Disclaimer: All Drake & Josh characters copyright their proper owners. I just wrote this.
A/N: This isn't the amusing stuff that I promised, but that's coming. For now, here's a more serious one shot. This deals with a bit more serious subject matter. Nothing too bad, but there's a reason I had to rate this "T."
I've never been as cool as him. I guess that's a given, considering his social status and mine. Even when I'd lost weight and began dating Mindy, I still didn't have what it takes to be in the in crowd. Is it really that important to me to be cool? Do I really want to be a part of this?
Every afternoon we come home, and he has to get ready for a date. I don't really want that. I just want to be a little more well known for more than my big magnets. But does he have to make a big deal about the gig his band got next weekend? I shouldn't be angry with him. He's talented, and he deserves everything that happens with his music. And sure we fight, but he's always there for me when I really need him. I suppose it's just one of those things.
So, why am I here? This definitely isn't my normal crowd. It's a huge party, though, and anybody who's anybody at Belleview is supposed to be here. In fact, the only ones who aren't here seem to be Eric and Craig. They're probably having their own fun discussing their physics project. I wasn't originally going to go either, but he talked me into coming here. He told me to loosen up and have some fun, maybe dance a little, talk to people and get to know them. I enjoyed it at first. Mindy was here for a while, but she left about half an hour ago because there's a paper due next week that she wants to finish tonight. Maybe I should go home and work on the same paper.
I begin to search for Drake, and it figures. He's in the corner making out with a girl. I wonder if he even knows her name. I know we're not going home anytime soon, so I begin to make my way through the crowd again. I pass the couch where I notice a guy from my history class.
"Anyone sitting here?" I ask.
"Nope," he replies. "Go ahead...uh..."
"Josh," I say, sitting down.
"You're in my history class, aren't you?"
"Yes," I respond. At least I have something to do until Drake decides to pry himself away from the girls. We begin to talk about the impossible paper that our teacher assigned us. It really is. Even Mindy's having trouble with it. Then we talk about how the football team did that year.
"Weren't you the one who got knocked into the endzone and lost some of your teeth but still won the game for us?"
"Yes..."
Then talk turned to our girlfriends. Eventually, he has to leave. He says if he misses his eleven o'clock curfew, his parents will probably have the police out looking for him after the first fifteen minutes. My curfew tonight is midnight. It's only 10:30 right now. I've still got some time to kill because Drake will always use every minute to his advantage.
I decide to grab a soda from the cooler in the kitchen. I have to press my way through the crowd again. When I reach the kitchen, there's hardly anyone back here. I open the cooler and pull out a diet Mocha Cola. I glance up and notice some guys on the porch. They look like they're having a pretty good time. One of them turns to come back inside. It's Witherspoon, from the football team.
"Hey, Josh," he says.
"Hi," I reply.
"Having fun?"
"I guess. My girlfriend left a little while ago. I was thinking of doing the same."
"Oh, come on. Things are just getting started."
"Huh?" I ask, not sure what he's getting at.
"Come out back," he says.
"Okay." I follow him to the porch. Nothing that bad can be happening, right?
When we get outside, he smiles and grabs a can from the picnic table. He tosses it to me. I stare at it for a moment. He wants me to drink a beer? Never in a million years would I have thought of doing it. That is, if he hadn't tossed me the can.
"Go ahead," he says. "There's plenty."
I begin to wonder. What could go wrong with one sip? Then I start to worry. What if they think I'm a geek for only taking one sip? Will I have to drink the whole can? I've heard it doesn't taste very good either, but maybe that's just something people say who don't want to drink it but want to seem cool? I'm really not sure.
Wait, I'm underage, so I really shouldn't be doing this in the first place. There should be no question about it. I should just set the can down and walk away. So...how come I can't?
Do I really want to appear cool? Do I want to be more like my brother? I think that's why this is so hard to avoid. All these guys around me are urging me to drink this too. Will I really be cool if I drink this? Is this what football players do? I begin to wonder if Drake's ever done this.
