The Total Drama series belongs to Teletoon, and Cartoon Network. Also, the VS. idea isn't mine. It belongs to CragmiteBlaster. Everything I also mention that's copyrighted belongs to their respective copyrights. However, all my characters belong to me.
WARNING: This part is going to be dark. It will contain some triggers, and some touchy subjects. If you're a younger reader, I do advise you to read with an adult or older sibling.
This part, we delve deep into Drake's past.
No joke to start us up this time...
Underneath the starry skies in the cottage garden, Drake was sitting next to Stella, as she was starting to listen fully.
"Stella? What I am about to say may shock you… If you still don't want to be my friend, I fully understand." Drake said seriously.
"Drake, no matter what you say, I'll still be your friend." Stella replied back gently.
"Okay..." Drake said, as he took a huge breath. "I'm… autistic. There… I said it. If you want to abandon me..."
Stella took Drake's hand and patted it gently. "Drake, that'll never happen. Still, I'm so sorry..."
"I gotten used to it..." Drake sighed.
"Still, why didn't you tell me this before? Or anyone for that matter?" Stella asked. "We would have accepted it..."
"Well..." Drake started to say, as he remembered what would happen if he told anyone about his situation…
"I was afraid to..."
"Drake, you don't have to be afraid..." Stella said gently.
"I would rather keep it to myself..." Drake replied back.
"Okay… Still, is that all?" Stella asked.
"Nope..." Drake answered back. "Along with my autism, I… Well, get comfy; this is going to take a while."
"Already done." Stella replied with a smile.
"Needless to say, I wasn't always this scared and withdrawn..." Drake said out loud. "In fact, growing up, I was rather… different. I kept to myself, usually, but I was more or less optimistic."
About a few years ago…
It was elementary school, and an eleven year old Drake was sitting underneath a tree, drawing up something in a notepad.
"Okay, this shall be Hikari's time to shine!" Drake declared to himself happily. "Hikari, the Albino Squirrel, against his rival, Foxhound the Wolf, in a tennis match for the ages. Maybe they can share an ice cream after this?"
But during his drawing spree, he didn't notice that recess has ended, and he was still drawing.
"Okay, Hikari's got the advantage… Here comes the serve, and-" Drake said out loud, as…
"...Drake?"
"EEP!" Drake yelped out, as he looked up to see a girl looking down at him.
"Sorry! Mrs. Kelvin asked me to get you." The girl said out loud. "Recess ended about 5 minutes ago."
Drake sighed. "I… got too into my drawings again, did I, Starr?"
Starr couldn't help but giggle gently.
"You're not alone; I get that way too, when I'm practicing my serve." Starr said out loud.
"Guess we're both one of a kind, huh?" Drake asked, as Starr smiled.
"Let's get back to class, okay?" Starr suggested.
"Yeah, this is the third time this happened." Drake answered, blushing in embarrassment as he started to follow Starr…
"Wow, you were quite a cheerful child." Stella said out loud.
"Key word… Were." Drake replied back. "But soon Elementary School would end, and I would enter pure hell come September..."
"Middle school?" Stella asked.
Drake nodded silently.
About a year passed, and Drake was now in Middle school. He was in the halls, as some of the upperclassmen were eying daggers at him.
"Pfft, look at the giant..."
"He looks so weird."
"What a freak."
"I'd stay away from him, he looks violent."
"Definitely a problem child."
Drake ignored the taunts made seemingly to himself, as he started to make his way to his class…
"Hey, you!"
Drake looked to the side, to see someone standing near the lockers.
"Yes, you!"
"Who are you?" Drake asked.
"Why, I'm Chad." Chad greeted. "And you seem like a stand-up guy. I think I may like hanging with you."
Drake smiled, as he shook Chad's hand.
"Nice to meet you." Drake exclaimed.
"So… Tell me about yourself..." Chad said out loud.
