Danny woke up, still in the hospital. He heard two girls arguing outside his room, but didn't pay much attention to it. He felt a lot better than yesterday. He actually looked at his arms for the first time since the attack. They were bandaged along with every inch of the rest of his body; from the mid section of his neck to the tips of his toes there was thick bandage.
He looked at his right arm. He just about freaked out when he saw an IV. Pain medication was constantly being pumped into his blood system. What if they took blood samples? They'll know I'm half ghost! They'll start to test on me! What if they even kill me? Danny started to panic.
He finally noticed the voices outside. It was Sam and... Valerie?
"I just want to see him!" Valerie yelled.
"You were involved in that pageant! How do we know you weren't one of the ones who almost killed him?" Sam fought back.
"I wasn't I swear! Why would I hurt one of my friends?"
"I don't know, but we have no proof you're telling us the truth, Valerie! You may try to hurt him more!"
There was a long pause. Valerie seemed defeated.
"Sam, I just want to give him a get well present. Why don't you trust me?"
"I have my reasons," Sam had her arms crossed. She wasn't going to change her mind.
"Um, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Danny had managed to crawl out of bed and drag himself and his IV holder to the door. He poked his head out and looked at the two girls.
"Danny? You're awake," Sam tried to sound cheerful.
Valerie had tears running down her face from the earlier conversation. She tried to hide them in front of Danny, "Danny, I got you a get well, present. She handed him some flowers a balloon and a small box of chocolates.
"Thanks Val," Danny took the gifts graciously. He smiled, "Would you like to come in?"
"Sure,"
She shot Sam a hateful; "HA" glance as she walked past her. Sam mumbled something under her breath as she followed.
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting too much company besides Sam, Tuck and the rest of my family," he looked disapprovingly at his ugly hospital clothes.
"It's okay. I won't stay long," Valerie seemed a little nervous.
"Um... I didn't see you with all the other girls, yesterday. It was yesterday right?" Danny wasn't sure how long he'd slept.
"Yeah, And I wasn't there. I wouldn't hurt you Danny. You know that, right?" Valerie put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah… right," he was a little doubtful. She only tried to kill him every other day.
"Well, it's getting late. I gotta go. See ya Danny," Valerie waved goodbye.
"Bye, Val," Danny returned her wave.
Danny fell to the floor after she left. He used all the strength he had to look fine in front of Val.
"Danny!" Sam helped him up and supported him as he got back into his bed, "You're stubborn, you know that?"
Danny smiled. He would often try to look better than he really was, just to seem stronger or cause a person no worry.
"Where did Mom and Dad go?" he asked.
"Oh, uh they went over to Paulina's house, they're pretty mad at those girls," Sam smiled innocently.
"THEY WHAT! They'll say something embarrassing or tell her something secret about me! I'll be the laughing stalk at school! And even worse my Dad might rip her apart!" Danny tried to bolt, but Sam held him down.
"Danny you are NOT leaving this room! GOT IT!" Sam pinned him down by the shoulder.
"But Sam! My parents they'll ruin my life! Ow!" Danny yelped as Sam's wrist bone stabbed his left shoulder, which had been hurt worse than the other.
"Danny! They won't do anything. They love you and wouldn't want to ruin your life. She released her hold on Danny and sat down.
Danny calmed down. He sighed. Sam was right. His parents cared. They wouldn't do anything to embarrass him too much… he hoped.
------------------------- ---------------------- (At Paulina's house) ----------------------------------
Maddie knocks on the front door. It's answered by a thin woman with thin, greasy black hair. She has a blue baby tee and brown baggy pants. She has purple eye shadow and pearl ink lipstick. She looks extremely peppy and full of energy.
"Hello?" she says in an almost annoying tone of voice. She's smiles.
"Hi. Are you Paulina's mother?" Maddie didn't smile. She had one hand on her hip; the other making swift gestures.
"Why, yes I am, and I do have to say, my daughter if absolutely perfect! Have you seen her? She has perfectly flawless skin. She gets it's after me you know," Paulina's mom went on and on.
Jack cut her off, "Do you know what your Daughter did to our son!"
Paulina's mom was taken aback.
"Jack dear, let me handle this," Maddie patted her husbands arm. Then, she faced Paulina's mom again, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DAUGHTER DID TO OUR SON!" She stuck a finger in her face.
"No I don't. What happened?"
"Don't you watch the news, Lady? Your daughter and her friends almost killed our son!" Maddie screamed.
