Jazz had a plan.

It wasn't a simple plan, no, she'd have to put in years of hard work. Becoming a world-renowned psychologist wasn't an easy feat. But she knew where she was going and that's what mattered. As long as she had her goal, she could create the life she wanted for herself. She could break away from the stigma of being a Fenton, she could finally put her ghost-hunting parents behind her. She couldn't achieve anything in Amity Park, not with her family holding her back.

At least, that's what she thought. Now she wasn't so sure.

When she was sixteen, all she could talk about was college. She dreamt and fantasized about old universities, winding pathways cutting through campus. Autumn breeze blowing through her hair and the comfort of small coffee shops. Spending nights in the library, her bag sagging from the weight from all the books she hand-picked.

No more ectoweenies assailing her from the fridge. No more pitiful stares as she sat in the back of the school auditorium, Mom and Dad presenting another ghost awareness seminar. No more inventions exploding at the kitchen table, turning her homework to ash.

Her parents were supportive of her academic endeavors. They thought it was admirable that she sought to accomplish something with her life, to find her place in the world. Of course, Mom put a cap on how many colleges she was allowed to apply to—application fees did add up. She spent most of junior year researching, browsing college websites and calculating where she'd rack up the most financial aid. She'd have to get an academic merit scholarship since her inventor parents made too much to even qualify for federal aid. Not impossible. She could do it.

It was around then the ghosts started coming through the portal, and Jazz felt more than ever that she needed to leave. Sure it was selfish, but she needed to get out as fast as she could.

Jazz wasn't going to die in Amity Park.

(Not like Danny.)

Much faster than she anticipated, senior year passed. Have it be her luck that the furthest school on her list gave her the most generous financial aid.

Mom cried when she opened the financial aid letter, beside her Dad beamed ear to ear. Danny hovered at the foot of the stairs, an unreadable look on his face. It was official now. She was leaving. Years of hard work were finally coming to fruition, and she should feel elated!

Instead, she felt hollow.

This was happening.

In less than six months she'd be sitting in a lecture, matriculated and eager to learn. Her room would be barren, posters and trinkets packed into the back of the Ghost Assault Vehicle—only because it had tricefold storage capacity as Mom's station wagon.

"Aren't you excited?" a neighbor asked one morning at the mailbox. "Boston is really far!"

"Home is one phone call away," she forced a smile. "Besides, I have a cousin in Massachusetts."

"Have you actually visited Boston, though?"

She bristled. "Well, with the ghost attacks lately Mom and Dad haven't had time to take road trips. Can't leave the town unattended."

"Bull! There's still Phantom here." The neighbor froze. "Not that your parents don't contribute to the town's protection."

Jazz nodded. "I know. It'll be… refreshing to get away from the constant barrage of attacks, at least."

The neighbor frowned. "You're coming back after school, right? This town needs more bright young people like you."

She shrugged. "I'll see what happens."

Graduation came and went. There was an article in the newspaper about her scholarship, which sparked a brief hour of fame. No wonder Danny was fed up with Phantom's non-stop publicity; she couldn't imagine dealing with that each week. Mom hung the article on the fridge, "Casper High Salutatorian Scores Full-Ride Scholarship." Jazz developed a poor habit of eating out that summer, too abashed to admit that seeing her own senior photo on the fridge made her stomach ache.

The worst part about the summer was that Danny spent so little time in the house, always out at a friend's house or exploring the infinite realms of the Ghost Zone. Not that she could hold that against him, she wasn't too fond of FentonWorks either. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was avoiding her on purpose though, avoiding the fact that she was leaving at all.

She was no better.

She was getting everything she wanted! She'd worked on maintaining her 4.5 GPA for years! She took Algebra II in the eighth grade and finished high school with Advanced Calculus. She began her college thesis in the tenth grade and submitted it as one of her college application essays. She spent weeks racking up community service hours, volunteering to serve the homeless and later helped with ghost invasion clean-up efforts. She counseled her peers out of the goodness of her heart, won the Most Likely to Succeed superlative, and pitched a new state-wide mental health program under review by the Illinois Board of Education. She was top of her class, second only to valedictorian Samuel Ng who had more AP credits than his father had yachts.

Not to mention Jazz's killer resume.

As much as she should be elated, she couldn't force herself to feel anything but dread. She'd hung on to the idea that she needed to escape Amity Park so long, she hadn't realized what she'd be leaving behind.

She didn't want to leave, but she didn't want to stay in a town where she had no future. After all, no one with a pulse had a future here.

(So? Are you really going to leave your half-ghost brother with your ghost-hunting parents? Knowing full well what could happen if they learned the truth.)

That isn't my problem.

(He's your family.)

I should trust Mom and Dad.

(You don't, though. He doesn't either.)

What choice do I have!

Danny found her at her desk that night, tear stains streaked down her face. She must have fallen asleep at some point because there was a crick in her neck.

"Jazz." He softly shook her shoulder. "Jazz, it's four in the morning."

"Huh."

"You fell asleep at your desk, lights on and all. You good?"

"Mmhm." She stretched her arms, and there was a soreness from where they'd been supporting her head.

Danny didn't look convinced. "You were crying."

"No, I wasn't."

"Explain your face."

She scoffed. "There's nothing up with my face."

