Chapter 2: Make the Pain Go Away

Hello readers. I'm back with a new chapter. I'm actually surprised at the majority of positive response I have received from you. I am glad to hear this and hope that you all will continue to enjoy it. I do not own Danny Phantom or 'It's Been Awhile' by Staind. R&R and Enjoy.

***2 Weeks Later, 7 AM, Danny Fenton's Bedroom***

As the loud, obnoxious buzzer that was Danny's alarm roused him from his nightmare filled sleep, Danny wiped the trail of tears that had formed at the corners of both eyes. His once beautiful blue eyes were now swollen and bloodshot. Even the simple routine of blinking hurt as a stinging pain occurred with each open and close of his eyelids.

"Please." Danny pleaded, folding his hands and looking to the heavens. "Please, God. Get me through this day. Make it better than these last few."

Suddenly his phone vibrated, signifying that he had received a text message. Danny was shocked, to say the least. Flipping it open, his heart turned as he saw who the message was from.

Sam

Could it be? Could it be an apology? Could she have broken up with Johnny?

Slowly, he went to his inbox and checked the message.

The small glimmer of hope was quickly put out as a tidal wave of despair rushed in. There she was, his once best friend, Samantha Manson, posing naked and performing lewd acts on her new boyfriend Johnny. In one she was sucking him off while giving the middle finger to the camera. In another, she was riding Johnny in the cowgirl position, her back arched in pleasure and the light reflecting off her sweat covered body. Still another, she was being fucked from behind.

There was a small message at the end of the picture collection.

"Thought you would like to know what we did last night-Sam"

Exiting out of his inbox, he wiped the fresh tear that had exited his right eye. Already he was starting the day off horribly. Why did she have to torture him so? Shouldn't it have been enough that both she and Johnny had forced him to watch them have sex? Wasn't it enough that she had to spit her new lover's seed in his face?

The answer was an unfortunate no. Sam seemed to find some sick pleasure in doing spiteful things to Danny. It wasn't frequent. So far there had only been three or four occurrences since she had rejected Danny. But when she did, it felt as though she was twisting a jagged dagger in his already aching heart.

Slowly, he crawled out of bed and began to go about his morning routine. Going to the bathroom, washing up, getting dressed in his normal attire, and making his way to breakfast. The house was and had been quiet for the last two weeks. The day Danny had come back from his disastrous attempt at wooing Sam to be his girlfriend, he noticed his parents packing the Fenton RV. Said there was a major ghost hunting convention upstate. He had tried talking to his dad about what had happened, leaving out the part that his best friend was having sex with a ghost, but he seemed too busy packing the RV. He had tried talking to his mother next. She had simply given him a sympathetic "Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry to hear that. I'd love to talk more but we have to get on the road."

Since then, it had been just him and Jazz alone in the house. He was hesitant to talk to Jazz. He knew that for the most part, she was extremely busy, trying to finish high school. She could also be inquisitive, wanting to know every intimate detail about someone who she perceives to have a problem. So he had avoided her, hiding everything within himself and pretending everything was alright.

The same applied for today as he made a bowl of cereal and quietly ate at the table when his sister came downstairs.

"Morning, Danny." Jazz said as she hurriedly tossed an english muffin in the toaster before getting out the butter and grape jelly.

"Sorry I'm in a rush but I have to get to school early so I can talk to my teacher about my calc project." she continued, catching the two halves as the popped out of the toaster before she quickly yet gracefully buttered and smeared jelly on them before finally folding them in a napkin. It was then she finally got a good look at her younger brother. She was surprised to see he looked more tired than usual. His shoulders were slumped as he was bent over his bowl and slowly scooped the cereal into his mouth.

"Are...Are you ok, Danny?" she asked.

Danny quickly composed his face and put on a false smile for his big sister. "Yeah. I'm good. Just had trouble sleeping last night.

