Hey!

So, here is the first chapter for my version of Ember's backstory! I hope you enjoy it!

No, I don't own Danny Phantom. I only own this story.

Please read and review!

GhostWriterGirl out!

Chapter 1

It Was, It Was September…

"No! No, no, no, NO!"

The guitar case slammed against my back as I sprinted towards my Home Ed class, the tardy bell ringing in my ears. I couldn't be late again! I just couldn't! If I was late, it would be my fifth detention in three days. The school would call my mom, and… and I couldn't have that happen. Especially after everything with Dad… and Tommy….

I shook my head, clearing it of those thoughts, and slammed the Home Ed classroom's doors open, startling the teacher and the class inside.

The teachers, Mrs. Johnson, was the first to snap out of her shock and glared sternly at me, her blue eyes hardening to ice.

"Ah, Miss. McLain. Glad you could make it," she said, her tone cold.

A couple of cheerleaders sniggered, but I ignored them, my eyes rolling as I adopted my rebel persona, someone who didn't take orders from anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I replied carelessly, marching over to the back and sitting down, setting my guitar case on the ground and unceremoniously dropping my notebook, pencil case and Home Ed textbook on my desk, before staring out the window, already bored, my foot tapping a rhythm that had come to me last night… a future song? Unconsciously, I began humming the tune, the words slipping into place.

"Ember, you will remember. Ember, one thing remains. Oh Ember, so-"

"Class, may I have your attention? Yes, that includes you too, Miss. McLain."

I groaned and stopped humming, turning my attention back to the front of the classroom.

What now? I thought. Is this an announcement for another boring t-

My train of thought ended when I had turned my full attention to the front.

Standing next to Mrs. Johnson was a girl I've never seen before.

She had choppy black hair cut in a pixie cut that had large sections dyed electric blue, tawny brown eyes that looked almost golden from the thick black eyeliner she wore, plum-purple lips, a black shirt with a torn hem that had the band name Rolling Stones on it, dark grey ripped jeans, black combat boots, skull earrings, a black choker with a skull pendant and a black leather jacket with crazy electric blue accents on it. She was looking sullenly at the ground, and whenever she looked up, she would always give the other kids a look that said: Mess with me, and I'll shatter your self-confidence so much, you'll have to go through fifty years' of therapy just to get it back. But when she looked at me, her tawny-coloured eyes held a different look. Was it respect, maybe? Or maybe it was a, We're outcasts. I know how it feels, look? It left me confused and feeling like my stomach was doing a gymnastics routine. I couldn't tear my eyes away from that intense stare…

Eventually, the girl resumed looking at the floor, and I breathed out a breath I didn't know I had been holding in at being released from that girl's intense stare.

"Class, this is Lauren-"

"Laurie," the girl interrupted, not looking up.

"Excuse me, Laurie Rivers," Mrs. Johnson corrected, giving the now-named Laurie Rivers her most-murderous stare, the stare usually thrown my way, the stare that said: From now on, I'm going to make your school life a living hell, and continued, "She just moved here from Oregon, so please make her feel welcome. Miss. Rivers, would you like to say something?"

Laurie, who had given Mrs. Johnson a look that said, Try; I've already been through one, grumbled, "Hey. My name's Laurie Rivers, I'm sixteen, anyone who calls me Lauren or anything else will be punched into the next century, and this school already sucks. So, there."

Without anything else, Laurie walked-more like sulked-over to the back and sat. Right. Next. To. Me. All while ignoring Mrs. Johnson's furious glare and the other students' hushed whispers.

Me, I was gaping at her, impressed with her boldness.

"Are you gonna gape at me like a fish all through first period, or are you gonna close your mouth?"

I shut my mouth and turned away from Laurie.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Don't be. Apologies are not what's gonna get us up-and-coming musicians our next big breaks."

I looked at her. "You're a rockstar?"

"Yeah, though I dabble into punk-rock as well. Now, can we end this conversation? I want to be left to my own dark thoughts."

I blinked, before scowling.

"Okay, Miss. Anti-Social. Just trying to be friendly," I muttered, grumbling.

I heard a low, triumphant-sounding chuckle coming from Laurie.

"Finally! A girl in this dump of a school who has a backbone! What's your name, Miss. Snarky?"

"Why do you want to know? You made it pretty clear you don't want to talk to me."

"Not until I found out you had a personality. So come on; what's your name?"

I groaned.

"Fine! It's Amber. Amber McLain. Don't forget that."

