Begun: March 23, 2007
At 3:52.12 PM
Typed: March 21, 2008
At 11:31 AM
A/N: TUCKER RETURNED! Or at least, the plot bunny shaped like him did… so here. I'm going to try to write Danny's speech before I forget what Tucker told me. EEP!
A/N2: Uh… there's going to be an extra long A/N at the end of this. Explaining a few things… including why it took me almost a year to type this out. DX Be prepared for it.
Disclaimer: Don't own Danny Phantom. The all powerful Butch Hartman does.
He is somewhere near
He is somewhere better
He wanted nothing
His life was all he needed
I could have saved him
I should have been there
It should be me in that casket
It's my fault…
I should have been there
I COULD have SAVED him
I knew my speech was next, before Sam nudged me gently. Sam squeezed my hand tightly as I stood up, giving a weak smile meant to encourage me. It only made my knees shake more violently.
"This is my best friend." I began slowly. "Don't be expecting anything short and sweet." I glared at the popular section of Casper High. The whole freshman class showed up, minus two kids. 'I could have saved them too.' I bit my lip looking back down. "Tucker Foley, often known as Techno Geek to many at Casper High, and during the fun filled week in October, 'Bad Luck Tuck'." There were a few snickers in the CH section. "But that memory isn't why I'm here. I'm here because Tucker was there when I needed him. He saved some of you. He unknowingly saved me. Unfortunately, he couldn't save himself in time. He cared more than he acted sometimes. For those parents who don't realize his sacrifice, I'll elaborate. It was a Wednesday morning. The day started out like most Wednesdays do. A drag. Nothing exciting happening. But lunch came. Tucker, Sam and I went to eat outside, like we normally do. But this was different. Tucker had finished before Sam and me. He said he needed to talk to a teacher, and went inside. Sam and I stayed outside, to finish our lunches.
"Unbeknownst to us, flames were rising from the roof of Casper High… where he was heading. However, Tucker smelled the smoke from inside the building. He pulled the fire alarm. He knew what to do in a fire. He screamed for everyone to evacuate. He made sure everyone was outside. Sam and I searched the entire grounds, but could not find him anywhere. Suddenly, a figure came running for… the… for the… door-" I trailed off, making eye contact with Sam. Sam's head was down, and she was trembling. She looked up, her glassy lavender eyes meeting mine… and I sniffed slightly. She attempted another encouraging smile, but there was nothing there. She shook her head and wiped her mascara, and I looked down again. "A figure came running for the door – but tripped suddenly when running. Kwan and Mikey ran to go help him. I didn't realize it at the time, but that was Tucker who tripped. I tried to help him when I realized who it was, but something held me back. It was Tucker.
He looked right at me. He shook his head and mouthed no at me. A split-second later, it happened. The roof had become so unstable, the beams collapsed. The roof came with it. The walls fell forward as the entire building collapsed – crushing Tucker, Mikey, and Kwan – still burning. Tucker was prepared to sacrifice his life to save the student body. Tucker was a hero. He wanted nothing more in his life than to play a hero at some point in time. He did, at a larger cost than anyone can ever imagine.
"Tucker is my best friend. He just moved to a better place. It is one where I cannot follow. One I can only dream of seeing one day.
"Tucker was a hero in more ways than what I explained. Tucker helped people. He cheered them up when they were sad. He knew how to react in dangerous situations. But most of all, he did it through friendship. Which is why Sam and I wrote this. As our final goodbye – because goodbye doesn't feel like enough. Because goodbyes are sometimes overrated. We wanted something more. This is for Tucker:
For a friend
Who means more to me
Than any novel
Or any poem can describe.
For a friend
Who suffered through
All jokes handed to you
And every problem
In front of you.
Only technology can recover
From your infinite clatter
Your knowledge exceeding
Its limited boundaries.
Only, we are not technology
We feel the pain
We will remember
You're boundless skills.
