Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. c:
Chapter One
...
The ice in Danny's glass of orange juice gently clinked as he absently rolled it around in his hand. It was only 8:16 A.M., but he had to be up early because he and Tucker were going to hang out later that morning. Although they both planned on meeting up at a small cafe that he worked at, he decided to eat a quick breakfast beforehand anyway.
After adding more salt to his plate of scrambled eggs than the meal warranted, he shoveled a forkful of it into his mouth before washing it down with another swallow of orange juice. As he set the glass down, he looked over at a small Polaroid photograph taped to his wall and studied it for a full minute.
It was a picture of him, Sam, and Tucker that was taken sometime during their sophomore year of high school. Sam was in the middle with her mouth opened in a laugh, Tucker was to her right smiling broadly, and Danny was at her left with his middle and forefinger up behind her head to feign bunny ears.
It was a joyous moment between them indeed, but of course, nothing great was destined to last forever. When Sam was eighteen, she got accepted into the college of her dreams. When she received her acceptance letter, she was overjoyed at the news and so was Danny. Unfortunately, the school was located much farther away than he hoped it would be.
She still wanted to try and make their relationship work, whether that meant long distance or not, but he wasn't going for that. He wanted her to make the most out of her college experience and meet new people without having a boyfriend back home to drag her down.
He felt like college life would be far too hectic to be able to maintain a long distance relationship and she eventually agreed with him. Their breakup was mutual, as they decided it was best to end on good terms before she departed rather than chance a relationship that would most likely fade due to their busy lives as college students.
After she left, things went much more smoothly between them than they thought it would. They called each other often and video chatted whenever they were free, even inviting Tucker to a few of their sessions. All was well for about two months, but then they started to drift apart from one another.
Their usual long conversations became much shorter as their schedules stopped aligning and they grew busier as a result. It was like they could no longer find the appropriate time to squeeze in a text message or a phone call. It felt as though they were living in two different worlds and, eventually, any remaining spark of friendship between them died out along with their communication.
Though Danny was pretty much heartbroken because of that, he figured it was for the best. The process was a painful one to endure at first, but one day, he realized that he was over her. He surrounded himself with new people and strengthened his friendship with Tucker. He knew that time and distance was the key to overcoming a rough breakup, friendship or not.
He wisely took his newfound energy and got himself back out there, which meant dating around. At first, it was a bit difficult because he compared every girl he hooked up with to Sam. He knew that was unhealthy, so he tried to drop that habit as soon as possible.
He took a break from dating for about three years to focus on college, and that's when he met a young, beautiful vivacious woman named Brianna. Unlike the other girls he had dated in the past, with the exception of Sam, he actually really liked her and wanted to progress their relationship. They did, fortunately for him, and they were now currently together for over two years.
Their relationship wasn't perfect, however. They started constantly dating on and off after about four months into the relationship because she was always picking arguments with him and then dumping him, only to come running back soon after.
She was always out partying and drinking with her friends, which was tolerable up until it became much more frequent. She didn't like cooking, cleaning, or chipping in on any of the bills besides the rent for Danny's apartment. She pretty much lived there with him, as there was never a day that she wasn't sleeping there.
"Babe?" he heard her call out to him. Because she sounded like she was inching closer to where he was, he didn't respond. He poked his fork through his eggs again and popped it into his mouth just as she stepped into the kitchen. "Good morning."
He set his utensil down onto the plate and leisurely turned over his shoulder to look at her. She had her mahogany-colored hair pulled up into a messy bun and was wearing a black satin robe that hugged her hips. "Morning yourself," he replied. She smiled sweetly as she approached him and then she pecked him on his lips.
"Can I borrow $45?" She took a step back and puffed out her lower lip, which was something she always did whenever she wanted her way. "I want to get a pedicure today."
Danny flashed her a tight lipped smile and reluctantly nodded his head. "Sure. You know where I keep my cash." It was almost a routine for her to ask him if she could borrow some money, but she never paid it back. He eventually stopped expecting her to.
