Dedicated to Endless Eclipse and Katie from scoots 3
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own
A/N- OMG! I've updated! It's a miracle! I've had the beginning sitting around for soooo long and I sat down and finished it today! Woohoo! So, some people should be pleased with this chapter. I hope. Oh and the gang shows up again! Yes- more subplot! So...instead of putting this off longer- enjoy! (and I will love you forever and ever if you reply cause I'm paranoid like that!)
Danny felt sick to his stomach.
He'd tried to convince his parents that he'd come down with some sort of virus, but they had just stared at him knowingly until he'd reluctantly grabbed his school bag and left the house.
He wasn't sure if Jazz had told them something or he was just really obvious. He didn't really like either option.
He'd tried phoning Tucker; the first three times he had hung up before anyone could answer the phone. The other two times he'd been hung up on before he could get past 'hi'.
It wasn't exactly a conversation to have over the phone though.
His best friends weren't talking to him and he wanted to rant and rage and claim that it wasn't him, that he wasn't like that, if only to get Tucker to talk to him again. But…he was tired of lying.
He'd spent years lying about everything- lying to everyone. Tucker and Sam had been the two people he'd never had to lie to.
He didn't want to take it all back, to start lying to Tucker, but a part of him kind of did- if only to get him to look him in the eye again.
"Hey."
Danny glanced up, startled from where he had been staring at the same library book for most of the lunch hour. He'd decided to hide out in the library, if only to avoid sitting by himself in the lunch room while Sam and Tucker pretended he didn't exist.
Not that they'd had the chance, since he hadn't seen them since the previous day.
Dash slunk down into the seat across from him, looking tired with bruises under his eyes, but still smiling despite it.
"Hey." Danny returned the greeting and gave up the pretense of pretending to read. He flipped the book closed and pushed it off to one side.
"You looked like you were brooding." Dash informed him, and instead of teasing, he just appeared a little worried. "Wanna share?"
Danny opened and closed his mouth, surprised. Share with Dash? The idea was appealing.
"Tucker's mad at me, Sam's disappointed and neither of them are talking to me." It felt better telling someone else. It occurred to him a moment later that he would have to explain why that was the case. The thought terrified him.
"A year ago I wouldn't have thought that was possible." Dash muttered. He waited, as though expecting Danny to go on but Danny couldn't think of anything to say. The blonde shrugged instead and reached into the pocket of his jacket.
"I got you something." Dash pulled something small out of his pocket and held it out.
Danny hesitated then reached out, feeling the weight as Dash pressed the object into his palm. He pulled his hand back, a small smile breaking across his face as he took in the small Phantom keychain that he was holding.
"I got it from one of those vending machine things at the store down the street." Dash was turning pink across from him. "Just to show you, that you're like…a hero to people and everything." Danny blinked, a warm feeling settling in him. "Even when they're trying to kick you out of town and stuff."
Dash was studying him nervously, as though making sure that everything he said was okay. Danny broke into a wide grin, feeling incredibly happy for a guy whose week had been going horribly up until a few moments ago.
He slipped his keys out of his pocket and attached the Phantom key chain, displaying it proudly.
"Thanks." He gave into temptation, since the library was practically empty and reached across, squeezing Dash's hand briefly. Dash didn't even blink, just flipped his hand over and squeezed back before letting go. "It means a lot."
Dash grinned and leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed.
"Does this mean I can talk you into walking home with me after school?"
Walking home? Danny frowned, and then realized why that question seemed odd. Dash's convertible.
"I can't believe I forgot!" Dash raised an eyebrow at him. He'd been so wrapped up with everything that was going wrong for him that he had completely forgotten. "Your car…how is it?"
The spray painted words on the trunk were just too similar to the ones on the row of lockers to be a coincidence. Which meant that it was his fault.
"It's in the shop." Dash shrugged, glancing away. "I figured it was better not to tell my parents about it. I've got really good insurance." The blonde grinned at him. Danny couldn't figure out how he could just get over it so quickly.
"But the spray paint," Danny protested. "It was probably the gang." He dropped his voice and leaned forwards.
"It could have been any teenager with a spray can and the urge to wreck something." Dash said carefully. He narrowed his eyes as though figuring out what Danny was alluding to. "It's not your fault."
