not really, but i wanted to catch ur attention
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the elements of the show.
dodges a pitchfork or two Sorry for the wait!! For once, it's my beta's fault…but technically not at the same time. Her finals (and mine) were more important than fanfics…but summer is here now, so hopefully more updates! XD
Chapter 1 - Of Anger and Comic Books
"Seven years, Danny. Seven years!"
"I already said I was sorry; what more can I do?"
"How 'bout you spend the next several years of your life tracking down another first edition copy of Superman volume 1?" Naomi shouted loudly at him. How many times does she want me to apologize?!
"Guys?" Sam's soft tone tried to interrupt them, but they paid her no notice.
"Whoa, you had a Superman volume 1? Bummer…" Tucker spoke up after Sam's failed attempt. Not helping Tuck!
"Miss Cohen! Mr. Fenton!" The two squabbling teenagers turned their heads towards the front of the classroom, guilty expressions etched on their faces. "As fascinating as your discussion is, perhaps you'd be so kind as to allow me to teach my class and to continue your conversation at a more appropriate time such as lunch, or, if you feel so inclined, detention?" The pair slunk down in their seats at the man's annoyed expression.
"Sorry, Mr. Lancer," they said together. Satisfied, the heavy-set teacher turned back to the blackboard. Great, like I don't already have enough problems with Lancer… Danny looked over at his friend, whose angry gaze remained trained on the front of the room. Is she gonna stay mad at me all day?
"Naomi," he whispered, trying to get her attention but failing miserably. Maybe she didn't hear me… He tore a small corner of paper from his notebook and quickly scribbled on it. Flicking the note in the air, it landed squarely on the back of Naomi's hand. Ha, perfect! He watched intently as she looked down at the paper and his spirit sunk when she brushed it casually onto the floor. Damn, she is really stubborn…I'm gonna get in trouble for this, but I can't just let her get angrier and angrier until lunch rolls around…
Glancing toward the front to see that Lancer was still facing the board, babbling on about proper nouns, Danny leaned across the aisle with his pencil outstretched. Just as he was about to poke Naomi with the eraser, her hand grabbed his arm and she turned in her seat toward him.
"Knock it off," she hissed, an aggravated look on her face.
"But-" He started to protest when Mr. Lancer turned around again.
"Miss Cohen, is there a problem?" She turned her gaze to the teacher, her irate expression instantly sliding into one of polite indifference.
"Yes, Danny keeps bothering me, sir."
"Well feel free to move your seat. And Mr. Fenton…I'll see you in detention." Aw, dang it! He groaned loudly and Naomi chose that moment to let go of his wrist. Danny had leaned over quite far to reach her and when she'd grabbed his wrist, he'd forgotten to balance the rest of his weight properly. Now, without her support, he tumbled into the aisle and the class burst into laughter. She knew that was gonna happen; she did it on purpose! She must really be angry… He lay still on his stomach for a few moments, letting the class get their laughs out, before slowly pushing himself off the floor. Sinking back into his seat, he fought his invisibility reflex even though he sorely wished to disappear, when a note suddenly dropped into his lap. He glanced over at Naomi, who was gathering her books, but she gave no indication that it was from her. She moved to an empty seat near the door and Lancer resumed his lesson again.
I wonder who… His thought trailed off as he carefully unfolded the note. In neat handwriting was written: Leave me alone. I will talk to you after school. That was it; there was no name, no trademark smiley face with the tongue sticking out, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was from Naomi. Dang, she really is mad if she's not even gonna talk to me at lunch…
He turned to his side to show the note to Sam, who only gave him a look of sympathy and a shrug. Then, as if sensing where his thoughts were headed, she snatched the paper from him and handed it to Tucker.
"Sorry, man," his friend whispered and Danny sighed. Could this day get any worse?
"Danny, quit being paranoid," Sam said, carefully picking through her salad. She must be checking to make sure the cafeteria staff didn't slip meat into them again…
"I can't help it; who knows what they're talking about over there!"
"Probably shoes or boys or something. Anyway, she's not gonna spill your secret to Valerie, so relax, man," Tucker spoke up as he warily poked the "meatloaf" on his tray with a fork. "Does this look like it's moving to you?"
Danny stared across the room to look at Naomi. She and Valerie started laughing about something and his stomach twisted into a hard knot. How can I not be worried? A hand touched his and he jumped slightly. Turning back to his own table, he found himself staring into calm violet eyes.
"Danny, stop worrying."
"How can I not? Naomi knows my secret and is horribly mad at me, because said secret had a hand in destroying her most prized possessions, which took tremendous amounts of money and time for her to acquire in the first place and right now she's sitting with one of my more dangerous enemies talking about only God knows what! Now tell me…why shouldn't I be worried?"
"Nice rant, man." Tucker grinned at him but Sam still held his gaze.
"Of the three of us, I know that I'm the most ready to be suspicious about Naomi and her intentions. But I'm not nervous because telling Valerie your secret isn't her style, no matter how angry she is. And if you're really that concerned, then just go over there and talk to her."
"She told me to leave her alone until after school."
"Since when do you listen?" Tucker interrupted.
"I hate to say it, but he's right." Sam smiled at him and he sighed. Yeah, he is…
"All right, all right. I'll go over there," Danny said, rising from his seat. I wonder just how many pieces Naomi is going to try and rip me into for bothering her again…
Naomi anxiously watched Danny stare at her out of the corner of her eye and she sighed with relief when he turned away.
"Thanks for pretending that I'd said something funny," she said, smiling across the table. Valerie waved her hand to the side.
"Nah, no problem. But you could tell me why you're avoiding him." Naomi sighed and began tugging on her earlobe. Damn this nervous twitch…
"It's a…long story. Short version would be he ruined something really important to me."
"Wow, that sucks." Naomi nodded and they chewed in silence for a few moments.
"You know, Valerie, I gotta thank you for not acting like I was an absolute freak when I sat down." Valerie waved again.
"Don't worry about it. It's always cool to meet new people and besides…you didn't seem like a freak to me." Valerie is totally awesome…
"We should hang out sometime…when I'm not avoiding a friend." They both giggled together and Naomi smiled.
"How about Saturday?" Valerie asked. "We could go to the mall and hang out there."
"Sure, sounds great!" Naomi replied happily. Valerie quickly scribbled on some paper and slid it across the table to her new friend. What's this?
"That's my phone number. Call me later and we'll make plans because…one, the bell is about to ring and, two…" She started to rise from the table, glancing at something behind Naomi. "Danny's walking over here."
Naomi rapidly turned in her chair to see that Valerie was correct and Danny was slowly walking toward them, a determined expression on his face. She turned back to face Valerie, who shrugged. Rising to her feet as well, she smiled at her new friend and tried to figure out how to act towards Danny. I told him not to bother me…I needed the time to calm down, but if he really wants to do this now…
"Call me later, 'kay?" Valerie asked just as the young boy reached them and Naomi nodded at her.
"Listen, Naomi, I know you're mad but I just…I need to talk to you now, okay?" She slowly turned around so that she was face-to-face with Danny and stared at him until his eyes began signaling that his resolve was fading. Then, without waiting for him to speak again, she grabbed her bag from the floor and shoved past him, heading for the exit and leaving him stunned behind her.
"Whoa, harsh." She heard Valerie say before the heavy cafeteria door slammed shut behind her. Serves him right.
I agree with Val, totally, totally harsh…XD
Reviews love, I seriously want feedback…
Anyway, hope to have the next chapter up soon, two-three weeks maybe? crosses fingers