Chapter 14

"You know, I'm not sure this is an entirely good idea." Tucker's mouth pulled in a tight frown as Sam parked her car in the school lot. "Danny still hasn't fully gotten a handle on his," he gestured awkwardly with his hands, "intangibility thing. And we're going to be surrounded by a lot of people. I'm pretty sure not everyone is going to be completely oblivious. Someone might take notice if Danny falls through the bleachers."

"That's not going to happen." Danny shook his head as he opened the door. "Besides everyone is going to be paying attention to the football game. They'll never notice if a loser like me suddenly vanishes because I fell through the bleachers."

"You have had some pretty close calls this week though," Sam said, sharing in Tucker's concern. "You're lucky no one noticed when you practically walked through the vending machine."

She had a point, and Danny winced, recalling the incident from Tuesday. They were walking through the hall, like usual, talking to each other, but Danny hadn't even noticed the vending machine until both Tucker and Sam grabbed hold of him and yanked him out of it. He though he was getting better at sensing when his body shifted to intangible, but some occasions still caught him by surprise. He had several minor incidents like that throughout the week, even denting his locker on accident when he didn't think about his strength as he slammed it shut. Mr. Green looked about ready to grab him by the ear and drag him straight to the principal's office, maybe even order his expulsion for damaging school property, if Lancer hadn't quickly intervened and dealt with the situation himself. Danny got off with a warning and had to promise to be more careful in the future.

Life at home wasn't exactly a walk in the park for him either. Trying to keep his secret from his family when he suffered minor hiccups with his powers had him walking on eggshells. At night, he felt drained from concentrating so much on keeping his powers controlled, and having his sister ask him if something was wrong. Sometimes he hated how observant his sister could be. His parents seemed to think he was just being a typical moody teenager, though Danny did catch some concerned looks from them. Maybe they weren't being as oblivious about it as he wished they would be.

Anger, apparently, wasn't the only trigger. His control slipped when he got nervous too. Which didn't help when he tutored Elle yesterday. The session went rather well, and he even had time to do some of his own homework while Elle worked out the answers for her own assignments. A few times, Danny actually had to research through Elle's textbook to get an understanding of what she was studying, but they managed to work things out together, which seemed to help Elle retain the information better. He almost couldn't believe how good it felt to help Elle with her homework, but he thought maybe he understood why Jazz was always reaching out to help people now.

The nervousness came when Elle's father returned home. Mr. Masters had quite the imposing aura about him. Danny kept having to remind himself to sit up straight in the man's presence, because Mr. Masters insisted he stay for dinner this time. Danny felt like it would be rude to turn down the invitation a second time. When he called to tell his parents he wouldn't be home for dinner, they told him to just be sure he was home before his curfew. Danny gulped, anxiety creeping through him. He had a chance to ask Mr. Masters about the projects at Axion Labs, but at the same time, he didn't want to look like a fool before the man.

"They still haven't found that missing sample," Mr. Masters said at one point during their dinner. Danny resisted the urge to reach up and touch the scar on the back of his neck at the mention of "sample." He remembered hearing one of the employees at Axion Labs say a sample was missing when he and Dash left the laboratory where the mechanical arm went crazy.

"Do you think it was the same people that broke into that place owned by the Manson family?" Elle asked, neither father nor daughter noticing the anxiety coming from their guest.

Mr. Masters shook his head. "No, those people would be foolish to try breaking into my company. And the sample went missing in the middle of the day. Sometime during that group of students were touring the company. I doubt a burglar would be that brave."

Luckily, shortly after the conversation, Mr. Masters had to take a phone conference, leaving Danny and Elle to finish their dinner alone before they returned to their tutoring session. But Danny kept thinking about the whole thing with the sample. If it had disappeared after the incident in the laboratory, then it would be his and Dash's fault it went missing. When the mechanical arm threw him against the wall, some of the glass equipment had shattered. The missing sample was likely among them. Danny was too scared of Mr. Masters to mention it though. What if Mr. Masters got angry and filed charges against him for destroying property and losing the sample? What if he decided Danny wasn't an appropriate tutor for his daughter anymore? So Danny kept silent about the incident.