The strange thing about my questions regarding Drake is, he's not one to go to parties much. He'd much rather be alone with a girl on a date. He only wanted to come tonight because everyone would be here. Maybe this would make me cooler than he is. That would be something. I shouldn't do this to be better than Drake, though. Actually, it is illegal, and I should put the can down.
I remember the talks I've had with my dad about saying no to drugs and alcohol, but is one time really going to hurt? It probably wouldn't, and I have some mints in the car. Everything should be fine.
I crack open the can. I stare in at its contents. Maybe this isn't what I want. I've heard about hangovers. I wonder if they're as bad as people make them out to be. Why am I questioning this? I either want to drink it or I don't. Why is it this hard?
"Aren't you going to take a drink, Josh?" asks Witherspoon.
"He doesn't have the backbone," one of the other guys yell.
I do too have the backbone. I place the can up to my lips. Wait...is this really how I want to get cool? Because I drank something that these guys wanted me to drink? Because I'd go home tonight stumbling like an idiot? How is that cool? No wonder Drake's never touched this stuff. He's got a much better drug...his music. It won't get him drunk, high, or kill him, it's legal, and he's cool for it...for the right reasons. He knows what he is, and I guess that's what's always made Drake cool.
But what about me? What do I have that makes me cool? I've got nothing. Maybe I should take a drink. That'll show 'em all. Josh Nichols is no chicken who just loves science, magic, and video games. I've got my pride.
Hang on.
I've got my pride.
That's why I can't drink this. I'd let my dad down, number one. Number two, what would Mindy think of her boyfriend giving into peer pressure? Even if she didn't care, her parents would not allow us to date anymore no matter what I said or did. Number three, what kind of role model would I be for Megan if I took a drink of this? She may be a demon, but she's still my sister now. No. I can't do this. It would go against absolutely everything I am.
I set the can on the picnic table.
"See? I told you he doesn't have the backbone."
I don't care what these guys say. I hold my head high and head back into the house. When I do, I come face to face with my brother.
"Hi," I say. I look down at the floor. Does he know what happened? Did he see? Is he going to tell Mom and Dad and I'm going to be grounded for a month? Why should they ground me? I didn't do anything. But what does Drake think of me right now?
"Hey," he replies.
Neither of us say anything for a moment.
"Ready to go home?" he asks me.
"Yeah." What else is there to do?
The car ride home is silent. The only sound comes from the radio set to Drake's favorite rock station. I wonder if he saw anything. Judging by his silence, though, he did, and he's waiting for me to talk because he knows something more is bothering me.
"Drake," I say.
"Hmm?" he asks.
"You know what happened, don't you?"
"Yeah," he responds.
"I don't know what got into me. Those guys were just urging me to try it, and in the end, I didn't, but I seriously considered it."
"It's hard to say no," Drake responds. Then I realize, Drake's part of the popular crowd. There's a lot of peer pressure there. How does he deal with it?
"Then how do you do it? Wouldn't it just be easier to go along with it?"
"Because I think about what I care about. My music. My family. I don't want to make a stupid choice. Let's face it, I screw up enough without alcohol anyway," he laughs.
"It wouldn't have made a difference if I had taken a drink. What have I got?"
"You're wrong, Josh," says Drake. I have no idea what he's talking about. "You have our family and much more."
"Yeah. My magic tricks and video games. Oh, and my big magnet."
"But those things are important to you. You like to get good grades. Then there's your girlfriend. She's a creature, but you care about her.You don't make those dumb choices because of all those things."
"I guess," I reply. He's right. "I don't even know how I put that can down."
"Because you didn't want to give into those jerks, and that's what makes you cool," he says. He knows what this was about all along.
I smile. Maybe he's not always willing to do things to be selfless, and maybe he's not always as understanding to somebody else's needs. But he has his moments, and they always seem to happen when they're needed most.
"Thanks, brother."