Chapter 3

The day of Casper's hostage situation Danny had gone home to find his parents didn't even know about the school being taken hostage, so he just left out the parts he was involved in. His mother was still a little over worried, but his dad saved him saying, "Nothing can defeat a Fenton!" After that his mom let him go back out with Sam and Tucker. Danny spent the rest of the day celebrating another day he half-lived though.

The celebration didn't last. Amity Park, and especially Casper High, was used to ghosts attacking daily, so it wasn't a huge stretch to be held captive by human psychos. The very next day everyone showed up to school, and it continued almost exactly like every other day.

Danny walked into the school with Sam and Tucker. He smirked as he heard gossip from most of the students was focused on how Danny Phantom saved the day once wasn't a mention of Danny Fenton anywhere, now if only he wasn't healing from the broken rib Skulker gave him before school everything would be perfect. Danny smiled absently lost in his own thoughts until Sam waved a hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Ghost boy." Sam said.

"Huh?" Danny's eyes focused on the purple eyed goth in front of him. "Oh, uhh, could you repeat that?" Danny smiled at Sam.

Said goth rolled her eyes. "I was talking about a solution to your money problem."

Danny had been having a problem lately. Because of ghosts Danny constantly arrived home after curfew, and his parents had finally stopped paying him his allowance when they saw his grades, which had also dropped due to ghosts. It wasn't that Danny needed money himself, but he had been supporting his clone Danielle. She had finally settled in the ghost zone in the Far Frozen, and the Yetis were happy to have her, but they didn't have the resources to take care of a human for an extended period. Jazz had come up with their solution. Every week Danny visited Frostbite and Dani, and he brought her groceries, clothes, and other necessities. All Dani needed to do was tell Danny she needed something, and he'd deliver it the very next week.

"Solution?" Danny was very interested.

"Yeah. It's, a little odd, but I think it would be easy for you." Sam said.

"We're dying of curiosity Sam." Tucker's sarcastic tone didn't give away that he was actually really curious, but Sam knew he was, and she ignored the comment.

"Well I was in a crystal figurine shop the other day. My mom dragged me." Sam explained after Danny and Tucker gave her weird looks. "Anyway there were these crystal figurines, and the ones that were the size of your thumb were going for at least $25. The store also had a small glass section and the glass pieces were about a quarter of the price, but still those stupid things cost a fortune."

"So what, Sam?" Danny said, "Why should I care about the price of a little crystal statue? How's that help me make money?"
"It helps you because you can make one of those little statues in about three seconds flat." Sam said as she pulled on a chain around her neck. She pulled it out so the pendent showed, and on the end there was a diamond shaped ice crystal. It was the one Danny gave her when he first learned to control his powers.

"You're not really suggesting I sell figurines to a crystal shop?" Danny said.

"Actually it's not a bad idea." Tucker sided with Sam for once.

Danny argued, "Of course it's a bad idea. No one is going to buy anything they think was produced by Danny Fenton. The store won't want it because I'm a Fenton, and if anyone else figures out-"

Sam cut him off, "That's why you don't use your name. You already know how to manage two separate names. A pen name is even easier to keep separate."

Danny opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he closed his mouth again. After a few seconds, just before they walked into their first class, Danny said, "Okay. I'll do it, but you have to help me figure it out."

"Of course we will." Sam said as they sat down in their class. They took no notice of everyone watching them as they entered.

The loser trio were the last to arrive in class, and they barely sat down before the bell rang for class to start. Danny was more awake in this class than he'd been in any class for the past few weeks. The last few weeks the ghosts were relentless. Danny had captured anywhere between seven and fifteen ghosts everyday, and they didn't stop attacking just because Danny was asleep. It was because of ghosts that Danny often fell asleep in class, but not today. Today he was awake, because last night he only had to deal with one appearance from the box ghost.

By the end of class Danny was having a better day than he'd had in a long time. He'd managed to wake up in time to walk to school with Sam and Tucker. He'd fought off Skulker in record time, and he got a B on Mr. Feluca's pop quiz in math. Things were going great, but there was a feeling that things weren't going to stay so perfect for very long.

Danny's gut feeling magnified when Dash walked into the hall, and then walked past without appearing to see them. This was so out of character for Dash that most of the students in the hall stopped talking to stare at either Danny or Dash as he passed. Dash never gave up a chance to wail on Danny unless there was a teacher present. Some student's checked for teachers, but the hallway was just filled with students.

"Did I just imagine that?" Tucker asked stunned.

