Chapter 4: The Day Danny Tried to Live
Hello again, readers. For the most part, things have been going well for me if my most recent chapter posts have anything to say about it. Things come up every so often but I've been able to keep going. If I may say, Thank you all for your encouragement and kind words. I truly feel blessed knowing that there are people, even complete strangers, that wish me to keep going and not give up. As for the story, things will be going relatively up hill. There will still be some dark moments here and there. I do not own Danny Phantom. R&R and Enjoy!
***The Next Day, 7 AM, Vlad's Mansion***
Peaceful. That was the only way that could describe how Danny slept. For the first time in what seemed like eternity, he didn't worry about Sam being with Johnny or whether today might be his last. Words could not describe how calm and relaxed he now felt.
Letting out a tremendous yawn, he slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he was not in his bedroom. He was puzzled by this at first before he remembered the events of the previous day. A shiver passed through his body at the memories. Waking up to Sam's lewd texts. Walking to school before deciding to have his powers deactivated by Vlad. Sam's implications during class and later he taunts in the hallway. Thinking about it now, he came to the realization that while he thought drinking away the memories would aid him, it actually hurt him. Clouded his rational thinking while making the irrational thoughts seem acceptable. Hindsight is 20/20, Danny mused.
From there, things seemed like a blur. Drinking until he finished the bottle then stewing in his misery. When Kitty, Spectra, and Ember came around, he had already made up his mind. He couldn't see an end to the pain and emptiness he felt. Ironically, he found someone that seemed to understand his pain and didn't want him to end it all just as he was passing out. Whether it was Kitty's fast reflexes, luck, the grace of God, or a combination of the three, she had saved him. It was both a relieving and a humbling experience for him. Relieving to know that someone cared. Humbling because of the reprimand he received from both her and his sister.
In the end, Danny was simply glad to be alive right now.
Breaking from his reverie, his other senses began to wake. It was then that he felt a pair of arms lightly wrapped around his middle, light breathing on the back of his neck, and someone nuzzling into his upper back. It only took him a second to realize that the person that was sleeping with him was Kitty. She must have dozed off with him.
"Mmm...Danny." Kitty mumbled in her sleep, tightening her grip around his waist while adjust her head from his back to his shoulder. While he hadn't experienced something like this before, he certainly found it pleasant. Slowly, gently, Danny let his fingers glide up and down her smooth, light blue skin. Then came a sound Danny hadn't expected as his ministrations continued.
Kitty purred.
Well, not so much a real purr but a moan that definitely sounded feline. Her cheek started to nuzzle his while one of her legs began to move up and down his.
"You having fun?" She asked, slightly startling Danny as he flinched at the sound of her voice.
"I'm sorry. I thought..."
"I was still asleep?" Kitty finished for him. Sitting up, she looked down and giggled at the embarrassed look on his face.
"You don't need to be sorry. I actually liked it." She said before helping the boy into a seated position.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better. Refreshed. Relaxed, even." Danny replied, a small smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.
"Glad to hear." The green haired ghost replied, pulling the black haired teenager into an embrace.
Danny found that he greatly enjoyed being in Kitty's arms. He felt the care and comfort she had for him through this simple gesture.
Unfortunately, the moment was broken when Danny heard he phone go off, signifying that he had received a text message. Kitty could tell what he received was something neither pleasant nor wanted from the way his smile disappeared.
"Can I see your phone?" She asked.
Danny looked at her, giving her a questioning gaze.
"Please." Kitty said. "Trust me."
Slowly, Danny nodded before handing his phone to the green haired ghost.
Taking the cellular device, she opened up his messenger to see what he had received. What she saw disgusted her.
"I can't believe she has stooped to petty insults such as this." Kitty scoffed as she skimmed through the pornographic pictures the goth teenager had sent to Danny in order to garner a reaction from him. Going through his messaging history, she saw that he had tried sending apologies for any perceived wrongs he may have committed against Sam for a week after he had found her with Johnny. Then she began replying to him with her lewd pictures to rub salt in his already open wound.