"Well..." Drake began to say…
"And soon enough, I became fast friends with Chad… While the bullying still occurred, it wasn't as frequent. When he was around me, they stopped right then and there." Drake said out loud. "We were one of a kind, at that..."
"Then what happened next?" Stella asked, very interested.
"Well, it was one day, during school…" Drake continued…
A year passed, and both Drake and Chad were in class. They were both waiting for the teacher to arrive, all while Drake was showing Chad his latest drawings.
"Cool… You must really adore that albino squirrel, hm?" Chad complimented.
"Yeah, he's more or less one of my favorite characters I have in my arsenal." Drake answered.
"In either case, there's going to be a party this Friday night at a friend of mine's. Maybe… You can come?" Chad offered.
Drake did some thinking, as he smiled.
"Sure; I'll be there!" Drake accepted.
"Cool! Remember, it's Friday night." Chad reminded his friend.
"Gotchya." Drake nodded, as the door opened.
"Quick; hide the toons! Mr. Boa is coming!" Chad whispered to Drake.
Drake indeed hid the drawings, as Mr. Boa entered the room.
"Okay, class; I do not want ANY lollygagging today from anyone. That means YOU, Mr. Flare." Mr. Boa said out loud, glaring at Drake.
Drake's pupils shrunk… How did he know?
It was now Friday night, the night of the party. Having gotten directions to Drake's friend's house, Drake approached said house house, as he nodded, and entered. Chad was there to greet Drake.
"Drake! Glad you could make it!" Chad said out loud.
"Well, I had to DVR some of my favorite cartoons, but this is gonna be worth it..." Drake replied back.
"Now, why don't you come in?" Chad asked, as Drake entered the party.
One of the things that Drake noticed was the absence of snacks.
"Chad… Where's the snacks?" Drake asked.
"Who needs snacks when you can have a good time?" Chad replied back.
The artist then sniffed the air, and soon got suspicious. "And… what's that stench?"
"Eh, nothing special; just some marijuana." Chad shrugged.
Drake went wide-eyed. "Marijuana?"
"So, what's a few puffs gonna do to you?" Chad questioned.
Drake's eyes narrowed. "I've seen plenty of cartoons telling you to stay away from that stuff. Trust me on this, Chad; it's for your own good." He sternly said to Chad.
"Fine, if you wanna keep your lungs clean, Nancy Reagan..." Chad pouted, as he left Drake to his own devices.
Drake, seeing that the party was just starting, started to settle into the party, but remained cautious, as a result of the pot offer earlier…
Soon enough…
"Drake! Having a good time?" A female voice asked.
Drake saw that Starr was at the party.
"Oh, Starr! Didn't see you here..." Drake replied back. "Well, I'm trying, but I'm just worried about Chad..."
"Drake, you needn't worry about Chad; he's a good guy deep inside. And he is your best friend, after all..." Starr reassured him.
Drake nodded in response. "Yeah… I shouldn't worry. Besides, you're dating him."
"Yeah..." Starr blushed in response.
But a short while later…
"Hey, look what I scored from my dad's basement!" Chad's friend said out loud, bring up what appeared to be…
"Beer?" Drake asked, alarmed as a result.
"Hey, don't mind if I do!" Chad said out loud, taking a beer.
"Guys?" Drake asked.
"Pass a cold one here!" Another party goer said out loud, also taking one.
"Hello?" Drake continued to ask.
"Here, Starr; you can have one, too!" Chad said out loud, giving a beer to Starr.
"Um..." Starr replied back.
"Come on… Have one for your boyfriend?" Chad asked back.
She blushed, as she decided to open the beer offered to her and she took a sip.
"Starr? You, too?!" Drake exclaimed.
Starr gave a concerning look at Drake, as she stayed quiet.
"Starr..." Drake muttered, as Chad held a beer in front of Drake.
"Your turn, Drake." Chad said out loud.
Drake looked at the beer, and shook his head.
"No thanks."
Chad raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you don't want any booze?"
