Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.
Empowered
Chapter 6: Disaster at the Flea Market!
The Next Day
Star had woken up early, dressed up in her jogging gear and went for a run. She was on the first day of her mission to lose 5 pounds and she was just starting the entire process.
First, with an early morning jog.
"I need this..."Star thought as she began jogging.
Usually, she runs a total of 5 miles a day, but she plans to do more this evening as well. She wanted to lose weight sooner rather than later, and she thought that this is the quickest way to do so.
"I can add another set later to make it 10..."She thought as she jogged and made sure to put more effort into her run.
"I... got... this!..." She said to herself, as she kept running to lose weight, working up a sweat as she did so.
Later
A sweaty and exhausted Star returned home, feeling satisfied with herself.
"I'm... on... the right track..."She panted before taking a sip of water as she entered her home.
She entered the kitchen, where her father and Georgia were at the breakfast table, enjoying themselves as they ate the delicious breakfast that the housekeeper had made..
"How was the run, Princess?..."Johnathan asked, while his daughter grinned in victory.
"Awesome. I managed to run 5 miles, no breaks..."Star said proudly, taking a deep breath.
"That's nice, but get cleaned up. It's breakfast time and you can't leave on an empty stomach..."Georgia reminded as she placed a stack of pancakes on the table.
Star saw them and felt conflicted.
"Oh man..."She thought in mild dread.
She loves pancakes, especially Georgia's pancakes, but she was on a diet right now. So, she had to cut down on anything potentially fattening...even if they tasted SO good.
She reluctantly gave her answer.
"Actually. I think I'll just have some juice, maybe an apple..."Star said while the housekeeper looked almost upset and maybe a tiny bit sad too.
"What's wrong? You love pancakes!..."Georgia said, while the blonde girl nodded.
"I do, but I gotta shed 5 pounds and, unfortunately, that means no to anything like that..."Star said, while the adults did not lose satisfied.
"Just have at least one..." Johnathan insisted, while his daughter shook her head and disagreed.
"But Dad, I'm trying to lose weight. If I eat that, it'd defeat the purpose of my run..."Star stated, trying her best to ignore the hunger she started to feel.
Her father sighed and shook his head.
"Just don't go overboard, Angel. I'm okay with exercising, but I don't want you starving yourself again..."Johnathan said, recalling the last time she went on a diet and ended up eating like a wild animal.
Star rolled her eyes and groaned. She hated being reminded of that incident. Still, she knew where he was coming from and tried to reassure him.
"Dad, I'm just trying to lose 5 pounds for health reasons, not to fit in a dress. I just can't eat that much..."Star said like it's no big deal, despite the pancakes looking tastier with each passing second.
"Well, you're not leaving this house without a filling breakfast, young lady. Just eat at least one..."Georgia said as she began to make a pancake for the diet conscious girl.
"But Georgia-..."Star tried.
"No "buts", Star. You're still a growing girl and you need your nourishment. End of discussion..."The housekeeper said in a strict way.
"Dad..."Star turned to her father, but he frowned.
"Georgia's right, Star. Exercise is one thing, but you're not skipping breakfast. Like she said, end of discussion..."Johnathan said, while his daughter pouted.
"But..."Star tried.
"You're eating a pancake, and I can make a nice fruit salad as well..."The housekeeper said, and her tone indicated that it is not negotiable.
Star knew that she couldn't argue against Georgia when she was behind the grill, so she gave in.
"Fine..."She said, as she sat down, seeing that she didn't have a say in the matter.
In a few moments, she began eating the pancake and slowly realize how she easily caved in for two.
"Best make it 15 miles later..."Star thought, making mental notes to have a light lunch and a lot of water later.
"Either that, or I can use the exercise bike in the home gym..."She mentally added, making more plans to burn calories later.
Little did she know, she'd have a hard time keeping her diet up. She just didn't knew it yet.
Later
Star was now showered, dressed, her hair was fixed up and she was ready for her date with Danny.
However, her mind was not on that, but her figure. She looked down at her stomach. It was still flat, but she couldn't help but feel something was amiss.
"Just gotta keep up this routine and diet and I will be back to a 109 in no time..."She thought, trying to be optimistic but she was not paying full attention to her surrounding.
She walked into the wall, mentally scolding herself for not seeing it. While grateful nobody saw that, she began to fear that her concern with her weight was distracting her. However, she shook her head, the fear of getting overweight affected her once more.
