*nervous laughter* So when I said a couple of weeks I really meant... a month? I know I know, I suck but this chapter is longer than others so maybe that can make up for it... and a ransom... or a puppy? C'mon work with me!
Disclaimer: I do not own the following things: Danny Phantom, anime, BB guns, Nuclear Weapons and sexy foxes.
You Want What Now?
As I was walking through the school parking lot leading to front campus, I contemplated what my Aunt had, perhaps unconsciously, advised me. It wasn't a good idea to be Phantom 2.0, one because I wouldn't be any better than my Dad and two I didn't have a clue what I was doing! It was like giving a toddler a BB gun... or a nuclear weapon. Without a doubt, the best thing to do was not let this go any further and get into anymore suicide missions. The mysterious ghost girl was never to make an appearance again. Well not in person anyway...
When entering school, I was greeted by thousands of poster stuck on every surface that was available to them. In fact, I think they would be on people's faces if it were possible. Every one of these posters depicted the ghost girl and/or descriptions of her. They were mostly illustrations, some more expertly done than others. However, often her features were exaggerated, especially if it was in an anime style. 'Uh... should I be flattered?' I thought to myself, but no, I shouldn't. This was bad. Very, very bad.
'KELLY!' I jumped at my name and was thrown off, pretty literally, as my friends barged into me. Both Lottie and Greg seemed to have me in a chokehold. 'You're alive!' Greg exclaimed. Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to call them.
'Sorry guys...' I managed to make out.
'Oh yeah that reminds me, you suck!' Lottie punched my arm, 'You had us worried sick, we didn't see you after that fight, it was pretty kick ass though!'
'I guess I deserved that. I had a lot on my mind this weekend, I'm sorry. For realz.'
'You should be, but now that your here you can make sarcastic remarks about this.' Greg spread his arms wide gesturing to the posters.
'Uh... they're creepy?'
'What's got into you? The Kelly I know would have at least 101 reasons why they're creepy.'
'I guess I'm not quite on it today.'
'Huh, are you sure you're okay Kel?' Lottie enquired, 'You seem off,'
'I'm fine. I just started this day too early I guess.' I had to get out of there. I was trying so badly to escape my alter ego, yet it seemed to keep coming back to me. It was making me nauseas. 'I gotta go.'
'Kelly?' they questioned after me as I started quickening my pace down the halls. Everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Why can't I escape my own face? Why were they up in the first place? Why am I asking so many damn questions!?
'Psst, Fenton!' Suddenly my arm was grasped in a firm hold and I found myself dragged into the janitor's closet. For the first few moments I was in the dark and questioning my surroundings and the next the lights flashed on and I was met by Jeff Donohue's face. Kinda uncomfortably close.
'What do you want now?' I groaned.
'You can't play dumb with me,' he said with a smug look on his face.
'So why are you playing dumb with me? Oh wait that's just you.'
'Ha ha very funny, now 'fess.'
No.
''Fess what?'
'You know exactly what?'
No.
I paused. 'Okay I will...I didn't bring the science equipment I stole back to school,' He couldn't know...
'Stop stalling Fenton, I know your secret!'
No!
'So why are you asking me about it?'
'Because I need conformation,'
'I gave you all the conformation you needed,' the rate of the conversation was gradually increasing.
'Then 'fess!'
'I don't have time for this,'
'Fess!'
'Fess what?'
'That you're the ghost girl!' I clamped my hand over his mouth.
'Shut it, you moron!' I whispered aggressively. 'Okay...yes, yes you're right. But you can't tell a soul, understand?' He managed to nod, even with my hold on him. 'How do you know anyway?'
I let him go, and after a few gasps for air he answered, 'I saw you.'
'You saw me? Shit!' Guess I wasn't being as discreet as I thought I was.
'Don't worry. I was like the only one there.'
'Why the hell were you still there?'
'I...uh...look that's not important. The point is, why should I keep your secret? My dad works for the feds. I could pretty easily turn you in...'
'NO! You can't!' He smirked. My face formed into a scowl.
'I just think that if you really want me to stay zipped, you'll give me some sort of...benefit.' I raised an eyebrow, 'Nothing dirty I swear!' He reasoned.
I exhaled noisily and gave in, 'Whatever you want.'
He thought about it for a moment. He concluded, 'I want in.'
'Wait, what?'
