Chapter 2
"Ugh. Danny, you have to let me go."
"Mmmhmm."
"Danny."
"Please don't go, I need mental support."
"You need mental support?"
"I do!"
"Nope. Get off. Let me go to work."
"Please. You can't leave me alone like this."
Sam sighed in exasperation, her hand hitting her forehead violently as she glared down at her wuss of a boyfriend. The man in question currently occupying her left leg like a limpet. "I can and I will. You have a job, and if you hadn't noticed so do I! Rack off you overgrown leech."
Danny pouted and she actually snarled at him. She had places to be and a parking space to claim.
Unlike some people, Sam Manson did not appreciate losing bets, especially not against her boss – the Mayor. Had she accidentally parked in his private spot on her first day in the office? Yes. Did she care? No. Seeing this, had he made a bet that there was no way she would be able to park in it every day for the rest of this year? Also, yes.
It was a challenge, and one she would win. She hadn't missed the park in six months, and despite his protests, she would not let it go. Tucker Foley, the Mayor of Amity Park and her best friend of thirteen years had been doing a lot of walking recently.
Her juvenile boyfriend would not be ruining that winning streak.
"Danny. Get off. I don't care how desperately you need emotional support, I am not the person to give it to you today. You'd have better luck with Lancer! Why don't you ask him for a hug when you get to Casper High? Huh? How about that? I'm sure he'd be delighted." She snarked, eyes narrowed while she shook her leg slightly, hoping to detach him.
"I don't wanna teach teenagers!" He cried, clutching onto her leg even tighter.
"Then why did you go for the job and get it?" This man was insufferable. A ghostly hero by night and whiny baby by day.
No wonder no one's ever made the connection. She mused to herself. Phantom was Amity's heroic ghostly defender and Danny was, well…not.
"It was peer pressure!" He sobbed dramatically burying his face into her pale skin and sniffling. Ew.
She groaned to herself. "Okay, Danny, this is what's going to happen" He nodded, eager humour swirling in his eyes. "You are going to let go of my leg. I am going to walk out of this house. You will not follow. Instead, you are going to walk to Casper High with a big smile on your face and teach those kids science. Yes? Good. Now get off."
"That's unfair" He moaned, however his grip did loosen and he let himself sink to the floor, leaving her now free to leave. Fucking finally, that parking spots belongs to Sam Manson once again!
"Life's not fair and unless you fancy sleeping on the couch tonight, you'll get your ass to that school." She threatened before leaving her mortified boyfriend behind as she made her exit.
Honestly. You'd think she was the man of the house.
oOo
During the five-minute walk to Casper High, Danny had come to two earth shattering conclusions;
1. Samantha Manson wasn't all that nice of a person in the morning, and;
2. He was terrified of teenagers.
The first one, he was more or less accustomed to. Sam was always grumpy in the morning, no matter what side of the bed she woke or what culinary masterpiece they had for breakfast. The sun offended her and the sun came up in the morning, therefore; Sam no like mornings. It was the golden rule in their household.
He loved her either way though, so he had learned how to make it less… traumatic. This included purchasing black-out curtains. Actually, maybe that was why he kept sleeping in?
Probably doesn't help regardless. He thought unhappily.
However, the second problem. That was all him.
Sure, years of ghost hunting had been rather instrumental in toughening him up, both physically and mentally. He was more or less attuned to dealing with the unpredictable, his alter ego tended to be a magnet for all kinds of freaky phenomena. To put it simply, he was adaptable.
But this… this was different. This was teenagers. Wicked humans whose sole purpose on this earth was to pick out every single insecurity and make it a whole lot more obvious. Terrible things they were… and he had been one once.
He'd never been an overly insecure person, in fact, he had never actually cared a great deal what people thought about him. Loser, Geek, Jock; whatever. However, he did care about how draining it was going to be – dealing with the teenage drama day in and day out. Would I even make it through the day? Up for debate.
Realistically he needed a plan. Teachers planned out their lessons, strategized, knew how to handle the day before it even begun. Yes. Planning was good.
Too bad he wasn't all that familiar with plans. He was adaptable, not prepared.
The doors of Casper High loomed over him and he took a sip of coffee, eyes sliding over the obnoxious slogan.