"It's just 5 pounds. I can drop that easily. No problem!..."She thought, trying to stay positive.
"Star. Danny is here..."Georgia called from downstairs.
"Oh, coming..."Star said as she headed down.
"Just ignore it for now. Danny time now, weight time later..." She thought, trying to keep her priorities straight here.
Star soon went downstairs, and saw her boyfriend, who was waiting for her in the living room.
"Hey Gorgeous..."Danny said, before kissing her.
Star smiled.
"Hey Handsome..."Star said, happy to see him.
The two shared a quick hug, and Star's previously concerns for her weight were forgotten for the time being.
"So, ready to go? I'll buy the first thing you want... under $50 that is..."Danny said, making her snicker at that.
"Yeah, totally..."Star said, looking forward to it.
"As usual, best be home before Mr. Strong returns...and make sure that you keep it PG..." Georgia reminds them as they went through the door.
"Sure Georgia. PG..."Star said as she locked arms with Danny, both happy to get out.
Georgia saw this and giggled.
"Aw, to be young and in love..."She said, smiling before she went back to her chores.
Outside
The couple soon left and headed their way to the flea market. As soon as they were far enough, Danny decided to make a move. He turned to his pretty, blonde girlfriend and grinned at her.
"So, which do you prefer? A flight on Air Phantom...or do you wanna take the scenic route and use our legs for once?..."Danny asked jokingly, figuring she'd say yes to flying.
Star thought about it and saw an opportunity. Usually, she loves flying with him, but she had a way to work off her breakfast.
"Well...the flea market is like 2 miles from here. Walking could help burn some more calories and work our leg muscles..."She considered, before turning to her boyfriend.
"Actually, I think that I prefer walking this time, Danny-Boo. I mean...it's such a nice day and all. Plus, no ghosts, so we got a chance to relax..."Star said, hiding her real intentions.
Danny blinked, but obliged her, not yet seeing her real reason for for choosing this decision. He just figured it was her wanting to enjoy the day, and had no problem indulging her whims.
"Okay..."He said before taking her hand, not seeing any problem with it.
The two headed off, Star was relieved that she can work her breakfast off without telling Danny. Plus, she was giving her boyfriend an extra workout that wasn't in his ghost form and was always a plus for her. A win-win in her mind.
"So far so good. Just try and play it cool for now and these 5 pounds will disappear in no time..."She thought, expecting this day to go well.
5 minutes later
Danny and Star were walking together and Danny stopped, stretching one leg as he felt it tire.
"This is what I get for flying, my legs must be a-trophy-ing or something..."Danny said.
"You mean atrophied. I guess you should exercise your legs more..."Star said, thinking her idea was the right move.
"Yeah... turning my legs into one tail, or whatever that thing is when I speed up, doesn't help me keep up with leg day..." Danny joked.
Star smiled.
"Working off weight and helping him build muscle... my idea was perfect..." Star thought, not seeing any downsides here,
Her boyfriend then noticed the smile on her face.
"I see my misery still pleases you..."Danny said, obviously joking.
Star flinched.
"Oh… I was just… glad you don't have to skip leg day..."Star said, acting nervous.
Danny laughed, falling for her defense.
"Relax, I was just kidding..."He said, while his girlfriend rolled her eyes.
"We should keep walking, before it gets too crowded at the Flea Market and all the good stuff is gone..."Star reminded.
"Alright. Alright..."Danny said, feeling ready to continue.
The couple soon continued their walk, wanting to get to the flea market before one of them catches a leg cramp. The other, however, was quite relieved as the walk seemed to be going well.
Later
Danny and Star soon arrived to the Swap-meet and were relieved to have finally made it from that 2 mile walk here. One of was already tired, the other was feeling better about herself.
"Here we are. So, which should we head to first?..."Danny said, as there were many stands available here.
"Hmm...I guess we can just window shop first. Though I do wonder if I can get something from for my Nana for her birthday later this year..."Star said as they wandered throughout the area.
"You're talking about your Dad's mom, right? The GOOD grandmother that you have..."Danny said.
"Duh...I'm talking about my Nana Joy. As if I'd ever even consider getting a gift for a certain old bat who'd BETTER keep her word and never step foot in this town ever again..."Star said.
"No worries. I'd doubt she'd try anything funny again...and if she does, I'll just have to REMIND her about the importance of keeping your promises..."Danny said, as his eyes flashed green.
Star giggled.
