Hello! Back with chapter three at last!

Thanks to my lovely reviewers!

Nort the Nickel Loving Llama Duck67, proud shipper, Fantastic Bouncy Girl, divalady963, Kats02980416, Lucifer, Phoenix72389, xheartkreuzx, Dreamer for Lyf, riotrockergurl

This chapter makes a few references to The Elevator Game series, but even if you haven't read that yet, it'll still be fine to understand.

Chapter Three

Danny:

Part One

I'm falling even more in love with you…

I met Sam in the hallway after school. She was digging through her locker like she always did, trying to search for her cd player. I kept telling her to put it up in the top compartment because she buried everything throughout the day on top of it, but she didn't really listen. That's Sam. Take no orders from no one. In a way, I felt respectful and inferior all at the same time.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Where is that stupid thing?" she muttered. I laughed, used to this by now.

"How about underneath all of this?" I asked, lifting up a few books that were toppled in her locker. She gave me a look, but pulled her cd player out anyway. "Superheroes," I heard her grumble as she leaned down to get something else. I laughed again.

"I am so ready to go home," a voice said. I turned to see Valerie and Tucker walk towards us. "What about you guys?"

I was glad that Valerie was being friendlier towards us all; she at least seemed to be trying to make an effort, but I had to wonder why. It's kind of weird to have someone who used to hate you be your friend and act like nothing had ever happened in our past. But, the main thing was, she was trying.

What's really hard is knowing that deep down inside of your new best friend is the homicidal ghost hunter who holds grudges and shoots you with energy blasters. Drama, action, drama; it was all the same no matter what.

"Just a sec," Sam said, still rummaging through her locker. I rolled my eyes and her fist latched out, nearly catching me. I dodged just in time.

I looked back up, grinning to see Valerie staring at me oddly. "What?" I asked.

She blinked several times. "Nothing, sorry, zone out moment."

"Okay, I'm ready." Sam pulled her purple book bag over her shoulder and closed her locker, spinning the lock.

"Let's go then," Valerie said. She started walking ahead of us and I shared glances with Tucker and Sam before we followed her out of the school.

"You're really excited for some odd reason, huh?" Tucker said, one eyebrow raised.

"Of course I am. I love playing truth or dare," she challenged.

I stopped. "I hate that stupid game."

"You didn't have to play you know," Sam said, shoving me aside. "You could have turned down that dare easily…but no...someone had to show off."

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically. "And I was not showing off."

"Were too."

"Was not."

"Were too."

"Was not."

"Why are you arguing with me? You know I'm always right," she said finally.

"Okay Jazz," I retaliated.

"Oh, no, you didn't," she said. She jumped towards me and I held my hands up instinctively in the non-guilty pose. She grinned mischievously. "Chicken."

"Whatever," I sighed.

"You guys sound like an old married couple or very young children," Valerie said.

Sam and I both looked at her. "What?" We asked at the same time. She glanced at me and then back to Valerie.

"The way you two bicker all of the time. It's funny," she said.

"What she means is--" Tucker tried.

"We don't bicker," Sam said suddenly.

"What do you call what you were just doing?" Valerie said. She looked up thoughtfully. "I guess it could be called playful banter instead."

"I like bickering," Tucker said.

Valerie said "ow" randomly, but never explained herself. We were silent for what seemed like forever. Finally, Sam let out a whistle.

"Well, then," she said. "How about we just drop this little conversation…and continue our little walk home."

"About the double date," Valerie said, stepping between this.

I tried not to blush. Date was a strong word to use. Sure, I didn't have problems going to dinner with Sam. I didn't have problems going to the movies with Sam. But it wasn't a date.

"I say we go to the mall and then hit a movie. We don't have to see the same ones of course, but at least this way we can hang out for a while together," she suggested.

"How about girls' pay for dinner, guys' for the movies," Tucker said.

"No way," I said.

"What's wrong with that?" Valerie asked.

"Because it's not right for a girl to pay for a guy's food," I told her.

"Why?" she asked. Even Sam was staring at me oddly.

"It's just not right," I said. "I don't know…it just…I'll pay for my own okay?"

"What a gentleman," Valerie said.

This time I actually did feel my cheeks burn. I made a face and kept my head bent down so they wouldn't see me.

"Hey!" Sam suddenly said. We all looked at her and she looked like she was about to say something, but stopped. "I just lost my train of thought. Well, hay is for horses, right?"

"And I thought I had lame jokes," Tucker said.

"You do," Valerie said. She smiled. "I'll see you guys tomorrow okay?"

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"I live in Elmerton now, remember? It's on the other side of town," she said.

"You can walk over to my house and get a ride if you want," Tucker said. I had just about offered the same thing, he just beat me.

"No, I'm good. I'm a fast walker," she said. Her tone made me think there was another way she was going to 'walk' home and I understood it perfectly, but she didn't know that. "Besides, I have to call Paulina anyway."

"So how is your revenge going?" Sam asked Valerie. I looked over at her, wondering where she was going with that statement.

"I'm closing in," Valerie said, grinning like she had a master plan. "Soon…soon I'll get him."

"Good luck," Sam said.

