One by one the students of Casper High filed off the bus. It was a beautiful Wednesday morning, just two days away before the next big dance. Tucker was busy with his gadgets, listing girls whom he had and had not asked to the dance; everyone he had asked said no (Valerie had been sick the entire week).

"Tanya, no...Denise, no...man! There's gotta be some girl in this school who'll go out with me so I don't have to get desperate and ask out Sam!" he noticed Danny and Sam staring at him, "Not that I wouldn't want to go as friends, it's just..." he laughed nervously, "Gotta go!" he ran off.

"So what are your plans for Friday night?" Sam asked.

"I dunno," Danny shrugged, "I might not even go since Jazz is making bets with my dad on what I'm gonna do."

"What?"

"Don't ask," he stopped by his locker, "See ya' in English."

"'K. See ya'" Sam headed off to her own locker. As Danny started to get his books from his locker, Jazz ran up.

"Well?" she said quickly, as if she was hyped up on sugar, "Did you ask her? Did you? Did you?" Danny sighed.

"Jazz, for the millionth time this week...NO!!!""

---

The bell rang, signalling the start of first period. Mr. Lancer came in just after everyone had taken their seats, pushing a cart with a TV on it.

"Before I hand back your tests, students," he plugged in the TV, "A new report on the..." he was interrupted by computerised beeping sounds, "...a news report on the..." they came again; Mr. Lancer was beginning to be annoyed, "a news..." they came again..."WHERE IS THAT COMING FROM!?"

"Cassie Phalen...Jordan Weasel...Katie Hubenka..." Tucker had picked a very bad moment to look through his PDA and continue his listing.

"Is there something you'd like to share with us, Mr. Foley?" Mr. Lancer marched over to his desk.

"Yeah, any girls in this class that I haven't asked out yet?" one girl raised her hand, "Would you..."

"No!"

"Drats!" he added that girl's name to the list.

"Moving on..." Mr. Lancer was now seriously ticked off.

"Oh, go ahead with class, I'll be quiet," Mr. Lancer grabbed Tucker's PDA from his hand, "Hey!"

"Depending on your conduct for the rest of class, you'll either get this back at the end of the hour or the end of the year. As I was saying, the latest anti-ghost reports have come in, and we are still following them," he turned the television on. The reporter that had become an all-too-familiar face for Danny appeared on the screen.

"The Order has been eliminated," he was saying, "Ken Bruce and a large squadron of men from Paranormalics raided their last base of operations yesterday, the location of which has not been stated. With this new victory, Bruce has again urged Congress to pass his state of emergency, and it looks like a vote will finally take place soon. President Hartman has continued to fight the passing and even the vote of the bill. However, with the latest anti-ghost march in Washington and the President's approval ratings down to 46, it looks as if he's working against the country," Mr. Lancer turned the TV off there.

"And now, your tests," he grabbed some papers off his desk, slowly handing them out to everyone. Danny moaned when he saw his test.

"Another C," he threw the paper into his notebook.

"...and I asked Alisha, and I asked Alice, and I tried to ask Paulina but she shot me down before I even tried..." Tucker hadn't even looked at his test yet, instead counting the girls he had asked out on his fingers. Danny sighed.

---

"I'm starting to worry about that state of emergency law they're trying to pass," Sam said at lunch as she caught some of her salad on her fork, "It looks like it's actually gonna happen."

"I know. And if my parents find out I'm a ghost because of that they'll go ballistic!" they both turned to Tucker for his opinion. Mr. Lancer had given him his PDA back (mainly because he couldn't figure out how to stop it from making so much noise), and he was now going through his lists again.

"Every girl in school who's not sick has turned me down except for Lisa Carbonell!" he shouted.

"Good luck asking her out, Tuck," Danny laughed, "She's gonna be busy tying to teach that Fischer kid how to dance."

"Then who the heck am I supposed to go to the dance with!?" he shouted, "Last time I went with Sam, you two ended up dancing anyway, and that makes me look desperate!"

"As if that's not already apparent," Sam said sarcastically.

"Ah, what the heck! I'm gonna try to ask that Carbonell chick out!" he got up, and Sam pulled out a watch.

"5...4...3...2...1..." Tucker came back, looking depressed.

"I hope Val gets better by tomorrow," he muttered, taking a large bite out of his sandwich.

---

"I expect your essays to be typed, double-spaced, and no less than 1000 words," Mr. Lancer said as the bell rang, "You are dismissed," everyone filed out, groaning over their assignment.

"An essay on the anti-ghost situation," Danny was saying, "I'm a ghost, and my parents are ghost-hunters who'll flip the minute they find out about this!"

"Just don't tell 'em," Tucker said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna check to see if any girls have become dateless since lunch," he ran off.

"So," Danny turned to Sam, "What're you doing for the dance?"

"Huh? Oh, I dunno," she said, "I was thinking of just showing up and hanging out," awkward silence followed.

"You want to go together as friends?" they both asked at the same time.

"Huh? Oh, sure!" "Of course!" "Yeah, uh..." random comments such as this came afterwards.

"See ya'" Sam waved good-bye as she headed outside.

"Did you...?" Jazz ran up again.

"Yes, I did..." Danny began.

"Did she say yes?"

"Yes, but we're just going as..."

"YES! This proves conclusively that Dad puts his ghost-hunting before his family to the point where he knows nothing about us!"

"Jazz, we're going as..."

"I can't wait to tell him," she walked off, rubbing her hands together. Danny sighed.

"Never mind."

---

Danny noticed a strange car parked near his home as he approached, having run ahead of Jazz so he wouldn't have to hear her bragging. The car was marked "Paranormalics," causing Danny to gulp. The worst-case scenario immediately popped into his head.

"Take it easy, Danny," he said to himself, "It might not be what you think...I hope it's not what I think," he walked in. He could hear his dad shouting with someone.

"Are you implying that my family had something to do with the Amity incident!?" Jack's voice could be heard throughout the entire house.

"I am implying that your inventions are unstable and unrefined, and could have easily released anything from The Ghost-Zone!"

"Then your problem is with me, but don't go accusing my family!"

"I have reason to believe that a member of your family has been..."

"Get out!"

"What!?"

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!" Jack's voice almost shook the floor. Danny watched as a flustered Ken Bruce came from the kitchen. He looked even more enraged when he saw Danny.

"I know what you are," he whispered in Danny's ear before hitting him in the shoulder. Ignoring the rude gesture, Danny walked into the kitchen.

"What was all that about?" he asked.

"Those fools wouldn't know a ghost from a piece of toast!" Jack shouted, "I'm still so boiled up I want to take it out on the first person who gives me bad news!" Jazz ran in, grinning.

"He asked Sam out!" she said, "You owe me $15!" Danny slowly left the room as his dad began to release his rage.