Biting back the insults she had for the girl, she pressed a few buttons on his phone before handing it back to Danny.
"Here is where we start to help you get back on your feet." Kitty said to Danny. "First, you need to delete her messages and her number from your phone."
The boy looked appalled by her suggestion.
Sighing, Kitty asked, "How much did it hurt to open your messages just to find her teasing you like this?"
Danny didn't say anything, opting to take interest in his bedsheets. Truth be told, those texts and pictures Sam had sent had been torture to wake up to. Everyday he had seen new messages from her, hoping that they would be apologies for her actions. Yet they were just more lewd pictures of her and Johnny. Definition of insanity, he thought. The same thing happening over and over again and him hoping something would change.
Did he still have hope that Sam would come around?
Yes.
Is Kitty currently trying to help him out with his situation?
Yes.
Who should he put his faith in?
Sam or Kitty?
This definitely wasn't an easy decision for him to make. Part of him would always want to retain the previous friendship he had maintained with Sam up until the shit hit the fan. Yet he understood, albeit grudgingly, that she had lost her romantic feelings for him. As for Kitty, she had originally dated Danny while disguised as Paulina so as to get back at Johnny for his unfaithfulness. Yet he didn't push her away when he discovered the truth. He had actually enjoyed his time with her until Johnny had tricked him into getting the two of them back together. Currently, Kitty seems to have gotten over the breakup between her and Johnny and wanted a genuine relationship with Danny if her saving his life was any indication.
He closed his eyes, allowing a single tear to fall before he pressed the button to delete all the messages and Sam's phone number.
"Was it easy?" Kitty asked.
Danny simply shook his head.
Gently, she cupped his chin and lifted it towards her face. Opening his eyes, he saw the green haired ghost giving him a reassuring smile.
"This is the first step on a long journey to recovery. I know this may not seem like much but you are one step closer to getting better."
With that, she brushed away the tear he had shed before leaning in and planting her lips on his. Danny was shocked by her initiative. He knew she had feelings for him but he hadn't expected her to be so bold in making the first move. Still, for his first kiss, it was truly amazing. Her lips were soft and gentle. Occasionally she would nibble on his lower lip playfully. When he did the same to her, he got the taste of cherry from her lipstick. He moaned with pleasure. Kitty surprised him again when her tongue entered his mouth, dancing with his.
Their make out session was cut short by a cough at the door. They quickly separated and saw Jazz standing in the door frame.
"I was going to wake you up but it seems Kitty beat me to it." The red head said, an amused smile on her face. "Breakfast is ready. You good to make it to the dining room?"
Danny's cheeks were a deep shade of red and he couldn't meet his sister's eyes.
"Yeah. I'll see you in a couple of minutes."
Nodding her head, the eldest Fenton sibling left the two alone.
"Whoops. Guess I got a little carried away." Kitty chuckled.
Danny grinned. "Yeah." He replied.
Once she calmed down, Danny's smiled slowly slipped off his face. "I was wondering if...you know...are we...?" He said, stumbling through his words, unsure of how to broach the subject.
"Yes." She replied.
"Yes?" He asked, unsure if she understood what he was trying to say.
Kitty giggled before resting a hand on his cheek. "Yes we are in a relationship now. I've made up my mind and have decided that I want you."
He gave her a small smile and leaned into her hand. "I'm fairly new to the whole relationship thing. I hope you don't mind."
"Don't worry. We'll take things slow for a while. We need to get you back on your feet first before we can worry about what to expect between the two of us.
Nodding, Danny got up out of bed and walked over to where his clothes were neatly folded. Thankfully he still had his boxers on underneath the hospital gown but he was still a little self conscious about his body. Grabbing the pile, he walked towards the privacy screen the room had and began to change.
"I know this might earn me another hit from you but I'm not looking forward to school today." He said as he pulled his jeans on.
Kitty sighed.
