Title: Broken Dreams
Summary: Upset was one way to describe how she felt when the two of them got together. Hurt would probably be a better word. She couldn't help but fake happiness for them, snapping her own heart in two. Maybe that was why she had run to Jeremy. He had seemed so perfect, and yet in the end he was the one to hurt her the most. It didn't matter though; Danny didn't see her suffering. No one did, and she let the hurting continue simply because she was loved.
Disclaimer: The title of this chapter, "How Did I Fall in Love With You?", is the property of the Backstreet Boys. Danny Phantom and all characters affiliated with said show are the property of Butch Hartman, creator of Danny Phantom and The Fairly Odd Parents. The plot of this story and the character Jeremy are the property of me, Frodo01228. Permission to use Broken Dreams given by Red's-Fury—as if she could've refused since I own half of the RP. Teehee.
A quick note: Well, I found my copy of Black & Blue while I was out in the garage searching for my case to my Lord of the Rings: Return of the King PC Game. I, unfortunately, can't install said game onto my laptop until I have the case because it has a code on the back of it. That's all right, though. I can play it on the other computer for now; I just have to snatch the computer from my mother occasionally, which is rather annoying.
Anyway, as for my reasoning around choosing this plot, it was actually borne from an RP I have going with Red's-Fury. That RP is called Broken Dreams. This story was going to be called Black & Blue, but I'm using songs from Millennium too, and I'll probably be using songs from many other CDs that I have available.
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Chapter 1: How Did I Fall in Love With You?
Remember when we never needed each other?
The best of friends like sister and brother
We understood we'd never be alone
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"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but when the hell did that happen?" She couldn't help but stare as her best friend and secret crush walked by holding hands with the girl that had once threatened to kill him… or at least part of him. Lilac eyes couldn't help but remain glued on the couple as they passed. "I thought they agreed on 'just friends' for now."
"Danny and Valerie? Sam, they became more than friends after Valerie found out his secret on Friday. Where were you?" Tucker, the techno geek of the trio, was playing on his PDA while explaining this new phenomenon to the goth girl of the group.
Sam couldn't help but continue gawking after the couple. "I-I was caught and sentenced to detention." How could she have missed this development? Friday had been three days ago; had they given any signs of being together? Sam thought back. They saw her working at the Nasty Burger on Saturday. No, no sign there. They caught her at the mall on Sunday. Nope, still nothing. "He could've at least told us!" she growled, hands tightening dangerously around her books.
"He told me this morning. You were off somewhere."
Sam couldn't help but blush. She had been in the bathroom; she had started her period on the way to school. Thank god for tampons.
"Why so interested? Jealous?"
"Of course not!" she shouted. "Why should I be? Look how happy he is!" She snarled at Tucker then slammed her fist into a locker, leaving a dent.1
Tucker blinked as Sam stalked off. "That… sounded vaguely familiar. He shrugged it off then followed after the glowering girl, still playing on his PDA.
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Sam walked through the halls that morning in a red haze. She couldn't help imagining Valerie's death, and her sketchbook contained at least five pages of gruesome sketches. Her mind kept trying to convince her that she should be happy for him. After all, she had never made a move. Her heart refused to let go, drowning out the voice of reason to curse Valerie in English, French, and Spanish. Danny should've warned her. Didn't he know that she loved him? But no, that was why he was with Valerie. He didn't know.
By lunchtime, a scowl had fixed itself on her face, and her glare was enough to frighten off Dash, Paulina, and their goonies. She retrieved her ultra-recyclo-vegetarian meal and plunked down at their usual table, head resting on her hand as she glared at the wall.
"Sam?"
"Knew you'd turn up eventually," she muttered as the blue-eyed, raven-haired teen approached her. "Congrats on the whole new relationship."
"I tried to tell you this morning." He sounded sad, his shoulders slumped and his eyes clouded with his concern for her. "You ran off before I could get a word out."
She pulled out of her self-pity long enough to smile at her obviously-upset best friend. "It's okay, Danny. I'm not upset about that." He eyed her wearily. "I swear," she insisted. "Today is just… not the best of days. I'm happy for you, Danny. I really am."
Her heart shattered to pieces, and she died inside when he smiled. His eyes lit up, his entire image changing with her words. "Really? Thanks, Sam. I was worried you might be upset. I mean, we've been a trio for so long, and we're not anymore." He turned and smiled at Valerie who walked up beside him. He then turned his gaze to Sam. "Can we sit with you?"
Sam could feel her eye twitching2, and her smile seemed plastered on her face and totally fake to her. "Sure."
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I can't believe I said they could sit here. She wanted to run and hide, to find somewhere she could pour out all her emotions that were threatening to crumble her usually strong, emotionless, goth exterior. Tucker couldn't believe Sam had let them sit with her. He was nursing a throbbing shin bruise because he'd nearly made a comment concerning his inability to believe that Sam had actually let them sit with her.
Why? she wanted to scream. Why did she have to fall in love with Danny? Cute, funny, loveable Danny with the bad grades, large dreams, and a hero complex. Why couldn't she have him? Why did Valerie—bold, strong, bone-crushing hunter with her own hero complex and past personal grudge against Danny Phantom—have to be the one to capture his heart?
Crying seemed the best way to cope with this. Yes, a good, long sob would help her recover. She sat at the table in a daze, the conversation about her lowering to a hum in her ears3. Her meal was picked at, glassy eyes and trembling lower-lip revealing the conflict inside. But she never said a word, and no one seemed to notice. She was alone in a sea of faces, forgotten by the one she loved. How could you do this to me, Danny?
Footnotes
1: Lucky in Love-Episode 16
2: Flirting with Disaster-Episode 30
3: Titanic
