I don't think either one of us breathes for a full minute. There's just deafening silence on both ends and at this point, I'm afraid to inhale. Afraid I'll shatter this moment and Danny will come up with some kind of lie in the second it takes me to draw in a breath.

The cheerleaders' routine is winding down and my ass needs to be back on the field but I'm stuck to the pavement, worried if I leave, Danny won't say a word. He'll hang up and I'll never get to hear the truth. Never hear his voice tremble on the answer or hear the stutter in his breath as he inhales. If I leave now, he'll have time to think of an excuse, he'll figure out how to deny it, make it seem like-

"Dash…" he whispers, exhaling softly on my name. I know I'll remember the sound forever and play it on repeat tonight but I don't have time to wait for the rest of his answer. I wish I hadn't called until after the game, given myself the time to think of how to ask the question. But he's on the line now and I can't let this moment slip away.

"It's okay if you are," I whisper back, sweeping my gaze across the parking lot as I talk. "I don't give a fuck why you're doing this, I just want to help you. You don't… have to be afraid of telling me the truth, okay? You can talk to-"

The whistle sounds and my teammates are storming the field. Shit. I'm supposed to be out there with them. Fucking hell, why didn't I just wait to call Danny? This could have waited. If I hang up now, it's just gonna give Danny time to come up with a way to explain it away. I don't want him to have an excuse ready when I call him back but I can't just leave my teammates.

"Go play the game, Dash." Is the last thing Danny says before he ends the call and I'm left staring out in the parking lot, wondering how the fuck this shit ever got to this point. When did Danny become the phantom? Why did he start breaking into places? How long has he been doing this? And when the fuck did I start to care so much about him?


We're playing great, ahead by two touchdowns, but that doesn't stop Coach from yelling at me the second we get to half-time. I kind of deserve it – it's not like me to disappear right before a game starts and looking back… I really shouldn't have. I should have just waited on the call.

"You want to tell me why the hell you were frolicking like a damn butterfly instead of out there on the field?" Coach barks out, waving his arms as he talks. He can get pretty ticked off at us occasionally but we all know he cools down by the end of the game, win or lose. Still, it's been a while since I've been the player that fucked up.

I shake my head, letting out a breath as I keep my gaze trained on the floor. "No, Coach. I was just…" There's no way to explain what the hell I was doing without saying I was on the phone. And he'd want to know with who and then it'd just get ugly from there.

"Do you even care that your presence is important on the field?" he demands, leaning closer to me. I flick my gaze up to his for a second before I nod, dropping my stare again. Of course I care. I don't want to let my team down. Or the crowd watching the game. Or hell, even Coach. But that call with Danny was important too.

Coach sighs, reaching out to clap me on the shoulder. "This is your last year with the Ravens, Baxter. Try acting like it tonight, huh? Play like you've got some life in you or I swear, I'll make you run an insane amount of laps every practice for the rest of this season. You got that?" He squeezes my shoulder once I nod. "Good. Now get up, your ass wasn't made to warm a bench, kid."

We leave the locker room just as the marching band finishes up with their routine and then it's back to the game. Every pass I'm thrown, every chance I get to kick the ball, I put my everything into it. I don't think about Danny, or the way his voice sounded whispering my name. I don't think about what happens if we lose, and my teammates barely cross my mind. It's just me and the field and I'm gonna play my fucking heart out cause goddammit, Coach is right. This is my last year playing ball. I'll be damned if I'm letting anyone make me forget that.


Casper High is once again victorious and I'm hoisted onto the shoulders of my teammates. They're all chanting my name and despite the shit before the game, I'm grinning like crazy, pumping my fist into the air. I put my everything into it and we fucking won. Maybe God does watch sports cause someone sure as hell helped me out tonight.

Coach claps us all on our backs, congratulating us on the win and I swear, his grin could rival all of ours. I don't even think he's still ticked off at me, just happy that we won again. There's nothing like another game to distract me from the shit in my life but now that it's over, I find Danny slipping back into my mind almost immediately.

I look up to the bleachers, where I last saw Anastasia, and I know she's wondering why I ran over to her and wordlessly thrust my phone into her hands before the game started. I didn't have time to stash it in my locker again and she was the first person I saw.

