Hi everyone! Sorry bout the glitchiness of the last chapter, I don't know what happened. Heh. Here's Chapter 4!

Chapter 4: I Heard Someone Crying...

"Uhh, Sam?" Danny said, kind of shocked at what Sam had said. "Are-are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam said. "C'mon, it's time for class." She walked away. Ten seconds later, the bell rang.

Tucker turned to Danny with a confused look on his face. "How does she do that?" he said.

Five minutes later, the dynamic trio was sitting in class, 100 bored. Lancer was telling the class what the next school project would be.

"Now, for this week, you take a slip of paper from the Hat of Fate-"he pointed to the 'Hat of Fate'- "and do a report on whatever species it says on the paper." He turned to Sam. "Oh, and Samantha-"he said, "Please try to refrain from making the entire report about how the entire species deserves to be set free." The whole class laughed. Sam grimaced.

One by one, the class pulled papers from the Hat of Fate. What Danny and Tuck got isn't important. What was important is what Sam got- leopards.

"Okay," Lancer said. "These reports are due next Friday, and- hey, where'd Sam go?"

Danny whirled around. Sam's desk was empty- and shreds of a piece of paper Danny could tell had once said 'Leopard' were on the floor.

Tuck turned to Danny. "What is her problem today?" he said. "First she goes all whackadoodle about that ghost, and now she bolts from class? Something is definitely up."

Danny leaned against the back of his chair. Yeah, Sam was acting weird- weirder than she usually acted. But why?

Sam wasn't there for any of the other afternoon classes. During the last class of the day, Mr. Lancer took Danny and Tucker aside.

"Now boys," he said, "I want you to do something for me. If you see Sam, please tell her that she receives three demerits for skipping classes and two demerits for running away from class without permission. You can go now."

"Er... okay," the two said as the last bell rang. They hung back for a while and let the rest of the school drain from the halls. Sam wasn't anywhere in the mob. After a big debate, Danny and Tuck decided to check the school twice over in every where they were allowed. No Sam.

"Where could she be?" Tuck asked after the last search. "I was right- staying late at school for no good reason is stupid!"

"It's not for no good reason!" Danny said angrily. "It's to find Sam! Where else could she be?"

Tuck shrugged. "Well, she could be..." he giggled a little.

"What?" Danny said.

Tucker smiled sinisterly. "I know we're not allowed in there, but she could be in- the forbidden zone."

"You mean-"

"Yep."

"THE GIRL'S BATHROOM?!?!?!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! I THOUGHT YOU MEANT THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE!!! AND EITHER WAY, I AIN'T GOING IN THERE!"

"Oh yes we are," Tucker said. They were standing outside the girls bathroom, a place totally forbidden to boys.

"Ok... let's just get it over with, and leave before any girls show up!" The two reluctantly barged into the girl's bathroom, and sure enough, there was a sobbing noise behind a closed stall. Danny and Tuck entered the stall, and...

Sam was there. She looked as though she had been crying for hours. When she saw the two, she screamed.

"DANNY! TUCKER! WHAT THE HECK?! You're not supposed to be in the girl's bathroom!"

"Hehe," Danny said. "We just came in to tell you that school's over. What happened in class anyway? Why did you leave?"

Sam hung her head. "If I told you, you'd probably laugh."

Tuck smiled. "I won't laugh. I promise."

Sam jumped up. "I left because I HATE LEOPARDS!! ALL SPECIES DESERVE TO BE SET FREE- EXEPT LEOPARDS!!!"

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Okaaay...gottagobye!" He ran away.

Danny looked worried. "What do you have against leopards?"

"You said school's over?!" Sam said, changing the subject. "Gosh, we gotta go!"

"Okay," Danny said. "Uhh... you want me to walk you home?"

Sam blushed. "Err... okay."

They walked to Sam's house together. Even though a raging storm erupted halfway there, and Danny was being used as a human tear rag (Translation: Sam was crying into his shoulder) the two felt strangely comfortable. After Danny had dropped Sam off at her house and was heading home, even though it was raining, he felt as though he had his own personal ray of sunshine.

Awww. Isn't that cute? Bye!