For as long as Jazz could remember, she had always enjoyed going to school. English, science, math and especially history; she loved learning the subjects and meeting the challenges they had to offer. Perhaps that was why she had soared above her students starting at a young age. Brain power was all she had-it was her gift, her ticket to success, and being the girl she was, Jazz had no shame in using it on a daily basis. Unlike some students, she took her education very seriously. There was no time for slacking in the rule book of Jazz Fenton. Besides, she thought school was fun.
….she thought school was fun. However, now as her eyes cast frequent glances at the clock, Jazz, for the first time in her life, found school to be, well, actually a chore. The text books, the materials, the teachers who asked never ending questions....It was all a blur in her mind; the only thing she could focus on was her ghost powers, and when and if she would lose control of them again. Not to mention waiting to see if she'd quickly have to spring into action upon the sudden activation of her ghost sense. She hoped so anyway; after seeing Danny's condition this morning, Jazz wanted to ensure she'd be able to….
"Miss Fenton!"
Jazz flinched, the gruff voice of her teacher snapping the ghost girl from her thoughts. "H-huh? Yes?" She alleged automatically, meeting her teacher's stern gaze.
"The homework, Miss Fenton." Her teacher repeated, crossing arms, " What was your opinion on the final question of the homework last night?"
Uh-oh, Jazz thought, gritting her teeth. She'd temporarily forgotten she'd fallen asleep while finishing a review sheet that she had found stuck to her last math page last night.
"Jasmine, we're all waiting for your answer," The teacher reminded, tapping her foot impatiently.
The orange-haired girl gulped, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. I-it's no big deal, right? Lots of students don't complete their homework. It happens all the time. Nothing t-to worry about. But as these thoughts ran through Jazz's head, she knew, that for her, it was,in fact, something to worry about. She had had a perfect record since elementary school, a model student. Meaning everyone's expectations of her were high. So if she, a girl with a straight A average, failed to finish an assignment, the reaction of her teachers would be much more severe. Unfortunately, there was no way Jazz could avoid the upcoming situation without causing suspicion. Thus, taking a deep breath, she answered warily, "U-um, actually….I didn't finish the worksheet…."
Silence. Complete and utter silence. No one said a word, no one moved. All eyes were on the orange-haired girl. All thoughts focused on processing her shocking statement. Finally, her teacher, eyes bulging, alleged very slowly, "What did you just say, Miss Fenton?"
Feeling uncomfortable under the gazes of so many students, Jazz's face flushed. "I….said," she reiterated, forcing herself to act as a common teenager would in such a situation, "that I didn't finish my homework last night." Then, seeing the look on her teacher's face, added, "I'm sorry." And truthfully, she was.
Thankfully, the teacher seemed to notice it, whether in was because of the tone in Jazz's voice, or the apologetic look the girl had plastered on her face, for the professor merely exhaled sharply and cautioned, "Well….don't let it happen again. You don't want any foul marks tainting that perfect record of yours, now do you?"
"Of course not," Jazz agreed quickly, anxious to change subjects, due to the amount of now jealous glares from the rest of the class. Glancing down at her desk, embarrassed, she wondered if Danny was having a better time at school than she was.
Danny groaned, chin resting in his hand. He was not having a good time. That wasn't saying much-school had never been high on his list of 'favorite pastimes.' But today was different. It was the first time in a long time he had come to school feeling completely miserable. He was exhausted, sore, and, though he had denied it around his sister, was starting to believe he was in fact, coming down with something. Of course, the boy would never admit it-becoming Amity Park's local ghost 'protector' had boosted his pride and his limitations; he was their hero, an unbeatable force that was already ready to spring into action against any ghosts that may be terrorizing the citizens. As such, he couldn't afford for weakness, especially because there was no one else around to assist him. Nevertheless, that didn't stop anyone else from noticing something was wrong.
"Danny!" Sam whispered from the desk behind, an eyebrow raised "are you sure you're alright?"
The boy sighed, exasperated. "Yes, Sam." He spat back through a rasped whisper, "I'm fine! Just like I was this morning!"
The Goth girl cast her friend an unconvinced look. "You don't sound fine." She protested, her violet eyes narrowing.
"And you sure as heck didn't on our way to school either." Tucker added, turning sideways in his seat.
He knew they were trying to help, he really did, but years of living with an overprotective sister had worn his patience of peoples' continual worry for his well-being. "Look, guys," he uttered with annoyance, "I appreciate the concern, but would you stop worrying? I can-" Danny's words cut abruptly as he broke into a fit of harsh coughing. Both his friends exchanged nervous looks, first at the boy then at each other, while Danny shakily brought both hands to his mouth, attempting to muffle his sudden hacking.
Alas, his attempt didn't exactly work.
"Mister Fenton," Lancer questioned, raising his voice to be heard over the boy, "is there a problem?"
All three friends looked up, Danny shutting his mouth, nearly choking in preventing himself from coughing yet again. "E-er, no sir." He offered, surprised with how little volume his voice had. He smiled sheepishly, hoping his teacher would buy it and leave him alone.
However, Lancer wasn't as dumb as the student body assumed him to be, and he frowned. "If by nothing you mean rudely interrupting my class with your unruly outbursts then yes, Mister Fenton, you are correct." The older man raised a hairy eyebrow, his expression flattening.
"Those weren't 'unruly outbursts.'" Sam piped up, meeting Lancer's cross look, "Danny was just coughing."