The audience and my teammates are still going nuts but I start heading toward the bleachers. I just need to get my phone and call Danny again so I can figure this whole thing out. I don't care if he's the phantom, I don't care if he's really been breaking into places, and I don't even care how he's been breaking into places. I just care about him. And I want to help him with whatever he needs. Even if that makes me the accomplice everyone's looking for. Cause I'd be his if he asked me to be.

"Good game tonight," someone says from behind me.

I turn to see a guy about my height, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, sporting a baseball cap and a hesitant smile. I do my best to return his smile but I'm still thinking of Danny and all of the fucked-up shit that goes along with that. "Uh, thanks."

"You're Dash Baxter, right?" he asks, extending his hand toward me when I nod. "I'm Lance Thunder, I've been checking out the Ravens for DALV university." He shakes my hand before his smile widens. "I gotta say, I was really impressed with you tonight. You got a lot of heart when you play, you know that? Anyone ever tell you how talented you are?"

I don't really know how to take the compliment so I shrug. "I just like the game." I glance up where I last saw Anastasia but she's disappeared into the thick of the crowd. I look around the field, even standing on my toes to see over people, but I can't find her.

"Have you talked to anyone about your college choices, Dash?" Lance asks, sliding his hands into his pockets when I look back at him. "I think DALV could really use someone like you. Have you had any offers yet?"

My head is spinning as I try to grasp what the hell this guy is saying and for a second, Danny briefly leaves my mind. Offers…? Like college offers? Is this guy interested in having me on the DALV team? I mean, it's not like the Packers came calling but I've seen countless DALV games from the time I was a kid and they always have an amazing team. And I'd be fucking lucky to play for anyone.

"Uhh… n-no, I haven't… Um, n-no one's offered me anything," I say, swallowing back my question of why he's interested in me of all people. I didn't really think anyone important cared about the kids from the Casper High Ravens and even if someone did, I never thought they'd care about me.

Lance's smile widens. "Based on Coach Raine's interest in you, I'd say you have a good chance of being offered something by DALV. I've noticed you haven't applied anywhere yet… Are you interested in playing college football?"

I've gotta admit, that sounds pretty fucking sweet. I'd love to play this game for another four years but I don't know that I can. I… promised dad that I'd never leave this town. But fuck, I made that promise before I ever considered my future. Cause I never thought this would ever be a possibility. I think everyone would call me a fucking idiot if I turn this chance down.

"I-I… don't know," I respond, rubbing at the back of my neck. God, it's a lot to process. The possibility of not being stuck in Amity Park my whole life, going to a great college, and playing ball for another four years? It sounds too good to be true and I dig my nails into my skin to make sure I'm not dreaming.

Lance isquiet for a second as he turns his gaze out toward the field, but after a moment or two, he looks back at me. "Coach Raine will want to see you in person before anything's set in stone." He checks his watch and smiles. "Actually, I'm just about to speak to him on the phone. If he's interested in what I have to say, you'll be seeing the both of us at next week's game."

He gives me a smile and pats me on the shoulder. "You take care until then, Dash."

"Y-You too," I stammer out, giving him my best attempt at a smile. I'm sure it's a shitty one cause I'm barely thinking straight but he doesn't say anything about it.

He extends his hand toward me again and I take it, not really sure how to end this moment. I almost want to hug him cause he's the first person that's given me the option of getting out of this town alive. But I don't want to be that weird football player that blows his chance cause he acts like a fucking idiot. So I just shake his hand and he tells me goodbye before walking away.

I can't believe that just fucking happened to me. There's a scout out there that believes in what I'm doing. Thinks I'm talented. I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling right now but I think it's good. I'm not exactly happy but I'm sure as hell not fucking sad anymore. I don't know what this is. I don't know what it means. But it feels good.

I end up watching where he disappeared into the crowd until a hand on my shoulder pulls me back to the present. Anastasia's eyebrows are downward as she gives me a 'what the hell' look. She holds my phone out toward me, a small teasing smile breaking her frown. "What was that all about? You just kinda threw your phone at me and ran."

"Sorry," I mumble, taking it from her as I crash back down to reality. "I was late getting onto the field and didn't have time to put it in my locker." I probably could have stopped by my car and thrown it in there but I wasn't thinking clearly and I just wanted to get onto the field.

