Chapter Two
Tucker realized, as he sat beside Jazz in the movie theater, sharing a tub of lightly salted, lightly buttered popcorn, that if Sam and Danny knew he was sitting in a theater about to watch a movie called The Life of a Pioneer Woman, that he'd never be able to live it down. One thing he was grateful for, or on another level, missed, was the lack of the pre-movie popcorn fight Sam always initiated.
Tucker looked at Jazz who was studiously reading a pamphlet on upcoming features she'd snagged from the ticket desk and smiled slightly, he suddenly had the urge to ruffle her calm and mature demeanor.
He watched covertly as she flipped the pamphlet over then he struck, throwing a piece of popcorn that rebounded off her forehead. He looked away quickly as she put the pamphlet down, then looked back toward her in concern.
"What's wrong?" he asked with a perfectly serious, straight face, full of innocence. Jazz regarded him thoughtfully for a moment.
"I just got hit by popcorn," she told him softly. Her eyes skimmed the theater warily.
Tucker shook his head. "A lot of immature people go to movies," he told her with a dead pan expression. "You probably got stuck in the crossfire of a popcorn throwing war."
Jazz looked at him in amusement for a moment before reaching for a handful of popcorn. She looked at him sweetly, popped one piece in her mouth and threw another at his forehead. Tucker opened his mouth in shock and she took the opportunity to throw a kernel into his mouth. She giggled quietly at the look on his face as he chewed, then put her fingers to her lips and hushed him as the theater darkened and the previews started.
Tucker watched her for a moment then mercilessly forced back the burgeoning feelings he felt toward Danny's sister. He told himself that she was like Sam, sister material. The problem was, that Jazz was nothing like Sam. He wanted to crack Jazz's cool exterior and see if the hints of the wickedly funny girl he'd glimpsed only briefly, really existed.
He forced his attention away from Jazz and made himself to look around the theater. It was filled with girls and he grinned. There was something to be said for going to chick flicks.
Jazz smiled as the credits rolled and the dim lights of the theater came up. She turned and looked at the expression of disgust on Tuck's face and chuckled.
"I take it you didn't like the movie," she said teasingly.
Tucker shrugged his shoulder. "I've seen worse," he admitted as he looked around the theater. Jazz smiled in amusement as she watched him scoping out all the girls.
"I do have to say though," he said wistfully as he watched Paulina and Star walk by. "There is an advantage to movies like this." Jazz shook her head at him then stood and stretched. Tucker looked away before his girl crazy attention could be caught by the sight of Jazz's lithe body as she reached up, her blue shirt lifting and exposing the skin of her mid drift, but he his attention was caught anyway, and the vision was seared into his mind.
"So what's the advantage?" Jazz finally asked as they walked out of the theater and blinked at the blinding sunlight.
"What?" Tucker question in confusion. His attention already caught by a group of giggling girls in micro miniskirts.
"Of going to see a movie that doesn't have gratuitous violence?" Jazz asked as she frowned after the group of girls. She thought they were a little too obvious, but supposed she could understand why Tucker would find them interesting.
Tucker smiled at her wolfishly and she rolled her eyes. "Girls," he answered. "That and the gratuitous nudity."
Jazz gave him a strange look. "There wasn't any nudity in the movie," she informed him worriedly.
"Ah," Tucker said as they started walking toward Jazz's car. "Maybe we weren't watching the same movie."
"Oh geeze, Tuck," Jazz groaned as she unlocked the doors. "You really need a girlfriend."
Tucker laughed as he dug his PDA out of his pocket. "Yeah I know."
"And maybe you'd be more successful in getting a girl to give you the time of day if you got rid of that thing," Jazz told him as she shook her head.
"What?" Tucker asked as he gave her a wide-eyed look then clutched the PDA to his chest. "Not my baby. I'd never give baby up for anyone."
"Not even someone you love?" Jazz asked gently, unable to keep the softness from her eyes.
Tucker frowned as he looked down into the glowing screen on his PDA, which was displaying a message from Danny wanting to know where the hell he was. He flicked his cell phone back on and shrugged. "Anyone worth loving, would love me back," he finally answered. "And if someone loved me, they'd never ask me to give up my PDA."
"That's a rather mature take," Jazz started then frowned as Tucker's phone rang.
"It's Danny," Tucker informed her. "What do you want me to tell him?"
Jazz blinked in bewilderment. "The truth?" she offered. Tucker snorted then answered the phone.
Danny growled as he tried to focus on his math homework. He looked up at Sam who was fully absorbed in a word problem. Her hair was tucked behind her ear, her eyebrows were furrowed, and she was biting her lip in thought. Danny sighed wistfully as he wondered if her lips were as soft and tasted as sweet as they appeared. She looked up at him and he scowled.
