Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.
Staged
Chapter 11: Accidents or Acts Too Dense
The Next Day
The school day had flown by once more and it was soon time for rehearsals again. However, things were still tense due to "the pigweed incident" yesterday.
As promised, Stella had someone investigate every detail connected to the whole fiasco, checking the security cameras for anyone of interest. Surprisingly, there had been no sign of anything bringing the plant onto school ground or where it was now.
There was also no record or receipt of Colette making any purchase of said plant, so for now, she was still deemed innocent. Star, however, was still convinced that it was foul play and her nemesis/sibling had some part in it.
Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything without any proof and her father told her that trying to hit her step-sister was the wrong way to go about things...even if she was a major pain in the neck.
However, both of her parents had promised to keep investigating on who'd try to sabotage the play and tried to put her in harms way...and they were both peeved to say the least.
"Even if by some minuscule chance that it wasn't Colette, they are in major trouble when Dad finds out..."Star thought, knowing that her father is furious and already planning to take legal action as soon as the culprit is found.
A culprit whom she still believed was Colette, but for now, they can't do anything without any evidence, but Star still had hope that they'd find something eventually.
Anyway, the rehearsals continued and Star, unwilling to give up her part, went on with the show. She wasn't going to be intimidated out of her role and she made that clear.
"Just because we couldn't find any proof yet, doesn't mean that she didn't have anything to do with it. I know that little witch will do anything to get what she wants..."She thought as she and Danny practiced the running away scene together once more.
Once done, the stage was being set up for the next scene. Just like yesterday, Colette was glaring daggers at her, plotting behind those envious eyes. Star wasn't intimidated in the slightest, and returned the glare.
"I just need to be on the lookout for her next move..."The blonde girl thought, clenching a fist.
However, she couldn't much right now, as the "director" spoke up again.
"Alright, everyone. Time to practice the scene where Puck makes his appearance..."Mr. Lancer ordered.
"Aw man, I sure hope that nobody records any of this..."Tucker complained.
He sucked it up and began to walk onstage since he didn't really have a choice, but that was the result of being Puck and of getting extra credit.
"I should have chosen stage crew when I had the chance..."He thought as he overlooked his costume.
"Mr. Foley... now..." Lancer ordered, looking impatient.
"Here we go..." Tucker muttered.
As Tucker practiced his lines on stage with Mikey, everyone watched with mild intrigue and amusement.
"While I hope that he does well, I kind of want to see him look dumb..."Danny said, snickering.
"I just wish that we had some popcorn..."Star said, looking amused.
Unknown to them, someone was watching the performance and judged Tucker's lifeless performance, not entertained at all.
"Hmm...this is getting boring. Maybe a little mischief is in order to lighten things up..."The figure said before snickering, getting mischievous ideas.
A few moments later
Tucker was in the middle of reciting his own lines, while noticing that a few of the students had their eyes on him and it made him stutter his lines a bit yet he didn't feel as embarrassed as he thought.
Still, he didn't enjoy what he was doing.
"How now, spirit! Whither wander you?..."Tucker as Puck said, clearly hating this.
"Show some more emotion, Mr. Foley. Your playing a trickster, not the clerk at the DMV...and do NOT stare back at the audience either!..."Mr. Lancer ordered.
"I never even wanted to be apart of this stupid play in the first place!..."Tucker thought, but wisely kept quiet.
He took a deep breath and started once more.
"How now, spirit! Whither wander you?..."Tucker began as to put more effort.
However, just as he was about to continue, something strange happened. Unbeknownst to everyone in the auditorium and even Tucker himself, the floor beneath his feet was opening like a trap door, which Danny noticed.
"Huh?..."He thought, wondering what was happening.
As Tucker continued to perform his lines, the floorboard was loosened as he fell through the floor.
"Tucker!..."Danny shouted as he, Star, Sam, Jazz and Mr. Lancer all ran to him.
"Are you okay?..."Sam asked, concerned as she helped Danny pull him out and get him on his knees.
They checked his head for any serious or permanent damage. He wasn't injured, just a little dazed.