Anastasia folds her arms over her chest with a shrug. "That's cool." She nods toward my phone. "It was blowing up the entire game, text messages were coming in like crazy. I finally turned the sound off during half-time." She hesitates a second before adding. "And I think Danny called a couple of times."

I'm sure I get some kind of whiplash from how fast I snap my head up to look at her. Shit, did he really call me? He knew I was on the field, was he trying to reach me during halftime? Fuck, what if he was going to tell me the truth and I missed it? What if-

"What's going on, squirt?" Anastasia asks, uncrossing her arms to place a hand on my upper arm. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Huh… a ghost. Kinda fitting, really. Especially given the name 'phantom'. Danny's always been kind of a ghost to me and I guess most of this town but… Shit. That's what he was talking about that night on the beach. He said he was tired of hiding. That this year, people would see him for who he really is. He wasn't just talking about coming out of his shell and hanging out with people he never did before, he was talking about this whole goddamn mess. The phantom is who he is and he wants Amity Park to know it.

I try to tell Anastasia that it's nothing but I can't get my mouth to move. Cause I'm picturing that night again. When Danny looked at me with tears brimming in his eyes and it's still so fucking painful, even now that it's only a memory.

God, I don't give a shit why he's doing this. Why he needs to be the phantom, I just care about him. I want him to tell me the truth but more than that, I want him to want to tell me the truth. And I really don't care what I have to do to get him to that point. I just want to hold his hand while he tells me why he started this whole thing. Why he thought he couldn't tell me. I want to kiss his fingers when they start to tremble and I want to rest my forehead against his when he starts to panic. I want to chase away every involuntary reaction he has and in that moment, he'll know that I mean it when I say I want to help him.

"Hey, what is it?" Anastasia asks, suddenly jerking me back to the present. I'm not standing with Danny, kissing his fingertips or any other part of him. I'm in the middle of the football field, staring down at my phone that still reads two missed calls and seven unread texts.

Anastasia squeezes my upper arm and when I look back at her, I know I have to say something. She won't believe me if I tell her it's nothing but I can't bring Danny's name into it. I told Kwan the truth the other night, confessed what I'm feeling for Danny, but I don't know if I can tell anyone else. Especially not tonight. Not while my head's full of far too many things.

I try to come up with anything else to say but when Anastasia raises her eyebrows, I blank and say the first thing that comes to me. It's not what's distracting me and it's definitely not what has my heart around my throat but it works in this instance. And I'm sure once I stop thinking about Danny for longer than a few seconds, the reality of it all will hit me. I think it does a little when Anastasia's eyes widen.

"I-I just talked to a scout th-that really believes I'm going places. H-He thinks I'm gonna be offered a scholarship."

She blinks, just staring back at me like she didn't hear what I said, and I'm starting to question whether I spoke at all. She keeps opening and closing her mouth, like she's not sure what to say. I don't even know what I want to hear but anything would be better than just blankly staring.

"Fucking hell, kid, that's amazing!" she suddenly responds, throwing her arms around me in a hug. It's a little awkward with my shoulder pads and gear still on but I hug her back, a nervous laugh forcing its way out of me. I don't know what this means for me but I think it's a good thing. I think it's a really, really good thing. And right now, despite all the shit in my head, I'm so fucking happy.


My teammates are all talking at once when I step into the locker room. It's hard to tell voices from one another but I recognize Jeff's as the most excited one when there's mention of a party. I think Keith says something about how great the game was, and maybe it's Kwan that asks what took me so long but it's hard to concentrate.

"Guys, let me breathe would you?" I ask, unable to keep the grin from my face as I shove Jeff backward when he tries to grab me in a headlock. I'm not the kind of person to brag but I kind of want them all to know about the scout that believes in me. Just so they know that I'm not just a high school fuck-up. I can be a college one too.

Now doesn't really feel like the time to bring it up so I just move to my locker, setting my phone on top of it. I start removing my gear, ditching most of it on the floor. Jeff and Keith follow me over to my locker and Jeff plops down on the bench, drying his hair with the end of his towel.

