Groupie Etiquette

((alternate history/ending for The Really Big Shrimp - Rating: K+; Words: 943))

Mindy Crenshaw loathes groupies with every fiber of her being.

She was never one of Drake's groupies or fangirls and she will always contest that the only reason she ended up making out with him in the first place at Helen's wedding was the overwhelming sentiment of romance and love in the air. (What happened after that initial kiss is immaterial.) That and the fact that she had spotted Josh bashfully flirting with some random blonde after she had told him that she missed him, that she missed them. It just so happened that Drake was leaning causally against a tree, exuberant, confident and incredibly proud of himself and there was something about that combination on him that Mindy had suddenly, and maybe a tad bit spitefully, found incredibly attractive. It helps that in addition to riding the high from the success of his first single that he's not expecting her to go from congratulating him to launching herself at him, her lips covering his as she laces her fingers behind his neck. It only takes him a few seconds to get into the kiss, placing his hands on her waist and spinning them both around so that her back ends up pressed against the tree as his tongue parts her lips. He's responding much more eagerly than she had expected, and good God, he's a fantastic kisser.

It's the shrill cry of a Helen calling Drake's name, requesting another song, that causes them to separate.

Drake looks at Mindy, bewildered for a few seconds, before he shrugs it off and resumes kissing her.

"Yoo-hoo, Drake!"

He pulls away from Mindy, groaning, because despite her being Mindy effing Crenshaw and Josh's ex—Josh, his best friend and brother, with whom his loyalties should lie—she's still a girl and she looks really nice tonight and she jumped him. Plus, Josh is totally over her. He thinks. Why on earth would he turn down a no strings attached make-out session, even if it is with Mindy?

However, his adoring fans, or, Helen at least, are demanding another performance. Besides, if he and Mindy stay attached at the mouth for much longer, someone's bound to see them and Josh will find out and completely lose it.

"We can continue this later."

She nods and he approaches the crowd gathering by the makeshift stage. He performs three songs and after he's done, he discovers that she's fled from the celebration. It takes him twenty minutes to find her; when he does, she's sitting on the hood of his car.

"I thought you'd left; did a kiss and run."

She's playing with the hem of her dress. "I thought about it." She looks up at him. "Josh asked me to dance while you were singing and there was this moment where it almost seemed like he wanted to get back together then the song ended and I started wondering what the hell was I doing. So I had to get away from there."

"This doesn't have to be some big thing. Nobody even has to know; we can just pretend that it never happened."

Mindy slides off the hood and straightens her dress. "You're not such a bad guy, Drake."

"Yeah, well." He tosses his hair back and shoves his hands into his pockets. "It was fun."

She arches an eyebrow. "I didn't think that we were done but if you—"

Drake's lips are over hers and his hands are out of his pockets and around her with remarkable speed. She giggles against his lips, pulling him closer and she finds herself on the hood of his car again, and she ends up reclining so that she's laying on her back, and he's kind of on top of her but not really.

She insists to herself that she's only making out with him out of spite and because she's feeling sassy and saucy. Drake doesn't seem particularly concerned as to her motives and that is fine by her.

They both jump when his cell phone starts vibrating in his pocket against her thigh and his hip, sending an unexpected shock of sensations through both of them. Drake rolls off of her and sits up, cursing under his breath, digging into his pocket for his phone; seriously, he cannot catch a break tonight. Mindy's torn between amusement and disappointment; she ignores the voice in her head saying that perhaps it's God or the universe's way of giving her an out, showing her the path leading away from the temptation that is Drake Parker. There's another voice that asserts that she's the temptation being presented to him; she likes this voice better.

It's a text from Josh; everyone's wondering where Drake has gotten off to. He makes a face and sighs. "I should get back."

She shakes her head, her lips tingling. "No, it's okay. I should be getting home soon. Curfew."

Drake hops down and holds his hand out to Mindy. She takes his hand lets him help her down, not that she needs any assistance. He clears his throat. "So…if you wanted to do this again sometime, I'd be okay with that."

There's a lustful, playful spark in her eyes, her smile, and her voice. "Would you, now?"

"Yeah," he says with a grin.

"Goodnight, Drake." Her tone and the sway of her hips as she walks away, glancing over her shoulder at him, a slight blush, tucking her hair behind her ear; she's not even pretending to fool either of them. This, whatever it is, regardless of her lingering—and as it turns out, easily ignored and forgotten—feelings for Josh, is far from over.

*** Finis ***