A/N: It's time for that update! And I'm updating earlier than normal because I'm just about to go out of town again (does seem like I'm a busy person—which I am, but only wish it was because I was invited to go on some exotic cruise or something!!) Oh, well, cant' have it all and I hope you're as ready as I am just the same!! Don't forget that IDNOAC thing—though I do own Armen, Al, Derek and Sarah!! Anyhoo, here is Chapter 13!! Enjoy!

TrueHeart—Chapter 13—Shaking It Up

Bertrand was now in a tizzy. He didn't know what had happened to the ghost dove, and the ghost lynx was miserably failing as time went by. But before he could think of what to do, the bell ending the most recent class rang.

Sam was thankful that it was lunch. After what she went through with Armen, she needed to talk to Danny. She hurried to her locker and once more, she could feel someone was at her heels. She just knew who it was. She turned sharply around and faced Armen. She was getting more and more annoyed at him, especially when another thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Look, Armen, you can't fool me! You remind me of another jerk who acted just like you, fake accents and all. So, if you know what's best for you, you'll just back off!"

"But, mi lady, I am smitten with you, can you not feel this?" he said in his thick accent, again reaching for her hand.

But this time, Sam was quick to respond and backed up. "OK, I was trying to be nice!" she growled. "I am not interested, get it? I'm not smitten with you! I don't know what's gotten into you, but you need to just leave me alone! You're giving me the creeps!"

She quickly turned and hurried as fast as she could toward the cafeteria.

Danny headed toward his locker after the bell rang for lunch. But he had just gone a few feet when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He stopped and turned around.

"Oh, hi!" he said to the pretty girl. "Al, isn't it?"

"Yes, and you're Danny, right?" she answered, faking her smile.

"Yes," he replied, resuming his walk toward his locker. "It's time to wrestle with my possessed locker so that I work up an appetite!"

She giggled a little and then said, "Oh, I wanted to thank you for the kind words you said in class."

"Oh, not a problem. I totally relate," he chuckled, as they walked on. "You have no idea how many times I've been late!"

"Still, I think kindness should reward kindness, don't you think?" she asked with a wry smile.

"Yeah, sure, but it's really nothing. I'd do that for anyone," he replied when he finally got to his locker.

She stood quietly by as Danny quickly did the 'balancing act' of getting what he needed out and throwing the things he didn't need in. But he was surprised when she was still there when he was finished. He smiled a little and then turned toward the cafeteria.

The blonde girl immediately followed him, saying as they walked, "Anyhow, it still was so nice of you, Danny. You seem to be such a nice guy. That's more of a reason for me to tell you something. I think it was better that you hear it from an outsider, someone new who doesn't really know anybody but sees things objectively, rather than a friend who would be afraid to tell you!"

Danny looked at her and frowned in confusion. What was she blathering about?

She continued, "Don't think I'm crazy when I tell you this!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, completely perplexed by the turn of the conversation.

"OK. I'll just come right out with it! Your girlfriend Sam? She's been cheating on you!"

This time, Danny chuckled in response, and Al's face twisted in confusion. He quickly replied, "Like you said, you're real new here, so you definitely don't know us at all. You must be confusing us with somebody else!"

'No, I'm not! She's been trying to take away the boy I like from me!" Al insisted.

"That's impossible!" Danny firmly replied, now getting very annoyed with the girl. "Look, Al, if you want to be friends, you're going to have to stop with all this nonsense. I think it's pretty mean!"

"And I think it's mean that Sam is lying to you and stealing the guy I like!" she hissed back.

"Now I think you're crazy! And I'm outta here!" he replied, breaking off their conversation and pulling totally away from her just as they got to the cafeteria.

Sam looked over her shoulder as she continued toward the cafeteria. She growled when she saw that Armen was not too far behind her, and closing in fast.

She finally got into the busy cafeteria and when she spied her boyfriend, she made a beeline to him. She didn't know or care that he had just arrived himself a few minutes earlier and had just sat down at a table to wait on his friends. And she ignored Al, who had followed Danny into the room and was still close by.

"Danny!" Sam yelled with a little too much distress in her voice when she drew near enough for him to hear.