Keith comes to lean against the locker next to mine, glancing toward one end of the locker room. He lets out an irritated sigh before he looks back at the two of us. "You know Blake almost didn't get to play tonight?"

"Say whaaaaat?" Jeff questions, draping his towel around his neck. He and I look down to where Blake is, talking loudly and gesturing to Kwan and Mitchell.

I dart my gaze back to Keith with a shrug. "What'd he do?"

Keith shakes his head. "I don't know. I didn't get to hear the full thing but I kinda got the idea that maybe it was about Blake's temper? I heard Coach yelling at him in his office just before the game, something about losing his cool too easily. But he also said something about steroids so…? I don't know, I think his parents were there too cause I could've sworn I heard his mom talking at one point."

Jeff and I both let out a groan, knowing the full horror that is Mrs. Weston. Blake's dad basically pays the school to keep his kid on the football team but I think deep down, even he knows that Blake can be an asshole. His mom's just gonna forever be in denial.

"You're coming to Paulina's party tonight, right?" Jeff asks after a few seconds of silence, glancing up at me when I look over my shoulder. He grins, shooting me a thumbs up. "I'll spring for pizza."

I'd go to the party with or without his offer but some pizza sounds amazing right about now so I make a show of warring with myself, pretending I have some kind of better option.

"Alright, fine. But only if there's some pepperoni for me," I respond, tugging my shoulder pads over my head. I set them on the bench before I start undoing the rest of my padding, my mind miles beyond this locker room. DALV university might want me to play for them. There's a chance that they actually want a fucked-up quarterback from a small-ass town in the middle of nowhere.

Jeff jumps up from the bench and slaps me on the shoulder. "You got it." He shoots me finger guns as he walks backward away from me and I can't help the snort that leaves me as I roll my eyes. He's such an idiot sometimes. But maybe that idiocy is what I need tonight. Maybe I need to forget about everything and just go to the party and not think. If I can get my mind away from Danny for longer than a few minutes, I might just succeed.


"God, it's just… e-everything's a fucking wreck right now. A-And I know what you think I'm calling about but it's not that, okay? I don't… I don't know why you think that about me b-but I'm not. I'm not th-the phantom, Dash. P-Please believe me, I have nothing to do with any of th-that. I know I'm different but I'm not… I'm n-not the phantom."

I'm sitting in my car, replaying Danny's voicemail for the third time cause I was barely listening to his words during the first two plays. I was too focused on the tremble in his voice and the sound of tears choking him. I hate the way he sounds when he's crying.

The voicemail dies again and I let out a sigh, debating replaying it for a fourth time. The only thing that stops me is that I know he's texted me a bunch of times so I just save the voicemail and open up the texts instead, running a hand through my hair as I read.

From: Danny Fenton

I don't know why you think that

Are you like sleep deprived or something lmao

Honestly, I don't understand. Like? Was it something I said?

Just play the game and maybe we'll talk afterwards or something? no pressure

God, he's trying so hard to sound normal but he doesn't. He sounds just as terrified in his texts as he did in his voicemail. And I'm not surprised at all that I can tell over a few lines of text. I know Danny. Pretty damn well despite not knowing him for that long.

The further I scroll down the text messages he's sent me, the more panicked he becomes. There's a break of about half an hour between texts and I guess that's when he called me. God, he must be so fucking terrified wondering how I figured it out.

From: Danny Fenton

Please, just trust me okay? Why would I lie about this?

I'm not who you think I am

I really like being your friend, Dash, please… I don't want to lose you

It's not like I want to lose him either. But he's so obviously lying and... I don't want him to have to lie to me. I wish he'd trust me with the answer. No matter how ugly, I just want the truth about this whole fucked up situation.

Danny's the phantom. But that's not enough to go on. Why is he doing this? And how is he doing it? The same way he stopped that car from crushing me? I still don't know how he managed that. No ordinary person would be able to do what he did and I'm fucking dying to know the truth about all of this shit.

To: Danny Fenton

You're not going to lose me. No matter what the truth is, I'm still gonna be here

I start to add another message saying that I'm still gonna be his friend but I hate the way it sounds. Like friends is all we can ever be. I don't want to be just friends with Danny. It's enough for now, but not forever.

