do you need?"
"Some balloons."
The magnets clicked and Drake put his confident hand through his hair to try and relieve
some of the tension.
"I can get those…this is going to be awesome!"
"You bet it is. And get lots of bags…because I'd love to get that Crenshaw cunt too."
"Yeah—I can't stand that bitch." Drake put forth.
He didn't really like Mindy, but he couldn't believe the biting words that flowed out of
his mouth. As if this was a simple prank like spitballs or hunks of chewing gum stuck to
library books. This was breaking and entering. But all Drake could do was prove that he
was one of the cool guys. Determined to stay popular.
No matter what.
28 Hours Later
Audrey's heart was breaking. She couldn't believe kids could be so brutal. Some
unknown ignorant kids pelted Josh and Mindy at school with ink filled balloons after
school. He came home from school dejected and humiliated in pink. Mindy was
drenched in dark blue that made her look like Smurf.
Audrey had just parked her car in the driveway coming home after only working a part-
time shift when she saw Josh/Dina make the slow walk to the house. She filled up the
bath and let him/her use her Chanel #5 bubbles for relaxing aromatherapy while she
went to the store to find something that would remove the ink.
She knew Walter's reply would be something like, "Well what do you expect when he's
dressing like a girl?" Audrey wanted to pull Josh/Dina out of Belleview—stat, but he/she
was adamant through begging, pleading tears that they wanted to stay and how upset
he/she was that the wig that cost two hundred dollars was now ruined.
She also had no idea that her first born child was pretending to be laughing and
congratulating each other a few miles away from Belleview in an old abandoned parking
lot.
"We did it! We got The Queer!" Jeff said
"He really did look pretty in PINK!" Mike replied proudly
"…and don't forget that twat Mindy." Drake added for good measure.
He wiped his eye. It wasn't a tear from the pretend laughter.
It was a real sad tear.
He noticed the sides of his hands were covered in pink and blue ink. Drake was going
to have to go to his friend Paul's auto garage to use that cooling slime stuff that
removed severe grease from the body. Hopefully, it would also work on ink.
"What are we going to do next?" asked another guy.
Next?
Next?
Drake's body shook on the inside. There was a next?
He didn't approve of the whole sex change idiocy, but he didn't want to cause any
(more?) damage.
Drake really didn't want to cause any harm.
"Oh, I already got that taken care of. But, Parker, I need two things from you…."
"What?"
"A bunch of Playboys and a razor."
"Why can't you use your own magazines?" Drake let a little bit of acceptable frustration
come out of his body.
"Because everyone knows you have the biggest collection from that haul you got off
Ebay!"
and why a razor?
"Cool. I guess I can part with some of my naked hotties."
Jeff put his arm around Drake, "That's better—oh and I don't want a whole razor—just
the blade."
"Sure…Anything to put that Queer in his place! Or HER place!"
Drake hoped that he was convincing enough.
"What do you want with the razor?" Mike asked, a typical spineless follower
"We're going to make a card for MISS Nichols."
Drake couldn't stop this train even if he wanted to.
Okay, at least no one was going to physically cut Josh (or Mindy) with the razor.
They were just going to make a funny card he rationalized.
There's no destruction in what we're doing…no one's getting hurt…it's all in good fun.
How come I don't believe that?
The ink is on my hands…
Make it stop.
Why couldn't you just stay Josh?
Why couldn't you just be NORMAL like everyone else?
Author's Note: Morgan, sometimes it's hard for me to write Drake depending on the
situation. Since, I redeemed in Knit Cap. A story that I was determined not to end
sickly sweet, hence the title "Bittersweet". But yeah, without ruining what happens in
future chapters. I'll try to find the balance as always.
Allie--Idea of the razor courtesy of the conversation we had last week.
Thanks for reading and reviewing.