Thanks to those who reviewed! Sorry I can't list you all right now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom…neither do I own a LG Neon…the phone I have been craving for since sumer :(
Chapter 2: Thursday July 9, 2009
So Pauli had bailed on her, hence putting her through what seemed like weeks of endless boredom and torture. And Star hadn't really bailed on her, it was just that her family was taking a Caribbean cruise for two or three weeks, then a European cruise, then an Asian cruise. Star would never be home for the summer. One thing Sam was glad for was Valerie Grey, her new friend. They had spoken every night for hours taking turns to call. It was fun talking to her and hearing about her hilarious boyfriend, Tucker and all the trouble he could get in. She was also glad for the update on the ghost attacks in Amity. Where had she been for the last year and a half?
Sam turned on her stomach and started to think about the mysterious Daniel Fenton, preferably called Danny. She was to meet him last week Saturday, but he had called in sick with Tucker to look after him.
"He's just nervous and scared. Typical Danny," Val had said while they were sipping a smoothie.
Sam sighed, would she ever meet him? Her summer was shaping up to be a stupid, boring one. Star had cancelled on the sleepover because her parents were dragging her off on several cruises. Maybe she could go to the Caribbean with Star. She cringed at the idea. She couldn't stand Star for more than a few hours at a time. It would be like killing herself to spend every day of three weeks with her. She sighed. Did she not have any friends at all? She turned over on her back and flipped her huge novel open. Though her eyes were on the words, her mind was somewhere else.
Her drifting thoughts brought her back to the dream she had had the night before. Not only had she had it the night before, but she had been having the same dream every night since she had met Val and the ghost hunters.
'Probably not,' Lily answered for her.
'Shut up!' Sam yelled
'Social retard!' Lily yelled back.
'Superficial bitch! Shut up!' Sam yelled back. That one had Lily narrowing her eyes and successfully shutting up. Sam sank into a state of depression for a moment then realized it was stupid and decided that sulking was better. She jumped when her phone rang.
"I'm not reading! I'm enjoying a fun and social activity!" Sam lied. Val had baned her from reading for the entire summer on the realization that Sam had no social life at all.
"I don't care that you're lying right now! I know something that will have you outside in 2 minutes!" Val exclaimed.
"What is it?" Sam asked, rolling off of her bed and walking to her closet, leaving her book, Flowers in the Attic behind.
"Apart from me standing outside of your house, look through the window!" Val said. Sam side tracked to the window and low and behold, right outside the gates stood Valerie! Sam waved and gave her a big grin.
"Hey Val!" Sam yelled. Val cringed.
"Ouch, my ear."
"Oh! Sorry!" Sam laughed, sticking out her tongue at the waiting Valerie.
"Anyway, guess where we're going?"
"Hmm…that's a tough one…let me guess…The Nasty Burger," Sam smiled as she pulled off her pj's and pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans.
"Yes! And put on something nice, Danny will be there."
"Who?" Sam exclaimed, stopping with her hand out to remove a blouse from her closet. Her heart was pounding. She was really going to meet him? She realized that she was scared.
'Oh my gosh! Finally! We get to meet him. I hope he's cute!' Lily exclaimed as she started to jump around. That got Sam moving again and she rolled her eyes.
'Superficial bitch,' she taunted Lily again.
"Danny Fenton! The guy who's too shy to meet you! I did a little something. I found out from Tucker that he and Danny were going to the Nasty Burger to chill today, men only, so I decided to crash their party and bring you!" Val said, obviously excited.
"You are soooo very devious," Sam smirked as she pulled on a black top that flowed to her thighs.
"I know. Now hurry. The sooner we get there, the more fun we'll have."
"I'm coming now," Sam said as she pulled on her almost knee length flat boots. She rushed out her door and soon she was running down the driveway. She pushed her phone into her back pocket and quickly opened the gate.
"And now, we walk," Val said and they both started walking toward the town.
"Good thing I wore flats," Sam said.
"Yeah, or you'd be in a whole lotta pain by the time you get back home plus walking is fun, and its exercise. You look like you need it. In that house every single day just, eating and eating and eating. I can see you're getting fat Sam," Val teased. Sam rolled her eyes.
"I'll just starve myself to slimness then," she replied sarcastically.