"Hello, models... I am here to be the cameraman for all the swimsuit calendars?..."Tucker said in a dazed tone.
His friends frowned and Sam slapped him in the face to snap him out of this.
"Tucker, you're not at a modeling agency, there are no models here and you are no cameraman..."Jazz said, as the tech geek came back to reality.
Tucker snapped out of it, but was disappointed. Instead of looking like you was in pain, he looked to be more annoyed.
"Darn it..."He muttered, but tried something else.
"Is this the part where I get to let my understudy do the part?..."Tucker asked in a hopeful tone, but the director shook his head in "no".
"Tucker, you're not that injured. In fact, you're not even hurt. So, that's a no..."Star said.
"You mean I still gotta play this guy and wear the tights? Is stage work still an option?..."Tucker whined.
Seeing that he was okay enough to complain, the others looked relieved that nothing seriously bad happened to their tech obsessed friend, while Mr. Lancer looked legitimately outraged over what just happened.
"Who's responsible for this?!..."He demanded, worried about people getting injured and potential lawsuits.
A stage crew member came and looked to be in a somewhat panicked state as they observed what had just happened.
"I don't know how that happened, Mr. Lancer. The floor was fine a minute ago..."Angie, one of the members of stage crew, said, looking lost.
"Well, check again. We can't have accidents like this happening to any of the students unless we want more angry parents and lawsuits..."The teacher/director ordered, terrified of that possibility.
As Tucker was on his knees and tries to recover from his accident, Danny helped him up and looked around the area where the accident occurred.
"Weird..."He thought as he noticed the floorboard suddenly back in place.
It didn't make sense, he could have sworn that he saw something moving in the background right as the accident happened, and he didn't sense a nearby ghost, which meant either it was masking its presence, or it somehow did this from far away.
"Huh?...How did?..."Before he could ask out-loud, but his friend spoke up again.
"I can't believe that I'd ALMOST prefer going to the hospital than this..."Tucker complained, hating this whole situation.
"Save the drama for the stage. You can use it..."Star said with an eye-roll before rehearsals continued.
Unknown to them, someone was this and was snickering.
"Not bad...but this backstage chaos could use...ah...I know how to up my game..."The figure said, getting more ideas before disappearing to do his next stunt.
About 5 minutes later
After Tucker recovered from almost being injured, rehearsals continued.
How the floorboards were suddenly okay was strange, but figured it was just loose and someone sealed it while they weren't looking. No one really focused on that, since they were used to much stranger things happening in the most haunted town on Earth.
Anyway, as rehearsals continued, someone felt thirsty.
"I'm gonna go get my water bottle..."Star said as she went to get her bag.
However, as she went to go get her backpack, she was a bit surprised as she felt something strange in her bag. Something that felt somewhat like one of her mother's designer leather purses but it wasn't that.
It felt cold, slender and alive!
"Huh? What the?..."Star asked as she opened it to get a better look.
She regretted it once she was what was in her bag. It was a 2 foot long, coral snake that was staring at her and it's fangs were visible.
"Hsssss..."The snake let out, looking ready to bite her.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!..."Star screamed, as she threw her bag down as backed away.
She kept screaming, getting attention from everyone else. Danny ran over to her in concern, worried by her distress.
"What's wrong?!..."He asked as he ran to her, taking her hand.
She pointed fanatically, wishing she brought out her saber. She didn't care if Sam complained, snakes were harder to deal with than ghosts.
"There's a huge snake in my bag!..."Star cried, hiding behind Danny.
"A SNAKE?!..."More students yelled as they started to worry.
"A SNAKE?!..."Tucker said in a panic as he was still as phobic as ever to them.
He then cowered behind the curtains while the director tried to regain control of the situation.
"Calm yourselves, let's see for ourselves..."Mr. Lancer said as he ordered everyone to stop panicking.
During this time, Danny peered into the bag, and saw nothing lunging out. A few piles of the sack gave no results as it laid lifeless.
"A snake?…"Danny poked again, still not seeing anything. "I don't see anything..."He said as he looked inside.
"Huh?!..." Star went.
