Nine

Casper High School
Amity Park

Sam usually drove to school. It was her biggest concession to the consumer culture, and it gnawed at her conscience a little. She told herself it was because Danny and Tucker would never submit to riding the school bus or walking now that they were sixteen, and that carpooling in the limited-release prototype alternative-fuel car her parents had procured for her sixteenth birthday was a much greener option than the boys each driving themselves. But Tucker didn't have a car, and Danny wouldn't be caught dead driving his sister's old "Pepto-mobile" straight into the lion's den, so that really wasn't an issue. The truth was, she just really liked driving, and she had to admit her parents had really outdone themselves on this one—the sporty little black coupe was really cool. If Valerie didn't live across the bridge in Elmerton, too far away to carpool with them, Sam would have offered to drive her as well.

Danny was always her first stop, and Sam was pleased to see he was in a very good mood as he climbed into the passenger seat. She smiled at him. "You look happy."

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the side of her mouth. "I had an amazing time last night."

"What a coincidence. I had an amazing time last night, too."

Apparently, they weren't the only ones. Tucker came out of his house with a broad grin on his face. "S'up?" he asked as he slid into the back seat. He looked at Danny, and said in a sing-song voice, "Somebody had a good night last night."

Danny's cheeks colored slightly. "You could say that." He and Sam exchanged glances, and she could feel warmth creep into her own cheeks.

"I just did." Then Tucker looked back and forth between them and scowled. "Oh, man, no. I don't mean you guys. And I really don't wanna know. I'm talking about me."

Danny twisted in his seat to look back at Tucker while Sam drove. "I thought you had mayor stuff to do. I never knew paperwork could be so exciting."

"No, not that. I stopped by Nasty Burger while Valerie was on her break, and we had such a good time talking, I went back after she got off work, and we hung out."

Sam raised her eyebrows and regarded Tucker in the rearview mirror. "Oh, really?"

"Really. I think I might even have her almost convinced to let me take a look at that suit and sled of hers."

Sam sighed. "You've got to be kidding me. This is just a techno-geek thing?"

"Just a techno-geek thing? Have you seen that suit? It's, like, the ultimate techno-geek thing."

"And you wonder why you don't have a girlfriend."

"Come on, Tucker," Danny said. "You're starting to like her again, aren't you?"

"She talks to me and she's fine. What's not to like?"

Sam restrained the urge to reach behind her and slap him. "See, that's your problem, Tucker. You'll hit on anything in a skirt. And that includes the guy with the bagpipes at the Amity Park Highlands festival. Although, admittedly, he is pretty hot."

"First of all—ew. And second of all, I never hit on you."

She arched her eyebrow. "Yes you did. When I'd wished Danny and I had never met, and you didn't know who I was. And there was that one time you kissed me."

Danny almost choked. "He what?"

"I thought we agreed that never happened," Tucker growled through clenched teeth.

Sam snorted. "Oh, keep your shirt on, Danny. It was just an accident."

"How does someone accidentally kiss someone?" He glared at Tucker.

"It was when we had to take care of the sack of flour together. He was all caught up in playing daddy, when he left me and little baby Lillith, he gave us both a kiss good-bye."

Danny was not mollified as he turned his back on Tucker and crossed his arms. "I am so never speaking to you again."

"And I'm never speaking to you again," Tucker said to Sam.

"Then it's gonna be an awfully quiet ride." Sam glanced over at Danny and rolled her eyes. "Oh, grow up. It was nothing. I just mentioned it to make a point."

"That my girlfriend and my best friend have a past history they didn't bother telling me about?"

"Ugh. Don't be an idiot. Parenting a sack of flour together does not count as past history." She looked at Tucker in the rearview mirror again. "My point, Tucker, is that if you chase every girl, how is Valerie supposed to know you actually are interested in her in particular?"

"Who said I was interested in her in particular? Not that I'm speaking to you."

"Then why are you so happy about hanging out with her last night?"

"Give me a break. You don't care about me. You just want her to hook up with someone so you can stop worrying about her liking Danny again."

Danny looked over his shoulder. "But do you like her? Not that I'm speaking to you."

"Well, yeah. She's really cool."

"Then make sure she knows she isn't just one of the crowd." Sam pulled the car into the Casper High student parking lot just as a flash of red and black streaked by overhead.

Tucker looked up, a smile spreading on his face. "She is definitely not just one of the crowd."

"And she's more than just a high-tech battle suit," Sam warned. "She's a person."

"I know that! I did mention that we hung out last night, right? For a really long time."

Sam smiled as they climbed out of the car. "You might have said something like—"

"Yo, Manson! Way to trade up the food chain!"

Sam turned around to find one of the generic jocks who usually followed Dash around giving her a thumbs-up. She frowned.

Danny came around the car to join her. "What was that all about?"

"Beats me." She shrugged. "I've given up trying to puzzle out the mind of the letter jacket set. Jane Goodall had an easier time figuring out the chimps. At least they're actually intelligent creatures."

Danny took her hand, and they started towards the school. People stopped and stared as they walked by, and more than a few people snickered.

Tucker looked around, scratching his ear just under his glasses. "Is it just me, or is everyone staring at us?"

"It's not just you." Danny looked around as well. "For a minute, I thought maybe I'd lost my pants again."

Sam eyed him to make sure his clothing hadn't gone intangible like it used to do at odd moments when he'd first gotten his powers. "Nope. But I haven't had this many people stare at me since I stopped shaving my head. What is with everyone?"

"Hey, guys!" Valerie joined them as they made their way up the school steps.

"Hey, Val." Tucker beamed at her. "You look like you're in a good mood. Looking forward to after school?"

"Oh, my gosh, yes! I can't wait!"

