Summary: "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Which of course lead to awkward situations. But when you gotta go, you gotta go." A sneak peak into daily life for students of Casper High.
A/N This one-shot is drabble-tastic and rather random. The POV is purposely anonymous, and I tried hard not to make it a Mary Sue. Really, it's just a sneak peak into daily life at Casper High and how other students are affected by Fenton/Phantom's extracurricular activities.
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I took another sip of water as Mr. Lancer droned on, writing something on the board about irony or maybe it was hyperbole. The problem with any class right after lunch was the post-meal induced haze of lethargy that inevitably permeates the entire room. It doesn't help when the class is your least favorite subject taught by the most boring teacher in the school. Because today was Friday, the drowsiness appeared to have hit the entire class especially hard. A glance around the room revealed that no one but Mikey was paying attention to the lesson. Paulina was painting her nails, Dash and Kwan were making paper footballs, Donna was doodling. Danny, Nathan, Star, and Tucker all seemed to have passed into the passed out stage. I'm pretty sure the latter was even starting to drool on his desk. I glanced at the clock. Dammit, still an hour and fifteen minutes left in class. Hopefully I wouldn't also succumb to the temptations of sleep; I couldn't afford another detention if Lancer caught me. My eyelids fluttered as I shook my head to keep myself awake.
The other problem with class right after lunch is that whatever you ate for lunch continues to haunt you (sometimes literally). Today was pizza day and the two slices of pepperoni I gobbled down earlier had been especially salty. Although chasing it with a bag of pretzels wasn't the wisest or healthiest choice either. Just the thought of lunch had me taking another huge gulp from my water bottle. Thankfully I had remembered to refill my 48oz Nalgene before class. Luckily the water fountains were back in working order - last week a couple of them had been squirting out green gooey ectoplasm instead.
The thing about Casper High is stuff like ectoplasm in the water fountains, haunted cafeteria food, and weekly ghost drills have become the norm. The science wing is still under repair from a ghost attack a month ago and the grounds around the school are spotted with scorch marks and small craters from various aerial battles. The ghosts were frightening at first, but after living with it over a year, the students have become quite accustomed to it. In fact I'd be grateful for an attack right now if only to liven up this lecture or give us an excuse to move around. Besides, it's hard to worry when you know Phantom is bound to show up and kick spectral butt.
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Ten minutes later I absently reached for my bottle again to take another sip of water only to find it devoid of any moisture. I briefly had the absurd notion that Raquel in the seat next to me had snuck a few gulps, but a slight discomfort in my lower abdomen seemed to indicate that I indeed was the sole culprit of the water guzzling. Luckily, the urge to pee was just enough to keep me from dozing off, but not enough to warrant skipping out on class. I could hold it.
Another ten minutes went by. There was now forty-seven minutes left in class. Unfortunately, the 48oz of fluid I had ingested since lunch last period was definitely catching up to me. I started tapping my foot. Forty-six minutes. Sure, I could totally make it, absolutely.
I was not going to make it. Forty-two minutes left in class. By this point I was tapping my foot and my pencil, my legs were crossed and my face would probably be stuck in this grimace for all eternity. I couldn't hold it anymore, I had to make a break for it. Just as I was about to raise my hand, a voice two rows behind me interrupted with a "Mr. Lancer?"
"Yes, Mr. Fenton?"
"Can I go to the restroom?"
"Again?"
I turned to look at the boy that was stealing my chance at relief. He looked sheepish, but didn't back down. Hadn't he been fast asleep merely moments ago?
Lancer sighed and held out the bathroom pass. Danny darted to the front, snatched the pass from our teacher and bolted out the door.
I didn't realize my hand was still raised until Lancer called on me.
"Oh, um, may I go to the restroom too?"
"When Mr. Fenton returns, you may go."
"Okay." Well this sucks.
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My foot tapping had gotten more intense and a couple of the students near me had taken notice. My predicament was fairly obvious, although Lancer still seemed oblivious. A couple of students smirked, clearly enjoying my discomfort and waiting for me to cave. I can imagine the headline, "Sophomore Girl Pees Pants in English Class", splashed across the front page of the school paper. Really, did I have to think splash? A couple of the other students shot me sympathetic glances, that I know what you're going through, but I'm still so glad I'm not you, look.
I stole another look at the wall clock. Thirty-four minutes left. Fenton still hadn't come back. Geez, how long does it take a boy to use the bathroom? My pencil tapping had become more rapid now.
The pain in my lower abdomen was starting build and I held back a groan. Thirty-three minutes and forty seconds. Thirty nine seconds, thirty eight seconds, thirty seven…
The girl behind me jabbed me with her pencil and I looked up. Lancer was staring at me, his hand on his hip and an expectant look on his face.
"Y-yes Mr. Lancer?"
"I asked if there was a reason you were disturbing the class with your little drum solo over there."