"No snake..."Danny declared, while everyone calmed down.
Everyone but Star, who was still shaken by what she had just experienced.
"I saw it. It was there and looked ready for a snack!..."Star said, still unnerved by what just happened.
"I thought you got over your snake fear already..."Sam said, while the blonde girl sent her an unhappy look.
"Just because I don't turn into hyperventilating mess anymore, doesn't mean that I like them all of a sudden. Besides, that thing was huge and had big fangs. I don't want poison in my vein..."Star said, looking upset.
"Ridiculous... if it were biting you, it'd be venom, not poison..." Sam pointed out, while the blonde girl sent her a disbelieving look.
"You realize how that's not better, right?!..." Star asked, looking upset.
"Star, calm down..."Danny said, trying to ease her but the last person they wanted to hear from couldn't keep their big mouth shut.
"I see your still not over your childish fears. How pathetic..."Colette said mockingly, not at all sympathetic.
Star heard her and glared at her. She sent her hated step-sister and accusatory look, like a crook having just robbed a bank.
"It was you, you put that snake in my bag, didn't you?!..."Star accused.
Colette scoffed.
"As amusing as it would be to see you act so jumpy by a silly little reptile, I cannot take credit for this..."The fake red-head denied, but she clearly looked amused by the whole thing.
"Then you made someone else do it, just like with the pigweed!..."Star said, ready to deck her.
"I did not!..."Colette yelled, ready to do the same, until the teacher separated them.
"Settle down, you two. Back to your places!..."Mr. Lancer said. "Miss Strong, we'll get to the bottom of this whole "snake" incident in a moment..."He said as he made a phone call.
A little later
Mr. Lancer had called the janitor to check and see any potential hiding spots but there was no sign of any snake around here, much to the relief of everyone around here.
"No reptiles, limbless or otherwise..."Mr. Lancer said, looking relieved.
"But I saw it...it looked real too..."Star said, looking lost.
"Maybe the pressures of zee play is getting to you, Estelle. Why don't you just let me take zee role already?..."Colette said and Star snapped.
"Over my dead body! I know that you had something to do with that snake, just like with that plant!..."The blonde girl accused.
"I already told you zhat I did no such thing! Paranoid little pest..."Colette shouted, looking angry.
"Enough! Miss Strong, your parents already hired an investigator to find out who brought that pigweed to school grounds and where it went, as for the snake...the janitor didn't find anything. So, I suggest that you relax..."The teacher said, being strict.
"Relax?..." Star questioned.
She wanted to complain, but the vice principal spoke up again and got everyone's attention.
"Since the janitor has declared the area snake-free...let's continue with rehearsals, shall we?..."Mr. Lancer said, eager to get back to what they were doing.
Star still felt uncomfortable, still upset by what she had just experienced.
"But...I saw it..."She said, looking upset.
"I believe you, Babe. I doubt anyone could fake a snake like that..."Danny said, trying to make her feel better while everyone went back to their places.
All the while, the figure from earlier appeared again and was snickering over what had just happened.
"Well, that got a tad out of hand...Now, let's see what else I can do. Maybe I try another target..."The figure said, spotting someone and getting more ideas.
A little later
Once Star calmed down, she stood up with Danny as it was their turn to practice their next scene.
"Alright, you two. Time to rehearse your lines..."He ordered.
"On it, Mr. Lancer..."Danny said, while his girlfriend followed.
Lancer sighed in relief as he sat down. However, a loud fart like noise filled the room as everyone paused.
After the sound disappeared, the students began gossiping as a handful laughed at the noise. Lancer fumed red as he looked at his seat.
There, a whoopie cushion bared itself at the culprit.
"Gospel Blimp!..."He shouted, while more students kept laughing at his humiliation and the cause of it.
"A whoopie cushion?! Classic!..."Dash laughed, finding this hilarious.
"Kudos to who did it..."Kwan said, thinking someone just played a prank on the director.
"Who is responsible for this prank?!..."Mr. Lancer demanded, looking furious but no one confessed.
The teachers took up to display the item, but soon found it glued to his pants. Now Lancer looked as red as a lobster, before he was boiled in the pot.
