Author's note: To my guest reviewer: Dash traded a guy he can't stand for a guy he can't compete with. Haha, that's awesome. And he's not as past the "girl locker room phrase" as he is in Undressed. In Undressed, I imagine him to be fifteen and a half (maybe even older; just somewhere between fifteen and eighteen). In this fic, he's between fourteen a half and fifteen (it's set at the end of the second season since that's when I first started uploading the original story, April of 2006).
And as for making references to my other fanfiction...I have too much fun. XD
I am the Paulina writer. I went on a fic-hunting spree.
And fics about our Latina, well, I could find only three,
And all three were so hateful. All three wanted her dead.
She was only seen as the queen of mean,
So I came up with this scheme though it seemed extreme:
I would make her look good instead.
The Luckiest Girl in the World -Remastered-
The Moon Under Her Feet
Her complexion was flawless, her eyeshadow glamorous, her lip color immaculate. Paulina took a break from fixing up her make-up to admire herself in her vanity mirror. How glorious mirrors were. How awful it would be if everyone was allowed to behold her beauty while she could not.
She would be going out with Star in just an hour for a girls' night. She of course had many date proposals for that Friday—boys simply couldn't resist her; just her curse for being so beautiful—but she had turned them all down. There was only one boy she wanted, one boy who was worthy of her.
Paulina's eyes fell on a photo of the ghost boy she had taped to the frame of her mirror. She sighed dreamily, her head falling to her vanity desk as she melted in his adorable perfection. She hoped beyond hope that he really would come to Dash's party, that he would come especially for her.
She had never had a real crush before. She had never felt this way about any boy before. Any other boy she had had any interest in was based purely on looks, on possessive feelings of lust. The ghost boy was of course undeniably gorgeous, but he was so much more than that, so thoughtful and caring and understanding, so dashing and gallant and manly.
In interactions with other boys, she was the one in control, the one who called the shots, the one who dominated. But the ghost boy made her feel out of control, out of her mind, giddy and girly and gushy.
Surely that meant something, right? Surely, she and the ghost boy were meant to be.
Her cell phone rang. Paulina picked it up and groaned at the Caller ID name. She debated declining the call before finally accepting it. "Dash?"
"Hey! How's it hanging?" came the jock's enthusiastic greeting.
"Fine." Paulina put him on speaker, set the phone down, and resumed fixing her make-up. "You need something?"
"I just wanted to call about tonight. What time should I pick you up?"
Paulina scoffed at his audacity.
"You up for crepes? Crepes sound awesome to me. Don't they just sound awesome? Oh, wait, are you still on that weird diet? Well, you don't have to get a crepe. I could just get one, and then—"
"Dash, do you not remember what I told you earlier?"
"Hmm." Dash pondered for a moment. "When?"
Wow, and he wondered why she didn't want to go out with him ever again. "At lunch?"
"Oh, you mean when Star said you have the hots for Fenton?"
Paulina growled. "I do not—"
"I know, that's crazy, right? How could someone like you ever be interested in a nerd like him?"
Well, at least Danny would actually listen to her.
"Dash, sorry, but I have a date with the ghost boy tomorrow night, remember? I can't be going out with you or anyone else when I promised a dance with him."
"Come on. How do you know he's even going to come?"
The way the ghost boy had looked at her, the way he seemed to soften in her embrace. "He'll be there."
Dash groaned with exaggerated irritation. "Okay, but that's tomorrow. Don't you want to do something tonight?"
"I'm going out with Star tonight."
"Oh, good idea! I could bring Kwan. It could be a double date."
Paulina rolled her eyes. "Dash, look, how about I come an hour early to your party tomorrow?"
"Oh, yeah! That'd be great. So, that's tomorrow, but what about tonight? I really think we should—"
"See you tomorrow night, Dash." Paulina disconnected the call and ignored his next attempt to call her back and his persistent texts.
Paulina once again looked at her picture of the ghost boy. She couldn't go out with any other boys, not when she had a date with him to look forward to.
-DP-
"You were right, Tuck" said Danny as he exited the theater with Sam and Tucker. "That was the best Anti-Timmy Force movie yet."
