Kiss Me
Chapter 3: Expectations
"Reality Trip" Disclaimer- Can I say….told you so? Only, things were reversed in the end. Oh, that's okay though. I was expecting that. I knew they wouldn't keep it that way. So now I have to have a disclaimer. That's why my 2nd chapter was up fast-before the show came. This story takes place supposing everyone still remembered Danny was the "ghost boy" (no reversal of the reveal). Also I didn't expect the popular kids to react the way they did on the show-I figured everything would just kind of dull out, like most popularity does. But now you know how everyone found out his secret at least and I am saved a pitifully long and horrible flashback.
See regular disclaimer in previous chapter
"Oh Danny! It's simply AWFUL!" Paulina ran up to the black haired boy crying.
He turned, stunned that she was already upset this early in the morning.
"What's the matter Paulina?"
"I was kicked off the A-List and I can't hang out with the cool kids. I'll never be able to hang out after games or make insulting comments at dumb nerdy kids! I'll have to have friends like YOU!"
"It's nice to know I'm appreciated," said Danny weakly.
"No, no silly! I meant I'll have to have friends like you do! Like techno-geek friends or….girl friends that have THE awful-est taste in fashion!" Paulina shrieked with fear.
"Sam doesn't have bad taste in fashion—"
Paulina glared.
"Er—nevermind," Danny laughed nervously, "Well, you can hang with us for a while, I guess."
"Really!" Paulina grinned merrily, "Thank you so much!" She kissed him on the cheeks.
"No problem!" Danny grinned, his eyes half closing, stars and hearts threatening to bounce around his face.
"And Valerie is a nobody too---oooh! I really won't have to hang out with the goth girl!" Paulina had spotted Danny's arch-enemy.
"Oh Valerie!" She waved before running off to settle in to her "new" position at Casper High.
Sam ignored Danny all day and she scowled when Tucker tried to cheer her up.
"Oh c'mon!" Tucker looked from Sam to Danny, who was still less than pleased with Sam. He thought she'd been selfish and immature and apparently she thought the same of him, "One of you needs to talk! I can't live with this pressure!"
Sam crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.
Danny's face softened a little bit,
"I….I guess I was a little harsh."
Sam's hands dropped and she looked across Tucker at him,
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was insensitive to your feelings."
"Yeah, well. I guess I was jealous that you both already had dates. Truce?" She reached across Tucker and Danny took her hand happily, both shaking on it.
"Hooray!" Tucker wiped away a tear as their last class ended. "We're all friends again. Now let's celebrate with shakes at the Nasty Burger!"
"And a double veggie veggie burger," Sam reminded him.
"And a double veggie veggie burger!" Tucker corrected himself as they walked out of the classroom.
"Danny! Danny! Wait up!" Paulina shouted in the hallways.
About to step over the threshold of the school doors, Danny stopped and spun around.
"Is this going to happen a lot? It's annoying already." Sam asked Tucker.
"Probably," Tucker shrugged.
"Where are you going?" Paulina batted her eyelashes in Danny's face.
"Er…the Nasty Burger! Want to come?" Danny smiled.
Behind him, both Tucker and Sam were vehemently shaking their heads, eyes wide and hands out.
"I'd love to!" Paulina cried.
Sam's eyes narrowed,
"I've lost my appetite."
"—but first I have to go pick up my perfectly smooth dress from the dry cleaners!" Here she leaned in close to Danny again. "You know….the one for the dance."
Danny gulped. He could feel her breath on his skin.
"Aww look! Paulina has to hit on the phanto-turd. What's the matter, Polly? Where are your other boy toys?" Star, Dash and Kwan came up to the group, all looking quite smug.
"For your information," Paulina put her hands on her hips, "I have a hero boyfriend—"
"Boyfriend!" Danny, Tucker and Sam shouted in response.
"Dude, way to go!" Tucker gave Danny a high five while Sam scowled.
