Chapter 4: The School Year Starts
Danny, Sam and Tucker were among the first students to arrive at Casper High during the first day of the new school year. Not that they were diligent students. It's that, had Dash Baxter arrived first, he'd likely prevent them from entering the classroom on time and get them in trouble his position as star quarterback protected him from. "Nice to see you making it on time for once, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer commented.
"I woke up earlier to prevent… unexpected obstacles that got in the way other days, Mr. Lancer." Danny explained while repressing the urge to accuse Dash. He knew it'd be useless because Mr. Lancer favored the popular kids.
"Good for you, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer commented and decided to wait until all students arrived or the bell rang. Whatever happened first.
Eventually, Dash, Kwan and Dale also arrived but the former wouldn't let the others in. "Dash, what're you doing?" Kwan asked. "We're going to be late."
"It's the annual tradition of making Fenton late for his first day, Kwan." Dash explained. "He must pay for making me look bad in front of that hot redhead."
"Did she beat you up like that tall girl did to you and Dale?" Kwan asked.
"No and she and Fenton were lucky a ghost showed up before I taught them a lesson." Dash answered while he and Dale frowned.
"Do you mean that ghost dragon Batgirl helped Phantom to defeat?" Dale asked in curiosity.
"The very same ghost." Dash answered while glad he wouldn't have to give a time frame.
The bell then rang. "I guess Fenton didn't need our help getting late this time." Dash commented as he and his cronies entered the classroom. "Sorry we're late, Mr. Lancer. We had to discuss football strategies."
"Our school must remain football champions, Mr. Baxter." Mr. Lancer replied with a smile. "Good job."
"I wonder which excuse Fenton will come up with." Dale said.
"None because he's not tardy." Mr. Lancer replied. "And now let's begin class."
After Mr. Lancer's class ended, Danny and his friends tried to go to next class but Dash stopped them. "Fenton, you might have made it on time for your first class but you will be late for something today."
"Don't you have anything better to do, Dash?" Sam asked with her usual frown.
"Actually, I do." Dash answered while looking at Tucker. "Foley, you're going to pay for speaking ill of me to your dates."
"What're you talking about?" Tucker asked in confusion.
"All five girls the dating service introduced me to mentioned a creep named TooFineTucker and said even he was better than me." Dash complained. "Even Bodacious Bonnie and she's a cheerleader!"
"Five girls considered me better than you and one of them is a cheerleader?" Tucker asked in joy. "Hurray!"
"Uh, Tucker, they also called you a creep." Danny reminded his friend.
"It's still a victory!" Tucker proudly declared and Sam and Danny rolled their eyes at that.
"A victory you'll pay for, Foley." Dash said as he grabbed Tucker and readied himself to stuff him into a locker when someone interrupted him. "Stop right there, you bully."
"Mr. Falluca?" Dash asked in fear. "I was just…"
"Don't even bother denying what I saw, Baxter." Mr. Falluca ordered. "One day of detention for you."
"But I'm a football star." Dash moaned.
"That doesn't matter." Mr. Falluca replied. "It's because of people like Lancer that celebrities think they can get away with practically everything. I'm doing you a favor by disabusing you of that notion."
"Yeah, right." Dash sarcastically replied.
"You'll understand in the future." Mr. Falluca reassured his student.
"Yeah." Sam deadpanned. "When pigs fly." Danny and Tucker giggled at that.
"Now you all get to your next class before you're late." Mr. Falluca ordered and they left.
During lunch time, Danny and his friends were discussing the latest development. "Tucker, did you use Dash's characteristics for your fake profile or something like that?" Danny asked.
"What?" Tucker asked in confusion.
"Yeah, Tucker." Sam agreed. "That the five girls you got…"
"Five of the thirty girls the dating service set me up with." Tucker corrected his goth friend. "He gave up after meeting five, showing I'm more persistent than him." He added with pride.
