Chapter 2

Lunch passed by slowly, Danny caught a brief glimpse of Cupid every now and then, but he was gone by the time he could find somewhere to go-ghost in privacy. To his disappointment he saw nothing of Sam throughout the whole of lunch, he still couldn't buy tickets yet as Sam hadn't said she'd definitely go with him. It took him most of the History lesson after lunch to bring up enough courage to ask her. He couldn't understand how saying one little sentence could have his nerves so shot to pieces. Eventually he pulled up enough nerve to ask.

"Er…Sam…would you…er" His cheeks flushed pink and he scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her eye contact "…would you come to the Valentines Ball with me?" He asked all in a rush, each word melting into the next. Sam looked daggers at him, her arms crossed over her chest and lips pressed together.

"Have you finally run out of people to ask Danny? Well I refuse to be the dregs of your 'who-to-date-in-case-of-ghost-emergency-at-dance' list. Besides, I'm already going with someone else." She snapped, her nose high in the air. Danny's insides felt as if they were contorting beyond recognition as jealously gripped hold of him.

"Who! Is that guy who sent you the valentine card? You have been flirting with someone else haven't you!" he said without thinking, going red at her reaction

"Someone else? Who have I ever flirted with Danny?" The bell broke her sentence in half, but she continued after it fell silent as she packed up her books "If you mean that before Richard came into my life this morning I was flirting with you, you got it wrong." With that she swung the bag onto her shoulder and paced out leaving Danny's jaw opening and closing like a goldfish.

"Well! I …I…that's…oh man!" Danny glowered, packing his own things into his bag. "Who's Richard?" He asked sulkily, Tucker shrugged preferring to steer clear of Danny/Sam tiffs. He did feel sorry for Danny though; he knew almost for a fact that Sam was lying when she said she hadn't been flirting with Danny before. But he didn't want to loose either as a friend so decided to let them solve their problems out on their own.

The next lesson was Geography and Sam had taken the spare desk at the back of the room rather than her usual one next to Danny, and at afternoon break she was gone before he could explain himself.

"Well, I have to buy a ticket now before they run out; and I have no date." Danny moaned, Tuckers eyes fell on Denzel who was sat on the grassy hill between the playground and the picnic benches that Danny and Tuck were sat at. He was surrounded by a gang of girls and kept stealing glances in Danny's direction.

"I think Denzel's your only hope Danny." Tucker said seriously, although he couldn't quite keep his lips from curling up as he tried to suppress laughter. Danny peeked in Denzel's direction again and grimaced. He was really going to have to do this, or else let a potentially dangerous ghost have free reign on a bunch of hormonal teenagers.

"Maybe Cupid won't attack anyone, he gets sucked into the ghost world at Midnight anyway…" He reasoned, really not wanting to have to go with Denzel.

"What if he kills someone Danny? You'd never forgive yourself." Tucker had a point there. A sudden image of Cupid killing a tall goth guy with five o'clock shadow, long greasy black hair and chunky New Rock boots with a name badge reading RICHARD on his lapel flashed into his mind making him grin from ear to ear. He had no idea what Richard actually looked like, but the image he had built up in his head seemed to suit the kind of guy who would be attracted to Sam. But then, he was attracted to Sam, and he was certainly years away from being able to have five o clock shadow, and he couldn't understand how people wore those New Rock boots! He allowed his daydream to continue where he came to the ball after all, alone. Sam pouted over Richard's dead body for a second before Danny tapped her on the shoulder (he was a little taller in his daydream, with hair a little shinier and his posture a little straighter as this was how he imagined Sam would want him to look.) He flashed Sam a perfect smile, everyone in the room melted away leaving them alone, staring into one another's eyes dreamily. He brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and stroked her cheek lightly; drawing in closer, heart pumping in his chest. As they drew closer their noses brushed one another and they closed their eyes, a warm feeling slipped into his stomach as their lips almost touched..

"DANNY!" The sound of Tuckers voice ripped him out of his fantasy world, back to the bitter and painful reality.

"Curse you Tucker!" He glowered darkly, shaking his fist. Tucker held down a chuckle to inform him that afternoon break was almost over and it was Denzel or nothing. The warm feeling that had filled his stomach and chest turned to ice as he realised he was going to have to do it. He stood up shakily, looking over to Denzel, who was at least no longer swooning at him. His feet seemed rooted to the spot though, he just stood staring trying to think his way out of the situation. Tucker leant forwards to Danny and gave him a heavy push, forcing Danny to move his legs or fall flat on his face; with the momentum of the push he found himself half way to Denzel already.

"Hiya Danny!" Denzel half squealed in a girly voice. Danny flushed red, rubbing the back of his neck. "How are you doing kitten?" Danny pressed his lips together, his eyes wide and brows pushed upwards in fear.

