The Dance
Sam

It was annoying, the way everyone always assumed I was Danny's girlfriend. Yeah, we spent pretty much every second of every day together, but usually with Tucker, too, and no one ever accused me of being his girlfriend. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was racism, but there were plenty of interracial couples at our school, and no one ever batted an eyelash, so I never quite got what it was about Danny and me that made everyone assume we were the pair instead of me and Tucker.

Besides, liking Danny would only have been an invitation to heartbreak. He had lousy taste in girls. Or at the very least, pedestrian taste in girls. I mean, Paulina? Cheerleader, Most Popular Girl at Casper High—could you get any more clichéd?

So, yeah, it bugged me that he liked her, but not for the reason everyone assumed. It wasn't jealousy, just... disappointment, I guess. But then, what could I expect? With two boys for best friends—my only friends—it was a given that I'd have to spend a lot of time putting up with the drooling over how hot this girl or that girl was. For some reason, though, it didn't bother me as much with Tucker. Probably because he liked pretty much anything with two X chromosomes. But Danny... I don't know why, but I somehow expected better of him. Maybe because he was just about the only person on the planet willing to talk to the freaky goth girl, which fooled me into thinking he was above going just for looks. Or maybe it was the fact that ever since the Accident, he'd spent half his time playing superhero—not that superheroes were known for having great taste in women. Lois Lane. Need I say more?

But as irritating as all the drooling and genuflecting was whenever Ms. Queen Bee Cheerleader walked by, it was never really that big a deal. I was the one who'd pushed him—literally—into going over to talk to her in the first place, after all. It went about as well as I'd expected it would. Danny made a fool of himself although, to be fair, it wasn't really his fault that he didn't quite know how to control his ghost powers yet and they went wonky on him at the worst times. I guess that's why when Her Majesty looked down her snooty nose at him and laughed, I'd had enough. I would have loved to have told her exactly how it was that he ended up first in a heap on the ground, and then with pants down around his ankles, and that the powers that put him there were the same one that saved her precious behind—and everyone else's—from that crazy Lunch Lady ghost that attacked the school a couple weeks earlier, and then again from the creepy ghost hunter in the scary cybernetic suit. But I couldn't do that, so I settled for a few choice insults before dragging Danny off someplace where he could make himself decent again.

On the upside, I figured that that little humiliation was probably enough to keep Danny from ever wanting to come within two hundred feet of Paulina again. Imagine my joy, then, when Danny told me at lunch that Paulina had actually sought him out, and not only had he gotten up the nerve to ask her out, but she'd said yes. I wasn't sure which I felt more—aggravation with Danny for his ballooning ego after snagging the most sought-after date in the school, or surprise that someone like her would condescend to go out with someone so low on the Casper High Food Chain, especially after he'd made such a complete ass of himself in front of her and everyone else in the school. It made me wonder. Had I been too hard on her? Was it possible she wasn't as shallow as she seemed? Could she actually appreciate everything a guy like Danny—dorkiness and all—had to offer?

Of course, the fact that Tucker got a date himself shortly thereafter—and with Valerie Gray, yet another snob from the so-called "A-List," of all people—and he and Danny spent every waking minute going on and on and on about the stupid dance right up until it happened didn't exactly put me in a good enough mood to reconsider my prejudices against Paulina. Not that I cared about the dance or anything. It was just another stupid high school thing designed to reinforce all the stupid, meaningless cliques. Yeah, so my mother, in a fit of optimism that I might actually attend a "social gathering," had for the first time in the history of ever bought me a dress that I not only was willing to wear, but was completely my taste and absolutely gorgeous. It was still just a dance, and part of the lameness that was high school dating rituals. I had better things to do with my time anyway.

Until Tucker showed up at my door right before the dance. My first reaction was panic: I'd never invited Tucker or Danny to my house before, and with good reason. If they knew how loaded my family was, they'd never treat me the same. Fortunately, Eidolon Hill is sort of urban posh, with its eclectic mixture of residential and retail, as opposed to the more ostentatious mansions in communities like Polter Heights. Don't get me wrong; no one who lived on my street had less than eight figures in the bank, and that would be the lower end of the income range. We just weren't obvious about it. So when Tucker didn't make any comments about the house or the neighborhood, I relaxed a little. "Where's Valerie?"