"And who's bright idea was it to glue this…this…thing to my posterior?!…"Lancer's face was now boiling mad.
More students laughed and pointed fingers at him, but no one fessed up to being the mastermind behind the prank. The director/teacher just got angrier by the minute.
"When I find the culprit, it's detention until graduation, do you hear me?!..."Mr. Lancer shouted as he left to go deal with his problem and escape the mocking.
Danny and Star both laughed too, unable to stop.
"Lowbrow, I know...but not unfunny..."Star said with a giggle.
"I know..."Danny said, still thinking it was someone playing a prank.
However, he suddenly felt a presence and looked around.
"Huh? What is this weird feeling?..."He thought, wondering what that was about.
"What's wrong, Boo?..."Star asked.
"I...don't know. It's like I felt something..."Danny said, as he looked around in confusion.
"A ghost?..." She asked.
Danny shook his head.
"No, not that...it was probably nothing. Let's just enjoy some more time together, before Lancer comes back and tries giving everyone detention slips..."He said.
Star, however, was about to agree but something unexpected just happened.
As they were waking, they accidentally bumped into one of the stage crew members. Some juice spilled on Star's top, much to her dismay.
"Oh no, my favorite top!..."Star complained.
"Uh oh..."Danny said, while the guy who had the juice looked sheepish.
"Sorry. I don't know how that happened..."A stage crew member said apologetically, looking guilty.
"No, don't worry. It's not huge..."Star said, as she tried to wipe it off but no luck.
"I gotta go to the bathroom and wash this off before it stains..."Star said as she went to the nearest one.
Danny chose to wait for her, unaware that this was no accident and someone else at work...but it wasn't the stage crew member.
With Colette
The spoiled brat was sitting down, brushing her hair to keep it up to her standards, but she was still angry over what has recently happened.
"It's bad enough she's with Danny, now she accuses me of stuff that I haven't even done yet. What did I do to deserve zis?..."She thought, fuming and not seeing the irony in her statement.
She huffed as she looked to the stage, but Colette saw something that would make her feel better: an isolated Danny.
With Star in the bathroom getting rid of her stain, that meant she had ample time to woo the boy...or so she thinks.
"Finally!..."She thought, smirking as she saw her chance.
With a reapplication of lipstick, the girl smirked as she waltzed to the ghost boy.
"You and I are alone, Mon Amore..."Colette said, with a flirty tone.
Danny didn't even bothered looking in her direction, choosing to just ignore her. This reaction bothered her and she decided to try again.
"I said you and I are alone!..."Colette repeated, but Danny still refused to look her way and just went to talk to Tucker, acting like she wasn't there.
This made Colette impatient.
"LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU!..."She yelled, but Danny kept on ignoring her.
"Hey Tuck, did you hear an ANNOYING buzzing sound just now?..."The ghost boy asked in a irritated kind of tone.
"Kind of..."Tucker said, also ignoring her too.
Colette pouted at this but then smirked and knew how to get rid of him.
"Is it not time for Puck to rehearse soon?..." Colette called out.
"Good call. Mr. Foley!..." Lancer called out.
"Darn it!..."Tucker mumbled, as he went to go back to practicing his scene...leaving Danny alone with Colette.
Danny frowned and sent a glare at the spoiled brat.
"Don't you EVER take a break?!..."He said, annoyed while his stalker giggled.
"Not when it comes to love, Darling. Now it is just just you and I-..."Colette's attempt at flirting were cut off by something unexpected.
A growl was heard.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrr..."
"Huh? What was that?..."Danny asked out loud.
"Was zhat your stomach, Darling? I can get us reservations at a high class restaurant that serves only the finest French cuisine, if you'd like..."Colette said, trying to get him alone.
Danny ignored her and tried to investigate where the growling sound was coming from. He then pulled the curtain to reveal a certain animal.
The ghost boy seemed stunned but Colette saw the tiger and nearly panicked at the sight of the beast.
"Grrr..."The tiger let out, fangs bared.
"What the heck?!..."Danny exclaimed, while Colette looked like she was about to go into shock.