"Okay," Danny said to his friends as they walked toward the football field. "I know I've had mishaps, but that's the whole reason we're doing the training session tomorrow now that Sam's found a place where we can practice comfortably and without anyone seeing. I think I can make it through one game without having an accident."

"So," Tucker frowned as he rubbed the back of his neck, "do you plan on telling your parents about this?"

Danny hunched his shoulders. He had basically a week since the accident to think over that particular question, and he still didn't have an answer for it. "I'm not sure. How would they even react if I told them about this? I don't even really know what happened to me. Beyond, you know, I should be dead. I just-" He sighed. "I think it's probably best to keep it quiet until I figure out what exactly that accident did to me. I think I would just feel better if I could tell them exactly what the whole thing did to me." His parents being the leading experts where ectoplasm is concerned, though, would probably have a better understanding of what the accident did to him. Danny couldn't wipe out the bit of fear gnawing at him when he thought about telling them the truth though.

They neared the entrance to the football field where two of their teachers was manning the ticket booth. Ms. Chikara had lovely bronze skin and sleek black hair that she kept at shoulder length. She was easily the prettiest of their female teachers, and next to someone like Ms. Tetslaff, it was no contest. Danny had witnessed plenty of the other men at their school drooling over the young teacher during class. Perhaps lucky for her, Ms. Chikara was working alongside Lancer, who would stop anyone who dared from harassing his fellow teacher.

"Good evening, you three," Ms. Chikara greeted with a pleasant smile while Lancer worked the other side of the ticket booth. He had a thick book resting beside him, which Danny guessed he would read once the crowd thinned and gave him the time to concentrated on his book. "Did you bring your IDs?"

All three friends pulled out their student ID cards to show Ms. Chikara. Once she saw them, the teacher allowed them to head through the gate. Danny knew it was silly, but it always made him feel like some sort of VIP. With a flash of his student ID card, he got into home games for free. At away games, it got him a discount on the ticket.

"Jazz didn't want to come with us?" Sam asked as they headed toward the Casper High side of the stands.

"She said she had something to do," Danny answered, scratching the back of his head. His sister usually came with them when they went to watch their team play. She would always say it looked good to colleges when she showed school spirit by attending various functions like sports games. "She wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked though."

At one point, Jazz said she had to tutor Molly. Then she told him she had some project for a club to finish. Danny frowned at the memory of their conversation before he left to come to the game with his friends. Was Jazz so overworked with school and activities that she couldn't keep them all straight? Danny hated to think Jazz might actually have lied to him. He was fairly certain Jazz didn't even know how to lie. But why, then, did she keep changing her story tonight? A headache bloomed as he thought on it, and he pressed the heel of his palm against one eye, trying to will back the dull ache.

Danny followed his friends up the steps of the stands until they found a decent spot among the sea of Casper High students and parents decked out to support their team. They worked their way through the crowd to an open section on the bleachers and sat down, ready to enjoy the game, which would kick off in a few minutes. Their seats were in the middle of the stands, giving them a fairly good view of the field, but they were also right in the heart of the cheering to come when their team scored a touchdown. Danny almost wished he had brought earmuffs to muffle the noise.

"Ugh, seriously?"

All three friends turned their heads to the right, Tucker and Sam having to lean forward to see around Danny. Valerie sat right next to Danny with her yellow coat zipped up tight to protect her against the chilly night air. She wore a sour expression as she glowered at the three friends like they were a stain on her perfectly pristine clothing. The red and white C with an H inside it representing the logo of Casper High was painted upon her brown cheeks, and she had a Casper High scarf wrapped around her neck.

"This was the only open spot," Danny said, frowning at the displeasure on the woman's face.

"I'm surprised you're not sitting with your A List friends," Sam said with a snort, and Danny was glad she sat on the far side, away from Valerie. Tucker and he played buffer between the two women.

"Because tonight is my dad's night off," Valerie answered, and the electricity in the air as the two women glared at each other had Danny shifting uncomfortably. "And he really likes sports, so I thought bringing him to a game would be a great way to spend our rare night together. I don't need you losers ruining it."