"I never said that this would be easy. This process isn't an overnight thing. Sam will still try to goad a reaction from you, as she has proven this morning. Sometimes I can help you overcome her taunts but I can't fight all your battles for you, Danny. There will come a time when you need to make some tough choices on your own. But know that no matter what happens, I'll be there for you. Jazz will be there for you. Ember, Penelope, and Vlad will be there for you."
That eased Danny's mind. He wouldn't be alone in this situation. There were people that cared for him and wanted him to keep going.
After tying his shoelaces, he walked out from behind the curtain to face Kitty.
"Umm...What do I do about the bandages?" He asked, indicating the gauze wrapped around both his wrists.
"Leave them on and don't answer any questions people may ask about them." Kitty replied as she got off the be and pulled him into a warm embrace. "Come on. The others are waiting for us downstairs."
Minutes later, the two entered the mansion's dining room where Vlad, Jazz, and Penelope were already enjoying their breakfast. Danny pulled out a chair for Kitty before taking a seat next to his sister. They sat in silence for a few moments, only the sound cutlery being used. To Danny, he appreciated it. He didn't feel like talking about the events of yesterday. For now, he just wanted to have some semblance of his normal/abnormal life back.
After breakfast, Vlad offered to take the two Fentons to school. Jazz said "Sure." while Danny simply nodded his head. The three plus Kitty stood up and made their way to the mansion's large garage. Various sports cars, muscle cars, and stretch limos made up the vast collection. Jumping into a modest sedan, the four made their way to Casper High.
"Shall I turn on the radio?" Vlad asked, wanting to break up the awkward silence that had formed as soon as they got onto the streets.
Danny shook his head before resting it on Kitty's shoulder.
Vlad let out a sigh. He was trying his best to make up for his actions yesterday. Sure, he didn't know what Daniel's intentions were when he asked him to nullify his powers for a day. Still, the guilt weighed heavily on him.
Suddenly, a motorcycle swerved in front of the sedan, nearly hitting them. Irritated, Vlad blared the horn at the bike. To his surprise, he saw that the rider was none other than Johnny 13 with Ms. Manson behind him. The spectral biker gave him the finger before speeding off.
"Let it go." Kitty said. "He likes to show off and ride recklessly. Even when I was with him he did't care all that much for the safety of himself or others."
"I hope he gets whats coming to him." Jazz said venomously.
The rest of the ride to school was silent. Danny sat quietly, his head resting on the biker girl's shoulder. Kitty was looking out the window while gently running her fingers through the boy's hair. Jazz was pretending to be typing away on her phone when in reality she was thinking on how best to handle the situation with the two wannabe Judases. Finally, Vlad was silently contemplating how best to improve the boy's.
Reaching the high school, Vlad parked the sedan and walked with the two Fenton towards the building.
"Can you stay? Just for today?" Danny asked Kitty as she floated beside him.
The green haired ghost gave him a warm smile before nodding her head.
"I'll be by you side all day." She said before going invisible and taking his left hand.
Entering Casper High, the small group noticed the students milling around the halls turned their attention towards them and became silent. They moved out of their way as they stopped first at Jazz's locker and then Danny's.
The hush that had fallen over the students was ominous and slightly disturbing. Not a whisper could be heard nor a breath being taken. It wasn't until Danny closed his locker that something happened.
"Hey Jazz. Tuck and I didn't see you all afternoon yesterday." Sam said, walking up to the group with Tucker following closely behind.
Jazz remained tight lipped, not even looking at the goth girl or acknowledging her statement.
"So what happened? Follow your bitch of a brother home after the verbal lashing I gave him yesterday?" Sam continued, a smirk crossing her face.
The elder Fenton sibling began to clench and unclench her fists, her frustration slowly building.
"Now, now, Jasmine." Vlad said, resting a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "You shouldn't stoop to her level. No matter how much she deserves it."
"Big talk coming from a poor excuse of a mayor that is lusting after his best friend's wife." The goth retorted.