"One: No I don't watch the news. Only low life's watch that. And two: My Paulina would never try to kill anyone," Paulina's mom crossed her arms.
"May we come in?" Maddie asked through gritted teeth.
She moved out of the way so that Jack and Maddie could enter. Maddie stomped up to the T.V. and turned on the news. It was talking about the "Accident" with Danny.
"Hello, I'm Harriet Chin with Today's Local News. Local Resident, 14 year old, Danny Fenton was almost beaten to death by a group of girls who attend his school; Casper High. He was found outside the school by his sister, Jasmine Fenton, and his two best friends, Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley. He was rushed to the hospital, in critical condition. (It showed a video of Danny covered in blood being lifted onto a stretcher.) He is on life support, but has woken up and is able to move. The girls are yet to be questioned and the authorities are still deciding weather they should be put in jail or not. Now here's Lance Thunder with the weather.
Maddie snapped off the T.V. Paulina's mom gawked. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Especially that video, the boy, which her daughter was clamed to be guilty of beating, covered in blood and more dead than alive.
"I…I don't… I don't know what to say," she stuttered
"May we talk to your daughter?" Maddie was still angry, but she held it in.
"Yes, but she has a few friends over. And don't ask her too much. I'm going to talk to her later," Paulina's mom led them up some blue carpeted stairs; "She's in the room last on the left."
"Thank you," Maddie faked kindness.
"Don't mention it," Paulina's mom ran down the stairs, "Charles! We need to talk!"
------------------------ ------------------ (In Paulina's room) ---------------------------- -----------
"So, tomorrow we'll go to have a huge party at your house," Paulina was planning the week with the rest of the popular clique.
"Yeah, and the day after that-" Dash was cut off by a knock at the door.
"Mom! I'm with my friends!" Paulina yelled, "So as we were saying."
"It's not your mother, Paulina. It's Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. We need to talk to you,"
"Fenton's parents? Why are they here?" Dash asked.
"How am I supposed to know?" Paulina walked to the door and flung it open, "Yeah?"
Maddie had to hold Jack, as he tried to claw the girls head off.
"Paulina… can we talk in private?" Maddie asked, sweetly.
"Um… okay," all of her friends flooded out the door. Maddie dragged Jack in and shut the door.
Paulina's room was pink and yellow. Her bed had a pink comforter with yellow flowers on it, along with a pink pillow. She had various stuffed animals around her room and a desk with a pink computer. What Maddie noticed most though, was that her desk area was cluttered with Danny Phantom pictures and dangly objects. Her computers wallpaper was Danny Phantom. She had hearts that said Paulina + Phantom forever and she had a scrapbook filled with phantom articles and pictures. It was kind of scary.
"Paulina," Maddie sat down on the end of Paulina's bed. Paulina sat on the pillow on top, "Paulina, why? Why did you hurt Danny?" Maddie's eyes began to fill with tears.
"What, that loser? I didn't do anything to him," Paulina crossed her arms in denial.
"Don't play dumb with us, missy!" Jack's huge figure hung over Paulina's head, scaring her to death. She screamed.
"Jack, you're scaring her!" Maddie yelled at her husband.
"Maddie, don't you see? She's covering up what she did! She tried to kill Danny!" Jack tried to persuade his wife.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Paulina screamed. She was getting really annoyed, "I didn't even know something happened to Fenton!" Paulina stood up and flung open her door. She stomped out of her room and went downstairs. Jack and Maddie followed her.
She yanked open the front door and stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for the unwelcome visitors to leave.
"Paulina, please listen to us. Some girls at the school hurt Danny. You were one of them," Maddie handed her a newspaper she had brought with her. The front page article explained what happened. In the middle of the front page was a picture of Danny on the stretcher. Paulina stared at the picture and read the article in curiosity.
"Someone…would do this?" Paulina said after she read the article, "It wasn't me. I don't even remember what I did after school yesterday."
Maddie knelt down to Paulina's height, "Yes, Paulina, someone did this. They almost killed my little boy," Maddie closed her eyes as tears began to fill them. She looked away.
"You did it! Jazz knows you did! She tells us how much you hate Danny all the time! Danny deserves better than this!" All this ran through Jack's mind. He felt like attacking Paulina like a wolf does at dinnertime.
Maddie faced Paulina again, tears running down her face, "Paulina. If you did do this, Danny needs to know you're sorry. Please?"
Paulina just stared at her. Maddie stood up, "Tell your mother I said "Thanks." She left the house pulling an angry Jack with her.
Paulina just stared at the retreating figures.