"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly, self consciously untucking her hair from behind her ear.
"I'm wondering where the hell Tucker is," he answered irritably. He needed Tucker there to buffer the attraction he felt for Sam. As long as Tucker was around, Danny could keep himself from being completely distracted with thoughts of toughts that usually involved kissing and lots and lots of touching Sam. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Sam gave him an irritated look. "How should I know? Why don't you call him?"
Danny grumbled under his breath, which forced Sam to give him a worried look before turning her attention back down to her math homework. She wanted to know where Tucker was too, though she wasn't as frantic.
Sam treasured her time alone with Danny, and actually looked forward to moments of giddy attraction. It was nice not having sweet, romantic, hopeful moments broken up by Tucker's teasing remarks. She also liked to be able to just look at Mr. Clueless without Tucker giving her hell and making her uncomfortable and fearful that some how she'd be outed about her feelings for Danny.
"He's not answering his phone," Danny growled, giving the phone a look as if it offended him personally.
Sam looked at her watch and bit her lip worriedly. Danny and growled in frustration as he picked up his cell phone and sent Tucker a text message.
"He should have been here over an hour ago," Sam told Danny, now she was beginning to worry. Tucker was extremely punctual, and when all else failed, he was too connected electronically to not call to let them know he was running late.
"Maybe he got grounded," Danny said absently and Sam shook her head. Tucker didn't get grounded. His parents were extremely lenient.
"Ghost?" Sam asked then shivered, worrying herself at the prospect of Tucker being taken by a ghost. Danny picked up the phone again. He held Sam's worried gaze as he listened to the phone ring and finally Tucker answered.
"Hey Danny," came Tucker's blithe response.
"Where the hell are you?" Danny growled, still holding Sam's gaze, unable to look away. He really needed Tuck here or he knew he'd say something stupid like, "Oh Sam you're so hot" or "Can I bite your lip instead of you biting your lip".
"Ha ha funny thing," Tucker answered. "I went to the movies and forgot to call." He laughed nervously.
Danny blinked and told Sam, "He says he went to the movies."
"What?" Sam asked as she wrinkled up her nose, which darkened Danny's mood further. He thought it was adorable when Sam wrinkled up her nose.
"A movie," Tucker answered, having heard her.
"Alone?" Sam quizzed as she took the phone from Danny, an electric jolt snapping between them as her fingers brushed his. Danny rubbed his fingers on the leg of his pants to still he ache to take her hand, and maybe kiss her palm. Sam frowned sadly, thinking he was trying to irradiate her touch .
"No," Tucker answered then sighed.
"I thought you were coming over to Danny's house to study," Sam said as she looked up at Danny again and found him staring at her with a rather intense expression. She looked away, feeling breathless and Danny interpreted that she read the attraction in his eyes and was disgusted.
"I did," Tucker answered tiredly. "But I heard Jazz crying so I asked her what was wrong and we talked and…and we decided to go catch a movie."
Sam blinked for a moment as her mind processed what Tucker told her and then she shook her head. "You're on a date?"
"A date?" Danny asked then grinned. "Tuck's on a date?"
"No!" Tucker said forcefully. "We're just hanging out. You know. Friends."
Sam looked at Danny a minute then sighed. "Since when are you and Jazz friends?"
"Jazz?" Danny asked as he took the phone. "You're with Jazz?"
Tucker sighed. "Yes. I am in her car. We are pulling up to your house right now." Danny jumped off the bed and ran to the window, Sam following close behind. They watched as Jazz and Tucker exited the car then looked at each other.
"What's going on?" Danny asked Sam, who merely shrugged her shoulders. He threw the phone on the bed then walked out of his room. Sam waited a moment before following.
Jazz frowned as she drove home, and listened to Tucker being grilled by Danny and Sam. She would have liked to discuss the movie with him, and felt a little irritated at her brother for interrupting what had turned out to be a good time.
She looked up at his room as she parked the car, and could tell by the look on Danny's face through the window, that he was less than pleased. She didn't know why it should matter to him who Tucker hung out with, but she also knew why Danny wanted Tucker around.
In the brief time she'd spent with Tuck one on one, and considering what she'd observed over the years, both Danny and Sam took Tucker for granted. Though they obviously loved him too. Sometimes, they ignored him, belittled him and treated him as if he was of little value. She didn't think they did it on purpose, but…but it bothered her. Jazz smiled at the worried look on Tucker's face as he hung up the phone and she walked to the door with him.
"Danny's upset?" she asked.