"So you liked it?" asked Tucker.
Danny smirked with lidded eyes. "What do you think?"
"Well, you have to admit that the special effects were incredible!"
"I still could've done without it."
"Aw, come on, Danny. Isn't it just fun to hang out with your best friends?" asked Sam.
Danny smiled at her. "It's the best."
Lingering gazes. Sam held his for as long as she could.
"Shall we hit up the Nasty Burger?" suggested Tucker.
"I'm kind of in the mood for ice cream," offered Sam instead.
"I'm with Sam," said Danny.
"You should be." Tucker smirked at him.
Sam blushed as Danny only looked at Tucker in confusion.
At the nearest ice cream shop, Tucker began to give ideas about what to do the following day.
"They've got a new virtual reality game at the mall," he said excitedly. "I think we should check it out. And then there's some sort of event going on around seven—"
"Well, actually." Danny kept his eyes down on his sundae. "I'm going to go to Dash's party tomorrow night. As Phantom."
Tucker blinked. Sam gasped and practically dropped her spoonful of vegan ice cream. Danny looked up at them somewhat awkwardly.
"Danny, no! Bad idea! Why?" Sam studied his face, hoped that he wasn't serious.
"Paulina really wants me to, and I don't want to let her down."
"And just what has Paulina done for you that makes you feel like you owe her something?"
Danny twirled his spoon in his sundae and shrugged.
"Exactly, nothing." Sam could feel her anger building, and she couldn't stop it. "You really need to get over this stupid crush you have."
Danny looked up at her with a scowl. "I'm not stupid."
"I didn't say you were. I said your crush on Paulina is stupid. Don't you ever listen?"
"I am listening, and I can hear that you still haven't stopped being jealous of Paulina."
Sam's jaw dropped. Tucker winced.
"Take that back," growled Sam.
"Not until you take back what you said."
"But it is a stupid crush. You only like her because she's pretty! You're as shallow as she is."
"Oh, so now you're calling me shallow?"
"You are shallow! And you're going to get yourself captured or killed tomorrow because of it!"
"Well, at least I'll go out dancing with a girl who actually likes me."
Sam wanted to scream at him. I like you, too! I like you more than she ever could.
Yes…she did like him.
Why was she hurling such insults at the boy who meant more to her than anyone else?
Sam lowered her gaze and sighed deeply. "Danny, I just don't want to see you get hurt."
Danny's tone calmed. "Hurt as in captured by ghost hunters?"
"No. I mean, yes, but I mean…Paulina could never return your feelings, not in the way you want her to." Sam kept her gaze down. "You've seen it yourself, experienced it from her firsthand. She's just a pretty face that will tell you pretty lies."
Danny, the most sensitive boy she knew, someone she never liked to see looking sad. If she let Paulina hurt him, she would never forgive herself.
"I know, Sam."
Sam raised her eyes.
"I know that she wouldn't hesitate to hurt or use me. Danny Fenton, I mean. But I think she really does like Danny Phantom." He paused. "She won't try to hurt me in my ghost form."
"But your ghost form isn't the real you. It won't be real, Danny. Is that really worth the risk of being captured?"
"I just want one dance, just one moment to know what it's like to be with her. And then maybe I can…get over this stupid crush."
Danny smiled at Sam kindly. Sam smiled back with a blush.
At the end of the night, Tucker disappeared into his house, but not before winking at Sam. Sam turned to Danny with whom she was now alone.
"Shall we?" Danny asked.
"Shall we what?" Sam swallowed. His lips looked so soft and inviting.
"Head for your house?"
"Oh." Sam chuckled in secret embarrassment. "Yeah, sure."
They began walking in the direction of Sam's house.
"I'm sorry," Danny said quietly.
"What for?"
"For the way I acted earlier, what I said. I feel bad. I don't know, Paulina just makes me feel all…weird." He chuckled. "I know I need to get over her."
"I'm sorry, too." Sam kicked at the ground a little as she walked. "And it's okay. You're a boy. I don't blame you for acting like that around pretty girls."