It was a half truth. He did have trouble sleeping. He just didn't feel like having this conversation with his sister right now, especially since she seemed busy and probably wouldn't want to hear about his recent woes.

"Ok." she said softly as she made her way to the door. She opened it before quickly turning back to him.

"You know that if there is anything you need to talk about, I'm here for you."

She saw his smile falter for a second, like he was seriously thinking about her offer.

Internally, Danny was struggling. Maybe he should open up. Maybe talking to her would help. But then the memories of Sam and Johnny came back to the front of his mind causing his heart to ache again. No, just thinking about what happened made his bleeding heart come open again. It hurt terribly, writhing around his insides like a venomous snake, poisoning him with more depression and loss.

"Thanks Jazz. I'll see you at school." he finally said, the false smile not leaving his face.

The eldest Fenton sibling nodded before exiting the front door and making her way to Casper High. So much to do, so little time. Still... Danny definitely seemed off today. Something was not right with her little brother and she intended to get to the bottom of things as soon as school let out.

Back in the kitchen, the smile vanished from his face as soon as the door closed. He let out a sigh before finishing the rest of his cereal and putting it in the sink. Looking up, his opened the cabinet directly above the sink and revealed his father's bottle of Jack Daniel's. Slowly, his hand reached out and grabbed the rectangular bottle with the famous back label.

An unfortunate thing he had started using to cope with his pain, he knew. But it was an immediate relief. Something that he could take and it would immediately make the painful memories disappear for a while. But they always came back and with furious vengeance. But that could simply be solved by another sip. He knew that eventually, when his parents returned, they might question why their unopened bottle of liquor was half empty, or three quarters empty, or completely empty. Fortunately for him, that could be solved by going ghost and sneaking one from the local liquor store. He would even drop the money in the register to at least assure himself he wasn't really stealing.

Unscrewing the cap, he allowed a mouthful of the amber liquid to slide down his throat. The taste was still sour but he felt a bit of relief as the memories began to fade into nothingness again. Putting the cap back on, Danny carefully placed the bottle into his back pack.

Notes, check.

Homework, check.

Pain reliever, check.

Option B...

Danny gulped. If the time came where that was the only option left, he at least had it close.

Zipping up his bag, he made his way out the door, locked it, and headed towards Casper High.

As he walked the lonely road, he thought about the mental discussion he had with himself the other night. Should he visit him today? Would he even listen to him? Or would he just give him a smug smile, comment on how superior he was to Danny before slamming the door in his face.

"Maybe it won't come to that, today. Maybe..."

But the rest of Danny's personal pep talk was drowned out by the sound of a motorcycle. A very familiar motorcycle. Johnny's Motorcycle.

The spectral rider was flying down the road like a bat outta hell. Clinging to him from behind was Sam, a helmet on her head and an excited grin on her face. Next to the cycle was a sidecar. If Danny wasn't already feeling low as he saw Sam with her new lover, he certainly was now when he saw who was in the sidecar. There was Tucker, holding his beret on his head and smiling widely.

Danny lowered his head as they passed. Yet another twist of the knife.

Tucker. The one person he had hoped would stay by his side through this situation. Gone. Bought out by Sam's seemingly endless supply of her parent's money. It hurt and it stung, the feeling of loneliness. The memories of his abandon...

"No. Not those to." Danny said. He quickly jumped into and alley, looked to make sure he wasn't being watched, and the quickly snuck another swig of whiskey from his bag.

The sour taste, the numbness flowing through his body. It took a little longer for the memories to fade than when they did in the morning but eventually they did.

Sighing, he screwed the cap back on, closed his bag, and made a slight detour from his normal route to school. It seems as though the decision has been made for him.