Then Vlad did something nobody expected. He began to laugh. Not a jolly one but one of both sarcasm and condescension.
"My dear Ms. Manson." The elder halfa said, turning to Sam. "There will come a day where you too will realize that you gave your heart to the wrong person. It might not be now. It might not be till years or decades down the line. But you will. And when that day comes, you'll know that you willingly pushed away everything you held dear for a chance to obtain the unobtainable."
With that, he, Jazz, Danny, and a still invisible Kitty walked away.
"Wow, Vlad. That was amazing!" Jazz said. "How did you come up with that on the fly?"
"I didn't" The mayor said solemnly.
The implications of this statement was sobering to the other three. Fortunately for Vlad, they didn't have time to respond as they reached Mr. Lancer's classroom.
"Mr. Fenton. Care to explain why you were..." The balding teaching started to ask before he noticed Vlad.
"That would be my doing, Mr. Lancer. I borrowed young Daniel after noticing some injuries he had acquired and took him to seek proper medical attention." Vlad said smoothly.
"I see." Lancer said, his eye glancing at the bandages around the teen's wrists before returning to the mayor. "Any idea what might have caused these injuries?"
"I have my suspicions." The elder halfa said, his eyes following Sam as the entered the class before flicking over to Tucker and finally returning to the teacher. "Unfortunately, security and surveillance seems to be lacking so we may never truly know."
"I'm sorry to hear that." The teacher said, a look of concern and disappointment on his face.
"Not to worry. I'm going to be speaking with the principal to see if we can't allocate more funds to the school's security." Vlad said.
He gave Danny's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he and Jazz exited the classroom. Just as the door closed, the bell rang, signifying the beginning of class.
"Good morning, class. Today we will be..."
At this, Mr. Lancer paused, looking around the room. Nearly every student had a bored or vacant expression on their face. The only exceptions were Ms. Manson, Mr. Foley, and Mr. Fenton.
Ms. Manson seemed to alternate between glaring daggers at Daniel and putting on a conspiratorial smirk, as if she knew the punchline to the world's greatest joke. Mr. Foley seemed to be worriedly glancing between the two, unsure of what he should do. Finally, Daniel was looking right back at Mr. Lancer.
"Today will be a sort of fun day. We will discuss literature made into movies."
At this, many of the students sat up straighter in their chairs at the sound of movies.
"Let me reiterate. These are movies based off of books."
A majority of the popular crowd groaned at this and quickly lost interest.
Star raised her hand.
"Can we talk about Twilight?" Star asked.
The whole of the male population groaned at this.
"Unfortunately I have neither seen nor read that series so I cannot properly regulate that conversation."
Paulina then raised her hand, asking "What about 50 Shades of..."
"NOOOOO!" The male students exclaimed in a united voice.
"Ms. Sanchez. We will not be discussing that smut in my class." Mr. Lancer said to the cheers of the boys.
The balding teacher was about to chose the topic himself when he saw Danny slowly raise his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Fenton?"
"The...The Shawshank Redemption."
"Ah. Excellent choice, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer said, smiling broadly.
"Teacher's Pet." Dash muttered to the other populars, earning a couple of snickers.
"Is that so, Mr. Baxter? Do you have any alternatives that you would like to talk about?"
Dash began mumbling incoherently at being called out.
"One would hope that you don't fumble the football as much as you fumble over your words, Mr. Baxter." The teacher said.
This brought several chuckles and bursts of laughter from the students. After a few seconds, Mr. Lancer reeled their attention back in.
"So, Mr. Fenton. Tell us about your impression of both the movie and the book? If anyone else feels like contributing to the discussion, please raise your hand and I will come around to you at an appropriate stoppage."
A small smile crossed Danny's face. He really appreciated what his teacher was doing, even if he didn't realize it. His smile only broadened when he felt an invisible Kitty shift into a more comfortable position on his lap.
'I can do this.' He thought before looking up at his balding teacher.