Sam and Danny shook their heads no in unison, and whispers started up and down the hall. Danny repressed a groan as he realised that moment would be a topic of gossip around the school for a the rest of the day. Danny listened to the people whisper around them, when one string of gossip caught his attention. "Do you think it has something to do with Danny getting shot yesterday?" One guy said.

"Oh yeah. I'd forgotten. He doesn't look like someone who was shot yesterday." The other guy said.

A third person, this one a girl said, "Yeah. You would never guess looking at him with his friends. I didn't even think he'd be in school today." Danny stopped listening in on the conversation when Sam asked him why he was frowning.

Danny shook his head to say not here, and he lead Sam and Tucker to the next class a little early. There was only two people in class so far, and they had another few minutes until the room started to really fill. He turned to his two friends and whispered, "There were a few people talking about how I didn't look like a person who was supposed to have been shot yesterday." Sam and Tuck grimaced with sympathy.

"How are you going to stop that rumor?" Tucker said, "I mean, we know it's true, but that doesn't mean you want everyone else to know."

"Who knew your super healing would be the power that gave you away." Sam chuckled.

"Not funny." Danny glared lightly at his friend. "If it was just a rumor it would be fine, but Jessica, Dash, and Mr. Lancer watched Sam stitch me up."

"Well maybe you can work it in with your Phantom ally story. Say something like the ghost wanted to cause a little mischief by creating the illusion that you were shot." Sam said. The trio didn't notice Star listening in on their conversation.

"You really think they'll believe that?" Danny asked.

"You've made up worse excused before, and this way the news about yesterday, when the police release the story, will validate what you've already said." Tucker commented.

Danny smiled and some of the tension in his shoulders released. "Yeah. You're right. I just have to make the story close enough that the news will back me up." After that the three fell silent so they weren't overheard by the students who were now arriving for class, but it was too late. Star had been listening long enough to know that they were hiding something, and it had to do with the hostage situation the day before. Star wasn't smart enough to figure this out on her own, and she knew it, so she resolved to tell the rest of the A-listers what she heard during lunch.

The class passed by slowly for the blond cheerleader, and she barely paid any attention to the class. Then the bell rang and she shot out of her seat faster than anyone else. For once Paulina was forced to follow Star the girl raced to lunch. Paulina arrived a few seconds after Star and said, "Jeez, Star, what's your problem?"

"Sorry, Polly. I just have some gossip about yesterday's hostage situation." Star explained.

"Ooh, ooh! Tell me! Tell me!" Paulina bounced with excitement making every boy in the vicinity drool.

On the other side of the room Tucker was drooling, and Sam followed his gaze to Paulina bouncing with excitement. She rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know why guys can't see past her looks. She gives new meaning to the word shallow."

"How can you say that!" Tucker exclaimed in defence of the pretty hispanic girl. "Just look at her!"

Sam groaned, "Exactly! That's all there is to her, and you can't see past it."

"Hey guys." Danny walked up with his own tray of food. He'd been held up by the box ghost again. "What are you talking about?"

"Paulina." Danny's friends said at the same time. Sam said her name like it was a curse, while Tucker said her name with reverence he usually reserved for the newest tech.

Danny looked over to where Paulina was now bent over whispering in Star's ear. "What about her?" Danny said. Then he looked back to Sam and Tucker who were both staring at him like he'd gone insane.

"What about her!?" Tucker regained use of his voice first. "Dude, she's gorgeous, what other reason do you need!?"

Danny shrugged and said, "Yeah. She's pretty, but that's all she is. Star is also pretty, and Valerie, and Sam." Danny hadn't meant to say the last name out loud, but it slipped out making Sam blush bright pink and Tucker smirk. He continued as if he never slipped on Sam's name. "You still haven't explained why we're talking about Paulina."

Tucker's smirk widened, "Oh I see why you're suddenly immune to Paulina's charms. So have you asked her out yet?"

"Huh?" Danny tilted his head in confusion.

Tucker smiled, "Have you asked Sam out yet?"

Danny and Sam blushed deep crimson and yelled, "Tucker!" Then Sam proceeded to chase Tucker down and kick him in the shins.

Danny laughed, as usual, at his friends' antics, but it wasn't as enthusiastic as normal. There was a few things on his mind that were distracting him. First he'd been thinking of Sam's idea to sell his ice figurines as art. He didn't consider what he did art. They were just little statues that he made when he was bored. It was an exercise Frostbite had taught him to help control his cyrokinesis. The idea that Danny would be able to turn a profit from his hobby was growing on him though. He was actually liking the idea. He already made the figurines, now he would just be selling them instead of melting them down when he ran out of room. That was only if they proved to be worth anything, and Danny wasn't sure they were, so he'd remain skeptical for now. Danny's thoughts were moved from Sam's idea by Tucker's comment about Danny asking Sam out.