Her boyfriend turned when he heard Sam call. He instantly knew by the look on her face and the tone of her voice that something was wrong.

She made her way to him, having to slow down enough not to bowl over some students who had inadvertently blocked her path. She grunted when she had to stop suddenly to keep from ramming right into another student. And when she had stopped, she was suddenly aware of a presence way too close behind her and she just knew it was Armen. Now desperate, she pulled away from the foreign boy, calling to her boyfriend's mind as she did, "I need to talk to you—now! Let's get out of here!"

"OK," he answered silently back, rising from the table. But he wasn't fast enough—or ready-- for what Sam did. Just as she finally got to him, she grabbed his hand and pulled him firmly away, only to have him trip.

"Sorry!" she mentally said, as she helped him regain his balance. But that slight delay was enough for Armen to catch up, and this time, the overshadowed boy practically ran right into Danny.

Danny frowned in confusion at the foreign boy's actions. He was just about to step aside away from Armen when he grunted a little from the sudden hard tug at his arm. He was barely able to react after Sam had pulled him even harder when they had suddenly shifted directions. Finally in sync with each other's pace, the couple went through the back doors of the cafeteria.

Once outside, Danny quickly morphed into Phantom, slid his arm around Sam's waist, turned both of them invisible, and soared upward. He scoped out the surrounding area and landed in a clearing completely hidden by bushes.

The outside air was quite nippy. Fortunately, the sun was beaming warmly at their current spot. They were without their jackets, but Danny, of course, didn't need it. And Sam was so steamed at the moment that she didn't need one, either.

When they landed and materialized, Danny turned to his girl and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"

Bertrand, who had been watching the entire scene as it unfolded among all of the parties, could just kick himself with all six of his legs. Just when it looked as if the sparks would fly, the Ghost Kid and his girl had made their escape! But then, he was suddenly drawn to the scene directly below him.

Al had noticed Armen at the front entrance to the cafeteria and had run up to him.

"I don't get it, Armen! What do you see in her? I thought you were beginning to like me!" Al said in distress.

But he didn't answer her. He looked as if he were in a trance. The spellbound Derek was at a loss on what to do, since Sam was out of eyesight.

"What's wrong with you, Armen?" she asked, shaking him by the shoulders.

Bertrand could see the hurt in the girl's eyes and smiled wickedly at his quick new plan. He flew down to the still overshadowed Croatian boy and whispered in his ear. "Tell her that…."

Derek immediately obeyed Bertrand and said through Armen's voice, "What…is…wrong….with….me….is…that….I…like…Sam…better…than…you!"

Al couldn't understand why he spoke so woodenly—and so well--even with his accent. But, of course, she didn't know that he was repeating verbatim whatever Bertrand told him to say.

"I don't understand, Armen," she began, feeling the tears begin to well up. "You've known her as long as you've known me, but we…" But she couldn't finish her words. She broke down crying and ran away, leaving the spellbound—yet innocent—boy behind.

Bertrand smiled his fly smile and smugly said, "Well, if this isn't an interesting twist! This might turn things around after all. A jealous girl is not one to be taken lightly!"

He flew over to the overshadowed human and whispered into his ear, "OK, Derek, time to get out and follow me."

The lynx immediately obeyed him and left the poor, dazed boy behind.

When Armen finally regained his senses, he scanned the area he was in and panicked. He had no memory on how he got here. He glanced at his watch and let out a loud gasp. Pulling it up to his ear, and hearing that it was ticking, he gasped again. Just where had he been for most of the day?

"I'm so glad I saw you when I did, Danny!" Sam blurted out, still clearly upset. "You know that new guy, Armen?"

Her boyfriend shook his head, but she didn't give him time to speak as she continued, "Oh, duh! You don't! He was that tall guy who almost rammed right into you just a few seconds ago. But, anyway, you'll know him well enough soon. He's totally gone off the deep end! He was hitting on me big time. Well, not being fresh, just being very, very weird!"

"What? What do you mean?" Danny asked, suddenly frowning in slight alarm.

"I don't know what came over him. I was nice to him once, and all of the sudden, he's going crazy!" she explained.