I type out a few other things that I never send before I eventually just pocket my phone, leaving it at that. I want to forget the fact that there's a party tonight and just drive to Danny's place, beg him to tell me the truth. But I'm guessing he needs his space right now. I know I would after something like this. So I'll give him that for now and point my car in the opposite direction of my mind, headed straight for Paulina's house.


The party's pretty low-key but Blake and Jeff are already stumbling and slurring when I get there. Jeff slings an arm around my shoulders when he sees me and I can smell the beer on his breath as he sways, using me to stay upright.

"Heeeey man. Where'd you run off to?" he asks, looking up at me with glassy eyes. I almost feel bad for him, knowing that the hangover he'll have tomorrow is gonna be a real bitch.

I shrug his arm off my shoulders and he quickly forgets he was ever talking to me, stumbling back toward the source of the alcohol. I almost follow him there but for once, I'm not interested in drinking. Not even a little. I want to stay clear-headed for the night and just think. Thinking about Danny always leads to more questions so for the moment, I put him out of my mind. Which all things considered, is pretty fucking hard.

My teammates are mostly subdued tonight despite our amazing win so I just settle for wandering the backyard. Keith's missing from the scene and I guess he thought about the last party he went to before deciding not to come. I can't imagine that he's eager to repeat what happened.

Kwan's secluded away in a darkened area of Paulina's backyard, making out with Jared, so I don't bother heading that way. I wonder when he invited the guy here… probably while I was listening to Danny's voicemail on repeat. It's hard to remember that everyone else's world didn't stop at the tremble in his tone playing over the message.

Star's attempting to pull Jeff away from consuming more alcohol and it looks like she's gonna win that battle. Jeff's love of alcohol is trumped only by his love of girls.

Paulina's on the deck, overlooking the yard with a smile on her face. The wind is blowing softly and I watch her hair sway in it. A month ago, that sight would have mesmerized me or some shit but tonight, she just looks like a girl. One that I shouldn't string along anymore.

She turns toward me just as I reach the top stair of the deck and she beckons me to her with a smile. I offer one in return and take her hand when I'm close to her. I watch the backyard the way that she does but I don't think we're seeing the same scene. My teammates are drunk and stumbling or attempting to dance to whatever's playing on the stereo. Watching them without being a part of this scene is weird. But I don't exactly mind it.

"It's nice out. Finally feels like autumn weather," Paulina says, smiling when I look at her. She shrugs before returning her gaze to the party, nodding toward our friends. "Looks like everyone's happy the Ravens won again." She pauses before adding. "You were really amazing tonight, Dash."

Her compliment only reminds me of the scout. God, I never thought I'd have the chance to leave Amity Park and now that it's potentially fallen into my lap, I have no fucking clue what to do about it. I want to tell her about it but it feels too soon. I feel like I should lock it away and never tell anyone. At least… not for a while.

Paulina takes her hand from mine but doesn't return the glance I give her. She crosses her arms and leans on the railing of the deck, letting out a soft breath in the silence. I wonder what's running through her mind. What she thinks of when she looks out at our friends partying while neither one of us are a part of it right now. Is it as weird for her as it is for me?

I turn away from her and lean my arms against the railing too. The music is still playing throughout the backyard but it's almost like it doesn't reach us. It's like background noise and I have to admit, I like the way silence sounds between the two of us now. Before the beach, it would have been awkward and we would have stumbled over each other in an attempt to fill it with small-talk. But it's been different this time. Better.

The wind continues to blow around us, making me realize just how cold it actually is now. I hadn't really noticed the weather since October began but now it's pretty much staring me in the face and causing shivers to run up my spine.

Paulina shifts next to me and I hate the way my chest is aching at the thought of having a conversation I know has to happen. It's always been her that's called it quits. I've never broken up with her before but it's not fair of me to keep her hanging around like this. I think a part of me will always love Paulina and what we used to be but… I can't keep her around forever as some kind of backup plan.

"Do you… think we could talk?" I ask softly, looking at her when she turns to me. Her expression is neutral as she nods and I wonder if she expects what's coming. Or maybe she's wondering if I'm about to start bitching again. God, she really didn't deserve to have to hear about my shit all the goddamn time. No wonder our relationship was so fucked up. I barely asked her about the shit going on in her life. I was so caught up in what was going on in mine.

