Chapter 1

"How?"

"Take your best guess, Tuck."

"Or you could just leave it alone, Danny."

"Ghost powers can come in handy in more ways than one, Sam."

She gave up—the uselessness of talking a ghost and a nerd out of another revenge scheme was off the charts… Why couldn't they simply let things go? It only antagonized Dash, their primary target. Their reasoning was somewhat just and somewhat stupid—they were the constant victims of Dash's violence, always bullied and picked on. It was kind of sad. Dash got away with everything he did. But to resort to ghost powers? Things never ended well that way.

But perhaps in their thick heads it would.

She sat back and watched the two boys concoct some plan that she was sure would eventually either backfire or come back to bite them in the butt.

After a few minutes they seemed to have decided on something—she prayed it was only mildly provocative.

Danny ducked under the cafeteria table and sunk into the floor with a mischievous smile on his face. That smile was the key indicator that this one would not be mild but definitely still provocative. Too provocative.

Dash suddenly stood up and pulled his pants down. Tighty whities. Nice. He pulled his underwear out and stuffed his food in them.

She closed her eyes and held her head in her hands. Dash would be so ticked at this and Danny would suffer his anger. She heard the entire school mocking Dash. Or, more accurately, Danny in Dash's body….

"Dash" sat down, the sound of his food squishing in his underwear quite audible to everyone. Danny reappeared from under the table and sat contentedly next to her.

Tucker was laughing through a mouthful of food.

"Dude, that was amazing!"

She shook her head in disappointment.

"I didn't see anything 'amazing', I saw someone act like a child and that someone will get beaten to a pulp by the end of the day," she said.

"Why, Sam!" Danny gasped. "Surely you don't mean me!"

She sarcastically raised an eyebrow. "No, I mean the other ghost boy in town."

Both the boys giggled like a couple of little girls and she sighed.

"I swear, you two are impossible!" she huffed as she abandoned her food to leave the cafeteria.

It was for the best. There really were times she couldn't stand them. And though Tucker never actually pulled the prank, he supported each and every one. That was bad in and of itself. It only gave Danny another reason to pull these stupid pranks that always got him in trouble with Dash. It was just the worst… Maybe if Tucker joined her in discouraging his foolishness, Danny would—le gasp—stop.

But whatever. Let those two do what they will, nothing would change their minds anyway…

Flashes of Danny being thrown into concrete and bricks, getting a huge beating trying to protect others, went through her mind. It was wrong to call them totally foolish. Danny got hurt at school, randomly on the streets, and occasionally at home. Maybe the pranks weren't just about Dash. Maybe he wanted some outlet for all that frustration. So…in a way, she felt a little sorry for him.

She stopped walking and leaned against a wall. The bell would ring soon and the daily rush to class would rumble through the halls. She wondered if she would hear Danny's cries as he pushed his way through the crowd, followed by Dash and his threats. They were both idiots in their own respect… Dash academically and Danny maturity.

But Dash saved the football team. Danny saved the city. So. Yeah. It was probably the only reason she could forgive him so easily.

Cue bell. Cue Crowd. Cue chatter. Cue Danny. Cue Dash.

This time the threat became an action because Danny's attempt to use his small size to hide within the crowed failed and Dash caught him by the scruff of his shirt. He turned the boy around to face him and growled furiously. He tried to squirm his way out but Dash wasn't having it today and ripped open the nearest locker, violently cramming his victim inside and slamming the door back.

He left only halfway satisfied with the punishment he'd just dished out.

Let it never be said that she didn't warn him—or in this case, predict—that this was to come.

She waited until Dash rounded the corner before gently opening the locker to let her friend out.

"Thanks, Sam," he said.

"Don't thank me! You're the one who got yourself into this again! How many times do I have to tell you not to be so stupid?"

"It's not stupid," he protested. "But it's not like he ever shoves you into lockers, how would you understand? It's not just a prank, it's justified revenge."

"It's boyish and immature."

"Untrue. May I emphasize the 'justified' part?"

"You know what? I'm sick of letting you out of lockers. I'm sick of helping you down every time he hangs you on something. I'm sick of helping you find your pants. I do all these things because for some reason I have this dumb idea that you might one day change your mind. It won't happen though, will it? You enjoy every minute of it knowing I'm here to cover your back when you screw up!"

She stormed off as he closed the abused locker.

Forgiving him was easy, yes, but unfortunately she had to do it repeatedly, frequently, when it would be great if she never had to in the first place. But for now, she didn't even want to see Danny.

Unfortunately she got the pleasure of running into Dash, who was busy picking on another unlucky nerd right down the hall.

Then she got an idea. If Dash would stop picking on Danny, Danny would have no "justifiable" reason to pull any pranks—nothing to avenge. But how could she do that…? It was—

"Manson!" he angrily yelled to her.

She rolled her eyes and walked up to him. The nerd had escaped, to her relief, once his attention had been redirected to her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Listen to me," he said, "I don't know how he does it but I know Fenton's the one pulling these pranks on me. I still have meatball sauce in my underwear thanks to him!"

"And if you would stop picking on him wouldn't the cycle end? Ever think about that?"

"Listen here, Manson…" he growled. "If you don't get your boyfriend to stop, Foley's next. Got it?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Why can't you just get through one day without aggravating anyone?"

"Why can't your boyfriend stop aggravating me?"

Such maturity…

"Danny's not my boyfriend, first of all, and second of all, one of you has to be the bigger man and just stop!"

He smirked. "One of us has to be the bigger man, huh?"

She nodded. "And I can't change Danny's mind so that leaves you. Be the bigger man. Stop."

He chuckled and without warning, backed her up against the wall.

"I'll be the bigger man, just like you want," he said. "I need a little…support, though."

The way he looked at her made her uneasy. It wasn't that cocky smirk. It wasn't his dimwitted attitude. It was his eyes… There was something in there. He almost seemed primal…

"As it happens," he mumbled to her, "Paulina and I are…well, we're taking a little break right now."

"Mm. Sorry to hear that." Pfft.

"I'll just get straight to the point here." He cleared his throat. "A big man has big needs. And a bigger man…" He brought his face close to hers. "…has bigger needs."

Was he threatening her? Was this supposed to be a red flag? Because this looked like a huge red flag.

"I'll make you a deal, Manson. I'll be the bigger man and lay off Fenton. In return you'll take care of my bigger needs," he suggested. "Sound good?"

He had to be kidding. If they were on the same page, she would not be satisfying anyone's needs—especially not "bigger needs". That sounded repulsive, not good.

"You can forget it," she answered. "I'm not that kind of girl."

He took a deep breath, smiled, and pulled away from her.

"Whatever the lady wants," he chuckled.

He walked away with her glaring at him in disgust.

A/N

So this was my idea but there's a chance it could turn M, in which case CornerstoneKey will take over all M-rated scenes. I'll try to keep it T though, since I'm not known for writing M-rated fics.

Anyway, hope this turns out better than I'm expecting—very little attention, in case anyone is wondering. (I keep low expectations especially when I write a new story—I won't abandon The Boy With the Rings, Stable Boy [previously known as Whatshisface], or Flowers Will Grow though.)