"Anyway, five of those girls were the girls who later were paired up with Dash and I find it hard to believe it was a mere coincidence." Sam commented and Danny nodded.
"Technically, I cannot be sure of anything without knowing what he said about himself." Tucker argued.
"He probably exaggerated his best traits just like you did with yours, Tucker." Danny commented.
"May I join your conversation?" They heard a girl ask.
"Sure, Barbara." Danny happily answered upon recovering from the shock. He's so glad to see her he failed to notice Sam's scowl.
'That's Barbara Gordon? Wow, she's hot!' Tucker thought and then stopped himself. 'Stop yourself, Tucker. She's your best friend's girlfriend and you already have a girlfriend of your own.'
"Shouldn't you be at whatever school you attend?" Sam asked with a frown. She just wanted to get rid of Barbara but was curious as well.
"There are a few days left before school year starts at Gotham High." Barbara explained. "Sorry if I took the boy you have a crush on."
Tucker was so shocked by the admission he caused a spit take. "What? Did she tell…"
"Her father brought it up when I chanced upon her family a few days ago." Barbara explained.
"Oh, that makes sense." Tucker commented.
"He was joking, Barbara." Danny said. "Sam and I are just friends."
"Good because I don't want my presence to bother anyone." Barbara commented.
"That's right." Tucker replied with a malicious smile. "Sam has nothing against Barbara's presence here. Do you, Sam?" Tucker was sure she'd find a way to make him pay but it was worth it as far as he was concerned.
"No." She answered with a frown so deep only a clueless person wouldn't notice.
"Good." Danny replied, not noticing how Sam felt. "Barbara, you already know Sam and this is my other best friend Tucker Foley. Tucker, this is my girlfriend Barbara Gordon." And he still didn't realize how Sam was hurt by hearing Barbara being called that.
"Tucker Foley?" She asked in shock. "As in the TooFineTucker that tricked girls with a fake profile?"
"I just exaggerated a little!" Tucker pleaded. "I toned it down for my last date and actually found a compatible girl."
"Is she a glasses wearing nerd like you?" Dash asked as he showed up. He then approached Barbara. "So, babe, why is a beautiful girl like you wasting time with losers like Fenton when you could be with me? I'm Dash Baxter, star quarterback and thus a better dating option."
Sam had a similar question but now couldn't address the issue without being made out to be a similar jerk as Dash.
"And I'm not interested in a jerk like you." Barbara replied.
"You're lucky I don't hit girls." Dash threatened.
"Yeah, because we can humiliate you by fighting back." Barbara bragged.
"Ok, you asked for it." Dash angrily replied and readied his fist.
"STOP!" Someone ordered and everybody noticed Coach Tetslaff. "Baxter, don't play into her game."
"What're you talking about, Ms. Tetslaff?" Dash asked in confusion.
"That girl is from Gotham High." The Coach answered. "She probably figured out the only way her school's football team could have a chance against ours is you being suspended for hitting a girl."
"Or a girl crippling him in self-defense." Danny whispered to his friends. Sam was skeptic about Barbara being able to do that but Tucker seemed to believe Danny.
"How dare you accuse me?" Barbara asked in outrage.
"Why else would be here?" The Coach asked.
"To see my boyfriend Danny, of course." Barbara answered and Danny nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, right." The Coach didn't believe her. "Which girl other than the goth would want anything to do with a scrawny boy like Fenton?"
"Hey!" Tucker protested. "There were at least twenty-seven other girls wanting a second date with him!"
"No way, Foley." Dash teased the techno-geek. "True, there might have been one desperate girl who couldn't find anything better but twenty-eight? I bet you're lying!"
"You're on, Dash." Tucker replied.
"If I win, you'll eat this underwear!" Dash said while producing a slightly cleaner underwear than the one Danny had to eat for losing another bet during Halloween.
"Put it back in your pockets, Baxter." The Coach ordered. "There are people trying to eat real food here."
"As real as school food can be, at least." Danny muttered.