"I enjoyed the constant theme of hope in both book and movie. So many things go wrong for Andy Dufresne, from his false imprisonment, to the harassment he received from the prison gangs, to him being forced into money laundering. Yet he never gives up on hope. It is a constant that pushes him forward and keeps him going."
"Excellent summary, Daniel. Short, concise, and giving plenty of information for you classmates who may wish to read the book or watch its adaptation." Mr. Lancer said before glancing around the room to see if anyone had raised their hands.
Much to his displeasure, he noticed Sam with her hand raised and devious smirk on her face.
"Ms. Manson? Do you wish to add something?" The teacher asked.
"Yes." Sam answered. "I would like to say that I thought the main character seemed like a complete idiot throughout both the story and the movie."
The girl's smirk grew when she saw Danny flinch and her balding teacher frown at her statement.
"Care to explain how you came to that conclusion, Ms. Manson?"
"Well, he was obviously a terrible husband if his wife decided to cheat on him. He didn't have the backbone to go through with his attempt to scare them when he found out she was cheating on him which also lead up to his life time imprisonment. Finally, he was so gullible and trusting in the warden that he thought he could get a retrial when new evidence came up."
The classroom was silent as the grave. Even without knowing the complete story, everyone knew there had been a big falling out between the loser trio if the confrontation yesterday was evidence.
Danny was silent, staring at his desk while a hurricane of turmoil, insults, and degradation passed through his mind. He didn't want to listen to her subtle jabs at him. He didn't want her to affect him as she did. Yet the insults and put downs he had previously received from her were stinging him like angry hornets. He wanted some relief. Some method of escape or something to dull the pain.
"Shhh." Kitty silently cooed in his ear. "I'm here with you."
To emphasize her point, she kissed him on the cheek before burring her head into the crook of his neck.
"You can make it through this. I know you can." She whispered.
"Mr. Fenton." The teacher said, breaking Danny from his thoughts. "Do you have a rebuttal?"
Danny took a deep breath before slowly letting it out.
'I can do this.' He thought to himself before answering the teacher.
"I'll admit that Sam made some interesting points in her case but she seems to have let out a key factor."
"Oh?" Mr. Lancer said, raising his eyebrow and the right corner of his mouth curling upward. "What might that be?"
"Acceptance." Danny replied.
"Elaborate for us, Mr. Fenton."
"In both, he accepted the fact that he lost his wife because he became too absorbed into his work. The reason he didn't go through with his plan to scare his wife and her lover was because he knew it wouldn't bring her back to him. As for getting a new trial, I'm pretty sure the warden in both the novel and the movie received their proper rewards in the end when Andy made his grand escape with their money."
Now Mr. Lancer allowed himself to breakout into a full smile.
"Excellent rebuttal, Mr. Fenton." The teacher said before turning back to a flustered Sam. "Ms. Manson. Do you have a retort?"
Sam spluttered and fumbled for words yet she couldn't.
"Tucker! Help me out here!" She said.
The techno geek simply shrugged his shoulders at her, indicating his lack of knowledge on the subject.
So the class went on. Mr. Lancer would ask Danny a question. Danny would answer while Sam would try to discredit and humiliate him. Kitty would give him small shows of encouragement through both her words and her kisses, giving him the boost to ignore her petty insults. By the time class ended, Danny was feeling better than he had this time yesterday.
Was he still bothered by Sam's insults? Yes. Yet Kitty had stuck by him throughout it all. This would still be a long road until her words no longer bothered him. Still, he was sure...
*SLAM*
The locker beside Danny was forcefully shut, revealing a pissed off Sam Manson and an unsure Tucker Foley behind her.
"What is with you today?" The goth asked.
Danny glanced at her. She wasn't looking happy, to put it mildly. Her cheeks were flushed red with pent up frustration and her hands were clenched in tight fists.
"Nothing." He stated simply before turning to walk away. Unfortunately for him, Sam grabbed his right wrist. Her grip was painful on his cuts but he managed to keep it concealed.
