A/N: Hello, everybody! Hope you've had a good week. I know it's been extremely cold for most of y'all—even down here in the good ol' South! So, I hope you kept warm; and right now, I hope you are sitting by a roasting fire, drinking hot cocoa, under a warm blanket, snuggling up with your…laptop…and reading this NEXT chapter! Things are going to be getting hot for all our heroes, starting with this chapter, and so, you should be set for the winter! Keep warm. Brrr, and, anyhoo, here is Chapter 18! Enjoy!
TrueHeart—Chapter 18—Coming to a Boil
Bertrand was gone longer than what Derek had expected. Considering that the wildcat had already made the trip himself, he was sure that it should not be taking this long for Spectra's assistant to return with his infernal little machine.
But, of course, the enchanted ghost didn't know that Bertrand had made an extra stop after retrieving the machine. The shape-shifter had wandered off towards his and Spectra's rendezvous place just outside Casper High, and had not hesitated in bragging about what had already transpired, relishing in all the succulent details. Bertrand had assured Spectra that from what he observed, he was certain that the time for the 'great divide' was imminent. He also had a strong feeling from the reactions of the other human couple—Tucker and Valerie—that it was very possible that they were also on the brink of separation, and he wanted to be ready to collect their pheromones as well.
Spectra, though glad at the news, sarcastically pointed out that all that wouldn't happen if he didn't get his little fly self back to the school. With a frown and a nod, Bertrand morphed back into his human form, pulled out the little machine to double-check that he had it, stuffed it back into his pants, and changed back into a fly. He then flew onward and entered the school.
In the meantime, Sam spent the rest of the morning still upset about what had happened between her and Tucker that morning, and more recently, all this new stuff about Armen. She really needed to talk to Danny right away about it, but couldn't until lunch.
Similarly, Tucker spent the rest of the morning now upset with Sam. Not only did she peeve him about Valerie, but now she had gone way over the top about Danny. He wondered if he should tell his best friend about what happened or confront Sam. However, he really didn't want to do either of those. He was so distressed, that it never occurred to him to ask himself why Sam had done that; and that there just had to be something wrong in all of this!
The morning dragged for Valerie as well. She was worried about Tucker. She still couldn't understand why or believe just how upset he was. When she glanced over at him in the next few classes, he wouldn't look at her and looked even worse. She just had to talk to him somehow, because he obviously was so upset that he hadn't even wished her a 'Happy Birthday' yet!
In another classroom, Al wasn't having the greatest of days herself. She had spent the rest of the morning seething over Sam, blaming her for luring Armen away from her. She also couldn't bring herself to even looking at the Croatian boy, and avoided him like the plague, even though he made every effort to approach her.
The rest of the morning was a confused blur for Armen. He was beginning to think that something was seriously wrong with him, and felt very helpless about the entire situation. And he was even now regretting his family's decision in coming to this country. Maybe the pressures of all the change were finally getting to him. He understood that Al and Sam were upset with him, but he couldn't explain how—and why- he had gotten them upset—but then again, he couldn't do that for himself, either. And since neither of the two girls would let him come within an inch of them, he couldn't even begin to try to find out what had happened to cause him to do….that. But he was particularly upset that Al wouldn't even look at him.
As for Danny, he spent the rest of the morning participating in his two classes, oblivious to everything that had happened—well, except for Sam's getting mad at Tucker. But he knew that since Sam said she would smooth things over with Tucker, all should be well by now…
Finally, the bell rang for lunch and just about all the kids tangled up in Spectra and Bertrand's web were headed to their lockers. And as if things couldn't get worse, they were about to get tied up against something even more distressing, something that had been bottled-up and was now brewing under pressure. That, too, of course, had been set up by that certain evil ghostly duo. And that time bomb had its fuse just about spent, and the explosion was about to commence, right there in the main hallway…
Al was determined to tell Danny all about his cheating girlfriend again, now that she had even more evidence. She caught up with him as soon as they had gotten out of class.
"Look, Danny, I'm sorry about yesterday," she began, steeling herself. "I was just upset about everything. I guess I was hoping for something between Armen and me that wasn't meant to be."
"That's alright, Al. I can understand that. Sorry it didn't work out for you," Danny said, only trying to be polite. That would explain a lot about how spazzed out she was yesterday.
"Yeah, me, too, she replied, but then her voice grew colder. "But then, things might not work out for others, if they just knew the truth, that is. Or maybe you do. Anyhow, I can see that you've been so open-minded and understanding about it all, huh?"