"She kinda canceled on me. Do you think we could go together? You know, as friends?"

He sounded a little off, like he wasn't quite himself, but considering he'd just gotten dumped and was asking me as a last resort, I figured it must be nerves. He was probably expecting me to strangle him for treating me like the reserve squad, and I probably should have, but to be honest, I was actually kinda pleased. Not that I was glad he got dumped or anything, but now I'd not only get to wear Mom's first-ever not-lame dress (and maybe get her off my back about my social life for a week or two), but I could check up on Danny and Paulina as well. And since Tucker would be my date and not Danny, then maybe just maybe it would convince all those morons at school once and for all that Danny and I were not a couple.

Besides, there was that whole thing with the cursed amulet Danny had accidentally given to Paulina, and his newly discovered power of being able to take over people's bodies, which led to some complications with his dad, who was chaperoning... what more could I ask for out of a stupid school dance? So I told Tucker I'd go with him, since he got dumped and everything, and rushed inside to change.

I have to admit, seeing Tucker's eyes pop out of his head when I came back out again in my dress with the lace-up bodice and fishnet sleeves, with my hair all teased out and my makeup a little more formal than usual, wasn't exactly hard on the ego. Yeah, so he wasn't the pickiest guy in the world when it came to girls, and I knew he didn't think of me that way (thank God!), but seeing as no one else on the planet seemed to think of me that way, either, it was nice to get such a reaction, even from a friend. And as I dragged him towards the school, I couldn't help but wonder, what would Danny's reaction be?

It was priceless. Possibly the high point of my high school experience thus far. Not only did Danny's eyes pop out even more than Tucker's, if that were possible, but Paulina about had a cow, dragging him off with some lame excuse about wanting punch before he could even say two words to me. The plot thickened when Danny got in over his head trying to keep Lancer away from his dad, and Paulina disappeared on him, still wearing the amulet. I found her a few minutes later in the girls' room, and after paging Danny to let him know, I followed her in, trying to stall her so she couldn't run off again before Danny could get that amulet back.

"Hey, Paulina. Er... nice dress."

She turned around, a look of smug satisfaction on her face. "Yes. And it goes so nicely with your amulet." The smug look turned into a wicked smirk. "Don't you think?"

I frowned in confusion. "My amulet? That's not my—" And then I realized what had probably happened. Danny must have told her it was mine as an excuse to get it back. "Right..." I flashed her my best just-between-us-girls smile. "Listen. My grandma gave me that amulet, and—"

She was in my face before I could even finish. "Forget it, sweetie. I'm not giving up this trinket. Or your little boyfriend, Danny."

I blinked. "My boyfriend?" Laughing, I rolled my eyes. "And they say pretty girls can't be funny! Danny is not my boyfriend."

"He's not?"

Was she actually jealous? Maybe she really did like Danny, and I had been too hard on her. "He's my best friend," I told her, dropping the snark. "Maybe that's why I was so hard on you. I didn't mean to call you shallow."

Instead of looking relieved or even placated, she snorted in annoyance. "What a bummer! I only agreed to go out with him because I thought I was stealing him from you!" Then, before I could even react, she was in my face again, snapping the amulet around my neck. "Here. Take your crummy amulet. I'm going back inside to dump your dorky friend." And then she was gone in a swish of pink taffeta.

I don't think I'd ever been more furious in my life. It was bad enough when she'd laughed at him when he was trying so hard just to talk to her. I mean, it was kinda hard not to laugh at a guy standing in the school yard in red-and-white spotted boxers. But this? Using him? He actually liked her, and all she cared about was some sort of misguided plot to get back at me? Nobody treated my best friend that way, least of all that shallow little WITCH...

I don't remember what happened after that, because the next thing I knew, I was lying with my face in the grass on the football field in the middle of what seemed to be a tangled mass of... fishing wire? Then, I heard my name, and Danny was leaning over me. "Are you all right?"

I sat up, my head pounding like I'd just gone ten rounds with Samson, that purple-back gorilla Danny had spent the previous week studying for extra credit in biology. My throat felt raw as well, and it was hard to find my voice. "Wow. Did I have fun at the dance?"

"Well, uh..." He laughed, a sound of nervous relief. "Let's just say you had a roaring time."

