Drake twisted in bed. It was a Saturday, so he could lie in, not like he could do anything else except sleep and watch TV yet. Josh had come up to use his laptop in peace, and couldn't help but hear the muffled sleep crying. He went over and looked at Drake, his face was all twisted up. Josh was still annoyed by the whole Drake Juice incident of last night so he did the best revenge thing he knew, and called Megan. Drake had said sorry of course, in true Drake form he had said it over and over again, sorry didn't cut it anymore, Drake said sorry in like every sentence, and so now it didn't count.
"Megan, Drake's crying in his sleep…" He was a little confused as to why Drake might be crying, but his hands hurt from the scrubbing, so Drake deserved what he was about to get. "I think you really got to him this time ya' know?" He informed Megan as she entered, clutching a video camera.
"I have waited years for this boob, to finally break him." She seemed to relish this moment, and in her truly evil way, video recorded it. Standing quite happily at the end of the bed, smiling. Josh joined her, in a moment of sibling co-operation. He went to get off the platform, when he heard Drake saying something.
"Dad, please…" Louder this time, he turned round. Drake was beginning to writhe round in bed, suddenly giving a hoarse scream. "Daddy please no, DAD!" Josh and Megan were frozen, he was really thrashing around, properly hurting himself even more. "Daddy I'm sorry, I'll be a good boy, daddy I'm sorry…" It stopped short as Drake sat bolt upright, sweating, pale, and distraught looking. He vomited into a wastebasket before easing himself back under the covers with a groan.
He looked up, seemingly only just noticing his siblings at the end of the bed. "What. Can't a guy be sick in peace." He mumbled, suddenly concerned by why they were staring at him.
"D-Dr-Dude, you were s-saying stuff…" Josh stuttered. Drake looked close to real live waking tears. Then a flash of anger crossed his face as he looked to Megan.
"Your Sick." Drake said in a very matter of fact manner. "Sick."
"W-what?" Josh panicked now.
"GET the fuck out" Drake was screaming, luckily both mom and dad had gone to the store, again. "Now. I don't give a shit Josh; just go. You two are truly sick. Sick sick people." Megan looked a little worried, sure Drake always got mad, but this was different, he never swore at her, or got this loud.
"Drake, please, we didn't mean to record you talking…" Megan didn't care about what Josh would think of her actually trying to get Drake to forgive her.
"Megan get the fuck out right now." He screamed, he was gasping, trying to use his one good arm, and one good leg to swing himself out of bed. Megan ran off, close to tears.
"Dude, you really scared Megan, say sorry"
"Josh get the fuck out now." He was talking normally, calmly now, and that scared Josh more then the screaming. "NOW!"
Josh ran from the room, sitting down hard on the couch, flipping channels at speed. He found Oprah and stared at the screen, not really seeing. Drake was never the one to get mad; it was always him, Josh the angry, uptight one. What have I done.
XxXIt was week later, and Drake could move himself around now, if a little painfully, but had another week off school thanks to the doctor. He'd had his stitches out the night before, and had his ribs x-rayed again. He stumbled into his room from the shower, dropping onto he couch sighing loudly. His ribs were getting better, but he had the constant feel of being winded, to top all his soreness Megan was pretending he didn't exist. He could deal with that, but he had really hurt both his siblings. Josh was talking to him, but he wasn't talking back, too much. A small strained conversation at night maybe as Drake still needed to be helped sometimes meant he could exactly blank him.
"About time you got back here." Megan sounded extremely calm for someone who was meant to be mad at you. "I wanna know what happened last week. Shit, I preferred when she was mad. "or I will hurt you bad." You already have you little cow.
"It was nothing, Megan, and unless you have suddenly turned into a hot girl, mainly Tory, or that cheerleader I was meant to have a date with when you got me in to the emergency room please go away." He pushed himself off the sofa and began to hobble to his bed, to grab his guitar and block whatever she was going to say out. But before he could get there he heard an all too familiar sound. "Daddy, please no, DAD!" He stiffened.
"Turn it off Megan." He growled in a low voice, tears pricking at the back of his eyes. Josh said he had only mumbled, but on this tape he was screaming. He gulped.
"Not until you talk." The tap was looping round and round. His face was burning he turned.
"Turn it off now. Now Megan turn that off right this fucking minute. You little bitch. Turn it off right fucking now." He was crossing the room; she held the video recorder close.
"You should see your face. That's not nothing…" He lunged for the recorder. She dropped it, but it kept playing. "C'mon Drake tell me. Else this goes on the web."
Suddenly she was screaming, Josh came up the stairs, him and Mindy had been making out, and heard shouting, but thought nothing of it, being a little busy. Now they were hurtling up the stairs at speed. They got their in time to see Megan flying through the air, and come into them, knocking them down like skittles.
"There you go ya lil' shit. Ok. Next time fuck off when you are told to." Drake was screaming at her. She was crying, she had no idea her relaxed, fun brother could get like this. Mindy grabbed her, checking her over.
"Megan, are you ok? What did that ape do to you?" Mindy was hushing her. Hugging her.
