"Dude, you okay?" Tucker called through the wooden cubicle door.
"Yeah. Just… how could I let myself get that bad? Why was I so bummed?" Danny replied, angry at himself but still confused.
"You really don't remember?" Tucker realised. He had half-thought that Danny had lied about his last memory to avoid talking about why he was upset.
"No. I mean the bus exploding… I was disappointed and worried about staying here longer but… that wouldn't have bummed me out. Not like Randy was saying I was," Danny answered thoughtfully.
"Promise you won't get upset?" Tucker requested.
"Tuck, I'm not gonna let myself get like that again," Danny vowed with conviction.
"Well, it's just it's not a doing thing, it's a feeling thing you know. You can't help it if you get upset," Tucker reasoned warily.
"Tuck, just tell me," Danny pressed impatiently.
"You were upset because the ninja isn't hated here. Everyone cheered the ninja after I shut down the robot which was literally right after the bus got wrecked. And then Howard started bragging about how Randy doesn't really get hurt during his fights, the ninja suit somehow protects him," Tucker revealed carefully. Danny paused as he pulled on his jeans. He frowned. That was upsetting to hear. It was unfair. But… it wouldn't have been enough to bum him out. Something else must have happened.
"What else?" Danny prompted, as he pulled on his sneakers which were thankfully still intact.
"What do you mean what else? You went to the bathroom to calm down while Howard was bragging. Next thing we knew you were… stanked," Tucker replied.
Danny unlocked the cubicle, grabbing the ruined clothes.
"I get why I left, but I don't think that stuff would be enough to make me that upset. You're sure there was nothing else," Danny admitted. Tucker shrugged.
"Maybe something happened in the bathroom. We won't know because we weren't there and you don't remember," Tucker guessed. Danny nodded in understanding before frowning as he saw his reflection. His hair looked damp. He hadn't noticed before while he was getting changed but now that he noticed it, his ruined shirt was soaked too. Danny leant over the sink and flickered intangible to dry himself off.
"Might be something to do with why I'm wet," Danny remarked with a slight frown. Tucker blinked in surprise before Danny dumped the ruined clothes, double checking his pockets for anything, into the bin filled with crumpled paper towels.
Together they left the bathroom. Randy and Howard were waiting with Sam, the ninja was gone. The cafeteria was still empty and a mess. Danny cringed at the destruction he caused.
"Don't worry, the school has really good insurance and McFist pays for most of the repairs," Randy interjected. Danny sighed but nodded.
"It wasn't your fault Danny. And all you really did was smash down a wall and break a few tables," Sam added. Danny winced.
"So I could have done more?" Danny muttered. Tucker put a hand on Danny's shoulder.
"No one got hurt. You stopped yourself," Tucker whispered in his ear. Danny glanced at his friend.
"The ninja mentioned that most stanked kids don't have that control," Tucker recalled. Danny blinked in surprise. Tucker smiled warmly.
"We should get out of here," Howard announced and led the way towards the door, grabbing his bag on the way.
The five teens left the cafeteria together and stepped outside. The rest of the students were crowded outside, chatting amongst each other while teachers milled around checking registers of their students to make sure everyone was accounted for.
"There you three are. Come on, with the rest," Lancer called and ushered Sam, Tucker and Danny over to their classmates. Danny wordlessly walked between Sam and Tucker, feeling guilty about the cafeteria but also confused about what made him that upset.
"By the way Danny, you used ghost rays when you were stanked," Sam informed him quietly. Danny's eyes widened in panic.
"What? Does Randy and Howard know then?" Danny exclaimed in a whisper.
"We didn't tell them but they're bound to be suspicious. The ghost rays and then the stuff we said to snap you out of it… there's gonna be questions," Tucker replied softly with an apologetic smile and shrug.
"What kind of stuff did you say?" Danny dared to ask.
"We didn't mention Phantom. We did try to get rid of them but Randy wouldn't go until he was sure we'd be okay. And Howard didn't want to leave either. Mostly we just reminded you how much everyone likes Phantom," Sam explained quietly. Danny nodded, closing his eyes slowly with dread.
"Alright, everyone's here. The replacement bus that was going to take us back home has been destroyed by a robot. It was delayed by a car accident. I'm going to have to talk to principal Slimovitz and Mr McFist to organise getting another bus. But for now, we're staying in Norrisville. The cafeteria is off bounds right now, something about a wall getting destroyed. So we're going to gather in the auditorium again until we can organise something else for the rest of the day. Any questions?" Mr Lancer informed the teens. There were a number of disappointed groans but no one had any questions. There was no point asking Lancer anything, he was just as clueless as they were when it came to Norrisville and the ninja. Obediently, the Casper High students crowded into the auditorium and waited.
