Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom Stallion, though I can't help but think that it would be amazing if I did. I also do not own the song "What I Hear" by Jessie Daniels.

What I Hear:

Jen shook her head adamantly at what Sam had just recently told her.

"No, Sam. Don't lie to me about things like this." She said seriously. Sam shook her head, as if to say that she was innocent.

"No, Jen. I'm not lying to you. I'm really, really serious about this. It's what I hear!" Sam exclaimed, though it wasn't exactly true. He hadn't said anything about it to her directly, but she knew that Ryan Slocum liked Jen or she wouldn't be doing this.

Jen's blue eyes widened.

"Are you kidding me? He really said that?" Jen asked. "Wow…" Her eyes stayed stuck in the same wide expression.

"Yeah… I promise." Sam said, feeling her stomach turn at the words. She'd just made a promise that she couldn't guarantee she would be able to keep.

"Wow…" said Jen again, and then realized she'd come to her house, and started to walk away from Sam. She didn't say anything more, but waved good-bye in a distracted manner.

Sam smiled. Jen and Ryan were so good together, and maybe now after all of Jen's longing she would get what she desired.

---

Jen stumbled into her room and collapsed on her bed.

Could it be true? Everything Sam said… could it be true?

Jen grabbed a pair of headphones, and cranked up her I-pod to an extremely high volume. She needed to tune out these things that she was hearing. They would only ruin every good thing she had.

Sure… she liked Ryan. She liked Ryan a lot. So much that she would rather just be his friend than make a fool of herself in front of him.

Jen Slocum… she liked the sound of it. But instead she just turned up the music even louder. She already had a good thing in a friendship with Ryan… there was no reason to ruin it.

At least… not until she had some proof.

I've tried to tune it out
But everyone's talking about you
And I like the sound
Of what I've been hearing
But I need proof

Don't wanna leave it up to my imagination
Everybody's got their own interpretation

Maybe I don't deserve an explanation

The next day, while walking through the hallway Ryan sidled up next to her, and began to walk in step with her.

"Hey, Jen." He said sounding friendly. She stiffened. Now that she knew that he might like her even a little bit, it made her feel sort of uncomfortable around him.

"Hey." She muttered, sounding not nearly as friendly as he had. She felt badly about it, because acting like this towards him was totally uncharacteristic of her. He seemed to notice at once, but he didn't say anything for a moment. That was one of the things she liked about him. He was willing to think before he jumped into something. That was one thing Sam could never quite figure out. She understood why Jake was always flipping out about her safety. Sam couldn't figure it out, but Jen realized that if Jake wasn't around to help Sam might have gotten herself killed already.

"Is something wrong?" Ryan asked, snapping Jen out of her thoughts. She blushed as she realized she'd been thinking about him. She looked up at him, and was once again embarrassed by how attractive she thought he was. Even confused he looked more attractive than any boy she'd ever seen. A shock of his dark hair fell in front of his light eyes as he stared intently at her. She felt her heart began to beat a bit faster. She spoke, but it came out in a wavering tone.

"N-no. Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking." Jen pronounced. And it was the truth. She was a more than a bit confused, but nothing was really wrong.

"Care to share?" he asked, shining her high-wattage smile at her. She felt her heart speed up again. She clutched her books to her chest school-girl-style as he continued to stare at her. She shook her head.

He smiled again, amused.

"Okay, Jennifer. I'll see you later then." He said, calling her by her real name. He was the only one she would allow to call her that without receiving a dirty look. He gave her another friendly glance and walked towards his classroom. He'd see her later. Later had potential.

Could it be true? She shook her head and tried to erase the thoughts from her head. They made her too happy, but she knew that happiness was only temporary, and the happiness she was feeling was even more temporary than usual, seeing as it was based on a presumed statement. It was just too good to be true. And as the old saying goes: If something's too good to be true… it probably is.

I can't tell
Is it real is it true
What I hear about you
That you love me, love me
That's what everybody's saying
Can it be that you see
Something beautiful in me
Well it sounds too good to be true
What I hear about you

Jen did see Ryan later, but it was not in the way she wanted to see him.

She was walking down the hallway when Sam got a shocked look on her face, and pulled Jen into the girl's bathroom.

"Sam," Jen said, seriously, "We have to get on the bus. What is wrong?" Jen asked. Sam quickly tried to make something up to explain the situation outside.

"I know we have to get home… but there's, there's this bully outside named Coutzam Cantzum… and well, she's trying to beat me up." Sam told her, and almost started cracking up, because it was one of the worst lies she'd ever made up in her entire life. It was like a bad joke. Coutzam Cantzum? Jen gave her a stupid look.