"Let me go." Danny said, trying to free his arm only for the goth's grip to tighten.
"You were a sniveling mess yesterday. What changed?" She growled.
"Why do you care?" Danny countered.
The girl opened and closed her mouth yet no words came out. Finally, she decided to push him to the ground, the wrappings on his wrist tearing off in her clutches.
Like yesterday, Danny fell to the ground. Like yesterday, a crowd began to form again.
"Come on, Danny. Let's go." Kitty whispered in his ear.
Shakily, Danny got back to his feet. Unfortunately, when he reached for his backpack, he grabbed it with his now unbandaged hand.
A collective gasp went through the crowd as they saw the self-inflicted wounds on his wrist.
"Dude. That's fucked up." Dash said in a hushed tone.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Gagged Paulina.
His breath hitched and he couldn't help the single tear fall from his eye. Yet he felt Kitty's arms wrap around him and her head nuzzling into his back.
"Don't think or worry about them. Just stay with me." The biker girl cooed.
Releasing the breath that he didn't know he had been holding, Danny grabbed his bag and stood tall. He stared into the eyes of his former friend.
For the briefest of moments, he saw fear and remorse in her eyes. As though she regretted the choices she had made and would do anything to take them back. Then it was gone, replaced by a look of disgust.
"Guess you were too much of a coward to get dying."
Danny blinked. This would be the end, so to speak.
"Goodbye, Sam." The boy said before turning on his heel and walking away from the girl.
"You think this is over?" Sam exclaimed. "You can't just walk away from me. We go to the same school! We live in the same town! You can't avoid me forever!"
"That may be." Came a voice from behind the goth. "But I'm sure there are a few things we can to keep you away from him."
The crowd turned their attention to the two newcomers into the circle. There stood their former guidance councilor, Penelope Spectra, and the town mayor, Vlad Masters.
Sam's brows furrowed and she clenched her fists.
"What are you two doing here?"
Spectra smirked at the girl before replying.
"I've been gone on an extended sabbatical. Your mayor thought it was a good idea for me to return due to recent circumstances."
Now Sam was being thrown for a loop. Part of her thought this was an obvious trap set up by the two villains and she should be doing everything in her power to stop whatever it was. Yet another part of her was telling her to stay out of it. Why should she care what these two did? If they were teaming up, all the more trouble for Danny. The only flaw with this train of thought was that they didn't seem to be conspiring against Danny but trying to help him.
"Seeing as how school is still in session and you all have your phones out, I will be confiscating them." The misery ghost continued, much to the displeasure of the students.
Most of the teens grudgingly handed over their phones. The only one who was resistant was one Tucker Foley.
"No! Not my babies!" He whimpered.
"Don't worry, Mr. Foley. I'll be absolutely..." Penelope began to say before she pretended to trip and allowed his PDA to slip from her grasp and land screen first on the floor.
"Whoops! Clumsy me." She said. "I'm sure you can buff out those minor scratches."
When Tucker saw the large spider web crack in the center of his precious tech, he began to sob like a little girl.
"Don't worry, Mr. Foley." Vlad said in a condescending tone of voice. "I'm sure your friend, Ms. Manson, can cover the cost to replace it. How much was it? Thirty pieces of silver?"
With that, the two adults walked away, causing the crowd to disperse, leaving only a seething Sam and a troubled Tucker.
"Something's up. With those two here, trouble will be coming." Sam finally said, breaking Tuck from his mourning.
"No shit." Tucker said, wiping the tear trails from his eyes. "Look what they did to my new PDA."
"Will you shut up about the PDA?" Sam growled.
"They know what we did. Why else would they be here?" He said.
"That can't be. They are Danny's enemies."
"Maybe they called a truce once they found out he tried to kill himself yesterday." Tuck continued. "Look...Maybe we went too..."
"No!" Sam said, rounding on her friend. "We didn't give him the knife and we didn't cut him. We are not responsible for his actions."
