Author's note: We're about halfway through the story now. I still haven't finished writing it, but I am SO CLOSE. I just keep getting distracted by other fanfics. :b Thank-you all for reading and for your intelligent reviews! You make writing fun for me.
Mind Wrapped
Who Lives Behind the Mask?
After the commotion of the ghost attack had been resolved by the Fentons, the school resumed order quickly. Ghost attacks had become a normal occurrence, so students and teachers alike were typically able to bounce back quickly. When the final bell rang at last, Paulina followed Sam and Tucker to their lockers, dreading the further questions they were bound to ask about her odd behavior.
"Clearly, something has got you rattled," said Tucker, eyeing her closely.
"You might actually benefit from some psychoanalysis from Jazz," said Sam with a small smirk. She then became serious again. "I mean, really, what happened in class...I can't even remember the last time that happened."
"Although it was kind of funny when you fell through your chair," said Tucker with a small laugh.
"Don't make him feel any worse!" said Sam sharply.
Tucker had said fell through, not out of…so Tucker and Sam both knew that was what had happened? Paulina looked down at her hands, remembering how her pen kept falling through her fingers.
Was that somehow not unusual for Danny?
"You better get going, Danny," said Sam.
Paulina looked up at her. "Go where?"
"Lancer's, remember?" said Tucker. "You don't want to make him any crabbier than he already is."
"Oh, right," said Paulina. Truthfully, she was grateful for an opportunity to get away from Danny's friends. She needed some time to think, to figure all of this out.
Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "Let us know if you need anything." She smiled. "And really, anything. Don't be afraid to ask. We're here to help you. We want to help you."
Sam and Tucker both waved and walked away, leaving her alone to walk to Mr. Lancer's classroom. As she walked, she contemplated on what had happened, what had been said.
The pen kept falling through her fingers, as if her fingers weren't even there at all.
Sam had told to her to "go ghost."
Tucker had told her to phase through her locker instead of opening it normally.
They both seemed concerned about her possibly being tired, overwhelmed, and overworked.
Ahead, Paulina could see Danny talking to Star and Dash. He truly was a strange one with so many secrets, stranger and more secretive than she had thought.
Dash caught her staring at Danny and laughed. "Give it up, Fentorade. You don't have a chance with her."
Danny turned to look at Paulina, his expression as flirtatious as ever. "Can you really blame him, Dash?"
A look of arrogance, possession, shrewdness. How misplaced it looked on Danny's normally sweet, innocent visage.
Paulina quickly ducked into Lancer's classroom, not wanting to see Danny look at her like that anymore.
"Take a seat, Mr. Fenton," said Lancer in his usual drawl from behind his desk. "And close the door behind you."
Paulina did as she was instructed and took the seat that Lancer indicated to her, one right in front of his desk. He studied her for a second. Paulina stared back at him, not sure if she was supposed to say something or just wait for him to speak.
"Mr. Fenton…Danny."
Paulina took note of the change in Lancer's tone, a more concerned one.
"I feel like we've been in this exact position countless times," said Lancer, his eyes looking slightly tired. "And yet, every time, you seem to get more distant."
Paulina's mouth opened slightly. She had no idea what Lancer was going to say before she sat down, but this definitely was not what she was expecting.
"On the first day of school, when I first met you, you seemed happy, fine…normal, for lack of a better word." Lancer chuckled. "Maybe a little lacking in self-esteem with a strong desire to climb the social ladder here at the school, but that's something anyone would consider normal for a teenager. You were a good student in the beginning, on time, inquisitive, put in your best effort. You grades weren't phenomenal, and you certainly weren't anything like your sister, but you at least tried in your own way." He paused. "But somewhere along the way, something definitely changed in your life. Now, you're often tardy, you don't turn in your homework, your grades have slipped lower than ever…and you often seem exhausted, or sometimes you're fidgety, anxious." He paused again. "Like today."
Paulina could sense that she was supposed to reply, but she had no idea what to say. She herself had noticed Danny's strange behavior, but she had always just written it off as part of his "loser" personality.
Lancer seemed to mistake her silence for either defeat or defiance and sighed. "Danny, I know it might feel like I'm really hard on you at times, but I just know that you can do better, that the good student I saw at the beginning of the year is still there somewhere."
Lancer stood and walked to the front of his desk so that he was directly in front of Paulina. Paulina instinctively leaned back, not liking how close he suddenly was.
"I know we've never been on the best terms," Lancer said quietly, "but you can talk to me, Danny. I'm your teacher, and I do want to help you. I don't want to see you fail." He looked at her for a moment. "I know you always insist that everything is fine, but I know that there's something very serious going on in your life, something more than just depression or some other mental disorder."
I do want to help you.
We're here to help you.
We want to help you
Sam, Tucker, and now Lancer all seemed to sense that Danny needed help with something, but what were they all talking about?
Paulina decided to take a chance, anything to get a clue. "Mr. Lancer…what do you think might be going on in my life? I mean, if you're so sure that something is."
Lancer blinked, seemingly surprised by her response. "I really don't know, Danny. I have had many, many students throughout my teaching career, but you are by far the most puzzling."
"What makes me so puzzling to you?" asked Paulina.
"Because your behavior and background are not consistent with anything I've seen before," replied Lancer. "Your home life seems fine, ideal even. You show no physical signs of substance abuse. Your manner of dress or grooming hasn't changed. You still treat adults and others with respect." He sighed. "I've tried getting your parents involved, but they're convinced you're fine, that you're not hiding anything." He looked down at her solemnly. "But you are, aren't you, Danny?"
Paulina made no reply.
"If it's not domestic troubles, drugs, or gang-related activity…then what is it, Danny?"
Paulina stared back at Lancer in continued silence, unable to speak even if she wanted to.
There was a knock at the door. Lancer turned toward it in mild surprise. "Yes?"
Danny's sister, Jazz, tentatively opened the door. "Hi, Mr. Lancer. I just wanted to say something to Danny?" When Lancer nodded, Jazz continued. "Danny, I'll be studying in the library, so don't fly off after you're done here, okay? Let me take you home."
There was something strange about the way Jazz said "fly off," but Paulina was not sure how to interpret it. "Okay. Thanks."
Jazz smiled before closing the door. Lancer moved behind his desk, pulled out some papers from a filing cabinet, then dropped them onto Paulina's desk.
"What's this?" she asked.
"You don't want to fail my class, do you?" The normal monotone had returned in Lancer's tone. "Complete this now, and I'll raise your grade."
Paulina looked through the stack of papers, not at all excited. "Um…could I maybe do this another time?" Like maybe when I'm no longer Danny, she thought to herself.
Lancer shook his head. "No. Do it now. I'll be right here if you need help." He returned to his desk and sat down to complete work of his own.
Defeated, Paulina took the first sheet of paper and looked it over. Boring English homework asking about underlying themes and literary devices. She tried to work as quickly as possible, but there was just so much else to think about.
Lancer had mentioned that he had talked to Danny like this several times before. Clearly, Danny was struggling with something.
And whatever that something was, Sam and Tucker knew about it.
She tried to push it out of her head. She wasn't here to learn more about Danny Fenton. She wanted only to learn more about Danny Phantom. What did it matter to her what Danny Fenton was going through? Whatever it was, she couldn't trouble herself with it. She had her own concerns as Paulina to worry about. Let his friends deal with it. She only cared about the ghost boy.
But as she continued on the extra work Lancer had given her, she couldn't stop thinking about the kind-hearted blue-eyed boy who seemed to be going through something very rough indeed.
(Uploading next Tuesday: Edges of the Puzzle)
