AN: I am SOOOO sorry for leaving you guys like that, internet went down, and just came back up today! Don't worry, on tumblr, the 8th chapter has been posted, so that means you guys won't have to worry about waiting for me to type up a new chapter!/
Disclaimer: No matter how much I wis-… want it to be true, I do not own Danny Phantom.
Recap: Danny is using the Ghost Zone Library to his advantage. He went there to study for his math test and ending up falling asleep until Ghost Writer kicked him out. He also forgot his math textbook there.
The next morning, Danny woke up, and turned to look at his alarm clock. His eyes widened and he jumped out of bed having seen that he had near 15 minutes to get to school. Getting his clothes on and jamming his feet into his shoes, he nearly fell down the stairs. He threw his backpack on and shouted into the kitchen, "Late for school, love you, bye!" Dashing out of the house to where his friends waited, Danny walked with his friends to school. "Sorry I was late. And sorry I wasn't around town last night. I fell asleep studying."
Tucker gave him a curious look out of the corner of his eye, still facing the sidewalk. "How did you fall asleep studying? Didn't any ghost attacks interrupt you?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground, "Uh, no? I may or may not have gone to the Ghost Zone around seven."
Sam frowned, eyes narrowing, "Danny, that's so irresponsible! What if someone got hurt?!" She rubbed irritatedly at the bags under her eyes.
He sighed, feeling guilty. He knew he was the hero that needed to be there in case the day needed to be saved, but couldn't he do something for himself? Just one time? "I know, I know, Sam, and I'm sorry. I just can't keep letting my grades slip like this! Mom and Dad are starting to get fed up, and finals are next month! If I fail the finals, I… I don't know what'll happen! Even if I pass all my classes this year, I'm probably gonna take summer school. I need to, because of how often I have to leave or skip class." If he didn't take summer school, he'd be so far behind his classmates. As it was, he was barely scraping by this year.
She sighed regretfully, knowing he was right. Last night, she had stayed up for hours trying to finish her take-home math test, so it was hard for her to put up with much today. She really shouldn't have been blowing up at Danny like this. "I know, Danny, I'm sorry, too. All this stuff about finals is stressing me out. It just seems like you're being a little selfish, staying away from the town for as long as you did."
He nodded, understanding her worry, "I know, and like I said, it was an accident. Don't worry, I'll make sure the town doesn't go to ruin." They gave each other small smiles. If there was one thing they could count on, it was Danny's constant need to save people.
Tucker blew out a puff of air. It appeared it was on him to change the subject, "Now that that's settled, did you guys hear about the C6H12O6?! It's the newest phone on the market! I can't wait to get- Danny? You alright?" He interrupted his technological rant when his not-brother grumbled as he rummaged in his backpack, having gotten out a notebook and a pencil.
He went through his backpack again, groaning, "I left my textbook in the library." He slung the bag back onto his back. If it weren't for the things he held in his hand, he would've facepalmed. How could he have been so stupid?
Tucker shrugged, not seeing the problem. "Well, that's fine, you can just get it back-"
"The Ghost Zone library, Tucker," the halfa deadpanned. Both of his friends winced. They would count him very lucky to get that book back. After all, nearly all the ghosts hated him, why would a ghost give it back to him for nothing in return?
"Ouch. I'm sorry, dude. Do you need it today?" When all he got was a shrug in response, he continued in an upbeat tone, "Well, then, you can just get it back after school, right? No sweat, Danny."
This brought a grin to the boy's face. He threw the arm that wasn't holding his things around his techie's shoulders, "Thanks, Tuck. That was surprisingly helpful." Tucker nodded, grinning through the chills he had gotten. His friend seemed to forget that he wasn't exactly the same temperature as humans.
He gave a short laugh to cover, "It's what I'm here for!"
Sam rolled her eyes, putting her own arm over Danny's shoulders, "What we're here for. You're gonna be just fine, Danny. And if you need the book in class, just look off someone else's."
He chuckled, "Thanks, Sam. You guys are the best." He always felt lucky for having such loyal, understanding friends.
She shivered, then pulled her arm away from him, "Brr! Sorry, keep forgetting that you're, like, really cold."
He blinked, then his eyes widened, and he withdrew his arm from around Tucker, "Yikes, sorry, guys. Didn't realize it was that bad."
Thankful to be regaining some warmth in his shoulders and neck, Tucker brought it back to the original conversation. "How long were you there, anyway? We kept calling, but you didn't answer."
He gave them an embarrassed smile. He didn't mean to make them worry. "Hehe, sorry about that. I left my phone at home. Didn't think I'd need it. Apparently I was there until nearly midnight."
"Jeez, midnight? When did you fall asleep?" When a shrug was the only reply he got, he sighed, "I hope all that studying is going to help you. How long is the test supposed to be?"
"All period, and then extra time if we need it. At least if I take the extra time, it means missing P.E." At this, the teen grinned. Physical Education really wasn't one of his favorite classes, since he got more exercise fighting ghosts than anything else.
