Everybody's Paid For
Author: hell's lil angel13
Summary: Drake's story behind his song Don't Preach
Disclaimer: Yeah, don't own. Never have and never will. Shocker, I know, but it's true
Warnings: A few swears here and there, nothing major. Maybe pre-slash if you squint real hard
A/N: So I was watching Drake & Josh Go Hollywood the other day on Turbo Nick and I started wondering what the 'interesting story' behind Drake (Parker)'s song, Don't Preach, was, since that old guy at the Home for the Elderly wouldn't let him tell the story. Oh, right, the title? Yeah, don't own it either. They're lyrics, appropriately from Drake Bell's Don't Preach
Josh was the only one who knew it wouldn't last. Well, the first one to know before he told everyone else. Megan didn't care and Mom and Dad told Josh he needed to be supportive of Drake, since they were brothers now. Josh knew that, but he couldn't help but not be supportive. Drake knew now that Susan was the one who kissed Josh and Drake knew she was a liar. But there he is, getting back together with her as if the whole things hadn't happened.
"Where are you going?" Josh had asked Drake one Saturday night while Josh was doing his homework. Drake was pulling on his shoes and a jacket instead of strumming his guitar like he had been a few minutes earlier.
"I have a date," he said wrapping a watch around his wrist. Josh turned in his chair to look at his brother.
"With who?" When Drake said her name, Josh thought he was about to have a heart attack. Susan...Susan? The Susan who cheated on Drake with his own brother, that Susan? Why the hell was Drake going on a date with her?
"Have you seen her?" Drake asked as if it were obvious.
"Yes, up close and personal! Or do you not remember that?" Josh asked sarcastically. Drake just shrugged and left their room, saying he'd be back later.
That was two weeks ago now. Josh hadn't seen Susan that entire time and he was hoping to keep it that way. He didn't care what Drake said, Susan was always going to be a little tramp that tried to come in between their brothership, and nearly succeeded.
"Would you stop ragging on her? She's not gonna do that again," Drake finally said one afternoon on their way home from school. It was the first sentence Drake had said to Josh since he started dating Susan.
"Says you," Josh countered back. He just didn't want to see Drake get hurt, that was all. But now they were fighting, again, and something was telling Josh that things weren't going to go well for anyone.
Drake knew, in the back of his mind where he knew everything else but decided never to look there, that Josh was right. Josh was right about the fact that Susan was a dirty tramp and he was right that she'd be nothing but trouble to them. He was also right that sooner or later, Susan was going to make him choose between her and Josh, although he never actually said that one to Drake. The both of them just knew the other knew it.
That forced choice came much sooner than Drake liked, catching him off-guard before he could really prepare himself for it.
It happened on a Sunday afternoon when Drake had made a date to bring Susan to lunch. He remembered it, but since he was bored and had two hours before he needed to pick her up, he decided to go down to the Premier to hang out with Josh for a while. It would have been better if Josh still wasn't peeved that Drake was with Susan.
Drake wanted to tell Josh to give her another chance, but he knew it was no use. So they stayed away from the topic of girls and instead Drake decided to start a game. "Okay Josh," he said after the last customer left with their popcorn. "You're caught in a burning fire and the only way out is to lose everything from your waist down. Would you get out?" Josh gave him a look as if asking if he was high off something.
"Could I get new parts?" he asked finally and Drake grinned.
"Two," he held up the respective fingers.
"Yeah, I'd do it." Drake leaned his arms on the counter to get more comfortable. Josh opened his mouth to ask him a question when someone yelled Drake's name and didn't sound all that happy.
"Susan," Drake said a bit nervously when he saw his girlfriend come up to him. He looked at the clock on the wall. He had a good half hour before he needed to pick her up, so he wasn't in trouble for being late.
Susan and another girl who Drake vaguely recognized as one of Susan's friends—Stephanie?—walked up to the two brothers. "Hey Susan. Um, what's up?"
"You said you would take me to lunch today. What are you doing here?" she asked and he looked at the clock again, just to make sure he saw the right time. He definitely wasn't late.
"Yeah, I was just hanging out with Josh until I needed to get you. What are you doing here?"
Susan ignored the question and instead responded, "Well, since we're both here, wanna just go now?" Drake opened his mouth to say he was a little busy but she cut him off with, "Great, see you later Candace," Susan said to her friend, linked arms with Drake, and dragged him out of the theatre.
As the two of them walked through the mall to find a restaurant, Susan pulled Drake aside and said accusingly, "What were you really doing at the Premier?"
"I told you, I was hanging out with Josh," Drake sad, confused as to why Susan was so hung up on that.
"Well, why couldn't you have hung out with me?"
"I was gonna see you in an hour!"
"Yeah, but we could've spent a little more time together, don't you think?" Susan said in that voice of hers that would usually make Drake want to do anything for her, but today it was like he was immune to it.
