Author: loosedefense
Title: Weak
Pairing: Danny/Dash
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is the property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. This story implies nothing about the characters nor does the plot of the story have any effect on the show itself. This story is pure fiction and fantasy.
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The week passed by quickly, with several aggravated teachers reprimanding their students for their cavalier attitude and warnings about how colleges were still watching them and had the power to rescind their offers if the students did not maintain their grades.
"Whatever," Tucker said casually to a clearly infuriated Lancer one day. "It's not like we're on scholarships or anything."
"That may be so, Mister Foley," Lancer breathed, "but your education did not cease with passing your SATs last year. Believe it or not, senior year actually counts for something."
It had been a valiant effort on his part, but Danny could have told him not to waste his breath. Any zest the seniors had managed to scrounge up at the start of the school year had burned out after Christmas.
Danny, for his part, was feeling the edges of laziness seep into other aspects of his life as well. His newfound desire to explore every inch of Dash's body, and vice-versa, seemed to consume all his time that wasn't spent keeping up the charade during school hours, and found himself starting to neglect everything that couldn't be done within five minutes.
"I wish I could take five-minute showers," he muttered one day against Dash's body where he was licking the area between the blonde's pectorals.
Dash ran his fingers through Danny's thick hair, grinned, and wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, you do smell kind of ripe," he teased. "How many weeks has it been now?"
Danny gave him a soft punch in the stomach, then started caressing the tight muscles there. "Shut up," he said. Dash chuckled. They lay on Danny's bed, the smaller boy pressed up against the bigger, his face nuzzled in Dash's chest.
Danny looked up with a serious expression on his face. "How gay do you think this is?" he asked softly.
"Very," Dash said honestly. "But I don't care. It's experimenting."
Danny nodded. "I never thought you would need to resort to experiments. I never thought I would resort to experiments."
Dash wrapped his arms around Danny's waist, hidden under the blanket, and pulled him into a kiss. "Stranger things have happened," he said. He lowered his head, kissing Danny's neck, while on of his hands loosened its grip around the boy and hooked into the waistband of his boxers.
"We have to meet Sam and Paulina at the mall on Saturday," Danny blurted out suddenly.
Dash paused in surprise. "Why?"
Danny slid off him, his boxers still intact, rolling to the side, and fixed his wide eyes on Dash's own. "Sam caved," he said. "Paulina can be very pushy. She wants us there for moral support."
"She wants us there for moral support?" Dash quirked an eyebrow.
"Well," Danny amended, "she wants me there." His hand trailed along Dash's forearm and he gave the jock another intense stare. "I want you there."
Something flickered in Dash's eyes; Danny saw it, but didn't understand it. Dash pulled his arm away from those fingers that grazed it, and folded them over his chest, eyes focused ahead, and gave a curt nod.
Puzzled, Danny tried to say something, but he didn't know what.
"Listen," Dash spoke for him, "I've got to get going."
"What, now?" Danny was taken aback. "But we were just getting started."
"I know," Dash replied. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"You are coming, aren't you?" Danny didn't like the mild tone of desperation in his voice.
"I said I would," Dash pulled up his pants, and slid his tight black shirt back on, wrapping his letterman jacket around his arm. Danny started to say goodbye, but the door was shut before he managed to get the words out. He lay there, stupefied, his bewildered mind trying to find an explanation as to what had just happened.
Danny scooped up his shirt from the floor with the tips of his fingers and tossed it back on, and grabbed his jeans, hastily zipping it and buttoning it up as he rushed down the stairs. He grabbed the phone in the kitchen and dialed Sam's number.
"Sam? Come over. Bring Tucker,' he ordered.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Danny opened it to see Sam and Tucker standing on the other side.
"Whoa, what happened to you?" Tucker asked.
"Nothing," Danny said, hurriedly brushing off several locks of hair matter down by dots of sweat on his forehead. "Come in."
"What's going on?" Sam questioned blankly.
"Have you forgotten I'm supposed to go into the Ghost Zone today?" Danny reminded her.
"And you're actually hurrying us to do it? I thought you hated going in there."