It was Danny's turn to shrug, fidgeting under the gaze.
"Besides, something good came out of it." Dash continued grinning at Danny's confused look.
"What?" Danny watched as Dash stood, gathering his bag up. For a moment it looked like Dash wasn't going to answer.
"I get to walk home with you."
Danny couldn't wipe the smile off his face as Dash strode out of the library with a wave over his shoulder.
DI
"Danny!"
He paused at the doors to the school, textbook in hand and tried to decide whether he wanted to run for it or stay and face whatever happened next. He figured the second option would end with a lot of yelling or disappointed looks. It wasn't like he could make a run for first period- the bell wasn't going to ring for quite some time.
"Can we talk?"
Danny turned, mentally preparing himself for whatever his best friend wanted to question him about now.
Sam didn't look like she was about to start yelling, she didn't even look angry. Instead she just looked awkward, hands clasped loosely together and if he didn't know her better, he'd have sworn she was shuffling her feet.
He'd been expecting the same treatment he'd been receiving since they found out about Dash knowing; a mixture of disapproving, hurt looks and the silent treatment. He wasn't sure what to do with this.
"Uh- sure?"
Dash had walked him home the night before, and while it had been…well, he'd had a lot of fun- he missed Sam and Tucker too.
They walked, side by side away from the front doors, over to a bench under the shade of a tree. There weren't a lot of students milling around, too early in the morning, but the ones that had arrived early paid them no attention.
"I'm sorry." Sam blurted out.
"What?" The apology was unexpected. Sam had trouble apologizing for the smallest things, let alone something she clearly thought she was right about.
"I shouldn't have said those things," she continued, sinking down onto the bench next to him and for the first time in days, not avoiding eye contact with him. "They were uncalled for."
An apology had definitely been the last thing he had expected.
"It's okay." He shrugged it off; trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal when it clearly was anything but.
"Danny- don't." Sam gave him a look that told him clearly that she wasn't believing a word he said.
"Fine," he rubbed a hand through his hair, beginning to feel frustrated. It felt like no matter what he did, it wasn't the right thing in someone's eyes. "It's not exactly okay. I don't get why one minute you think Dash is great and then the next you're convinced he's going to tell the whole town my secret!"
If Sam was shocked by his outburst, she didn't show it.
He kept his voice down, mindful of the other people wandering around the yard; the last thing he needed was more people knowing about Danny Phantom.
"And it has nothing to do with him being a jock, not with the way you've been hanging out with Kwan." Sam blinked and turned pink. It was a day for firsts apparently. "Tucker won't even look at me," and it made him sick every time he thought about it. "Would it have been so hard to have respected my choice to tell Dash?"
He finished, breathing hard and rested his face in his hands feeling more exhausted then he had all week. He just wanted Sam and Tucker on his side again but not if it meant giving up these changes; not if it meant giving up Dash.
"I was jealous." Sam admitted so quietly next to him that he nearly missed it.
Danny looked up at her, shock written clearly across his features.
"No! Not like that," Sam hastened to correct the statement. "I was jealous of the fact that you could so easily tell someone you had hated for so long."
Oh. Part of Danny could understand that.
"It was our secret." Sam continued awkwardly, playing with the hem of her skirt. "Just us. Everything's changed this year though, and it's our final year here before who knows what and…it just hurt that suddenly you were closer to Dash than Tuck and me."
Danny stared ahead blankly. Had things really changed that much? He glanced over at his best friend; it was true that maybe he had been spending more and more time with Dash but he'd never meant to drift from Sam or Tuck. Were they drifting?
He squared his shoulders and reached out, sliding an arm around his friend's shoulders and pulling her closer for a half hug. He wasn't going to let them drift apart.
"I think that's Tuckers problem too." Sam said softly from his side. "He feels like you've replaced him with Dash."
"So the whole thing," he waved his hand around in hopefully a manner that would show just how confusing the thing was. "With Dash isn't freaking him out?"
"Oh, it probably is a bit." She shrugged, a mischievous grin making its way across her face. "But he's probably more pissed off that you're still dating the most popular girl in school and apparently have the most popular boy chasing after you."