"I said no." Drake firmly answered.
"Come on… One for your pal, Chad-"
"NO!" Drake yelled out loud, finally reaching his limit.
At that moment, the party froze, as Chad gave off a glare at Drake.
"Listen here… I befriended you… Cared for you… And this is the thanks I get?!" Chad asked out loud. "Come on! Lighten up, here!"
"Nope! I'm still gonna keep this up!" Drake yelled back. "Trust me, doing all of this drinking is a bad idea!"
"But when else will you be able to do this?" Chad responded back.
"I rather keep myself clean from crap like that!" Drake answered back.
"Clean?! Listen here, buddy! If you don't guzzle down like the rest of us, this'll be the LAST party you'll ever attend!" Chad yelled out loud.
"Then so be it!" Drake replied back in anger.
"Drake? Chad?"
The two boys looked to see Starr, almost teary-eyed, getting between the two.
"Stop this fighting right now!" Starr scolded the two.
But Chad had other ideas, as he shoved Starr to the side, knocking her down.
Drake was worried, as he went over to Starr.
"You okay, Starr?" Drake asked, concerned as he touched her shoulder.
"I'll be okay..." Starr replied back, as she saw that Chad was approaching the two…
"POW!"
Drake was met with a punch from Chad across his eye, as he was knocked down.
"How DARE you touch my girl!" Chad yelled out loud, as he dived at Drake, and started to beat up on him.
During the no-holds barred beatdown, nearly everyone attending the party was recording the whole thing, as well as cheering, as Starr just starred there in shock. She couldn't stop Chad… Nobody could. Or would. Even as some other people joined in the fight, even going so far as to smash open some beer bottles on him.
And Drake… Didn't fight back.
Once the fight was over, Chad stepped away from the now bruised and bloodified Drake, who was in true pain.
"Now someone get this… trash outta here." Chad ordered, spitting on Drake's face.
Drake just laid there, while everyone started to laugh at him. It lasted for a long minute, until Starr walked over to Drake.
"Starr? The hell are you doing?" Chad questioned.
"Yeah, what's going on?" One of Starr's friends asked.
"Chad, this isn't like you..." Starr replied back, as she began to check Drake. She soon breathed a sigh of relief. "He's still conscious..."
But Chad scoffed it off. "Pfft, just leave him there."
"What, and us get in trouble?" Starr responded back. "Maybe even arrested..."
Chad sighed in defeat.
"Finnnneee… Take him home, if it'll make you happy." Chad said out loud.
Starr then got the injured Drake back up, and she helped him out of the house, and back to his own house safely…
But despite the help from the gentle Starr, the damage was already done…
Stella was stunned at what she heard so far.
"Whoa, this Chad…" Stella said out loud.
"Yeah… I later found out he was only 'pretending' to be my friend..." Drake admitted.
"Still, you stood your ground, even when he was offering you booze." Stella commented.
"Yeah. The only thing that booze is used for is… Well, making beer battered chicken. Otherwise..." Drake replied back.
"So, what happened next?" Stella asked.
"Well..." Drake began where he left off…
It was Monday, and Drake was in the hallways, as everyone was glaring at him.
"Look at the loser!"
"So wimpy, he wouldn't fight back!"
"What a pansy!"
Drake winced at those words, as he made his way towards his locker.
"So… How did that floor taste Friday?"
Drake turned to see Chad, sneering at him.
"What's going on? Why's everyone saying these words at me?" Drake asked.
"Oh, the Internet can be a powerful thing… Everyone who was smart enough at the party took videos of that fight, then they eMailed that video to their friends, their friends eMailed their friends..." Chad explained.
"You're insane..." Drake muttered.
Drake was then grabbed by his shirt and suddenly had his back to some lockers.
"And I got some words to tell you… If you ever DARE to tell any of the teachers about what's going on…" Chad sneered. "Well… I don't think the local sports networks or the online world will like the lies I'll spread about your parents. We clear?"