"I see you all the time and I barely get to see my own brother anymore. Plus, you were hanging out with that girl Candace."
Susan pursed her lips at him. Drake thought she looked like she swallowed a lemon. It was the same unattractive face she made when he refused to take her to some fancy restaurant one night because he wouldn't have enough money to pay for it. "Oh, let's go here, I love their steaks," she said, changing the subject. Of course she picks one of the most expensive places in the mall.
They were almost done with their meals when they got into the fight. Susan got mad at him when he told her he couldn't go to the upcoming dance with her because he had already made plans to see the new Boogie Bear movie with Josh. Susan knew he hated school dances anyway, which was why Josh said they should see the movie in the first place.
"So you're ditching me for Josh?" she said indignantly.
"Susan, I hate school dances, so I wouldn't go with you anyway. I haven't gone to a dance since eighth grade and I plan to keep it like that," Drake said, his voice getting a hard edge to it.
"Fine, see if I care about that," Susan said angrily. After a few minutes, she said, "I don't like you hanging out with Josh so much. He hates me."
"Susan, he's my brother. And he doesn't hate you," Drake lied through his teeth. Both of them knew that Josh hated Susan, but at least he had a good reason to. Drake leaned back in his chair and eyed Susan. He knew what she was doing; she was pulling the whole jealous girlfriend bit where she was saying she doesn't want him hanging out with someone anymore.
Susan shook her head at him, her lips pursed again. Before she even opened her mouth, Drake said, "Look, if you don't like my brother, then I don't know if I can like you." He was cold to her, but he had already decided this. His girlfriend couldn't just like him, Josh came with the package.
Susan looked taken aback. Most likely no one had ever said something like that to her before. But Drake kept his face expressionless and waited for her to make the next move. She finally just grabbed her purse, stood up, and said, "You suck Drake Parker," and left. Drake crossed his arms over his chest and bit his tongue. It took him a few minutes to realize she had just left him with the check. Again.
He made his way back to the Premier, his wallet completely empty now. He was in such a bad mood that he snapped at Crazy Steve on his way to the candy counter, which was never a good idea. Had Drake been in a right state of mind, he would have been fearing for his life right about now.
"Hey, you're back early, how—"
"Don't wanna talk about it. Just gimme a box of Boo-Boo Bees," Drake said irritably. Josh was smart, he knew Drake obviously didn't have a good date, so Josh reached in and gave him his candy, making it look like Drake had paid him. "I'm totally broke now," Drake said after finishing the candy.
"The bitch cleaned you out again?" Josh said a knowing look on his face. He kept telling Drake that she would put him in debt before he turns seventeen but he never listened, he was always too busy trying to figure out how to get more money so he could take Susan out again. This time, though, Josh knew something was wrong when Drake didn't snap at him to stop calling his girl a bitch.
Drake didn't get over his annoyance until he had two more boxes of Boo-Boo Bees, which he chewed on very violently, and the two of them had made it home. Even then, Drake grabbed his guitar and started to angrily strum it.
"Careful Drake, you're gonna break the strings," Josh said from his swivel chair at his desk.
"I don't care," Drake said through gritted teeth. He had already told Josh that he broke up with Susan, but left out the fact that Josh was kind of the reason. "She called me a lousy boyfriend, do you know what that's gonna do to me?"
"Drake, she's a bitch and she has no idea what she's talking about. You're not a lousy boyfriend. A lousy brother maybe, but—"
"You think I'm a lousy brother?" he asked quickly, hurt.
"I think you can be, but most of the time you're a great brother. You're a great guy Drake and anyone would be lucky to have you," Josh said, finally getting Drake to smile, although it was only a slight, sad smile.
Drake started to strum the guitar again, this time saying angrily, "You say I suck and I'm lousy...you say I can't write."
"Not yet," Josh added helpfully and Drake stuck his tongue out at him playfully. It was little, but it spoke volumes. It was that tongue thing that made both of them realize that no matter what, they would be okay and no girl would come between them. "Give it to her good Drake," Josh said, telling him to keep going.
"You always told me how to be...now I'm sick of it," Drake said, strumming the strings harder than he usually did. Josh nodded, knowing Drake was writing a song and usually didn't like Josh to interrupt him, but this time was different. Drake was telling the story of Susan, and Josh felt like he should be allowed to hear it.
Soon, he had it right. He told Josh, through his guitar, that Susan was forcing him to go broke and he couldn't take it anymore. Susan was always making him do what she wanted and never what he wanted. He just couldn't believe her with anything anymore and the whole thing with Josh came through his mind, too. She always took him for granted and gave him the short end of the stick all the time. Now, it was over.
"That was really good Drake, definitely keep that one," Josh said when he was done, smiling his big goofy Josh smile. It was that smile that got Drake to grin back and put his guitar down.
"You know, I think I will," Drake grinned and leaned back contentedly on the cushions of their couch, deciding to watch some TV while he listened to Josh scribbling away at his homework.