Tucker was always making jokes about Danny liking Sam, and it really irritated Danny, because he knew Sam didn't see him that way. It was really kind of mean on Tucker's part that he kept reminding Danny about his crush when there was no chance of anything coming of it. Some people would have thought from the fake-out-make-outs and the blushy moments, which Danny did notice, that there was some feeling from both sides, but Danny knew differently. He knew Sam didn't think of him as anything more than a friend, and despite all the other stuff other people might interpret as more significant feelings, Danny refused to betray Sam's friendship by trying to force her to feel something more. Danny laughed at Tucker's jokes, because they were just that, jokes, and Danny knew his friend meant no harm. Even if it hurt.

Eventually Sam caught Tucker and happily walked back to the table. Tucker came back a while after rubbing his surely bruised shins and muttering curses about sadistic goths. During the time Sam was hunting down Tuck, Danny was able to eat most of his lunch, a fact he was grateful for when he hear Dash yelling across the room. "Fenton!"

Danny sighed with concealed exhaustion. He was just so tired of pretending to be scared and weak, but it was for his secret identity, so he did it anyway. When Danny heard his name he pretended to look for the source and then trip over his own feet in an attempt to escape. Danny was dragged to his feet by an angry blond jock. "Uhh. Hey, Dash." Danny said in a nervous tone. "What's up?"

"Star had some interesting news, Fentoni, and I wanted your opinion." Dash said. "You see she overheard that you were planning on making up a story about when you got shot yesterday. What do you think of that?" Most people were watching Dash in his daily ritual of beating up Fenton, and they were surprised to hear that Danny was planning on making up a story about the shooting yesterday. They also wondered how someone who got shot the day before looked as good as Danny did now.

Dash's question was too close to the truth for comfort, but Danny was an excellent liar. "I-I wasn't Dash. It's just-"

Dash growled, "Just what Fentina?"

"I wasn't shot." Danny said the words just loud enough for everyone to hear, but not loud enough to be suspicious. He knew it worked when the entire cafeteria went silent. "It was an illusion made by one of Phantom's allies when he saved me yesterday. I was trying to think of a way to dispel the rumors that I'd been shot before they reached my parents and made them freak out." Danny explained.

The jock was so shocked that he let go of Danny and let the smaller boy fall to the floor, but when Danny tried to run it broke Dash from his stupor. "Wait! I'm not done with you." Dash grabbed Danny before he could escape. "I saw you! You were bleeding out in the basement! I saw your freak girlfriend yell at you for being careless! I carried you to the camera's blind spot so that Manson could stitch up the hole in your stomach." Dash yelled in accusation. Dash only sounded louder because of how silent the rest of the large room was. Everyone was shocked to hear Dash so shaken up. The quarterback was talking about a horror story, and Danny just looked confused and a little scared, not that anyone could blame him.

Sam used the opportunity to solidify the story. "I didn't stitch up anyone yesterday." Sam said with a little bit of a nervous quiver.

"I don't know how to answer that, Dash." Danny said to the traumatized blond. "Look," Danny explained, "I was in their security room, and those men saw a swat team sneaking into the school." Everyone in the cafeteria was paying attention to Danny's every word. "Phantom knew the leader was going to shoot me, so he turned my invisible and another ghost created an illusion that I was still there. Then the leader shot the illusion a second later and I screamed in shock. After that Phantom flew me through the wall and dropped me in the locker room and told me to hide until he told me it was safe."

Dash interrupted, "But I wasn't the only one who saw you. Jessica and Mr. Lancer saw everything I did."

"I don't know." Danny said. "Maybe the ghost had to keep up the illusion for some reason. All I know is I waited in the locker room for a few minutes and then Phantom told me it was safe. I went back into the room where they had tried to shoot me and I found them all tied up." Danny finished his story with an internal smirk. This was working perfectly. Everyone would be talking about this, and by the end of the week Mr. Lancer, Jessica, and Dash would all doubt their own memories, maybe even make up new ones to fit the story.

Right now, however was a different story. Dash wasn't buying it. "Fine I'll prove that you were shot." Dash pulled Danny forward by the arm he was still holding and grabbed the bottom of Danny's shirt to pull it up. The jock only got about an inch before he felt his hand stop.