However, she then grew angry for some reason...like she just discovered some sort of dirty trick.
"Oh...hahaha. Very amusing, Estelle..."Colette said, fists at hips.
"What are you talking about?!..."Danny asked, wondering what she was talking about.
Colette, thinking that this was some kind of prank, just got angrier.
"I am not going to be fooled any more fake tigers. I know now zhat there is no way zhat zhis filthy creature could be here..."She said as she approached it, thinking this was a fake tiger.
She then grabbed a nearby prop sword and raised it.
"What are you doing?..."Danny demanded.
"Proving it's fake..."Colette said, looking peeved.
She threw the sword at what she thought was a fake tiger. However, the prop just broke upon hitting it and the tiger...well...it did not like that.
"Uh... zhat is a very convincing beast..." She said, now unsure.
"PPPPRRRRRRRRAAAAAAUUUGGGHHH!..."The beast let out, angry at her.
Colette and Danny both gulped.
"Uh...I don't think it's a FAKE tiger..."Danny said, realizing that it's probably best to run right now.
Colette, on the other hand, was hit by her phobia once more.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!..."She screamed and soon ran for her life, while the creature roared again.
Danny was abut to look for a hiding place to go ghost and deal with the creature, but to his surprise, the tiger just vanished.
"Huh?..."He asked out loud, while no one else noticed the creature but they did notice Colette's screaming.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."She kept running and screaming at the top of her lungs.
She knocked aside various people, ruining scenes, just to go through the doors to get off school premises.
However, Lancer got in her path and got annoyed.
"What do you think it you're doing, Ms. Bevier?..."The bald teacher asked, while the French girl continued to panic.
"We need to leave! There iz a tiger...and it roared at me...it attacked me..."Colette said, hyperventilating now.
"What tiger?..."The teacher asked.
There-..."Colette was stunned when she pointed in the direction and saw that the large beast was gone.
The only thing that was in place was a very confused looking Danny.
"I repeat, what tiger?..."The teacher demanded, while the spoiled girl was looking lost right now.
"But...but...I...I saw it..."She said, looking like she was questioning her own sanity right now.
"Miss Bevier, we do not appreciate these distractions and pranks..."Mr. Lancer said, and Colette looked offended.
"I am NOT making it up! I saw it!..."She insisted.
The fake red head then turned to Danny, since he too saw it.
"Tell them, Mom Amore. You saw it too..."Colette insisted, looking desperate.
Before Danny could say anything, Mr. Lancer spoke
"That is enough, Miss Bevier. We've already wasted enough time here. I will not tolerate any more interruption and silly pranks..."The teacher/director said.
Colette seemed like a mess, while Danny just seemed lost by what was happening.
"But...but...but..."Colette said, unsure what was happening.
"I guess I'm not the only one apparently seeing things..."Star said, having heard the commotion as she returned from the bathroom.
Colette got angry and turned on her.
"It was you, wasn't it?!..."She said, blaming her.
"I wish..."Star said, arms crossed.
"You set up some...I don't know...some hologram projector or machine to scare me..."Colette accused.
"I did not and why the heck would I do that anyway?..."Star asked, arms crossed.
"To make me crazy!..."Colette accused.
"Ha, yeah, I have to make YOU crazy..."Star scoffed, rolling her eyes.
Colette got mad and her face almost matched her hair. Before she could yell at her, the teacher/director got in their way again.
"Enough you two, let's see this tiger..."Mr. Lancer said as he wanted this done with.
Colette lead them to where the tiger was and pulled out the curtain.
"See?!..." She went, only see it wasn't a tiger, real or otherwise.
It was just a fake dog and the fake red-head was stunned.
"That's a prop dog..." Lancer said as he turned away.
Some kids laughed at her, and couldn't resist making fun of her.
"Here, Colette...you might need these more than I do..."Missy said in a mocking manner as she even took off her own glasses, making more kids laugh.
Colette was humiliated, but glared at her step-sister.
"I know zhat you are behind this, trying to make me look stupid..."She accused.
