Always
…soon after the events in Chapter 14
She only wanted a pack of batteries for her portable music player. She didn't
expect to see her only brother sitting at his desk, his hands over his face, and
crying.
Something he rarely did. Should she make a quick getaway? Should she even
say something?
"Do you have any double 'A' batteries?"
He lifted his head up looking positively exhausted.
"Megan," Drake was startled and quickly tried to hide the fact that he was crying,
"I'll check the bottom drawer."
Unreal.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Not sure if it was a concern or a just a reflex.
"Nothing."
He replied as he handed her a pack of unopened batteries.
"You're a hypocrite."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm supposed to confide in you. But you won't tell me anything. Give me a break."
She started to walk away.
"Megan. Wait."
Megan walked over to the sofa and sat down. She was unsure of everyone in this
family and her place in it.
"Yeah?"
"It's Dina. I haven't heard from her in weeks. So yeah, I was crying. I screwed up
big time. I guess she didn't want to give me another chance after all. I have to live
with that."
Drake put his hands back over his face. He put his hands through his hair and felt
like the lowest person on the face of the Earth.
"You haven't spoken to her face to face?"
"No. The last time I went to her house. Mindy was the only one there. But, the
Gamesphere was unplugged and behind the TV and the perfume bottle was in
the garbage."
It seemed rather circumstantial to Megan. How come those two always took
things at face value?
"I don't think Dina hates you."
It was an honest response at least.
"Megan," Drake stood up, "It's okay. If that's how Dina wants it then I have no
choice but to respect her wishes."
"You don't have to stand up. I'll leave."
"You don't have to leave."
"I don't have to stay."
It was a long time since they dipped a stalk of celery in a peanut butter jar and
bonded over random conversation.
Megan was hardened. This is what happens to kids when their foundation gets
torn apart? Who can blame the kid? The lines of disappointments in her life were
long from their biological father, to Walter, and in her case Drake's rejection of
Dina in the beginning when she only wanted to be herself. The piercings, the
tight/ripped clothes, and the middle finger up to authority were just a
smokescreen to hide the scared little girl inside. The girl who wasn't so little
anymore, who wanted her family back to the way it used to be.
Before their world changed and everything in it.
Megan wanted to say more to her brother. But it seemed pointless as putting
clothes outside to dry on the line while it was raining. What was there left to say?
"I have to take a shower before work." He announced
So much for the kid with the rock and roll star dreams.
It was all pushed to the back burner now due to the financial trouble the family
was in.
"Later." Megan walked out of the room and closed the door.
There had to be more of this then met the eye. She was going to have to look into
this.
Dina & Mindy's apartment
Mindy put the travel to New England brochures on Dina's vanity table. It was a
springboard. Today was the day when she only had afternoon classes before her
evening job. She sat on the bed and waited for Dina to come upstairs with the
mail.
"No mail today?" Mindy asked when she noticed that Dina came back empty
handed.
"No mail."
"Why do you sound so down about that? It's a day without getting any bills."
"I thought maybe Drake would write."
After all he was a songwriter. Dina had clinged to that hope that he just might
write her a letter instead of phone or face contact.
Here we go again.
"You have to give up on him, Sweetie. He's a lost cause."
"I suppose he was only forced to talk to me via our Mom." Dina was tired of
crying.
She spent twenty extra minutes in the shower this morning sobbing while the
shampoo dripped down and burned her eyes. Thinking of Drake and why the
contact just stopped?
He said I was beautiful.
I suppose it was all a LIE.
"Enough about him. All he does is cause you stress. You have to learn to let go of
people who don't care about you, Dina, and focus on the people who do."
"What are these?"
"New England travel brochures. My break is coming up. You can take a break
from assembling jewelry. Boston sounds great. Maybe, we'll like it so much we'll
want to stay on the east coast. Imagine the cozy winters."
Mindy hoped that Dina would get up and join her in the bed. She smiled when she
did.
"Boston sounds lovely—for a vacation."
Dina rested her head on Mindy's chest. Yes, a vacation might be just what the
doctor ordered.
Megan's room
Megan sprayed the peach aerosol air freshener but all it did was mask the odor
that she just finished smoking a cigarette. She put the can down and grabbed her
cell phone off the top of her dresser.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Mindy. Is Dina there?"
"I'm sorry, Megan. Dina just stepped out."
In reality she was in the kitchen making fruit cups with homemade whipped cream
for them.
"Okay. Tell her I called?"
"Of course. Is there anything else?"
"No. Bye."
This explained everything. Mindy Crenshaw had to be the reason why Drake
thought Dina hated him and vice-versa.
Now all she had to do was prove it.
Saturday night
Audrey had mentioned last night over yet another rushed prepackaged dinner
that Dina and Mindy were going to some of kind of music festival and they
wouldn't be home until early Sunday afternoon. Drake was happy to see his
mother take some much needed time off. Even if it was just to catch up on sleep.
He was pleased that she was tending to her own physical needs.
Megan was sitting on the washing machine. Drake was in the living room
watching TV. It was the perfect time.
"Hey Mindy, it's me Megan again. Drake and I would like to see Dina. Get back in
touch with us as soon as possible. Later."
She jumped off the washing machine and ran into the living room.
"Come on,"
"What?"
"We're going somewhere."
"Megan, I have to go to work in two hours. Not that I'm looking forward to it."
