Didja notice anything different about last chapter? Didja! Well, if you didn't, I'll tell you what's different… There were no words crammed together, no deleted exclaimation marks, question marks, or dot dot dots! YES! (Dances around room) Take that you stupid computer! HAHAHAHA!
Whew… anyway…
One note for this chapter; I don't know how the school that Danny goes to works, so I'm going to say that it works like mine. That is to say that the school runs on the block system, having four classes a day and trading off classes every other day. So he had one of Lancers many classes first on Friday, today he doesn't.
Do I even have to say this anymore? Not mine!
DP episode tomorr-wait, later today! But until then, here's chapter 11!
The next day found Danny flying to school as Danny Phantom, his pink backpack holding an empty thermos along with his homework that he had actually had time to finish.
I can't wait to see Lancer's face when I turn in my homework on time! And I actually understood it. Danny made a mental note to tell Sam about that, since she was the one that usually helped him with his homework.
Yesterday went almost perfectly. He thought remembering all of the events. I caught a ghost to a cheering crowd! My mom helped to train me even more, I helped my dad with his inventions! Danny sighed contentedly, unconsciously turning invisible as he passed over a camera crew headed towards his school.
Frowning suddenly, he remembered the phone call that had made the day not so perfect. How in the world did they get my cell phone number anyway? Danny thought with annoyance. They hadn't even been calling for me! A small voice reminded him that the main house phone was still disconnected, but he stubbornly ignored it.
Danny dove towards the school, headed towards his astrology class. He'd have to wait til lunch to talk to his two friends, because for his first two classes, he was all alone.
Well, not exactly alone. Danny thought with annoyance, glaring at the cameras that stood outside all of the windows.
He fumed in his chair as the students around him tried to get the attention of the cameras, either by making a fool of themselves or pestering Danny.
Danny tried to focus his attention on the flustered teacher, but he was having trouble ignoring the hand waving in front of his face.
"Hey Danny! Danny! Remember that one time I helped you out in gym class? Remember?" Star asked, fluttering her lashes. Paulina glared at her friend from the background, contenting her self by complaining to Dash about how much of a loser Star had to be to hang out with Danny. Star continued, ignoring her friend. "Maybe you could repay me by getting me an interview?"
Danny's eye twitched. Is it so bad that I actually want to learn something in this class! He thought heatedly, trying to ignore the desire to turn her hand invisible. He fought down images of putting frogs in Star's pants, having trouble keeping his eyes their normal blue color in the process.
Star finally removed her hand from in front of Danny's face after he didn't answer, sticking her lower lip out and pouting.
Danny relaxed a little, a few words of the lesson actually making it back to him.
Not for the first time that day, Danny wished Sam was in this class with him. If she were here, she'd make sure everyone was quiet.
Danny couldn't help but grin, imagining his classmates cowering in the back of the room, hiding from Sam's death glare.
With a sigh Danny looked at the clock.
Still three more hours til he got to see Sam.
…and Tucker. Sam and Tucker.
After what seemed like eternity, the bell FINALLY rang, releasing Danny from his usually fun class turned into a torture chamber. Danny rushed to the door, glancing over his shoulder in exasperation as the rest of his classmates rushed towards the window, waving at the cameras.
Danny stopped outside the classroom, leaning against the wall out of sight from the press. Heaving a great sigh, he relaxed. One more class until lunch, only one more class…
His thoughts were interrupted by a conversation. Two people had avoided the chance for attention and were leaving the class, talking the whole way.
"Can you believe those suck ups?" Paulina's scornful voice asked, sounding slightly hurt.
"No body even cares about the football game this weekend!" Dash complained. Paulina huffed.
The two appeared in the door frame, right next to where Danny was now standing invisible. They continued walking down the hallway, absorbed in their problems.
"And the cheerleading squad is doing a new routine at the opening." Paulina's whiny voice continued. She looked over at Dash and whispered. "You should beat up that loser, that would put every one in their place." Danny's eyes turned green. Bring it on, Dash. He thought viciously. Now that the whole school knows about me, there's no holding back.