***10 Minutes Later, The Mayor's Mansion***

Vlad had just finished his breakfast as he whipped his mouth clean with a napkin. French toast, eggs over easy, sausage links, and a mimosa. An excellent way to start his day of planning. The morning would be dedicated to figuring out to get his annoying foe, Daniel, to either see things his way or to be out of his hair all together. After lunch, he would concentrate on how best to get rid of Jack before winning Maddie over. Was this a healthy habit? No, he admitted to himself. Probably not the best way to win over your married best friend from college by offing her husband while simultaneously trying to manipulate and/or get rid of her half ghost son. Still, he felt he deserved so sort of happiness. Becoming rich and powerful through his ghostly powers was an amazing feat, yet he had never felt so alone and unhappy.

"Sorry, sir, but there is a young man at the door who wishes to speak with you. He says it is urgent." his butler said, breaking Vlad from his thoughts.

"Thank you, Wadsworth." the Mayor of Amity said before getting up and walking to the front door. Straightening his jacket, he opened the door and was surprised to see none other than Daniel. He immediately became wary, unsure of what new trick the boy may have this time.

"Daniel." he said in a business like tone. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

The boy stared deeply into Vlad's eyes, allowing the millionaire to reevaluate his original assumption. The boy looked terrible. The joking and normally good natured teenager was gone. Here stood a broken and lonely young man. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles under them. And was that alcohol he smelled on him?

"I'm not here to play games. I just have two things to say, then I will be out of your hair."

Now Vlad's curiosity was definitely piqued. Daniel never acted like this before. Sure, he would put on a charade only to get the upper hand from time to time but this instance he seemed serious.

"I must say, Daniel. You have definitely caught my attention. I guess it can't hurt to hear you out."

"Good." Danny said before taking a deep breath. "The first thing I want to say is that I now understand your feelings for mom."

Vlad felt like he had been hit by a freight train. Daniel, admitting he understood his desire for Maddie? Something was definitely wrong here.

Danny didn't seem to notice as he continued. "I know what it feels like to lose someone you had gained feelings for. It hurts. It is a terrible pain I wish I had never had to experience."

Losing someone he had gained feelings for? He must be referring to the Manson girl, Vlad thought. So the boy must have tried to woo his friend only to be rejected in some way. How? Vlad would have to do some research on that.

"Well, I must admit I am surprised by your admission, Daniel. I never thought you would understand me in that respect." Vlad finally said.

"Yeah." the boy replied simply, looking down at his shoes.

There was something nagging at the back of Vlad's mind now, though. If the boy now understood the feelings of loss, why was he not angry and enraged? Why was he not seeking vengeance for this injustice? Instead...he looked hopeless, gloomy, and depressed.

"I guess you want to know what the second thing is now." Danny started up again, looking up from his shoes and back to Vlad.

"Very much so." Vlad replied.

This was it. The moment where Daniel would either do a complete 180 and return to his normal, happy, and mischievous self, or remain in this unhappy state.

"Do you still have your ecto neutralizing device? The one you used to cancel my ghost powers in the woods a while back?"

Vlad was completely thrown off by the question.

"Yes, I do still have it. What do you need of it?"

Taking a deep breath, Danny replied, "I want you to neutralize my ghost powers for a day."

The boy was making less sense by the minute. Neutralize his powers for a day? What purpose would that serve? What ends would that meet?

"Would you mind explaining to me why you would want that?"

"You don't need to understand my reasoning. Just that this is what I want and you have the means of fulfilling it."

His tone was firm yet Vlad could see the worry and desperation in the boy's eyes.

"Alright." he finally agreed. "Would you like to step inside while I go fetch the device?"

"No." Danny said, shifting from one foot to the other.

Nodding his head, Vlad left the door ajar before making his way towards his lab. Passing by his various ghost weaponry, samples, and chemical experiments, he finally found the handheld Ecto Neutralizer. He chuckled a little at the memory of its first use. One of his various attempts to woo Maddie. When Danny was...Danny. A frown appeared as he made his way back to the front door. What exactly happened between the young man and his goth friend? What did she do that brought him down to rock bottom? Well, he would be sure to discover the source of the boy's change as soon as he left. He wanted his little badger back and fighting again.