"Er…fine, just fine…Er…Denzel…I need to, er, go to the Valentine Ball tonight…and I…" Denzel looked as if Christmas had come early, his eyes lit up and he clapped his hands together

"Oh Danny! You don't know how many nights I have dreamt of this moment! Of course I'll go to the Ball with you! Did you hear that girls! I'm going to the Ball with Danny! Yay!" He giggled

"Yeah, er…but just as friends though eh?" He clarified, but Denzel was too excited to hear.

"I'll pick you up at seven! You live in that crazy house with that weird roof don't cha?" Denzel asked in a hurry. All Danny could do was nod and turn around, going back to Tucker, who was rolling about in laughter.

"It's not funny Tuck! I feel bad for the guy, he thinks I fancy him!" Tears streamed from Tuckers eyes

"This is just CLASSIC! I can't believe you actually went through with it Danny!" Danny sighed in annoyance

"Yeah, well it's not like I had any choice was it?" This only made Tucker laugh harder, slapping his thigh as he tried to control his amusement.

"You could have just not booked a ticket and gone 'intangible' in ghost-mode, thus getting in for free and without a date." The colour in Danny's face drained as Tucker's words sunk in

"Why didn't I think of that before! Tucker, you could have said that before I asked out the gay kid!" Tucker was rolling about laughing again; Danny narrowed his eyes and shook his head feeling a little sick. He looked back to Denzel; he looked so happy, Danny couldn't just go back and say he'd changed his mind, he didn't have the heart.

"Well I better go and buy a couple of tickets then…I bloody well hope they've sold out." He muttered as he left Tucker alone to die of laughter.

Unfortunately they hadn't sold out quite yet. The yearbook team were the organisers of the dance and were the ones selling the tickets, two girls in Jaz's year sat at the desk issuing them.

"Oh, hey Danny." Megan Hartfield sang, who Danny vaguely knew through Jaz.

"Hi." He muttered grimly "Two please." Prizing Ten bucks from his pockets and handing it over.

"Oh, Sam already bought one, but she was with that really cute guy from the year above you guys, what was his name Lucy?" She asked the girl sat next to her, who replied

"Richard…" In a dreamy voice. Danny licked his lips in nervousness and asked them who Richard was exactly.

"He's just Richard. He's not the sort of guy I would usually have a crush on coz he's into these really weird things, like ultra-something or other-vegetarianism-"

"Ultra-recyclo-vegetarianism?" Danny asked grimly

"Oh yeah! That's it. He also listens to this heavy metal music stuff-"

"So he's a goth?" He ventured to ask, this sounded worse and worse for Danny and better and better for Sam at every minute

"Yeah, but he's not all greasy and miserable like most of those freaks, he's a dreamboat…tall, dark and handsome with all these deep and meaningful thoughts on life and he' so friendly!" She hummed, her eyes glassing over.

"Great." Danny murmured under his breath, taking the tickets that Megan was handing him.

"Danny, have you and Sam spilt up? It looked like she was sort of involved with Richard." Megan asked in concern for her friend's little brother.

"We were never a couple." He said quietly with regret in his voice.

"Oh. I thought you two were an item." Danny shrugged and stepped towards the door as the bell for afternoon lessons sang out.

"I wish." He said under his breath before thanking them for the tickets and making his way to Maths class.

Now that Danny was too upset to look at Sam, she had decided to sit in her chair next to Danny's rather than take a free one like she had done in Geography class. He was afraid she'd start to mock him about Denzel as well now as he assumed Tucker had told everyone by now. But she didn't say anything about it if she did know he was going with a boy to the dance.

"I hear you're going to the dance with 'Richard.'" Danny tried to say casually, but it sort of came out as more of a high-pitched squeak. Sam flushed red and nodded.

"Er, yeah. He was the one who sent me the card. I met him first at a protest march against something horrible and cruel, but I don't remember what it was actually against specifically. Then again at that Ultra-Recyclo-Vegetarianism protest I organised when I changed the lunch menu. Yeah…he's great. The first fanciable person who has been interested in me." She said much less enthusiastically then she should. Danny slouched into his chair with a grim glower. "…He's into all the things I'm into, we share the same passions in life; he's tall-" Danny interrupted her in a weak voice

"I'm tall..sort of…not really actually.." But if she had heard him she showed no signs of it as she continued

"Has the deepest blue eyes-"

"I have blue eyes; sometimes they're green though…"

"…And he's the lead singer in the rock band 'Devil's Spiders' who are getting real acclaim in the Amity Park goth scene right now, they're just so unique-"

"You said I was unique once…" By now his voice was so weak Sam wouldn't have been able to hear him even if she had been listening. He had to face up to it; Richard sounded a way better match for Sam than he was. He knew he should be feeling happy for her, but all he felt was jealously.

"And he treats me like a Princess, I've never felt better about myself…" Danny didn't notice the vague insincerity to her voice; he was too busy feeling like his heart had been ripped in two.

"Great…I'm…happy…happy…for you. Yeah." Danny muttered, not looking up from his desk.

"…Thanks…"

Maths class continued, not that Danny really noticed, he was too busy locked in his own thoughts. By the time the bell for the end of the day sounded all his energy was sapped and his head hurt as much as his heart.