"Umm…" Dash's usually strong voice sounded unsure. "Maybe Quan could do it."
"What!" Paulina stuck out her lower lip and looked pleadingly at Dash.
"Well, it's just, did you see him the other day beating up on that other ghost?" Paulina's features fell.
"Yeah, I did." They were getting far enough away that Danny had to strain his ears to hear what they were saying.
Paulina quickly regained her enthusiasm. "But we can't just sit by and let that loser steal all of our popularity!" The two turned around the corner, Dash's answer the last thing that Danny heard.
"Yeah, but what can we possibly do against a ghost?"
Danny stared at the corner the two had disapeared around, his ego reaching dangerous levels.
Dash, the biggest bully in his high school, was scared of him!
Danny turned visible, a giant Cheshire-cat grin spread across his face, and strutted off to his next class.
The instant the lunch bell rang, Danny raced off through the halls, looking for Sam. He absently pushed aside all of the students that tried to approach him, frustrated that everyone was suddenly so interested in him.
Maybe it's a good thing I was never popular before this. He thought with frustration, pushing away a group of unfamiliar people pledging that they had always supported him. This said while looking around excitedly for the press.
Danny finally made it to the lunch room, his eyes scanning around for his two friends.
He found Sam and Tucker already at their table, a tray full of food already sitting at Danny's spot next to Sam. How in the world do they get here before me? He wondered for a second, before quickly dismissing the thought. It didn't really matter.
"Sam! You'll never believed what happened!" His two friends looked up as he skidded to a halt in front of them.
"What, the fact that there are camera crews scattered around the school? It's a good thing the principle refused to let them in the school." Sam muttered.
"No! Dash," Danny looked at his two friends, a huge grin on his face, "is afraid of me!" He looked between his two friends excitedly, waiting for their surprised reactions.
Sam just shrugged. "Well, of course he is."
"What?" Danny looked at Tucker, completely confused. Tucker grinned sheepishly at his friend.
"I thought you knew, man. After that fight with the Box Ghost the other day, the whole school was talking about it. A lot of people were talking about how strong you were." Oh yeah. He remembered that now, feeling a hint of pride at the comment about his strength. He had been too caught up with avoiding the cameras on Friday to really listen to the gossip that had been running rampant through the halls. Or pay attention to all of the students that had swarmed me.
Danny waved his hand, dismissing the issue. He plopped down next to Sam, eyeing his food hungrily.
"So how was your weekend?" Tucker asked conversationally. Danny swallowed the huge bite he had just shoved into his mouth.
"Oh, it was great! My mom started training me and…"
Danny launched into his story, his two friends listening attentively.
"I can't believe it!" Danny shouted, finally getting to the phone call at the end of the day. "Mom and Jazz are leaving this afternoon for Washington."
"Washington? Why are they going there?" Danny glared at his lunch.
"They didn't seem to want to tell me much. But it has something to do with a police conference. They got a call about it last night." Tucker and Sam exchanged nervous looks. Danny stared at his two friends with growing suspicion.
"…do you guys know something?"
"N-no! Nothing at all!" Tucker said, his voice higher then usual. Danny looked to Sam, who was fidgeting with her napkin.
"Sam?" She wouldn't meet his eyes, staring instead at the table. "C'mon Sam, you know you can tell me anything."
"Well…" Sam looked up and immediately regretted it. Danny was looking at her with long perfected puppy dog eyes, his lower lip thrust out and his head tilted slightly. She took a deep breath. "I guess I can tell you."
"The police are arguing about whether you are dangerous or not, and whether your past crimes warrant an arrest. That's why Tucker and I went down to the police office with your parents the day you were exposed. We had to explain the circumstances of your crimes and remind them of how much you've helped the city." Sam looked up at Danny's fearful expression.
"You don't think they'll actually… I mean, they won't …" Danny stuttered. "They won't actually arrest me, will they?" Sam shook her head.