"I do," Danny said. "But I have to know what's going on. Come on."
"Hold on, why are you being so weird?" Tucker held up his hands. "You're talking so fast I can barely understand you."
"Yeah, what's going on?" Sam repeated.
Danny's hand was already on the knob of the door leading down into his parents' laboratory. He sighed. "Remember when we were talking about who else might be overshadowed by a ghost the other day? I haven't been able to get my mind off it. I think Dash might be."
"Where did this come from?" Sam asked in slight surprise.
Danny glared. "You were the one who implied it!"
"Yeah, but what makes you so sure?" Sam asked. "I only brought it up because it's such a weird coincidence how everything worked out to Tyrant's advantage."
"I – I don't know." Danny could have hardly told them that the basis of his suspicion was Dash's abrupt departure when they'd been about to get off together. "It's just … a big coincidence, that's all. You were right. And besides, if you want to overshadow a popular kid, you can't go any higher than Dash Baxter."
"It's true," Tucker conceded. "Why settle for the sidekick when you could have the star?"
"Unless it's because someone with a higher power is already possessing him," Danny finished. "It makes sense. Dash just started bringing Kwan for no reason at all." 'Except because he thought I was insane and needed backup,' Danny thought guiltily.
"Has Kwan been coming around since?" Tucker asked.
"No. Not since I found out about him," Danny informed. He turned to Sam. "And it could explain why Paulina's so interested in you now. Who knows how far this thing has spread. The entire school could be overshadowed by now!"
"Danny, not that you don't have a point, but you're starting to sound a little paranoid," Sam said uncertainly.
"Hey, it's happened before," Danny said. "Maybe not to the whole school, but the ghosts want the Plasmius soul, and who knows what they're going to do to get it. That's why I've got to find out what's going on right now. I'm hoping that if Walker has anything, we won't have to go with Dash and Paulina tomorrow."
"What?" Tucker sounded startled. "Where are you guys going with Dash and Paulina?"
"The mall," Sam said offhandedly.
"Oh, and why wasn't I invited to this?" Tucker put his hands on his hips.
"Only allowed if you have your self-absorbed leech," Sam started forward. "Come on."
Downstairs, Tucker and Sam waited by the control panel as Danny made the change into his alter-ego.
"How long do you think you'll take?" Sam asked.
"I don't know," Danny said honestly. "If Walker doesn't tell me anything, five minutes. If he does, then it depends on what he has to say."
They nodded, and the heavy doors slid open. With a few steps forward, Danny was completely encompassed by the green swill.
The doors closed behind him, and Danny floated through the endless vortex until he reached the familiar prison.
Walker was already waiting for him when he slid through the walls.
"Your time is up," Danny said when his sneakers steadily touched the stone floor. "What have you got?"
"Plenty," Walker boomed.
Danny raised his eyebrows. "Plenty, huh? How convenient."
"Shall we go into my office?"
"Why aren't you in your office anyway?" Danny questioned. "Don't tell me you were waiting for me."
"Why wouldn't I?" Walker said slickly. "You wanted information, didn't you?"
A feeling of foreboding rose inside him, but Danny quelled it. Walker led him into his office, where Danny braced himself to find a dozen guards ready to assault him, but there was nothing.
"Sit down," Walker commanded. "We have lots to talk about, kid."
Danny took a seat, trying to steel himself to accept anything. "Why does he want the Plasmius soul?"
"He wants it to inhabit him," Walker said bluntly. "All the ghosts do."
"Can they do that?" Danny knew that he was able to merge with the Vlad's powers, but he was only half a ghost; whether or not full-fledged ghosts could do the same, he wasn't sure.
"Of course they can," Walker said. "That thing isn't a ghost; it doesn't have a body. It's just a spirit. It can slip into any host that decides to take control of it, just like yours would if it wasn't already inside you."
"So why do the ghosts want it?"
"Power," Walker said simply.
Danny snorted. "No, seriously? Why do they want power?"
Here, Walker gave a cold smile. "Because of me, of course."
Danny stared.