Living on with a smile
Your life a great story
Not a care in the world
But friends and technology
Like a storybook ending
You always loved
You're life had meaning
But the ending was wrong
Endings come along in every life
Like a bell about to ring
It's unexpected sometimes
Unexpected and unannounced
Every time we were together
You had something new
Be it a new PDA,
Or a new way of life
You're time wasn't yet
You had yet to live
Your life gone in a flash
You're the brother I never had.
You always were ready
To face a challenge
Never to back down
Your life wasn't over – yet."
I grabbed another sheet of paper from my pocket. "Tucker wrote this. I found it in his room a month ago. He wrote it a year ago for a project. I feel this described him better than anyone in here can. Put into words, it's a short poem – his poem – describing himself the way he wanted to be seen." I laid the sheet of paper, preparing to read – but noticed a tear fall on the page. I swallowed hard as a hand clasped my arm.
"Let me. Let me help." Sam had come up behind me. I nodded looking at the paper. She grabbed it from me.
(Sam is bolded, Danny is italicized)
Life is a precarious thing
I learned my lessons well
Live how you want to be seen
Not only to be viewed
I live for more
Than I could ask for
But I know what I want
What I want to be known for.
I want to be a hero
Not a comic book figure
Someone who puts his life on the line
Asking nothing in return
I don't want to be invincible
I don't want to be anything more
Life won't allow me
Life is all I want.
I want technology to help
Not hurt
I want technology to save lives
To do our bidding
Without a doubt.
I want to be somewhere near
To hear the call
I want to help them
Without a tall
Reputation to live up to.
I want to be somewhere near
Somewhere better
I want nothing more
My life is all I need."
"His life was all he needed. He did help us. He's somewhere near. I know he's somewhere better." I sniff and grab Sam's hand, and we return to our seats, leaving my last line off. Goodbyes are overrated. Especially when you're telling them to the ghost in the back of the room. The ghost who only Sam and I noticed. The ghost whose PDA still worked in the Ghost Zone. The ghost who was crying. Goodbyes just don't reach that altitude. But Sam and I still whisper it to the silent room.
Goodbye Tucker, dear friend
Visit us often –
When you get the chance."
A/N: Done. But Tucker doesn't seem happy. He wants reviews.
OKAY! So explanations:
"Why didn't Danny just go ghost and pull the three from the burning roof?"
Two reasons. First, although Danny seems to be good with split second decisions, his friend was the one in danger. He was somewhat terror stricken. And who thinks very clearly when they're terrified for your friend. Second, the roof was still BURNING. ;; I know this probably has a horrid explanation, well, I always figured that Danny's ghost mode is really cold (and many other fanfic writers on here do as well…), and so my thought here was: Ever put an ice cube in a fire? It wouldn't have been pretty if Danny did it.
(Seriously? I actually didn't think about it until just now. DX)
"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!"
Ummm…. Lemme see. I had a HUGE project due when this was originally written. And I didn't know if I had to put it up on a website that checked for plagiarism, and both of the poems in here ended up being in the project. DX So I couldn't update it. Then my school decided that they were going to go crazy on us. I didn't have any time until now to update it. Also, I lost the rough draft, and it just turned up TODAY. As in, 3/21 today. DX It was missing for a year almost. Sorry everyone!!
"What was the inspiration behind this one? This couldn't have been randomly written!"
You're right. I didn't just randomly write this. Another reason I didn't want to update this right away is the fact that on my OGT I had to write about a "normal day that suddenly turned abnormal." And,
well, this story just wrote itself. It's kind of weird. But even though this story was about a David, Saundra, and Tucker, well, I didn't want people to go, OH! I've seen this story somewhere else, and fail the test that allows me to graduate. And I don't know where the fire came from. It was rainy outside. DX So yeah.
Yeah, so this was written during a poetry project. So I got a great grade on it, but I had to put this story away, and lost it. But it's here now for you!!
Luv ya all!
Sparrow
Finished: March 23, 2007
At 6:25.34 PM
Typed: March 21, 2008
At 1:26 PM