"Not with Jazz and your mom on the case, they wouldn't let that happen. But if they're going to Washington, that must mean that people higher up are starting to take interest in the debate." Danny stared at his two friends in astonishment.
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"Well," Sam looked at him with poorly hidden concern. "We thought you had enough to deal with as it were." Danny nodded absently.
He stood up suddenly, heading towards the exit.
"Danny! Where are you going?" Danny turned around, his expression softening when he saw Sam's concerned look.
"I have to talk to my mom and Jazz before they leave." Sam sighed, then nodded.
"Try and make it back for last hour?" Danny smiled at her.
"I will."
The two friends watched Danny leave, then sat in silence for a while.
Tucker looked over at Sam, a grin on his face.
"I guess I can tell you." Tucker said, mimicking Sam's voice and holding his hands over his heart. "Anything for Danny." He faked a heartfelt sigh
"Shutup, Tucker." Tucker rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh.
"Man, when are you going to get over yourself and ask him out? You know he's too shy to ask you out, otherwise you'd already be dating." Sam glowered at the table, remembering that Danny had asked Paulina out.
"Shut up, Tucker." Tucker held up his hands in defeat.
"Ok, fine. I'll stop. But you know –"
"Tucker!" Sam glared at her grinning friend. "Don't you know what this means?" She yelled in frustration, conveniently changing the subject. "People outside of Amity Park are starting to realize that Danny Phantom does exist." Tucker's grin faded from his face.
"And it's not just anyone that's taking interest," Sam continued pointedly, "It's the government!"
The two sat in silence for the rest of lunch, only saying their goodbyes when the bell rang and the two headed off to their separate classes.
Sam walked down the empty hallway, a purple hall pass in her grip. This is pathetic. She thought, glowering at the pass in her hand. I am in high school, high school! And I'm still not allowed to go to the bathroom with out a hall pass.
Still muttering to herself about the indignities of high school, Sam came upon the wreckage that was the biology room until it was introduced to the Box Ghost's boom boxes. The area looked better then it did on Friday, except that now the gaping hole in the wall looked out of place without all the debris lying around it.
Sam stopped to stare the hole that Danny's body had created, once again admiring his strength. I wonder if he has any muscle under that shirt of his… Sam took a second to imagine what that might look like.
"Sam?"
Her heart jumped up into her throat, which turned out to be a good thing since it prevented her from screaming.
She turned around slowly, trying to gather her shattered dignity before anyone saw her, especially…
"Danny? What are you doing back so early? …and why are you grinning?" She glared suspiciously at her green eyed friend. Two rings appeared around Danny and turned him back into Danny Fenton before he replied.
"You jumped so high!" Was all he said, that infuriating grin still plastered on his face. Sam felt her face heat up. Trying to look dignified, she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You must have just imagined it. And you didn't answer my first question." She said, quickly changing the subject. Danny gave her one last grin before he launched into his short explanation.
"By the time I got home, Jazz and my mom were already gone." He shrugged, struggling to hide his emotions. His expression suddenly changed and he looked at the ground, thinking.
"Danny," He looked up at her, his eyes worried, "Your mom and Jazz won't let anything bad happen to you. Neither would me or Tucker. We've got your back, remember?" Danny's warm smile melted her heart.
"Thanks Sam. I won't forget that, I promise." Sam smiled back at him.
An uncomfortable silence followed, the two of them looking anywhere except the other's eyes for a while until Sam broke the silence.
"Uh, we should probably get to class." A hint of sarcasm crept into her voice as she continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if the teacher timed how long we're out using the bathroom." She said with a one sided grin, holding up the hall pass. Danny laughed, imagining Mr. Lancer with a stopwatch held out in front of his face, his foot tapping while he waited by the door.
"Yeah, I wouldn't put it past Mr. Lancer." The two laughed and started off through the empty halls, the conversation somehow turning towards how funny it would be if Mr. Lancer and Ms. Tetslaff ended up dating.
