A/N: Presenting the somewhat-long-awaited sequel to Is Forever Enough! I give you…ZERO!
By the way, the font changes show changes in speaker.
2320
"He kept himself hidden from so many people. Only our family and Sam and Tucker even knew of what he wanted to be. No one else.
"He wasn't very outspoken. He tended to keep things to himself, especially things that were important to him. Not even Sam knew some of his secrets until we found his note.
"He knew this would happen some day, so he left behind a letter to try to help us cope. He always was thoughtful like that.
"Mom and Dad were so upset when they first read it. They felt like they had missed so much, but he had worked hard to keep secrets from them. He wanted to tell them, but he only wanted to explain when the time was right.
"It never was. He told no one, not until the letter. It's sad to think that if he hadn't left, we still wouldn't know.
"We put this off until now because, well, Mom and Dad couldn't handle trying to plan it. Sam was in denial for the longest time, then she and Tuck tried to hunt him down in the Ghost Zone. I even went with them.
"Everything was gone. The maps we'd made had become inaccurate. We got lost within minutes and almost got stuck in there forever. I'd never been so scared in my life.
"Tuck came through in the end, though. He figured out a way to track the Portal, and we made it out.
"But we never found him. Even now, we have no idea where he is. We've been looking ever since, but the Ghost Zone keeps changing.
"He never meant for things to be so difficult. We all know that, if given the chance, he would've woken up, but it wasn't meant to be.
"So now, here we are, trying not to break down as we talk about him. As we say how we feel. As we remember him, each in our own way as we try to cope with this disaster."
2320
Your Life dreams are shattered,
Now you're gone away.
We've cried here for hours,
And the hours turn to days.
We know you regret this,
Leaving us here,
With portraits and memories
That we've held so dear.
2320
"I haven't been able to say his name since he died. Every time I even heard it, I would break down, crying. I can't stand the thought of him being gone, even though I know that coping is the best possible thing to do.
"Some great psychologist I turned out to be. I can't even deal with death. If I can't handle it on my own, then how am I supposed to help my patients?
"I know this would be the time when he would use some of my so-called psychobabble against me. I can almost hear him say, You're never on your own. Someone else is always mourning with you.
"I'd say similar things to him, though it would normally be about dealing with school. You're not on your own and people want to help you were mantras I instilled into him, but I just can't trust them myself. I'm such a hypocrite.
"But he'd always try to help people, even when they didn't want help. He was just like that. I hope I can be like that, too."
2320
When I hear your name, it's not the same.
No matter what they say, I'm not okay.
2320
"We grew up together. Sure, we were two years apart, but we both had to deal with Mom and Dad's experiments. Well, I guess him more so than me. After all, I didn't even believe in ghosts until they began attacking.
"But he trusted Mom and Dad. He even tried to help them with their experiments. I mean, he landed in the hospital for a week after fixing the Portal! But he couldn't stand to see Mom and Dad so upset.
"I guess that's where we differ. I love my parents and all, but I've never cared for their obsession. In fact, I've tried my hardest to get them to stop all their ghost hunting. But he encouraged them to do what they loved, no matter what that was. He said that to everyone.
"Even though we both came from the same place, he turned out so much better than I did, and that almost makes me feel guilty that I'm still here.
"In school, my grades were perfect. His were far from. I could be whatever I wanted. He had dreams that would never come true. I cruised by in school without even needing to pay attention. He struggled through to just barely pass. I took my dreams for granted.
"He shot for the stars."
2320
And we started at zero, and went different ways.
Now we're all out here wasting away.
And if we started at zero, then how did things change?
It seems like just yesterday we were the same.
2320
"Three months. God, it's been three months! Three months since he left, three months since we couldn't help him.
"Three months since he let himself die.
"I know everyone keeps saying we couldn't stop it, but I knew they were wrong. Danny said Clockwork had told him it was time, but he never got proof. For all we know, he could've broken out, disguised himself as Clockwork, and finally succeeded in getting rid of Danny. We could've done something, anything to help him, but we didn't. That's all it comes down to. We failed him the one time Danny really needed us.