"I'm a very powerful person here, Phantom. I'm sure you know. I've made a lot of enemies in all my centuries of being. These people are starved for power, because I've kept it from them. And now that they see their chance, they'll do anything to get it."
"You expect me to believe that all this trouble I'm going through is because of you?" Danny laughed.
"Is it so hard to believe?" Walker said flatly. "Maybe you'd like another round of my prison. – just to jog your memory."
This sobered Danny right up. "So what did Bullet say to you?"
"Exactly what I told you, and he wasn't happy to do it."
"Where is he now?" Danny was almost afraid to ask.
"In a cell," Walker told him curtly. "He will be dealt with. Dissension in the ranks is not something I'm prepared to tolerate. It's going to be a long eternity for Bullet."
Danny almost wanted to point out that there was hardly anything that Walker was prepared to tolerate, but kept his mouth shut. Untouchable or not, he was still in the lair of one of the most feared ghosts in the Ghost Zone.
"Now," Walker's empty eyes fixed on him, "I want something out of you."
"What?"
Walker leaned forward on his desk. "Whatever ghosts you find after the soul, I want you to bring to me."
"But—"
"Here, to this prison." He leaned back against his chair again, an imposing look on his bone-white face. "Any ghost wanting to do away with me, I will deal with personally. All I need is for you to bring them to me. Once I've drilled it into their heads, no one else will dare try anything. And if they do…" he gave another cold smile. "It's a big prison."
A feeling of dread overcame Danny; his eyes slid off to a spot on the wall over Walker's shoulder, silent. The offer was tempting, if it was indeed even an offer at all. What did he care what became of the ghosts here. Walker was certainly a force to be reckoned with; and he was on his, Danny's, side. He wouldn't have to deal with them again once Walker's message got through to them.
"What do you know about a ghost named Tyrant?" he asked.
Walker's face never creased. "I've never heard the name."
Danny looked up at him. "So he's never done anything?"
"He's no one I've come across," Walker confirmed. "But then again, they're all coming out of the woodwork now."
"If you've never heard of him," Danny said slowly, "then why is he interested in the Plasmius soul? What would he have against you?"
"My reputation spreads far and wide, Ghost-kid," Walker stated. "I don't know even half of the ghosts in this place, but you can be sure my name echoes loud and clear with them. I am, and have been, the most feared ghost in all of the Ghost Zone for years. And now, they're going to fear me just a little bit more."
Getting up from the chair, feeling slightly numb and dazed, Danny lolled his head in a kind of nod, and stepped through the solid walls. Walker watched him go, sitting still so that he could detect any sign of the boy coming back, then, when he was sure he wouldn't, said, "Come in, Bullet."
The door opened, and the purple ghost stepped in. "How did it go?"
"Perfectly," Walker brought the tips of his fingers together, eyes still set on the wall which Danny Fenton had just gone through.
"No hitches?"
"Did I say there were any hitches?" Walker retorted. "No, the boy ate it up, just like I said he would. And now, all we have to do is wait until I decide the time is right." The gloom of the prison cast itself upon his face. "And that time will come very soon."
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Tucker was looking pointedly away when Danny stepped back through the portal.
"Five minutes," Sam said. "I knew it. He didn't tell you anything, did he?"
"Actually, he told me everything." Danny nodded Tucker. "What's with him?"
Sam rolled her eyes. "He's still mad about Saturday's thing."
"I have a name, you know," Tucker said frostily.
"Tucker, it doesn't even matter," Danny said in irritation. "If you're so concerned about it, you can take my place tomorrow. I don't care."
Tucker turned back around, a sullen look on his face. "What happened to all that talk about cherishing every moment we have together and all that?"
"We're still going to spend time together," Sam replied. "One day doesn't matter."
"Yeah, sure," Tucker muttered, but huddled closer to them so that he could catch every word of what Danny was about to say.
Shrugging off his friend's strange behavior, Danny launched into the story Walker had just told him. Tucker and Sam both listened raptly, but really there wasn't much to tell.
"It seems plausible enough," Tucker mused.
"I don't know," Sam objected. "All of this effort just for him? Seems a little egotistical, don't you think?"