Jeff's POV
'I want in.' I repeated. Confusion was set deep in her features.
'You want in? How can you possibly want in?'
'Don't you see how cool this is? You've got something that practically every kid dreams of!'
'Oh no Donahue, I am not letting my curse be your superhero fantasy. Look, what I did in the mall the other day was utterly reckless and totally stupid. This could cost me more than you could ever imagine and I am not ever going to do anything like that again!'
'It looked like you kicked that ghost's ass to me,'
'Oh well that makes everything okay!' she exclaimed sarcastically. There was a pause as she drew out a suppressed breath. Her voice softened, 'Jeff, I got seriously lucky. And besides, if I really was to take this on, I couldn't get you involved. It's a lot more complicated than that,' Whoa, she called me by my first name? She never does that.
'Hey I wasn't volunteering to be a sidekick, I was just gonna ask if I could be of any help,'
'Didn't sound like that five seconds ago,'
'Yeah well five seconds ago I thought you knew what you were doing. I guess I was kind of imagining what it would be like to patrol the streets of Amity, chasing every ghost that dared to cross your path and having the satisfaction that you made the world a safer place.' He paused, stuck inside the glory of his own imagination, '...But it's stupid right?'
'Very,' she raised an eyebrow as she said this, but then smiled, 'but I get what you mean. That's kinda what I thought too, but something... changed my mind.'
'What?'
'Well... I didn't know how my parents would...you know...like it if I was playing superhero every night.'
'I guess that is a problem. Hey, how did you get your ghost powers anyway? Was it a tribute to Phantom?'
Kelly's POV
Wrong question Donahue. 'I...uh...uh,'
'I'm little too far into this now Kelly aren't I?'
'Well...'
'You have to tell me.'
'But...'
'No buts. Remember, I'm the only one that knows your secret,' He insisted.
'That's not the only secret,' He raised an eyebrow.
'Jeff, if I tell you this, you have to swear to never tell a soul.' I tried to look as sincere as possible.
'Okay I swear,' he stated casually.
'Hey, this isn't just a pinky swear made in the sandbox Donahue. You have to swear on your life!'
'Fiiiiine,' he exaggerated the word, 'I, Jeffrey Sexy Fox Donahue,' I sighed. I wasn't gonna take this. 'What that's my name!' he smirked.
'C'mon!'
'Okay, I solemnly swear to never, ever, ever, repeat to anyone the information that Kelly What Ever Her Middle Name Is Fenton is going to share with me. Now, shoot.'
'You know a pinky swear will tie this one off...'
'Just say it!'
'My dad is Danny Phantom!' Oh great, I hadn't really eased my way into that one well.
Then he began to laugh. When I say laugh... I mean act like a hysterical buffoon. 'Your... dad,' he said between laughs 'Your dad is Danny Phantom? AHAHAHAHA!' Now I was really mad. 'Oh my god wow,' he was wiping tears from his eyes, 'A guy... who's voice can knock down skyscrapers, reading you a bedtime story? Ahahaha... too funny!' He was holding his sides and not really concentrating, so I took this opportunity to kick him. Groaning in pain soon replaced his hysterics.
'Listen Donahue this is serious,' I grabbed his collar. 'I don't know how and I don't know why but I've inherited my Dad's powers, and if you don't keep your mouth shut I will make you pay. Plus with all this new found strength...'
'Okay okay, I promise I won't breathe a word about it,' he held out his pinky. I hooked mine around his and pulled it down so hard, he whined like a little girl. He began to shake his hand believing the pain would fling of his finger. 'I guess that's why he talked to you when he gate crashed history class huh?'
'You heard that?' I said, surprise apparent in my voice.
'Yeah I did, I was gonna ask but chickened out. But I could never have guessed he's your dad! You know, if I told anyone they probably wouldn't even believe me,'
'And what is that suppose to mean?' Does he have a death wish?
'Well, I mean, Phantom's like, what 6,1 at least? And you're... well... practically a pixie,'
'Oh you're asking for it now Donahue!' I was about to launch myself at him but then we realised the hallways were suspiciously quiet and class had started approximately... 13 minutes ago.
'Aw crap!' we said in unison and we began to sprint, but then I observed that something had fallen from Jeff's bag. He hadn't noticed in his haste, and had already disappeared down the hallway. Guess I had to take it or else the whole conversation we just had would have been for nothing. I was holding some sort of leather diary that had the initials of its owner engraved on the front. 'Property of J. S. F Donahue'. Huh? That can't actually be his middle name... can it?