"Thanks, Danny-Boo. You're always so reliable..."She said, as they both laughed.
After a few minutes, they kept walking around and checked out the area.
"Pretty crowded today. With so many people here, I think we'll have trouble. I just hope that we can find the right stand..."Danny said, looking at the disorganized stalls.
It would have been better if someone organized everything by type, but life was never that fair. And this was worse for Star, who hugged her stomach as she tried to ignore how hungry she was starting to feel.
"Darn it, now?! Maybe just one pancake was a bad idea...maybe I should have eaten the fruit salad too...but if I had eaten any more than that, I definitely would've gained a pound..."She thought, cursing herself.
The Swap-meet air was filled with the mixture of different spices and flavors, fighting over savoriness to entice customers.
To make matters worse, everything looked delicious as pots simmered and flared. Some making fried food was bring presented out in the open, being sold at a quick pace and made at an even quicker pace.
It was almost like torture for the blonde girl, who was currently fighting the urge to get a bite. She tried her best to ignore the sight of people snacking popcorn, chili dogs and cotton candy, as well as a bunch of other junk food here.
"Why couldn't this have been at a grave sale meeting instead?…"Star asked herself, mumbling under her breath as her stomach still had room for some delicious food to fill the empty space within it.
"You say something?…"Danny asked, having heard that clearly.
"Nothing!…"Star said, as she grabbed Danny's hand. "Let's go!…"She said, wanting to change the subject and get her mind off of food.
The blonde girl then guided her boyfriend to some other part of the Swap-meet that wasn't selling greasy fried food or sugar-filled snacks...all the while, trying to ignore her stomach and focus on having a fun date with her boyfriend.
"Come on Star, focus on your new diet. You've faced the monster of specter island and, like, a bazillion ghosts by now and your own evil ex-grandmother. This shouldn't be harder than that!..."Star thought, holding a hand to her stomach.
That same stomach grumbled again, and she tried hard to ignore it.
"Darn it!..."She thought, but her willpower could only last for so long and her stomach grumbled again.
The blonde girl ended up groaning, rolling her eyes and smacking her lips before she could even realize it.
However, Star soon realized that her efforts in avoiding food stalls was in vain. For today, the swap meet was hosting a small competition to sell the most food today. Meaning that more than 2/3 of the vendors are selling food at their stalls today.
The blonde girl groaned again.
"Why did today have to be the day they sell all this?! And how on earth did Danny and I not know about it sooner?!..."She thought, trying to get her mind off the food.
However, she could smell that same popcorn again. She didn't even pay attention to Danny getting popcorn himself and offered some to Star.
The food smelled delicious and looked good too.
Too good!
And that's when Star, after scarfing the food down, realized she just ate something for a popcorn stand, that also sold different types of popcorn flavorings, including butter, caramel and so forth.
She realized, after it was done, that the snack disappeared from her hands and into her stomach even faster than she could blink.
She instantly regretted it.
"Darn it. This is not good!..."Star thought, worried that she just gained more weight.
"Star, are you okay?…"Danny asked, seeing her no longer eating.
"I'm fine...peachy..."She lied, hating that she gave in like that.
The food didn't make her sick or anything, but she was on a diet and she just ate something that is classified as junk food.
She handed the bag to Danny, trying to look innocent as she did so. On the inside, she was angry at herself for doing something like that.
"Darn it. How did I miss that?!..."She thought, as she mentally berated herself.
It didn't stop there, as she could smell the food from other nearby stands as well, some of them were offering specialty dishes and none of them looked remotely fat free, to say the least.
One of the stalls, called "Mama Charlie's", was offering some chicken-pot-pie, and the blonde girl tried hard to resist the temptation again.
"That looks delicious..."She thought, practically drooling at the sight of the food, before snapping out of it.
"Focus! You had a big enough breakfast! And you just ate popcorn too! Get a grip, already!..."She thought, frustrated as she groaned.
This caught Danny's attention.
"What's up with her?..."He thought with a raised eyebrow, while his girlfriend then adopted a fake smile.
"Let's go for a walk!..."Star suggested, wanting to burn more calories to make up for her moment of weakness, as well as get away from the distracting smell of the food.
Her boyfriend seemed confused by what she just said.
"Uh… aren't we already walking? At a swap meet?..." Danny questioned.
"Oh… right…" Star went with a sheepish smile.
As they kept walking, Star couldn't help but hear some people nearby, as they were minding their own business.