Danny blushed, turning his head slightly so Sam wouldn't catch it. He still couldn't figure that part out himself; when had he become so interesting?
"I'd better talk to him." Danny finally said.
Sam straightened up next to him, pulling away from the hug.
"Yeah. So, are we okay now?" She asked, looking unsure.
He couldn't honestly say that their fight didn't still hurt and that he still resented what she had said- but she was his best friend. He didn't want to fight with her anymore.
"Yeah," He grinned at her relieved smile, feeling better than he had in awhile. "But you're going to be making it up to me for quite some time."
"How about I just pay for the limo and after party at prom?" She asked, slightly evil grin on her face. He groaned, covering his face with his hands. Prom was the last thing he wanted to be thinking of.
DI
"I bought my dress months ago! It's designer from New York, daddy didn't care how much it cost since its Prom."
Danny wondered if this was what it felt like when one was drowning.
"We'll have to go shopping for your outfit so we match. I can't have you clashing with my dress, it would be so humiliating!" Paulina giggled, clinging tighter to Danny's arm as they made their way down the hall.
It was lunch and he'd been hoping to make a clean getaway and find Tucker, maybe try to talk to him, but Paulina had cornered him outside of his science class.
"And the limo will pick us up early so we can go to dinner first with Valerie and Victor," Victor Feldsman? "Because I heard that they…"
Danny stopped listening, half because the thought of prom made him queasy and half because he had spotted Tucker.
He tried to signal his friend, discretely, without interrupting Paulina- but Tucker either didn't see him or didn't want to see him because he turned down a different corridor and disappeared into the crowd. With Paulina attached to his arm it wasn't like he could go after him.
Dash appeared at the corner Tucker had just disappeared down, suddenly. Danny waved, trying to get him to come over and distract Paulina for him. Instead, Dash glanced between Danny and then the hall Tucker had disappeared down.
Oh no- he wouldn't.
Dash grinned at him and then jogged down the hallway after Tucker.
Oh god- he was. He was going to go try to talk to Tucker. Danny would never be able to get Tucker to talk to him now. And while he really should have been running after Dash, to stop whatever the quarterback was doing (probably trying to help Danny, which made him kind of ridiculously happy, but probably wouldn't be doing any good), Paulina steered him into the cafeteria and Danny lost his courage to face that particular problem.
It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Dash's help. It was just that it probably wouldn't help. At all.
"And you'll have to buy the tickets this week if you haven't already." Paulina was saying. "Because they're not selling them next week."
He really needed to get away from everything prom related. At this point, he didn't even want to go.
And he had just spotted his escape.
"Paulina," He broke in just as she was about to start in on her shoes. "I need to go talk to Sam and Kwan about something…prom related." He pulled away from her quickly, continuing when she opened her mouth, probably to tell him off or something. "It's a surprise I'm planning…so I'll see you later."
He darted off before she could try to get the surprise out of him. Great, now he'd have to come up with some sort of surprise.
Someone bumped into him hard as he made his way to the other side of the cafeteria. He glanced up to apologize only to find Victor Feldsman glaring down at him.
"Watch where you're going, fairy." The jock scowled at him and kept going.
Danny stared after him, mouth hanging open in shock. The shock turned quickly to irritation though as he tried to shrug it off and made it to the table where Sam and Kwan were sitting.
"Hey." He greeted, sliding onto the bench next to Kwan in time to catch them quickly hiding a few sheets of paper. Danny glanced from one teenager to the other, eyebrow quirked as he tried to figure out what was going on.
"What was up with Feldsman?" Kwan asked, apparently having seen everything.
"Oh that." Danny glared over his shoulder at where the new jock was sitting across the room. "It was just him being an ass."
Kwan nodded, accepting the explanation.
"What did he say?" Sam asked, glaring and probably wishing she had powers of her own to get back at Victor.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Danny replied dryly. It was true though, after the initial shock and irritation- it had just been a name from a guy that he could care less about. It bothered him more that he even had that initial irritation.
Sam and Kwan exchanged a look that Danny couldn't read before apparently deciding to change the topic completely.
DI
"Please tell me you weren't trying to talk to Tucker earlier." Danny practically begged, cornering Dash at his locker after school.
The blonde glanced up in amusement before going back to shoving a large text book into his bag.