I let out a breath, hesitating a second before I take her hand in mine. I don't want her to misread my actions but I think she can tell. Considering her own hesitance when she squeezes my hand, she's gotta suspect something at least.

"I don't… think… that we're really working, Paulina," I say, my voice quieter than I expected it to be. I don't want to break up with her in front of all of our friends but it's not like they're paying attention anyway. They're all too drunk or horny to be looking our way. Still, her hand tightens in mine and she glances around the backyard. I squeeze her hand in response, exhaling again before I look up.

Paulina's expression is disappointed but not surprised at all. I guess she's seen this coming for a while, same as me. When we're good together, we're good. But when we're not, we're so fucking bad. It's just been a waiting game for both of us, to see when it turns bad. I'd rather jump ship before it does than to have another explosive break-up.

She gives me a sad smile and I don't know if it's me that she's gonna miss. Maybe it's us. Or maybe the pair we make. Head cheerleader and quarterback for the football team. I can't imagine that it means that much to her but maybe it does. Maybe it's some kind of definition for her.

"I don't think we are either," she whispers in response, her eyes falling closed as she speaks. She swallows hard, blinking rapidly as she exhales softly before turning away from me. She takes in the scene in the yard again before looking back at me with a shrug. "We screwed up a lot, Dash… We didn't deserve the shit we put each other through."

Shit, she's taking this a hell of a lot better than I thought she would. I really wish I didn't have to do this. She still means a lot to me and if there was a way to make this work, I'd figure it out. Cause I was right, when we're good, it's so amazing. And she fits perfectly on my arm and she's beautiful and… any guy is gonna be lucky to have her as his girlfriend. I'm just not that guy.

Paulina hesitates a moment before pulling me closer to her, our foreheads together. She offers another smile before closing her eyes. "I'm really gonna miss being yours, Dash Baxter," she whispers, her fingers carding through my hair as she exhales softly. Fuck, I'm gonna miss her too. My chest tightens at the thought of not being hers anymore. But she's not who I want. It's not fair to keep her on my arm just cause I still like the way it feels.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, not sure what I'm apologizing for. I didn't expect us to end this way. I expected more of a fight from her. Some kind of arguing, demanding to know why I didn't want to be with her anymore. But her touches are gentle and I know this hurts her as much as it's hurting me.

She pulls my lips to hers and I kiss her like it's not our last one. A part of me wants to say I've changed my mind and kiss my way down her body, lay down with her the way we used to. Dream about getting out of this town together. But all I'll have now are memories and that has to be enough. Because it's easy with her and I'll always care about her, but she doesn't make my heart race or my breath stick in my throat the way Danny does. And I want her to find someone like that. Someone that makes her realize we weren't everything we could have been.

"Don't be sorry," she whispers when she finally pulls away from me. We both open our eyes to stare at each other and I'm a little ashamed of the tears pricking the corners of my eyes. The smile she gives me is sympathetic and I wonder if she feels this way too. Like a piece of her just ended and though it's for the best, it still hurts. I love Paulina. I think I always will. It's just… not her fault that she's not Danny.


I guess Paulina and I are both surprised at how easily things ended between us cause it quickly turns awkward. We make a little bit of small-talk but without anyone else there, it's not easy to keep up a conversation. I almost call it a night and head home but she turns toward me with a smile.

"The pizza should be here any minute now. You wanna ditch these guys for now and have the kitchen to ourselves before we let them know it's here?" She grins when I nod and crosses the deck to open the back door.

I follow her into the house and she passes me a soda before the doorbell rings. She leaves to get it and I wait a few seconds before I follow after her. I know Jeff said he'd get it but he's too drunk off his ass to remember that and I don't want Paulina paying for it. Even though her parents probably don't give a shit how much she spends, I just broke up with her. I think that means I owe her a pizza.

"Here, I can get it," I offer as she swings open the door.

Paulina barely glances at me before she shakes her head. "No, that's fine. Jeff gave me some cash before he started drinking," she says, pushing open the screen door with one hand. She takes the boxes from the delivery guy before handing them off to me.

