A/N: IM ALIVE YALL CALL OFF THE SEARCH PARTY. Sorry for the impromptu hiatus, I was having serious writers block. The ideas weren't flowing so I needed a break. But I'm back now and better than ever! So please enjoy this new chapter!
Chapter Nine: Denial
No way, that's just her mom trying to plant seeds in her brain. She's not "in love" with Danny, she barely knows the guy! Hell the only time she's heard him talk that much was during the adult's rescue mission on the pirate ship. He was actually pretty cool then...taking charge like that. She groans in frustration and flops onto the bed. She will not spiral down this road. She refuses!
It's Monday morning and she hasn't slept all weekend. She spent the entire time dodging her mother's suggestive glances and eyebrow wiggles. While also trying to avoid her father's glares and suspiciously loaded questions. It didn't help that HE texted her on various occasions to get homework help since his crew was absent. She needs a shoulder massage just to loosen the anxious knots. Scratch that she'll need to make a full body acupuncture session and a rejuvenation bath. She sighs. All this stress will cause her premature wrinkles! She is not willing to look like a saggy old lady when she's thirty.
She finishes her breakfast and since It's looking like a nice day out, decides to walk to school, hoping the fresh morning air will do her good. The walk was effective in clearing her mind and calming her nerves. Upon reaching the school she's greeted by her friends who have finally gotten over the flu. She's glad they're all ok, however one person, out of the corner of her eye catches her attention.
It's nothing out of the ordinary to see him fussing over Manson and Foley, they are his best friends after all. They've been joined at the hip since she can remember. But for some reason a small part of her wishes he would fuss over her like that. She shakes her head, she is not doing this now.
"So Paulina, is your super hot cousin gonna be at your house for the day of the dead party?"
"Oh my gosh Kwan, she already said she's not interested!"
"I know, but that was like two years ago and I've changed since then!"
"Yeah, changed your shirt maybe"
They all burst out laughing. Kwan lets out an indignant "Hey!" But before long is also laughing with them. As her giggles die down, screaming pierces the atmosphere. They all turn towards the sound, only to find a giant blob ghost attacking the school.
She's the first to bolt, running towards the football field. With a final glance behind her, she sees Danny run the opposite way towards the science building. She's not worried, he's good at hiding. She dives for the bleachers, going as far into them as possible. She can hear the ghost getting closer, the students running into the field are luring it over. She debates wether to leave or stay, until she hears the telltale signs of ectoblasts. She peeks through the gaps in the seats and spots her hero.
Phantom is fighting tooth and nail to keep the students safe. From her position it looks like he's talking to someone. She makes a risky decision and waves over the frightened students. They all take refuge under the bleachers, the ghost none the wiser. She peaks out, a mixture of curiosity and excitement at being able to watch her hero fight. As he shoots an ice beam, he slams a hand over his left ear and yells at someone? Movement catches her attention and she spots Manson hiding behind a tree, while providing cover fire!? Where did she get a wrist blaster? No way, is she wearing those Fenton-Earrings?
She whips her head over to Phantom, however he's too far away for her to tell. She spots Foley sprinting towards the ghost. Does he have a death wish!? He too is yelling into those earrings. He throws something at Phantom, the thermos thing! Why would Foley have that? Phantom makes quick work of the ghost and looks over his shoulder, hesitating briefly before flying off and disappearing. She could swear he was looking straight at her.
She stares at her classmates, puzzled by the sudden turn of events. Are they helping phantom? Since when? Do the Fentons know? Did Danny sneak them those weapons? Come to think of it where's Danny? She squints her eyes at the duo as Danny comes out from behind a dumpster. Something fishy is going on here. There's no way Danny was hiding behind there the whole time! She saw him run to the opposite side of the school!
As the students slowly leave the safety of the bleachers and head back to class, she watches from behind a tree. They've always been a strange trio, always getting into trouble. But maybe there's a method to their madness. They know more than they let on, she can see it in their posture, their actions. Suddenly she's brought out of her musings by a tackled hug.
"Paulina oh my gosh I was so worried about you! When we turned around and you weren't there-"
Star continues spewing words of relief as she squeezes her, Dash and Kwan flanking her sides and joining the group hug. She smiles and hugs them back. She's lucky to have friends like them, who care about her so much. Out of her peripherals however, she can see Danny watching her. His expression gives nothing away, but she can feel the slight apprehension wafting off of him. The question is why would it be directed at her?
The school day rolls on by and finally it's time for lunch. She decided to bring her own rather than eat the garbage they serve at the cafeteria. As she makes her way downstairs she almost runs over a tall lanky mess of black hair.
"Danny! You should really try looking up when you're walking"
"Oh! Sorry heh heh...I was...lost in thought"
"I can see that mr. Space Cadet"
She can't help but giggle at his embarrassment, he's actually really cute when he blushes. She shoots that thought down the second she became aware of its meaning. But he's making it damn hard not to think about it with that bashful smile...that reminds her so much of Phantom. She shakes her head. Her mouth starts talking without her permission.
"You wanna come over to my house today?"
His eyes grow to the size of dinner plates. Her brain finally catching up she slams her hands over her mouth. His entire face is cherry red, and she's not doing any better. He appears to be frozen, giving her brain time to reboot. She goes with the first plan that pops into her head.
"You know we have that Spanish test later this week and you're the one who wanted tutoring"
"Oh. OH! Yeah hahaha I did ask you that, yup, that was I thing that I had asked for..."