Winging it had never failed, at least not with the ghosts. Why would he stop now?
oOo
"You're welcome to any of the snacks in the lounge, as well as the cafeteria menu, however, I would advise against it. Dickens knows what they put into that slop" Lancer ranted as they walked down the second level hallway, students unconsciously parting as they passed, not even noticing Danny himself. "Although, I'm sure your well aware of that already."
Danny chuckled, "Bring my own lunch. Got it."
"Yes. If you want to put it simply." The older male waved him off, before stopping beside a small brown door. 'Science Department' was engraved on a slim gold plaque tacked on its front. "This is the science staffroom and what you'll call home for your foreseeable future with us." He pushed the door open.
It was a rather quaint space. A relatively medium sized room with a set of large vertical windows on one side that looked out to the grassy front yard and street – a torture method surely – and a small kitchenette on the other. There were multiple desks occupying the area, one large one taking residence along the back wall while a cluster of three resided like a roundabout in the middle. Stationary, files, mugs and technology alike littered their surfaces and most were currently in use by the various teachers that they belonged to, although one of the three was bare, save for a computer
"Morning everyone." Lancer greeted, stepping fully into the room and receiving a few in return. The rooms three occupants swivelled in their chairs, facing the doorway, and with the attention now on him Lancer guided Danny forward into the spotlight. "I'd like to introduce our newest staff member and your faculty's new science teacher. This is Daniel Fenton."
Danny gave a shy wave. "Morning. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
"Well if it isn't my eyes deceiving me. Welcome back Mr. Fenton." The stout man to his left stood from the large desk, stretching out a hand to shake, his large circular glasses glinting. "I never thought I'd be seeing you again."
Mr. Falluca. Head of Science and Math. He certainly looked older, his face wrinkled even more than Lancers and a pitiful few strands of grey hair were slicked over his balding head.
Danny gave him an easy smile, and shook the man's slightly clammy hand. "It sure has been a moment hasn't it?" He mused.
Falluca nodded. "Sure has. Congratulations on your position, we're thrilled to have you join us."
"Happy to be here."
Lancer coughed slightly, gaining their attention. "Well Daniel, this is where I leave you. Matthew here will help you get settled in." He said, gesturing to Falluca. This is real, I'm going to be calling my teachers by their first names. "Your classroom is next to mine, I'm sure you remember where that is?" Danny nodded. "Wonderful, then I will leave you to it. Good luck for today and let me know if you have any questions." His old teacher said, before heading for the door.
"Thanks for your help Mr Lancer. I appreciate it." Danny replied as the teacher left the room.
Lancer waved him off, a hand on his hip as he walked out. "Please, call me Edward."
"Heh" Danny muttered to himself before turning back around to Falluca, hand rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "That is never not going to be weird."
"You'll get used to it." Falluca – Matthew chuckled. "Well, welcome to the science faculty. As I'm sure you already know, I am the head teacher of both Science and Maths. I share my time equally between the two, so if I'm not here, you'll find me in the maths staffroom." He explained, gesturing to the room around them. "And these wonderful people will be some of your most immediate colleagues."
He started with the female. "Fiona Ritter" He introduced, pointing to the tall, slim woman at the far end desk. She looked to be only a few years older than himself, edging toward her thirties. Her face was brilliantly angular, all high cheekbones and a thin nose, kissed by a few escaped strands of vibrant red hair that reminded him eerily of Jazz's. A large claw looking thing clipped it back into a professional looking bun, which matched nicely with her long sleeve black dress, the dark colour offset by the white lab coat she wore. "I look forward to working with you Daniel." She said professionally, shaking his hand.
"Same to you. And please, I prefer Danny." He corrected, already feeling she was probably the most formal of the bunch. He almost felt a little out of place in his blue jeans and red university jumper. He shook the thought, comfortability was key.
She nodded, checking her watch. "Apologies, but I can't stay, I need to prep the lab for this first class. I'm sure we'll find time to get to know each other sometime soon."
"Don't let me hold you up." He assured with a lopsided smile. "Catch you later."
She acknowledged him with a quirk of her lips before darting out the room and he prayed that he'd made a good first impression.