Opening the door again, he saw that Danny had not moved from his spot when he left.

"Are you sure you wish to go through with this, Daniel?"

The boy simply nodded. Sighing, Vlad powered up the device and set the Neutralizer to twenty-four hours. Giving him one last hesitant look, Vlad gently prodded him with the device. Immediately, Danny's body spasmed, almost falling to the ground. But just as suddenly as it had started, he stopped spasming and became still, taking deep breaths.

Brushing the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, Danny stood up.

"Thanks. Hopefully we can do this again sometime." he said before turning and making his way back to school.

Vlad did not know what to say. The boy had certainly changed. Were thinking in terms of his plans to get rid of the boy, this was the chance of a lifetime. Yet Vlad had other thoughts on his mind. He didn't like this new Danny, not one bit. Plans aside, he wanted the boy to be happy AND obedient to him. Making up his mind, he closed the front door before making his way back to his lab and stood in front of his ghost portal before transforming into his alter ego, Vlad Plasmius. Entering, the Ghost Zone, he sped off towards Clockwork's Realm. Perhaps the Ghost of Time would shed some light.

***11 AM, Casper High***

So far, the day had been relatively normal for Danny. Well, as normal as it can be now that his friends had abandoned him and he now being alone. He was tardy for his first class but that was a fairly normal occurrence. Sam and Tuck had ignored him and that was alright with Danny. Now painful memories were brought up, meaning he didn't how to quell them with more alcohol. Dash had stuffed him into his locker but that was also a normal occurrence. Normally Sam or Tuck would free him but Danny had learned long ago the art of extracting himself from a locker. Now he was heading to Mr. Lancer's English Class. Entering the class room, he sat at his usual spot while Sam and Tucker sat as far away from him as they could.

"Good morning class." the balding teacher said as he entered the room, just as the bell rang.

The class gave him a mumbled reply. Thinking nothing of his classes usual response to his greeting, he picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the board.

"Today we shall be reviewing our readings from last week. Who can tell me what it was about?"

Turning back to the class, he wasn't surprised to see that none of his students had their hands raised.

"So. You wish to do this the hard way, eh?" Mr. Lancer said. "Fine. Mr. Baxter, please tell me what you read over the weekend?"

Dash was startled from his snooze when Mr. Lancer called upon him. Still half asleep, he answered, "Playboy magazine."

The class erupted in laughter while the teacher sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"Congratulations, Mr. Baxter. You have earned a zero for the day and a detention. Anyone else wish to try and follow his example?"

The class became deadly silent now, not wanting to annoy their teacher any more.

"Good. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Written by William Shakespeare. Now, can anyone tell me what happened to Caesar in our book?"

Paulina cautiously raised her hand. "He was stabbed?"

Mr. Lancer let out a sigh of relief. "Correct, Ms. Sanchez. Yes, Caesar was stabbed by the members of the Roman Senate and his comrade Brutus. Mr. Fenton, can you tell me the significance of Brutus stabbing Caesar?"

Mr. Lancer intentionally picked Danny, having a strong feeling he had not read the book over the weekend. When Danny answered, he was surprised to hear what came out of the boy's mouth.

"When Brutus stabbed Caesar, it signified the ultimate betrayal. Brutus had been Caesar's greatest friend and ally up to this point in the book. So when Caesar felt the dagger of Brutus stab him, the knowing of his betrayal hurt more than the actual knife wound."

There was a pause from Mr. Lancer before a broad smile crossed his face.

"Excellent job, Mr. Fenton! A perfect answer."

The corner of Danny's mouth turned upward slightly at his praise. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

Mr. Lancer asked several more questions about the death of Caesar, all of which Danny answered to the balding teacher's liking. But as the class was coming to a close, things took an unfortunate turn.

"Finally, can you explain to the class what happened after the death of Caesar?"