"Naw," Tucker answered. "They were just worried about me. They tend to do that."
Jazz raised her eyebrows. "Really." She was about to open the door when it swung open and she was met with a rather angry looking Danny.
"What's with this hijacking my friends?" Danny asked her angrily. Jazz looked at Tucker a minute then opened her mouth to answer.
"She didn't hijack me," Tucker said before Jazz could form the words. "I stopped by her room to check on her and she just seemed like she needed a friend and so…"
Jazz frowned as Tucker outlined his motives. It was a pity thing. He hadn't really wanted to spend time with her, he'd simply felt sorry for her. She sighed almost in irritation then started to push past Danny to go to her room.
"And I like her," Tucker continued, causing her to pause. "Jazz and I are friends, and I'm sorry if you have a problem with that Danny, but tough. Jazz and I are going to hang out in her room and you know what? You're not welcome." Tucker looked at Jazz who smiled slightly. She doubted that Tucker really wanted to hang out in her room, but the look on Danny's face was priceless, so she played along.
"Come on Tuck," she said as she finished pushing past Danny and started up the stairs. "I'll show you that problem I've had with my lap top…" Tucker didn't look at Danny as he slid past him and followed Jazz upstairs. Sam was standing at the top of said stairs with an amused look on her face and he stuck out his tongue at her.
"Way to piss off the ghost boy," she teased.
"Well he needs to be pissed off sometimes," Tucker replied as he returned Sam's soft smile. "The world doesn't always have to revolve around him."
Sam looked from Tucker to Jazz. "So this is a just friends thing?" she asked.
Jazz blushed slightly but held herself with grace. "Are you and Tucker just a friends thing?" she asked. Sam opened her mouth and Jazz raised her eyebrows. She looked at Tucker a minute then went into her room.
"Are you mad at me?" Tucker asked softly. Sam smiled and shook her head and Tucker sighed in relief.
"And Danny's fine with it too," she said. "He's just been in a cranky mood all day." Tucker smiled wickedly and was about to say something when he turned to see Danny making his way up the stairs.
"Just go," Sam said as she pushed Tucker toward Jazz who was waiting at the door of her bedroom looking very uncertain. "I can deal with Mr. Drama on my own."
"I'm sure you can," Tucker teased then walked past Jazz into her room. Jazz looked at Sam for a second then at Danny who glared back. She lifted her chin and shut the door with a firm click.
Danny watched Jazz close her door then looked at Sam, almost accusingly. "What?" she asked. "Jazz needs friends too you know."
"Not my friends," Danny growled. "What's next? Am I going to come home and find all of you holed up in her room trying on make up and giggling or something?"
Sam looked at Danny worriedly for a moment then smiled. "No," she said. "We'd do that in your room. Jazz's room gives me nightmares, and more likely than not I'd be turning Tucker Goth again, or Jazz. Jazz would look cool as a Goth."
Danny put his arm around Sam as they walked back to his room. He did his best not to feel to giddy as her hip bumped against his leg. "Jazz wouldn't let you dress her as a Goth unless you let her dress you as a princess."
"Well that's not happening," Sam replied dryly as she leaned against him.
"You'd look cute as a princess," Danny teased.
"You'd look cute as a Goth," Sam said almost seductively and Danny swallowed hard. "All your little fan girls think so."
"Danny Fenton does not have any fan girls," Danny laughed beginning to feel uncomfortable with the light flirting, but not wanting to go back to his bad mood or really back away from the adrenaline rush he got when Sam would flirt with him. He knew she was just doing it to make him feel better. "And I think Phantom is Goth enough don't you?"
Sam laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "A few piercing would be nice," she told him, then continued to muse. "Maybe some black eyeliner. I'd suggest leather, but nothing's hotter than Danny Phantom in his spandex hazmat, except maybe Danny Fenton in skin tight leather…only leather is gross so fake leather. Pleather pants with boots and a black tee shirt. Mmm yum!"
"What?" Danny asked as he looked at Sam in shock.
"I'm just giving you a hard time," she said in exasperation then frowned at the thought that Danny was so horrified at the thought of her thinking he was hot.
"You think I'm hot?" Danny questioned, looking at Sam like she'd grown three heads. He wondered if he should tell her that he thought she was hot.
Sam sighed heavily. "I'm just teasing," she told Danny who sat down and shifted uncomfortably.
"I know you're teasing," Danny said quickly as he took his place in front of his homework and tried not to look at Sam.
"Yeah," she agreed as she picked up her pencil and smiled as she looked at the math problem she'd been working on. "Besides, you're hot just like you are." She didn't bother too look up to see Danny blushing fiercely as he buried his attention in his math book.