Her smile increased into a broad one as she clasped her hands together. "Thank you!" She leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek before rushing out of the kitchen and back down the hallway. He didn't have that much time to dwell on what just happened, though, because his cell phone started to ring.
He eyed his drink for a moment before deciding to bring it along with him. He curled his fingers around the glass and lifted it from the counter before making a beeline for his phone, which was sitting on the arm of the living room couch. He grabbed the device and peered down at the screen, choosing to accept the call one he recognized the number.
"Hey, Tuck. What time are you swinging by?" He swished the ice around his glass once again as he waited for a response from his best friend. He was just about tip his head back and drink more of his juice when Tucker informed him that he was already outside. "Oh, shit. Okay, I'm coming."
After hanging up the phone, he quickly set his glass down onto the coffee table in front of him and patted the right pocket on the back of his jeans for his wallet. Once he felt it there, he stuck his hand into his left pocket to make sure his house key was in there. When he was done checking for everything, he rushed towards the front door.
"I'm out, Bri! Lock up for me!" He swung the door open and stepped outside, closing the door behind him as he descended the stairs of his building. Sure enough, Tucker's black Nissan Altima was parked in the parking lot of the apartment complex. He approached the vehicle and entered the passenger side after pulling open the door.
"Dude, as much as I've been to your place, I still can't figure out how to get in here," Tucker told him. He chuckled and fastened his seatbelt as Tucker put the car in reverse and started to back up. "There's way too many turns involved just to get to this building alone."
"It's not that complicated, but then again, I'm more used to it than you are." Danny leaned back in his seat and stared out the window, watching as the buildings started to depart after Tucker shifted into drive and propelled the vehicle forward. "Bri's going out to get a pedicure today."
Tucker's eyebrows pulled together and he snorted. "I'm not even surprised. Let me guess, you paid for it." It didn't sound like a question, so Danny just rolled his eyes and swung his hand through the air. "If you had a dollar for each time that girl asked to borrow money from you, you'd have enough to pay my rent."
"Actually, I'd be broke because she'd just take that money, too," Danny replied. He and Tucker shared a quick laugh before lapsing into a comfortable silence. It sounded like a joke, but he was mostly telling the truth. Brianna wasn't like that when they first started dating, but once the relationship progressed, that's when she started asking for money.
He didn't mind lending her cash if it was going to be used for necessities, which she always said it was for, but instead she came home with the opposite of a necessity. Whenever they argued, it was because he brought up the fact that she was using him. Hearing that always pissed her off and made her dump him, but the next day, there she was running back with an apology.
He stopped trying to communicate with her about it because every time he brought up the subject, she either blatantly ignored him or escalated it into a huge and unnecessary argument. He felt like he was walking on eggshells around her and that he had to monitor everything he said and how it was said to avoid rocking the boat.
Once he and Tucker arrived to the cafe, they walked inside the building and took a seat at a table near the entrance. A waitress, or Danny's coworker, approached them with a friendly smile and handed both boys a menu. "Morning, Danny," she greeted. He returned the greeting just as politely and looked down at his menu as she departed.
"You know, I don't know why more people don't come here often. This place has great food and great service," Tucker remarked. His eyes were roaming over his menu when Danny glanced up at him. "I'm not complaining, though. Less wait time for us."
Danny didn't respond, but he did decide to check out the area. It was relatively empty in there, with about four other people present in different sections of the cafe. He almost dragged his gaze back down to his menu after glancing at a girl sitting at a table adjacent to his, but when he swore he recognized her, he did a double take.
Sam.
Her dark, glossy locks now cascaded down her back in layers. Her lips were painted with a subtle shade of red lipstick instead of the dark purple one she used to wear years before. She was sitting at a booth by herself and looking down at her phone. Her table was completely empty, like she was done eating and was now getting ready to leave.
Danny could slowly feel his heart sinking to his stomach the longer he stared at her. Eventually, Tucker grew curious as to what he was looking at and followed his gaze. Once he spotted Sam, his jaw slacked and he quickly turned back over his shoulder. "Dude, that's Sam!"