Danny was about to answer when Sam interjected.

"Yeah, I can answer that. Rome became something greater and more powerful. Because they had gotten rid of Caesar, Rome became the great empire that we know of today. So, in a way, the senate and Brutus did the people a favor by killing Caesar."

The teacher frowned at this interjection. "That was very rude of you to interrupt Mr. Fenton like that, Ms. Manson. Next, this is not History class. Otherwise you may have been correct in your answer. Seeing as this is English, you are incorrect."

Sam huffed and muttered "Says you."

"Take a detention for back talk, Ms. Manson." Mr. Lancer said sternly. "As I was about to say, in the book, Rome dove into chaos and despair. Civil war erupted between the traitors and the people led by Marc Antony. Thousands died and the traitors themselves eventually perished."

"Which then led to the creation of the Roman Empire, which I said. So my answer should be correct. Right, Tucker?"

Tucker hesitated, not liking being called out on the spot. But when Sam flashed him a twenty dollar bill from her pocket, he quickly nodded his head and agreed with her.

"She's right. Rome was much better off without Caesar."

Seconds before the bell rang, signaling the dismissal of class, Mr. Lancer thought he heard Danny mumble "Et tu, Tuck?"

As the bell sounded, nearly everyone rushed out of the class to enjoy their brief brake period before their next class. Only Danny and Mr. Lancer were left as the boy slowly packed his things into his bag.

"Danny." Mr. Lancer said tentatively, "Excellent job today. You really showed improvement compared to other days. I'm sorry you were rudely interrupted."

"It happens." Danny murmured, zipping up his backpack before tossing it over his right shoulder.

"Has something happened between you and Sam?" the balding man asked.

"No." Danny lied before opening the door. "See you later, Mr. Lancer."

As he made his way back to his locker, Danny could feel the memories coming back again. Even now, the ache was still penetrating the numbness from the alcohol he had already consumed. The day was going farther down hill than he would have liked and at a more rapid pace then before. He needed the blissful nothingness the drink would provide him.

Getting to his locker, he managed to open it and sneak his personal 'pain reliever' into his bag when he felt someone roughly shove him to the ground. Thinking it was Dash expressing his anger at getting a detention, he was ready to accept the locker stuffing when he suddenly heard the last voice he wanted to hear.

"Nice going, Danny. Thanks to you, I now have detention." Sam spat, an irritated look on her face. Behind her stood Tucker, a look of indifference on his face.

A crowd had formed around the three, everyone surprised to see the three former friends bickering amongst themselves. A few even pulled out their phones and began recording, thinking it might make a hilarious YouTube video later.

Danny gulped before replying. "It wasn't my fault you got in trouble. You were the one that interrupted Mr. Lancer and talked back to him. Not me."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't have had to interrupt to state my opinion if you didn't hog all the answers."

"Just leave me alone, Sam. I didn't do anything" Danny said, wanting to get away from the girl.

A smirk crossed the goth's face before she retorted. "You are absolutely right. You didn't do anything. You seem to be very good at that lately. First you lost your chance to have me as your girlfriend because you didn't do anything. Then you didn't do anything when you saw me and my new boyfriend going at it. Most recently, you didn't do anything to stop me taking Tucker from you. Even now, you sit there on the floor, whining like a little bitch and not. Doing, Anything."

"Sh...shut up." Danny stuttered, tears streaming down his eyes as his former friend berated and insulted him.

The crowd around them laughed at his response, increasing the humiliation Danny was feeling.

"Tuck. Please." Danny pleaded, staring at his other best friend.

The black boy stared long and hard at Danny. Taking a deep breath, he replied, "I tried to tell you, Danny. Tried to get you together. Tried to help you out. But you never listened. You were always clueless. Now you just have to deal with the consequences."

Danny was speechless. The last spark of hope he had at getting Tucker back was now snuffed out. He truly was alone now.