"I don't act like that around you." Danny grimaced as soon as the words were out.
"Well, that's because I'm not…"
"Sam, no! Are you kidding? You are so pretty." Danny sputtered and reddened. "It's just, you know, you're my best friend, so I feel comfortable with you."
Sam suppressed a pleased smile and kept her eyes to the ground.
Something was suddenly glowing next to her. She turned to see that Danny was now in ghost form.
"Danny, what are you doing?" she asked in surprise.
"I just feel like flying." He held out a hand to her. "Flying's nice, right?"
Sam held her breath as she took his hand. He pulled her up into the air, rushed with her into the night sky just below the clouds. Danny turned them so that they were gliding on their backs beneath the vapory plumes shining with starlight. His arm was around her waist to keep her up.
In his strong embrace, she took in the sight of the moon, her legs swinging and kicking toward it as they flew.
Sam reached out her fingers and ran them through the clouds. "They're so cold. And wet."
Danny reached out his gloved fingers. "I wouldn't know."
"What, you've never flown up here without your jumpsuit?" asked Sam cheekily.
Danny eyed her in wary amusement. "No one wants to see that. I'm trying to protect the people of this town, not scar them."
Sam spoke before she could stop herself. "Nah, it wouldn't scar them. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that."
Danny raised a brow but did not say anything.
"Uh, I mean, you know, because I've seen you in your underwear before." Sam swallowed and shrugged. "So it wouldn't be so shocking to me."
Danny laughed, such a sweet sound. Sam chuckled herself. "But you can feel the clouds against your face, can't you?" she asked.
Danny gazed up in thought, then moved his head upward right into the clouds. After a few seconds, he leaned back with a gasp. "Certainly wet, but they actually feel a little warm to me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Maybe my body temperature when I'm a ghost is lower than the clouds?"
Sam snuggled in just a little closer to him. "You don't feel that cold to me."
His arm wrapped around her just a little tighter.
They flew for some time in this manner, Danny pointing out various stars and constellations. Sam did not have any particular interest in astronomy herself, but she loved just how excited Danny sounded as he talked about something he had such passion for, the delightful lilt in his voice and the genuine grin that lit up his whole adorable face.
She'd be willing to just count the twinklings of the stars as long as she was doing it with him.
All too soon, they were descending, and Danny gently set her down in front of her house.
"Sorry for all my rambling," said Danny sheepishly. "I kept you up there way longer than I should've."
"I liked it," said Sam. "It was cute."
Danny mock-pouted. "I'm not cute."
"Sorry. I meant 'manly.'"
"That's more like it."
The two were silent for a moment.
"I better get going," said Danny.
"You sure you can't stay?" Sam wrung her hands. "We could just talk or something."
Danny gazed at her with soft eyes. Sam gazed back and wondered what he was thinking.
He checked the time on his phone. "It's almost midnight. You know how serious my parents are about my curfew."
Sam nodded in understanding and opened her front door. "Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Can't wait." He gave her a final smile before taking off.
Sam watched him leave, mesmerized. He looked so beautiful when he was transformed.
Original reviews
Invader Johnny: Hell yeah! Sam/Danny! now that's a pairing we can all enjoy
Punker88: danny really does have a thick head...poor Sam. ;(
L'ange-Sans-Ailes: glad i don't hate paulina enough to not read this story
ghostgirl327: aw i wanted him to stay V_V
NixieTrix: I do love Paulina, she adds so much to the show and Danny's development as a character. I absolutely adore her, lol.
Lisa-24-7: ah, Danny really is clueless isn't he, can't he just admit that they were meant to be?
Kimnd: Ah, good job Danny. Thank god you're not a complete asshole! Kid's got good instincts, too- noting that Paulina actually seems to genuinely like Phantom, as opposed to what she normally does. One nitpick- the pacing at the end is a tad wonky. It wouldn't have been out of place to give a description of a flying sequence, you know, to build... you know... the mood.
You guys really do mean so much to me. Thank-you for reading, and thank-you for lifting me up and motivating me to keep going.