"Whoa!" Danny waved his hands between Valerie and Sam's glares, trying to defuse some of the tension as they drew some looks from the crowd surrounding them. "You probably don't want your dad seeing you fight with anyone from school." He was guessing, but he knew if Jazz or his parents were with him at the game, he wouldn't want his family witnessing him getting into trouble. "So let's just put differences aside and get along. I think we can manage to sit beside each other for just one game."

Valerie narrowed her eyes, but after a moment, she huffed a sigh. "Fine. Whatever. As long your girlfriend doesn't say anything."

"We're not a couple," Danny and Sam argued together.

"And," Sam continued, "I'm not the one always starting fights."

"That's not really helping," Tucker muttered. "So, Val-"

"Don't even try it." Valerie shot him down before Tucker even had the chance.

Danny patted his disappointed friend on the back. Neither of them had much luck in the relationship department. Danny, actually, felt a bit jaded about the whole thing after all the rejections he had. What was the rush anyway? They were still in high school. They had a lifetime ahead of them to fall in love, and get their hearts broken more than a few times.

"Excuse me. Sorry. Sorry."

Danny glanced past Valerie to see the familiar man making his way down the row toward them. Mr. Gray looked much the same as he did on television yet somehow completely different since he was out of uniform. But even Danny could see the bags under his eyes, which his glasses did little to hide. His work must keep him busy, even late into the night. Danny could see why Valerie didn't want anything to ruin this one night her father had to relax.

"That line at the concession stand was longer than I expected," Mr. Gray said as he sat down next to his daughter on the bleacher. "You still like it with relish and mustard, right?" He passed one of the hotdogs he held to Valerie, who nodded. The second hotdog seemed to be drowning in ketchup with a splash of mustard.

Danny's attention turned, like the rest of the crowd, when the two teams took the field, getting ready for the kick off. Their team was on a winning streak, and even though they were playing against the rivals, the Elmerson High Falcons, their odds of winning were good. Dash had an amazing arm, which only got better each year. Kwan, despite his kind nature, could tackle like nobody's business. Danny still felt like Kwan hadn't meant to tackle him in the hall because he was certain the jock would have broken him if he tackled him on purpose. Liam had finally gotten over his butterfingers stage and could catch almost every ball tossed his way. Vincent had a way of weaving past opponents to make it to the end zone whenever he got the ball. But Elmerson High was still a tough team, and both teams would be fighting every step of the way, which meant they were in for a good game.

Cheers screamed from the crowd the moment the football flew through the air after the kick off. Danny yelled right alongside the rest of the Casper High students and family members as their team caught the ball and ran toward the end zone. But with Valerie and her father sitting right beside him, Danny was overly conscious of himself. Not only did he have to reign in his control to keep his powers in check, but he had to be careful not to do anything to upset Valerie, like accidentally bump into her while she ate her hotdog and spill the condiments all over her coat.

Their team managed to score the first goal, and their side of the stands erupted into loud cheers. Danny got to his feet with his friends, clapping and hollering. Mr. Gray was more subdued about his cheering but seemed happy and enjoyed the game. Valerie, Danny noted, mostly cheered for Kwan, like when he managed to tackle the other team's player to protect Dash so he could throw the ball down field to one of the other players. Danny wasn't sure why, but he was happy to see Valerie had someone she considered a real friend. But ever since her father had returned with their hotdogs, Valerie made a point of ignoring the three friends.

They were nearing the end of the second quarter, and Casper High was up one touchdown. Elmerson High wasn't giving up easily though. Danny cringed when one of the players from Elmerson High slammed into Jamie, knocking him to the ground. But Jamie didn't get up right away, causing tension to sweep over the crowd as the stands fell silent. They had to help Jamie off the field, and from the way he held onto his right shoulder, he had obviously injured it during the tackle. Everyone clapped when Jamie left the field, but Danny could feel a shift in the mood of the crowd. No one wanted to see a player injured during the game, and it was always unfortunate when it did happen. Then the game went to half time, giving the fans the chance to hit the washrooms and concession stands during the brief pause in the game.