"Well, his so called coughing sounds like something being cut in two with a malfunctioning chainsaw." Lancer shot back, edge coating his response. "And that voice of his sounds unusually weak as well." Now turning his attention to the Fenton boy, Lancer cracked a smirk, the kind only worn when one comes to a conclusion. "Could it be you're sick, Mister Fenton?"
"What, no!" Danny barked, his jaw muscles tightening. Once again, there was someone 'concerned for his well-being.' The difference was, with Lancer, the only reason he was ever remotely interested in this students' health was if it affected his reputation or teaching. Something that bothered the ghost-boy even more than his sister or friends worrying.
"Well now, I think the nurse would beg to differ with you."
The nurse? Danny thought, despising each moment of the situation, oh great. "I told you Mister Lancer, I'm not-"
"Go."
"But-"
"Now!" His teacher demanded, pointing swiftly to the classroom door. Clamping his teeth together, the raven-haired boy's eyes darted angrily towards his friends before he rose, staggered slightly, and removed himself from his desk. Stomping rather unsteadily towards the front of the room, Danny reached out with his hand and tore the note Lancer was holding, excusing the boy from class to visit the nurse. I'm not sick, he told himself, passing through the door and into the hallway, I can't be.
Jazz was still annoyed, there was no denying that. Ever since admitting she hadn't finished her work, the other students had started, every so often, to make little remarks behind her back-literally-during class, just loud enough for her to hear. She'd done her best to ignore them, after all 'sticks and stones,' and besides, Jazz wasn't the kind of girl to be bothered by teasing. However, what did irritate her was the blatant fact that the class was unaware of her reasons for not finishing her homework. If they were, she knew she'd be spared this inconsiderate nonsense. Of course, there would be new problems she'd have to deal with, not to mention a whole new kind of public view. Something she most certainly did not want to experience.
Thinking about possible future situations was enough the make the girl's eyes flash green, but thankfully, she was still staring at her desk, so no one caught it. What she didn't expect was for a familiar blue wisp of smoke to escape her mouth. Her ghost sense. Gasping with anticipation and determination, she thought, well, here goes nothing.
Eyebrows creasing, Jazz knew what she had to do. Without second thought, her hand shot up. "May I be excused?" She uttered swiftly, trying to hide the anxiousness in her voice. Her teacher paused, looked at the girl, and for a second Jazz feared she wouldn't be allowed to leave. "I, uh, have to use the bathroom." She added, just to be safe. Thankfully, the adult shrugged, nodding subtly in order to continue the lesson Jazz had briefly interrupted. A wave of relief passed through the girl and she smiled, returning her teacher's nod and making a speedy retreat from the classroom. A few snide remarks followed her out, but Jazz paid them no heed. She had much more important things in mind.
Stumbling a little as he walked, Danny Fenton gradually and reluctantly made his way down the hall. He hated this. Being ordered by a superior, let alone Lancer, to do something against his will, really ticked him off. Of course, given recent events, a lot of things had been getting on his nerves lately-his failing grades, both his sister's and friends' desire to help him, Skulker's….warning, and of course, how his health seemed to be on the ill side. He didn't understand how so many problems could happen at once; it was overwhelming. Yet somehow, he should have known he'd be the one with the bad luck. He usually was.
Well, he thought, rubbing his head, at least things can't get any worse….
Suddenly, his throat felt unusually cold, as the wispy strand of smoke that was his ghost sense floated out of his mouth. Danny watched it spiral forward, then disappear, his face falling. Aaaaand….I was wrong.
Her breath slightly laden, Jazz sprinted down the hall, eyes frantically searching for a certain small deserted area she could transform without revealing her secret. When she told her teacher she had to go to the bathroom, she'd been telling the truth; except her reason for doing so was simply because, out of anywhere in the school, Jazz knew there were only two places a girl could have some privacy were the girls' locker room, and the girls' bathroom. In this case, the bathroom was closer.
Ah ha! She thought, brightening as she skidded around the corner, there it is! Just ten seconds from now and I'll be flying around battling-"AGHHHH!" Suddenly having to come to an abrupt halt, Jazz nearly missed colliding into her brother, who caught her off guard as he too, rounded the corner from the other side.
"D-Danny?" Jazz sputtered, surprised with his unexpected appearance. "What....what are you doing here?"
He looked at her, a rhetorical look on his face. "Do you hafta ask?"
Uh oh. She had a bad feeling about where this was going. "A….a ghost?" She questioned, though the answer was obvious.
"Sorry Jazz, no time." Danny replied hastily, brushing off his sister, "I've got to take care of this and get down to the nurse's office before Lancer notices I've been gone too long."
"The nurse's-"
"Bye!" Still in human form, the boy turned invisible and took off, the only clue being the sound of his footsteps against the floor. Jazz sighed, slapping her forehead. Things were starting to get complicated.
Just stay calm, Jazz, she told herself, rushing into the bathroom, you can handle this. Her hands clenching into fists, Jazz stated firmly "I'm going ghost." On cue, two glowing rings engulfed her, and soon her normal, teenage body was replaced by her white-haired, green-eyed ghostly one. "Well," she muttered, "here we go again." Furrowing her brow, Jazz focused hard on the word 'fly,' propelling herself upward as her body also became transparent upon command. The girl was no fool; she could see her brother couldn't deal with this right now, despite his protests. As was the case, Jazz needed to make sure that whoever said ghost was, she got to them before Danny did.