"Come now, Colette...you clearly don't need me to look stupid..."Star said in a mocking manner, making her step-sister yell at that.
The spoiled brat stormed away, while more kids laughed at her and made fun of her. Star enjoyed her humiliation, while Danny still seemed lost by what had just happened.
Once Mr. Lancer and the others were calmer and went back to their respective tasks, Danny turned to Star.
"I saw it too..."Danny said.
"What?..."Star asked.
"The tiger..."He said.
"Wait...so Colette wasn't making it up?..."Star asked, surprised.
"She wasn't..."Danny admitted.
"One was actually here?!..."Star said in shock, while her man nodded,
"Yeah, but it just disappeared into thin air..."Danny said, still shocked by what he had just witnessed.
"Was it a ghost tiger?..."Star asked.
"No, I would have sensed it if it was. It wasn't a fake either, it looked and acted too real..."Danny said.
"I don't know. Maybe Colette set this whole thing up with a projector and then played the victim or something..."Star theorized.
"You actually think that?..."Danny asked.
"She's done more insane things before to get attention, especially if you're involved..."Star pointed out.
"True, but she passed out at the sight of a tiger mascot suit..."Danny said as he recalled the last time that had happened.
"That's true..." Star admitted, still confused.
"It was probably someone else playing a prank on her. After all, we're not the only people who hate her..."Danny said.
Star thought about it and nodded.
"Yeah, and if that's the case, I actually feel the need to shake that person's hand for getting her good like that..."She said, giggling.
"Let's just sit tight for now. But if you see anything else happen, let me know..." Danny suggested.
"Alright, Danny-Boo..."Star said, nodding.
After confirming that there were no potentially dangerous plants, snakes or TIGERS on school grounds, Mr. Lancer demanded that rehearsals continued, having already lost a lot of time due to these shenanigans.
All the while, someone watched from outside a window.
"They make this too easy. That snooty little poodle was more fun to mess with, now... for someone else to play with..."The figure said before vanishing, a small laugh echoed.
One thing that is certain, he was no where near done with this play.
-To be continued-
Next time on Staged
Even More Drama
A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
A/N(2): Special thanks to NeoMark, BeConfuzzled Writer and Jay the Average Fanboy for helping out with this chapter. You guys rock :)
A/N(3): Sad news, everyone. Jason David Frank, who played Tommy Oliver on Power Rangers, has recently passed away. :(
It's so sad that he is gone, and about how much he had to suffer. Tommy/Jason was a hero to many and all I can do is give my condolences.
May he rest in peace.
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
RonaldM40196867:
1) I see your point.
2) Yeah.
3) Probably.
4) Yeah.
5) She likely never mentioned it to him and neither did Danny.
6) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess we have to wait and see what happens.
7) Maybe.
8) It's actually a tie, since Dash is from stupidity and Paulina is too full of herself to ever try and improve.
9) LOL!
10) Yeah, his acting is THAT bad.
11) Probably, but Casper High's jocks have a very low bar when it comes to that sort of stuff.
12) Yeah.
13) I just thought about it and added it to the fic.
14) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess we will wait and see what happens.
15) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess we will wait and see what happens.
16) He noticed something was up and checked it.
17) I'll think about it.
Luiz4200: We'll see what happens.
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
Danifan3000:
1) Sorry, no spoilers. We will have to wait and see what happens.
2) Sorry, no spoilers. We will have to wait and see what happens.
CZS4:Yeah.
Eecobeo: We shall see what happens next.
Pokemon fan 1991:
1) Phantom Cat.
2) Maybe the Fox miraculous.
3) Sure.
4) One of my favorite pairings is Jessie and James.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you.
Here are my responses to your questions.
1) I think so, if the show wasn't cut short. I think that their relationship had a lot of potential but it was wasted.
2) It definitely would have been a must-watch episode.
3) Jazz Phantom.
4) I'd say Valerie, since he did have a crush on her, way before Danny fell for her.
5) I'd have to say when Danny filled Dash's locker with his teddy bear collection.
Also, it's truly sad that Jason David Frank is no longer with us and how much he suffered. May he rest in peace
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)