I didn't quite get the joke, but I smiled at him anyway as he helped me up. When it became obvious to him I was still a little confused, he held up the amulet by way of explanation, and then it all clicked. Paulina had put it on me right after telling me she was using Danny... "Wait. I was the dragon?"

He nodded. "Apparently. So. Wanna explain how you ended up wearing the amulet?"

Not really, no. Not when I knew the explanation was going to hurt him. I fumbled for an answer. "I... think she must have given it to me. She thought the amulet was mine, so I figured that's what you'd told her. I played along, and she gave it back to me."

He frowned. "And you put it on? Sam, what were you thinking? You knew what that amulet would do if you got mad! And let's face it... you and Paulina in a bathroom together isn't likely to end any other way than with you getting mad."

I let out a huff of air in annoyance. "How is this is my fault? She put the stupid thing on me before I could stop her, and she'd already completely pissed me off first, so it's not like I could do anything about it. And I'm not the one who gave her a cursed amulet in the first place." I crossed my arms and arched my eyebrow at him to punctuate my point.

He relented with a sigh, looking a little guilty. "Yeah, you're right. This whole mess is my fault in the first place. I'm so sorry you got dragged into it."

I had to admit, Danny did contrite well, and I instantly was back to feeling bad for him. "Eh. It's no big. Although breathing fire is murder on the throat. I could go for a glass or ten of ice water right about now."

"Tell you what? The punch is on me when we get back to the dance. I'll meet you back there in a few minutes."

"Why? Where are you going?"

He jerked his head towards the visitors' bleachers—which inexplicably was missing a huge section. "When you turned into a dragon, you grabbed Paulina. I got her away from you, and you knocked us behind the bleachers."

"What bleachers? What happened?"

"Yeah... you kinda ripped out that section. But anyway, I figured Paulina was safer back there out of the way while I distracted you—and tried to get that amulet off. Hopefully, she's still safe back there and doesn't remember anything."

He turned and started walking in that direction, and I wasn't sure what to do. She was going to dump him, and probably in the rudest and most painful way possible. Would it soften the blow if it came from me instead, or would I just make it worse? Before he got all the way to the bleachers, I made my decision. I couldn't let him face that shrew without backup—whether he wanted it or not. "Danny, wait!"

He stopped and looked back at me, expectant, and I gathered up my skirts to run after him. But before I'd taken more than a few steps, Paulina appeared through the gaping space where the middle section of bleachers used to be. She didn't look hurt, and I can honestly say I was glad for that. Yeah, I would have dearly loved to smack her around a bit, but not with ghost-dragon strength that was enough to rip out an entire section of bleachers. She did look confused, though, and more than a little irate, which didn't improve when she caught sight of Danny. Even at the distance I was standing from them, I could hear the ice in her voice. "Oh, look. It's my date. Or were you too busy going off for your fifteenth glass of punch to remember you were supposed to be my date?"

"Paulina, I'm so sorry. But you disappeared, and I didn't know—"

She held up her hand, impatient. "Save it. This has officially been the worst date of my life. And believe me, I've dated more than my share of losers. I don't even know how I ended up out here!"

"Paulina, I—"

"Don't. Just you and your loser friends—" At this point, she threw a glare in my direction. "—stay away from me."

Danny made one more attempt. "At least let me take you home."

"Don't bother." She turned on her heel and stomped off, not even sparing me a glance as she breezed by. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to deck her, or at least stick my foot out and trip her. While I'd never had a high opinion of her, I now loathed her with something bordering on passion for how she'd treated Danny. But doing anything now would only have humiliated Danny further, and that was the last thing I wanted, so I let her pass by unhindered.

When she was gone, Danny and I stood a moment, awkward, before he finally came over to me. "I guess I can get you that punch now."

"Danny—"

"Don't, Sam. I deserved that."

"No, you didn't."

"Yeah, I did." He looked me in the eye now. "I was too busy worrying about my dad and about the amulet to be a good date."

"Believe me, Danny. She's no prize. She—" I stopped, unsure if the truth would make him feel better because he'd stop kicking himself, or worse because it was just mean. Finally, I decided to just let it be. He didn't need to be kicked any more than he already had been tonight. "She just doesn't know a good thing when she sees it. Even when it's right under her nose."

