Kiss Me

Chapter 4: Anticipation

Disclaimer: Besides using the characters created by Butch Hartman for Danny Phantom, my major plot ideas are from the TV series 'Friends' including several dialogues that are taken directly from the series and altered appropriately. So I give ultimate and full credit there to Marta Kauffman, Kevin S. Bright and David Crane, executive producers of the show.


"Valerie! VALERIE!" Danny shouted at Tucker, "Are you serious!"

"Dude, you're spitting on me," Tucker frowned. "And….heck yes!"

It was after school and the two boys were in Tuckers room, playing on Tuckers new pacman machine. Or rather….Tucker was playing and Danny was waiting for his turn.

"Geez….did you not get the memo that I was still trying to get over her?" Danny ran a hand through his hair.

"I did, man. But I didn't want to wait another year for you to get her out of your mind. I need a life too."

"Yeah, I know," said a frustrated Danny. "It's just….unexpected. That's all."

"Personally, I think you have your hands full trying to wrestle this whole Paulina and Sam thing and you shouldn't worry about what happens between me and Valerie."

"Whoa! There's no Sam thing!" said Danny quickly. "Paulina. Just Paulina. Sam is just a practice date, remember?"

"Yeah, whatever," Tucker smirked.

"Hey, don't start a new game! I said I was next!" Danny tried to push Tucker aside and Tucker immediately slouched down and played dead.

"No fair! I can't move a dead weight!" Danny folded his arms. Then—

"But I can overshadow you---!"

"Don't you dare!" Tucker lifted his finger warningly. "Besides, you're just mad cause you suck at this game."

"I don't suck!" Danny protested, "It sucks…….you suck."

"Oh I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you over all the winning," Tucker grinned.


It was now Thursday and only one day awaited before Danny's "pretend" date with Sam. Paulina was leaving for Hawaii the following day, so she was clinging to Danny, much to Sam's disgust and Danny's delight.

At the end of the day, Danny walked Paulina home while Tucker decided to head over to the Nasty Burger to spend some more time with Valerie. Sam trudged out the doors to Casper High, looking forward to spending a quality evening playing video games and listening to hard core music.

It was fall, so the leaves were changing colors and albeit she would never admit it out loud, it was very pretty outside.

Only one thing was wrong. No, a couple of things.

And that was the fact that Dash Baxter was standing underneath a tree, trying to look as inauspicious as he could.

And he was alone. And looking at her.

Almost everything was wrong with this picture. Sam frowned and turned around to see if there was anyone else behind her. Then she turned back around, pointed at herself and frowned,

"Me?"

Dash rolled his eyes and yelled finally,

"Yes, you! Get over here."

She walked up to him cautiously.

"You're Fenton's friend right?" He asked nervously, barely even looking at her face. She followed his eyes to the school entrance. He was obviously afraid someone would see them.

"It's Sam. But yeah. Why are you talking to me? Isn't your image going to be ruined now?"

"Not really," his eyes snapped back to her face. "You see, now that Fenton's dating Paulina, he's popular. And since you are friends with Fenton that makes you popular. But don't tell Paulina that she's technically still popular."

"Oh you can count on it," Sam rolled her eyes. "What do you want anyway? And hurry. I don't like talking to you."

"As if I'm enjoying this!" Dash stuck his tongue out in disgust, "But I've run into a problem."

"Really?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "That's new, all right."

"I don't have a date to the dance. All the popular girls are taken. I normally went with Paulina. And well….I need to have a date. I can't just show up alone. That would be ultra-damaging to my reputation. So---I mean, I guess, that is, I will allow you to come with me."

Sam stared at him for a few minutes. She searched his eyes, hoping to see him suddenly laugh and make some cruel joke, but he looked back into her eyes, wide with anticipation and she froze up.

"You're…..serious?"

"Well…..yeah."

Sam suddenly laughed. She laughed hard. Oh, I cannot believe my rotten luck…

"Are you kidding me?" she gasped. "I'd rather stab my eye with a knife than go to the dance with you."

"But you don't have a date either, so we need each other!"

"Yeah right!" snorted Sam. "I don't need to go to any dance! And you act like you're bestowing me a favor-'allow me'!"

"I AM!" Dash yelled, "Don't you know who you're talking to? Look, I'll give you five more minutes to say yes before I leave you in the dark."

"Forget it. I'm turning this offer down now!" Sam swung on her booty heel and marched off. The nerve of him!


The next day was Friday. Danny was nervous all day, much to his confusion. It's just Sam, man. Get a hold of yourself. You're only nervous cause it's a date. A date. That word sends shivers up anyone's spine.