"You did, didn't you?" Danny let his head fall forwards and hit the next locker over. Tucker was never going to speak to him, ever again.
"Relax, will you?" Dash reached out a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. Danny glanced around quickly but there wasn't anymore else in the hall and it was more of a reflex then out of actual panic.
"I can't. Tucker's never going to speak to me again. I'll run into him at our ten year high school reunion and I'll be that guy that he used to know but only sort of remembers his name."
Dash chuckled next to him and the hand dropped. The locker closed with a click and the blonde turned to lean against it.
"I'm glad my pain amuses you." Danny muttered.
"I only cornered him for a minute." Dash admitted. "I asked if we could talk and once he stopped panicking, honestly you'd think he'd have gotten over the whole bully thing by now, he agreed to meet with me tomorrow for a bit."
Danny looked up and just stared at the other teenager. Dash fidgeted.
"Well, it's not like he's listening to you. So…I just thought, maybe I could try to talk to him?"
Danny continued to stare as Dash shifted awkwardly.
"Seriously, Danny- can you, like, say something? You're making me kind of nervous."
There were a flurry of warm feelings flowing through him at the moment and he didn't quite trust himself to reply.
Instead he reached up, wrapped his arms around Dash's neck and just hugged him. The quarterback seemed surprised at first; standing there awkwardly like he wasn't quite sure what to do. Danny didn't let go though, burying his face in Dash's collar bone, because the blonde really was tall and Danny wasn't. Finally, Dash wound his arms around Danny, pulling him tighter against him and returning the hug full fledged.
"You're awesome." Danny finally muttered into Dash's black t-shirt.
"Awesome?" He could feel the rumble of Dash laughing lightly. "Says the guy who can turn into a ghost."
Danny pulled back, grinning. Dash returned the grin, with something fond and soft creeping across his face.
Was this what it was supposed to feel like? Danny wasn't sure. Should it feel like this with Paulina? And if so, then why didn't it?
It might have been selfish, but he wanted this feeling all the time.
DI
He'd stayed up all night, tossing and turning. In fact, he had been making so much noise that his sister had eventually barged in, demanding that he either tell her what was wrong or to knock himself out.
So, he'd spilled the beans. About everything.
And he hadn't ended up sleeping, but neither had Jazz.
She was only there for a few more days so it wasn't like she could tease him forever about it.
So there he was, no sleep, stomach twisting and churning and making him feel like he was going to be sick. But he needed to do it.
"Danny!"
Deep breaths.
"Can we talk?" He tried not to feel too guilty at Paulina's suddenly unsure expression and led them to an empty class room.
"What do you want to talk about?" She perched on the edge of a desk, crossing her long legs and Danny had to wonder when he had stopped wanted her and started wanting blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Um…us." Danny took the seat across from her, if only to stop himself from pacing. God, it was hard.
Paulina didn't say anything, just watched him and played with a manicured fingernail. Well, he'd started this; he'd need to finish it.
"I just- this isn't working out." He said in a rush, face heating up. He couldn't tell what she was thinking but he got the feeling he'd be leaving the room with a hand print on his cheek or something.
"Because, you're gorgeous and popular and everything- and everyone loves you, I mean, Tucker doesn't shut up about it, ever," He stopped himself for a moment, realizing that he was rambling. "But I just don't feel the same way about you that I did last year."
Maybe he was growing up, maybe he was just crazy. He didn't know, all he knew was that he wanted the chance to find out and he had a feeling he knew where he could find the elusive happiness he'd been looking for with Paulina.
"So, I don't think we should go out, or go to prom because that wouldn't be fair to either of us." He finished.
Figuring out what to say with Jazz had helped a bit. He wasn't tripping over himself as much as he thought he'd be.
He waited, holding his breath, expecting a slap or something.
He wasn't expecting the slow, sad smile that slid across Paulina's face.
"I guess we're both looking for something that neither of us has." She slid off the desk, hugged him and then pulled back. Danny just sat there, surprised and confused.
"Uh, yeah?"
"I'll just have to find a new date for prom." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, a slightly superior look on her face because she knew there would be people lined up to take her to prom. There was the Paulina he knew.
"If you're looking for recommendations," he began, standing. "I may have just the guy for you."
