Sam didn't really feel any different, despite the fact that she had ultimately given up her soul. She hadn't seen Danny since their little 'make-up' session, or whatever she had wanted to call it, and she had to admit, she was avoiding him. He had the decency to go with it at least, but it had only been a day or two. And genuinely her main concern had been steering clear from Paulina. Luckily, just like Danny, she hadn't seen the girl since.
"Sam," the voice beside her sighed, tired of her repetition. "Common Sam, I've been calling you for a while.." The girl's voice was irritated, and the scowl on her face reflected as much. Sam apologized and looked expectantly at Valerie, the girl sitting next to her. "What's going on with you and Danny?"
Sam rolled her eyes and wished she could get a break from the questioning eyes and those bold enough to come up and ask. She supposed that Valerie, being one of her closest aquanticies, should tell her more of the story. However, Sam doubted that Valerie would believe her since Val was one of the only girls who didn't seem so entranced by the 'King' of the school and his looks.
"Nothing," Sam responded, not looking up from her project. Her mind reeled on what to say next, hesitating just enough for Valerie to grow suspicious. "Guess we're just trying out the friends thing." Val gave a sarcastic laugh. A sound that completely caught the goth off guard. Now, amethyst eyes met brown, and Sam could clearly see the disbelief in her friend's features.
"Friends," The girl asked, "or 'freinds'" She gave a pointed look and air quoted, the action causing Sam to return the laugh. Though she would never admit this, her heart raced ever slightly at the idea.
"No way, Val," Sam scolded, regaining her composure and returning her attention back to her project. "He and I are just friends and barely that."
"How did that even happen? You hate the guy more than I do…" Valerie, too, turned back to her work and sketched out the rest of the design she would soon be painting. "And I'm his ex." Sam's heart, without her consent, squeezed, a firey resentment striking against it. Sam grit her teeth and laughs it off, flawlessly covering the unwelcome emotion.
One thing that Sam could never get passed when it came to Valery, was that she had once dated Danny for a few months. Sure, Sam was all about the forgive-and-forget lifestyle, but she could never get over it. Every time she remembered, or it was brought up, Sam felt her anger flare. That was also something that she would rather die than admit and something that she genuinely could not explain. She had assumed for a long time that it meant that she was mad at Danny for being so dumb as to drive such a cool girl away, but she knew that wasn't exactly it. So she tucked the thought deep within her heart and hid it, continuing the conversation with Valery.
"I know," the goth relented, "but he did save me from Paulina, and that's got to mean something." Sam was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt since she was honestly ready to give up. She deemed it more exhausting to say no to him than to give in.
"I guess," Valerie answered her friend after a low hum, returning her attention to the painting before her. "Or he's trying to get in your pants."
Sam's heart leaped in her chest, and she awkwardly squeaked. Embarrassed at her outburst and her heart, she glared at the girl who caused it. "Val," she seethed, her teeth clenched in anger.
Brown eyes flickered back at Sam, amusement dancing within them. "That's what other people are saying, though I would never."
"Who's saying that!" She whispered angrily.
"Truthfully, I don't think he is." Valerie was now giving Sam her full attention again, sincerity replacing her earlier mocking tone even though she was ignoring her question. "Danny was never like that." Valerie's eyes shifted slightly, and a solemn and almost nostalgic expression appeared on her face.
Sam's eyes widened in shock as, once again, that strange hurt corrupted her heart. "Well, it's not like that at all. The only thing I have to go off of is that he said he wanted to be a better person because he almost died or something like that."
"From a ghost attack?" Valerie returned her attention to Sam, and her usual spitfire attitude returned when she mentioned a ghost. "Was it phantom?"
What had always been odd to Sam was Valerie's hatred for Phantom. The only reason Valerie didn't hate Danny Fenton more than Sam did was because that number one spot was reserved for Danny Phantom.
Sam supposed she should also make sure not to mention that she had made friends with Val's other nemesis. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen him since the last time he visited on the roof. She was still so surprised about the whole exchange, and she'd not been given a lot of time to think about it since that following day, Paulina had actually gone insane.