Sam rolled her eyes, gently smacking the back of his head, "Don't get too big of a head, Danny. You still need a grade, your human form isn't as strong as it could be, and you still need to look like a normal, wimpy, goes-to-every-class kid. Once you finish that test, you come straight to P.E., got it?" Someone had to keep their super-powered best friend and his ego in line. If not her, than who?
He groaned, knowing there was no way to argue, "Yes, mother. C'mon, don't wanna be late for hell!" He broke off from the group, running towards school. They grinned, accepting his challenge, and raced him. They panted as their feet slammed against the pavement, trying to catch up. He inevitably won, but it was fun arguing over who came in second. It was something that happened often. Ever since they started ghost hunting, Tucker had gotten almost to the same level of fitness as Sam. The three walked into the school together, and to English class. Danny suffered through his classes, and ghost fights, and was feeling more confident when he went to math.
Sitting down at his desk, he took out a pencil, along with his notebook, grinning at the fact that it was open-book. He hoped that the notes he had taken last night, and studied nearly all day, would be sufficient. He looked down at the test that had been placed on his desk. The thin, balding teacher in a green plaid shirt with rectangular glasses and a mustache looked out at his class, and told them sternly, "Remember, class, you have all period if you need it. Eyes on your own paper. Go ahead and begin."
Taking a deep breath, he picked up his pencil, and began scratching numbers onto the paper, looking back and forth between what he was writing, and the notes he had taken. He had gotten through about three of the questions when his ghost sense went off. Sighing, he raised his hand. The teacher called him forward to his desk, and had him bring his test paper. "You know my policy about leaving the room during a test."
The teen nodded, remembering what the teacher had told them at the beginning of the year. Whenever anyone wanted to leave during a test, they had to have had half the test completed, and the teacher would hold onto it until they got back. It insured there were no cheaters, and Danny couldn't argue with that. After the teacher gave a glance to the paper, he nodded, and Danny ran out of the room.
He ran to the boys' bathroom, after grabbing the thermos from his locker, and locked one of the stalls. After transforming, he turned invisible and took to the skies. Losing his invisibility, he searched around, until he heard the almost-imperceptible whining start up of a gun. He jumped out of the way in time to see a blast fly harmlessly past him. "Hey Skulker! You getting a bit… rusty?" He laughed as he turned to the ghost who was charging up his next shot.
With a growl, Skulker shouted, "My suit is not at all rusty, whelp! And I, Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter, will have your pelt on my wall!" He shot a few more blasts in Danny's direction, which he mostly avoided. He flinched when one tore a hole in his suit as it scrapped by, burning the side of his arm.
"Well, I can make it rusty, if you really want!" Tapping into his ice powers, his eyes lit up a bright blue. The burn on his arm cooled as his body temperature dropped. The hunter's eyes widened, and he tried to fly away, only for Danny to freeze everything but his wings. At least the ghost boy let him stay flying in the air, but now he couldn't do anything. Danny then threw a large ectoblast, immediately melting the ice, unfortunately. Skulker could only watch helplessly as the water seeped into his systems. Some sparks and smoke later, and he couldn't move anything but his wings. He couldn't even speak correctly.
"Ahl get you or dish, gost oy." His eyebrows wrinkled in thought, trying to translate what the paralyzed robot had just said, then he realized. I'll get you for this, ghost boy.
Rolling his eyes, Danny unhooked his thermos, and took the cap off. "That's what you said, last time." He sucked the ghost into the thermos and put it back on his belt. Sighing, he swiped the sweat from his forehead and flew back to the school. Phasing into an empty Janitor's Closet, he changed back into Danny Fenton, and made a stop by his locker. His muscles were sore as he opened the locker and put the thermos in, along with the ghost inside. He slammed it shut and walked back to class. He put a hand on his arm and flinched, watching a bruise blossom where the burn had been. "Great, just what I needed. Something else to hide."
He walked back into the classroom and bit his lip looking up at the clock. He had two questions left, and only ten minutes to answer them. He nodded gratefully to the teacher upon getting his test back, and went back to his desk, flipping through his notes frantically. Taking a breath, he calmed down, and eased some of the tension out. That ghost fight had taken a large chunk of time out, but he could do this. Find sin of 3.5x.
His pencil scratched against the paper, and he vaguely heard people talking, having finished the test. He put his pencil back down on his desk none too gently, and looked up to the clock. He grinned, seeing there was still two minutes left in class. He hadn't even used all ten minutes to do the last two. He went to the front of the room and handed in his test, much to the surprise of the teacher. "Finished already, Mr. Fenton? Well, this is a surprise. I… look forward to grading your test."
He gave a lopsided smile and went back to his desk, packing up his things. Studying at the Ghost Zone Library turned out to be one of his best ideas. He had gotten more studying done there than he had in the past week. Mentally, he decided that he would definitely be going there more often.