She seemed like a bit of a perfectionist, if her desk was any indication. Everything was organised, files colour coded and her stationary neatly stacked in a small tray to the side of her computer. And he had no doubt she was strict, her personality just oozed 'shut up and do your work.' Clearly, Fiona would be the hardest to impress.
"And this is–"
"Tom Miller. Nice to meet you man." Falluca was interrupted by the blonde man at the desk closest, as he stood, offering his hand.
He was much younger than Fiona, probably the same age as Danny if not around it. His blonde hair was neatly combed back in a typical preppy private school style, but weirdly enough, it suited him. He was slightly shorter than Danny – which would probably be considered average considering Danny was rather tall himself, after a rather abrupt growth spurt his first year of university – with a hint of muscle and a nice even tan. He had no doubt the guy was not originally from Amity, especially with his dark jeans, cream knit and twangy Californian accent.
Unlike Fiona, his desk was a mess of paper, highlighters and a random mug with "I put the 'tea' in teacher" written across its front. He seemed pretty easy going, and honestly Danny liked him already. Tom seemed like a pretty chill guy.
"Danny, and same to you." He said, shaking his hand firmly.
Tom recoiled slightly when they made contact. "Dude, your hand's freezing. We got to get you some gloves or something." He rushed, humour lingering in his tone and breaking the ice.
Yeah, kinda comes with the job, I'm afraid. He thought, inwardly chuckling. He had no doubt the others had felt the same, only they hadn't deigned to say anything. Tom didn't seem to have much of a filter.
"You're onto something there" He praised Tom jokingly, letting his hand drop.
"Always am!" Tom replied enthusiastically, a dimple popping up on his left cheek.
Falluca cleared his throat, halting their conversation from going further. "Alright. Danny, your desk is that one over there." He said, pointing to the empty one that was directly opposite and facing Tom's. "And your timetable has been emailed to you. Make yourself at home, but do so quickly, we've got about ten minutes until classes begin for the day."
Danny grinned. "Perfect. Thanks for the help Matthew." That will never be normal
"We'll see if your still thanking me by the end of the week." Falluca smirked playfully before marching out the room himself.
Danny slid his eyes to Tom's face, noting the humour dancing in his eyes. "He doesn't mean that, does he?"
Tom laughed outright, "Nah. It's not that bad. The first week always sucks for newbies, but you'll find your rhythm sooner or later." He slung an arm over Danny's shoulders, "C'mon, I'll walk with you to your room, mines directly opposite. So, if you're ever going to blow anything up, run over and let me know so I can bring my class over and help."
Danny chuckled. "As long as you do the same, it's a deal."
oOo
Lawson was dying.
There was really no other explanation. His head hurt like someone was repeatedly hitting it with a hammer, his hands were clammy and cramping, and his lungs shuddered and groaned every time he took in a breathe.
He just wanted to stop. Everything needed to stop.
The world spun, dipping slightly to the left and twisting around like a spinning top. It was nauseating, and he struggled not to hurl at the sensation.
His chest burned. Had he swallowed a lit match recently? He couldn't recall. His brain was too fuzzy, as if someone had scooped it out and replaced it with a giant wad of fluffy cotton.
Mmm. Warm, soft, fluffy cotton.
His body was failing him. Exhaustion creeping into his very bones and threatening to pull him into its depths. He wanted to close his eyes, to drop onto clouds of soft cotton and let them lull him to sleep. Oh, how nice–
Screeeeeeeech!
He jolted upright, nearly tripping over his own feet and sprawling face first onto the track if it wasn't for a strong arm that caught him before he met his untimely demise.
"That's not running Davies! Pick up the pace" Tetslaff hollered, across the expanse of the racetrack, whistle still in hand and a furious expression on her face as she glared at him. "I am not to blame for your lack of fitness over the break!"
"Good god would someone shut her up. I think my ears just exploded." A voice moaned pitifully to his left and he looked over to see Lincoln rubbing his ears in pain while he ran. "She's a monster."
"I'd say a demon is more accurate." Their female companion muttered to herself, eyeing the bulky teacher from the other side of the field.
"Demons don't exist Sloane." Lincoln fired back, panting and holding his chest, now more preoccupied with keeping himself alive than moaning about the noise.
