Danny had no idea why his friends were so interested about the portal—well, Tucker was probably an obvious reason: he was technology savvy. If anyone was said to create a portal that could link Earth to another dimension or world, then he was definitely enthralled.
Sam, however, was a different story. Why she was so curious about the portal was beyond Danny; even if she was goth and enjoyed anything Halloween-related, she had always felt a little, if not more, awkward when around her best friend's parents.
Tucker did what he said he would do, and he called his parents to let him know of his whereabouts that evening after school. Sam did the same, though it took her a little more persuasion than Tucker. But in the end, they both got permission to go over to Danny's house after school to work on their project.
And to check out the Ghost Portal.
The day went by slowly, much to Danny's dismay. After having been stuffed in his locker three times and then shoved to the ground more than a dozen times by the school's star football player, he was more than happy to finally hear the final bell ring. Dashiel "Dash" Baxter had chosen Danny to be his pincushion since grade school, and always went to him if he wanted to bully someone. For some reason, Danny had become his personal favourite to pick on.
Out of the entire student body, Dash had to be the only one who could see Invisible Danny, Danny thought time and again.
As he closed his locker and hoisted up his bag, Danny sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "Despite the pop quiz, the crazy cliques and fat-head bullies, you've survived another day, Fenton," he said to himself.
Sam, who was standing nearby—Tucker was leaning against the lockers, waiting patiently to depart—crossed her arms and leaned towards Danny. "You know, you should really start standing up to him, Danny," she said. "It may give some courage to all the other kids who get picked on by Dash."
"Courage?" Danny scoffed. He looked at Sam with a sceptic look. "Courage? Sam, since when have you been able to piece me with courage?"
"Well, who else should do it?" Sam replied. She pointed at herself. "I can't. I'm a girl. Not to mention he'd just keep picking on you more, considering he thinks we're a couple." She pointed over her shoulder at Tucker. "Tucker? Shyeah, right; he wouldn't last second in the ring with Fat-Head Baxter—!"
"Hey!" Tucker exclaimed, raising his head. "I'm right here, Sam!"
Sam looked at him for a moment before turning and looking at Danny again.
Danny placed a hand over his chest. "What do I have that Tucker lacks, Sam?" he said. "I've got no muscles, no strength, no self-confidence and most importantly, NO courage! Not to mention Dash is two years older than me and nearly twice my size! I'd be killed instantly!"
"Danny, you need to stop underestimating yourself," Sam sighed. "You've got something that other people don't have, but only you can make it come out."
"Oh yeah? And what is it that I have that Dash doesn't? Eccentric parents? Unpopularity?"
"I think she was thinking more along the lines of big heart and charisma," Tucker muttered with a playful grin, pretending to examine his fingernails.
Danny raised his eyebrows in shock and stared at Sam as his cheeks turned pink. Sam, however, before any signs of her emotions could be noticed, turned and gave Tucker a hard slap across the head. The black teenager yelped painfully and covered his head in pain before rubbing it.
"He's just kidding, Danny," Sam said loudly behind her teeth. She turned and faced Danny once more and her frown dissipated. "Everyone's got a good point, Danny. Everyone's got a gift that makes them unique." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Even you."
"If I do, then why am I still feeling as crummy or as invisible as I did yesterday?" Danny replied miserably. "Or the day before that?" He sighed heavily and brushed Sam's hand off of his shoulder. "Forget it, Sam. I'm a geek with no social ranking, and especially no special talents." He hoisted up his bag and looked at Tucker over Sam's shoulder. "Let's get going before I change my mind due to a lack of happiness," he announced.
Tucker looked at Sam and shrugged weakly before pulling himself away from the lockers. As they walked off, he hoisted up his pants and leaped onto Danny's back, causing the fourteen-year-old to groan in surprise and stumble forward. "Tucker, what the heck?" Danny exclaimed.
"You need some cheering up, Dude," Tucker replied with a smile.
"And jumping on my back does justice how?"
"It doesn't. It just let's you know that you're not the only geek with no official social ranking… That and I'm too lazy to walk."
Though Sam only rolled her eyes, Danny smiled and chuckled softly.
"Am I cheering you up?"
"Just barely, but it's a start—!"
"Then I'm afraid I need to cut the cheerfulness short for a few seconds, boys," a man spoke up behind them, quite unenthusiastically.
Danny froze and turned around, Tucker still on his back. Standing behind them was the school's vice president, and one of Danny's least favourite teachers, Mr. Lancer. The out-of-shape man with receding brown hair, a wide chin and a small goatee, stared down at them with the same icy yet irritating stare that Danny had grown to dislike. He had not even been in high school for two months and already this teacher had chosen him as one of the troublemakers.
"You left class in a hurry, Mr. Fenton," Lancer's soft yet cold voice announced. He held up a paper. "And without taking the result of last week's test."
Danny stared at the paper and his heart sank once more; stamped on the top left corner of the sheet was a giant red C. Although C was as good as anything for him, Danny knew his mother would be disappointed.
Lancer waited a moment before opening his mouth to speak again. "I assume you will want your parents to see this, am I not right, Daniel?" he added.
Danny tried not to roll his eyes. Lancer opened his mouth to speak again, but to his surprise, Tucker whipped out his hand and snatched the test sheet from his teacher. "I'll take that!" he said, if not with a tone of dryness.
Lancer stared at him in shock as Sam saluted him. "It's after school hours now, Mr. Lancer," she said. "By about ten minutes." She walked off, followed by Danny and Tucker. "Which means you've got no power over us until tomorrow and no right to spoil our mood!"
"Later, Dude!" Tucker added, waving Danny's test sheet in the air as he was carried off.
It was only after exiting the school that Danny looked back at the doors and then stared at his best friends in shock. "Guys, are you crazy?" he exclaimed. "Mr. Lancer's going to be super tough on you tomorrow!"
"Then let him be!" Sam sniffed. "I'm not afraid of him after school hours, never mind during school hours."
"Yeah," Tucker replied. "Not to mention he can't do anything about it because school hours are through."
"B-but—!"
Tucker playfully rubbed Danny's head. "Dude, you have got to stop being so chicken sometimes," he teased. "A bit of a backbone once and a while wouldn't hurt."
"I've got a backbone," Danny replied, slightly hurt by this.
"Yeah," Sam snickered. "But it keeps crumbling."
Danny stuck out his tongue, making Tucker laugh. "Let's just get to my place before Lancer sends the janitor after us," he said through a laugh.
"The janitor?" Tucker giggled. "Ha! That would be awesome! Chased by a janitor and a broom… What can be more hilarious than that?"