"What are you talking about?" Danny asked her, again surprised by her change in demeanor. He was beginning to think that she was going to go on top of his list of 'Things to Avoid'.
Before she could respond, Tucker came up to them. But he hadn't seen either of them, yet. He was still so down in the dumps, he had been looking at the floor as he approached them.
When Danny saw him and noticed how troubled his best friend looked, he immediately asked, "Hi, Tuck! What's going on?"
"Nothin," he said with a slight grumble, barely glancing up. He was so depressed, he just couldn't look his friend in the eyes right now. He hadn't even noticed Al yet because Danny was blocking his view of her.
Shrugging a little in confusion, Danny then turned back to the girl and said, "Sorry about that, Al. And I still don't know what you're talking about."
This time, Tucker looked up and gasped. "You!" he shouted, immediately recognizing the girl as the one that had flirted with him and almost caused him trouble with Valerie.
Al looked at him oddly and replied, "You know me?"
"Know you? Yesterday, you practically made a sandwich out of me—with me in the middle of you and my locker, that is!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" the girl immediately growled, totally shocked at his comment.
"Of course you do!" Tucker challenged, unconsciously gritting his teeth.
"Look, whoever you are, this is the first time I've ever talked to you, so you must be mixing me up with someone else!" Al insisted. She hadn't realized that her breathing had begun to increase as she began to lose control and her anger began to come to a boil.
But Tucker protested, "I'm not mixing you up with anyone! But, if you don't want to come clean, fine! Just keep away from me! I'd much rather…"
Al interrupted him with a gasp when she noticed Armen approaching them. She bolted right away from the flabbergasted boys. She immediately shoved the poor foreign boy and seethed, "I told you that I don't want to ever see you again!"
"Pleeze, Al. I do not understand. I need my—your—help!" he pleaded desperately.
Danny and Tucker caught up to the arguing couple just as Al angrily hissed. "Why don't you ask Sam to help you? You both seemed to be doing just fine in the 'lovey-dovey-bonding' department just a few minutes ago."
Danny couldn't believe what he just heard and said, "Hold on! Somebody tell me what's going on here?"
"I'll tell you what's going on!" Alice suddenly seethed, turning on Danny this time. Jamming her finger at him, she growled, "Your so-called 'girlfriend' Sam has been playing you as the fool! She not only put a mark on my guy, but she kissed him not more than five minutes ago!"
Danny frowned, having enough of dealing with this obviously unstable girl. "Look, Al, I don't like…"
"Uh, I saw Sam kiss him, too!" Tucker blurted out and then immediately put his hand in his mouth and bit down on it when he saw his best friend's eyes widen in shock.
Armen just stood by, totally speechless, but Al added indignantly, "See! I told you! And I wasn't lying the first time, either!"
Suddenly, Danny wondered why Al would tell him a story like this a second time. He had believed Sam over her the first time Al had come to him with this 'lie.' But, now, he could see that the new girl looked genuinely upset with the new guy about this. And now Tucker…Tucker had told him the same thing…. He wouldn't lie to him about something like this!'
"W-What?" Danny finally stammered, feeling his heart drop to his feet. "Something's not right here, Tucker. Tell me that there's been a mistake!"
Danny grabbed his friend by the shoulders and made Tucker look him in the eyes. "Sorry, dude, that's what I saw." His friend confirmed as he dropped his eyes to the floor again.
Danny's eyes widened even more and he gasped. He didn't want to believe it. He wouldn't believe it. He looked at the foreign boy and frowned in confusion. That kid looked like someone who had just been run over by a train. And, in effect, Armen had been railroaded. But at this point, Danny didn't care.
Suddenly, Danny growled at the foreign boy, and Armen knew right away that no one wanted him there, especially not the glaring boy. Instantly, the new kid turned around, and left as quickly as he could, trying to keep himself from really losing it...
Danny's eyes darted back to Al and then to Tucker again, his mind racing non-stop. He had to find Sam—now! But he was too upset to even think about using his telepathic powers to search for her. Without saying another word to either Tucker or Al, Danny twisted sharply away from them and bolted toward the direction from which Sam would be coming after leaving her last class.
Tucker watched Danny leave and felt like a total heel. He had only made matters worse. He didn't say another word to the girl next to him and left...
Al just stood there, unable to move or prevent her angry tears from falling.
Meanwhile, Sam was headed right toward her boyfriend, but had not yet seen him. As she made her way toward her locker, she grumbled under her breath, "If I just so much as look at that Armen, I swear…." She suddenly stopped when she saw her boyfriend. "Danny!" she yelled as she quickened her pace toward him.