"I'm gonna get some snacks. You two want anything?" Tucker asked as he stood.

"Just water," Sam replied with a book already in her hands. The cover was black, and Danny couldn't read the overly elaborate curling text on the cover but he was positive Sam picked it up from the Skulk and Lurk.

"A candy bar if they have any left," Danny said, and his phone vibrated against his hip. He reached into his pocket as Tucker made his way to the stairs of the bleachers. Staring at his phone with a frown, he thought for a moment before he realized who had sent the text.

On Monday, when he was playing his video game, Danny met up with D again. He told his new friend he probably wouldn't be playing the game as much because his life would be getting a bit busy in the future. He didn't mention it was because of school work and tutoring, and he definitely couldn't say anything about the whole training. D sounded disappointed when he heard the news and asked if they could keep in contact outside the game. Danny could already hear Jazz lecturing him about handing out his contact information to a total stranger he only met in an online video game. He knew it was probably a dumb idea, but Danny had fun chatting with D when they were playing the game together. So after a moment's debate, he agreed to exchange contact information, and they kept in touch through texts.

'I would fly to the moon and back if you'll be my baby~'

Danny snorted at the text, and next to him, Sam lifted her gaze from her book. Her eyebrow arched upward in silent question. Danny shook his head at her as he typed back his response.

'You're never going to stop with the space references, are you?'

'Nope~ ;)'

Danny rolled his eyes.

'I guess that's what I get for using the handle AstroNerd.'

'So what'cha up 2?'

Danny glanced around as the crowd swarmed back to the stands. The second half of the game was about to begin.

'At a football game.'

'Is that what you meant by busy? Wait. does that mean u play?'

Danny laughed then his cheeks burned when he noticed his friends give him a look. "Sorry. Just talking to someone." He accepted the candy bar Tucker handed off to him as his friend reclaimed his spot between Danny and Sam.

'Me? No way. not the athletic type.'

"Who are you talking to?" Tucker asked, jerking Danny out of his anxious waiting for the next reply.

"Is it that guy from the game again?" Sam frowned, and the disapproval reminded Danny too much of his sister. "You probably shouldn't have given him your number."

"It's fine. We're just chatting," Danny said, dismissing the worry his friends showed. "It's not like I've given him my home address and he's going to stalk me or something. We just like talking about the game and stuff."

"I still don't know that it's a good idea." Sam folded her arms, her book resting on her lap.

Danny opened his mouth, but before he could respond, he shuddered, an icy sensation trickling down his spine like someone dropped an ice cube down the back of his shirt. He swallowed, trying to force down the lump settling in his throat. Dread came over, a feeling of something being seriously wrong.

"Hey, you all right?" Tucker dropped a hand on his shoulder with a worried look in his green eyes.

Danny jumped at the touch. But at that same moment, a boom rocked the stands. Screams of terror drowned out the cheers from the crowd. The players on the field all halted in the middle of a play. Everyone sought out the source of the noise, eventually drawn toward the smoke billowing from one section of the school. Then the panic rushed through the crowd. Someone kicked Danny in the back as they scrambled to leave the stands. Chaos spread like a virus, and Danny watched it all happening with wide eyes as numbness seeped into him. What just happened?

twilightserius: Hm~ I wonder what that mystery sample could have been. 8)

The freedom girl: Most definitely! XD Dash can deny it all he wants, but he's a hero fanboy through and through. Kwan does seem to have that way of magically appearing when he's needed. XD I love Jack~ He might seem like a goof most of the time, but he's definitely a loving father and smart!

midnight: I think the weird has only just begun for Danny. D:

simplegay me: Well, nicer, but she's not about to start acting all buddy-buddy with them. I hope you enjoyed that latest chapter of Street Magician!

Msawesome562: Ah~ Sorry. D: It's going to be haunted past. When I mean it to be pitch pearl, I usually label the pairing as Fenton x Phantom. Sorry haunted past creeps you out. =(