"It can't be worse than Bueno Nacho food." Tucker commented. "I bet even Dash's underwear can't."
"We'll discuss the terms of the bet after lunch, Foley." Dash said as he left to join his fellow jocks at their table.
"Is that true?" Barbara asked Danny. "Were there really twenty-seven other girls you could've picked instead of me?"
"Yes." He answered and hoped it didn't sound like he was bragging.
"You got twenty-eight girls wanting you?" Sam was shocked. "Were you a better liar than Tucker?"
"Not every girl is shallow like Paulina." Danny argued.
"Only the cheerleaders." Sam replied.
"Actually, my first date was a cheerleader and the reason I didn't leave before my second date." Danny pointed out.
"You entered without wanting the whole thirty days?" Barbara asked in confusion.
"I've only entered because otherwise Tucker's parents wouldn't let him enter." Danny explained. "If not for Kim Possible, I would've quit after my first date and never met you, Barbara."
"Kim Possible?" Barbara asked in shock. "The Kim Possible?"
"You know her?" Danny was surprised.
"You never watched her on the news?" Barbara asked. "She's the legendary crime fighting teenager who has stopped villains like Dr. Drakken and Professor Dementor from taking over the world."
"There are so many superheroes I can't recall all of them." Danny explained. "Most I recall are Justice Leaguers and their allies."
"She was once seen fighting crime alongside Danny Phantom!" Barbara commented, shocking Sam.
"I know! I was there!" Danny told and then remembered people not in the secret might be overhearing him. "Drakken and his henchwoman Shego interrupted our date to steal something she recovered and Kim told me to hide."
"I take it she's one of the two girls who didn't want you." Sam assumed.
"Wrong." Danny replied.
"Why would such an awesome cheerleader settle for a regular boyfriend who stays hidden while she fights bad guys?" Sam asked. "Or why would she need a dating service in the first place?"
"Some guys find it intimidating to have a girlfriend who knows martial arts." Danny explained. "Compound it to the girl in question showing it by fighting supervillains and being known for it and you'll have your answer."
"Stupid sexist pigs." Sam muttered. Guys who didn't feel comfortable around independent women were one kind of people she hated more than she hated cheerleaders.
"I know, right?" Barbara replied. "That's one of my reasons to choose Danny. I fight Kung Fu, judo and I'm learning karate and he's not intimidated by it. He also has a good sense of humor, is a gentleman, and has some unique qualities."
'Does she know he's Danny Phantom?' She thought in horror. 'I don't think he told her otherwise he would've told us she knew.'
"Danny, may I get your list of options?" Tucker asked. "I need proof of you having twenty-seven choices other than Barbara to win the bet against Dash."
"I left it at home." Danny answered. "I didn't want to brag to anybody and I don't like using my love life to win bets."
"Not even to make Dash run around wearing only underwear?" Tucker pleaded.
"Well, he kinda deserves it so, I'm okay." Barbara replied.
"Cool!" Danny exclaimed. "Let's go home to get it."
After classes were over and the bet's details were set, Dash, Barbara and Team Phantom went to Fentonworks to get the list. Dash went with them because he didn't trust Tucker not to make a fake list.
"Alright, Foley." Dash begrudgingly said. "You win."
"Woohoo!" Tucker celebrated.
Meanwhile, Barbara was getting acquainted to Danny's family. "Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, and you too, Jasmine." Barbara said.
"You may call me Jazz, Barbara." Jazz replied.
"Okay, Jazz." Barbara replied.
"Are you staying for dinner?" Maddie asked.
"I can't." Barbara answered. "I'm taking a bus back to Gotham and my Dad wants me back home tonight."
"Don't you even have time to see one of my inventions?" Jack eagerly asked.
Barbara then looked at her watch. "I gotta go! Bye!" She then kissed Danny and left.
"Danny, not that I find it wrong on your part but, did you caution her against Dad's inventions?" Jazz asked.
"No, Jazz." Danny answered.
End chapter.