Jeff's POV
Racing to biology, I did a Breakfast Club-style slide into the door of my classroom. It felt kinda cool at first but then I noticed thirty kids standing with scalpels, open mouthed. I think one kid even dropped his. How dramatic... 'Mr Donahue, I'm guessing you forgot today was dissection day?' Mr Gray remarked.
I wasn't sure I could make this any better for myself, so I concluded I would give some sort of sarcastic remark that would ultimately have me in detention. Kelly was gonna be late too. She had been frequently behind schedule this week and was gonna have to pay eventually. Maybe there was a reason to stay behind. 'Hey I don't get it, if we live in a day and age where you can simulate the digestive system accurately, why do we need to splice Kermit?'
Mr Gray paused, pointed his finger and declared, 'Listen Donahue, you have barely scraped a C average in this class and you can play righteous hippy all you want, but when you wonder into my classroom half way through dissection day and think you can convince me to do anything but examine the guts of an unfortunate amphibian then you have another thing coming!' His voice climbed into a crescendo as he roared his speech with more and more passion...and saliva. 'Now grab that scalpel and show me what happens when Miss Piggy catches Kermie cheating!'
'Just one more question,' I mused. He hadn't said anything about a detention yet, and I was gonna give it all I had, 'If I kiss it, will it turn into a prince? Cos I then I don't think I'd want to go through with it.'
My comment was followed by a few snickers and Johnny saying something along the lines of, 'Wow, Donahue's officially lost it!' Good to know I have supportive friends.
'Get back to your desk Jeffrey and I will see you after school... in detention.' Nailed it!
I swaggered to my desk pleased with my, uh, accomplishment I guess, and was so distracted by everything that had just occurred that all I did was poke the poor guy's stomach a little. I realised that there was so many new factors I had learned about Fenton's real situation that it wasn't possible to contain them all in my C average brain. I felt around for my journal but it didn't seem to be where I thought it was. Crap, that thing had all my notes in it. My theories about Fenton, my personal observations, my algebra homework. What if it got into the wrong hands? But I could swear that I had it that morning, so where the heck did it go? Unless... Oh dear God.
Kelly's POV
'Really sir, I am so sorry, I promise you it won't happen again.' Here I was again. In front of the whole class trying to explain my absence to Mr Lancer.
'To be honest with you Miss Fenton I'm not sure you can, this is the third time you have been late to my class,'
'But I've only been late to history!'
'Don't try to contradict me Miss Fenton. The point is that your tardiness won't help you in life in any shape or form and it certainly didn't help your father. For God sake the boy could hardly keep his pants up!' I wanted to facepalm so hard right now it was unbelievable. The red on my face seemed to highly amuse my class mates. It totally sucked when he brought my dad into this.
In that moment it seemed that the sudden burst of humiliation made my powers uncontrollable and I found my legs becoming nonexistent again prompting me to start falling to the ground, only to call for more embarrassment. What was worse is that one of the things I used to keep my balance was Lancer's desk, but my arm slid across the desk taking his most prized possession, his Shakespeare coffee mug, with it. The smash of cheap porcelain on the tiled floor echoed through my ears and I winced, thinking of the consequences. If I wasn't in for it at first, I sure was now.
'Lucky for you Miss Fenton, I'm staying after school today for a... behavioural rehabilitation gathering and I'd like you to join me.'
'Detention?'
'Well I was going to sugar coat it for you but have it your way. Yes detention and I expect you there before it starts, not half way through.'
'Sorry Mr Lancer,' Well there goes any dignity I may have had left. And to think my face is posted up on every wall in this sad building. They wouldn't like the Ghost Girl so much if they knew she couldn't stand up properly.
I was shuffling around in my bag looking for what I needed for the remainder of the lesson when I saw Jeff's diary fall out. Pfft, Donahue has a diary? What could it possible say? And yet, he seemed to know so much about what I had been doing on that eventful day at the mall. It got me thinking How exactly did he see me? It looked like curiosity was gonna get the better of me and I slowly opened the contents of Jeff's brain. What surprised me was as soon as I had unlocked the extraordinary notion that a guy actually wrote down how he felt, I couldn't seem to rip myself away from it. I was enticed by his unnervingly perceptive words.
