HG AU Normal

Drake rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, because I would be a guy with a chainsaw." He patted Dustin on the shoulder and sent him a half smirk. "Are you ready to learn how to play football?" he asked before he tossed the football to him. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Angel had shown up yet. "I hope it is okay that I invited Angel," he added on to Brandon. Annalise rolled her eyes and punched him gently in the shoulder. "You like it?" she repeated.

Brandon rolled his eyes. "You never know. You could be some creepy dude," he said. Dustin nodded eagerly when he mentioned learning football. "Wait, who's Angel?" he asked. Brandon smirked and before Drake could answer, he did. "Drake's new girlfriend," he said, and he looked over when a car pulled up. "Look, that must be her!" Maddox laughed, and he shrugged. "Maybe," he joked, and he sighed to himself. "So, if you could define me in three words, what would they be. I have the feeling cocky or arrogant are going to come up."

Drake once again rolled his eyes and just shook his head. He was about to answer Dustin's question but sent a glare Brandon's way when he spoke instead. "She is just a girl who happens to be a friend," he said simply before he headed off to go greet Angel. Annalise smirked and laughed softly. "Well now that you mention it...," she joked before she thought it over. "You are pretty funny, and yes, maybe just a bit cocky."

Brandon smirked as he tried to counter what he said. "But she won't be for long," he said, and he laugh. Angel got out of the car, and she gave them a smile. "Hey guys!" she said, and she smiled up at Drake. "I'm going to kill Hannah. She already told my dad about you," she said with a small sigh. Hannah always spoke out about stuff like that. Maddox smirked. "Yeah, I am. Not something I am very proud of and need to get rid of, but I'm working on it," he said with a laugh.

Drake just shook his head in response and grinned over at Angel. His grin faltered when she told the news. "Oh gosh," he muttered, raking a hand awkwardly through his hair. "He doesn't want to kill me, right? I mean, I have a lot to deal with with my own father," he grumbled. Annalise laughed softly along with him and said, "Well there is a good start. Cocky people who don't realize they are cocky are the worst."

She laughed a bit, but she shook her head. "No, he doesn't think you are my boyfriend. I told him that Hannah was just dreaming everything up," she said with a small laugh, and she looked down at Dustin. "Well if you aren't his girlfriend, can you be mine?" he asked. Angel smiled, and she shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I'm a bit old for you," she said. Maddox nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's pretty bad. I'm just glad that you aren't the stereotypical cheerleader."

Drake chuckled at that and said, "Well good." He had to always deal with a little sister, who still had yet to tell him if she had made it home safely. Okay, so he was a little bit like a strict parent than her brother, but his sister was the only family member that truly mattered -- besides his mother. At Dustin's comment, he nudged him and muttered, "Kid, you are too young to be thinking about girls. Annalise smirked and leaned back in her seat. "Oh? You mean the ones who can't solve a simple math equation or just flock around all the football players?"

Angel laughed, and she smiled lightly. "So, are we going to learn football or no?" she asked with a smile. Dustin smirked at Drake's words. "Really? Well what would you do if I said that all the girls at school love me?" he sajd, and Brandon glared at him. "You are like in the third grade," he said, but Dustin glared at him. "Fourth," he clarified. Maddox smirked, and he nodded. "Yeah. You are actually smart," he said, and he gave her a smile. Smart and pretty and wonderful.

Drake chuckled and leaned back against Angel's car. "So you want to learn too, huh? Maybe Miss Cheerleader here has some skills," he commented, nudging her teasingly. At least he was back in his element. His flirting skills were picking up just a bit. At Dustin's remark, he laughed and shook his head. "Sure, I thought that too when I was your age. And guess what? I tried to hit on this one girl, and she dumped her peas down my shirt. Not a fun time," he said, shaking his head. "All right, let's play some ball." Smirking, Annalise had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. "World record, huh? Who knew you could be athletic and smart."

Angel smirked, and she rolled her eyes. "Now who said that I didn't know how to play? For your information, I know how to play very well. Along with having to watch it while cheer leading and my father loving it, it's sort of a natural thing," she said with a laugh, and she began to follow him. "I bet I can beat you!" Dustin said as he raced off to the field. Maddox chuckled and rolled his eyes. He looked down at his phone when it started to ring. He sighed, seeing it was his dad. "I have to take this," he said, but once he answered the phone, there was nothing but yelling on the other end.

Drake shook his head and cracked a half smile. "Well, let's put some money where your mouth is, huh?" he teased, nudging her with his elbow. He had to stifle a chuckle at Dustin's comment. "Dream big, kiddo," he said as he followed him. He thought back to when he was a kid and instantly shuddered. His father had been an alcoholic, and he believed that he still was. Something definitely was wrong with him. Annalise arched a brow but nodded and leaned back to let him talk. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. Her attention momentarily dropped to her ice cream, which was barely eaten. Finally, she asked, "Is everything...uh all right?"

Angel smirked at his words. "Fine. If you lose, you have to buy me dinner," she said. Dustin smirked and looked over at Drake. "Oooh, I bet you can't beat a girl," he said with a laugh, and Brandon rolled his eyes. "Neither could you," he said. Dustin stuck his tongue out at his brother before taking the football. "Let's play!" he said excitedly. Maddox gave Annalise a nod when she asked, and he talked to his father for a bit. He soon hung up and closed his eyes. "I'm okay," he said quietly. "Can we forget that happened?"

"Don't get too confident," Drake said, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "I am not just quarterback for nothing. They just don't hand out spots on the team," he joked, cracking a smile. He was feeling better now that he was back in his element. Maybe football helped more than he let on. Annalise stayed quiet as he talked to his father. She instead focused her attention on her ice cream. When he hung up, she glanced to him and offered a half smile. She was mildly curious about what had happened. But instead, she said, "Yeah, okay."