"I don't need luck girl, I got motivational skill," she said. "And a whole freaking arsenal of weapons waiting for me. I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

"Bye," we all said together. She waved and started walking down the sidewalk, going the opposite direction towards her house.

"I'm gonna die…" I said.

"Yep," Tucker said.

"I'm going to sleep wonderfully tonight," I said, turning over to Sam. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Sam was in hysterical laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face when she said 'soon I'll get him."

"You did kind of make this really weird face," Tucker added, smiling.

"Are you trying to help me or hurt me?" I asked.

"Oh, you know I'm just messing with you," Sam said. "She'll never find out your secret. You have nothing to worry about."

"Except for the fact that she has a whole arsenal waiting for you," Tucker added helpfully.

We came up to Tucker's house. His was the closest to the school. He fidgeted with his PDA. "So…I'll call you later tonight then I guess. See ya!"

"Lata!" I said. Usually he begged to come to my house. It was really weird that he didn't today. Well, maybe he had something to do today.

"Bye," Sam said. I held up my dollar between us.

"Bye!" Tucker said, paying more attention to his PDA to where he was actually going. We watched as he tripped going up the first stairs to his house, caught himself in time and shook himself off, and then ran into the door of his house, still staring at the door.

He looked back to see us watching him and grinned. "Since when did they put that door there I wonder?" he joked. "Bye lovebirds!"

"B--" I began. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Sam said at the same time I did.

Tucker smiled and disappeared into his house. I shook my head and handed Sam my dollar. "How did you know he'd do that?" We'd made the bet in third hour after Tucker had walked into a desk in fifth period, paying attention to his PDA again.

She took it and snapped it with her hands. "Because, it's a typical fact. Men pay more attention to girls…or in Tucker's case technology and girls, than what they're stepping on. You know…the earth."

"Uh huh," I said. "Well, Tucker's a klutz anyway."

"Oh, look who's talking," she said. "You're worse than he is. The only time Tucker gets klutzy is when his mind is in the gutter or logged into his PDA. You're a walking catastrophe."

"I am not."

"Whatever," she said. "You tripped on a line on the floor walking down the hallway before lunch."

"You freaking hit me," I pointed out.

"Oh, big baby," she said again. "The point is, there was absolutely nothing that could have made you trip, except your own big feet." I didn't have anything to argue back with that and she grinned. "Don't you hate it when I'm right?"

"Valerie seems nicer," I said.

"Nice change of subject there," she said. "But yeah. But like I said, you should be careful…"

"I will be," I said. She and Tucker were worried that Valerie would find out that the person Valerie thought the ghost kid was actually me.

"Tucker's acting weird," she said.

"Weirder than normal?" I joked. She smiled at me, laughing shortly.

"It's just kind of odd. He seems nervous all of sudden," she said. She shrugged. "It just seems odd….I don't know, maybe I'm crazy."

"We're all a little crazy," I stated.

"Some of us more than others," she said, nudging me with her elbow.

"Hey!" I said. We stopped in front of her house.

"So, I'll call you tonight okay? I want to see that new movie…Serenity…that new one with Joss Whedon," she asked.

"Yeah, that would be great," I agreed. I liked the fact that we liked the same type of movies. It made decisions so much easier.

"What do you think about this whole date thing?" she asked, rolling her eyes. She unlocked the door to her house, still staring at me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Kind of weird I suppose."

"Do you ever have a straight answer Danny?" she asked, laughing.

"I don't know," I teased. She laughed again. If it was one thing I enjoyed doing, it was making Sam laugh. And most of the time, I did it without even meaning to.

"Well, I'll call you tonight," she said.

"I'll be waiting," I promised.

She smiled and glanced at me once more before walking into her house. My own house was only one more block away. I waved to her and she waved back from the door window.

But for some odd reason, even though I started the two minute trek to my home, I was starting to feel lonely. And I wondered why I didn't want her to leave.

Hee hee…well, it was so-so. This story is a tad bit easier for me to work on for Danny's point of view in first person, or it could be because I'm just getting used to it.

--"I like bickering," Tucker said.

Valerie said "ow" randomly, but never explained herself. We were silent for what seemed like forever. Finally, Sam let out a whistle.

This conversation above is not explained in this chapter or any of the next ones, so I'm just going to say that Valerie said 'ow' because Tucker nudged her with his elbow to get her to try and shut up. So I figured I'd clear that up so no one was confused.

Yet again, I feel a slight twinge like I usually do before I work on a certain character's point of view because in my stories where I work with her in first person, she's usually an –itch. But, chapter four is Paulina's point of view (Remember Valerie said she needed to call her) and she's not as bad as she is in The Elevator Game series.

Please R&R! Here's your sneak peek!

Chapter Four: Paulina: Part One (Right at the beginning)

"Paulina! Phone call!"

I flopped on my bed on my stomach, reaching towards the phone on my beside table. "Gracias mama," I called out. I held the phone up to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Paulina."

"Hi…." I said, trying to think of where I'd heard that voice before.

"This is Valerie." Okay, never mind.

"Oh…hi…" I said again awkwardly. What would Valerie Gray be calling my house for? I hadn't spoken to her in a while and I hadn't really cared to.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

Lateraina Wolf