Paulina had left the day before. She had kissed him on the cheek before leaving. Danny went home and straight up to his room in a daze, leaving his family pondering and his friends wondering where the heck he was.

Now he was in English wondering how tonight's 'fake date' was going to go while listening to Sam talk quietly next to him as Mr. Lancer graded papers in front.

"Danny? Danny!" Sam hissed.

"Huh?" Danny looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry Sam. What were you saying?"

Sam sighed,

"Look Danny. The first thing and the most important thing you'll have to do next week---and tonight---is listen to the girl. Not admire how beautiful she is or wonder what she tastes like."

"Oh c'mon!" Danny flicked his pencil back and forth in his hand. "It's Paulina after all. She doesn't exactly say the most intelligent things."

"Yeah, there's only one thing you can think about when you're with Paulina," Tucker pointed out. "You gotta keep that in mind tonight Sam when you're pretending to be the queen bee."

"I am not going to dumb down and dress up to act like a snotty bimbo so Danny can carry on thinking scandalous thoughts," Sam glared and folded her arms.

"Scandalous thoughts about you?" Danny laughed, hysterical at the idea. "Oh Sam! You don't have anything to worry about."

Could I ever think of Sam that way! Danny thought, letting his curiosity rise as his laughs subsided and his stomach relaxed. I can't even comprehend thinking about it right now. See? He thought happily. You were just nervous earlier because of the word 'date' and all that it implied. Nothing more.

"I was making reference to Paulina," Sam hissed, with quite a hostile tone. She seemed just a little offended that he'd laughed so quickly.

"Quiet!" Mr. Lancer yelled at the class room. He let his gaze run across the students, whose heads were now glued to their desk. Danny dared to look up and Mr. Lancer let his gaze rest on him for a few moments before returning to the stack of papers at his desk. It was as if he was almost waiting, daring Danny to do something stupid.

The trio waited for a few minutes, then Sam whispered quietly in a faraway voice,

"Dash asked me to the dance yesterday."

That was unexpected.

"Are you serious!" Tucker asked in disbelief, staring at her.

"You didn't say yes, did you?" Danny whispered fiercely. "Cause if you did, I'm gonna give you hell. You were just telling me the other day how crazy it was that I was going with Paulina and now Tucks going with Valerie and----"

"Chill." Sam's eyes narrowed, "I did not say no. And I said it was crazy, not forbidden. You yourself told me that maybe I should thinking about jumping out of my comfort zone."

"Yeah, I didn't mean with Dash at your side," Danny rolled his eyes as if that was obvious.

"I hate Dash and I thought you guys would understand and sympathize," Sam choked.

"…..sorry," Danny replied quietly after a few awkward seconds. "I didn't mean to jump on you."

"Yeah Sam," Tucker added. "I'm just glad you didn't accept the date. Dash would've treated you like dirt."

"I know. He only wanted to use me so that he could have a date to the dance. What a jerk." Sam rolled her eyes.

"So….who are you going with then?" Danny asked curiously.

"I'm not going," Sam shrugged, "I don't care though. Why should I? It's just a stupid school dance."

Something in her voice hinted of desperation and persuasion. Her voice trailed off and Danny pondered if she really did want to go and was too afraid to admit it.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Before they split ways outside on the sidewalk encompassing Casper High, Tucker looked both Danny and Sam in the eyes and said very seriously,

"I want details tomorrow, okay?"

"Got it."

Tucker walked off and Danny turned to Sam. Suddenly, it was already very awkward. Well, for him at least. If it was awkward for Sam, she was doing a good job hiding it.

"Seven, okay?" she confirmed to him. "It'll be fun, Danny, don't worry," she added at the look of nervousness on his face.

"I'm not worried!" Danny said quickly. "I-I'm thinking about Paulina."

"Of course you are," said Sam with a sigh.

Danny smiled, hugged her lightly and turned to walk away when he heard Sam call behind him,

"And don't you dare try and phase through my room when you come pick me up!"

Wouldn't think of it, he grinned.


Authors Note: Um……bad news. I've been banned from SO……you might not get the next chapter. Either at all or at least for a while. I go to college in August and we'll see then. It's a miracle I'm able to be putting this one up while my mom is gone.

Thanks kudos to the following wonderful reviewers: Salamander, strange organized chaos, Indigo Bluu, fakeout-makeout, Bubble Phantom, flamingoesrock, xwhitexhouses, catgirlversion3.0otakufan, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, FrizzandStarfireBFFS, and bluejolteon!

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