Just before the two reached their class, they ran into Valerie, much to Sam's displeasure.
She looked up from the book she held in her hand (The Autobiography of Vlad Masters), smiling when she saw Danny.
"Hey Danny, how's the sudden popularity going?" She asked, ignoring Sam's glare. Danny sighed.
"It's annoying. Everyone keeps asking me for interviews or asking me if I could get them an interview." Valerie grimaced.
"Sounds fun." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you ever need any help, you can always come to me." She gave Danny a flattering smile. Sam's eyes practically burned a hole in Valerie's forehead.
"Ok, thanks!"
"Well, I better get to class, see ya around sometime!" Danny waved as she walked off. Sam glowered at her until she was out of sight. Turning to Danny suddenly (who was still blissfully unaware of the silent fight going on between his two friends) Sam
"Hey, do you want to hang out at my house later tonight? Y'know, after your done with your training and everything?" The two started walking again.
"Yeah, that'd be great!" Sam smiled, opening the door to their classroom.
"Good, now all we have to do is make it through two of Mr. Lancer's classes." Danny groaned, walking into the classroom after Sam.
"There are many great lessons to be learned in history, for it is filled with heroes and villains of every kind, heart warming miracles and the hardest of struggles. History has it all, including some of the darkest times known to man." Mr. Lancer pointed to the board, where his notes from this class period remained.
"The holocaust is one of those times. It is times like that when true heroes emerge, standing up for their beliefs even if it costs them their life. So, with that, I'd like to leave you all with one question;" He looked around at the students, the majority of whom were ignoring him. With a sigh that seemed to say 'why do I even bother,' he continued on anyway, his passion getting the better of him.
"If there is nothing in life you would be willing to die for, what do you have that is worth living for?"
Danny rolled his eyes, his thoughts on the clock that was slowly ticking closer to his freedom. A part of him was still focused on the question.
Would I die for anything? A little voice in the back of his mind asked. He frowned, thinking about it. Not that I really care, or anything. He told himself nervously, his now unfocused eyes staring blankly at the clock. His mind raced through his life, stopping at all of the times he had faced death.
Yeah, I would. He realized, an image floating to the top of his mind.
It was a picture of him surrounded by his family and his two best friends.
Oh man, I sorta use songs for each of the main characters to help me write them, and I finally found a main song for Sam! Ever heard of "Just A Girl" by No Doubt?
Well, finals are over and I don't have practice again until mid febuary. And with this new semester my fine-tuned schedule now consists of four art classes and two english classes, plus both morning periods off. (Ah, 'tis great to be a senior.) So, with my new found free time, I thought I might start another story or two, along with continuing this one, of course. I have about a billion new story ideas, but, sadly, I don't have that much free time. So, I narrowed down my ideas to around five or six stories, and I was wondering if maybe you guys wanted to vote on them or something?
If you do, GREAT! That makes my life easier. If you don't really care, well, then just don't vote, I guess. The summaries to the stories are posted in my profile, so hopefully you'll check them out!
Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter, and here are my oh-so-exciting comments:D
(MissM) Thanks! And did this chapter help answer that question any? (ObiQ) Grins evily (MasterP) Heh heh, the name's just cause I'm lazy. That's awesome that you like it though! Oh, and don't worry, I've got plans for that character. Yes, plans… (rubs hands together) (Crazy) Me too! But can you imagine him trying to sing it? Shudders Jack Fenton...singing. (PurpleD) Thanks! 12:30, haha, math homework at midnight. I don't think I could ever pull that off. And I'm glad you liked the songs so much! (EnigP) Mmm, do you have a DazBog where you live? I practically live at that place. Oh, and that dropout thing with later school times? It has been proven, I had to do a paper about it last year. (SleepW) OMG! Flutes rock! And so does Tad Williams! Did you like War of the Flowers? That was my fav. XD Oh yeah, the ghost was afraid of the fire in Danny's hand, btw. And thanks!
Reviews make me smile! XD