DI
To say that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders would have been an understatement.
He felt great, walking down the hall, grin on his face. Excitement was bubbling through him and he knew that if he didn't let it out somehow, he'd explode.
It was ridiculous, this giddy feeling. He'd just broken up with his girlfriend, and he couldn't have been happier. Okay, maybe he could have.
But this was crazy- hell; he was crazy, especially with these thoughts running through his head.
Oh god, he was going to do this.
He took a deep breath, turned the corner and looked around. Dash wasn't at his locker.
Oh well, he'd just keep looking. The blonde had to be there somewhere; worse came to worse he could just corner him after English.
Danny turned around and nearly walked into Sam.
She took one look at the grin on his face and dragged him into an empty class room.
"What happened?" She demanded a grin of her own sliding across her face. Apparently it was contagious.
"I broke up with Paulina."
For a moment it looked like she was trying to appear sympathetic but it failed and her grin stretched wider instead.
"How'd the princess take it?" Sam asked instead.
"Surprisingly well." He admitted. "She gave me a hug and everything."
Sam leaned forwards, checking his back as though Paulina might have planted a 'kick me' sign there somehow without him noticing.
"Wow." She grinned. "You look like you won the lottery."
He felt pretty good too.
"So does this mean," She began but was interrupted as Kwan ducked his head into the classroom, out of breath.
"Something's happening outside!" He told them before taking off again. Sam and Danny exchanged a glance, sinking feeling spreading and sprinted after Kwan.
The front steps were crowded with students all trying to find out what was happening. An ambulance was just pulling away from the school and various cop cars were parked on the road and lawn.
Some of the students had their phones out, filming it, or were talking to friends who weren't there.
Danny looked around, craning his neck as he tried to spot Dash and Tucker in the crowd.
Kwan was the one to spot Tucker, taller than Sam and Danny and able to see the teenager at one of the cruisers, sitting on a bench and talking to one of the officers.
The jock led the way through the crowd, clearing a path easily until they managed to make it through.
"Tucker!" Sam shouted. Their friend looked up and spotted them, then said something to the officer he was with and the three of them were let past the hastily erected barricade.
"What happened?" Danny asked as soon as they were close enough. Tucker looked up at them and Danny could see the beginnings of a black eye forming on his friend, along with what looked like a split lip.
It made him furious.
The officer stepped away to give them some privacy and Sam seated herself next to Tucker, wrapping an arm around the blanket over his shoulders.
"We were talking out back," Tucker was missing his glasses and hat as well, squinting at them. "And they just came out of nowhere."
"We?" Danny asked, feeling cold.
"They just kept asking who Danny Phantom was and he wouldn't tell them and I couldn't tell them- I was just so scared." Tucker rambled on, apparently having not heard him.
"Tucker," Danny crouched down in front of him, grabbing his hands and his attention. "Who is 'we'?"
He needed to know- he needed to know it wasn't who he thought it was.
Tucker glanced distractedly over his head and Danny had the feeling he was going into shock. Why hadn't they taken him to the hospital as well?
"They needed my statement first." Tucker mumbled. Apparently he had said the last part out loud.
Danny followed Tucker's line of sight and spotted someone sitting in the back of one of the police cars.
He recognized the red Mohawk from the park and the group hanging around the school.
"Tucker," he tried again, softly, catching and holding his friends attention. "Who was in the ambulance?"
A second ambulance was pulling up behind them and the paramedics were headed their way but Tucker kept his eyes on Danny this time.
"Dash." Danny could swear he felt his heart stop. "I'm sorry Danny, I'm really sorry- he didn't tell them and I should have listened to you…"
Danny stood abruptly and slid onto the bench next to his friend.
"It's not your fault." He hugged Tucker. "It's not. It's that gang- and I'm going to stop them."
Oh god- Dash.
Kwan was still standing there looking confused and angry and kept glancing over at the guy in the police car as though he wanted to go over there and do to him whatever they did to Dash. Danny knew the feeling.
He felt sick. And cold. And he wasn't sure what he was going to do.
No- he knew what he was going to do. He was going to go to the hospital with Tucker, he was going to see Dash, stay with him for as long as he was allowed. And then he was going to find the gang and settle the score.