"Sam this is getting out of hand!" The black boy pleaded. "Somebody know what we did to him and now they are getting back at us for it."
"Snap out of it, Tucker! We still have some of Danny's ghost weapons and we have Johnny on our side. They'll think twice about messing with us outright which will give us time to come up with a plan."
"I don't know..." Tucker said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Here." Sam said, pulling out a wad of cash and handing it to him. "Just shut up and stay calm. We can get through this."
With that, Sam walked to her next class. Sighing, Tucker looked down at how much she had given him.
30 dollars.
The boy involuntarily shivered. Quickly pocketing the money, he hurried after Sam.
***3:30 PM, Outside Casper High***
Danny and Jazz walked out the building and down the steps towards Vlad's parked sedan. The remainder of the school day had gone relatively smooth. Nobody, not Sam nor Tucker nor the A-Listers bothered Danny the entire day. The student body did seem on edge and tension was in the air but Danny was able to ignore it with the help and encouragement from Kitty. Throughout the day, Vlad and Penelope would occasionally pop up, mentioning new anti bullying policies and added security to make sure what happened yesterday would be a one time event.
Entering the car, Danny saw Vlad behind the wheel, Spectra in the passenger seat, and Kitty in the rear. Smiling at his new girlfriend, he climbed into the sedan and wrapped his arms around her.
'Girlfriend.' Danny thought. 'A couple days ago I wouldn't think I would ever know someone who would love me enough to be my girlfriend. Now, though, it feels so right.'
"You did well, Danny." Kitty said, rubbing her cheek against his. "Just one step at a time."
"I...I don't know what to say." He replied shyly.
Leaning forward, the biker girl pecked him on the lips.
"You don't have to say anything."
"Not even a day after she saves your life and you've already fallen in love with her?" Jazz said, breaking up the moment as she slid in on the other side of Kitty.
"I...We...Well..." Danny stuttered, trying to think of how best to reply to his sister's inquiries.
"I liked him before this began." Kitty spoke up as the car began to move. "Ever since we went out while I was possessing Paulina, I've had feelings for him that have only continued to grow. I know that he enjoyed our time together and I would like to see where things go between us."
Jazz sighed. She looked at her brother and gave him a cheeky grin. "You sure know how to pick 'em, don't you, Danny."
"In this case, I think she picked me." Danny replied, giving her a small smile in return.
"I don't mean to break up the moment," Spectra said, "but because of the new policies that we put into effect today, I had to call your parents about both today and yesterday."
This brought down the mood drastically. The color in Danny face drained while Jazz bit her lower lip.
"They will be coming home this Saturday. We'll hold the meeting at your house so that you' at least feel comfortable." The misery ghost continued.
"I...I knew I would have to tell them eventually. I just thought I would have some more time to think on what to tell them." He mumbled while resting his head on Kitty's shoulder.
"One step at a time, Danny." Kitty cooed as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"Will you be there with me?" Danny asked, his eyes glancing up at her.
The biker girl gave him a reassuring smile before giving him a kiss on his forehead.
"Did you even need to ask?"
This brought a smile to his face.
"Can you join us, Vlad?" Danny asked after a moment's silence.
Throughout the drive, Vlad's mood had been relatively up. Today he had done his best to make things up to the boy. Now, however, it was taking a slow but steady dive.
"Me? You sure you want me to be there with your parents?" He asked, hoping Daniel would return to his normal self and want to keep him away from his family.
"I trust you. You saved my life. That definitely earns you some praise to my parents." Danny said.
Vlad frowned. Ever since his meeting with Clockwork, he thought he would do his best to avoid the Fentons and the bitter memories they brought up.
"Please." Penelope said, her hand covering his. "Do it for Danny."
"Alright." The elder halfa reluctantly said.
While the teens seemed to perk up at his acceptance, Vlad was having an internal struggle. His inner demons were now on the rise. Part of him sincerely wanted to help the boy in this difficult road to recovery. Yet another part of him wanted to stay as far away from his former college friends as possible.