That seems to break him out of his trancelike state. But the babbling that came after was so typical of him it makes her smile involuntarily. She lightly punches him in the shoulder and starts laughing at his expense.
"C'mon space boy, you need to put some meat on those bones"
He chuckles as she grabs him by the wrist and they walk to the cafeteria. Upon reaching the double doors she discreetly lets go of his arm. They give each other a final glance and go off to their respective groups. She notices Valerie is joining the trio today. It's nothing out of the ordinary, she frequently hangs with the trio. However something about the way he laughs around her makes her stomach twist. She turns around, hoping the latest gossip can distract her mind.
The school day finally ends and after exchanging books at her locker she waits by the school entrance. Arms crossed and foot tapping, she attempts to disguise her nerves by looking annoyed. What could have possibly possessed her to ask Danny over? What was she thinking? No, that's just it, she wasn't thinking. She needs to clam down. Deep breath, she's Paulina Sánchez for crying out loud. She can get through this no problem, they hung out last Friday it's fine. She can do this.
"Hey, Paulina!"
Her heart skips a beat as her knees start knocking. She can't do this. She turns around with that perfectly crafted poker face as he runs up to her. Huh, she never noticed the little green ghost patches on his school bag before. They're really cute, maybe he is into ghosts just like his parents.
"Bout time Ghost Boy, I was starting to think you weren't gonna show"
"W-WHAT? What did you say?"
She raises an eyebrow at his reaction. He looks like he's seen a ghost, he's so pale all of a sudden. Oh, maybe he still doesn't like to be associated with his parents work.
"What, Ghost Boy? I just meant because of the patch on your bag. No need to get so worked up"
"O-oh, heh heh...sorry"
He runs a hand through his hair, trying to brush it of perhaps. She discreetly follows the action, wondering if his hair is really as soft as it looks. Even though she ruffled it last week, she was on autopilot and didn't register what she did until she was back in her house.
"Hello? Earth to Paulina, you there?"
"Huh?"
"Looks like I'm not the only Space Cadet"
She scoffs and pushes him slightly, all the while he's laughing away at her embarrassment. They start on the path to her house, but before that she asks if he minds making a quick stop at the party store. Her mother asked her to get a few things for the day of the dead celebration. He complies easy enough, even when she warns him she fully intends to make him carry all of the bags. He just shrugs and reasons that it's payment for her tutoring.
He gives her that boyish smile that should not be reminding her of Phantom saving the day. Why is her brain doing that? Come to think of it they do have an uncanny resemblance. They're about the same height and build. They're faces are pretty similar too now that she thinks about it. That one redhead on the basketball team would never shut up about the resemblance. Wait. Hold the phone. She watches him for a bit. No way, she's imagining things. She waves away the thought as they enter the store.
"Can you grab a basked?"
"Sure, but how much stuff could you- OH MY GOD"
She drops an arm full of construction paper, cardboard, picture frames, paint, fake flowers, glitter, sculpting clay, and tools of all kinds. The look on Danny's face makes her snort out loud. She can't help it, he looks like a horrified cartoon character.
"We just walked in! That's impossible! How the hell did you gather all of that so fast?"
"When you're an experienced shopper like me nothing's impossible"
She smirks at his bewildered look. Flipping her hair and sauntering towards the register with Danny in tow, she pays for her items. Of course, he didn't need to know that she called the store ahead and had them set those items aside for her. That would be her secret.
As promised, Danny carries all the bags the entire way. She's slightly impressed at how effortlessly he carries them all. Even dash would be complaining my now. They walk in relative silence, but it doesn't feel awkward. It feels nice actually, just enjoying each other's company.
"Uhh Paulina? Isn't this your house?"
She looks up and turns around. She was so lost in the moment she walked right passed her house. He's got that infuriatingly attractive smug look on his face. She blushes crimson red and hurriedly walks to the door and unlocks it, but not before smacking his shoulder.
"Mom I'm home, and I brought a friend to study with!"
"Alright Pau! I'll be up with snacks in just a minute!"
Her mother yells from the kitchen as they make their way up the stairs. She is so thankful she didn't have to explain Danny's presence. Yet. They walk down the hall and make it to a set of double doors. She peaks over at Danny when she hears him gasp, too busy lookin at everything and whispering to himself. The corner of her mouth quirks up as she opens the door.
"Here we are. You can drop the bags by the vanity, and put your stuff anywhere I just need to grab some thing I'll be right back."
He's got a weird look on his face, as if something is going to pop out at any moment. He's probably worried about her dad, but he doesn't come home till late today so it's fine. She skips down the stairs and into the kitchen. However her good mood comes to a crashing halt as her mom turns to look at her. She has that giddy smile on her face. She knows.
"Is that the boy you like?"
"MOM STOP IT NO I DON'T"
Her mom laughs heartily. This is so embarrassing, how even did she know it was Danny? She was deep inside the kitchen and never once looked out at them. She made sure of it.
"Mija, you cant hide anything from me, I brought you into this world after all"
"Ugh fine, he's my friend from school and he asked me to tutor him in Spanish nothing more"
"You can fool yourself Pau, but these eyes see it plain as day. And if I'm being honest, I think he likes you too"
She blushes involuntarily, traitorous body. Dismissing her mother's statement she grabs the tray with the snacks and juice and hurries back up the stairs, as far away from her mother's blinding smile. She stops outside the door, places the tray on the hallway table and takes a deep breath to compose herself. She opens the door and picking up the tray walks in.
"Sorry I took so long, my mom was being difficult...Danny?"
He's gone.