"Tucker, are you going to the dance?" Sam asked him as they walked out of the building, he shook his head

"Nah…The girls in this school don't know quality when they see it." Sam smiled and patted Tucker on the back

"Yah Tuck, yeah. Well have fun with whatever you plan to do tonight." Tuck tried to hide a sly smile, his eyes glinting

"Oh, I will." He assured her before splitting off and heading off towards his house leaving Danny and Sam in uncomfortable silence.

"So what are you gunna do tonight?" She asked him with a forced voice.

"I'm going to the ball." He said simply, to which Sam furrowed her brows before thinking she had realised how he would get in without a date.

"Oh, you're going to go intangible and sneak in are you?"

"Nope. I have a date." He sighed, but then realised how amusing his situation would be if he wasn't in it, he chuckled under his breath, not noticing Sam's face drop.

"You have a date! Who!" He could hear the panic in her voice and it made him a little happier, he crossed his arms and frowned at her.

"Why should you care Sam?" Her mouth gaped a little before she snapped her lips together and narrowed her eyes in a sulk. A little time passed with them walking in an awkward silence, Sam was still frowning and glancing over to Danny every now and then.

"Danny…I'm sorry that I have been so sour to you today." She said all in a rush, her features soft in her genuine regret for being in a mood with Danny earlier. He gave her a sidelong glance with a hint of surprise and suspicion at her apology. He couldn't quite think of what to say as a response. "…If you asked someone to the ball as a retaliation, I understand…"

"It's got nothing to do with you being in a mood with me." He said haughtily. They had just got to the part of their journey where Sam had to turn off to her own house; he stopped as she replied. Her features were unreadable, like she was trying to straighten out a particular expression that would give away her feelings.

"Oh. I see. Well… I might see you there." She had clearly forced her voice so that it sounded level, her fists were clenched tightly at her sides and her eyes were downcast. Danny nodded as nonchalantly as he could

"Yeah…might do… bye then." With great effort he turned around and tried at sauntering off casually, attempting to ignore the insistent thumping in his chest. Unable to resist, he stole a fleeting look behind him to see Sam running down the street and then rounded the corner towards her house.

At teatime that evening, which was held a little earlier than usual so the kids could get ready for the dance on time, Danny had to 'fess up about going with Denzel. 'I knew I should have offered to pick him up from his house!' he thought to himself sourly.

"Look, Mum, Dad. I have to tell you something…I'm going to the dance with a boy called Denzel tonight." He slouched further into his chair with a hangdog look, cowering a little in apprehension of their response.

"You're gay?" Jaz squealed in excitement.

"That's great!" Jack beamed proudly "I always thought you were just a little too 'normal' to be a Fenton. I'm glad you have proved me wrong." Maddy glared at her husband

"Being gay is not abnormal Jack!" Her icy stare melted as she looked towards her son. "Oh Danny, why do you look so ashamed! Did you think we wouldn't approve? We support you with whoever you end up growing up to be." She said warmly. Danny suddenly felt a little guilty for being afraid of telling them about being a half-ghost, but the feeling passed in favour of explaining himself to them little better.

"No, I'm not gay, I just have to go to the dance and he was the last person I could ask." Jack's face dropped

"What! You're not gay! This is an insult to the Fenton name! I should throw you out onto the streets right now you-"

"Jack!" Maddy snapped darkly, to which he cowered with an abashed pout of his lips. "Why don't you go with Sam? I thought you and she were getting along nicely." With a softly perturbed air Danny explained that Sam was going with someone else.

"Oh dear!" Maddy cried, shaking her head "So is that why you want to go to the ball? To convince her she should have gone with you?" She asked, Danny shrugged and dimly nodded, supposing that was as good an excuse as any to convince his parents that he should go to the dance.

"Aw! That's so cute!" Jaz beamed as she stood up having finished eating. "Well I'm going to go and get ready." She announced, heading off towards the stairs. Danny decided he should start to get ready too and retired to his room to dig his suit out of the depths of his cupboard.

To be Continued…

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Authors Note:

I apologise if this is a pile of rubbish, I didn't read through it much (couldn't be bothered, I'm too busy writing my real story!) Email me if there's too many mistakes and I'll correct them and re-post it.

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed! There should only be one, (maybe two) chapters left depending on how the next part goes…

I think maybe I wrote Denzel too stereotypically camp here! But I sort based him loosely on my mate Pete, although he's not quite so camp, and looks different…but the basis is there!

I apologise if bits of this don't make sense, as I said earlier I have only watched the first few episodes, as I never catch any of the later episodes. They seem to have stopped showing Danny Phantom in the UK now NOOO! I've not seen any with 'Inviso-Bill' in, so I guess this story is sort of based around the earlier episodes.

Sigh! Well I'm off to daydream about my four favourite guys, two of which are actually real! (Danny, Reno of The Turks, Craig Nicholls from The Vines and Saracen- my boyfriend. I'll leave it up to you to figure out who's real and who's not!)

Izzia.