"Mommy, that girl is big like cousin Jess..." A small girl, probably 5 years old, went as she pointed at Star.
Star froze up when she heard that.
"Big?..." She asked, sounding hurt right now.
"She sure is…" The mother said as they walked away, taking her child with her.
"Big?..." Star asked while her boyfriend saw it innocently.
"She must mean tall..." Danny reasoned.
"Y-yeah. That must be it…" Star said, thinking that might be true.
However, more talking got her attention.
"Heavy, ain't she?..." She heard someone say.
The blonde girl flinched upon hearing that.
"Heavy?..."She whispered.
Turning her head, she saw two men and their dog. The dog was a large Great Dane, who was acting pretty hyperactive as her owners tried to keep her under control.
"I told ya to stop feeding her large portions…" The other said.
"Says the one who feeds her table scraps whenever she begs..."The guy said said while his friend rolled his eyes.
Star blinked at that and let out a breath in relief.
"Get a grip, Star! It's not like everyone knows what you're thinking!..."Star thought, getting antsy while her boyfriend sent her funny looks.
"Star? You're acting weird…"Danny said, making her flinch.
She tried her best to avoid eye contact with the ghost boy, who was still sending her questioning looks.
"Weird? How so? Something… different about me?..." She asked nervously while trying to laugh it off, only to make Danny uncomfortable.
Her boyfriend then crossed his arms, looking suspicious.
"I meant that you're acting like something's up. Are you hungry or something?..."He asked.
"No! … uh, no…"Her protest died before she could finish it, as her stomach started rumbling.
"Are you kidding me?!..."She thought, unable to believe that this was happening to her now.
She blushed while her boyfriend gave a dry chuckle. He winked in a "gotcha" kind of way before wagging his finger.
"I knew it. Don't worry, I'll get us something to eat..."Danny said.
"Uh...I'm not that hungry..."Star said, though her boyfriend didn't believe her.
"It's okay...I'll make a call to my friends to stop by Nasty Burger. Tucker should still be there..."Danny said, getting out his phone.
All of Star's protests were ignored as her boyfriend kept her at bay with one hand. The girl's opinions were rejected as Danny made the call to his friends, while the blonde girl was getting upset.
"SERIOUSLY?!..."She thought, wondering why this was happening to her.
A little later
Sam and Tucker promptly arrived and made themselves known, bringing the food with them.
"Hey guys..."Danny said.
"Hey, guys..."Sam said, looking ticked as she glanced at who stood next to her.
"Sup..." Tucker said before burping.
He then offered the food to Star, who cringed at the sight of the bag that no doubt that tasty but greasy fast food inside of it.
"It's cool. I'm not that hungry..." Star insisted.
But Tucker had not only brought a bag for Star. He had three bags worth of Mighty Meaty Burgers and chili cheese fries. His friends were staring at him as he chowed down on one unhealthy sandwich.
"Can't start the day without a good meal…"Tucker said with his mouth full.
"And nothing tastes better than the Mega Mighty Burger: two beef paddies, six slices of bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, fried egg, all topped with deep fried buns…"He said, salivating at the idea of eating.
Sam was about to hurl as she saw the contents shoved inside the boy's mouth, as well as how his attitude was about this whole thing. It's clear he's getting far more obsessed with eating their food.
"What are you? They're spokesman?! I think that I'm actually about close to paying them off to ban you..."Sam argued, while the tech geek ignored her and kept eating.
Tucker's eating habits worsened as one could mistake him for a cow with how he chewed his food. His shirt was covered in food stains and that was not counting the amount that fell out of his mouth.
Danny made an uncomfortable face.
"Tucker, you're starting to scare me. And I fight ghosts! I also hate that I had to repeat that, but this is a rare occurrence..."Danny said, while his best male friend brushed him off.
"Hey, I'm just making a statement and defending Nasty..."Tucker said before burping again.
"No, you're just making a fool of yourself. And just a reminder, I am NOT covering your tab!..."Sam said, while the tech geek pouted but kept eating.
Star cringed, when she saw all the food stains on Tucker and was ready to hurl as well.
"I will NEVER binge eating anything, ever!..."She thought, hoping that she'll never get that obsessed over any kind of food.
Danny was the only one holding it together, having seen and felt worse from all the punches he's thrown at ghosts. However, he was also reaching his limit as well.
"Come on. Lets skip the food and find the company..."Danny said, having lost his appetite with his friends.