"It might be self-indulgent, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't true," Danny said. "Walker's got a lot of pull in the Ghost Zone, and a lot of them are sick of the things he does."
"You're a more powerful ghost though," Sam told him. "You've kicked every single ghost butt that's come to town for four years now. Why would they go through you just to get rid of him?"
"Because after Danny kicks their butts, he tosses them right back into the Ghost Zone, where Walker's on the prowl," Tucker surmised.
"He's right," Danny told Sam. "I may be able to kick ass, but Walker's more of the slow-painful-torture type. And when you can't die, that's a lot of torture."
"I'm still not satisfied," Sam said firmly. "It's a very convenient excuse."
But there was nothing else to make of it, so for the time being, Sam consented to let the topic slide, but not before pointing out that even if Walker was the reason for the ghosts searching for the Plasmius soul – "Which is complete bullshit," she took care to add – it didn't mean that it was going to end just because both he and Danny were on the same page. Danny closed the door behind them and returned to his room, looking outside the window to see his two friends talking animatedly as they crossed the street. Briefly he considered calling Dash to come over, but remembering his abrupt departure earlier, decided against it. The boy couldn't have been more desperate to escape if he had clawed Danny's face to get away from him. Glumly, Danny threw himself on his bed.
Was Dash reconsidering this 'arrangement' of theirs? It wasn't out of the question; they had rushed in to it without ever pausing to think – or at least, Danny had.
He supposed it wouldn't be so bad. Together, the two of them had lived in a sort of limbo, outside the real world. It would have been mildly uncomfortable to return to reality, he supposed. It seemed to be so in the movies, with very bleak outcomes awaiting all involved from the way Hollywood portrayed it.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Danny whipped it out, his heart leaping. Squinting his eyes to read the message, he was disappointed to find that it was only Sam reminding him about tomorrow's appointment.
Still, it was something. Dash would be there tomorrow. Maybe they could talk then.
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Saturday came, the shining sun and cloudless sky determined to spread good cheer. Danny had decided to walk to the mall instead of drive, enjoying the warmth. He had overestimated the venture though; by the time he reached the mall, he was perspiring heavily and his legs ached.
Closing his eyes as a cool blast of air hit his face when he walked in, he decided that he would have to think things more thoroughly before he did them.
Passing by a clothes shop, Danny thought he heard someone calling his name. He looked wildly over his shoulder, then caught sight of someone gesturing to him wildly. Walking into the store, he realized it was Sam, dressed as he had never seen her before in a hideous green dress, with piles of makeup caking her face.
"I've been here for an hour," she said out of the corner of her mouth.
Danny checked the clock at the top corner of his phone. It was only eleven.
"An hour? I thought I was early," he remarked.
"She wanted to get here as soon as the place opened!" Sam whined. "She wouldn't let me call you because she wanted to spend some 'girl time', and Danny, it's been torture! She dragged me to the cosmetics booth and put all of this stuff on me – I feel like my entire head is dragging me down – and now she's got me trying all these ugly clothes on because it's 'couture' or something." She gripped his arms tightly. "You have got to get me out of here."
Feeling a vindictive pleasure to see her suffering like this, Danny peeled himself away from her grasp. "I thought you wanted to deconstruct her," he smirked.
'Deconstruct her!" Sam threw her arms up. "I can't even handle one hour with her. I—"
"Sam, you've got to try on this dress!" Paulina chirped, coming up from behind. Catching sight of Danny, her face fell slightly. "Oh, what are you doing here."
"I thought we were supposed to … hang out today," Danny replied.
"Oh, we are," Paulina said. "But I wanted to come extra-early to get Sam here all dolled up." She reached out and pinched one of Sam's cheeks. "She really needs it too. Look how miserable she looks."
Danny held back his laughter. Sam's arms shook. Paulina looked upset.
"Oh, no!" she said. "I've smeared the makeup. We're going to have to fix that."
"No!" Sam yelped, jumping behind Danny. "No, it's okay. I'll – I'll just wash it off."
"Wash it off?" Paulina tittered. "We spent almost an hour on it. We'll just go back and get the lady to put it back on. She won't mind – not unless she wants me to run her out of business."