I could almost hear the smirk in Laurie's voice as she replied back, "I won't, Amber McLain."

Little did I know that this September day would start a huge chain of events…

Later

Three periods of torture were over and it was finally time for lunch.

Yes!

I hurriedly grabbed an apple, a hamburger, and some questionable fries, put it on my tray and headed to what the A-lists had dubbed the "Loners' Table", where my two best friends were sitting at.

Kristen "Kitty" Matthews and her boyfriend, Jonathan "Johnny" Sullivan.

"Hey," I greeted, sitting next to Kitty. My best friend ever since elementary school turned to face me, her emerald green eyes wide with happiness.

"Guess what?" she whispered to me.

"What?"

"Me and Johnny did it!"

"Oh. That's great!"

I was happy for them, but I always found the talk about making love a bit… uncomfortable. I was perfectly fine with making out with my boyfriend(if I ever got a boyfriend)until we were well and happily married. But…

"Kitty, did you take… measures… to make sure nothing happens?"

Kitty nodded. "Before we did it, I made sure I took the pill, just in case. I don't want to end up like my mom… but that doesn't mean I don't want kids! It's just-"

"I understand, Kitty," I interrupted, smiling. "And, I think you would make a great mom."

Kitty beamed. "You think?"

"Yep."

Kitty threw her arms around me, and we hugged for several seconds, before Kitty let go and gave Johnny a kiss on the lips.

"What was that for, Kitten?"

"For last night."

Kitty giggled, and I eye-rolled, but I smiled at their relationship.

Suddenly, we heard boisterous laughing, and we turned around to see that the laughter had come from the A-list table… and my smile turned into a dreamy one when I saw one of the A-listers.

Don't get me wrong, I hate the A-listers, the cheerleaders with their preppy smiles that hid the cruel, shallow witches underneath who torture nerds and geeks for fun, and the jocks who most likely have their heads full of rocks, but there was one A-lister who seemed to be… different from them all.

His name was Dean Rogers, he was the school's basketball captain, and he was gorgeous; windswept dark brown hair, mesmerising teal-blue eyes, peach-coloured skin covered in a fine dusting of freckles, and the warmest, most genuine smile I have ever seen…

Kitty grinned, noticing who had captured my attention. "Still crushing on Dean Rogers?"

My response was probably, "Hmm-mmm," or something like that.

"Amber, you should ask him out!"

I tore my eyes away from oh-so-dreamy Dean Rogers and focused back on Kitty.

"Right… the withdrawn, rebellious Amber McLain, the outcast of all outcasts, ask Dean Rogers, Casper High's reigning basketball captain and an A-lister, out. Yeah, like that will go down well."

"Well… if you don't make a move, someone else will. Someone, like the head cheerleader, or Sharon Wells, or-"

"Okay, Kitty, okay! I get the point! I just… don't want to be rejected in front of the entire school, okay?"

Kitty snorted. "That doesn't sound like the Amber McLain that I know."

"Yeah, but-"

"AHHHH!"

Everyone's heads, including mine, Kitty's and Johnny's, whirled around… only to see the head cheerleader, Terri Perkins, looking shocked as salad dripped down the front of her shirt, before her crystal-blue eyes hardened as she glared at… Laurie Rivers.

"YOU! You did this on purpose!" Terri shrieked.

Laurie shrugged.

"It was an accident… but I bet your tiny brain can't comprehend that."

Terri screamed in absolute outrage and yanked Laurie off the ground by the front of her shirt, pulling her in close to her face.

"You're gonna apologise right now, Rivers! And you're gonna buy me a new top!"

"Uh… how about no?"

"No!?"

"No. You see… I don't feel like buying you a new top. I'm sure your daddy would be happy to replace it… but I bet you drained him of all his money from his wallet, money-vampire."

Terri's face turned the exact shade of red-hot anger.

"THAT'S IT!" Terri shrieked. She leaned in closer to Laurie's face and hissed, "I don't know who you think you are, Punk Girl, but I will make you respect the queen of the A-listers. You wanna know how? Well, it starts with THIS!"

Suddenly, Terri slammed the nearest lunch tray full of food over Laurie's head, covering the girl in food. Everyone began laughing save for me, Kitty and Johnny, and Terri leaned in, grinning like a snake, before grabbing the back of Laurie's jacket.

"Did I forget something? Oh, yes. There is also a little initiation ritual for the new kid in the girls' bath-"

"Hey!"

Everyone became silent, staring at me.