"Yeah. No way that I can eat anything around him..."Star said, her own hunger forgotten for the time being.
"Same here...even if I wasn't a vegetarian. I think I'd swear off meat after this..."Sam shuddered, as she stepped back.
Tucker raised a brow.
"What's the big deal? Weirdos..."He argued, while his friends sent him looks.
"Come on Star. I think that they sell some smoothies near here. Probably a better choice..."Danny said, and his girlfriend didn't disagree.
Star then sighed as she made a mental note to keep track of her calories intake. She did not want to end up like Tucker, who was packing the pounds like he was setting a record.
"Star and I will go this way. Sam and—..."
"I'LL go this way. Garfield here can go by himself…"Sam said, as she didn't wait for further instructions, as she walked away.
Star dragged Danny away, not wanting to be seen with the junk-food obsessed tech geek right now. There were only a many stains she could handle.
Unknown to Star, someone had arrived to the flea market and saw her and Danny. Hidden with in the crowd, the figure looked after the couple .
"They they are. Time to execute my perfect plan..."The figure said, before carefully following from a safe distance.
With a face hidden amongst the packed streets, the figure's assured their self of victory. Their eyes were on Danny, planning for their plan.
Elsewhere
Misty Smith-Yang had arrived to the swap meat with her grandmother. As always, the "Yang's family sauce" was flying off the shelves and making them a lot money.
"I knew that license to sell food wasn't a waste. As always, here's your take..."LaoLao said as she handed her granddaughter $40.
"Thanks, LaoLao..."Misty said as she pocketed it.
"Now... I gotta go make a payment for the stand. Be right back..."Laolao said.
As Misty waved her grandmother best of luck, she looked around to make sure nobody was looking. Once she was sure that she was alone, she smirked.
"Out of rice, out of sauce... and no customers. Perfect..." She said as she pulled out an antique from her basement.
It was a blue necklace with a gem on it. It was one that she had managed to find within her family's antiques a while back, and she had been studying on it ever since. She didn't want to make another mistake, like with Shi, so she tried being more careful this time around.
She pulled out her spell-book, and grinned. Making sure nobody was around, she kept looking until she found the page on it.
"The Necklace of the fallen star... said to grant wishes... the user may use their magic to grant a wish..." She read out loud as she smiled and pressed her finger onto the jewel while wearing it.
She already knew what she wanted to wish for, and she wasted no time in doing so.
"I wish that Danny Fenton broke up with Star and fell in love with me so that we can be a couple... and maybe someday get married and have a wonderful home with kids... maybe 3 or 4..." She said as she closed her eyes, waiting for the Necklace to work.
She opened her eyes, and to her surprise, nothing happened.
"What gives?! Don't tell me that thing this is a dud?!..."She thought, frowning.
Her disappointment came until she heard a certain voice that made her heart all a flutter.
"Misty?..."Was heard, making the dark hair girl flinch in surprise.
"That voice..."She thought before smiling and thinking her wish came true.
"Danny?!..." She went excitedly as she turned around, seeing the two holding hands making her smile slightly weaken. "... and... Star!..."She added, trying to ignore a spike of envy as her eyes landed on the pretty blonde girl.
"Hey Misty..."Star waved at her.
"So...uh...what brings you two here?..."Misty asked, hoping that her wish was in process.
The teenage couple, unaware of her true intentions, just kept speaking casually with her.
"Well, I was wondering if I could get that little statue of a lion for my maid. She was looking for something to decorate her sister's place and I think that'd work..." Star said, as she pointed at it.
Misty ignored her own negative feelings and forced a smile on her face, as she spoke to the pretty blonde girl.
"Oh... uh... sure... $50..."She said as the sale was being made.
"Thanks..." Star went, surprised nothing suggested her wish was granted.
"So... that's it?..." Misty asked, expecting something else.
"Sure is..." Star went, smiling at her as she took the statue.
The two were about to leave when Danny stopped.
"Actually... yeah. There's something I need to do..." Danny said.
Misty brightened up.
"Really?..."She began, thinking he's fallen in love with her.
"Oh man, is this it?..."She thought, excited as she tried to remain composed.
Danny looked her in the eye and smile. Misty expected her wish to be granted, and that in just a few moments, she'd get her dream guy.
However, to her dismay, no confession of love or breakup with a pretty blonde girl was made. The cute dark haired boy just pointed to something that was on the sales desk.
