Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
Memories of a Bad Picture Day
A long line was forming through the halls just outside the auxiliary gym. Girls were combing their hair, applying last minute makeup and checking their faces with compact mirrors for any flaw they could see. The boys had already checked to make sure they looked halfway decent, so they were currently leaning against the wall. Loud clicks were heard from the next room over, along with the shouts of a grumpy man in a bad mood.
Today was picture day at Casper High.
The people currently standing in line were the ones lucky enough to have pictures taken during Mr. Lancer's English class, yet unlucky enough to have his class the period directly after lunch. The rare unfortunate one would have their picture taken with a piece of lettuce between their teeth, or they would have something on their shirt. This means that all of the students were meticulously careful, lest they have a horrible picture displayed in that year's yearbook.
Danny, Sam and Tucker were close towards the end of the line, leaning against the wall and chatting animatedly. Danny looked especially nice. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt with a collar, with his hair looking slightly better than usual. Every year something was wrong with his picture. Last year, a ghost attacked right before the camera snapped. The year before, he closed one of his eyes as the flash partially blinded him. It looked like he was giving the camera the evil eye. This year, it was going to be the best picture that was ever taken of him.
Sam and Tucker snickered. They too also hated picture day. Last year, Danny hadn't told Tucker that his shirt was on inside out and backwards. He kept laughing for no reason. This year, he hoped to get revenge on his best friend.
In front of the trio, the A List was also getting ready for their pictures. Paulina was brushing her hair and tossing it back every now and then. None of the boys could keep their eyes off of her. Star was freaking out because she had gotten a huge zit the night before, and she was afraid that her cover up would prove inadequate at the last moment.
Kwan put his arm around Star's waist. "You're pretty enough," he said, stroking his hand across her face. A smear of something tan appeared on the back of his hand, but he wiped it off like it was nothing. She still continued to freak out anyways, but she stopped checking her compact every three seconds.
Valerie was out of breath and panting. Her dark hair was tangled and her cheeks were flushed. She had just come from fighting against that pesky Box Ghost who just wouldn't give up. The ghost hunter hurriedly grabbed her comb and started frantically running it through her tangled waves and curls. She had to look at least partially presentable today.
"NEXT!" The photographer shouted crabbily. Paulina, who was the first in line due to being the most popular girl in school, sauntered in the room. She was beautiful and she knew it. She sat down on the stool and took out her compact mirror and lip gloss. After all, everyone waited for Paulina. She was the prettiest, most popular girl at the school. Everyone did as she said. There were no questions about that.
"Put your makeup down and smile for the camera!" The photographer barked. Paulina ignored him at first, and then sighed heavily.
"Can't you wait a minute? I have to be prettier than all of the other girls, and that sort of stuff takes time!"
"Look, smile at the camera, I don't have all day here!" The photographer said this very tensely. He had no patience for Paulina or the other girls like her.
Paulina glared at the photographer and tossed her head back. That man was going to wait until she was ready. She continued to apply her lip gloss.
CLICK. A flash blinded the popular girl as she jumped in her seat. That stupid camera man had taken the picture while she wasn't paying attention! This was so not good!
"NEXT!"
Star smirked as she strolled in the door. No way was her picture going to be as bad and embarrassing as Paulina's was. For once, people would look at her face in the yearbook and think she was gorgeous instead of perfect Paulina.
She pulled her hair back around her shoulders so her dangly hoop earrings were showing and she looked just right. The photographer muttered to himself as Star stared straight at the camera and grinned an Oscar-worthy smile.
"Say cheese!" The photographer grumbled. Star stared at her reflection in the camera lens. She saw that part of her cover-up was streaked and part of her zit was showing! She was going to murder Kwan- he was the one who must have ruined her makeup accidentally. But it was too late now.
CLICK. No wonder Paulina was snickering at her. She was never going to live this down!
"NEXT!"
Dash sauntered into the room like he was all that and a bag of chips. He was wearing his football jacket slung over his shoulder. He knew that all of the girls in school were after him, and he had to look the part.
Sam caught his smug expression from outside in the hall and made a face at Danny and Tucker like she was throwing up. They snickered, and Paulina glared at Sam. No one could laugh at her boyfriend!
Dash slouched in the stool, and then rethought the thing and sat up straight. He pondered whether to hold up his arm to intimidate the other students or not. Dash stroked his lucky underwear hidden inside his jacket- a different pair, since Fen-turd had to eat the other the day after Halloween.
The photographer sighed. Was every single student going to give him a hard time today by taking forever and a day to primp? Even the guys did that! He was starting to get sick and tired of it.
"Smile at the camera." He said scathingly to Dash. Dash ignored the photographer. After all, he practically ruled this school. No one was going to tell him what to do.
CLICK. Dash stared at the photographer in disbelief. He just took the picture while he was stroking his lucky underwear and looking inside his jacket! How was he supposed to intimidate younger students now? He stomped out of the room, a contrast to the way he sauntered in.
"NEXT!"
Kwan darted into the room. He was trying to escape from his girlfriend, who wanted to murder him because he had accidentally ruined her makeup. Why did girls make such a big deal out of this anyways? It was only a zit, and there were picture retakes in a month or so.
He walked up to the photographer. "Look, sir, could you change my color background to red? Okay, thanks!" Kwan walked to the wooden stool and sat up straight.
"Never even stop to wait for my answer, these stupid kids," the angry photographer muttered. He was in such a bad mood that he chose a glaringly bright red backdrop for the oblivious football jock.
Kwan unbuttoned his jacket except for the top button. He had practiced it before, and he knew it looked cool. He looked at himself in the camera lens and smiled.
CLICK. The photographer snapped the picture, and he thought that he was the first today to actually take a decent picture. Then he looked down at his shirt. Apparently he had spilled something on it at lunch.