Yet Danny's verbal beating wasn't over. Sam picked up where Tucker left off.

"Now, Danny, it seems that you have two options now. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'. Just make sure that neither of those options involve me."

With that, the goth turned on her heels and walked out of the circle, closely followed by Tucker. Taking that as a sign that the confrontation was over, the crowd began to disperse and head off to break, the few that had recorded the scene already uploading it to the internet. The only person that hadn't moved was Jazz. She had been on the outer edges of the crowd but had heard everything. Several feelings were bussing like flies through her head. First she was enraged at how Sam had humiliated her brother. Second, she was disappointed that Danny had not told her about the falling out he had with his now former best friends. Then she was concerned for Danny himself. How was he taking this recent verbal abuse?

Putting all other thoughts aside, she began pushing through the crowd to find her brother and comfort him. When she got to the center, however, he was nowhere in sight. She frantically searched for him but could not find him among the mass of students. Thinking he must have gone to the cafeteria to sit and think, she hurried down the hall, not knowing that Danny had sneaked away, taking the stairwell to the roof of the school where he was currently letting the tears flow freely from his eyes.

He tried to push back the memories welling up inside him with a sip of the whiskey but they only became more vivid and intense.

In the span of only a few minutes, Sam had completely humiliated him in front of the school and soon the internet. He had nobody. All he could do was wallow in his pity and sorrow.

Thinking about Sam's final words to him, he slowly took two things from his backpack. One was his phone, which he immediately turned on and stated to play some music from. The other was his Plan B. The thing he had hoped he wouldn't have to resort to. Now, however, it seemed like the only rational option as he took another sip of whiskey and began thinking on how he would go about completing the task.

***Meanwhile, in the Ghost Zone***

In the vast green expanse that comprised the Ghost Zone, three spectral ladies sat on one of the many floating islands. In the center was Kitty, a glum look on her face and dressed simply in her black tank top, red mini skirt, and green leggings now that her jacket, scarf, and ring had been destroyed. On her right was one of her girlfriends, Ember McLain. She was in her usual attire but as scowl was on her face. On Kitty's left was her other girlfriend, Penelope Spectra, who was giving her a sympathetic look.

"Seriously, why don't we just go after the two and give that two timing bastard the beating of a lifetime?" Ember asked.

"Because one, he isn't worth it. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. If I try to get back at him, it would only give him a reason to try and spite me in return. And two, his new girlfriend still has some of Danny's ghost tech so they can fight back." Kitty replied.

Ember simply huffed in response.

"What I'm more concerned about is Danny. You girls should have seen him when he left. He seemed broken, like he had given up."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. When I tried fighting babypop last week, he was completely different from his usual self. No jokes. No witty banter. Him and his tech friend seemed to be having a difficult time trying to beat me." Ember said.

Kitty simply nodded and let Ember recount her story.

"Then I see Johnny pull up with the goth riding bitch behind him. She calls out to the geek, saying that she needs him for an important favor. Initially he says no, that he was helping babypop capture me. Then she pulls out a wad of cash from her pocket and waves it around, asking for his help again. This time, the nerd pauses, the thermos in his hands. I see his eyes bulge before giving Danny a look. Babypop pleads with him to stay and help. Then the goth pulls out some device from her other pocket and baits him with it. The nerd takes a couple of glances between the bribe and babypop before finally dropping the thermos and running to the couple and riding off with them. He eventually caught me an hour later and sent me back here but I could tell he was hurt by his friend up and leaving him."

Then a dark look crossed the ghostly rocker's face before she continued. "It wasn't until yesterday when Johnny came into the bar plastered that he told everyone what he and the goth had the geek do."

"What did they do?" Kitty asked.

Sighing, Ember replied, "They paid the geek to hack into the security of babypop's house so they could fuck on his bed. Said they made sure to ruin his sheets and left a little note for him."

Kitty's eyes glowed with rage before she slammed her fists into the rock.