"Do you know how much that vase is? My parents' kind of broke one at someone's house and I figure that getting a new one would get them out of trouble..." He asked, pointing to a vase behind her.
From the way he said, it was clear he was not suddenly in love with her. Misty's hopes were dashed, and she only barely concealed her real feelings with a fake smile and a monotone voice.
"$80..." She said, keeping that smile on her face to hide her disappointment.
"Hmm... that sounds about right. I'll ask about it. Thanks..." Danny said as he and Star left, holding hands and still clearly into each other.
Once they were gone and out of sight, Misty's face faulted to anger before looking at the necklace.
"What gives?!..." She exclaimed, as she went back to the book and re-read the part she left on.
"The user may use their magic to grant a wish..." She began, and then turned the page. "It will only work so long as it's someone else's wish... because the necklace is dependent on their magic and therefore cannot grant their own?!..." She dropped the book, feeling more than upset.
"Who writes sentences like that?! I'M the one who actually NEEDS this and I'm the one person on Earth it CAN'T work for?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!..."She exclaimed, her forehead meeting her desk repeatedly.
"This is SO not fair!..."She let out, as she slammed her head once more while her Laolao was on her way back.
She didn't see what had occurred, thinking Misty was slacking off.
"Any customers?!..." She called out, surprising her granddaughter who heard her.
Gasping, Misty hid the necklace.
"Y-Yeah..." She said as her grandmother arrived.
"Ah, good to see not everyone is here for the food... even if it's helped us pay off our back bills..." Laolao said, feeling a bit satisfied.
"Yeah..." Misty said, looking at the necklace in her bag.
"If I can't grant my wish... maybe I can grant someone else's? Maybe Star can slip and wish for something that wrecks the relationship?..."She thought, her eyes flashing green for a moment.
It seems she still had plans for the necklace, as well as the teenage couple.
Oh boy.
With Star
The blonde girl was doing her best to ignore the smells of food, and focus on just about anything else.
"Maybe I should stuff this lion statue up my nose to block smell..."She thought, trying to ignore the scents that made her desire the foods.
She shook her head before noticing Danny was staring at her. He had a look that made him think she was sick.
"Are you sure that you're okay? Cause I can just take you home if you're not feeling well..." He offered.
"I'm cool. Besides, I can walk..."Star said, trying to lose as much weight as she could.
"I never said that you couldn't..."Danny said, questioning her choice in words.
Star looked away, unable to find a response to that. She didn't have time to as someone else spotted them.
"Vell... vhat have ve here?..."A snooty French accent was heard and the couple groaned.
"Are you kidding me?!..."Star exclaimed, while she and Danny turned to face Colette.
"Can't believe I miss Puck and his tricks..."Danny grumbled, as his unwanted admirer was present.
It was Colette Bevier, wearing her overpriced dress and having a smug look on her face as her eyes landed on the dark haired boy.
"Bonjour, Mon Amore. I see zhat you still waste your time here with the low class, and I don't just mean Estelle..."Colette said, ignoring the dirty glare her step-sister was sending her.
Danny glared at that and took a step back to keep the distance as far as possible.
"One, Star isn't low anything! And two, better then how you waste your time. Your stalking is getting this close to a restraining order!..."Danny said, sounding as hateful as possible.
"I do not see it as stalking. I see it as discovering when and where you will be and ensure we meet and talk..."Colette said, sounding innocent as possible.
"That's stalking!..."Star said, looking ready to knock her teeth out.
Her stepsister huffed and refused to look at her.
"Nobody asked you. Besides, I would travel the ends of the Earth and step foot even on these grounds for my one true love..."Colette said in an over-dramatic way, thinking she looked romantic as she did it.
The ghost boy became angrier and made it clear he wasn't flattered.
"I'm not your love, I'm your obsession! And I wouldn't even date you in your dreams!..."Danny said, knowing how twisted her dreams are thanks to Star.
"Seriously, Colette...if it wasn't for Stella practically begging us to not hurt you, then a restraining order and black eye by Star would be the end result of this!..."Danny said, almost like a threat.
His stalker, however, brushed that off and didn't see a threat.
"You will feel guilty for saying that to me one day, Mon Amore. But do not worry, I forgive you already..."Colette said, she has a faux-sweet tone to her voice.
"You forgive ME?!..."Danny exclaimed, shocked and disgusted while his girlfriend became more violent in her voice.