Ten minutes later, Principal Slimovitz arrived. He stepped on to the stage and flicked on the microphone on the podium.
"Hello Casper High students. I feel that as you're going to be staying a little longer, I should explain a few things. It is school policy that all students have a spare change of clothes on the premises, whether that be in their lockers or in their bags. The Norrisville Ninja protects us from threats such as the rampaging robots, like you've seen. But the ninja also protects us from monsters that attack the school. If you see a monster, you must run and get to safety. Stay out of the ninja's way. Fights can be dangerous and destructive. When a monster attacks, depending on how dangerous it is, there may be an evacuation and roll-call. I will announce over the PA system if it is necessary. Any questions?" Principal Slimovitz told them. Danny flinched as he heard that the school had been evacuated because of him.
"Was that why we were evacuated?" Mikey called up.
"Yes and no. There was a monster attack in the cafeteria a short time after the robot attack outside. I thought it best to evacuate and do a roll-call to enable the ninja the space to neutralise any further threats in the school and to ensure all the students were safe. We also needed to make sure that the damages to the school didn't threaten anyone's safety. Luckily the wall destroyed in the cafeteria wasn't a major wall. The building is stable but the cafeteria and adjoining hallway are blocked off until we can start repairs," Principal Slimovitz answered. Sam patted Danny's arm reassuringly. Danny glanced at her and offered a small smile. It was good to hear that his actions, although not exactly his own, hadn't endangered anyone. But it was annoying to hear these rules designed to help the ninja do his job without distractions. Danny's school didn't have that. Danny couldn't count the amount of times he got hurt protecting the school but got distracted by someone shouting to him, usually Paulina.
Principal Slimovitz waited a few moments before realising that there weren't going to be any further questions. The student of Casper High were used to weird and dangerous fights breaking out randomly due to ghosts attacking the school or general populace in Amity Park. Principal Slimovitz cleared his throat and nodded.
"Well, for the remainder of the day, we're going to split you up and put you into classes. You'll follow those students to their next classes. Mr Lancer?" Principal Slimovitz concluded. Lancer nodded in thanks and stepped up to the podium.
"Fenton, Manson, Foley, Gray, Sanchez, Baxter. You lot are going to Mrs. Driscoll's science class first. A student will guide you there," Lancer listed. Danny, Sam and Tucker sighed. At least they were together. The trio got to their feet and gathered just outside the door.
After a minute wait, a short girl with straight cut hair and full fringe marched over to them.
"Are you the Casper High kids coming to our science class?" she asked, her tone showing she was a very serious person.
"Mrs. Driscoll's?" Valerie inquired. The girl nodded.
"This way. I'm Debbie Kang. I'm the editor for the Norrisville High Gazette Times Tribune Weekly Daily Press Chronicle (NHGTTWDPC) online edition," the girl introduced herself.
"Wow, that's a mouthful," Sam remarked. Debbie shrugged. Within five minutes, they arrived at a classroom door. Debbie paused.
"I should probably let you know that Mrs. Driscoll is a bit… eccentric. She has this skeleton called Jerry. It's her dead husband. Just… go with it alright. It's not worth trying to explain to her that he's dead and so on," Debbie warned them before opening the door and stepping inside. Danny, Sam and Tucker shared bewildered looks before following the girl.
In the classroom, there were a number of students and a woman with a lab coat and big bushy grey hair. Beside the teacher was a skeleton held up by a stand and thick strings.
"You must be the Casper High students. I'm Mrs. Driscoll. I teach science and home economics," the teacher introduced herself before slipping her hand into the skeleton's skull. She then turned the skull to the six students and opened its mouth like it was talking.
"And I'm Mr Driscoll. You better behave for my wife, you hear!?" she exclaimed through the side of her mouth, putting on a vaguely masculine voice. The six students blinked in surprise. Sam glanced at Debbie who shrugged at her.
"Oh Jerry, I'm sure they'll be very well behaved," Mrs. Driscoll retorted to the skeleton, gently tapping the skeleton's ribcage. She turned back to the students.
"Take a seat wherever you like," she invited and gestured towards the tables in front of her. Danny, Sam and Tucker found a table near the back, blinking in surprise when they spotted Randy and Howard at the table beside them. They smiled and gave them small waves. The trio returned the waves with small smiles or nods.
So, Danny has no idea about what happened in the bathroom.
I wanted to have a few more characters from Norrisville so there you are. Debbie Kang and Mrs Driscoll.
Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.
It was asked if Randy, Howard, Sam and Tucker were the only ones in the cafeteria when stanked Danny turned up. The answer is yes but they left quickly. It was during lunch. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear.
Don't forget to check out my website and cast your vote in the poll running. There's a link in my bio.
Until the next chapter.