Hi, people! Everything alright with you? I found time to write this, since I've gotten my research paper done. What did you all think of "The Fright Before Christmas" and "Secret Weapons" last week? I thought both were great; I gave TFBC a 9.2/10 and SW a 9.1/10. Wonder when the next one will air.
Sorry for the wait, but here we go! Chapter 6 is here!
Ghostly Competition
Chapter Six: Slump and Surprise
That weekend, Danny was lying down on his bed, sulking with an empty look in his eyes. It wasn't the first time since his loss to Steve a few days ago.
The door opened and Sam and Tucker walked inside.
"Danny?" Sam said.
Tucker said to him, "Your mom said you were up here."
Without sitting up, Danny said to them, "Hey, guys."
Sam sighed and walked over to him, "Come on, Danny. You've been secluding yourself from the world sulking like this for the past three days now. You can't let that one loss ruin everything for you."
Tucker added, "Yeah. I mean, lighten up, dude."
Danny sighed as he finally sat up, "Tucker, how can I lighten up? I still want to help this town, but I can't! You heard what Steve said if I did anything for anybody! Besides, I think this town wants him more than me anyway."
Sam raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
Danny reached under his bed and pulled out a newspaper. He tossed it to Sam, saying, "Haven't you read the paper?"
Sam caught this day's edition of the Amity Park Angle and read the front headlines aloud, "Ghost Kid Stops Bank Robbery? New Phantom Popular Throughout Amity Park?" She read the rest of it to herself.
When she finished, she put the paper back down on the floor, "I think I see what you mean."
Tucker asked his best friend, "So you haven't gone ghost at all since the battle?"
Danny shook his head, "What's the point anyway? My ghost sense has gone off once or twice, but I had no choice but to ignore it."
Sam asked him, "Did Steve get to that scene?"
"Yep."
Tucker then asked, "What do you do with Steve around school?"
Danny responded, "I've pretty much tried ignoring him. I'm too ashamed to look at him. I'd hate to see that little smirk on his face, knowing that he beat me."
Sam sighed, "Well Danny, you're going to have to snap out of this depression sooner or later."
Danny replied, "There is one benefit to this. Without any ghost troubles, I've had more time to focus on schoolwork. I got an A on our biology quiz yesterday."
"Well, at least your parents will be happy."
"Yeah," Danny said without a smile.
Tucker said to him, "But you're not."
"I'll be okay. Just give me time."
Next Friday, Danny was feeling a little better. With nothing else to do, Danny had decided to practice with his ghost powers privately, with Sam and Tucker's persuasion. He thought it was pointless, but they said "Just in case".
The three of them sat in English class. They looked around and noticed something: Steve was nowhere in sight. It was his first absence in school since he had moved to Amity Park.
Danny said to them, "Wonder where Steve is."
Mr. Lancer spoke at the head of the class, "Before you go, I will be handing back yesterday's tests. I am pleased to say that a number of you got B's with a few getting A's."
He walked up and down the aisles and passed out the tests. Tucker frowned as he received a "C." Sam gave a smile as she got a "B+." Lancer stopped at Danny's seat and handed him his test, "Very good, Mr. Fenton. You're starting to come around."
Danny smiled as a large letter "A" was written on top of the paper.
Moments later the bell rang, and everyone started out of class.
As the trio began to leave, Lancer called out, "Just one minute, Mr. Fenton."
Danny said, "But sir, I have to get to class."
"I'll write you a pass. Mr. Foley, Miss Manson, you may go."
Sam and Tucker shrugged and walked out.
With that, Danny turned to his teacher and asked, "So what is it, Mr. Lancer?"
"Let me first say that I am very pleased with your turnaround throughout your last week and a half. Looks to me like you're actually studying."
"Well, I've had a lot of free time."
"But something else has peaked my curiosity. In class, you've seemed somewhat down. Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah," Danny said, though not very convincingly, "Everything's fine."
Lancer narrowed his eyes as though he tried to read Danny's mind. He then said, "Very well, Mr. Fenton. Whatever goes on in your out-of-school life is none of my business." He wrote on a slip of paper and gave it to him, "Take this pass. You may go."
Danny took the pass and turned to leave, "See ya."
"Oh, one more thing, Daniel. Steve was called in sick today. He was feeling uh, how do the kids say it?" He looked in his book, "How to Sound Hip for the Unhip" and said, "Whack." He handed Danny a few papers and asked, "Could you bring him his homework today?"
Danny groaned, "Do I have to?"
Lancer narrowed his eyes and Danny knew the answer. He took the papers and said, "I'll get them to him, Mr. Lancer. Have a good weekend."
Again he turned to leave, but Lancer said, "Just one second."
Danny sighed, "What is it?"
"When Steve first moved here, I was delighted to see you and your friends acting friendly toward him. That's exactly what a new student needs to fit in. So I would like for you to get to know him better. Just a suggestion, mind you." Without a response from Danny, Lancer said, "Sorry to hog up your time, Mr. Fenton. You may leave."
Danny turned around and left, with a scowl on his face.
After school, the trio was walking down a road in downtown Amity Park to where Steve lived.
As they walked, Sam asked, "So do you have any idea where this place is?"
Danny responded, "I've seen the street sometimes when I went on patrol. We'll just follow it to what the actual house is."
They continued to walk for a few more minutes, and then they reached the street. River Street. Danny looked at one paper Lancer gave him with Steve's address on it and said, "Good. Now we just have to find 500."
They looked at one house and saw the number 188 on it.
Tucker sighed, "Looks like we got some walking."
Sam turned to Danny and said with a smile, "You can fly us."
Danny sighed, "Sam, I…"
"The agreement was you can't stop evil. He didn't say you couldn't just fly around."
Danny smiled, "Alright." Then he transformed into Danny Phantom for the first time in over a week. He then picked his friends up, turned them invisible, and flew them through the air down the street.
In no time at all, the numbers were nearing 500. It was going to 486, 488, 490, 494, 496, 498…
Then they saw the next house which had the number 500 on the mailbox, their eyes bugged out. Danny ended up dropping Sam and Tucker, and then falling himself, transforming back into Danny Fenton as he did.
The three of them stood up and looked at the building, staring in disbelief. Now they knew why Steve always dropped the subject about his former home. Now they knew why he never wanted them where he lived.
At a higher part of the building, it said in big letters, "Amity Park Homeless Shelter."
Well, well, well! Bet that was a surprise to all of you! How will our favorite trio react to knowing Steve's home? Review, and Chapter 7 will be up soon!