But he frowned in confusion this time, and Sam realized that she hadn't yet told him about the "Dash" incident. She continued, "I forgot to tell you because I didn't think it was big deal, then. But now I do. Anyway, I rescued him from Dash yesterday. Dash was doing his usual random 'picking on somebody' routine; and, unfortunately, he had Armen in his sites. I felt sorry for him, being new and all and…" She suddenly yelled, "That's right!"

Danny jumped at her radical change.

"Sorry, Danny," she said, slightly gritting her teeth in embarrassment. "But he's new, I mean, as in 'new' new. Right off the boat kinda 'new'. But when he was talking to me today, he spoke perfect English. At first, I thought he had faked it. But, now I don't think so, because the way he was speaking just now…It was very odd…" She suddenly got more excited as the wheels in her head turned. "He talked just like Dora and Aragon do! Maybe he's a ghost!"

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Danny objected. "He couldn't be a ghost. My ghost sense didn't go off."

"But it did, remember? This morning, at the front of the school?" she pointed out.

"I know! But then, why didn't it go off back there? Armen was practically on top of me by the time you got to me," he replied.

"I don't know! But I'm telling you that it's very strange. Too strange!" Sam insisted, shaking her arms at her sides to emphasize her desperation.

Danny was still confused about the entire situation, but he shrugged and said, "Well, if you don't have a clue about it, I certainly don't. But, like you said, he's a foreigner and might have some freaky customs. But if he bothers you again, just let me know and I'd be happy to introduce him to the inside of his locker, OK?"

Sam smirked weakly at his comment.

He then continued, "In the meantime, since we have no idea what this means, how about if we just chock it up to 'total weirdness' and forget about it? And, you know, speaking of 'weird', even that new 'Al' girl was acting all crazy, too! She just said that you were cheating on me!"

"You didn't believe her, did you?" Sam gasped.

"Of course not, though she sounded awfully convincing. Might have made me a touch jealous, though!" he said with a playful smile.

But Sam didn't notice his tease because she was still upset. "Why would she do that?" she mused to herself before blurting out, "She must have seen Armen flirting, I mean, freakishly flirting with me!"

Danny chuckled. "Well, I really don't know and don't care. She said she liked him, and maybe she must like him a whole lot and was jealous, too?!"

"And she can totally have him, for all I care! And it won't be long enough before I ever see him again! He gave me the creeps!"

Danny grabbed his girlfriend's hand, trying to calm her. "Look, Sam, let's not worry about that anymore, OK?" he pulled her closer and she calmed down a little. "Let's just chill---and I don't mean by being out here," he quirked, receiving an amused eye roll from Sam. Danny then smiled gently, and suggested, "Let's go back in and get some lunch, okay?"

With that, he leaned over and gave her an affectionate kiss before they went back to the cafeteria.

Once they got inside, the couple saw another couple--Tucker and Valerie-- at the trio's usual table. Not that this hadn't happened before; but it really hadn't happened much in all the time that Tucker and Valerie had first dated. And that was because Valerie usually spent her lunch period playing 'catch up' with her homework or school projects with which she was constantly running late. But the times she had sat with them all at lunch had been usually very quiet ones, or hurried ones, so that the couples could dash off for some free time with each other.

So, when it looked like this might now be becoming a habit for the couples, Sam groaned. Just as well. She wasn't in the mood to talk anymore right now anyway, but not especially to Valerie. She quickly went through the lunch line, got her usual vegetarian diet, and plopped right next to Tucker so that he was now wedged between Valerie and her. This way, Sam was sure not to have to speak to Valerie.

Tucker nudged Sam a little, trying to give her the signal that it was a little too crowded on this side of the table, but she ignored the hint. He sighed under his breath and scooted over more toward Valerie, who smiled when she felt his shift into her.

In the meantime, Danny had gotten his tray and, seeing that there was definitely no more room on their side, sat across from the threesome. He frowned a little in bewilderment as he saw the three different expressions on each of their faces: Valerie looked pleased; Tucker looked uncomfortable; and Sam looked irritated. He, of course could understand all of the reasons why they had looked that way, but didn't say anything.

And the two couples ate the rest of their lunch in silence.