"And the worst part is, I'm the reason Dash was even made at Danny that day. I had told him that Danny was better than he'd ever be, and he decided Danny was a threat to him. I just stood there as he beat Danny to death. I stood there, just like all the other stupid students at our school. Tucker's the one who got me moving, but we were still too late.
"We could've helped him. I could've helped him! But no, I just stood there and watched as the only guy I ever loved was murdered.
"The guy of my dreams is dead. The guy who was going to become an astronaut, who wanted everyone to just get along, is dead! He's gone, he's not coming back, and the person who killed him wasn't locked up, even though the whole school saw him!
"Danny wasn't just some loser at school, either. No one there knew how hard he worked to keep Tucker and I from beating the crap out of each other. No one knew how he strived to get good grades despite of the condition he faced after the explosion.
"No one knew how much he gave to protect these idiots. How he gave up sleep, free time, nearly even his sanity.
"No one noticed until he gave up his life."
2320
It's been three months since he left us.
So far nothing's been the same.
And my question without answer is:
Am I the one to blame?
He was such a good description of a favored future man.
He spoke well of other people, and they said the same for him.
2320
"Jazz was definitely right. It hurts to hear his name. It hurts even to say it, but what hurts most is the fact that everyone's gone back to how they were before. They've all forgotten whose fault it was that he's dead. They've even praised Dash for it! I should know, I heard them. They act like all he did was stuff Danny in his locker like he used to, but they ignored the truth. Everyone's ignoring the truth, all because his murderer is a popular! That's all it takes anymore to be exempt from the law, being a star quarterback at school. On a losing team, even! All you need is one touch-down pass and it's smooth sailing. So what if other kids have to actually work to get the same rewards? So what if you have to beat up some uncool kid? If they let you slide once, you can do whatever you want, even if it is murder.
"But even worse is walking down the halls, listening to them talk about him. Hearing them say how he got what was coming, how he deserved to die, just for being himself, for being different. Which he only was because I had convinced him that unique was good.
"Was. Not any more. If it cost …Danny his life, unique was the worst thing in the world."
2320
When I hear your name, it's not the same.
No matter what they say, I'm not okay.
2320
"I met Danny in second grade. We all did. That's when they first moved in. Danny and Tuck hit it off right away, but I was nearly enemies with them. To me, anything non-black was evil, so of course the tech-geek and his ghost-hunting buddy were the same. To me, they were just as bad as the populars.
"But then they proved me wrong. The populars had been, of course, picking on me when the two came over. As the new kid, Danny had a chance to prove himself by joining in. Y'know, the kind of thing that makes or breaks your school rep.
"He turned his head back and forth between them and me before shaking his head. You shouldn't pick on people, he'd said. He bent down and helped me up, then turned and pushed me and Tuck towards his house.
"I told him he didn't have to do all that, but he shook his head again. I know I didn't have to, he said, I wanted to.
"That was the start of a beautiful relationship that had just become something more when he died. That always has a tendency to ruin a relationship.
"Everyone thinks my change in attitude was because of Danny, and, in a way, it was. He was the first person to accept my differences, the first to show me that unique could be good. But he's also the first friend I've seen die.
"And now look at me. I'm wearing a pink, frilly dress my mom always wanted me to wear. Well, there ya go, Mom. That's all ya have to do to get me to wear one. Just kill off one of my friends, and you'll have the Barbie-doll-daughter you've always dreamed for.
"In the meantime, though, I'll be shooting for the dreams Danny's unable to aim for anymore. NASA, here I come."
2320
And we started at zero, and went different ways.
Now we're all out here wasting away.
And if we started at zero, then how did things change?
It seems like just yesterday we were the same.
2320
"No one really understands how we feel. No one was anywhere near as close to him as we were. I'm not surprised that they've given up on trying to share their sympathies. We never wanted them in the first place.
"We all knew the signs. If Danny seemed even the slightest bit off, we'd practically smother him with caution until he got better. More than once Jazz and Sam tried to convince him (and me) to go to the hospital. He never would, though. He always was more careful than us. More paranoid, too.
"Either way, none of us noticed the signs this time. He hid them too well. To go back and think that he knew what was coming for those three months… it still makes me shudder.
"He always used to bring his problems to us. If we couldn't solve them, no one could. But that time, he kept them hidden from us. From all of us. He knew what was coming, he accepted it, and he let himself slip away.