Sam elbowed Danny, smiling, before asking Valerie, "What's after school?"

"Now that it's been two years since my dad's bankruptcy, he qualifies for a home loan again." She was practically bouncing up and down. "He's been saving like crazy ever since he went back to work with Axion, so he thinks we can afford to buy a small house on this side of the river. We're going house hunting with a realtor after school today! Daddy surprised me with the news yesterday just before I went to work. Can you believe it? We might finally be moving out of that dump!"

"That's awesome, Val," Danny said. "Where are you gonna look?"

"Well, we can't afford anything like what we used to have, but there are some really cute three-bedroom places in Haddonfield Village that the realtor's gonna show us."

"That's a nice area," Sam said.

"It's no Eidolon Hill or anything, but it sure beats the hell out of Elmerton." Eidolon Hill was Sam's neighborhood.

"Haddonfield Village isn't far from my house." Tucker looked pleased, and Sam couldn't help but smile and nudge Danny again.

Once inside the school, however, her smile faded as they continued to get weird looks from their classmates. Heads swung their way as they walked down the hall, and people giggled or clucked their tongues or, oddly, gave Sam approving looks. She had to grab Danny's arm to keep him from using his ghost powers on two different guys who tried to get her phone number.

Valerie's eyes were wide with confusion. "Did we just land in an episode of The Twilight Zone? What the hell has gotten into everybody?"

"Maybe ghosts are overshadowing the entire student body of Casper High?" Sam suggested.

Danny growled. "Overshadowed or not, if one more guy leers at you, I'm gonna—"

"Act like a grownup and ignore it," Sam finished, giving him a look of warning.

"You become a player when we weren't looking, Sam?" Tucker asked.

She turned back to Danny. "Him, on the other hand?" She jerked her thumb at Tucker. "Feel free to start wailing."

They separated at the foot of the main staircase, Danny and Valerie headed upstairs for his Spanish class and her math class, while Sam and Tucker stayed downstairs for chemistry. As they approached the chem lab, they saw Dash Baxter leaning against the doorjamb.

"Okay, Manson, let me make this quick. You're a freak, but you obviously know how to travel in the right circles. There's a party at my place Saturday night. You're invited if you bring your boyfriend. Not Fen-tard. The other one. And not him." He indicated Tucker with a jerk of his head. "This is a strict no-losers affair."

Sam stared up at him. "Dash, there are so many things wrong with those last few sentences, I don't even know where to begin."

"Just be there. With your BF, or don't bother coming." Dash swept off with the air of royalty who had just bestowed a great favor on one of the peasants.

Tucker raised his eyebrows. "You sure you're not seeing some popular guy behind Danny's back?"

"Yes, Tucker, you got me. I'm seeing some popular guy behind Danny's back, because not only am I all about popularity—to the point where I would totally betray the guy I've had a crush on since the ninth grade—I also happen to have all the jocks just lined up to go out with me."

"Well, you kinda do now, in case you haven't noticed. You really have become a player."

Sam threw up her hands. "This is insane! Everyone has gone completely insane!"

The bell rang and Tucker pulled her inside the chem lab. "Let's just get to class. I'm sure it'll all blow over by lunch.


Tucker was wrong. All morning, Sam kept getting more weird looks, snide comments, and a few pats on the back for "trading up." In the computer lab during her study hall period just before lunch, Ashley and Starr sat huddled together, staring at Sam and talking in loud whispers. She tried to ignore it, but when the bell rang, she was finishing looking up the Cold War for her American History research paper, and by the time she'd gathered up her books and shoved them into her backpack, the only other people left in the room were Ashley and Starr, and they cornered her at her computer as she was standing to leave.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Self-Righteous herself." Ashley crossed her arms, a smug grin on her face. "Whose tongue has been shoved down your throat lately?"

Sam gaped at her. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on, Manson. At least I broke up with Kwan before I started seeing Dale. I didn't walk around school holding his hand when it was over."

"You wanna try putting words together that actually make sense, Ashley?"

Starr snorted. "Oh, come off your high horse. Everybody knows you've just been using Fenton to trade up. Not that I blame you. But still."

"'Trade up?' Unlike some people, I don't think of boys as used cars or real estate."

Before Starr could answer, Paulina appeared in the doorway. She stopped short as she caught sight of Sam, her eyes narrowing to cold slits. "You. You little witch. What did you do to him?"

Sam clenched her fists at her side. "Would somebody please tell me WHAT THE HELL EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT?"

Paulina flew at her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. If you wanna cheat on your little geek boyfriend, that's your business. But if you think you can mess with what's mine, you've got another think coming! I will take you down. Do you understand me?"

"You people have all lost your minds! I have never cheated on Danny in my life! And certainly not with anyone Paulina would be interested in. I would never—"

"Save it, Manson," Starr said. "We've all seen the video."

"Video?" Sam shook her head. "What video?"

Starr and Ashley exchanged glances, cruel smiles lighting up their faces. "She doesn't know," Ashley said.

Paulina pushed her aside and started typing something in on the computer keyboard behind her. "It's all over the internet, you little shrew, so you can stop playing innocent." She hit a few more keys, then stepped aside so Sam could see.

She'd called up one of those video file-sharing websites. Paulina took the mouse and clicked on the play button, and Sam's stomach dropped down to her knees as she watched a grainy but unmistakable video of herself from the night before, making out with Danny Phantom.


Author's Note: Elmerton is an existing (neighboring town? borough of Amity Park?) in canon. Haddonfield Village and Eidolon Hill are not. In keeping with the show's tradition of naming most places after ghosts and horror stories, Haddonfield is named after the town in the John Carpenter film, Halloween, and Eidolon is another word for Phantom.