He couldn't see it from where she was holding him up, but he was almost certain Sloane rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say Link"
He felt a pressure build in his throat, the acidic taste teasing his tastebuds. "I think I'm going to puke." Lawson moaned to his two friends, praying that they'd end his torment. Running was so not his thing.
"No, you are not." Sloane ordered. "Not when I'm right next to you. We still have one class left and I do not want to smell like vomit for it."
He swallowed thickly, pushing the bile down as much as he could. "It's going to happen."
Sloane turned to him fully now, her gunmetal grey eyes honing in on his own pale green. "Hold it in or I'll make you."
In his opinion, Sloane had the meanest looking glare he'd ever seen. And being on the receiving end of it? It was a death sentence. Like looking down the barrel of a gun and just waiting for the bullet to hit you square between the eyes. She'd learned it from her father, a military man through and through. Lawson hadn't ever met Mr. West himself, and he didn't want to, but if he had to hazard a guess, he'd say the man's glare would be just as, if not more, terrifying than Sloane's.
"Yes Ma'am" He grumbled, focusing all his concerntration on not throwing up his breakfast from that morning. Fruit loops, gross. "How long left? How many laps?"
"Last 500 meters, Law." Lincoln huffed, his gaze focused on his feet, as if willing them to keep moving. "We just have to make it. Then the torture will be over and we can go home."
Lawson shakily nodded his agreement. "O–kay."
"Oh my god." Sloane sighed, pinching her nose with the free hand that wasn't holding him up. "You two are so dramatic. And did you not hear me say we still have a class left? No going home for you until after science."
Lincoln's entire body slumped as if all the life has been somehow sucked out of him and someone had told him the world was ending. "How dare they do this." He mumbled, sounding slightly crazed. "I'm suing the school."
"On what grounds"
"For making a blind person run, and then not letting said blind person go home immediately after."
If he wasn't as tired as he was, Lawson might have laughed, but all he could do was moan in amusement, teeth clenched shut.
Sloane didn't seem to find it as funny as he did though. "That arguments irrelevant. You're only partially blind, Link."
Lincoln blanched, a hand shooting to his chest as if the comment had struck him right in the heart. "How dare you undermine my disability. You witch."
"Oh, for god's sake–"
Unfortunately, this was a recurring argument. Despite being friends since they were children, Lincoln and Sloane's arguments had always dwindled down to Link's missing eye.
He'd lost it when he was younger, having accidentally fallen onto a fork and stabbed it out when he was just three years old. The story was pretty gruesome, but Link always assured that he didn't remember the incident in any way shape or form.
The eye had to be surgically removed, the damage too extensive to risk leaving it. So, the specialists had designed him a realistic glass one that he could take in and out without any fuss. It looked real enough – it was the same chocolate brown colour and even had a small capacity of movement. However, it was easy to pick out when he looked too far right or left, as instead of moving, it stayed looking sightlessly forward.
Lincoln had been teased relentlessly for it when he was a kid and in fact, for a short while, even Lawson had been slightly scared by his…abnormality. It wasn't every day that your nursery classmate had one eye. At least, that was only until Lincoln asked if he wanted to play action figures and their friendship was cemented.
Despite all that, Lincoln was pretty tough. He knew how to handle bullies with such morbid flair that frankly, it was impressive. And with Sloane and himself around? Well, maybe just Sloane (she was terrifying enough on her own), Lincoln didn't have to deal with much.
This is why he could only roll his eyes at the pair of them as they bickered.
Finally, they crossed the finish line. The last three in the class to do so as per usual. That was all him and Lincoln – slow, unmotivated and geeky as they were, exercise wasn't a common occurrence when Doomed was around and he was almost certain Ms. Tetslaff knew that little fact as well.
If it wasn't for the pair of them, Sloane would probably be top of the class. She was naturally athletic – unlike the pair of them – having competed the majority of her life before she'd reached high school. Pick any sport, and Sloane had probably won the championship at one point.
Why she hung out with them? He would never know.
He and Lincoln collapsed on the grass, chests heaving and sweat dripping in buckets. "I am never doing that again." He moaned to his best friend, stars dancing in front of his eyes.
"Neither" Link muttered, eyes closed as he took deep gulps of air.