"----and I hang out with Valerie, who is so much more cooler than you Star," Paulina finished with a smirk.
"Fenturd's not your boyfriend!" Dash laughed.
"Yes he is!" Paulina cried indignantly, embracing Danny. Danny choked but at the look on Paulina's face, he gave two thumbs up and smiled very cheekily under her arms.
"We're not talking about dance dates either," Star raised an eyebrow.
"I know! We are so dating!" Paulina cried, then smirked. "In fact, he's asked me out on a date."
"I have?" Danny asked at the same time Tucker and Sam asked, "He has?"
"Yes!" Paulina let go of Danny's shoulders and placed a huge kiss on his cheek, "He's taking me out next Friday!"
"I am!" Danny asked. Paulina jabbed him with her elbow, "I mean---I am!"
"Really?" At this Star was a little baffled.
"Yeah, they're totally together!" Tucker helped out.
"Eww. Loser love," Dash pulled a face.
"It's better than no love at all!" Paulina stuck her tongue out at him.
Kwan and Dash started walking away when Star turned around and quickly shouted,
"And Valerie is still a loser!"
Once outside, Paulina pushed Danny away from her, even though he still had a slightly dazed look on his face,
"Thank you so much! You saved me from total embarrassment! Now we can go on a date and I can show them just how cool you really are!"
"Um----sure," said Danny. "But why next Friday?"
"Because this Friday I am going to Hawaii!" Paulina clapped her hands together joyfully.
"Oh. My. Goodness." Sam looked at her watch. "Look at the time. Isn't it time for you to go pick up your dress?"
"You're right!" Paulina put her hands on her face, "Oh, I can't be late or they'll charge even more to Daddy's card!"
"Better hurry then," Sam fakely smiled.
"Meet you at the Nasty Burger soon?" Paulina asked Danny happily.
"Sure!"
"A DATE with Paulina!" Danny held his head in his hands.
"What's wrong?" Sam sat next to him with her tofu sandwich, "You're going with her to the dance—why is that any different?"
"I don't know…somehow I hadn't thought about what to do on the date." Danny frowned, "I was just excited that I was going with her."
Sam rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like "boys".
"Well, what did you do with Valerie?" Tucker asked, looking at the girl who was now working behind the counter at the Nasty Burger.
"Nothing. We just….went everywhere together. We never went on an official date."
"Not to mention absolutely nothing occurred as a result," Sam added.
"Hey!" Danny defended himself, "We were totally into each other."
"Sure…." Sam grinned.
"How hard can it be?" Tucker shrugged. "It is Paulina after all. Not to mention she's totally into you. You could do no wrong."
Sam suddenly laughed.
"Yeah right. Do you know how many people that woman has dumped just because they spilled water on her shirt? And she was really into all them too."
"You're not helping," Danny glared.
"Sorry," Sam took a sip of her drink. "For one, I would not take her here. Or to Skulk and Lurk. I wouldn't take her on a romantic cheap date either. Miss Princess probably wants a highly expensive date."
"There goes my allowance for the next month then," added Danny.
Sam stopped.
"Danny, if you don't want to take Paulina out, then don't. It sounds like it's all rather a big chore than something you want to do."
"Are you kidding me!" Danny cried. "Of course I want to take Paulina out! Who doesn't! She's just a little….high maintenance. And I want this to go perfect!"
"You know…." Tucker added thoughtfully, "Sam's been on an official date. And she got some action too!"
"If you're talking about Gregor, I will smash your face in," Sam glared.
"That's right!" Danny grinned, "And you seem to know all about what someone like Paulina would want!"
"Because I'm a girl," said Sam.
"Because you have experience!" Tucker grinned. Sam did not like the twinkle behind his eyes.
Tucker continued,
"Danny, you should take Sam out!"
"WHAT!" Both Danny and Sam shouted. Sam started choking on the tofu sub she'd been eating. Danny quickly wrapped his arms around her and pushed hard against her stomach. The piece flew out of her mouth and hit Tucker in the glasses.