She pushed the new dress, a red one that was just as ugly as the one Sam currently had on, into the Goth's arms. "I'd been hoping to do your hair too, but now that Danny's here, I don't think we can … unless he doesn't mind waiting?"
"I don't mind," he said quickly.
"Danny!" Sam howled.
"Excellent. Now, go try this one on," she shoved Sam into one of the dressing rooms.
Danny bit his lip, but couldn't keep his lips from curling upwards.
"Those dresses are really not working for her," Paulina mused, returning to stand by him. "They're supposed to accentuate her hips, but she has none. Girls like her make me feel so lucky."
"Oh, I don't know," Danny smirked. "I kind of like them."
Paulina beamed.
"Uh, Paulina," Danny tried to think of a way to phrase his sentence discreetly, "you weren't trying to doll up Sam for me, were you?"
"What, and steal you away from Dash?" Paulina said.
Danny's eyes widened, his worst fears confirmed. "So you know?"
"Of course I know," Paulina said breezily. "Kwan and I saw you."
"What?" Danny exclaimed. "When?"
"At my party," she informed. "We were on the balcony."
The door slammed open, and Sam stormed out. "I am not wearing this," she declared.
"No," Paulina said. "It makes you look pregnant."
Sam gaped.
"Oh, don't worry, nobody's going to think you're really pregnant," Paulina consoled. "I mean, who would impregnate you?"
The next hour flew by with highly amusing results. "Oh, Sam, you're wearing that backwards!" Paulina had scolded in one instance.
"I know I'm wearing it backwards," Sam gritted her teeth. "It's less revealing that way."
Finally, Dash had strolled into the shop, and, upon seeing Sam in another ludicrous number, raised his eyebrow.
"You're late," Paulina tapped her foot.
"I thought you liked it when people are late," Dash said unconcernedly.
"I do, but Danny's been here for like an hour, and I've been making Sam here try on dresses because we thought you were going to show up any minute; we could have had her hair done by now."
"At least you managed to keep yourself entertained," Dash replied coolly.
"I am not getting my hair done," Sam said loudly. Paulina didn't even bother to look at her.
"Let's just get something to eat," Danny said wearily. Humorous though the results had been, men were apparently not built to withstand an hour watching girls try on dresses. Amid some grumbling about how the day had been wasted, Sam and Paulina both having opposite perspectives as to why, the group left the store without anything in tow because Sam had put her foot down and refused to let Paulina buy any of the numbers.
"I think we need to talk," Danny told Dash when the two girls trailed behind them enough to be out of earshot.
"No, we don't," Dash said flatly.
"Why did you leave like that yesterday?" Danny persisted.
"I was tired," Dash replied.
"We were on a bed."
"Christ, Fenton, drop it," Dash snapped, catching Sam and Paulina's attention.
"What's going on?" Sam asked warily.
"Nothing," Dash said rudely.
Sam turned to Danny. "Nothing," he replied, keeping his eyes cast downward.
Tensions were high as they sat down at a table at the food court with a dish of nacho cheese between them. Paulina had turned away in disgust from it, and Dash had simply kept his eyes fixed somewhere above their heads the whole time, so Sam had ended up devouring the entire thing with Danny quietly nibbling on a couple of pieces of his own.
Failing to catch Danny's eye, Sam tried to keep the conversation going in hopes of broaching the subject of Kwan along the way.
"So Dash," she said brightly, "why were you so late?"
Dash gave her an insolent stare and had been about to turn away when Danny stepped on his foot. Sighing heavily, he said "Gym."
"On a Saturday," Sam tried to appear interested.
"Yes, on a Saturday," Dash mocked. "Athletes have to train, you know. Will you stop kicking me?" he added to Danny.
"Sorry," Danny said, not feeling the least bit sorry at all. "I didn't realize I was doing it."
"So …" Sam tried once again to catch Danny's eye, but missed, "where do you want to go next."
No one replied.
"We could go catch a movie," Sam offered.
Again, she was met with silence.
She rolled her eyes. "Will someone say something?"
