Maybe I haven't gone into far enough detail of why I despise Drake. Here's the top five reasons why I loathe him.
1. He's arrogant
2. He's a flirt
3. He belittles me
4. He embarrassed me in front of the whole school
5. He never apologized
There's plenty of more things that aggravate me, but those are the things that stick out. Kind of like how his hair is sticking up right now. I chuckle as he tries to flatten his cow lick in the front of his hair. For once, he woke up not looking fresh as a daisy.
"You can stop staring at me, Della. Even models have their occasional imperfections." He pats his hair with gel.
I roll my eyes, "Admitting you have a problem is the first step to solving it. Although, I don't think we can solve ugly."
Have you ever had a moment where your inner savage comes out and you think 'whoa, I need to calm down'? This is not one of those moments. I was preparing to mercy rule Drake today. I never promised Owen I would be kind, I just said I would go.
Owen intervenes, "Okay, guys. I'm not asking us to do crazy trust falls and sit in a circle and tell our feelings, but we all agreed to work together. Drake," Owen turns to him, "We're coming to you to teach us how to be villains. Think you can do that?"
"Sure thing." Drake finally pulls his eyes away from his own reflection.
"Yeah he's a natural at being despicable." I mutter under my breath.
Drake looks from me to Owen, "Seriously? Can I fight her yet?"
Owen facepalms, "It's going to be a long day."
***
Considering we arrived at Drake's apartment around 10 a.m, we were making the most of our day. After Drake's lesson, we are going to go to The Undergrounds for a meeting with the Board. Apparently they want to know how I'm progressing as a villain.
At the moment, I'm learning more about how to be narcissistic.
"Alright, look at yourself in the mirror." Drake grabs my shoulders and turns me to face myself.
"Why?" I question.
Owen interjects, "Della, just, try and see what he can do." He's sitting on the brown leather couch writing something in a solid black notebook.
I stare at myself, like Drake suggests. My white hair is still an adjustment, especially knowing it's more permanent this time. Maybe I should get some colored contacts too.
"We're going to work on your evil smirk. It has to be mischievous, like there's something you know that your opponent doesn't."
I think it over. I'm good at smirking, but not in an evil way. Maybe I should just pretend that I'm a mind reader and I know more than they want me too. A smirk comes to my face.
"Great! Just put a little more of a glare in your eyes. It makes it more intimidating." Drake folds his arms across his chest as he watches my reflection in his full length mirror. I do just as he says.
"Great. Now, on to your posture. It's too... For lack of a better word, heroic. You have to slouch a little bit, lean your weight on one hip, cross your arms over your chest. That's how you want to look as a villain."
I feel like I'm trying too hard to look cool, then Drake adds, "Don't forget the smirk." After putting it all together, Drake and Owen wear a smirk of their own.
"Perfect." Owen muses, walking over to us at the mirror.
"What's next? Smack talk?" I laugh, turning around to face them.
They look at each other. Owen replies, "No, you've got smart alec remarks down pat."
Touché.
Drake continues, "Next is your fighting skills. I don't care how fast you are, every super needs to know hand-to-hand combat. And if we're trying to make you into a new super in the public's eye, you can't use your speed or invisibility."
My eyebrows furrow in confusion, "What will I use?"
Owen pipes in, "Your weather control. Not many people have seen that."
A thought occurs to me as I'm reminded of what Owen said earlier. That we were trying to become villains. What kind of lessons did Owen need from Drake? Was Drake even a villain?
"Okay, but I'll need to get better control over that power. It's new to me." Hesitancy laces through my voice, and I hate that I'm so nervous.
"It's alright. It took both of us some time to get the hang of our powers." Owen tries to calm me down.
"What is your power, Drake?" I ask blatantly. I already knew he could fly from the first night I was at his apartment.
He clears his throat and straightens up, "Flying and super strength."
I smirk, thinking of the movie Sky High, "Stronghold."
Drake closes his eyes, unamused. "Is movie references all you're good for?"
"And bad puns." Owen adds.
I frown at the both of them, sarcastically reporting, "Oh gosh, you got me. So Drake, are you a hero or a villain?"
I don't know why I keep directing questions at him, but I was growing more and more curious. He is going to be my coach, so I feel the need to know him better. Not that I want to.
Drake sighs, "Neither. Does a person with powers really have to be labeled as anything?"
I'm taken back by his answer, but I reply, "No, I guess not. But why wouldn't you want to use your powers for good?"
He rolls his eyes, "Because I don't want to be targeted by the villains. I don't want to be a villain because then I'd be targeted by heroes. Is it so bad to want to stay off the radar?"
I fold my arms across my chest, "That's a waste of powers."
He huffs, "Your breathing is a waste of oxygen."
Owen intervenes before I go off on Drake. "Okay, you guys need to cut it out."
I ignore Owen's plea, "So are you at least a renegade?" I ask Drake.
Drake's jaw clenches, "No. I don't belong to anyone. I'm just an ordinary guy with super powers. Yes, I use them, but only when it's necessary. Now, can we continue with our lesson?"
"Yes!" We look over at Owen, who is pulling on his curly brown hair.
"Della, we need to talk." Owen grabs my wrist and pulls me outside of the apartment. I watch Drake take a seat on his couch as we walk out.