Huh? Oh, the pencil tapping. I glanced back at the clock. It was now or never.
"Mr. Lancer, I really need to use the bathroom. I promise I'll be quick, I just really need to go!"
I was literally bouncing in my seat at this point.
Lancer sighed. "Fine, you can go. But hurry back. And if you see Mr. Fenton, tell him to hurry back as well."
I nodded enthusiastically and slid out of my seat. My intention had been to sprint through the door and down the hall, but the pain was a bit too much. I resorted to a sort of waddle, keeping my thighs pressed together as if that were the only thing preventing fluid from escaping. Several of the students snickered at my gait, but I ignored it, focused instead on getting to a toilet as fast as possible. Better they snicker at my walk, then laugh out loud at any potential accidents in class.
The hall was mercifully empty and I continued my waddle/run down the hall.
Of course, the world was just out to get me today.
The door to the girls bathroom was covered by yellow caution tape. A sign on the door said closed for repairs. What! It wasn't closed last week? Dang it, this must have been from the ghost fight yesterday between Phantom and the big metal ghost. I bounced up and down on the balls of my feet, considering my options. There was another bathroom on the second floor, but at this point I didn't trust myself with stairs. On this level, there was another girls bathroom on the other end of the hallway, past Lancer's classroom in the opposite direction. It was far, so far that I wasn't sure I would make it. Also, It would require hopping past the classroom (and yes, by this point my waddle had turned into an awkward hop) where someone was sure to see me through the window. I still had some small shred of dignity to maintain. Of course there was a third option, but it certainly wouldn't keep my dignity in tact. Although the girls bathroom had been demolished, the boys restroom across from it was unscathed. Another stab of pain 'down there' and my mind was made up.
I stole one last glance around. The hallway was deserted. I cracked open the door and peered in, watching for any dudes. Oh thank the Lord, it was my lucky day! The entire restroom appeared to be just as deserted as the hallway. Verification complete, I dashed as best I could to the nearest stall, slammed the door shut, yanked down my skirt, and ahhhhhhhhh sweet relief!
As the fluid drained from my person, it was replaced by a most blissful peace and satisfaction. The stall may have been covered in foul language, there was something green and goopy on the floor, and the whole place reeked of a mixture of body odor and body spray. Nevertheless, in that moment, this stall was heaven on earth. I let out a contented sigh. Glorious.
After two whole minutes, the nalgene bottle of water had made it through my system and I finished up. Suddenly remembering that I was not supposed to in there, my urgency returned. I quickly sidled up to the sink and began scrubbing my hands, using a little more soap than necessary. Who knew what kinds of germs lurked in a boys bathroom?
Suddenly, a flash caught my eye in the mirror. It had come from one of the stalls behind me, but the light disappeared as quickly as it had come. There was a small groan and the stall opened. I let out a squeak and turned to face whoever it was.
"Fenton?"
He started and his eyes widened, looking fearful. "Uh…" His face looked fearful.
"Wait, were you in there the whole time?! What was that flash?" His face turned red as he struggled to form an answer.
"Hehe, well you see, I, uh, I … wait a minute, what are you doing here? This is the boys bathroom last time I checked." he gestured towards the urinals on the wall. Now it was my turn to blush.
"Yeah, well, the girls is closed and I needed to pee and someone was taking too long with the bathroom pass."
He looked contrite, "hehe, yeah, sorry."
There was an awkward pause as we gazed anywhere but at the other. "Soooo, that flash?" I continued, "you weren't like taking pictures or anything creepy like that, right?"
"What?! Aargh, no, that's weird!" He shook his head. "Look, I don't what you're talking about with this 'flash' you think you saw, but I promise it was nothing." By now, his initial fear had turned to a sort of desperation. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and his mouth formed a smirk. "How about you forget about any 'flash' you saw and I'll forget I saw you in the boys bathroom. Deal?" he said, grinning. Crap, I was caught. I was still curious about the strange light, but he didn't seem to be doing anything illegal. Plus, I really didn't want anyone to find out I had used the boys bathroom.
"Deal," I replied, holding out my hand. We shook. I started walking towards the door and was about to open it when I stopped. The deal would be no good if someone else saw me leaving. I turned towards Danny. "Uh, do you mind checking if the coast is clear?"
He chuckled, "Sure." He opened the door and glanced around then turned back to me, "coast is clear." Letting out a sigh of relief I followed him into the deserted hallway. We made our way back to English class in silence, both still embarrassed by the earlier encounter. No one seemed to notice our re-entry into the classroom, considering most were either asleep or otherwise preoccupied. "Remember the deal," I hissed. Danny grinned and nodded as we parted to take our seats and finish out the final few minutes of class. I sighed in relief as I slumped in my chair. Fenton might be strange and skittish, but he wouldn't spread rumors. I stole another glance in his direction. The kid had his head down and was already starting to drool. I chuckled quietly. Twenty minutes left in class. I could make it.
The End.