"Except that you were crying before you fell asleep. Not even in your bed. Usually, you're the composed one in this house so you wanna explain what's up?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Danny. Everything's just sinking in all at once. I'm processing it normally. It's healthy to cry about changes in your life sometimes."

"But sometimes it's also healthy to talk about it, or so I've been told by an invasive older sister of mine." His expression softened. "You haven't been yourself lately, Jazz."

"Like you'd know!" she snapped. "I can't even remember the last time I've seen you here in the house. I'm going away and you're doing your own thing—and that's fine !"

"Jazz, if you wanted to hang out with me you just had to say the words. Being Phantom just keeps me occupied."

"That's not—" he pressed a hand to her head. "Thanks for offering, I appreciate it."

He frowned. "It's not what?"

"Nothing."

"No, it's something." He released his hold on gravity and sat cross-legged midair. "Let me be your therapist tonight, Jazz."

"I'm fine! Danny, we both need to go to bed."

"Is it… do you feel like you're going to miss home? Whenever you move?"

Well, it looked like he'd coerced her. Talking about it was probably a good thing, but she didn't want to make him feel bad about it either. She worried about him, and she didn't want to burden him with her problems.

"I doubt I'll miss this place. Most of my memories in this house aren't fond ones to begin with. Mom and Dad I'll miss some, but I'm itching to get away from them and their baggage. It's not like I'll have close friends to miss either—not like your friends." She looked up to the faded popcorn ceiling. "I can't stand the idea of not being here for you. I feel like I'm abandoning you, and I think that's how you feel."

He was silent.

"Like, I know what you must think of me. Why do I have to be such a selfish overachiever, all the fucking time? You're just trying to survive this nightmare household, and the one person that knows your secret and all the shit you go through, leaves you to the wolves?" She hiccupped. "I feel bad for not choosing a community college, like everyone else in my class. I feel bad for dreaming big."

"Jazz, no—"

"Let me finish. I could have stayed home and gone to APCC for two years to get my associate's degree. Then, once you've graduated high school I could transfer to any college I want for my bachelor's degree. But instead, I decided that I couldn't wait two years—I had to be the best and brightest! The golden child of Casper High School. I have to go to a big-name university right out of high school, lest I do anything else I'm a disappointment! I'm so full of shit, Danny. So full of shit…"

"Jazz," he assured, "you don't need to feel guilty about following your dreams. It's not selfish. You've had this planned out for years."

"But it's not fair to you! I'm the only one who knows… what if they hurt you? I see it in their eyes when they talk about Phantom. If they catch you, they will not hold back. You will be strapped to a table and they'll—they'll—" she broke down into a fit of sobs. "It'll be all my fault."

"I will be fine here. I know how to handle Mom and Dad." He pressed his hand into her palm. It was cool, but comforting. "You work harder than anyone else I know. If anyone deserves that scholarship, it's you."

She shook her head. "I'm selfish. I don't."

"Tell me, how have you been selfish? How are you any more selfish than me or Mom or Dad?"

"I'm putting my wants before your safety!"

"I'm not your responsibility!"

"You're my little brother!"

"Just because we share the same parents doesn't mean that you should be willing to not live your life for me." His eyes flashed green. "Going to school is all you've ever wanted and I'm not going to let you throw it away because I was stupid enough to turn on that portal!"

"That's not what this is about."

"Isn't it? I'm never going to be able to leave Amity Park because I'm dead! My obsession is bound to this town. If I'm fighting ghosts, I'll be in danger regardless of whether or not I live in this house. So don't you dare feel like you have to spend the rest of your life here."

He… he made a good point.

Danny was going to be in danger no matter where she lived. She couldn't protect him for the rest of her life, either. She shouldn't feel bad about not throwing away her dreams for her brother, even if it felt like it was the right thing to do.

It wasn't selfish because Danny wasn't her reason for living.

She had her own reasons to live life, her own ambitions.

"I… I guess so," she whispered. "That makes it a bit better."

He planted his feet on the ground once again and gave her a side-hug. "Good. Now, what do you say you sleep on it? It is pretty late."

She narrowed her eyes. "And are you going to bed?"

"Eh, don't count on it."

"Danny!"

"What? Ghost hunting keeps me on a bad sleep schedule. I really only sleep during the afternoons now."

"That's awful."

"You bet! Now," he switched her bedroom light off, "sleep well, Jazz."


Jazz was doing well in her sophomore year of college. Admittedly, she had a few rough patches during her freshman year, earning her first D in her life. Eventually, she learned how to maintain good study habits and might have accidentally stumbled headfirst into a caffeine addiction, but it was good! She was on track to graduate with the rest of her class!

She called home less than she did freshman year. Her parents seemed eager to give her space, if not to work more on their experiments. That was fine with her.

That was why it was so alarming when she received a single text from her mother one night, the week before finals. It had to be past midnight back home, another red flag.

mom

jazz, we need to talk

asap

call me

Concerned, she unlocked her phone.

Sam and Tucker had called ten times each in the past four hours.

Heart racing, she dialed her mother's phone number with a sinking suspicion of what tragic news awaited her.


hope you guys enjoyed! considering that I've just graduated high school and have spent the past few years of my life grinding in order to escape my own household, this fic resonates with me a LOT lol

I'd also like to disclaim that I don't mean to bash any community colleges in this fic. I value any education and recognize that community college education is as valuable as big-name colleges. prestige is NOT everything trust me.

thanks for reading!