~~~*~~~
"We just walk in and slide next to them. They won't know what hit them," Val said as they stood by the door.
"Ok…wait a second…who am I supposed to sit next to?" Sam asked. She was nervous.
'Duh, Danny,' Lily said. She had promised to sit back and let Sam handle it…until she wanted to step in, which was a pretty stupid promise because Lily always wanted to step in and correct something. Sam didn't believe her for a minute.
"Duh, Danny. Just calm down, Sam. There's no reason to freak out now, k? Just follow my lead," Val said and without warning, she pulled the door open and walked in. Sam didn't have time to freak out. If she didn't follow Valerie in now then Val would have to pull her into the place, and she wasn't in the mood to be embarrassed.
Everything seemed to go pretty slow. Val turned to her and winked as she approached a table with two boys sitting around it. She could identify Tucker immediately, and it wasn't because he was facing her. Dark skin, forest green eyes hidden behind glasses and a beret on his head. He wasn't bad looking himself. Val slid in next to a surprised Tucker and his mouth was slightly open. Then he turned to look at Sam, then at the person sitting in front of him, the guy whose face Sam could not see. Sam held her breath as she slid in next to the strange boy. She smiled and turned to him. Her heart stopped.
Danny caught the surprised look on Tucker's face as he, Tucker, was looking at something behind Danny. Then Valerie, Tucker's girlfriend appeared beside Tucker, pushing him over on the seat. He thought that was the surprise, but the look on Tucker's face got even more confusing and as Danny was about to turn and see what was happening, someone sat next to him. He looked at her and he almost blacked out.
'Damn, when since did you get lucky?' Lily asked.
IT'S HIM!
IT'S HER!
"Hi," Sam said softly after taking a deep breath.
"Umm…hi…I'm sorry," he blurted. Sam wanted to smile. Almost a week had passed and he was still apologizing for knocking into her.
"That's ok. You don't have to," Sam said.
'You idiot! You finally get to meet the girl you've been crushing on for the past week and…you're an idiot!' Danny chastised himself, wanting to fling himself into a metal wall.
"Umm…ok…hmm," Danny said, currently unable to think of anything else to say.
"Hi Sam. I'm Tucker Foley and this is my best friend Danny Fenton," Tucker said holding out his hand to her and slicing through the awkwardness.
"Hi Tucker, I'm Sam…Sam Manson," she said, shaking the hand. Tucker cleared his throat and kicked Danny under the table. Danny jumped and glared at Tucker. Tucker was trying to make unnoticeable moves to Danny, with his head, telling the shy boy to say something.
"Umm…nice to…ah...meet you…Sam," Danny said, extending his hand. Sam shook it and tried not to blush. She had all types of thoughts running through her head now. She was glad that no one could read minds…ok, she was unsure about that. If ghosts were real, then there was a possibility that a mind reader existed too.
"We just got here, so we haven't ordered anything yet. What do you guys want?" Tucker asked turning to Val and Sam.
"I'll eat what you're gonna eat," Val said.
"Anything without meat and a strawberry smoothie," Sam said. Tucker's eyes widened and Sam couldn't tell if he was breathing.
"What did you just say?" Tucker said, his voice squeaking.
"I said anything without meat and a strawberry smoothie…is something wrong?" Sam asked confused.
"I cannot carry your meal to you, good madam! And yes something is wrong! Where did your meat go? How can you not eat meat?" Tucker exclaimed.
"He's as much of a meat freak as he is a tech freak," Val quickly explained. Sam's eyes narrowed in realization and she pulled away from him a bit.
"Meat lover," Sam said.
"More than the ordinary kind," Tucker boasted.
"How can you do that? Eat the animals that help to regulate the Earth's processes!" Sam exclaimed, passionate about the cause. Tucker leaned forward and narrowed his eyes.
"Because they taste good," he said. Sam leaned forward too and they engaged in an eye to eye combat. Danny raised an eyebrow and looked from one to another. Valerie was irritated and grumbling to herself. Then out of nowhere, Sam and Tucker broke down with laughter.
"Samantha Manson! I never thought I'd see you again!" He said.
"Thought the same thing Tucker Foley! I thought you'd change for sure!" She said. Tucker shook his head.
"Nope. Still a meat lover," he admitted proudly.
"And still a tech geek," she said.