"Are you DEAF?! He totally hates you, almost as much as I do. Now get lost before I stop caring that we're in public!..."Star said, pointing away.
"Temper, temper Estelle. So barbaric. You'd set a bad influence..."Colette said in a condescending way.
"Like you're any better..."Star grumbled, fists shaking. "At least I don't have to ruin someone else's day in order to have any fun..."She shot at her.
Colette glared at this, but tried to act like that didn't get under her skin. She then huffed again and turned away.
"Well, I would never willingly come here to do shopping. Such mediocre prices for such lackluster used garbage..." Colette huffed at her surroundings.
"Oh yeah, I guess we'd find second to third rate items here…"Star said, as she tilted her head. "This must be where you get your wigs…"She taunted with a mocking smile.
"I do NOT wear a wig! Zhis hair is mine and you know it!..."Colette said as she pointed to her hair defensively.
"Oh yeah, I forgot that it just LOOKS fake and tacky..."Star quipped, while Danny snickered at that.
Colette growled, barely composing herself as she straightened up. She was not going to ruin her beautiful face in front of Danny, no matter how much he didn't see her as beautiful.
"Funny, I was going to say the same about you. You look dense enough to be one of these old, crusty statues…"Colette quipped, insulting her choice of purchase.
"It's a gift, genius..." Star said, crossing her arms.
"For who? That Goth girl?..."Colette asked sarcastically, not really caring at all.
"My housekeeper, Georgia, who is genuinely loyal and not just a paycheck. She's basically family to us. More than you are, that's for sure..."Star said.
"Oh, please. The only gift zhat she would need is her paycheck..."Colette said, dismissive of lower classes as usual.
"Tough talk from someone who never works for money..."Star said, scowling hatefully.
"And I never will..."Colette said, rolling her eyes.
"You're such a conceited snob..." Star grumbled.
"Oh, is that so? Well, you look so heavy with that ridiculous statue you carry that I—..."Colette tried to insult her but Star cut her off.
"I am not heavy!…"Star snapped back with a red face, surprising both her step-sister and even Danny too.
"Where'd that come from?..."Danny thought, surprised by Star's sudden outburst.
Colette blinked at her step sisters harsh reaction. She then realized that she had a new means of provoking her.
"Hmm...so Estelle is weight conscious, huh? I guess this means that I found something else to toy with her..."Colette thought, her cruel sense of humor taking over.
A wicked smile appeared as her eyes narrowed on the blonde girl. She knew what to say next.
"I was going to say it looked misshapen, but it was too obvious…"Colette posed, twisting her chest to the side with her arms on her hips.
"But then again, perfection is hard to maintain. You remind me of these cheap muffins I saw down the street…"She said in a mean way, getting under the blonde girl's skin.
Star repressed the urge to punch her face, and somehow settled for just using her words against her...for now.
"The only cheap thing that I see is you..." Star stated.
"Maybe because you ate them without realizing it. That's vhat it looks like to me..." Colette said mockingly, as she rudely pointed at Star's figure.
"Hey, knock it off! Don't make me forget that I don't hit girls!..."Danny said, defending his girlfriend. "Unless they are ghosts who want to cause trouble..."He mentally added, recalling Ember and her last ambush attempts.
He expected Star to lash at Colette, but then noticed that she was more hurt than usual. Star pinched the sides of her hips, still listening in horror.
"What is going on?…"Danny asked while Star's stepsister answered.
"Nothing, Mon Amore. I was just thinking that while you like ze muffins, maybe you care for something lean…I believe you like steak, oui?"…"She said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
Danny sent her a disgusted look, while Star nearly lost her temper.
"No thanks. I just lost my appetite..."Danny said, rolling his eyes.
Star stood in Colette's view of Danny with her arms extended out.
"Get lost Colette, before I feed you a knuckle sandwich!..."Star threatened, raising her fist in warning.
"Hmph... such barbarism..." Colette said with a huff before looking away. "The sight of you disgusts me..."She said, not bothering to look at her.
"Well, being on the same planet as you disgusts me!..."Star said, getting her attention.
Both girls glared at each other intensely, while the ghost boy was quick to pull Star away.
"You're better than this. At least Dash isn't about to hit on you..."Danny said, as he pointed up ahead.
"Vhat? Where?!..." Colette asked, only to see Dash was not present.
"I do not see-..."She paused once she saw that Danny and Star were no longer there.
