Hello

Summary: Walking home from Danny's one night, something horrific happens to Sam. Now Danny's left to try to put the pieces of his best friend back together.

Rating: PG-13 for mature themes and language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. And I don't own Hello, Evanescence does.

Chapter Nine

Hello.

Sam stared listlessly out the window, not even bothering that to pretend she was watching the movie. Danny hadn't shown up to history and now it was five minutes into lit and he still wasn't there. She had expected him to be at history and be rubbing the back of his neck and putting off apologizing. He hadn't been. Maybe he didn't see any need to apoligize. But that didn't sound like Danny and even so he wouldn't skip class for that.

Isn't it obvious, the voice sneered cruely. You need him a whole lot more than he needs you. That's not true, she thought desperately. The nagging doubt was still there though. Sam forced herself to stop thinking about it. It wasn't doing her any good to think about things that she couldn't change. It wouldn't matter for much longer anyway.

The strange thing was Sam didn't feel bitter towards anyone. There were no thoughts of 'they'll be sorry when I'm gone' or 'I'll make them sorry they every said that'. She wasn't going to do this to spite anyone. This was about her and her need to escape. Sam didn't have any power over the situation. Yet wonderfully she could still make it all go away.

For a moment she wondered what it would be like when she was gone. She couldn't see Danny and Tucker replacing her. Maybe a few years ago but not now. Danny's secret was to precious for them to risk other people finding out. She'd never thought of it as a burden, not really. A few times she had wished it had never happened. But even though none of them ever verbalized it she knew it ran through all there heads at some time or another.

She glanced up at the movie she was supposed to be watching. It Of Mice and Men, the newer version at that. It shouldn't have been so hard to focus on. Why do you need to? You'll be dead before they finish it on Thursday. Sam let the morbid thought echo around her head for a moment.

No one would know why she did it. She still didn't know if she wanted to live a note. They would all figure out it was a suicide. What was the point? It would just make it harder and Sam had never been a fan of good-byes. They never did anything but make everyone involved feel bad.

She looked down at the blank page that should be covered with notes over analyzing the movie and it's themes. She picked up the pen and twirled it in her fingers subconsciously. With a sad look taking presence over her blank one she readjusted her grip on the pen.

Putting the tip to the paper in painstakingly neat handwriting she wrote the one thing she never thought she'd write.

Dear Danny,

I needed to tell you that none of this is your fault and there is nothing you could have done to stop me. So don't sit around telling Tucker that there was. I'm not sorry I'm doing this I'm only sorry that I couldn't have been a better friend to you and Tuck. Lord knows I sucked at that too.

There are things that have happened that you can't understand now and I hope you never will. I'm never going to get better. I'm irreparably damaged. I'm broken and there is nothing that you or anyone else could do to fix that.

I'm writing this to you and not Tucker because you were always so much more sensative to things like this than Tucker was. I hope you both grow up to be the great men I've always known that both of you would be. I hope you're as happy as we always said we would all be. I hope you have a great wife and Christmas card perfect kids.

I know you're struggling, Danny. And I know that you're going to think that there is no way you can do this without me but you're wrong. Tucker's the one that handles the thermos anyway. I'm always just tagging along.

I wish you the best of luck in everything you do. If this is starting to sound like a graduation address, I apoligize. I just want you to know that I love you like a brother and that you were the best friend I ever could have asked for. I don't deserve you. I never deserved you or Tucker.

I won't take up any more of your time. I've already said far too much. One last thing. I'm sure my parents will try to hide that it was a suicide for images sake. Make sure that your family and Tuck's family know the truth. I owe you all that.

I'm sorry,

She paused before signing it. Somehow it seemed wrong to sign something this serious with Sam. She hadn't signed anything other than test and checks as Samantha since she had learned to write in cursive. And Samantha somehow had a false ring to it. It represented the person her parents had wanted her to become, not who she was.

She looked at the paper again. She flipped to the next page. She jotted down Sam Manson. It didn't look right somehow. The little voice scoffed at how seriously she was taking this. She scribbled Sam Emily Manson. It looked better. She turned back to the note a little too quickly and wrote it a little too quickly much quicker than the rest of the letter. It looked sloppy compared to the neat flowery script.

She tore it out quickly. "Sam, would you please not do homework for other classes during this one." Sam looked up and saw the teacher and the other thirteen students staring at her. Tucker was looking at her a little weird. She glanced from him to Miss Sims.

"Sorry," she whispered as she put the paper down on her desk. She stared blankly at the TV screen for the last thirteen minutes of class. She let her thoughts wander wherever they wanted to take her. She silently sat daydreaming about what her funeral would be like, who would be there, who would speak.

Before she knew it the bell rang she quickly folded the note into thirds and wrote on it in block letters 'Danny'. That was it. She'd done her part no one expected to do anymore. She was done. Now she could go in peace. None of this would haunt her anymore.

Pulled out her assignment book and flipped to the front where at the beginning of the year all three of them had written down their combinations. She slowly turned the lock. Once to the number, past the next number and come back to it, once to the last number. She yanked and the door came open. Sam opened Danny's locker and laid the note gently across the grammar book that was thrown haphazardly in the bottom. She shut the door, kicking the bottom corner that never really closed. With that Sam turned and walked through the upperclassmen and out of the double doors of Casper High School for the last time.

I have good news and not-so-good news. The good news is this story has reached 100 reviews thanks to all you amazing readers. I think this deserves a yay-I-have-100-reviews party…but somehow I don't think my parents would go for that. The not so good news is I dunno If their will me any updates next week. I finally got my parents to say I could go to cornerstone, the Christian version of but that means that I have a week of no internet. That leaves me with three options: a) Have to get all the chapters written before I leave and have a friend post them while I'm gone b) go to the town library everyday or c) just not post for a week. I'm leaning towards A so lets hope that works. But enough about me let's talk about you! LoL My wonderful reviewers this chapter were: Chibi-Suiko, Sugaricing, Akiko, q.t a.k.a spice, SailorV-Princess, style, RainbowSerenity, Moody Maud, TinyXchamp, Weeble Wobble Chic, Spice of Life, and Dragon Blade5. Thanks for letting me know you like the fic. It's what keeps me writing.