"I see you've taken up Goth and never forgot your animals and the Earth," Tucker said.
"I thought for sure something would change. I think you even have the same glasses," Sam leaned back.
"I got new lenses, but the old frame design was just me," Tucker also leaned back.
"Am I missing something?" An irritated Val spoke up.
"Val, why didn't you tell me it was Samantha Manson?" Tucker asked.
"I did. I told you I had a Sam Manson for you to meet. You were the one who wasn't listening Tucker," Val said.
"It doesn't matter now. Tucker and I used to go to the same elementary school," Sam said.
"Really?" Val and Danny asked at the same time.
"Really," Tucker and Sam said.
"We were kinda like…best friends. They used to beat Tucker up, I used to stand up for him," Sam smiled. Tucker blushed, the red barely noticeable against his dark skin.
"Geez, Sam. You didn't have to tell them that," Tucker mumbled. Val turned to him, an amused smirk on her face and an eyebrow raised.
"I'd believe that any day. I have to be picking up for his behind…and Danny's too," Val said. Danny jumped at his name, eyes wide, looking like a cornered wild animal. Sam frowned internally.
'He's a bit…jumpy,' she thought to herself.
'A bit,' Lily said, staring at the shy boy.
'He's just shy, like me,' Sam said.
'No, honey, you're not that shy. Thank goodness I live in your head and not his,' Lily said, suddenly thankful for Sam.
'Don't say that. I'm sure that beneath all his shyness he's a cool guy,' Sam said, not even sure of herself.
'I hope so for our sakes cuz this is a double date and he is our date. Have fun. I think I'll sit this one out,' Lily said and disappeared. Sam's head felt unusually empty.
'I thought you said he was cute,' she hissed, but Lily was nowhere to be seen or heard. Sam looked at Danny. He was blushing and staring at the table.
"I never asked you to, Val," he said.
"But if I didn't, you'd be road kill right now Danny, so be grateful," Val said. Tucker was staring at Danny and when Danny looked up, the two friends shared a moment of understanding.
"Umm…I'll go order," Danny said and stood up. Sam slid out of the seat and he hurriedly passed her. Danny thanked God when he didn't step on her toes. Sam plopped back onto the seat and stared at Tucker and Valerie.
"Now's your chance, Sam. Go help him!" Val said.
"Huh?" Sam asked, raising a confused eyebrow.
"He's really shy as you can see, especially around girls. You can't blame me for wanting to help him out. He came here a little over a year ago and if I hadn't taken him under my wing, my boy would be friendless now. Me and Val are the only 'friends' he has and we want him to be happy," Tucker said. Sam stared after Danny. He was fidgeting in the line.
'He does need help,' Sam thought.
"I can make him happy?" Sam asked, catching on to something, probably reading through to their real purpose.
"You can try. You're the only girl in Amity who isn't judgmental and full of herself," Val said and scowled as if she was remembering some bad memories.
"So, basically, you want me to be his girlfriend," Sam said bluntly. For a minute both Tucker and Val were speechless.
"Umm…technically…" Tucker started.
"Yes. Yes we want you to be his girlfriend," Val said, no intention of making a long explanation from it.
"I feel used," Sam said leaning back in her seat. Val rolled her eyes.
"Do you seriously think that we only think of you as a pawn in our little game, Sam? No, I'm not that type of person and we're not telling you to do it against your own will. We just want him to settle down and open up. Make friends, approach girls and not make a fool of himself and learn how to talk to people. He doesn't even talk to us much and we're his only friends," Val said. Tucker only nodded in agreement. Sam sighed.
"Yes, I'll help, but I don't know what to do! I'm shy myself," Sam said.
"We know that," Val said, remembering when Phantom had run into Sam.
"So, why me?" Sam asked.
"Just go and help him out," Tucker said.
"But…" Sam started.
"Go!" Val said.
"Bu…"
"GO!" Val and Tucker said. Sam scrambled up from her seat.
"Fine," she said and hurried after Danny. What would she say to him? She didn't know how to talk to boys! She had no experience with them! Why did they have to choose her? She was the worse person to employ. Oh boy was she in for a summer.
"Umm…Danny, do you need any help?" Sam asked as she tapped him lightly on the shoulder. This time he didn't jump, but he turned around quickly to nervously meet Sam's eyes. She smiled at him, hoping it would put him at ease. It did quite the opposite.