She became angry that she fell for another ruse to distract her and that her step-sister and the guy of her dreams had gotten away.
"NOT AGAIN! GET BACK HERE!..."She shouted as she tried to look for them.
She started running but she ended up colliding with someone and losing track of where they could've gone.
"Watch it, I was walking here!..."Was heard.
"You should watch it!..."Colette snapped, snarling at them.
However, she saw that the person whom she ran into was Misty. Both girls saw each other and glared at each other.
"You again?!..." Misty and Colette said in unison.
"Stay away from Mon Danny, you stalker! Or I will call ze police on you!..." Colette shouted before storming off.
"Right… I'm the stalker. I actually work here!…" Misty grumbled before looking around. "Where did they go?..."She wondered, having lost track of Danny and Star.
She had seen them walk this way, but then they pretty much vanished into the crowd...no doubt to get away from Colette.
"As soon as Danny's mine, I'm going to curse that poodle into leaving him alone forever..."Misty thought, frustrated as she tried to spot the object of her affections.
Colette is a nuisance, but she's not her main obstacle here. No, that title belongs to a certain blonde girl who just has to be the one dating the best guy in Amity Park.
"Now, how to get to Danny and make the blonde and fake redhead leave him be? It's gotta be something big..."Misty thought, pondering ways to speed things up for her next date with Danny.
After pondering, an idea sprung.
"I've been working on a spell to summon a small ghost. Maybe scaring people into leaving the place would make it easier to spot him?..." She said under her breath as she reached into her bag and held the book.
"Now... how'd the incantation go?..."She wondered, as her eyes briefly flashed green.
She hummed it to herself, deciding something small and less dangerous would be the best option.
With our favorite couple
After spending about 2 minutes in the crowd, Danny and Star stepped out, relieved to be away from Colette.
"Glad that's over..." Star said. "Any longer and I might have done something that would have resulted in the cops getting involved..."She muttered.
"I don't disagree..."Danny said, just glad to be away from that obnoxious pest.
"Well... now that we're free..." Star said as she slowly motioned to kiss him.
However, the new peace came to an end as a blue wisp escaped Danny's mouth. He knew what it meant and he sighed.
"Just my luck…"Danny groaned, frowning.
"Need any help?..."Star offered, but her boyfriend shook her head.
"Nah, I don't hear people screaming or explosions. it's probably the Box Ghost or something small like that. This shouldn't take long..."Danny said, while his girlfriend sighed.
"Okay, best hurry..." Star insisted, wanting to go back to what they were doing.
Danny nodded, before placing a kiss on her cheek.
"I'll be back..."He said, as he went to find a place to go ghost.
He wanted to talk to her about what had happened earlier with Colette, but that would have to wait for now. He had a ghost to catch.
As Danny left to handle things, that gave Star a chance to examine her belly.
She recalled Colette's words and tried to ignore them. However, a part of her still couldn't stop thinking about those extra 5 pounds and any other extra weight that she might have gained since she got here.
The blonde girl took a seat on a nearby bench before she just sighed.
"Now… how to kill time and lose 5 pounds while I wait…"She thought, wondering how she'd get thinner.
All the while, she had no idea that soon, she'd have way more on her mind than her weight.
-To be continued-
Next time on Empowered
Disaster at the Flea Market! Part II
A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
A/N(2): Special thanks to NeoMark, BeConfuzzled Writer and Jay The Average Fanboy for all their help. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
saberwolf335: Star does have her own exercise bike at home.
CZS4: Thank you :)
Invader Johnny: Colette obviously tried to take advantage of her insecurity, but Danny is still by Star's side, through thick and thin.
RonaldM40196867:
1) Yeah, Georgia enjoys cooking.
2) They are aware that she pretty much tries stalking Danny at this point.
3) I'd say that she's slightly worse than Toadman.
Luiz4200:
1) She's probably not yet aware just how rich Sam is.
2) No, not yet anyway. That's just Tucker's username that he almost always use.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) I'll think about it. Thank you for the suggestion.
2) He probably worked as a longshoreman when he was alive. Maybe he got into an accident or something.
3) Maybe Ember, since she's one of my favorite ghosts.
4) Definitely when Dark Danny was created.
5) I think that she was an unpopular human teenager, who died in a house fire after getting stood up by a guy that she had a crush on. I mentioned my idea for her backstory in Resurrected Memories and Cupid's Wrath.
Thank you for your praise, I also hope that this chapter is up to your standards.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)