"Damn it! Why do they have to be such assholes to him? Didn't he suffer enough when they forced him and I to watch them fuck?"

"Easy there, girl." Ember soothed, trying to calm her friend down. "Why are you getting all upset about them messing with Phantom?"

Kitty took a deep breath before answering, "Because I don't think he deserved to be treated the way he was and currently is. He needs someone to comfort him. Someone to let him know that there are better people out there for him. Someone..."

"Someone like you?" Ember teased.

Kitty blushed at her friend's joke before slowly nodding, causing the ghosty rocker to gasp.

"So you weren't joking around when you said you enjoyed dating the dipstick."

A small smile came to Kitty's face. "No. It definitely wasn't a joke. What surprised me was that he also enjoyed our time together."

"You sure you aren't just on the rebound right now?"

"Definitely not. I've done some thinking and I would like to have another chance with him."

Snickering, Ember wrapped her arm around her friend and said, "So go find the dipstick and make him yours! Stop moping around and thinking about it."

Kitty giggled and embraced her friend.

"You should hurry." Penelope spoke up.

The two turned to their friend, confusion written on their face.

"Why would you say that?" Kitty asked.

Spectra sighed before speaking up. "Because I have seen and talked to Phantom lately. Bumped into him a few days ago, looking for some misery to consume. So I was surprised when the largest amount of misery was coming from him."

"What did you do to him?" Ember asked.

"He asked me to take away his pain and misery. Said I could take as much as I wanted as long as I didn't make a mess of the town."

"So you used him? You lied about taking his misery away just to keep yourself young and powerful?" Kitty asked, disappointment on her face.

"I told him I couldn't take it away. Explained that all I could do was feed off it. Yet he seemed adamant in having me try. I got my fill but he seemed just as depressed as when we started."

A look of determination came across Kitty's face as she stood up. "Take me to him."

"You won't like what you find." Spectra said as she also got to her feet.

"I don't care. If anyone can help him out of this funk he is it, it would be the person that had to endure exactly what he did."

"I'll go to. With the three of us, I'm sure we can help him." Ember said as she joined her friends.

Spectra grabbed both of their hands. "Alright. Hopefully he is where I met him the last time."

With that, Penelope teleported the three of them in a sickly whirlwind of mucus.

***Roof of Casper High***

As the three spectral ladies exited the slimy twister, Ember had to hold back her lunch from coming back up.

"That is the most disgusting teleport power I have ever used." the ghostly rocker said.

"Beggars can't be choosers." Spectra retorted as they surveyed the roof.

As they looked around, they could hear the faint sound of music playing.

And it's been awhile

Since I could hold my head up high

And it's been awhile

Since I first saw you

Walking forward and around one of the air units, they found a miserable site. There was Danny, sitting on the edge of the roof, just polishing off the remainder of a bottle of Jack Daniels before letting it drop and shatter into dozens of pieces between his feet. His eyes were bloodshot, tears flowing in rivers down either side of his face. On his left, his phone was out and playing the music they had heard. In his right hand, he was gripping some thin object. Exactly what, they couldn't tell.

And it's been awhile

Since I could stand on my own two feet again

And it's been awhile

Since I could call you

"Danny?" Kitty asked cautiously.

The boy groggily looked up at his guests.

"Hey Kitty, Ember, Spectra. Surprised to see you here." he mumbled, his voice slightly slurred.

"I...I wanted to see you. See how you have been since...well..."

"Since Sam and Johnny dumped us." Danny finished.

"Yeah." Kitty replied softly.

And everything I can't remember

As fucked up as it all may seem

The consequences that I've rendered

I've stretched myself beyond my means

"Why have you started drinking?" Kitty said, trying to change the subject and get to the bottom of his current situation.

"Trying to forget. Trying to stop the memories of that day and today from playing over and over in my head. But they won't stop. They keep coming back and it hurts so much."