'Oh man, she has a nice smile. What to do? What to do? Think Phantom, think Phantom!' He screamed at himself.
"So, Sam, huh," he said.
'Not cool,' he mentally cringed.
'What?' Sam questioned to herself.
"Yeah, my name is Sam," she said, wondering if she was answering his question, wondering if he was asking a question. He smiled back and laughed a little.
"I mean, why Sam? Why not…Sammie?" He asked.
"Oh," Sam blinked, feeling like the idiot now, "I recently realized that Sam sounds much cooler than Sammie. My friends used to call me Sammie."
"I like Sam better," he said, continuing to smile. She blushed lightly, her mind back-tracking to Phantom. He had been the one to rename her. Danny's heart was beating extremely hard beneath his clothes. He was nervous beyond explanation, but he was still hoping that their conversation would go well; it didn't take long for him to realize that he had a crush on her.
'Please, please, let this conversation go well. She may be my first girlfriend,' he pleaded. He blushed at this thought. Girlfriend. Danny Fenton and girlfriend did not go well together in a sentence.
"Then I guess that would be good," she said, lamely.
"I don't like Daniel, so I just asked Tuck and Val to call me Danny," he said, getting closer to the cash register.
"I like Danny too. I've always have a thing for the name." she admitted.
'Ha! You admit it! To him! I can't believe it!' Lily shouted, popping up from wherever she had been hiding.
'So what if I like the name Danny more than I like Gary?' Sam countered.
'Then why did you name your imaginary boyfriend Gary?' Lily asked, smugly.
'So I wouldn't be forced to like him. Gary is an ugly name,' Sam internally scowled.
'Hmm, I win!' Lily said and she disappeared again.
"Oh…ah…I guess that's good then," he answered and they shared a quick moment of friendly laughter.
'It's harder to make conversation than I thought. AHH! This is torture!' She internally screamed.
"Yeah, I guess," she said and the conversation died. Danny turned his face away from hers and looked the other way, she did the same.
'Damn, it's hard to talk to him. Normally the words just flow!' She yelled. Somebody brushed against her arm and brought her attention back to inside the building.
"Umm…hi," she said uncertainly as she blinked at a middle aged man with a bulging belly. He was standing on the opposite side of her, eyeing her. He was a little taller than her, bald, and had leering eyes.
"Hello madam Juliet," he said. He grabbed her hand and bent down to kiss it, keeping his eyes on her face all the time. Her eyes flitted over to Val and Tuck. They were holding hands and staring deep into each other's eyes. She looked at Danny, he just looked spaced out as he continued to wait.
'Is this man insane or something?' Sam asked herself as she watched him rise.
'Eww, remember to wash your hand afterwards,' Lily piped up, unable to keep silent through all the weirdness.
"Um…my name isn't Juliet," she answered, confused.
"Ahh, of course thou art my Juliet as I am thy Romeo," he said, snaking an arm around her waist. Sam jumped back a bit and ran right into Danny, bringing his attention to what was going on beside him.
"Sam? Lancer?" Danny gazed on, confused also.
"Could you please leave me alone?" Sam asked, scared of the man.
"Not until I know you are rightfully mine," he said, the hand around her waist moving downwards. Sam narrowed her eyes and punched the man in his face.
"Get your friggin' hands off of me you pedophile! And leave me the hell alone unless you want these boots straight up your fat ass!" She yelled, causing everyone in the restaurant to stare at her.
"Lancer, I think you should listen to her," Danny said, firmly to the town pedophile/pervert. Sam stepped back even more and realized that she was pressed into Danny's side. His hand lifted around her shoulder and pulled her even closer to him. Sam was too upset to blush.
"But she is so beautiful, dear Daniel. Allow me to have a go. Be kind and share," Lancer continued. Sam's temper was boiling and she wanted to tear this man's eyes out. She growled quite animal-like and tried to pull herself from Danny's grasp, but he held her too tightly to his side.
"Shut up, Lancer! And leave her alone! You do not want to get hurt," Danny said. Sam was shocked out of her anger. Had Danny just threatened somebody? She looked up at him in wonder. Was he really the shy boy he proclaimed to be?