"What is going on between you two?" Owen asks after the door slams behind me.
"This is the way it's always been." I reply, not meeting Owen's eyes. The hardwood floor underneath my feet creaks as I shift my weight from one hip to the other.
"I want to know what happened in the past, Della. What made you guys hate each other?" What is he, my therapist? I don't have to explain my past to him. Reliving my past isn't something I want to do right now.
"Della, please, tell me." Was I going to regret telling him? He may just twist the story and go back and tell Drake. No, that doesn't make any sense. Drake knows what he did.
"You know, it's really not that big of a deal-" I turn back to head inside but Owen grabs my wrist again. His eyes plead with me and I find myself blurting the story out.
I was a sophomore and Drake was a senior, like Mason. Everyone knew who Drake was, he was the most popular jock in school. He was friends with literally everyone and could get any girl he wanted. Even Mason and I were friends with him.
When I got powers, I kept them hidden for the longest time. Only Jonas and Ash knew about them. I was afraid people would think I was a freak. So we kept my secret. That is, until sophomore year, a year before I decided to become a hero.
There was a party after a football game that Mason forced me to go to. I hated watching how stupid everyone was acting and decided to go outside for some fresh air. I knew if I went home without Mason mom and dad would ask questions and he would get in trouble. So I stuck around but I went off where no one could see me. I also felt like Mason was going to do something stupid if I didn't keep an eye on him though. I didn't know how out of a hand a football after party could get. So with all of this in mind, I turned invisible and strolled around the entire house until I heard Mason looking for me.
At that point in time, it was hard for me to get a grip on how to stay invisible. Apparently Drake recorded me attempting to turn myself invisible again. I don't know when
he was anywhere near me, I thought I was alone on the second floor. But he ended up recording me without my knowing.
At the lunch table the next Monday, he sat beside me before Ash and Jonas got there. He showed me the video underneath the table. I froze. He was going to blackmail me. I didn't know Drake had a side to him that was manipulative, but I soon found out that was his whole personality.
He told me that if I wanted my powers to stay a secret then I would have to go on a date with him. That's when I realized there were probably a lot of people who didn't like him but were being blackmailed to pretend to enjoy his company.
He tried to kiss me on our date to the movies, I slapped him across the face, and made a dash for the exit. I guess that broke our deal because the next day everyone at school was asking me if I was a super. I found myself speechless for a whole week. Anytime someone addressed me about the video, Jonas or Ash would take their phone and say 'Wow, those are some crazy special effects'. Actually, that was Ash's response. Jonas would grab the person's phone, delete the video, and keep walking with no response.
So I've had a grudge against Drake since then and I didn't have to see him after he graduated, even though he went to the community college with Mason. Mason seemed to sense something was off about Drake and never fully trusted him. I never told Mason Drake blackmailed me, but I think he put the pieces together.
"Wow. I-I'm sorry. I had no idea he was like that. I've been going to school with him at the community college too and didn't suspect that kind of behavior. We don't have to stay, if you don't want to."
"No, I'm fine. I'll get through this. Plus, I get to fight him in a few minutes, so that should be fun."
Owen smiles, "Let me know if you feel uncomfortable at any point."
After telling Owen my story, I feel like I just gave myself another puzzle piece to fit in the big picture. Drake's video drew attention to me, and I'm sure over half of the school believed I was a super. Mickey didn't even know my name at that point in time, but he had to when the video was sent out. What if the video was what led Mickey to me?
Now I have a whole new reason to despise Drake.
Owen places his hand on the doorknob to go back inside, but I stop him. "I have a question. Why don't you train me yourself?"
He tenses up, "Just because my dad is a villain doesn't mean it runs in my blood. I don't know how to be evil. And I'm proud of that." Owen goes back inside.
Why was Drake a more suitable option, then? If he claimed he wasn't a villain, why were we using him? I know Owen's dad told him to be the one to train me, but couldn't he pass me off on some other villain? Maybe Owen was afraid his dad would ask why he wasn't coaching me. Or maybe Owen was making sure I wasn't going to be trained by an actual villain because he didn't want me to do anything I would regret. Drake wasn't a villain or a hero, he was neutral. That's why Owen wanted to use him as a trainer.
When I step back inside almost a minute after Owen, I find Owen has Drake in a head-lock. I bring my hand up to my mouth to cover my laughter. What in the world?
Drake looks up at me, as does Owen. Drake is flailing his arms and trying his best to get out and Owen has no difficulty keeping his head between his arms. Owen looks me dead in the eyes and says, "I told him if he touched you I would cut off his hand."
Drake's voice cracks, "That's not what you're doing!"
"Would you prefer me to cut off your hand?"
As much as I hate to object to this, I think I have to save Drake. Having hero instincts backfires sometimes.
A/N
Oh boy, Drake's in trouble 😂 What do you guys think about Della and Drake's backstory?
I have a favor to ask. I'm moving on to Round 2 of the Open Novella Contest here on Wattpad and I would love for you all to check it out! Right now there's not much written, but there will be more soon. Anyways, I would just appreciate it if you could 😊
I haven't asked this question in a while but how are we liking the story? Is everything making sense? Please comment any questions or theories, I love to read them!
Thanks for reading!
Always, Sunny