Things that are funny, things that lighten up Tetslaff's gym class.
Elliot.
Elliot being in his gym class was funny.
Well, you couldn't help but feel for the kid, but it was funny and had its moments.
Elliot had entered their school start of senior year, to spend his last year of schooling with his mom rather than his dad up in Michigan. Much to his severe displeasure and dramatics of asking people to kill him. Not that anyone, even Sam and Danny and Tucker, could really blame him about it.
They did like to bring it up and hold it against him at times, but more for humor at this point since they'd kind of…taken the guy in. A little. Elliot wasn't really all that bad. And he thought the same of them. Even after Sam's declaration at the start of black hair being necessary for anyone hanging out with her. They'd all taken Sharpies to his hair. And in full giving in and very much Elliot style dramatics, he'd resigned himself to it and let them. Proclaiming he'd shave it off if it looked bad.
(It apparently looked bad and in much the same way ended up allowing them (gave in, fatalistically accepted, groaningly yielded to their wills?) to shave all his hair off…then wound up with neon green tips thanks to them after he dyed it back to white when his hair grew back)
(They'd also taken Sharpies to his fingernails. Which Elliot continued, unlike the black hair, meticulously keeping his nails fresh with inky black nail polish. There'd be times he'd dot on various star constellations, spangle them with glitter, or scratch various designs on during boredom of classtime. Or consign/allow anyone with whom he deemed 'a decent hand' to ornament and garnish his nails. Which tended to be Sam, Valerie, Paulina, Star, or Spike.)
(The black eyeshadow Sam had outlined Elliot's eyes only lasted for a couple of weeks before Elliot declared 'no more' and Sam proclaimed it'd been long enough. While Danny and Tucker managed to be fairly well surprised that Elliot lasted that long allowing it, considering what they'd gotten to know of him over those first couple of weeks. While simultaneously being surprised Elliot managed to put a foot down about it against Sam and her guilt tripping in making her glee over doing it to him last longer, possibly for the entire senior year.)
The guy was all out drama. Not in creating drama. But in how he was. All out dramatic. Suave and cool, out to impress anyone and everyone, amping up any strong emotions or reactions. Both to play it up and in that it came naturally to him, without thought, as Elliot was very much a lover of theatre.
(It was possibly a good thing Elliot was like that. And had truly befriended and made up with them. Otherwise Tucker would be ranting and raving ballistically about the guy. Because Elliot had become known to the girls as a for sure date never to let you down and a guaranteed great time. No ties or expectations of more, just Elliot as he was, out to impress and play things up as he always did. Great guy for a single date night, a night to have a good time. Oftentimes working it up into a double date, Tucker along for the ride. With Danny and Sam joining in a few times to make it a group thing.)
Toss Elliot into Testlaff's gym class in how he was rubbing so much against with how Tetslaff was? Oh. Prolonging the suffering of gym class in winding up in the section of seniors placed into taking it for the final quarter of the year? Worth it. It was kind of worth it to not be placed in the first quarter's section of kids with Sam, to get gym class under Tetslaff over.
Danny and Tucker were in the same gym class as Elliot.
And Tetslaff.
The for sure teacher Elliot went way out of his way to avoid if and at all possible.
Especially during school.
As he already had to put up with Tetslaff more than he wished to for this year.
'Monster woman' was one of Elliot's favorite grumbles about dealing and putting up with his mother.
So.
Oh yeah.
Things that were funny, things that lightened up Tetslaff's gym class?
Elliot.
Elliot being in her gym class was funny.
As much as one felt for Elliot's situation, it was indeed, quite hilarious at times to watch the two of them occupying the same room.
Things that were not funny?
Neither Tucker nor Danny were very…athletically inclined. Danny had improved over time. Gym class was not nearly as bad to sweat through his senior year as it was during his freshmen year. Did it still suck? Oh yeah. Especially in how competitive and pushy Tetslaff was with running the gym class.
(Danny'd rather have Lynch from middle school. By far. That guy made gym class bearable. And even, fun.)
Anyway. When it came to Tetslaff's favored big end of the year group collaboration and competition she had the seniors famously do every year, the creation of a new game/sport to which the winning group of each quarter would see played out by Amity Park's menagerie of sport professionals. It was a whole big and huge thing.
Television crews recorded it and there was always some charity involved and it'd be ranked and a few past ones had spawned various ongoing teams/events across the country. One particular one had been successfully lobbied to become an actual thing. Only up as high as college level, but still.
Danny and Tucker had been paired up together.
Great.
Just…awesome.
A whole big huge thing, very much not up Danny's wheelhouse, to worry about.
Because he was Danny Phantom.
Things were expected.
Kind of. Classmates knew him too well by this point.
A whole big huge thing, very much not up Tucker's wheelhouse either.
And eyes on him because he was the major of the town.
Things were expected.
Same thing. Classmates knew Tucker too well.
But still. They had to at least come up with something decent with all the eyes on them. Despite other concerns and worries and not having the most free time in their lives.
The third member of their group?
Elliot.
Who had high expectations being shouted at him. From the gym class teacher. From Tetslaff. His mother. The person he avoided if at all possible. This being the class he hide behind others, refused to exert himself, longsuffering sighs and dragging his feet at doing anything, arguing back and forth—in admittingly extremely, at times, sidesplittingly funny—screaming matches with Tetslaff no one else could dream getting away with, and pissing her off with every single miming he made of offing himself or beseeching anyone near him to 'kill me, please'.
After weeks of figuring out actual moments of free time, attempts of suckering Sam into assisting them in figuring out something to do for the group thing, Elliot not showing up for any of the planning times, ducking and waving off when they were hanging out together…there was only so little time left to pull of this group project worth so much of their final grade and media attention.
Danny and Tucker were at the end of their ropes. And done dealing with this.
They got it, but hell if they weren't going to take Elliot's dramatics over dealing with his mother seriously and kill the little bastard at this point.
"Now, now," Sam soothed them. "It won't do for Amity's hero or major to be overheard making, much less doing, that kind of threat. Leave it to me."
No idea what Sam said or did, but Elliot showed up. Neither Danny nor Tucker wanted or cared to know. They got Elliot's help in the end. And as much as the guy hated it, he still was Tetslaff's son and was the driving reason as to why their group's game creation won out in the end. Tetslaff was happy, proud, and loud. They got a great grade. No more stressing over it. And all positive media attention over them.
Elliot wasn't happy about any of it.
But at least none of them killed him.
And besides.
Elliot and Tetslaff?
Wasn't just funny or lightened up gym class.
It was simply goddamned hysterical at this point.
Especially when Elliot caught sight of them eating popcorn. The whole class, plus other students on search for the most recent form of entertainment, (not to mention a few teachers like Lancer) sitting along the bleachers, fighting to keep giggles in. Like they were at a movie theater. Seats sold even.
"Here."
Sam grinned, handing over a fistful of bills to him.
"Your first paying gig. Congrats."
And Elliot went off.