Danny ripped his arm free of Dash's grip and yelled, "What's wrong with you? I told you it didn't happen!" Dash took a step forward and Danny took one back. "I'm not letting you strip me in the middle of the cafeteria to try and prove something that's not true!" Danny's yell projected through the room and when the echoes died Danny ran from the room. Tucker just managed to grab their stuff as he and Sam ran after Danny. As soon as the trio was gone the talking started.

Huffing and puffing Sam and Tucker found Danny in an empty classroom. He was smiling as he told them, "There's not a person in town who won't know the story of what happened, or at least what I said happened."

Sam laughed and Tucker said, "Do you remember when you just barely started and you couldn't lie without chuckling nervously?"

Danny laughed, "Like you were any better."

"Sam was way worse though." Tuck said.

"Hey! I wasn't that bad." Sam tried to defend herself, but the looks she got from Danny and Tucker made her concede. "Okay so maybe I was, but I'm way better now." Danny and Tucker couldn't disagree with that one.

"I'm just glad I dodged the bullet with Dash grabbing my shirt." Danny said.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Really Danny. You 'dodged the bullet'. You couldn't think of a better metafore?"

"It's true for multiple reasons. Everyone really does think I dodged the bullet." Danny smirked.

"But you didn't." Sam retorted. Her tone stopped Danny short. She sounded, sad.

Danny immediately stepped closer to her and asked, "Sam, what's wrong?"

Sam looked down and muttered, "Nothing", under her breath, but Danny wasn't giving up that easily.

Danny placed his hand on her shoulder and Sam looked up, "Tell me, Sam. I know it's not nothing."

Sam surprised both her and Danny by hugging him. Danny hugged her back and she ducked her head so he couldn't see her face as she admitted, "I was really scared when I heard you get shot."

Danny smiled and pulled Sam away from him just slightly, so Sam could see his abs when he pulled up his shirt. "It's just a scar now, a memory. I'm okay." Just on his right side, under a white burn scar, there was a small crater in his skin. It was no bigger than the end of Sam's pinky, but it was one Sam doubted would ever go away completely.

"You shouldn't have all these scars." Sam said.

"I like my scars." Danny said. Sam looked up to meet his eyes, her expression was confused. "I told you. They're memories. They help me remember what I can survive." Sam smiled in understanding as Danny finished his explanation, but now it was time to let Sam go.

Tucker had been watching, at first exasperated that his two best friends were so clueless about their feelings towards each other. Then as the conversation went on Tucker realised they'd forgotten his presence, so he stood as still as he could, not wanting to remind them. It was a long shot, but if Tucker was lucky this would be the day that stupid tension broke. Sam jumped forward and hugged Danny, and Tuck was excited that this was the moment. Quietly Tucker turned on the camera in his PDA and took a picture. It was perfect of Sam buried in Danny's arms while Danny smiled at her. Then Danny started lifting his shirt and though he probably should have wondered before now, Tucker silently asked himself if he should be here. Then Danny gave a brilliant little speech about how he was fine just scarred, and Sam smiled up at him, and Danny smiled down at her, and then. They started to move apart and Tucker couldn't hold it back any more, "Just kiss already!"

His outburst effectively killed the mood and both Sam and Danny jumped away from each other with bright red faces. Tucker sighed and started depressedly counting the money he would be losing on bets when those two were still clueless at graduation. Tucker was so caught up in his mental despair he didn't even notice Sam and Danny yelling at him that they weren't lovebirds. He hadn't even called them lovebirds this time.

Sam was about to attack Tuck again for pointing out the obvious again, but Tucker was saved by the bell and Danny lead his friends to English class. Danny arrived on time to Mr. Lancer's class, but instead of sitting in his regular spot Danny was stopped by the overweight teacher. "Daniel, I'm so glad to see your feeling better."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously and said, "Actually Mr. Lancer I wasn't shot." Danny quickly explained before Lancer had time to say anything. "Phantom saved me, and then there was another ghost that made it look like I was shot. Dash told me what you saw, but it never actually happened."

Mr. Lancer let out a breath of relief. "Well that is wonderful news Daniel. I wish I hadn't seen it, but I feel better knowing you never experienced that." Mr. Lancer seemed to be avoiding saying the words shot and wound as hard as he could, and Danny was glad once again for the ignorance of his town.

"You and me both Mr. Lancer." Danny said with a smile before he lowered himself into his regular seat. Seconds later the class started and Mr. Lancer changed the curriculum and gave everyone a simple poem instead of the essay he'd been planning. The trio shared a look that no one else understood, but they knew that Danny had made his teachers day with his lie.