Kwan groaned. He was definitely getting a picture retake in October.
"NEXT!"
Sam listlessly and unenthusiastically dragged herself into the room. She hated picture day with a passion. When she was younger, her parents made her wear frilly pink dresses or something equally hideous to school. It had scarred her for life and caused her friends to laugh every time she turned her back.
Now she just never smiled. Last year she dressed in all black and scowled at the camera. Her parents had grounded her for a week. Not that it really mattered, her grandmother covered for her and Danny could always slip in and sneak her out of the house. However, that was an annoying inconvenience.
This year, her mom and dad sat down and told her that this year, they would be fine as long as she smiled for once.
"Any smile would do," they said. "Just please don't scowl at the camera again!"
Sam had tried to find a loophole in her parent's rule. Sure, defying them again would work, but it would be more satisfying to do exactly as they said yet still annoy them anyway.
Then, the perfect plan came to her. She didn't say a word about it to anyone, but it would be a total surprise when they saw her picture.
Sam smiled at the camera. Her smile was one of those demonic ones that scared people, and she glared at the camera. It was perfect.
CLICK. Later, Tucker would say that her picture gave him nightmares- but not to her face, of course. Her parents would be mad that she managed to find a loophole. However, Sam was satisfied. She had successfully tricked her parents into letting her do what she wanted again.
"NEXT!"
Tucker came into the room with a wide eyed expression on his face. From outside, he had seen Sam's expression as her picture was taken. He couldn't understand how the photographer could be unfazed, but even his best friend could scare him sometimes.
He regained his composure as he sat straight up in the chair. Tucker had practiced his pose since last year's incident. His shirt was on the right way, there was nothing in his teeth and his beret hung just right.
Even though he was supposed to go back to English class after his picture was taken, Tucker planned on hanging around until Danny got his picture taken. No student would willingly walk back into Lancer's classroom unless they absolutely had to. It was an unspoken student rule. Why bore yourself to tears when you didn't have to?
"Kid, are you ready for your picture?" The photographer snapped impatiently.
"Yes, I am!" Tucker said, winking at the camera. Nothing could go wrong now.
CLICK. The flash startled Tucker, only because it had happened a second too early. He was still winking when the picture was taken. When the pictures would come out two weeks later, Tucker would discover that he made the exact same mistake Danny did two years ago. It looked like he was giving the camera the evil eye.
"NEXT!"
Valerie walked slowly into the auxiliary gym, frantically trying to get her hair to look nice and also trying to slip on lip gloss at the same time. Multitasking was an ability that all popular or former popular kids had, and Valerie was not an exception. It was like an unwritten requirement.
Last year, she had looked perfect. Every hair had been in place, and her makeup had looked just right. She was wearing a brand new purple tank top that cost over five hundred dollars. In those days, she could tell you the exact brand and where it was made. Now, Valerie had more important things to worry about.
If Phantom hadn't caused her and her dad to lose everything, she would have been exactly the same as she was before. But Phantom did destroy her life the year before, so the in crowd showed their true colors and booted her out. Now, she was a ghost hunter looking for revenge, and life was more satisfying this way.
Her new job was especially inconvenient on days like today, where she had to look good without causing her to arouse her father's suspicion. If her hair looked too messy and she looked like she just came off of a jet sled, her father would know and take away her equipment again. Mr. Masters, the kind man who provided her with weapons, would send her more eventually, but she hated to ask.
She sat on the stool and frantically smoothed down her fair. The photographer tapped his foot impatiently. He had seen it all today, and the line behind this girl was growing.
"Turn to the left, no, that's too far, turn a little to the right facing me," the photographer ordered Valerie. She complied while still fixing her hair.
"Ready?"
CLICK. The flash startled and temporarily blinded Valerie. The restless photographer had snapped the picture while her hand was scrunching her hair! She turned and glared at the grouchy man angrily, and then hopped off the stool and walked briskly into the hall.
"NEXT!"
Danny was the last in his class to get his picture taken. He had spent his time out in the hall talking to Sam and Tucker and checking his hair and his shirt collar. Sam had joked that he primped more than some of the girls did. Danny laughed it off, but he was too intent on making sure he looked nice for once. Dash had always teased him on his horrible yearbook pictures. His friends also made fun of him, claiming he was cursed. Danny agreed with them. However, this year would be different.
Every single one of Danny's school pictures had turned out horrible. He, unlike Sam, could not just say that he wasn't very photogenic. Most of the other snapshots of him turned out quite good, if he did say so himself. Actually, the only recent pictures that were truly bad were the staged professional ones.
Too bad this was a staged professional school picture.
Come to think of it, Sam and Tucker had been quietly laughing at him behind his back since lunch. They thought that he couldn't hear them. Danny wondered what exactly was so funny about him. Nothing was wrong, for once. Maybe an inside joke?
Danny nervously walked into the room and sat down on the stool. He smoothed his messy black hair down and sat up straight on the stool. He looked directly into the camera lens and smiled. Danny had seen the photographer snap pictures when people weren't ready, so he decided to solve that problem before it even happened.
"Ready?"
CLICK. Danny felt satisfied. He did not blink, wink, squint or move. A ghost did not fly in the room at the last minute. Finally, he had a decent school picture taken of him.
For some reason, he thought he felt something on his teeth. Danny hoped it wasn't true, but he ran his tongue across his teeth to check.
To his horror, he discovered a leafy green vegetable covering one of his front teeth.
"NEXT!"
A/N: Inspired by the fact that today was Picture Day at my school. Hopefully, your pictures will turn out better then Danny's, Sam's, Tucker's, etc. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is accepted and wanted. Please, if there are any inconsistences or mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me.