I wait for her to finish paying before I start for the kitchen again. She closes the door before joining me. We settle at the island, the music drifting from the backyard acting as the only sound between us. I wonder if she feels as awkward as I do. The silence is almost tangible and I try to come up with something to talk about. Something that isn't bitching or complaining.

We both open our mouths at least half a dozen times but whatever we're thinking of saying dies on our tongues before we speak it. I guess it's too soon to have a casual conversation after the break up cause we both give up halfway through and just eat our pizza in silence. I know in a few minutes, we'll have to call our friends inside and the quiet we have will be disturbed, so for the moment, I try to just let it wash over us.

Maybe it's too soon to talk about things like we normally did but I hope we find a way to get back to it. Hopefully soon. Not just cause it'll be awkward until we do, but also cause things have been good between us lately. I wish things could work between us but I don't think we were made for that. She'll always have a piece of my heart but… I don't want her to have all of it. I think I want Danny to.


I dream that night. After I've left the party and collapsed into my bed, I dream of Danny. He's waiting for me after a game and I race across the field to meet him. His smile is fucking amazing as I scoop him up into my arms and capture his mouth with mine.

Danny squirms away from the kiss, turning to hide his face in my chest. He starts whining, telling me that my teammates are watching and I tell him to let them. He bats his eyelashes at me before finally letting me kiss him. And my lips feel perfect against his and I drag my fingernails down his spine and-

The scene changes. We're not on the field anymore. We're on a bed that doesn't belong to either of us. He's panting and I'm leaving a trail of kisses down his stomach. He groans and drags my face back to his, his fingernails sharp against my cheek.

I groan too, easily sliding my tongue into the wet heat of his mouth and he whimpers, his body shivering from my every touch. My hands explore his chest as I lay him down, our clothes long gone. He lets out a broken noise, staring up at me with a pretty pink flush and I part my lips, intent on telling him everything I feel.

"D-Danny, I-"


Something jerks me from the dream and I actually let out a fucking whine. What the fuck? I was sound asleep and dreaming so hard, why the hell did I have to wake up? Fuck my body for its stupid, shitty internal clock.

I tug my pillow over my head and squeeze my eyes closed, hoping to drift back off into that dream with Danny. Where my hands were on him and he loved it. I was gonna tell him how I feel. Fuck. Even though it was just a dream, it felt right. I don't want dreams to be the only the time I touch him that way. Please, let me go back to sleep. It's so much better than reality.

A pounding noise sounds just as I've drifted off and I realize it's coming from downstairs. What the hell is going on? Is there some kind of obnoxious construction going on in the neighborhood? Cause fucking hell, I was trying to sleep.

The noise doesn't cease this time, so I'm forced to get up from the bed and wander downstairs. As soon as I'm on the stairs, it's obvious that some fucker is banging on the front door like their life depends on it. God, I hope whoever it is realizes what awful timing this is. I was having a fucking amazing dream and they ruined it.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I call out when I get to the bottom of the stairs. I run a hand down my face, trying to wipe most of the sleep away. Whoever's knocking on the door might have woken me from a dead sleep but there's no need to let them know that.

I undo the lock before I swing the door open and I hate myself for the sputtered gasp that leaves me. Shit. No, no, no. Shit, I'm not ready for this, I… fuck.

Dad stares back at me and I numbly open the door further, stepping back to let him in. He studies my face for a second before glancing at the doorknob. My gaze drifts to it too and I suddenly understand why he was pounding.

"I uh… changed the lock… the old one was… sticking a lot," I say, thankful that I have the excuse of having just woken up to fall back on if he questions why I'm stammering. "I… left the key under the mat for you."

He glances down at the mat before leaning down to lift it, swiping the key lying beneath it. He turns it over in his palm, staring down at it like he's never seen anything like it, before he steps inside the house. He glances up at me, his brows furrowed and the tension is settling in my stomach again.

For half a second, we just stare at each other and I expect him to say something. To tell me I shouldn't have changed the lock or maybe just acknowledge me with some kind of insult. But he just lets out a scoff and leaves me standing in the living room.

I listen to him going further into the kitchen before I push the door closed again, letting out a quiet breath with the movement. Shit, I wasn't ready for him to show up again. Not this early… I needed more time to myself. To figure shit out.