He smiled. "Thanks, Sam. You're a good friend."

"Yes, I am," I replied with a cheeky grin. And together, we headed back towards the gym and what was left of our first high school dance.

Which, as it turned out, wasn't much. By the time we found Tucker and explained what had happened, the gym was already clearing out.

He shook his head, sympathetic. "Dude, sorry your date didn't pan out. Where is Paulina, anyway?"

I caught sight of her at the other end of the gym, pinned against the wall as Dash Baxter was trying a clumsy pick-up line on her. You'd think the star quarterback and most popular guy in the school would be more smooth around girls, but his lines were worse than Tucker's. I was going to point this out to Danny, but decided it wouldn't make him feeling better and switched tracks instead. "Aw, who cares? Look, the D.J.'s still playing." I turned around to face him, smiling. "And I think there's time for one last dance."

He smiled back. "Sure, I'd love to." He handed the dragon amulet off to Tucker. "Keep an eye on this will you?" Then, I took his arm and the two of us headed out onto the otherwise deserted dance floor.

My hands on his shoulders and his on my waist, we started swaying to the slow song that was playing. I smirked at him. "Promise me you'll keep your pants up?"

He looked like he was about to laugh. "I'll do my best."

And that's when something weird happened. Our gaze held longer than normal, his goofy grin fading into something almost... intense, and something like a small spark of electricity started at the back of my head and traveled all the way down my spine. It lasted for what seemed like hours as we just sort of stared at each other, barely even remembering to dance. And then, Tucker was there, with some sort of ghostly Maid Marian chasing after him, and the spell—or whatever it was—was broken. Danny yanked the amulet from Tucker's grasp, told her she could have it back if she promised to stay in the Ghost Zone and out of our world, and that was pretty much that. By then, the music had stopped, the lights had come on, and Danny's parents were waiting to drive us all home, so we left the dance without so much as an awkward glance to confirm that anything strange had passed between us in those few long moments we were staring at each other on the dance floor.

That night, sleep refused to come. Even though everything had been normal between me and Danny on the way home, as if the weirdness during that one dance had never happened, I couldn't stop thinking about it anyway. What was that all about? Danny was my friend. Just my friend. And just-friends didn't give each other intense looks when they were dancing, and they didn't keep staring for a really long time, either. And they certainly didn't feel sparks. So what was that? And why did thinking about it make me feel it all over again?

I sat up, shaking my head. "Snap out of it, Sam," I told myself aloud, hoping the sound of my own voice would jar some sense into me. "You cannot like Danny, not like that." Yeah, he was fun and sweet and goofy in a way that was actually kinda charming. And, of course, there were the ghost powers. They were undeniably cool. He was completely unique; no other human in the entire world could do the things he did, and he'd chosen to use those awesome abilities to protect people from the ghosts that seemed to leak out through his parents' Ghost Portal like cold air seeping into a house through the cracks around a windowpane. Just because he could.

But it was more than that. Even before the powers, he'd been a really caring guy. The kind of guy who'd speak up against the jocks even if it meant getting himself in trouble with them and with a teacher. The kind of guy who'd speak at all to the freaky girl that no one else ever bothered with. Yeah, he was lazy and could be a colossal ass, but he was mostly just a really good guy. And he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes, either. Not in human form, nor in ghost form...

Realizing where my treacherous mind had taken me, I grabbed my pillow and buried my face in it so I wouldn't wake my parents when I screamed. When I'd emptied my lungs into the pillow, I slammed it down in my lap. "You cannot like Danny," I reiterated, since I seemed to have missed it the first time. That way led to heartache, guaranteed. He liked girls with long, flowing hair and big, round eyes and big, round... well, you get the picture. He liked girls that giggled and wore pink, not girls who dressed all in black and wore army boots and had deep, grating voices and short tempers. We were great friends, would always be great friends, but he would never, ever see me as girlfriend material, and the sooner I realized it and got over this... temporary insanity, the better.

"I do not like Danny Fenton."

But as I lay back down and closed my eyes, trying once more to fall asleep, it wasn't those words that kept running through my head. It was what I'd said earlier. I'd been talking about Paulina, but suddenly the words took on new meaning, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shut them out of my head.

She just doesn't know a good thing when she sees it. Even when it's right under her nose.