Drake uneasily shook his head, as he was let go.
"Good..." Chad said out loud. "Glad you see things… My way."
The bullying continued on for months and months, as it started to get worse and worse for Drake. He was no longer the optimistic person he once was, his grades started to slip, and he was fearful of nearly everyone around him...
"Wimp!"
"Retard!"
"Coward!"
"What an easy target!"
Drake continued on to class, trying to ignore the taunts, where he began another day of Hell on earth…
"WHOA!" Drake yelled out, as he tripped and fell on the ground. He then looked up to see Chad, leering down at him.
"Well, well… If it isn't the stupid baby..." Chad taunted mockingly.
Drake got back up, and wanted to get by Chad, but he blocked the way each time.
"Can you get out of my way, please?" Drake requested.
But Chad simply reached into Drake's bag, and took out his sketchbook.
"Well, lookie here… Your precious baby cartoons..." Chad continued to taunt, as he started to run.
Drake started to give chase, as Chad ran into the locker room in the gym.
Now in said locker room, Chad tossed the sketchbook down, and turned on the water, soaking the sketchbook and ruining it, as well. Drake entered a second too late.
"No..." Drake muttered in pure sadness, as he saw his now ruined sketchbook.
"Aww… You sad? You gonna cry?" Chad said out loud, as he started to record Drake, who had tears going down his face. "Come on… Cry for me, why don't you?"
Drake just stood there. He stood there, letting Chad continue on with his bullying…
After Chad was done recording Drake in tears, Drake walked out of the gym, tossing his ruined sketchpad in the trash, as he spotted Starr.
"Starr?" Drake said out loud.
But Starr could only give off a sad look, as she ignored Drake…
"Starr?! You gotta help me!" Drake begged. "Chad trashed my sketchbook!"
Again, Starr ignored him, as Drake went over to a trash can, and flipped it over.
"What do you want for me? To fucking CUT MYSELF?!" Drake yelled out loud.
Starr gave off a look at Drake.
"Oh, is that it?! Just a look?!" Drake continued to yell, as it started to gather the attention of everyone. "All of my hard work is gone, and you're just gonna stand there and ignore me?!"
Starr got as close as she could to the angry Drake, as she inhaled.
"I'm sorry..." Starr whispered softy to Drake.
But the damage was already done.
"Sorry? SORRY?! Your boyfriend terrorized me, destroyed my drawings, and that's all you can say?!" Drake screamed out loud.
Starr took a step back, as she was now in tears, as she ran off.
"HEY!" A female yelled out at Drake. "How dare you make Starr cry! You stop that RIGHT NOW!"
Drake was about to raise his voice, as…
"Mr. Flare?" A teacher blurted out loud.
Drake turned around, and paled… It was the Gym Teacher; a hulking mass of a man, even taller than Drake.
"The Principal's Office… Now." The Gym Teacher ordered. "We do NOT condone bullying in this school, especially from you bullying a girl."
Drake couldn't believe it. All he wanted was the truth, and look where it got him.
"Figures..." Drake muttered in sadness. Not only did he lose Chad… He also lost Starr, as well...
The harsh bullying continued on for a year, as Drake was in his room, doing a bit of crafting. His walls were barren of any posters, save for some bits and pieces, which seemed he tore down. His sketchbooks were untouched. His TV was off, and his DVD shelf was dusty. He was defeated. He did ask his parents if they could transfer, but sadly, it was out of the question.
His face was stained with tears, as some thoughts entered his mind…
Loser!
Retard!
You're a smear to our world!
Mom should have aborted you!
You should be euthanized, you sad sack!
You should just die and give the world a favor!
Kill yourself!
Die!
Drake choked out a sob, as he was using some rope to tie something up. He then held it up and examined it.
"Nice and firm..." Drake said to himself, looking at the noose he just made. "If they want me to die… Then..."
"WISH FUCKING GRANTED!"
Stella was stunned. "I… can't believe all of that bullying caused you to nearly kill yourself."