But the instant she reached him, he just grasped her by her arm and commanded, "C'mon!" He didn't give her a chance to say a word as he pulled her into the nearest closet, transformed into Phantom, and soared upward and to the back of the school.
Just as they landed, Danny turned to face her and demanded. "What's all this about you kissing that new guy?"
Sam looked at him in shock, but instantly rebounded, and with an irritated frown, firmly replied, "Me kissing him? He kissed me! I didn't expect it all, Danny! One moment he was apologizing for that other incident I told you about, and then the next, he grabbed me and kissed me, I swear!"
"So, it's true, then! But Tucker told me you kissed him!" he hotly countered, unconsciously fisting his hands.
"Tucker? Just let me get my hands on him! I haven't been able to talk with him at all since this morning and he's probably still upset with me about Valerie, and…"
"And he wouldn't get back at you like this or any other way, Sam, and you know it!" Danny firmly interrupted her. "He's not the revenge-scheming type!"
"And neither am I, uh, darn it! I mean, I'm not the cheating type!" she growled back, this time getting into his face. "I know Tucker probably thought I was kissing that guy, but he's wrong, Danny! Simple as that! I swear that jerk hit on me before I could do anything about it. Something's very wrong with all of this! That guy's just acting so weird and I don't know why he's doing this to me!"
"Well, Al said…" he adamantly countered, still not satisfied with her response.
Sam could feel her breathing increase and the blood rush to her face. "Al? What's she got to do with this? Don't tell me that she told you that I was trying to take her guy again when I'm not taking her guy and am not in the least interested in taking her guy? Man, those two are totally weird and deserve only each other! But I tell you, if I see either of them anytime soon, I don't know what I'll do to them!"
Seeing her flushed face just made him think she was holding something back. His face then also flushed as he grew more irritated with that thought. His voice tensed as he insisted, "Is that because they might still make you face the truth?"
"I can't believe you just said that!" she gasped, her eyes widening with both anger and distress. "And if you think I'm still lying, then I don't have to hang around getting blasted any longer!"
She turned to go, but he grabbed her hand with his gloved one and pulled her back. "We're not finished!" he growled.
"Yes, we are!" she growled back, still panting with her anger. Still, for some reason, she didn't try to yank her hand away.
Danny blinked at her captured hand and then back at her. He finally got the drift how very upset they both were over this whole thing, and that things were definitely getting more heated. He didn't like that. And he didn't like how he was expressing himself! But he felt so… conflicted that he couldn't keep it from forcing the wrong words out of his mouth—or acting so brashly!
A sudden thought of how they could totally resolve this without further hurting each other hit him squarely. He was certain that would clear up any doubts. After all, it helped them in the past to make certain that what they were saying and feeling would not be misunderstood by either of them—well, for the most part. It still wasn't perfect, but then again, neither were they.
Finally calming a little with that thought, he looked at his still fuming girlfriend. Would she go for it with how angry she still was? Biting his lip, he decided to chance it. It had never failed them before. He let go of her hand. He didn't want to say anymore. It would come out wrong.
Sam's glare faltered when she felt Danny release her hand. She unconsciously stepped back from him. From how hurt she felt, she didn't want to draw nearer. She also thought—wrongly—that he was too angry to do the same. But he had no right to be! And he shouldn't have grabbed her. Those thoughts just made her irritated again and she immediately hissed, "You had no right to…."
"Sam…," she suddenly heard in her mind, and she gasped.
Danny closed his eyes for a moment as he continued. "I know we said we would first ask each other for permission before doing this, but, I don't trust my voice right now. I need you to understand, Sam. Can't you feel how this whole thing makes me feel?" he asked her mentally, before opening his eyes, and looking at her with a hurt look.
Realizing what he was trying to do, she dropped her head a little, and scrunched her eyes shut, trying to concentrate. It was hard at first, but then, she succeeded.
Danny was still concerned. He knew from the way she had shut her eyes that she was even more upset than he thought. Still, he sighed and closed his eyes once again.
"I feel as upset as you, Danny!" she replied back to his mind. "Don't you see that that new girl's a loon? She doesn't know us at all! And you're gonna believe her over me?" Unknowingly, she mentally pulled away in exasperation when she had said that; and, yet, her body had not moved an inch and her eyes still remained closed.
"But Tucker…" he countered, having felt her mental withdrawal, and suddenly feeling worse.
"I know, I know! And I agree with you about him! He wouldn't tell you that kind of stuff out of spite. But hear me out!" With that, Sam proceeded to mentally tell her boyfriend everything that happened. And Danny knew she was very upset when she hashed over what had first happened with Armen and her again.