"I have not been successful today, but I will try again tomorrow. I bid thee adieu," Lancer said. He bowed and turned to join the back of the line. Sam stopped breathing as Danny reached out to Lancer and grabbed him from the back. He spun the pedophile around and grabbed the front of his shirt, still holding on to Sam.
'Whoa,' was all Sam could think.
'The boy does have some moves,' Lily said, amazed also.
"If you ever decide to harass her again, I will personally kick your slimy ass straight to prison," Danny threatened. Everyone in the fast food restaurant was looking on intently at the scene, all of them surprised at Danny's reaction. No one knew him personally, but they had always seen him around, a quiet, shy kid. Lancer did not respond, he only scurried away to the end of the line. Sam could feel Danny relax as the confrontation ended and she leaned her head more onto his chest. It was comforting.
"Wow, I never knew you could do that," she said, one of her hands playing with the hand that was still holding her tightly to him. It felt nice pressed up against him like this.
"I never knew myself. It's about time somebody did something about him. He's been on the verge of raping somebody for the past couple months," Danny said, running his hand through his hair, trying to calm his nerves. He had almost lost it. He had almost torn the man apart with his ghost powers, but why? Sam wasn't the first girl Lancer had harassed, so why had he gone loco when Lancer was coming on to her? Why?
"Excuse me, sir. May I take your order?" Someone behind the counter asked.
"Oh," Danny said and pulled out the money from his pocket and spreading it out on the table, arm still around Sam. She didn't mind. She relaxed into him, going as far as to subtly sniff him. She smiled at his scent. Very nice, not too manly and definitely not fruity. She could get used to this.
Danny wasn't noticing how closely he had pulled Sam to him, he also wasn't noticing that he still held her pressed to him.
'Ooo, I like him,' Lily moaned.
'I like him too,' Sam agreed. It was a rare thing for them to agree. Danny was ordering and Sam beamed with delight when he remembered her order of no meat.
"Hey, you remembered," she said. Danny glanced down at her and blushed ten shades of red. She was smiling up at him with his arm still around her. No wonder the guy behind the counter was glancing at him grudgingly. He immediately dropped his arm and took a step away from her.
"Sorry," he muttered. Sam frowned slightly. She was already missing the closeness.
"That's ok, I didn't have a problem with that," she flirted.
'Are you flirting?' Lily asked excitedly.
'Am I flirting?' Sam asked in disbelief. She tried to smile at Danny, but it came out as one of those smile/frown things. Danny didn't seem to be convinced and held his head down, mumbling apologies. He was back to his old self. She sighed in disappointment and crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes drifted to Valerie and Tucker who for sure were now looking at her. They were beaming and gave Sam a thumbs up when she looked at them. Sam rolled her eyes and turned away from them. Danny was collecting the meals.
"Let me help," she said, taking up one of the trays.
"Ok," he said simply, taking up the other tray and following her to their seats.
"About time yall brought the grub! I'm starving!" Tucker yelled and immediately dived into his all meat burger.
"Hey, Tuck. You can have the beef in my burger. I think I'm gonna go vegetarian for a while," Val said, opening her burger to Tucker. He wasted no time in grabbing all her meat and stuffing it into his huge burger.
"You have no table manners, Tucker," Sam said, staring at him. He waved his hand dismissively at her and continued eating. No one could bring him down to Earth now. Danny had already started eating, preferring to not look at anyone. Val and Sam made eye contact and Sam's back pocket started to vibrate. She took out her phone and opened the text message.
Val: *Tht was pretty hawt!*
Sam: *Tht was pretty scary!! Tlk bout perv!*
Val:*I neva knew Danny could do tht! I neva knew he could stan up 4 himself.*
Sam: *Ok, tht was pretty hot. Y is he so…shy?*
Val: *I knw, sum1 dats worse than u!*
Sam: *Ha, funny! But, wat's up with him? All he needs is a lil confidence booster.*
Val: *U can try tht…wen u get a confidence to boost.*
Sam: *Not nice*
Val: *But it's da truth, girlfren.*
Sam: *I knw…man is he shy! U think he'll eva cum around?*
Val: *Thts wat ur here 4. Gud luck!*
"Hey, you guys ain't eating? I'd offer to eat it for you, but I don't do veg," Tucker said, eyeing their food with a look of disdain. He jumped slightly and pulled out his phone. He looked at Val and winked.