"No, wait! Listen to me!" Tucker wiped his glasses off annoyingly, "It's perfect! Paulina will be gone this Friday-you can go then. Danny can work off his nerves by pretending Sam is Paulina and Sam can show Danny what to do and what not to do."
"Yeah, that's right…." Sam grinned mischievously in Danny's face, suddenly liking the power she wielded.
Danny gulped at both Sam and Tuckers expressions,
"I don't want to go on another date! I'm already stressed out enough as it is with one date!"
"So don't think of me as a date," Sam shrugged, "I'm helping you 'wield the steering wheel'. Besides, we do tons of stuff together without Tucker. What makes this different?"
"Because it's a fake date! That's way different."
"We've had fake-out make-out's before too. Don't you think that's ten times worse than a fake date?" Sam pointed out.
"How is a fake-out make-out worse than a fake date?" Danny asked, then he quickly blushed at what he was suggesting. Sam also turned a light shade of pink.
"Oh DANNY!" Paulina waved from the front door of the Nasty Burger.
Sam turned around quickly and persuaded,
"It's for Paulina…."
"Danny!" Tucker pushed, looking anxious.
"All right. I'll do it!" Danny gave in quickly.
Paulina joined them shortly. Sam excused herself to go to the bathroom, but before she left, she whispered in Danny's ear,
"Pick me up at 7, okay?"
Danny felt a little shiver run through his side and immediately laughed. Paulina looked at him weirdly,
"What did she say?"
"Nothing," Danny responded quickly. "It just….tickled."
He trailed off, strangely hesitant.
Tucker looked at him weirdly.
"I cannot believe Star would betray me like that," Paulina folded her arms as her shake arrived. She was obviously still stuck on her dejectable position in the high school society chain.
Danny wrapped an arm around her and said very awkwardly,
"Um….it's okay. You have us, after all!"
Paulina gave him a strange look,
"….yeah."
Sam joined them again, this time sitting next to Tucker. She watched Valerie steal a glance at their table. She thought she was watching Danny and Paulina interact. It gave Sam a guilty feeling of triumph. But why?
"I wonder who Valerie's taking to the ball?" she asked out loud, breaking the awkward silence. "Has she said anything to you Paulina?"
"Of course!" Paulina grinned, then frowned confusedly, "But I thought that---"
"Oh look! Didn't that double double cheeseburger combo used to be $ 4.25? But now it's $ 3.19! They must be cutting back prices!" Tucker pointed at the menu sign.
Sam, Paulina and Danny frowned.
"…..anyway," Danny said and raised an eyebrow.
"Like I was saying," Paulina smirked at Tucker, "She said that as soon as she read the flyer-----"
"Does Dash have a date to the dance?"
"Tucker!" Sam shouted, "Stop interrupting!"
"Because, really, I bet he and Valerie would be great together since they're both----"
"But isn't she going with you!" Paulina asked innocently, pointing at Tucker.
Danny and Sam whipped around in shock as Tucker shed a deep crimson red around his cheeks. He muttered,
"Er….."
Author's Note: Paulina Fenton…..shudders
I totally hate Paulina, but she's fun to write with. Do you think I should go more detailed? I will when Danny and Sam start having their interactions. I figured you guys didn't care about details between Danny and Paulina….am I right?
Thanks so much to my reviewers: SBSPFreak1297, Spirit and Soul 3, Mr. Average, Galateagirl, Indigo Bluu, bluejolteon (You figured out Tuckers date before you even read the 2nd chapter-cool! I was really impressed…), Save Danny69, DxSfluffluver4ever, kpandron, Lykogal7503, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, fakeout-makeout (I added even more fluff between Danny and Sam than I planned to in this chapter for your sake...go me), KittyKiChi, catgirlversion3.0otakufan, Rae-elfin-warrior, HORSELUVER 101 and Panic! I'm here.