"I'm not really in the mood," Danny told her. She glared at him.
"All the movies playing here suck," Dash said.
"And none of the good stuff will come out until next month," Paulina said.
"Well, then let's do something."
"This mall sucks," Dash sighed.
"Jeez, you're more of a downer than her," Paulina commented.
Danny felt a flash of anger stir within him. "At least she's trying," he interjected. "I don't see you two coming up with any bright ideas."
"Neither are you," Dash pointed out, straightening up.
"If you don't want to be here—"
"I don't," Dash retorted.
"Then why don't you leave?"
"Fine!" Dash made a motion to stand up, but suddenly froze, his eyes wide.
The other three turned to see what he was looking at, and Danny instantly wished he hadn't.
Tucker was sauntering up to them, head thrown back and chest puffed out, his hips swinging from end to end. In his mind, Danny could guess, he thought he looked like a model – a female one, evidently, sashaying down the runway.
"Has this one gone gay too?" Paulina said snidely, causing Danny to stare furiously at her. Fortunately, Sam's attention was riveted on the approaching boy.
"Tucker, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Can't a guy just hang with his peeps every once in a while?" Tucker said in a cocky kind of tone. "What's goin' on?" he nodded to Dash, who looked as though his face was carved of stone. Uninvited, he pulled up a chair and slid into it. The four of them stared.
Tucker's grin faded somewhat, and an abashed look started to come over his face.
"I believe I was just leaving," Dash pushed his chair back and started to stand up again.
"Wait," Sam cried desperately. "Um … how's Kwan?"
Dash stared at her as though she were crazy.
"Okay, okay," she acquiesced, "you want to do something? Fine. I know just the place we can go."
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The five teenagers stood outside the establishment, starting at the flashing sign above.
"Are you sure it's wise to bring these guys here?" Danny asked. Dash and Paulina were beginning to look quite unnerved, and Danny wasn't very fond of this place either.
"I had to pull out the big guns," Sam whispered to him. Reaching out, she pushed the door opened, and they stepped inside the bleak store, where it was so dark Danny almost instantly forgot that it was the middle of the day.
"I didn't think this place opened at this time of day," Paulina said in a hushed tone.
"Of course it does," Sam said in a falsely cheerful voice. "It's not run by vampires."
The Skulk & Lurk wasn't a typical hangout for most people their age – or most people in town for that matter. Were Danny not such a close friend, he wouldn't have known that this place opened in the daytime either.
"Why are we here?" Dash eyed some of the customers who were eyeing him right back.
"You wanted to go somewhere interesting."
"I don't think I actually said that, no," Dash responded.
"Why don't you go get us a table," Sam said to Danny. "I'm going to make sure they don't throw us out or anything."
"I think that would be the best idea," Tucker said. "Throwing us out, that is," he muttered under his breath when Sam left. The four of them walked slowly to a table, Danny reflecting on how ridiculous they were acting; it wasn't as if someone was going to lunge out and bite them if they made any sudden movements or anything. All the same, he didn't try to quicken his pace.
As they settled in, he caught sight of the man Sam was talking to, a thin, bearded man with numerous piercings, watching them.
"Really, Sam," he shook his head, still staring at the four guests. "Prom king and queen? Between them and that jock you brought in last time, you are seriously damaging your reputation here."
"They're not prom king and queen," Sam laughed. 'We haven't had our prom yet,' she thought guiltily. "Besides, isn't Goth all about escaping labels?"
"Among other things," the man said distractedly.
"Come on, Tad, you know me," she appealed.
"Well why do you think I haven't thrown you guys out yet, huh?" he gave a half-smile. "But no readings. I don't trust them."
"Oh, no way," Sam shook her head. "No readings for them. They wouldn't know poetry if Poe inked it on their face."
"Right," Tad grunted, then shifted away to attend to a customer who had come to get some coffee. Sam returned to her friends' side.
"What was all that about?" Tucker asked instantly.
"Just making sure we understood each other," Sam said vaguely.
"Hey, Prom Queen!" Tad called from the counter. "Anything for you lot?"