Angel couldn't help but smirk. "And the only reason girls don't play football is because apparently we are too fragile," she said, and she looked over at Dustin who rolled his eyes. "But you guys are!" Angel couldn't help but scoff. "And you guys are too afraid to be beat by us," she said, and then Dustin threw the ball at her while yelling,"Catch!" Angel quickly grabbed the ball, and she looked over at Drake with a smirk. "Go long," she said before she threw the ball. Maddox put his phone up, and he looked over at her. "So what do you plan on being when you get out of school?" he asked her curiously.

Drake chuckled and shook his head as he listened to them bicker. "I never said that," he said in his defense. "I may have thought it, but I have never said it," he stated with a simple smirk of his own. As Dustin threw the ball and Angel caught it, a half smile slipped onto his face. "Nice job!" he called. At her words, he arched a brow but took off on a run and caught the ball. "Think fast," he teased before he chucked the ball Dustin's way. After a few minutes, his phone began to ring in his pocket. "Gotta take this!" he told them before he walked off and answered. Immediately, his face fell. Annalise had finished off her ice cream and was using a napkin to wipe her hands off. "Well, I want to go to college. It sounds ridiculous, but I always wanted to be a teacher," she said with a shake of her head.

Angel looked over at Drake when he had to take the call. She could tell that he wasn't happy. She couldn't go to speak to him since Dustin had caught the ball and tossed it to her. She caught the ball quickly before tossing it to Brandon. She quickly walked over to Drake, and she bit her lip nervously. Maddox smiled at her words. "A teacher? I think that is great," he said, and he smiled down at her.

Drake nearly dropped his phone. "No, no. You are lying. No," he said, his voice rising and shaking. He never cried. Not when he broke his arm, not when his dog died when he was younger, not when his father would scream at him and tell him he would never be good enough. But in that moment, he could barely hold back the flood of tears. "Don't lie to me!" he screamed into the phone before he threw it down onto the ground. But deep down, he knew it to be true. His mom was gone. Annalise flushed and shrugged her shoulders. "My dad doesn't think so. He wants me to be a doctor or a scientist. Or anything that pays well."

Angel looked at him in shock when she saw him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, although she had no idea what had happened. She bit her lip and looked over as Brandon came over. Brandon rushed over, and he looked over at Angel. "You should go," he said, and she just nodded. It must have been bad. He looked over t Dustin. "Go inside," he said, and Dustin was about to object, but he was given a hard glare by Brandon. Maddox shook his head. "Screw your dad. He doesn't need to tell you what to do," he said, and he gave her a smile. "You should do what you want to."

Drake didn't say a word. He was trying his best not to break down, so it would have been hard to even try to hold a conversation with anyone. He clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. "He said it was an accident. Some broke in and...and..," he whispered, but he couldn't even voice the words. He wouldn't believe it until he saw her. She couldn't be dead. She couldn't be. "Call Ann, please," he pleaded after a long moment. Annalise laughed softly and said, "I guess you are right. But it is not that easy. So long as I live under his roof, I don't think he will let me do what I want."

Brandon looked over at Angel, and he gave her his phone. "You call her. Just tell her to come to my house. We can go from there," he said, and he looked down at Drake. "Hey, let's go inside and go to my room," he said, and he looked down at his friend nervously. He had never seen him like that. Angel bit her lip nervously before finding Annalise's name and calling her. Maddox gave her a small smile. "I would tell you to come and live with me, but my dad is just as bad. He wants me to get a full ride on a football scholarship and then become a pro," he said.

Drake wanted to punch something. No, no. Something wasn't the right word. Someone was the right word. Sure, his father may say it had been an accident, a murderer. But he had a sickening feeling that there wasn't truth in that. "She's gone," he whispered, shaking his head repeatedly. He couldn't find the will to move. The tears were a stab at his pride, but he could careless. Annalise sighed and shook her head. "Well, at least we understand each other," she murmured. She frowned when her phone began to ring. Why was Brandon calling her? "Hello? Brandon?" she answered.

Brandon's eyes widened at the news. It was almost unbearable. He had known Drake's mother ever since he was a little kid. She was like a second mom to him. "Let's get you somewhere so you can sit down," he said, and he quickly had him go inside and rushed him to his room. Angel bit her lip nervously. "No, this is Angel, but something happened. I'm not sure what, but I was told to call you. I suggest you come to Brandon's house right now," she said. Maddox gave her an odd look when her phone rang, but he didn't say anything.

Drake stumbled after him; he wouldn't have protested if had had a choice. He sat down on Brandon's bed and rested his head in his hands. "I didn't get to say goodbye," he whispered solemnly. He didn't get to tell her he loved her. What if he hadn't went to Brandon's that afternoon? Would she have been alive? Annalise's face fell at the news. "Is he okay?" she asked instantly, standing. "Thanks, Angel. I will be over soon," she added on quickly before she hung up. "I need you to take me to Brandon's house," she stated immediately.

Brandon sighed, and he hugged his friend tightly. "I'm sure that she knew it anyway," he said, and he bit his lip. Drake's mother was probably the only little bit of sanity that Drake had left. Maybe Annalise too, but she could drive his patients. "Just calm down," he said. Maddox's eyes widened a bit, but he nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said. He left a little bit of money on the counter as a tip like he always did before he rushed to his car and got in.

Drake didn't reply. What was he to say? He just lost his mother. He let the tears slide down his face. "Calm down? Calm down! Brandon, you don't understand. She was the only real parent I had," he said in a shaky voice. His father didn't care about him. He was sure of it. Annalise followed after him and practically threw herself into his car. "Please, hurry," she said urgently.