In the background, the bell rang out from the main building, the signal for lunch, and a shadow descended over the pair of them.
Lawson cracked an eye to see Sloane's figure blocking out the sun. "What?" He questioned, noting how she didn't even appear tired, the only indication that she had exerted any energy at all being the way a few blonde strands that escaped her ponytail clung to the sweat on her forehead.
So unfair
"It's lunch and I'm hungry. So, get up." She ordered, reaching out a hand to both him and Lincoln and hefting them up with ease. The world spun for a second, but the dizzy feeling left as soon as it came, replaced with a sort of satisfying exhaustion.
He needed a shower. Lincoln seemingly had the same idea. "Locker room!" His friend announced, before trudging dramatically over to the school building, a finger raised high in the air.
He exchanged a glance with Sloane, before the two of them obediently followed.
oOo
Lawson's tray clattered against the flimsy, plastic, cafeteria bench as he slammed it down with perhaps a little more force than necessary. Sloane eyed the tray, filled with mashed potatoes and some kind of ugly meat. "Did it offend you or something?" She questioned.
Sighing, he slid into the seat next to her, pushing aside his tray in favour of letting his head drop onto the table. "No"
"Okay."
He turned his head to the side, staring at her curiously. Her eyes were bright with expectation, as if she was looking forward to something that hadn't yet come to pass.
"What?"
"You look funny." He told her and she scowled at the insult. He huffed. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it. What's going on? You look excited?"
She crossed her arms over her chest, hiding the 'Fuck off and leave me alone' signage on her shirt "So? Am I not allowed to be excited for my last class?"
"No," Lincoln deadpanned as he sat down next to him, his plate filled instead with an assortment of greenery from the vegetarian menu, a bright contrast to Lawsons bland selection. "Not when it's science with Falluca."
"Well aren't you two in for a nasty surprise then." Sloane's lips quirked as she said it, deep blue lipstick making the smirk look far eviller than it should have been – she'd always had a strange aesthetic. "Because we've got a new teacher."
"Since when? Mr. Miller was literally just hired last year. I find it unlikely that they'd need another this soon?"
"Oh! Is this about Mr. Fenton? The new teacher?" A chirpy voice interrupted and Amelia sat down on Sloane's left, a suspiciously gourmet cup of coffee in one hand, and a homemade salmon salad in the other. Her thick brown curls bobbed as she sat down, brushing tan shoulders and contrasting stunningly against her baby pink crop. "He's hot."
Amelia Garcia. Designated Fashionista and self-crowned 'Queen Bee' of Casper High. Her parents had more money than even they knew what to do with, so Amelia had taken on the supreme job of spending as much of it as she could, as often as she could. Combine the wealth with her bubbly, extroverted personality, and it's a match made in heaven.
It was also mostly a mystery as to why she sat with them. Although, he suspected it was mostly because of Sloane. The two had been close in primary school. And despite their contrasting personalities – he still didn't know how that dynamic even worked – Amelia would probably be the only female friend Sloane would allow within a ten-foot radius.
"I mean sure, if you call creepy-as-fuck 'hot'." The final member of their weird little group said as he sat down at the table on Lawsons other side.
Colin McNamara was clearly too tall to be a high school student. The guy towered above even the seniors, all lean, long and pure bones. There was probably more meat on his dead grandmother than Colin's actual body – although, it didn't seem to stop him from being the most promising basketball player in Illinois.
Amelia rolled her eyes at his critique. "He's not that creepy."
"And is that because you were more focused on his 'Dreamy smile' and 'frosty blue eyes to notice'" Colin teased, batting his eyelashes and pitching his voice a few octaves higher in a poor attempt to mimic a lovestruck female.
"Do you want to smell like salmon for the rest of the day? Because I will throw this at you."
"I'd rather you not."
"Alright mommy and daddy. Stop fighting in front of the kids." Lincoln teased, receiving heated glares from the pair, although they seemed to go straight over his head. "What's all this about a new teacher?"
"New guy in the science department." Colin answered, "He had us first period. Room across from Millers."
"What's he like?" Sloane questioned, eyes bright with curiosity. It seemed like she'd been sitting on the question all day. It was no secret that she hated Mr. Falluca, he had no doubt she was enthusiastic for a change. "I've heard, like, forty different rumours."