Paulina looked instantly flattered, giving him a dainty look. "Well, I have been thinking of running," she giggled. "Of course, it's no competition really."
The man rolled his eyes and walked away. Sam buried her head in her hands. Danny patted her shoulder consolingly.
Onstage, the limelight flowed down on Tad as he took the microphone and introduced the next reader to scattered applause. An equally skinny guy with as many piercings came on. While reading the sonnet he had written, his eyes continuously danced around the dismal faces listening raptly before fixing upon the table where Danny, Dash, Paulina, Tucker and Sam sat. Dash snorted disdainfully.
"What a whiner," he sneered.
"Oh, shut up," Sam said darkly, then in a bright voice began to fire questions about the football team.
"You're not thinking of joining, are you?" Paulina asked. "Because that would be sad, even for you, Sam."
"I don't think I have the right build," Sam didn't seem fazed by Paulina's attitude.
The verse ended, and Tad took the stage again to introduce the next reader, a girl with heavy makeup around her eyes, whose piece wasn't so poetic as it was rant about how the darkness was all-consuming, and how everyone was desperate for escape yet was held back by the one they hated most. Danny wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but perhaps that was the point.
Sam didn't seem to be listening at all. As the readers passed by, she simply kept thinking up more useless questions for Dash to answer. Dash looked like he was very tired of all this and was about ready to walk out on them again.
"You know, he's taken," Paulina said suddenly, which resulted in a four heads whipping in her direction.
"What?" Sam asked blankly.
"He's taken," Paulina said again. "Just in case you decided you suddenly had a thing for quarterbacks."
Dash's lip curled in disgust. "Is that what this is?" he said.
"Of course not," Sam said heatedly.
Dash shook his head. "Whatever. I am so out of here."
Sam tried to call him back, but the door shut behind him with a dull thud before a word could leave her mouth. She got up too, and walked out of the store, leaving Danny and Tucker to stare at Paulina in disbelief. The popular girl shrugged, sipping her iced water. "He is," she said.
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Sam was marching home, her hands curled into fists, and seething, by the time Danny and Tucker found her. "That girl is the worst!" she voiced.
"You weren't really trying to pick Dash up, were you?" Tucker asked doubtfully.
"Don't be stupid, of course I wasn't," she shot. "I was trying to see if they knew anything about Kwan, but every time I was about to start talking about him, she does something top completely ruin it! And you!" she rounded off on Tucker. "What were you doing here, anyway? I told you not to come, and that we were just hanging out with them because we had to!"
"Yeah, like I don't know how to go about ghost-hunting," Tucker said resentfully.
"Well, you ruined it, didn't you?" Sam hollered
"How did I ruin it?" Tucker demanded. "You just got through saying Paulina ruined it."
"You both ruined it!" Sam burst out. "I was just about to start asking them about Kwan when you showed up and completely broke my rhythm. Why else do you think I would bring them to my hangout? And now it's all for nothing."
"Sam, there'll be other chances," Danny said soothingly.
"I am not putting myself through that again," Sam growled. "If you want to spend more time with those jerks, then go right ahead, because I'm through."
Danny and Tucker didn't try to follow her when she turned around and resumed her stomping.
"She is unbelievable," Tucker said angrily. "That was completely unfair."
"Yeah, it was," Danny felt a twinge of guilt about the way he had treated Sam the whole day, but it was no reason for her to take it out on Tucker. "We can talk to her tomorrow."
"You talk to her," Tucker retorted. "There's no way I'm speaking to her unless she stops being such a tool for once and says sorry."
Danny didn't bother trying to change his mind. "Where are you going?"
"Back to the Skulk & Lurk," Tucker called over his shoulder, already making his way back.
'You'd better,' Danny thought darkly. Left alone in there, Paulina was likely to get raped and mauled.
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Author's Note: I'm very sorry to have taken so long with this chapter. After the semester let out, I started working, and that took up all of my time until I was left too exhausted each night to even look at the computer. Now that its over, I should have a bit more free time, though not as much I would like as I'm doing the summer semester to graduate quicker. Please leave your reviews, I cherish each one of them :)