Drake sighed. "Believe it… It did. And I very nearly succeeded, too..."
"Very nearly?" Stella asked. "What happened then?"
"Well..."
On a Monday, in Drake's house, Drake was eating some supper, as his mom and dad were talking.
"So… We're gonna celebrate our anniversary by going out to dinner together this Friday; just us two! Is that right, dear?" Drake's mom asked.
"Yeah, you're right, Lizzie!" Drake's dad replied back.
"Drake? Think you can take care of the house?" Lizzie requested.
Drake looked up from his food, and gave off a silent nod.
"Excellent. Then, the plans are set." Lizzie said out loud. "Oh, this'll be so awesome; even more awesome than when I got my septum pierced!"
Drake's dad playfully shook his head. "Always with the septum piercing..."
"Oh, cool… Hope you and dad have a good time!" Drake said suddenly.
Both parents were stunned. Drake was now talking?
"Why, that's the most words you said all dinner..." Lizzie said out loud.
"Yeah, guess I wasn't too talkative." Drake admitted. But inside his mind…
…
…
"...Friday night… That's when I'm escaping this bullying for good."
Over the course of the week, the bullying resumed, as Drake kept to himself. And soon came Friday.
"See ya later, mom! Dad!" Drake said to his parents, as they left the house. Once Drake closed the door and locked it, he sat in front of the TV in the living room and turned it on. Turning it to the DVR, he started up My Little Pony.
"Princess Celestia… Please forgive me for what I am going to do, later..." Drake muttered, as he began to write down a note.
A last letter to his parents…
Dear Mom and Dad…
I… can't take this anymore. I am being bullied at school relentlessly, to the point to where I snapped at Starr… Everyone hates me… Everyone wants me to die… Then they can have their wish! By the time you read this, I would already be dead. Because why would you want a broken, useless kid? As for my cartoon collection? Just… burn it all. And my characters? Just look through the sketchbook I left on the coffee table. I sincerely hope my afterlife is more peaceful than this hellhole. I love you, and I'm sorry…
Your son, Drake Flare.
After finishing up the letter, and doing the finishing touches on his drawings… It was time.
Setting up the noose and chair, he got up on the chair, and wrapped the rope around his neck…
Drake took a deep breath, and kicked down the chair...
…
…
…
…
...About 5 minutes later, Drake's parents reentered the house, as cheerful as they were when they left.
"Man, that food was off the charts! Like… SWISH!" Drake's dad said out loud.
"And the entertainment…" Lizzie replied back. "Thanks for having them play my favorite song, Gus."
"Hey, Sunshine of your Love IS your song..." Gus said.
"We also got something for Drake, too..." Lizzie added. "Bacon cheeseburger and fries; just the way he likes it… You think he's in his room?"
"More than likely..." Gus answered back.
"Hey, I'm gonna take his dinner to him, okay?" Lizzie said out loud, as she went upstairs.
Gus just stood there, as he went into the living room, and noticed Drake's sketchbook. He was about to crack it open, when…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Gus instantly dropped the book, and ran upstairs. He then saw that Drake's room was open, as he ran into the door, and was taken back in shock.
Drake was hanging from a noose, unresponsive.
"Dear! Call 911!" Lizzie yelled out.
Gus nodded, as he ran downstairs, as Lizzie undid the knot on the noose, and laid him down, but kept his head up.
"Drake… Why would you do this?" Lizzie asked, as she could hear some faint sirens in the distance…
Drake sighed. "I was unconscious for a good long while, until I came to in the hospital..."
Stella was silent during the whole thing. She was deeply absorbed in the story now.
"And when I finally came to..."
Drake awoke in what appeared to be a hospital. The first people he saw were his parents by his side…
"...Where am I?" Drake responded rather weakly.
"Drake!" Lizzie said out loud, cheerful and teary-eyed. "Oh, thank God you're still alive!"