"But it doesn't matter why he fell away from us. What matters is that he did fall away, and we're the ones suffering for it.
"Ever since they read the note, his parents haven't been able to look at their inventions. His dad's even ignored Jazz a few times, and we all know he liked her more than Danny.
"His mom's worse. She destroyed the Portal when she figured it all out. Then, she took the pieces outside, in their backyard, and made them into a bonfire. People thought for a little while she'd gone crazy, but they stopped thinking that when Jazz told them it was a normal reaction. Since then, Maddie's broken nearly every piece of equipment in their lab, making it very hard for Sam, Jazz, and I when ghosts find their way here.
"But Sam's the worst. She rescued a piece of the Portal from Mrs. F's rampage and keeps it on a chain around her neck. She can't stop thinking about Danny, and, frankly, I don't blame her. But she keeps getting more and more cheery, a sign that, to anyone else, would mean exactly what it sounded like. But with Sam, it was to show she was getting depressed. She even came here today in one of her mom's dresses, something she wouldn't be caught dead in! And the sad part is, no one besides us notices. To everyone else, it looks like things with us are better than when Danny was here, but they aren't. They're worse
"But no one cares. After all, we're just losers, anyway."
2320
They say they're sorry, well what are they sorry for?
How can they possible know what I'm going through?
I feel like no one's ever had to deal with the pain that I'm dealing with right now.
Just Six months ago everything was fine or so it seemed.
What turn of event caused him to go downhill?
His parents are devastated.
His girlfriend's depressed.
What was he thinking?
2320
"Sam mentioned that Danny and I hit it off right away, but that's not exactly true. In all reality, I think I ticked Danny off. A lot. But Jazz kept pushing at us to be nice to each other. It took a situation with Dash to turn us into true friends.
"See, Sam blames herself for Dash's pummeling of Danny, but the truth is, if it weren't for me, Danny never would've become Dash's punching bag in the first place.
"I followed Danny around all the time when he first came. I thought I might actually get a friend, but he hadn't seemed to want one. Then Dash decided to drop in.
"See, back then, I was the target, not Danny. As techno-geek, those things tended to happen. A lot. But the second Dash pulled back his fist, Danny jumped him. It was actually really funny, watching Dash jerk around with Danny hanging around his neck and yelling at him.
"Apparently, Danny had bully problems at his old school, too. Jazz told me a few days ago when I told her about that day. He'd never wanted to share his past with me, or Sam. His mom had taught him self-defense, but he never felt the need to use it when someone was hurting him. When someone else was the victim, though, he went wild.
"Danny may have saved me from one beating back then, but he'd doomed himself to a life-time of the same. He didn't care back then. He only wanted to help someone else. He wanted to help me, even though I'd been annoying him to no end.
"He didn't care then, and he doesn't care now. And I know that, even as a ghost or whatever he is now, he still won't care. He's a true hero, and heroes don't back down when someone's in trouble.
"Even if it means sacrificing themselves."
2320
And we started at zero
And went different ways
Now we're all out here wasting away
Wasting away
Wasting away
2320
"Danny's selfless. He never cared if he got hurt. In fact, pain made him concentrate even more on the threat before him. That's why he just took everything Dash ever threw at him. It never made him angry that he was a target, just annoyed.
"Danny was a good kid. He could always find the good in someone. He never hated anyone, not even the people who picked on him. He never complained when he was hurt. Sometimes, Sam, Jazz, and I didn't even find out he was hurt until we saw blood. Danny didn't like to bother people with something he could do on his own, not even if those people wanted to help him. He was selfless like that, never wanting to see others hurt or threatened. He did more than anyone here will ever realize.
"And ya know what? I think it's better that way. When people finally figure everything out, it'll just make them appreciate him even more.
"And he deserves the appreciation after everything he's done, rather than the zero everyone's given him."
2320
And we started at zero
And went different ways
Now we're all out here wasting away
And if we started at zero
Then how did things change?
It seems like just yesterday we were the same
We were the same
We were the same
2320
A/N: Not quite as long as the other one, only seven pages without the lyrics and eight with them. Anywayz, these are slowly turning into a series of one shots…. I may have to post them all together when I'm done, lolz! Byez, y'all!