A/N:
Hey guys!
So, you all have been soooo faithful when it comes to reviewing so far, and I didn't know any way to thank you apart from updating!
I won't ramble a ton today, but I will tell you that I, from now on, plan to update every Thursday or Friday depending on how things work out), so expect updates those afternoons (I'm only posting in the morning today because I woke up early and needed something to do before work). I will try my very hardest to get another update out tomorrow afternoon, though I don't really see it happening.
Saturday, however, will be spent writing and watching non-stop Drake & Josh/Star Wars with my friend Justina, so I should be able to get a few chapters written before next week!
Sorry for rambling just like I said I wouldn't, and please keep the reviews coming!
(P.S. If you think the chapters are too short, please let me know and I'll work on making them longer!)
Thanks again!
~Effy
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Drake didn't wake again for another two hours, however, when he did he found that his spot on the ping pong table was highly uncomfortable to his already achy body, and when he stood to go lie down in his bed for the night, he was hit by a wave of nausea so strong it nearly knocked him over on the spot.
Gripping the table side for support, he clutched his stomach in an attempt to avoid vomiting right then and there and began walking slowly towards the ladder to his bed. But after one step up the ladder, he felt like passing out, and, falling to the floor, he decided to sleep on the couch for the night.
He wasn't sure if he could cover the distance to the couch again, but Drake thought he should at least try. He figured Josh wouldn't be so happy if he slept in his bed, and he didn't really fancy the idea of being woken up yet again, but when he stood from the ground, he decided that it'd be better to be woken up and not puke than to sleep through the night and barf up the little bit of food he'd eaten that day.
So, practically crawling, Drake made his way over to Josh's bed and climbed on top of the covers, shivering, but not wanting to get on Josh's bad side more than he assumed he already had for embarrassing him in class. He allowed his head to drop onto Mr. Puff-Puff while he made himself comfortable, but by the time he'd found a position he liked, Drake no longer felt a want or need to use a pillow other than Josh's favorite. That pillow was so great that Drake almost didn't blame Josh for giving it such a horrid name.
Not even glancing at the clock, Drake shut his eyes, and within a matter of seconds, he was falling asleep, Josh's scent bringing him a sort of comfort while his actual brother was downstairs, laughing it up with his family all while Drake felt subtly like he was dying.
But it was rapidly approaching Josh's 10:00 bedtime, so he of course would be upstairs to get ready as soon as he was able to pull away from the family, which came sooner than he'd expected, given the good time they were having. Man, Josh thought with a smile as he finished brushing his teeth and was approaching the bedroom to change and then finally get to bed. Drake missed out on a fun time with the family. He'll probably be so jealous. He paused. "No he won't," Josh said aloud to himself. "He's Drake!"
Josh entered their bedroom without so much as a glance toward his bed or Drake's, figuring that he was still fast asleep on the ping pong table. It wasn't until he'd finished changing into his 'jammies' that he realized that his bed was already occupied by none other than his ex-brother and roommate, Drake Parker, for whom he suddenly felt pity as he looked at the expression he wore in his sleep; he looked upset, almost as if he'd been crying recently, and his face was still a pale color that somewhat bothered Josh.
Sighing, he made the silent decision to sleep in the guest room for the night, only because Drake was so fragile at the moment, though at the time, Josh didn't understand why.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Megan was the last one awake that night, sitting on the downstairs couch and watching Outrageous Cheerleading Accidents while everyone else slept peacefully in their beds. She wasn't tired, though she felt she ought to go to bed soon anyway since it was almost midnight. Although, she thought with a smug smile, it's Friday, and Mom and Dad are leaving in the morning anyway. But this knowledge didn't stop her from silently deciding to go get some sleep as soon as her show ended.
But just as she was getting up, the phone rang, leaving her curious as to who was calling at such a late hour. She answered, and soon heard a semi-familiar voice speak from the other end.
"Hello?" she asked, holding the receiver up to her ear.
"Megan, darling? It's Grammy." Megan tried not to groan. "I'm sorry to call so late, sweetie, but I believe I left my hairbrush in your guest bedroom, would you mind if I came over in the morning to get it?"
"Sure, no problem," Megan said, tapping her fingers on the coffee table as she wondered why Josh's grandma couldn't buy a new hairbrush.
"All right, honey, thank you! I love you!"
"Bye," Megan said, and then hung up, putting the phone in its cradle and heading toward the stairs. She climbed them hurriedly, deciding to drop by the guest room to check for Grammy's hairbrush before going to bed.
She located the brush quickly once she'd entered, but also found something she didn't expect. Her brother, Josh, was sitting on the guest bed, evidently trying to read himself to sleep again.
"What are you doing in here, boob?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and fiddling with the handle of the hairbrush.
"I think I can ask you the same question, little girl!" Josh said, looking his little sister over suspiciously. "Why do you have a hairbrush?"
"It's your Grammy's," Megan said. "She left it here last time she visited. Now answer my question."
Josh refrained from rolling his eyes. "Drake's asleep in my bed, so I decided to come sleep in here for the night. Do you have to bother me?"
"Whoa, what?" Megan asked, holding up a hand. "Firstly, why's Drake in your bed? He hates your bed! Secondly, why didn't you kick him out?" She would be lying to say that she wasn't the slightest bit concerned amongst her mild confusion, but she'd of course never say this aloud. Especially not to her boob of a brother.
"I don't know," Josh said, shrugging as if it was nothing, though he himself was confused. "And I guess I couldn't stand to make him move."
"I thought you were 'done' with him," Megan reminded, crossing her arms once again.
"I am, but he just looked so…" Josh searched for an adequate word to describe Drake with. "Pitiful," he said, turning his eyes from his little sister back to his book.
"Drake?" she asked with a scoff. "Pitiful?"
"Yeah, that's right," Josh said, nodding lightly. "Goodnight, Megan."
"Night, boob."
Shutting the door, Megan rolled her eyes a bit, though she couldn't help but feel both curious and concerned, so she decided to make one more stop before going to bed.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Cracking the door just enough to slide in, Megan entered Drake and Josh's room, approaching Josh's bed stealthily while looking for any sign of movement, though she quickly found it. And sure enough, Drake was asleep in Josh's bed, shaking like a leaf and looking a pale blue color in the low lighting.
Megan flipped the light switch so as to get a better look at her brother, who didn't even stir at the sudden change.
She returned her attention to Drake and instantly felt as though someone had taken a spear to her heart. He was exactly as Josh had described him; pitiful. His face looked pained and tired as he slept a far-from-restful-sleep in his brother's bed, dark eyebrows furrowed. Almost all of the color in his usually-smug face had drained, leaving him a scary pale-greenish color as if he was deathly ill. Which, Megan thought with a grimace, he might very well have been with the way he looked.
It pained her more than she would have imagined it would to see her brother who had loved her, cared for her, and been there for her in the past in such a sickly sleep that she doubted had been anything but fickle, leaving him to awake every half hour or so in a cold sweat. The thought alone made her frown deepen.
Leaning forward, Megan kissed Drake's warm cheek before turning to leave. And, glancing back one last time, she turned out the light and pulled the door shut quietly.