He knew that Sam usually didn't bring up past problems or incidents. She liked to move on and forget about things that had upset her. She wasn't the grudge-holding type. But the fact that she brought up the whole 'Armen scene' again with such passion just confirmed to him how upset and hurt she was over this entire incident.
But as she ranted on, he could even feel that her anxiety was no so much over the incident, but mainly due to the fact that he hadn't believed her at first. She didn't mention it at all, but he just knew this was true. He also now knew that she wasn't lying in the least, and he regretted doubting her once more.
Still, Danny was just as confused as she about this whole thing. What was in it for Armen and Al? He quickly threw out that thought, realizing that getting through this with Sam was his first priority.
But the instant he got rid of that thought, the green-eyed boy was suddenly aware of another. His girlfriend hadn't reacted to his last musings. He then wondered if most of their thoughts were still private. But he didn't want to waste any more time thinking about that any more.
Instead, he was more concerned about trying to soothe his girlfriend. He really had hurt her. And he needed to apologize to her in every way that he possibly could. He finally opened his eyes, and spoke once more, but also, kept his link with her open, so he could also make her feel he was being honest.
"OK, Sam, I'm sorry! I believe you!" he assured her, her eyes quickly opening at hearing his voice again. "And you're right! I should never have doubted you! I think that hurt you worse than what happened; and I was a jerk to even think it! Now, could you please try to calm down?" he asked, trying to comfort her mentally at the same time. But Sam was still in a defensive mood, and she didn't immediately hear his apology.
"Calm down? I am calmed down!" she yelled back, unconsciously moving completely away from him and fisting her hands to her sides again. But then, she paused, finally comprehending what he had said. And she suddenly realized why she had gone on and on about this. He was right. It wasn't the incident. She was hurt, hurt that he had not believed her.
She jolted a little at her next sudden thought. Jiva had been right! Opening your feelings did make you vulnerable to…hurt.
Still, Sam knew that hurt came along with the territory of working through relationships. Then, she had another, even stronger feeling that she knew was true from this connection she had with Danny. Something she may not have gotten from him had they just tried to talk it out. He understood how she was feeling. And that meant more to her at this moment than the hurt. She began to calm down.
Since they still had their link opened, Danny's mind jolted a little at her mental onslaught that had come right after her last verbal assault. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Whoa, Sam! I'd really hate to hear your thoughts when you're really upset!"
But she didn't laugh back. He hadn't heard her thoughts on Jiva! Otherwise, he would not be smiling right now. And, though slightly relieved that some of their thoughts were still private, she wanted to cry. But she steeled herself. She was still hurting, but she wanted to move on. She felt relieved that he understood, but she still stung. Suddenly, she heard herself tersely say to him, "Well, OK. I'm not upset anymore, so let's just forget about it, OK?"
But he frowned with concern when he could tell that this time she didn't mean what she had said. And she hadn't calmed totally down. Then he had a strange feeling, like they suddenly weren't connected anymore. But he didn't think that was true. Had she maybe blocked her thoughts from him? But, again, he understood. They had both felt strongly about this whole thing and probably messed up their connection a little. Still, there was more. He knew that she made herself go into her 'old Sam' mode or else she would lose control. But he didn't want her in the 'old Sam' mode. He lowered his eyes to hide his sadness, but still reached for her hands and gently squeezed them.
She, in turn, looked down at what he was doing. She sighed when he was playing with not only her hands, but also the ring he had given her. She knew he was sorry, but she still had not fully gotten over it.
He then gently pulled her closer and with a couple of soft pecks on her cheek, silently and gently begged in her mind, "I'm sorry I hurt you. Now, can we forget about it all?"
She barely managed a weak smile, but nodded a little.
He then cupped her chin gently in his hands and leaned over. But before they could kiss, they suddenly heard a very loud and angry voice scream, "Get away from that kid, you ghost scum!"
That comment was immediately followed by the sound of an ectoplasmic blast, which hit Danny in the side. The force of the blow thrust him violently into a nearby tree. He slid down it and hit the ground with a hard thud, stunning him.
But his attacker didn't follow up attacking him again right away; she had frozen in shock.
At first, Valerie had believed that the Ghost Boy was accosting one of the students. But she couldn't see who. Still, it didn't matter, because, then, she was sure he was about to kiss that student! And that, of course, was totally unacceptable! But what had left her gasping was finally seeing that student in plain view.
Locking a shocked glare at Sam, the Red Huntress choked out, "YOU?"