"H-He he, Drake threw me. Out." She was in serious shock, she stood, Josh was just frozen. Drake had thrown their little sister. Their little eleven year old sister. Who, despite her evilness they loved. Thrown her.
Drake slammed the door, turning the lock and sliding down the door, unsure about whether or not he'd be able to get up again. Tears were sliding down his face. What had he done. How could he do that? To Megan, why had he said it.
He could hear Mindy and Megan going down stairs, united in their dislike of Drake, insulting him loudly as they went. Tough shit girls I don't care. He unlocked door, knowing that'd he properly go to sleep, and Josh would need to come in at some point. He crossed the room. Pulling himself up onto bed roughly. Relishing the pain in his arm, knowing he deserved it for throwing Megan down the hall.
XxXJosh slowly walked into the room. His ears were ringing from the volume of the guitar, it was pounding through the house, the neighbours had called, concerned, and angry. Drake's eyes were closed. He was playing a song, Josh had never heard it before, but Drake hadn't been writing it, he appeared to be doing it from memory, missing one chord, the string having snapped from the rough treatment. It was loud and hard, he looked at Drake's face, it was screwed up in pain, and then he saw it, it was tear stained. Drake's hand stopped moving, and he pushed the volume on the nearby amp up louder, the loudest it could go, apparently he had noticed Josh.
This was going to damage their ears, if not the house. Drake was pounding into the guitar, he didn't care he wanted the pain to go away, his face was flooded with tears, he wanted to sing the words he could never sing, wanted to scream. Josh had come in, he simply turned the volume up, the loudest all his little amps could do. He played on, going through it twice more before noting that Josh was watching him cry, embarrassed. He stopped.
"What" he said it quietly, his head was at migraine standard, he was close to being sick from the pain, and couldn't keep his eyes open because of the light. His voice came out as a croak.
"Mom and Dad will be back tomorrow, we were wondering if you'd like to talk to us before we tell them." Shit it was on. Echoing round the room, the sounds of him screaming in his sleep.
"Turn it off, please Josh." Josh looked horrified. He had lied to his brother so he wouldn't know what they had heard. He switched it off.
"Drake I'm sorry. Please talk to us. Mindy is still here, she's staying the night, but she can leave the room if you don't want her to hear. She's being really nice to Megan now, she promised she would be nice to you if you had a good excuse, please come down, it's been five hours, the neighbours are calling, they threatened to get the cops, the band is worried 'cos you never came out for your ride to watch practise, though I know you were going to play, even though your not meant to…" Shut up, your rambling Josh; Drake doesn't need you overloading him right now, that's it ramble in your head. He looks a bit peaky. Maybe I should go… He turned to leave.
"Wait." Drake seemed to have found his voice. "Help me downstairs. And get me an aspirin." Josh managed to get Drake to the sitting room, stopping before and getting Drake an aspirin. As they walked into the room Megan flinched away a little, unsure of what might happen. Mindy was about to shout at him when she saw his tear stained checks. "I'm so sorry Megan, I'm so sorry." He looked like he was about to break down, slumping onto an armchair.
"Well you gunna be Boob, I'm telling Mom & Dad." She snarled at him. Drake looked a little hurt.
"I love you ya know. All these times, you glue an electric shocking guitar onto my hand, and take a video of me falling down the stairs and put it on you tube, and I don't tell. So I threw you, big whoop…" He tried to make it sound jokingly and relaxed, but it was strained and stiff.
"Megan, I think you've got something to say to Drake about a certain tape, huh?" Pushed Josh, Mindy just stood and watched what was happening. What tape? She questioned, there was more going on then she had been let in on.
"Sorry Drake…" Megan muttered. She wasn't one bit sorry, she wanted to know what Drake was dreaming about their dad. They sat in silence, Mindy and Josh having their own little conversation, to try and loosen the air between the blood siblings.
"He left because of you didn't he." She suddenly blurted out. All her thoughts spilling out her mouth. "It was your fault Daddy went wasn't it. And you are just feeling guilty now. Aren't you."
Mindy shot Josh a warning look, knowing so many kids beat themselves up about being the cause of a divorce. Josh looked shell shocked. Drake looked up, and just looked at Megan. "Yeah. S'pose it was my fault he went." And with that he stood up and slowly made his way to his room.
Megan was stunned; she hadn't expected that answer. Drake didn't want to ruin Megan's few memories of her dad. Josh wanted to slap Megan now, how could she do that to her brother. Mindy just got up and ordered pizza and Chinese, and lots of it.
XxXAudrey pushed the door open, she had phoned an hour ago saying they'd be back early as the neighbours had called. They couldn't work out what was wrong. They heard about Drake's little incident, but not about the tape. They had been surprised that he had admitted to it. They couldn't really do anything but shout at him, and he had just taken it. Something was wrong. It didn't matter, Josh looked so peaceful in his sleep, all curled up. Drake was still awake. Headphones in ears, guitar in hand, he was singing softly under his breath, she couldn't make it out.
"Hey dad…"