"Science with Mr. Fenton is probably going to be my favourite class this year, if that gives you any indication." Colin said, shoving a spoonful of mashed potato in his mouth. "He's a lot like Miller, just a lot calmer and heaps more relatable. He's super creepy though."
"What do you mean creepy? Like monster creepy or pervert creepy" The question spilled out his mouth while his brain involuntarily pictured a monster with six arms and two heads looking longingly at the children he was teaching. Not a nice image, thanks brain.
Colin shook his head, a shiver shimmying up his spine and rocking the guys skinny shoulders. "No, none of those. He's just–I don't really know how to explain it really. He just feels sort of…wrong?"
"You just have a way with words, Col. Makes me all gooey inside." Lincoln commented, and Lawson choked on a bit of his own mashed potato.
Colin shot him a glare. "You'll see what I mean when you meet him."
Silence permeated through the group for an awkward moment, before Amelia decided that she needed to fill it. "Well I think he's hot."
Lawson rolled his eyes in sync with Colin. "We already established that."
"Just thought I'd remind you all."
"We didn't need to–Yowch!" Sloane cut Colin off with a sharp kick to the leg under the table, which had him shooting his knee into the underneath of the bench top with a loud bang. "Motherfucker! What gives!?"
Sloane picked at her nails. "Think before you speak."
Immediately humbled.
"So" Lincoln stepped in. "Nasty Burger, then Phantom hunting? Who's in?"
"Sure" Sloane agreed, and Lawson gave an enthusiastic nod.
"I'm out, sorry man. School night and Mom's got it out for me." Colin told them with a shiver. "Next time though. Let me know if you get anything."
Amelia shook her head. "I can't make it either. Sorry. Dad has a work dinner that we have to attend"
"Eh" Link shrugged. "More fun for us then."
It was no secret that the five of them harboured a small interest in ghosts. Well, maybe a large interest. Although, it made sense considering they lived in the most haunted town in the America. Ghosts were the norm, so naturally, looking for them became a bit of a hobby. Some teenagers snuck out to do drugs, while others snuck out to search for ghosts. It was a parents worst nightmare.
'Phantom hunting' typically consisted of trying to look and get footage of Amity Parks infamous ghostly vigilante, which they could then sell to the media for a few hundred bucks. It was a good gig, and prevented them from getting part-time jobs – save for Amelia who he was pretty sure would never have one anyway. Although, they hadn't got much aside from the rare sight of the ghostly hero flying overhead.
Mostly it was just following the other ghost hunters around. If the GIW or Fenton's were around then a certain Phantom tended to show his face too…
Lawsons entire brain halted and time seemed to slow.
Fenton. Mr. Fenton.
Surely not.
"What did you say the new teachers name was again." He asked suddenly, needing to confirm his train of thought and interrupting Lincoln and Amelia's argument about just what exactly defined 'fun'.
Amelia quirked a brow. "Mr. Fenton. Why?"
Oh. Oh!
"Fenton? As in Fenton Works? The biggest ghostly research facility this side of anywhere and surname of Amity's best engineer's to this day?" He blurted, head spinning with the realisation.
Lincolns mouth opened and then closed, "No way."
"Yes way." Colin breathed.
Well maybe this last period wouldn't be as torturous as he thought it would be.
A/N
Well there we have it. Chapter 2 done and dusted. Not too much happening just yet, but I thought it essential to get us introduced to the new Casper High Generation.
If you haven't already guessed, Lawson, Sloane and Lincoln will be our reflection of Danny, Sam and Tucker – just make them a little different – and our main protagonists aside from Danny himself. Whilst we also have Colin and Amelia joining in as an additional pair to show some serious change in the 'High School' world and breakage of social norms.
We were introduced to Danny's Colleagues, Fiona and Tom, who are our black and white opposites. I see them as the Sam and Tucker in Danny's work world.
And speaking of, we finally got mention of our PDA loving man. Tucker Foley has sure gone up in the world by the looks of things, but he'll never go far enough to escape Sam's ego checks. Don't worry, our favourite trio will be making more appearances soon!'
Prepare yourselves for a wild ride, cause we are just getting started.
- Skirter