Sam: *Wat was tht bout?*
Val: *U'll c. XD*
Sam: *I don't like that smiley…wat's goin on in tht mind of urs?*
Valerie didn't answer, but she winked at Sam and dug into her burger. Sam glared at her before taking her first bite.
'Yum…doesn't taste too bad,' Lily said.
'You mean, this tastes awesome! I should come here more often!' Sam said.
'Yeah. Whatever,' Lily said and waved it away.
'Aren't you even curious about what Val is planning?' Sam asked.
'No.'
'Why?'
'Because whatever it is, it involves him,' Lily said, pointing to Danny. Sam' heart began to beat faster.
'I don't think so. They're not that desperate, they can't be!' Sam said.
'Fine, if you don't believe me, just wait and see,' Lily said and stepped back.
'Why are you giving me more room now? I thought you'd be happy to coach me about boys…especially when I'm pressed into the chest of one,' Sam said.
'I realized that you don't need me behind you, pushing you to do everything. You're not as dumb as you look,' Lily said. Sam remained silent for a while, then realization hit her.
'You don't know a thing about boys, do you?' Sam asked. She would have asked smugly, but if Lily didn't know fly about boys then she was totally clueless about them in a way no other girl was. Lily blinked insanely fast.
'Pshh…no! I know a lot…I happen to know a lot…about…boys!' She said.
'You're just as clueless as me. We're in the same boat, my insane "other me",' Sam said, smiling sadly on the inside.
'I did not admit to it, so you can't prove anything!' Lily defended herself.
'I know you as much as I know myself…you are me, Lily. You can try and fool me, but it won't work. You don't have to admit to it and I'm not going to force you because I know that you know nothing. Situation solved, discussion done,' Sam said and turned her attention back to her 'friends', (at least she hoped she could call them that) who were finishing up their meal.
"That was delicioso!"Tucker said, leaning back in his seat, putting his hands behind his head.
"Wow, he speaks another language apart from tech geek. Bravo for you, Tuck," Val teased as she pinched him in the side.
"Hey! Don't do that! Do you want me to get stitches?" He asked.
"Maybe…your side hurting you shouldn't be in your head now," Val said, her voice low and teasing.
"Oh, so what should?" He asked, matching her tone.
"My house," Val said. Tucker smirked.
"Sounds good," he said. Val took his hand and they gazed into each other's eyes. Danny and Sam stared at them uncomfortably.
'Are they in love?' Lily asked, starry-eyed again.
'I hope not, its kinda creeping me out,' Sam said to Lily. Lily ignored her as she continued to ooh and aah at Tuck and Val. Somebody cleared their throat. It was Danny. It worked, it brought Tucker and Valerie out of their love trance.
"Oh…Danny…Sam…oh," Val said, with quite designed speechlessness.
"Danny, you don't mind walking Sam home, do you? Val would do it, but as you can see…"Tucker said, trailing off. Sam's mouth was slightly agape as she stared at Val. There was that wink again. She and Tucker were quite the couple. They had it all planned.
"Um…ahh…huh?" Danny said, confused.
"You know, walk with her, to her house so she doesn't get lost," Val said.
"Is she new in Amity?" Danny asked. Val glanced at the surprised Sam and then at Danny.
"She might as well be, been living here all her live and didn't even know that The Nasty Burger existed," Val said.
"Now, that's bad. So, what do you say, Danny?" Tuck asked.
"Ahh…sure…I'll…um…walk her home," Danny said, uncertainly.
"You're a sweetheart. Come on Tuck, we may need to hurry," Val said and drew Tucker from his seat to follow her.
"Bye guys!" Tucker said and winked at them before rushing through the door after Valerie.
'Ooo, they're good,' Lily said.
'Yes they are' Sam grudgingly agreed. She turned to look at Danny and gave him a forced smile. Yes, this was going to be some summer.
Ok, so this is it. The chapters are pretty long so I don't know how quickly I can update. It helps to know that I do have a few in store though, so hopefully I can keep up a steady flow of chapters. I hope you all liked it because I enjoyed writing it! Below are a few reminders.
' ' – Thoughts. Sometimes shows conversation between Sam and Lily. Remember, Lily is in Sam's head.
" " - Actual spoken words.