The bitter feelings and hatred were still there; bubbling, frothing, and waiting to boil over.
Did he hate Jack?
Yes.
He hated his friend for plucking up the courage to ask Maddie out before he could. Hated him for injuring him in the accident. Hated him for dropping the bomb on him while he was lying in the hospital, bandaged like a mummy, while Maddie hung off his arm.
Did he hate Maddie?
...yes.
All the subtle hints he had dropped to her. All the small acts of kindness and love he had given her. The small talks, the late night research, early morning coffee and breakfast runs. He had done everything to get her attention.
And yet...they meant nothing.
He loved her.
He hated her.
He still loves her.
He still hates her.
Why? Why was life so cruel?
His meeting with Clockwork only seemed to confirm his worst nightmares.
Now? Now he was being forced to confront those nightmares.
All for the sake of his Little Badger.
***Meanwhile, At the Manson Mansion***
The front doors to the posh mansion were flung open, allowing an annoyed Sam to enter her home. She flung her backpack near the coat rack before marching towards the stairs.
"Madam, your 'guest'," The butler Jeeves said in a tone of disgust, "Is currently in your bedroom. He brought over some...questionable guests after dropping you off at school and they left just an hour ago."
"Do my parents know?" Sam asked, giving the manservant a piercing gaze.
"No, madam." Jeeves sighed.
"Good." Sam said before handing the butler a Benjamin Franklin. "Let's keep it that way."
"Yes, Madam." The butler said reluctantly before returning to his duties.
Making her way to her bedroom, Sam opened the door to find her boyfriend lying on her bed. He was flipping through the channels and wearing nothing but his boxers.
"Hey babe." Johnny said as she entered the room and closed the doors. "How was your day?"
"It sucked." She said flatly.
He gave a lecherous chuckle. "You can say my day had some sucking as well."
"Danny came back today. Seems like he tried to commit suicide after the verbal lashing I gave him yesterday.
"HA!" The biker laughed. "Too pussy go finish the job if he came back today."
"Yeah. Anyways, Spectra and Plasmius came by and have started to change some things around. New security measure and bullying prevention rules."
"You're worry too much about this, babe. Those two probably have something up their sleeve to kick Phantom's ass and this bullying crap is just a cover."
"You're probably right." Sam said.
"Course I'm right." Johnny said before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her onto the bed. His hands began to snake under her shirt and skirt while he kissed her up and down her neck.
"Johnny...We need to talk about you...Bringing girls to my place." Sam moaned as his touches increased.
"You said I could enjoy myself while you were at school." He said, pulling off her top.
"Yeah...but you've been doing it more often." Sam persisted as her skirt followed her shirt.
"That's because I get a little lonely while you are gone." Johnny said, wanting to end this conversation fast as he quickly removed her bra.
"But I'm your girlfriend. You should be paying more attention to me and not some random face on the street." She said, wriggling around to face him.
Johnny's cocky grin turned into a frown.
"Babe." He said firmly. "We talked about this. I need me time every so often. If that means having a little ass on the side, so be it."
"But Johnny..."
"HEY!" He yelled overtop of her, his eyes briefly flashing red before turning back to green.
"See, this is how you lost Fenton with all your whining and bitching. You didn't know when to shut up and stop complaining about meaningless shit. Because he got caught up in all that crap, he never noticed you. Now me, on the other hand, I noticed you."
At this, Johnny's face softened and he began to stroke her cheek.
"I noticed you when I first came to Amity. If it wasn't for that stupid genetic lock, I would have gone straight to you and would have forgotten all about Kitty."
His words seemed to work as Sam calmed down.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"Just don't worry about things too much, babe." He said as he finally removed her panties. Her slit was glistening in anticipation and his cock was ready to go, peaking out of his boxers.
With one thrust, the biker entered his girlfriend and he set a quick tempo.
'Gets 'em every time.' Johnny thought as he continued to fuck the goth.