I don't know what possessed me to stand up from my table and and stand up for Laurie. Maybe I wanted to show Terri up? Maybe I wanted to prove that I was more than a rebel and a loner? Nethertheless, I had both Terri's, and the school's attention.

It had seemed like a good idea, but maybe in retrospect, it wasn't, because of what happened next…

Terri sneered at me. "Whatcha going do about it, McLain? Gonna play us a cruddy song on your lame guitar and have us clutching our ears from the terrible music and letting Rivers go?"

I glared hotly at her, clenching my hands into fists. My temper was running short, any second…

Terri grinned smugly, knowing she had struck a nerve.

"Yeah, that's right McLain. Your music sucks. No one ever told you that? Bet it was the reason your dad crashed his car and your little brother, what was his name?, Tommy ran away? McLain, your music is so terrible, it makes dying cats sound like angels. You'll never achieve that pathetic dream of becoming a rockstar, and do you know what else? No one will ever remember your name."

Okay, that was IT!

Bringing up my dad's death was one thing. Bringing up my brother was another. But insulting my music, the one thing aside from Kitty and Johnny that kept me sane and rooted to reality, and that no one will ever remember my name? That was a road Terri shouldn't have gone down.

Blind rage settled in; all I could see was red. I vaguely felt my arm being pulled back, heard the sickening impact of my fist strike something-Terri's pretty nose hopefully?-and the cafeteria being sent into an uproar, Terri screaming, "YOU ARE DEAD, MCLAIN! YOU HEAR ME!? DEAD!", and someone pulling me back as something hit me-Terri, maybe?-and I was forcibly dragged out of the room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kitty and Johnny staring at me, wide-eyed… and Laurie, who was smiling broadly at me.

A Few Minutes Later

I was now in the principal's office, holding an ice pack to my eye.

That blind rage that had settled over me was now gone, replaced by my churning feelings. I knew I shouldn't have let my anger take control of me, but it felt so good to punch that prissy pink brat in the face, I couldn't help but feel giddy inside-that was, until the principal came in.

Principal Parker was a nice man. He was in his mid-forties, had greying brown hair, warm brown eyes, and usually wore a dark green tweed suit. Out of all the adults I had met, Principal Parker was the nicest one that I had met. My mom knew him, and he treated me like a person as well as a student, not like I was some other troublesome teenager. He even let me teach his seven-year-old daughter, Courtney, music lessons on the weekends, which my mom saw was good for a teenage girl like me. I adored Courtney, she was a sweet little thing, and Courtney absolutely loved me. Whenever I came over for her music lessons, she would run up to me, tackle me in a bear hug, and exclaim how happy she was to see me, and that I was the best music teacher ever. And whenever I left, every lesson she would proclaim that she was going to be me someday, which absolutely made my day.

So yeah, me and the principal were on pretty friendly terms, which made me a bit guilty about what has happened.

Principal Parker sighed, looking at me from his desk.

"Amber," he started, still sighing, "why?"

Another thing, Principal Parker addressed me as "Amber", instead of "McLain" or "Miss. McLain", which was another thing I liked about him.

But, anyway…

I slumped in my seat, folding my arms.

"Principal Parker, I was at first standing up for the new girl, Laurie Rivers. Terri Perkins was being a bit of a bully to her, so I decided to stop it before it could get any worse. Terri insulted me, and I acted out of rage. Honest."

I watched Principal Parker nervously, hoping that he'd believe me. As nice as he was, Principal Parker mostly believed the A-listers over us un-populars. Sometimes, he believed us. I hope this was one of those times.

"Well… your story matches up to the one Miss. Rivers gave us. And, of course, Miss. Perkins mentioned your father's death and your brother, which she had no right to. I assure you, Amber, that I will set out a suitable punishment for her… a week suspended from the squad."

I almost wilted from relief. "Thank you, Principal Parker."

Principal Parker smiled kindly at me.

"You're welcome, Amber. However, you'll be in detention for this whole week. But, I think you should go home; that is a nasty black eye. I'll call your mother and let her know."

I nodded. "Sure, sir."

I stood up from my seat and walked out of the office, the ice pack pressed against my eye-and bumped right into someone.

"Hey, watch where you-oh. Hi there. Didn't see ya there."

I looked up, and my heart nearly stopped. Standing in front of me, was Dean Rogers!

"Oh, um, hi, Dean," I greeted back, mentally face-palming myself.