Dad starts a pot of coffee going and I'm moving before I think it through. I'm back up the stairs and dressed within five minutes. I grab my keys and phone from my dresser and pull my shoes on before I'm jogging down the stairs again.

I don't bother checking the time, I just leave the house and get into my car before dad has a chance to follow me. If he's here when I get home, I'll just tell him I was running late for work. But I can't be near him right now. Not with the feeling in my gut and the way I'm seconds away from starting to tremble. I don't want him to see me before I've managed to pull myself together. He just got home. I don't want to push him away again so soon.


The garage is closed when I pull up outside of it, nursing the coffee I stopped for on my way here. I'm not exactly disappointed by the fact that I'm the only one in the parking lot. The last time I saw Alex… things didn't end well. I don't really want to repeat it but I don't want to be around dad either.

I don't like where my mind is going in the silence so I pull my phone from my pocket and glance over my screen. I must've forgotten to turn my volume on before I left cause there's an unread snapchat from Danny, sent ten minutes ago.

My screen lights up with a picture of his face, fading bruises brushed along his cheeks like some kind of sickening painting. He's wearing a baseball cap turned backwards, his tongue stuck out, and captioned the photo, "hats were made for bad hair days."

I can't explain why my chest aches at the sight of the bruises while my mouth grins at the caption he's gone with. I don't know why but I feel the need to screenshot this image, afraid I'll forget the way it makes me feel as soon as it's disappeared from my screen.

I want to ask him everything about the phantom and have him trust me with the answers but I don't think he will. Not yet, at least. I have time to convince him but I don't want to push him away again. For now, I'm okay to wait.

There are a few different responses I could make to his snapchat but they all sound too serious so I go with a photo of my coffee cup on my dashboard, appropriately captioning it, "caffeine, nectar of the gods."

As soon as I click the send button, a car pulls into the parking lot. My heart crawls up into my throat as Alex gets out of his car. He glances toward where mine is parked and I debate on getting out too. Just patching things up with him. Not cause I don't want to go home but because I don't want to have to avoid him.

He takes a few steps toward my car before he stops, just staring at me. I know he's waiting for me to get out and talk to him but… I can't. Fuck, I want to fix things with him but my heart is pounding again. I pull my car out of park and back out of the lot. I don't know why I thought it'd be a good idea to show up here like nothing happened but I continue down the road and out of sight from the garage. I want to make things right with Alex but I can't. Because the questions he has are ones I can never answer. Cause his questions are about Danny and I can't tell anyone a single fucking thing about him.


A/N:

Yo, yo, yo! Welcome to another update with this angst! I couldn't leave you guys hanging on that cliff for too long so I decided to update tonight instead of later this week like I planned

So you finally get Dash realizing that Danny's the phantom. While Danny hasn't admitted it and Dash isn't willing to push him for answers just yet… at least the seed has been planted in the lovable quarterback's mind. He knows now. And for now, that's gotta be enough for him

And speaking of enough… how about that scout talking to Dash, huuuuuh? I've been waiting for so long to drop this chapter cause that moment is such a defining one for him. This poor boy needs something to go right for him and if he's lucky, this might just work out ;p

I know that a lot of you are probably really happy about Dash breaking up with Paulina and I totally get that. It's a little bitter-sweet to me because while it does get Dash one step closer to going after Danny… he just let go of someone he's been dating on and off for the better part of 3 years. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one that's a little sad to see their break up lmao

The return of Howard is FINALLY here! A lot of you predicted that his return would be super angsty but that wasn't too bad, right? At least… for now it isn't ;p

Speaking of Dash breaking up with Paulina though, I picked the title of this chapter from The Way It Was by The Killers. I've always known since this fic began that's the sort of song that would play if this shit was a movie. I don't know, I've just always had it in my head so it was always the right choice for this chapter. And the title kinda fits Dash for this chapter - learning about Danny being the phantom, the offer from the scout, the break up with Paulina, Howard's return... that boy's got a lot to think about and a lot of questions on his mind

Another song rec for this chapter is Haunting by Halsey. It's very Danny in my head and also just a great jam. Speaking of, if you make any song suggestions in the reviews/comments, I want you to know that I genuinely listen to all of them – I really love hearing what music you think fits this fic

Anyway, I think I've rambled enough for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'll see you all next update!