It was just another bump in the road.
Maybe, someday his music would matter again.
"Well call your boss and tell him you are not coming in today or tomorrow."
"Mom NEEDS the money!"
"I know that you, Boob! We're going to Dina's apartment."
This was more important than him washing dishes.
"What?"
"Drake, you have ten seconds to trust me on this. Otherwise, I'll knee you in the
place you don't want to be kneed."
"All right."
If Megan wanted to see Dina than Drake was happy to oblige. There was a diner
a few blocks away from their apartment where he could hideaway for a few hours.
"Wait. I just remembered Dina's not home."
"I know this. Now come on."
Megan knew this was a long distance, but she had no idea how long. She almost
made Drake break the speed limit twice. And she was pissed off at him for all of
sudden being the proper driver. When they finally arrived she didn't have to pick
the lock as she remembered that Dina hid the extra key in the hanging spider
plant pot that was on the porch. Drake seemed to be keeping his distance.
"Yo, Boob!"
"What?"
"You can't park here. You'll have to find another place. And you have to come
back."
What was this all about?
Drake wasn't about to leave her in this empty apartment by herself in the dark no
matter how older and worldly she thought she was.
"Okay." He figured he could park across the street from the diner. He wouldn't
want this crappy Impala towed. Drake figured he could get them something to eat
while they waited.
Apart from eating the food from the diner and using the bathroom the only thing
Drake and Megan Parker did that night was sleep. Megan slept on the sofa while
he slept on the floor with only the green decorative pillow (the same one that Dina
hit him with) to his head to rest on.
"Drake! What are you doing?" Megan asked about six hours later when she
heard a car pull up.
"I had to pee."
"Quick! They're coming! Hide!"
There was a narrow coat closet that Drake was able conceal himself in. Megan
hid behind one of the chairs in the living room as she took something out of her
back jeans pocket.
"I want to sleep for three weeks." Dina said throwing her suitcase down on the
floor. It would bug her later. But the only thing she wanted to do was fall asleep.
Dina hoped that Mindy wasn't angry with her over wanting to leave early.
"Okay," Mindy yawned noticing the blinking answering machine, "I'll be upstairs in
a bit."
She felt her anger rise to the surface.
"Hey Mindy, it's me Megan again. Drake and I would like to see Dina. Get back
in touch with us as soon as possible. Later."
"Unbelievable. This has got to STOP." She pressed the delete button.
"What is?" Megan came out of hiding.
"Megan?" Mindy's heart went in her throat as she put on the lamp.
She was taken back a bit by the different colored hair and body piercings and
was almost afraid that she had a knife on her.
"It's you!"
"What are you doing here? I'm sure Dina would like to see you." Mindy bit her lip.
She didn't see her delete the message did she?
"I'm sure she would too. Care to explain why you deleted the message?"
"It was an accident, Megan."
"Oh really?" She pressed the button the top of the pen, "Unbelievable. This has
got to STOP."
Mindy heard her own voice coming out of the pen.
"Give that to me!"
Mindy reached for the pen,
"DON'T you touch my sister!" Drake came out of hiding. "I can't believe I didn't
piece it together. Dina never wanted me out of her life. YOU wanted that.YOU
unplugged the Gamesphere.YOU put the perfume I purchased for Dina in the
trash.YOU deleted my messages.YOU BITCH. She probably thinks I hate her
and for what? I just hope it isn't too late."
"It isn't," Dina spoke softly, "Mindy…"
"Um, we'll wait outside." Drake didn't want to hear their argument.
"No. I don't want you guys to go. Mindy get out."
"But, but, Dina! Let me explain. I was doing this for your own good. They broke
into our apartment! Megan secretly taped me! They aren't good people. They are
trying to put a wedge into our relationship!"
"You shut your mouth. They are wonderful people. And you better get out of this
apartment now before I call the POLICE. You can get your things later."
Mindy was crying. She was not afraid to get on her hands and knees and beg for
Dina's forgiveness.
Drake and Megan decided to wait outside.
Drake smiled over Mindy's fall from grace as he closed the door behind them.
It wasn't true.
It wasn't true at all.
Twenty minutes later
Dina couldn't face them. She especially couldn't face her brother.
When Mindy came out of the house carrying one small suitcase and shooting
Drake and Megan the dirtiest looks possible that was when Drake went to look
for Dina.
Megan went off to walk around the block. She didn't want to interfere with their
second reconciliation.
Dina was in the backyard. She was sitting on the cold grass, her back against a
tree.
"Dina, are you alright?" He sat down next to her.
"I should be crying more. Shouldn't I be crying more?"
She spoke in barely a whisper. Dina was afraid to look him in the eye.
Drake lifted her chin up, "I owe you the biggest---"
"No, Drake, I do. I should've known it was Mindy. I can't believe I doubted you for
even a second." And Dina Nichols couldn't believe the person that she thought
was the love of her life would do this to her.
"It wasn't your fault. She was trying to brainwash you. I should have realized what
she was up to."
"How could you have known? I love you," she rested her head on her brother's
chest, "I love you so much, Drake."
The thought of losing him for a second time by someone who was supposed to
care and love her is what made her breakdown on her brother's solid shoulder for
comfort.
"I love you too, Dina," He put his arms around her and kissed her on the head,
"and I always will."