"Sam… you and I both know very well that there's no person in this school named Coutzam Cantzum. There's probably no one in the whole entire world named Coutzam Cantzum and if you think I'm dumb enough to believe that lie you obviously don't believe I'm very smart at all." Jen said indignantly and rushed out of the bathroom into the scene Sam had been trying to keep her away from.

"She's new!" Sam called pathetically, but Jen wasn't listening anymore. It was hard for her to listen when she saw the boy she was in love with kissing another girl in the hallway. Jen let out a slight gasp as she saw them both by the lockers, and turned the other way and started walking towards the bus line.

Unfortunately this was not before Ryan looked up and saw her standing there. Sam, though she wanted to be mad at Ryan, realized that Ryan did most definitely like Jen, despite the fact that he was kissing another girl. Anyone could tell it from the look of pain in his eyes when he saw her. He pulled himself away from the other girl and said something angry in her face, and then raced after Jen.

But he was too late, because Jen had already boarded her bus and she wasn't getting off it to talk to him.

He tried to make eye-contact with her, but she wasn't in the mood, and pulled out a book to read instead.

But she felt pitiful when she realized, that even though he'd just done this to her she still wanted to look into his eyes and tell him that he was forgiven. And that made her feel like throwing up.

I tell myself
They're only just rumors
Don't buy in
Oh but I can't help
Hoping that I'm wrong
In the end

I don't know what to think under these conditions
Never really been here in this position
All I know for sure is there's no dismissing
The way I feel

Jen rushed off the bus, and only then realized that Sam hadn't got on. Maybe Coutzam Cantzum had gotten a hold of her, Jen thought with a bitter smirk. But Sam was a good friend trying to keep her from seeing something that was going to so obviously hurt her. But that excuse had been pitiful… Coutzam Cantzum!

When Jen got to her house she didn't feel like going inside. It was too stuffy in there. Instead she walked out to the barn. It was upsetting to think that Ryan would be home soon to talk to her. After all, they practically lived in the same house. It wouldn't exactly be hard for him to find her.

She wandered around the barn for a second and then walked out back to sit on a swing that was out there. She hadn't sat there for a long time, and she was hoping that it would be harder for Ryan to find her out there. At least that way she would know that he'd really looked for her.

He had looked really sorry…

She shook her head as if to knock out the thoughts. There was no way she could accept his apology that fast. But then again… he had nothing to be sorry for, really. They weren't dating. He hadn't even admitted to liking her. He didn't have to apologize, and the fact that he had meant… it meant that he liked her! She grinned, and then realized how pathetic he was acting. If he liked her why was he kissing some other girl? That didn't exactly point the way towards him liking her, now did it?

And suddenly she heard a noise from her behind her. She didn't turn around though, because she knew it was him.

"Jen…" he said quietly, but she didn't turn around to face him. She didn't do anything to sit there, and she wasn't planning on it. He would have to come around and start talking if he wanted her to forgive him… or at least forgive him out loud. She'd pathetically forgiven him inside already. He stood behind her for a second and then conceded to come around to her front.

"Jen… I didn't mean that. And I don't know why I'm even apologizing because it's not like we're even together." He said, saying the thing that she just said a minute ago, "But you know what Jen, I'm going to apologize anyways. You know why? Because I like you a lot more than I liked that girl I was kissing. And I also respect you a lot more than I respect her." He looked at her, expecting her to say something. She didn't.

"Okay, you're obviously going to make this hard. Well the thing is, Jen, I like you, and you need to know that. But obviously you like me too, or else all this gasping at me kissing girls wouldn't be going on. Or at least I don't think it would be…" he muttered stupidly. She still didn't say anything.

"I guess you want me to keep talking, don't you?" he said, rhetorically. He looked up as if to think of something to say. But all Jen could think was, just shut up and kiss me. "So, anyways, I was thinking that if you wanted we could go on a date or something…" His voice wandered off again, and he looked to the ground for a second, "Or… or we could just do this." He said, and then he did what she'd wanted him to do for so long - he kissed her. She looked up at him for a long moment and smiled.

"Or we could both…" she said dreamily. He smiled at her.

"Or that." And then he proceeded to do the second choice again.

It is sounding so amazing
Cause I've been waiting
Hoping you would find me
Even though you said it
I still don't get it
How can it be true

---

So, what did you think of that? I thought it was a little bit to fluffy for me, but you know… a little fluff never hurt anybody, now did it? Well, you know the drill, read and review!

Thanks for reading,

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