Drake and Josh characters belong to their proper owners. I did create some characters for this fanfiction. "Measure of a Man" is sung by Clay Aiken. It was written by Steve Morales, Cathy Dennis, and David Seige. Any other songs mentioned also belong to their proper owners. Because you all know how much I love sticking lyrics in these things.

Thanks for all the reviews. Here's chapter nine!

Josh sat at the desk in his and Drake's room doing homework, on the first day of school no less, when Drake walked in.

"So," said Josh. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know," said Drake. "No, I still can't see her. This is all Chris's fault."

"I'm sorry all this is happening," said Josh. "It's pointless. Maybe there's some way Cassandra can talk her parents into seeing you again."

"I can't just sit around and let them keep us apart," said Drake.

Cassandra walked into her house and slammed the door.

"Cassandra, be careful," scolded her mother. "Did you make the dance team?"

"I made varsity, yes," Cassandra replied coldly. "Why did you listen to Chris?" she yelled.

"Because he said he was concerned about you," said Mrs. Blane.

"You're going to listen to him and not your own daughter?"

"He's been at that school longer. I would think he knows how Drake is."

"For your information," said Cassandra. "Drake hasn't dated anyone all summer." She went to her room and slammed the door.

Why was her mother being like this? She wasn't protecting her. She was suffocating her. Homecoming was coming up, and she'd have to go alone. She didn't want to go with anyone but Drake. She hated how her mother was treating her.

She looked at the guitar she hadn't played for a while. She picked it up and played a few notes. Her mother didn't know the Drake that she did. He wasn't perfect, but no one was. She knew what her mother expected out of a guy she dated. To be polite and smart and perhaps play a sport. Her mother didn't really care for musicians, even though her children were musically talented. Why couldn't her mother see that she shouldn't measure Drake by what he had been, but rather, how he was now and how he felt about her daughter?

She played the first few notes of a Clay Aiken song. She put her guitar away and signed onto her instant messanger. Alexa was online.

AllieRockz: hey!
Dance4Life: o, hi
AllieRockz: u r down. did u talk to ur mom?
Dance4Life: yes. she says chris did it bcuz he cares about me
AllieRockz: ha
Dance4Life: i know. she won't listen. i don't know what to do
AllieRockz: i wish i could help u...

Drake looked at the instant messanger. Cassandra had signed online. He wanted to send her a message. Wait, what if her mom was on? You know, like testing it. He'd be in even more trouble with her. He'd have to wait until school the next day, or did he? He quickly signed off and went downstairs to have dinner.
Cassandra noticed Drake had signed on then off the instant messanger. She sighed. She wanted to talk to him. She was worried her mom would find out though. She could talk to him at school. Her mom couldn't stop that.
Cassandra walked into her bedroom after taking a shower and drying her hair. She was brushing it as she walked into her bedroom. She turned on her stereo. She almost didn't hear the rocks being tossed at her window

He wouldn't, she thought. She opened her curtains and glanced down. He would. Drake was standing below her window. Cassandra opened it.

"Drake," she said. "What are you doing? If my parents find out you're here..."

"Hey, this is how I got Josh back together with Mindy," he replied. "I had to see you Cassie."

"Drake, I think we're only going to able to talk at school."

"I hate this," said Drake.

"I do too," replied Cassandra.

"I came here to tell you something," said Drake.

"What?" she asked.

"See, I've been thinking for a while now..."

Cassandra heard a knock at the door. She signaled for Drake to be quiet. She closed her window and her curtains. She walked over to her door and opened it. Her mother stood there.

"Cassandra," said her mother. "We need to talk. I think you've taken this all too personally."

Her mother walked around her room. She touched the pictures she had hanging on the walls and slid her hand over the dresser. She stopped in front of the window.

Please don't let her open it, thought Cassandra.

"You don't seem to understand that we all did this because we care about you," her mother continued.

"Mom, I don't think you're listening to me," said Cassandra.

Her mother gave her a look. She turned and touched the soft curtains. She seemed to be trying to find something to say.

"It's warm tonight. Why not open the window?" asked her mother.

"No!" said Cassandra. "Eh...that's okay. It's fine."

"Oh come on, it's warm in here." Her mother opened the curtain, and, yes, Drake was still down there.

Drake froze. He couldn't move. Now he'd done it.

Cassandra's mother opened the window.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Uh," said Drake.

"I think you should go home before I call your parents Drake."

"But Mrs. Blane..."

"Go home Drake."

Drake stared up at her. He couldn't do anything else. He turned around and left.

The next day at school, Cassandra sat down at lunch. Alexa sat down next to her. Cassandra glanced up to see Drake sitting with his friend Scottie a few tables away. She didn't really get to talk to him during health. The teacher really set them to work. She took a bite of her sandwich. She didn't really taste it. She felt miserable.

"Hey, Cassandra," called Melanie. "We're going to have dance after school today. We really need to get started on stuff for the Homecoming assembly."

"Oh, okay," said Cassandra. Homecoming, she didn't know whether to go or not. She knew she wouldn't have a date. She didn't want to go with anyone but Drake. However, what if he decided to go with someone else? Drake had never not had a date to a dance. What about prom? Was she really going to stay in this slump forever? Surely, Drake would have moved on by then. She just didn't know what to do.

Drake sat at the Premiere alone. He was completely oblivious to everything around him. Many girls passed by and stared at him, but he didn't care. He wondered if maybe Cassandra didn't miss him anymore. Wouldn't she have tried harder to let her parents see him again? The truth was, he didn't know that she had spent the two hours, after he left her house, arguing with her mother over being able to see him again. He sat separating a bag of gummy bears by color. He thought of when he had showed Josh the gummy bears were making out. He smiled at the memory. Then he remembered that Cassandra's favorite were the white ones. He took those and made a little heart with them.

"Okay, Drake, girls do that," said Alexa walking over to him.

Drake jumped up in his seat.

"Oh, hi," he said.

"Cassandra's at dance team practice and I was going to meet her here for a movie," said Alexa.

"Oh," said Drake.

"You know...it's not like she knows you're here, so if you happened to see the same movie she was..."

"I can't do that. Her mom hates me enough as it is." He thought back to the night before. Yeah, if she didn't like him before, she definitely hated him now.

"I'm sorry all this is happening Drake," said Alexa. "She really misses you."

Drake's eyes lit up.

"She does?" he asked.

"Yeah..."