Drake sighed. Alive wasn't what he wanted to be right now.
"...Why am I alive?" Drake asked.
"Son… Why did you do it?" Gus questioned, worried about his son.
Drake sighed. They knew that he tried to kill himself.
"You wanna know the truth? Ever since that party where I got assaulted, I was bullied, harassed, and damn near anything you can think of by Chad and the other students. But did anyone try to help me? No! Not the teachers, Starr, nobody! I was alone in pure Hell, and wanting to wait the perfect time to just… end it all! I just wanted to get away from this bullying! All of this madness!"
He then took some deep breaths, as some tears started to form from Drake's eyes.
"Why… Why can't we move away? Do you two even… care?" Drake said out loud, trying not to break down, crying.
Both Lizzie and Gus hugged Drake lightly.
"Drake… Why didn't you say so?" Lizzie asked.
"Because… I was… scared to." Drake answered back. "Not to mention the risk of more bullying..."
"Hmm… Well, me and mom'll leave you to have some peace." Gus said, as Drake nodded, as the two parents left Drake alone.
Now outside the hospital, the two were talking to each other.
"Dear, you think it's a good idea?" Gus asked Lizzie.
"Yeah… In fact, did you even see Drake's sketchbook he directed us to in his letter?" Lizzie answered back, as she showed Gus the sketchbook, and he opened it.
It showed all of Drake's characters, being drawn as angels…
"Son..." Gus muttered out loud, as he looked at his wife. "Yeah, we gotta move out, and soon."
"And get Drake the help he NEEDS." Lizzie added.
"Exactly." Gus agreed.
"After a good cry, me and my family moved out of that town a couple weeks later, and started fresh in a new town. I met up with some new friends, and while I did avoid them at first, I soon grew to befriend them. I got the help I needed, and… Well, here I am today." Drake finished.
Stella was silent for a few more moments, before…
"Whoa… Just… Whoa." Stella said, stunned. "I never even heard about all of this happening to you before."
"I kept it to myself, due to that… I was scared that if I said this to anybody… What would they think?" Drake asked.
Stella gave off a smile. "I'm sure they would accept you for who you are. Look at what you did so far; you managed to last most of us in a random fear challenge, you saved a life, braved some creepy atmosphere, you made a good dad or big brother, you even saved my life during that storm."
Drake smiled back. "Thanks, Stella..."
"But I do gotta know… What did happen to that old school you were in?" Stella asked.
"Oh, that? The videos were taken down, and the students involved with the bullying got reprimanded and served detention for their actions. Including Starr and Chad. They even had to have meetings and assemblies about the effects of bullying..." Drake explained. "That's all I know."
Stella did some thinking, as she inhaled.
"...Have you thought of suicide since then?" Stella asked, as she shivered. "Cause… I'm afraid of losing you..."
But Drake simply shook his head.
"Not since that night." Drake said with a smile.
Stella brought Drake in for a hug, as he blushed.
"Well… If you need someone to talk to, I'll always be here for you, okay?" Stella inquired.
"Okay." Drake replied back. "But for now, we should get to bed… Who knows what kinda challenge we may have to face tomorrow?"
"Hopefully something with a lot less death… involved..." Stella yawned.
Drake saw the yawn, as he gently lifted Stella, and carted her inside the Cottage.
The future is bright for one Drake Flare.
And that's it for Drake's backstory, and this episode as a whole!
But before I sign off, I have to get serious. Much like Tina's backstory for Dictionary, if you are feeling suicidal… DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SEEK HELP. Trust me, there are people that DO love you. Your family, your friends. Your fellow writers and authors on here… We all love you. So, please… If you do feel those kinds of feelings, seek help right away. Also, if you do spot bullying, please, do not ignore it. The bestest defense against bullying is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Thank you.
Special Thanks to Dragonettes for helping me with this chapter.
NEXT TIME: It's the day of a carnival, and the campers are invited to help! What could possibly go wrong?
BaconBaka… OUT!