"I know what you mean, Danny. It hurt me as well but alcohol isn't the way to solve your problems."

"Not anymore." Danny replied. "I finished the bottle but the memories are still clear as day."

And it's been awhile

Since I can say that I wasn't addicted

And it's been awhile

Since I can say I love myself as well

"What happened today?" she asked, not looking forward to the answer.

"I tried hoping for a good day. I really did. But Sam sent me dirty pictures of her and Johnny when I woke up. Then she and Tuck decided to drive past my house with Johnny. Just now, Sam humiliated me in front of the school because she got a detention in Mr. Lancer's class. Said that I don't do anything. That because I don't do anything, I lost my chance with her, I didn't fight back, and I didn't stop Tucker from leaving."

"You can't listen to her Danny. She is just trying to spite you. To hurt you." Kitty said, angry at what Sam had been doing to Danny.

And it's been awhile

Since I've gone and fucked things up just like I always do

And it's been awhile

But all that shit seems to disappear when I'm with you

"She is right, though." Danny said. "I didn't, couldn't do anything. And now I'm alone" he said before shakily getting to his feet.

And everything I can't remember

"She did say one last thing though." he continued, looking at the object in his hand.

As fucked up as it all may seem

"What? What did she say?" Kitty asked, needing to know the answer.

The consequences that I've rendered

"Get busy livin'," he said, flipping open the object to reveal it to be a straight razor. "or get busy dyin'."

I've gone and fucked things up again

Without another word, Danny brought the razor to his left wrist and made a cut. Blood began to flow freely out of his veins and down his fingertips in thin, red rivers.

The girls had several different reactions to this. Spectra suddenly glowed red, her powers kicking in at the sudden burst of power she was receiving. Ember doubled over and vomited, unable to take the sight before her. Kitty fell to her knees as tears welled up in her eyes.

Why must I feel this way?

Danny raised the knife again and made a second cut slightly above the first. More blood flowed, dripping to the ground and forming a small pool near his feet.

Spectra felt another burst of energy rush through her. At the rate she was consuming misery, it would be too much for her to control.

"I'm sorry Kitty. I can't take much more." Penelope apologized before teleporting away.

Ember was shaking now, unable to believe what was happening before her.

"Stop. Please." Kitty silently begged as tears fell from her eyes.

Just make this go away

His hands shaking now, he switched the knife to his left hand before making his third cut on his right wrist. He was becoming pale now from the blood loss. It didn't help that the alcohol in his blood was only making him bleed faster.

Ember couldn't take anymore. She hated to see anyone, even her enemy, take their life in front of her. Getting up, she said, "Help him, Kitty." before teleporting away as well.

Kitty heard her friend but was having difficulty telling her body to get up and stop Danny from harming himself.

Just one more peaceful day!

For the fourth and final time, Danny brought the razor down, making it an even two cuts on each arm. Swaying from side to side from the combine factors of blood loss and alcohol, he dropped the razor. He stumbled backwards, gripping the edge of the roof for support.

Once the razor fell, Kitty shakily got to her feet and started walking towards the broken boy.

"Please, Danny. Let me help you." Kitty cried.

"Why...would you...do that?" he asked, his eyes beginning to droop.

"Because I care for you. I don't want to see you die." she replied.

Then tears began to fall from Danny's eyes. How could he be so foolish? How could he have not seen that Kitty had come to help him before he began cutting? Was it too late for him now? Was he too far gone? Was there a way he could recover and accept her help? Or had she come too late? Had his thoughts and pain consumed him so much that he had lost his rational thinking?

And it's been awhile

Since I could hold my head up high

And it's been awhile

Since I said I'm sorry

"Kitty..." Danny said, trying his best to answer her. "I'm...I'm sorry. I wish I...would have known...sooner."

But as the words escaped his mouth, he felt the darkness close in around him. His body going limp, he fell backwards off the edge of the roof.