Sorry it's taken as long as it has, but I finally have it up! I'm really glad that I was able to get it. :D Yay. Anywho, I'm sorry I can't respond to you guys, but thank you all for reading! I'm hoping to get more up faster and soon! So everyone cheer if you want more...; ahem

- - -

Tucker and Danny had already claimed a table when Sam entered the lunch room, looking around warily, later that day.

"I still can't believe she called you 'cutie'!" Tucker laughed to Danny. He rolled his eyes and ignored his friend, looking elsewhere only to see Sam slowly making her way over.

"Hey, Tuck," he elbowed the boy beside him none too softly.

"Ow!" Tucker yelped, and sent a glare Danny's way before turning to look at what he found so intriguing.

After surveying the scene, he shrugged his shoulders. "It's Sam. So what?"

"So look at the way she's walking…almost like she's carrying Lilith—"

"Don't tell me she got you started on that too!" Tucker accused, knowing full well that Sam still had "their" sack of flour from the Health project.

Danny turned to shoot his own glare. "Tucker…" he warned. For once, his friend took the hint, choosing instead to focus back on Sam.

"I wonder what she has in that backpack…" he wondered out loud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully before a malicious look entered his eyes. "Hey, Danny…" He tugged his friend's white shirt. "Why don't you find out?"

Danny, who had returned to watching his other friend, glanced over his shoulder questioningly. "How?" he asked. "She hasn't left it alone all day."

"Duh!" Tucker responded. Danny's eyes widened in realization before narrowing in protest.

"No way! I hardly ever use my powers to get things from jerks like Dash. I'm not gonna do that to one of my best friends!"

"Not gonna do what?" Sam asked as she took a seat across from the two boys. They stopped instantly and turned to face her with guilty expressions.

Tucker started to respond, but Danny cut him off. "Tuck wanted me to see what you were protecting," he muttered, throwing a glare in Tucker's direction that didn't even come close to matching the intensity of Sam's.

A cheesy, "oh, crap" smile appeared on the dark-skinned face as he recognized he'd been outnumbered. Instead of the berating he'd been expecting, though, Sam's expression faded, and she sighed, grabbing a seat.

"If you really want to know…it's my-" she paused and looked around suspiciously before leaning forward and whispering, "-my journal."

"Your journal!" Tucker hissed loudly as his expression returned to the wicked look he'd had before, trying to ignore Danny who spat out his food, stuttering.

"SHHHH!" Sam hissed, leaning over to hit his arm. He ducked, and when she missed, sent a daring look her way from his now awkward position halfway under the table.

Danny managed to wipe all of the food off of his chin before looking over at Sam, who still stood halfway, glaring at Tucker, who had hidden under the table with only his eyes peeking over. Suddenly, Danny's eyes glazed over, focusing on the Hispanic girl in a pink shirt, who stood behind Sam with a surprised look on her face.

The girl noticed his gaze, and waved her fingers at him before walking away. He blushed as Sam kicked Tucker, and sat down with a smug grin covering her face. About that time, both of the teenagers recognized Danny's expression.

Danny continued to stare in the popular girl's direction until a pale hand waved in front of his face.

"Earth to Danny…come in, please?" Sam's sarcastic voice broke through the haze that seemed to surround him whenever Paullina came near him. He blinked his eyes, and blushed harder, looking down at his food.

"Sorry, guys," he muttered. Sam said nothing and glared, while Tucker laughed out loud.

"So, how was Planet Paulina this time?" he asked.

Danny couldn't keep a smile from his face. "She waved at me."

"Oh, brother," Sam rolled her eyes. That's when Danny noticed the table in front of her sat empty.

"Aren't you going to eat, Sam?" he asked cautiously. Sam bit her lip and hugged her backpack tighter.

"I'm not very hungry," she mumbled, barely loud enough for her friends to hear.

"Why not?" Tucker asked, stuffing a good half of his hot dog into his mouth.

Sam shuddered in disgust at his display, and pointed to her backpack. "Because I have this here."

"Why is that so important?" Danny asked after swallowing his own mouthful.

"Do you know what I write in my journal?" she asked softly. Both boys shook their heads. She refrained from letting out a frustrated growl and leaned forward again. "Everything," she said simply.

Tucker and Danny exchanged glances, before returning their gaze to her.

Sam slapped a hand to her forehead and dragged it down her face. "Everything…as in anything that happens to me: including our little 'adventures' with Danny." From their expressions and now pale faces, she figured they got it this time.

"All of a sudden, I'm not hungry either," Danny said with slurred words, his face still in slight shock, and taking on the green tinge of sickness.

"Why do you even have that here?" Tucker asked, now whispering. Vaguely, Sam wondered why they hadn't just taken her word and shut up in the first place.

She sighed. "Because of the extra-credit assignment Techtslav gave us yesterday." From their blank expressions, she figured they hadn't been listening at the time. "The one on venting emotions?" Their expressions remained blank, and at this point, she just decided to give up. "Look, it's just for the class, okay?"

"Wait," Tucker held up his hand. "Did I just hear you right?"

"What?" Sam blinked, wondering how he could have missed anything.

"Did you just say you need extra credit?" A look of awe passed over her two friends' faces.

"Boys," Sam muttered to herself. "I did this in case I got sick or something. Then I wouldn't have to worry about catching up with the assignment as much."

"Oh," Danny said, looking down.

"I guess that makes sense," Tucker blinked and looked at Danny, who didn't seem to notice.

"Look," Sam got up, looking around again. "I'm going somewhere else. This room is too crowded."

"I'll come with you," Danny said hurriedly. "Just wait for me to dump my tray." He literally ran over to the garbage cans, then thrust his now empty tray on the nearby table, already covered in a mess of the serving dishes.

He reached Sam and Tucker only seconds later, and threw his own pack onto his back. "You coming, Tuck?" he asked.

The nerd shook his head. "And miss a meal? Are you crazy?"

"Don't call me crazy," Danny grumbled and started towards the door, with Sam in tow.

"Can we stop by my locker?" Sam asked once they'd reached the entry way.

"Um…sure," Danny said, glancing at his watch. They'd just started down the left hall when Danny slapped his head. "I left my homework in my locker. I'll meet you at your locker in, say, five minutes?"

"Sure," Sam nodded and watched him run in the opposite direction for a minute before turning around herself. "I feel safer already," she smiled to herself and continued down the hall.

- - -

Paullina watched the trio of losers gab for several minutes before Fenton rushed over to the garbage, and threw most of the food he'd received only minutes earlier into one of the large, black cans.

"Hey Star," she leaned over to her friend, "how often does a teenage boy miss a meal?" She didn't bother to emphasize her accent like she normally did when talking to a group. Star knew her better than that.

"Um," the blond girl blinked at her. "Never. Why?"

"Come on," she stood up, throwing her food into a nearby trash can, and leaving the tray on the table like she normally did. Why should she have to worry about icky things like taking that tray to the mess that usually piled up on the other side of the lunch room? "This will be fun," she grinned wickedly and started following the two black-haired teens out of the lunchroom. Star, Dash, and several football players caught her look, and followed with mischevious grimaces of their own.