"Don't you think I know that?" Danny hissed. He sank in his seat and lifted his menu to shield his face in case she happened to glance over at them. Tucker leaned forward and snatched the menu away, earning him a powerful glare from Danny.
"Go over there and say something."
"Are you nuts? I'm not going over there." He sat up and exhaled sharply. "It's been years since we last spoke to each other. What if she doesn't want to talk to me?"
Tucker rolled his eyes and rose out of his chair. "You know she'd still talk to you for hours if she could. If you want to sit here, go ahead, but I'm going to say hi." He turned and made a beeline for Sam's table, and after a moment of hesitation, Danny trailed after him.
"Hey, Sam!" Tucker greeted with a wide smile. Sam raised her head up, her lashes sweeping upward as she looked towards the boys before her. "Long time no see."
Danny's felt his stomach flip when the corners of her lips rose into a warm smile that quickly increased into a broad grin. "Hey, Tuck!" She stood up from her seat and tentatively curled her arms around Tucker, who happily returned the embrace. She pulled back after three seconds and looked over at Danny, and that's when he felt the heat rushing to warm his cheeks.
He clasped his arms around her and she did the same. The world around him seemed to melt away as she pressed her body against his and rested her head against his shoulder. The embrace was gentle, warm, and comforting, all of which made him never want to let her go.
Unfortunately, he had to. He drew apart from her and retracted his arms to his sides. She retained her smile and took a step back, glancing back and forth between the boys. "How have you guys been? It's been years since we've spoken."
"I know," Tucker agreed. "You look amazing. Did you ditch the whole Goth thing?"
Sam puffed out her lower lip and glanced down at her outfit, which consisted of a white t-shirt, black ripped jeans, and white sneakers. "Physically? Kinda, yeah. I'm still a pretty dark person at heart, though."
"You look great both ways," Danny remarked with a tender smile. "How long have you been back for?"
"Two weeks. I would've stopped by, but I've been really busy with unpacking and settling in. Long story." She removed the black wayfarer sunglasses from the top of her head and held them in her hand. "We have to go, but I really, really want to catch up with you guys sometime."
Danny's eyebrows skyrocketed. "We? Who's—"
"Hey, babe." A tall guy with messy brown hair and broad shoulders approached them and snaked his arm around Sam's shoulders. She smiled almost awkwardly at him and looked to the floor for a second. "I'm ready to go. Sorry I took so long." He then eyed Danny and Tucker. "Who are these clowns?"
She hesitated before motioning towards Danny. "David, this is Danny." And then she pointed at Tucker. "This is Tucker. They're, uh, really good friends of mine."
David pressed his lips together and nodded his head as he sized Danny up with his eyes. "You're Phantom, right? You ain't too popular where I'm from." The curtness in his voice was evident, which left Danny wondering if he actually knew about his past relationship with Sam.
Speaking of Sam, she sensed the amount of tension in the air and decided to cut the conversation short. "Danny, Tucker, it was really nice seeing you guys again. We can meet here tomorrow morning around eight if you're interested in catching up."
Danny didn't know why, but he became exhilarated and gleefully accepted the opportunity. "Yeah, of course." He flashed her the same goofy smile he had always worn throughout their relationship, the same one she had always said that she loved to see.
"Okay," she told both he and Tucker. "See you tomorrow." And then she and David were gone, exiting through the front door and walking down the sidewalk. Danny's expression fell after she left and he collapsed into her now empty booth.
"David," he scoffed to himself. "That doesn't even fit with Sam."
Tucker partially lowered his eyelids and dropped onto the empty seat across from him. "Yeah, but it fits with Samantha, and Brianna fits with Daniel. Don't forget you have a girlfriend." His shoulders rose and his head rolled to the left. "Sure, she might be a gold-digger, but still..."
A grimace clouded Danny's features as he caught their waitress's eye. "I didn't mean anything by that. It was simply an observation." He waved the woman over once he decided to just sit at that booth instead. She obliged and came shuffling right over. "Hmph. David."