NINE

Drake typed furiously on his keyboard,  trying to shut the babbling and chatters going on around him. Everyone seemed to be deeply moved by the upcoming party Josh was throwing.

It was not surprising to see Josh throwing a party out of the blues; he was known for this and according to what Drake had heard,  his parties was considered the best and worth going. 

"I heard it's gonna be a beach setting." A blonde girl chirped and Drake rolled his eyes. He wished Harold, his boss, would walk in that moment so as to stop this loud cackles going on in the office.

It felt like he was in a market as everyone was talking excitedly.  It didn't even help that Jeremy was sitting on one of the desks owned by Brownie, with a huge grin on his face.

Drake could feel his eyes on him and that contributed to his uneasiness as he took it all out on his keypads; he feared he would spoil the electronic if he didn't reduce the pressure in his fingers but he couldn't.  

The day was just starting yet Drake felt like he had been in the office for hours. He was exasperated and craved his bed badly. What was so good about this so called party and why would they not stop talking about it? He wondered.  

That morning,  he had watched various people pat and slam their palms with Josh as he walked like a celebrity into his office. Perhaps, if he threw a party too, people would treat him better.  That would be ridiculous, his subconscious informed and he nodded in agreement. It would definitely be hell. 

"Hey dork! You coming for the party?" It was Jeremy again and Drake sighed inwardly. Acting like he had not heard this, Drake fixated his gaze at the computer screen, pretending to be engrossed in what he was typing. 

"You bet." Brownie huffed and the rest laughed.  

"It is much believable to see my grandma attending than him." A voice added and this succeeded in arousing more laughter. 

Drake's cheeks were already heating up but he willed himself to be calm. Inhaling and exhaling gently - something he did when he was agitated - he was able to calm his raged breathing but the ache he felt on his forehead when a pen from nowhere struck his face, made him nauseous.  He looked up to see the spiteful face of Jeremy grinning at him.

"You were so busy. That was the only way I could think of to get your attention." He raised his hand up with feigned innocence and everyone laughed. 

That's because you're dumb. Drake wished he could say that loudly. He felt a strong urge to roll his eyes but instead, his lips stretched into a smile.

"It's okay, Jeremy. What is it?"

Jeremy looked taken aback for a while by his reaction but soon regained his composure,  wearing a goofy grin on his face as he said. "I asked if you'll be gracing us with your magnificent presence at Josh's party."

His sarcastic statement provoked a rumble of laughter from the colleagues in the office and Drake balled his fist. 

"No. I can't come." He maintained his smile.

"And why is that?" Jeremy pouted. 

"I'm going to visit my mother." He lied and everyone laughed.

"Mummy's boy." He heard someone say but he refused to look. Instead he shrugged as he turned his gaze back to his computer. 

He was grateful when the spotlight left him as other discussion took place. Though, he still wasn't comfortable with Jeremy's presence - he wished he would return to his office already - he tried to focus on the day's job instead. Provided that Jeremy maintained his lane,  all would be fine, he told himself.

But it seemed like his own words were against him as the door opened and Nicole's pretty face came into view. The hair at the back of Drake's neck stood as he sat frozen on his chair.  

It was times like this he wished he could disappear. These past few days had been very peaceful; he had been able to avoid her but it seemed he had no way of escape anymore. Could things get any worse? 

Jeremy who had been talking with a brunette, stopped as his eyes widened, staring at Nicole with admiration. Nicole on the other hand didn't seem to notice as her eyes roamed about in search of one person.  

Drake hoped the newspaper he had bought that morning did a perfect job in shielding his face but when he heard the slight tap on his shoulder, he knew it hadn't.  Acting like he was surprised to see her, his eyes widened and his lips parted. 

"Nicole !" He exclaimed,  his eyes shifting between her and Jeremy whose face had already contorted into a frown.

He hoped Nicole would follow his line of sight and see for herself the doom she was bringing upon him but as usual, Nicole was oblivious; Drake couldn't tell if her oblivion was intentional or not. 

"Have you been ignoring me?" She blurted out, a furrow on her brow. 

"Of course not." 

"Then what have you been doing?"

"I have been busy." He averted his eyes, his trepidation growing bigger with each passing minute. 

"Busy? Drake!" She yelled and he flinched. 

He tried to speak but she was already heading to the door, her gait faltering as she left the office. Guilt filled Drake as he stared at the door.

She didn't deserve this but there was no way out. He sure would speak to her about later - perhaps, they could strike a balance about speaking at work.  

The loud ramming of fist on his desk jolted him and he jerked,  his heart in his mouth. 

Jeremy's angry face made him cringe as he fidgeted in his seat. Not again! 

"What do I do with you?" Jeremy glared at him.

"I've been avoiding her like you asked but she keeps coming." Drake whispered, his lips quivered.

Embarrassment was threatening to suffocate him as he was aware of the scene they were making. He could feel intense stares boring a hole at various parts of his body and he wished he could disappear, vanish into thin air. 

"You better watch your back, loser!" Jeremy spat through gritted teeth and Drake nodded. Pathetic, but he knew he had no choice.  He would do anything to escape Jeremy's wrath. 

Breathing a bit too loudly, he watched Jeremy walk out of the office,  bringing two fingers to his eyes and sending them back to him. Drake shuddered at this and he buried his head on his desk, his mother's last words replaying in his head.

It felt like it was finally time to embrace all that his mother had said. She had complained that he looked lean and had suggested he returned to live with her. According to her, he could find some other jobs there. 

It was true he had always wanted to remain in Geodan till he raised enough fund to move to town, he felt he had reached his edge now. Perhaps, going back to his home town was the best thing to do. 

He shook his head when the event that brought him to Geodan at the first place replayed.  He wasn't ready to face all that he had left behind.  It was for this reason he rarely visited his mum though she came to see him at rare occasions.

He couldn't face his past demons. His bullies from middle and high school still hovered around like shadows and he wasn't ready to face them.  . .yet.

Drake was ever happy to pack his things and head home. He had succeeded in having a peaceful week after his last experience with Jeremy at Nicole's expense.  

She had been the one ignoring him and he knew he should apologise to her. This was one thing he had always avoided; one thing he wasn't good at. He had never really had reasons to apologise genuinely for anything.

This was because he thought deeply before taking any action but now, he couldn't avoid apologizing.  

Inside his car and outside the company's building, a bubble of excitement coursed through his veins.

He would finally be away from the rambling about Josh's party that was still the talk of the day: people spoke of what cloth to wear and with whom they would attend the party with. He mentally gave himself a pat at the back for scaling through another scandalous week.

Driving out of the parking lot and into the dusty path,  he stared at birds fly through the huge trees that danced in sync with the evening wind. Growing up, he had always envied the freedom birds possessed.  He wished he had such access to freedom.  

Pulling into his driveway, he glanced instinctively at the house next door. It had suddenly become his unknown habit to glance at her house before going into his. As usual,  her boom box was playing loudly and he could hear her sing along with a voice that was completely off key. He smiled softly as he walked into his house.