Idiot! You're supposed to be the withdrawn, rebellious loner! Not the gaping, wide-eyed schoolgirl! I mentally scolded myself. I schooled my features into an uncaring mask and looked back at him.

"What do you want? Come to gawk at the girl who got in trouble for throwing a punch at Miss Goody-Two-Shoes Terri Perkins?" I asked sarcastically.

"No. I think that was pretty bold, standing up for the new girl. Even if you got in trouble."

You think so? I thought, but in real life I said, "Yeah, well, I do it all the time. Getting into trouble for punching Miss. Perky? That's nothing."

Dean smiled at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. I never realised you had such an attitude."

"When you've got an rebellious loner reputation to uphold, you've gotta have an attitude."

Dean grinned wider at me, and my heart started beating at a million miles an hour.

"I like you. You've got spirit. What's your name?"

"Why would you care?"

"Just trying to be friendly. So, what's your name?"

I groaned.

"Fine! It's Amber. Amber McLain. Don't forget it."

Dean smiled. "I won't, Amber McLain. See ya around."

He walked away, waving back to me. I rolled my eyes, but when he was out of sight, my knees buckled and I fell to the floor, a giddy smile on my face.

Dean Rogers talked to me! He actually TALKED to ME!? AHHH!

"What's got you so happy, McLain?"

I looked up-and saw Laurie Rivers standing behind me.

"Nothing," I said back, hurriedly standing up and pressing the ice pack harder against my eye. Laurie noticed that.

"Black eye?"

I was silent.

Laurie sighed.

"Oh, how the tables have turned. I was the anti-social one, you were the one trying to talk to me, and now our roles have reversed."

"Why are you even talking to me? You made it pretty clear you hate people talking to you."

Laurie smirked.

"Maybe… maybe it's different around you?"

"Different around me?"

"You're the only girl here who has spunk. And I respect that. By the way, thanks."

"For what?"

"For standing up to me. Normally, I would chew you out about how I can handle my own battles, but I don't think I could have gotten my way out of that one. So, thanks. You really did me a solid back there."

"That's… okay?"

"I guess we kinda got off on the wrong foot. Wanna start over?"

"If you're willing to not be Little Miss. I-Don't-Talk-To-Anybody."

"Sure. Anyway, I'm Lauren Rivers, but you can call me Laurie. Call me Lauren, and I'll make your worst nightmares seem like your best dreams. What's your name?"

"Amber. Amber McLain," I introduced. Thinking of something, I added, "You will remember my NAME!"

Laurie smiled-not a smirk, a real smile.

"I'll remember your name, Amber. So, wanna be friends?"

"Sure."

And with that, my new friendship with Laurie Rivers started.

Over The Week

This week passed in a blur, to be honest.

When I had gotten back home, my mom, although proud I had stood up for Laurie, was disappointed that I had started a fight and had gotten detention. Not standing to to see that look on her face, I had run upstairs to my room, where I looked at a photo of me and my dad when I was six and another of me and Tommy at the rodeo our parents took us to, where I was ten and he was five. Looking at the photos had caused me to cry uncontrollably on my bed, until I had drifted off to sleep.

I was buzzing over my conversation with Dean Rogers, and Kitty could tell. She was constantly telling me to ask him out, which I really wanted to now. I decided that I would ask him out on Sunday, to a date to the movies.

And, of course, there was Laurie.

After our rocky start in Home Ed, me and Laurie had become pretty close. We had bonded over our love of rock n' roll and our dreams of becoming rockstars, and we're thinking of starting our own, all-woman band. Laurie and Kitty had also become close, though Laurie and Johnny occasionally butt heads. Terri had been death-glaring at me all week because she was suspended from the cheer squad for the week(Ha! That's what you deserve, shallow brat!)and promised revenge on me for it. And, of course, there was Dean.

Dean, Dean, Dean! I had been obsessing over our conversation, and I couldn't WAIT to ask him out to the movies on Sunday… which was tomorrow… oh my gosh!

I grabbed my phone and punched in Kitty's number, gluing my phone to my ear.

It was on the second ring that Kitty picked up. "Hello?"

"Kitty! I need your help!"

So… what do ya think? Like it, hate it, love it, think it's the best chapter you have read? Please tell me in your reviews! And, constructive criticism is welcome!

REPLIES TO MY AWESOME REVIEWER(S):

AstroGravityPhan: Thanks

Anyway, I don't own Danny Phantom, that belongs to Butch Hartman. I only own this story. Please read and review! GhostWriterGirl out!