He transformed back into a human for what might be the last time. The crowd behind from which he flew from was in a frenzy. Cameramen and reporters, fanatic fans and admirers alike scrambled desperately in search of Danny Phantom, but they wouldn't find him — not now or ever.
Instead Danny Fenton emerged from the alleyway he flew to as refuge from the crowd, and almost immediately two familiar figures caught up with him.
"Danny?" Sam spoke first. Her voice was a mixture between disbelief and aspiration from running. When the boy didn't respond or even acknowledge that she'd approached him, she slammed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped walking.
"What the hell was that back there?" She demanded as she stalked in front of him. She shoved his chest when he refused to respond, and he stumbled back, his glowing green eyes glaring at her mystified purple ones.
"Give him a moment to explain, Sam." Tucker attempted to give Danny a reassuring smile, but it flattered the moment he caught the other boy's sour expression.
Sam crossed her arms over her chest, tapping one foot on the broken concrete beneath them, "well?"
"Well what?" Danny dryly replied back. He knew exactly the kind of explanation her and Tucker wanted to hear. However, Danny wasn't quite sure himself of what to say. All he knew was that he felt giddy at the tremendous weight that lifted from his shoulders. He wanted to run home knowing and feeling he was just like any other kid in Amity Park. He wanted to see his parents and note the love for him in their eyes. Hell, he even wanted to sit on his bed and dread the homework he needed to do for tomorrow.
First though he'd have to face a bigger obstacle: his friends.
Frustrated, Sam threw her hands in the air. "I don't know how about the fact that you just told the whole town Danny Phantom is retiring? That would be a great start, Danny."
His eyes narrowed. He didn't appreciate the sarcasm thrown at possibly one of the most important decisions of his life. Sam and Tucker were his best friends. Where was their support? Why weren't they backing him instead of making him feel guilty?
"That was a big bomb to drop, dude." Tucker confessed. He looked uneasy siding against Danny when he wanted to remain neutral, but that was hard given the circumstance. "You didn't even talk to us about it."
"Do I have to consult you two on every choice I make?" Danny snapped. "Tell me, should I use my left or right foot first to storm away from you guys?" The former hero didn't bother waiting for a reply; the question was rhetorical anyway. When he began walking away both of them trailed behind, trying to shake some sense into him.
"Don't be like that." Tucker said. "That's not what I meant. It's just… if something was wrong we would've liked to know so we could help."
"Nothing's wrong, okay?"
"Doesn't sound that way," Sam muttered under her breath, but Danny heard.
He stopped in his tracks once again; his fists balled and shoulders shaking. "You guys didn't know what it was like. Having to be two people, lead two different lives, it…" Danny was unsure how to finish the rest of his sentence, and he didn't really need to. What was certain, however, was the impending ache that tightened in his chest— a definite sign that tears weren't far off.
With softer eyes, Sam went to stand in front of her friend. For the first time since confronting him, she noticed the looming sadness in his eyes. How long had it been there and she hadn't noticed?
She rested her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. "That's crazy, Danny. You've always been the same."
"To you, Tucker, and Jazz maybe. You're the only people who know I'm Danny Phantom. Everyone else has no idea, and—"
"I thought that's the way you wanted it." Tucker interjected. He clearly thought he could solve his friend's problem before it was even stated, but he was wrong. Danny turned on him with such wrath that Tuck took a step back, hands up.
"It is. Was. But now that everyone knows the 'ghost hero' won't be back he can fade from everyone's memory, and I can go back to being a normal teenager."
Tuck lowered his hands. "Is that what you really want?"
Danny shrugged. For now, at least, this was what he wanted. He wanted to be able to look at his parents and know that they loved him. All of him. He no longer wanted to sit at the table for meals and listen to them share their distaste of his Phantom self in the news. Didn't want to hear how they'd shred him to pieces before throwing him back into the ghost zone. Or express how much they hated ghosts in general. With Danny announcing his retirement Jack and Madeline Fenton no longer had an excuse to talk about him. They could redirect their energy and focus on their son. Their human son. That's what he needed more than ever now that he was in the middle of high school.
"I want to support you." Sam said. Her voice was low and doubtful, leading Danny to believe there'd be some kind of protest. "But what about Amity Park? Ghost activity won't die down just because you're gone. If anything it'll get worse."
There it was.
"I know that." Danny said. He continued walking toward his home. By now news station vans were zipping across town. Helicopters flew in the air. Scouts of civilians cluttered the roads. All were in search of one thing: the phantom. "That's what my parents and people like Valarie are for. I don't need to do anything."
"Do you really think they can handle ghosts like Vlad and Technus all by themselves?" She fired back.
"I did."
"Yeah but—"
"But nothing, Sam." Danny turned toward his two best friends. They were now on the steps leading to the front door of his house. "I'm done being you-know-who." He couldn't say Danny Phantom aloud for fear of someone overhearing, but they got the idea. "And you're either for or against me."
Tuck immediately stepped forward. "You know I'm always by your side, man. No matter how questionable your choices are."
Danny glowered, "thanks." Then he looked to Sam.
She still appeared angry, and he couldn't understand why. They'd have more time together now that he wouldn't have ghost duty. That thought alone should've crossed her mind and made her happy.
Tucker furrowed his brows and he nudged the girl with his elbow, "what gives, Sam?"
She grit her teeth and slapped his arm away before turning on her heels and running. Neither of the two boys expected that kind of reaction. Sam wasn't the running away type. She was the stand still and argue at full volume kind of girl.
"Should we go after—" Tucker began, but before he could finish his sentence the slamming of a door gave him pause.
It seemed Danny didn't need ghost powers to disappear. He was gone when Tucker turned around, and the door to this house was locked.
"Why can't I have normal friends who have normal arguments?" He grumbled to himself while he sulking off to find Sam.
Danny listened his to friend walk away and to the cheers coming from the kitchen. His parents rejoiced by Danny Phantom's announcement to retire. They even pulled Jazz into a family hug. His sister plastered a fake smile on for them, but she watched with concerned eyes as her little brother ascended the staircase, eyes glistening.
This should've been a happy moment for Danny as well. Moments ago he would've relished sitting in his bedroom alone with no ghostly responsibilities looming ahead. Now, all he could do was crawl into bed and pull the blankets over his head.