Drake and Josh are not mine. Sadly.
Rated M for language. Sorry, no romance in this chapter (except in Cindy's imagination.)
I know you'll all want to kill me for putting poor Joshie through so much heartache, but bare with me.
Josh POV
That was it. My mind was set. I was definitely going to school tomorrow. Being waited on hand and foot was nice …and had some particularly amazing perks, but I couldn't help but feel like a burden. I was never one to impose.
I decisively snapped my text book shut and wriggled it into my already bloated backpack. The homework had been easy enough, but I was sure I had missed a lot of notes. It's surprising how things can pile up over a few days.
'I don't think Drake actually copies the notes… and we don't have all the same classes either. Maybe I can get them from Eric.' I padded over to the phone and dialed the number from memory. That may seem a little weird, but I relied on his help whenever I was sick. He was one of the few people in school as meticulously organized as I was (Drake preferred the term OCD, but I digress…) Anyway, Eric was very trustworthy and I could always count on him for notes.
Before the first ring finished, a polite, "Hello? Eric speaking," sounded from the other end.
"Hey, Eric. It's Josh. Could I copy your notes tomorrow?" I asked.
"No problem, Josh. I'll come to school about an hour early. Advanced chem. and physics took up a few pages and the lesson we covered in calculus was really important for this chapter. You'll need a good amount of time to finish all of them." I smiled. Not only was Eric reliable, but we had the same classes.
"Thanks, Eric. How has school been lately?"
"Not too bad. The homework is easy enough, but I'm sure you're already done with it," Eric giggled with a snort.
"Yeah," I agreed, "Homework is pretty much review at the end of the school year." I bit my lip hesitantly before asking my next question, hoping it wouldn't reveal too much. I wanted to know if Drake had caused any trouble lately. Without me there, Drake acted out sometimes. Logically speaking though, looking out for a friend wasn't suspicious at all. In fact, it was probably expected, so I asked.
"Say, how has Drake been in school? I can't keep tabs on him if I'm not there, you know? Right? I mean yeah… Heh heh heh." I clamped a hand over my mouth before I could let out another creepy 'heh'. 'God, I'm my own worst enemy.' Luckily, Eric hadn't noticed.
"Well I heard he got into trouble with the geometry teacher today, but he's been relatively quiet this week. It's a little strange…" I panicked at the curious tone in Eric's voice.
"M-maybe he caught the same thing I had! It really wipes you out!"
"Ouch, Josh! You don't have to scream. I have sensitive ears."
"Right… sorry," I sighed and mopped the nervous sweat from my forehead. 'Mental note: shut up!'
"Anyway, if Drake was sick, Cindy Simmons sure didn't seem to mind." I froze for a moment. That one had taken me by surprise. It felt like a punch in the stomach.
"What do you mean?"
"On the bus ride home she literally threw herself at him. If the bus hadn't been at his stop, who knows what they would have done. I mean she was all over him," Eric started to mutter about how she had rolled her eyes at him, but I was barely listening. My body went limp and a hollow feeling was spreading in my chest making it hard to swallow.
"Yeah, typical Drake. See ya tomorrow, Eric." I hung up without waiting for an answer. I let the phone slip from my hand like a brick onto the carpet. 'This can't be happening,' it felt like my heart was sinking in quicksand. 'There's no way,' I shook my head, whispering 'No no no,' like a mantra. I tried to ignore all the thoughts going through my head, but it was turning into an internal argument.
'Don't just assume things! Drake wouldn't…'
Then why didn't he mention it to you? He's obviously hiding something.
'Well, maybe he just didn't want me to jump to conclusions…'
Or maybe he didn't want to ruin his little set up.
'No… Don't you dare think that…'
That's all you are to him: a convenient booty call.
'N-no! He wouldn't do…'
He's done it to plenty of girls before.
'But this is different! There's no way he…'
Don't be so naïve. You knew what he was like: just a user.
'Shut up! He…'
No! You're first instincts were right. He's turned you into-
'Don't!'
His obedient little fuck buddy!
With a strangled sob, I leaned against the wall, hitting the light switch with my shoulder. I slowly slid to the floor, crumbling into a heap. I sat there for hours in the dark, just crying and gasping for air, praying to god that Drake's band practice would run late.
~*~
The next morning…
I awoke with a start as my alarm clocked blared at max volume. With fumbling fingers I silenced it hastily. I looked up at Drake's bed while my heart hammered in my chest. I let out a relieved breath when I realized he was still asleep. As stealthily as I could manage, I gathered my things, dressed, and tiptoed out the door.
I rubbed my sore eyes as I inched down the stairs. 'I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I cried over something so stupid.' After I had wept my weight in water last night, I got to thinking. Even from the beginning I should have know that Drake and I weren't even a realistic possibility. I mean, he has his music career to worry about. He had, as the saying goes, barely begun to rock. Being labeled as gay would probably bring his stage dreams crashing down before he could even get a glimpse at stardom. I was probably doing him a favor by ending this myself.
And as much as it stung, he would always, only be my stepbrother. No matter how I loved him.
I grabbed a banana from the kitchen before beginning my walk to school. I figured a lengthy stroll would relax me a little. I practically inhaled the fruit, eager to get to school.
'More like fleeing the scene of the crime.' I shook my head, willing my contradictory thoughts to disappear.
I had to accept my fate. This was just the way things are.
I gently pushed the door open and clicked it shut behind me. The air was surprisingly chilly this morning, but in a refreshing way. Everything smelled like rain and there was such a cheerful feeling in the atmosphere. It almost made me forget about…
No. I couldn't forget if my life depended on it. With a forlorn sigh I began to trudge forward, my head hanging down.
~*~
Cindy POV
'It is frickin' freezing out here!' I rubbed my arms with my icy fingers. 'Today was so not the day to wear a mini skirt!' I huffed and shifted in my red pumps.
This, like, so did not count as stalking. Just because I was waiting behind a big bush outside Drake's house waiting for his brother to come out doesn't mean I'm crazy. Plus, I was just looking out for Drake's reputation. If word got out that he was gay… three words: scan-dal-ous. And it's not like I had been waiting for hours out here. Just fifteen minutes.
'Ugh. This is probably just a waste of time. I mean who wakes up this early? Besides, they would probably leave for school together, anyway.' I was just about to turn around and go home when I heard footsteps. I tiptoed closer, looking through the leaves.
Like, total shocker. There was only one person leaving. He closed the door in a sneaky kind of way, like he was trying to hide from someone.
Okay, at this point I could tell it wasn't Drake, but there was no way this was Josh. Admittedly, I had never actually seen him up close. From what I heard about him, he was a gangly nerd, and the man that was standing in front of me was so none of those things. Maybe I was wrong. I mean, I've only seen his back so…
'Oh My God! Can you say tall, dark, and handsome?!' What a total hottie! When he finally turned around and I could see his face, my mouth was hanging open. His eyes were, like, actually sparkling in the light of the sunrise. He had such full lips too. His curly black locks framed his face perfectly. Not to mention, he had that sun-kissed tan that was all the rage these days.
I don't mean to sound flaky but Drake who? With this gorgeous boy in front of me how could anyone expect me to focus on someone else? With out hesitating I took a confident step forward with a completely new goal in mind.
...
What could Cindy be up to now? Nothing good, that's for sure. Sorry for all the angst, but that's what makes a story interesting. Please review!