Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Author Notes: Wow! Thank you for all the reviews. I'm so glad you like the story! I only hope I can make these following chapters to your likings! I could use a beta reader if anyone is intrested? Here's the next chapter. I had to write, or my laundry money was gonna get stolen!

Lunch Guests and Surprises.

It had been a week since Drake's breakdown in chemistry class. Seven days since Josh found out how badly Drake had actually been hurting. One hundred and sixty eight hours since Drake had cried. Not that Josh was counting or anything. He really had believed in that time to have fallen back into their normal routine. They had not however. Josh had talked to their Chemistry Teacher, and Drake was his lab partner once again. That did not seem to lift the heavy mood that seemed to follow Drake around.

The rumor mill swarmed with what happened. Drake could have laughed at the absolute obscurity of what was being said. Things about Josh being devious, things about Drake on drugs, after a while, Drake lost count of the rumors. What Drake knew for certain was that he had messed up, and Josh was trying to fix it. Josh wasn't suppose to fix Drake's mistakes anymore. He sighed and trudged on with his day.

Instead of sitting at the "cool" table Drake normally sat at, adorned with a random girl and the other popular kids, Drake and taken to sitting at the far side of the cafeteria. He was not in the mood to try and field question after question about what happened in Chemistry. He heard the chair scrape back and glanced up to see who had bothered to sit with him. Much to his surprise, Mindy Crenshaw sat opposite of him.

"Drake." She greeted.

"Hey Mindy." He replied. Her face clouded with worry when he used her name and not an insult.

"You look like someone kicked your puppy." She commented. Drake looked at her through his bangs before shaking his head.

"I'm fine."

"Boy, I thought you were a better liar than that."

"What do you want Mindy?" The flat tone of his voice startled her slightly.

"Your not sitting with the flavor of the week and the so called popular people."

"Yeah so? Your not sitting with the smart people either."

"They talk to much." she commented lightly and almost grinned at the irritated glance he gave her.

"Whatever." He muttered. She shrugged and pulled out her lunch.

"Where's yours?" She asked motioning to her food.

"I forgot it." He said. She handed him her pudding cup.

"Your favorite." She said with a smile.

"What do you really want?"

"Just to hang out." At his disbelieving look, she held up her hands. "Really, I just want to hang out a bit."

"Why?"

At the question, Mindy felt herself at a loss for words. Why did she want to hang out with Drake? They didn't get along very well, Josh had been their only common link. Maybe it was because she knew he was hurting. Maybe it was because the rumors going around was that Drake had fallen and hard from his popularity perch. Or maybe it was because deep down, Mindy never disliked Drake, she just played the game they always played.

"Eat your pudding." Mindy replied handing him the spoon.

They ate in silence after that.