"No, I think Phantom saved him," was her reply.
"Sure," Valeri responded, not really believing the zoned-out goth.
—-
"No!" Sam grunted, pushing past Danny as she made her way through the Cafeteria. Eyes followed them as everyone expected something to happen. Apparently, Danny wasn't as smart about letting her ignore him as she had thought previously that morning.
"Common, Sam," Danny begged, getting in front of her and smiling brightly. "It'll be fun."
"Nothing about hanging with Tucker would be fun," She bit back, stepping around him and heading for the library just outside the Cafe. "I barely like you right now, let alone him."
"But you do like me?"
A hard glare was thrown his way, but it did not deter him from following her.
"We won't even bother you," He tried again, hope dancing in his eyes.
"Danny," She said sweetly. The change in her voice made him smile before she quickly changed her tune. "You and I have been arguing for years; why do you think I would break now?"
"Because I'm charming?"
She 'tsked' and walked away. "Not that charming,"
However, she did not get her wish, as she found herself opening the door to her home and saw a very irritated Tucker Foley and an over-excited Danny Fenton just a few hours later. "I said no." She slammed the door with her words and turned back around.
She had thought she had won the argument early during lunch that day. She should have known, as Danny Fenton had never been one to give up on the first try. How foolish of her.
"Common Sam!" The boy behind the door yelled. "The new Nightmareica movie is out tonight!"
The door opened to reveal a disgruntled and very confused Samantha Manson. "How did you know I liked Nightmarica?"
"Because you're Goth," the African American boy said, his attitude souring the air around him. "And who wouldn't wanna watch it?"
"Careful, Foley," Sam hissed. "Wouldn't wanna end up in the hospital again cause you forgot where your vegetables go."
"You know there are meatballs at the cafeteria that you haven't tried yet?" Tucker shot back, his tone equally as threatening. The air around the two simmered, and the tension was thick.
"At least this is somewhat normal," Danny mumbled, loud enough for both the arguing teens to give him a confused look. He awkwardly laughed at the questioning gazes and scratched the back of his neck. "Are you gonna go with us, Sam?"
"How did he get you here?" The girl in question asked, looking at Tucker again.
"He's paying," He quipped. Danny shot Sam a cheeky smile, and Tucker rolled his eyes.
"Then you can pay for me, too," She offered. Same grabbed the keys by the door and closed it behind her, not giving either of the boys a chance to respond. Three stairs down the concrete steps, she turned and gave the two a challenging glare. "Are you coming?"
"Woah woah woah…" Tucker grumbled, running past her with his long legs and getting in her face before she could take another step. "I didn't actually think you were gonna go."
"You should have thought of that before you invited me."
"I didn't invite you, he did."
"Will you two knock it off," Danny chided, coming in between the two. Once again, Danny's broad back shielded Sam, and she could only hear his voice rumble as he rebuked Tucker. "You agreed to come, so stop whining."
"I'm not whining." He whined. Sam rolled her eyes until she saw Danny turn around and direct his unwavering glare at her. She stiffened reflexively and clenched her jaw, ready for the verbal attack that usually followed their interactions.
"And friends are supposed to hang out together, Sam," Danny's voice was softer than she thought it would be, and she had to remind herself that the Danny that she had known a few weeks ago was surprisingly not the same one in front of her…. At least, that's what he claimed. "And you're loaded; why do I have to pay for your ticket?"
"Because it's my parents' money, not mine." She responded quickly without missing a beat, not trying to let Danny see that he had surprised her once again. She had decided that despite them now being 'freinds', she was going to still be on guard because there was no way that he was actually trying to be friends with her. There had to have been some kind of agenda, and she was just waiting for him to show a slip in his game, and she could expose him.
For the time being, however, she was going to enjoy, even if it was a small, tiny, insignificant bit, whatever he was offering.
The walk to the theater was awkward. Everytime Tucker would start to say something, Sam would quip back, just for Danny to intervene. And anytime Sam would try to say something, Tucker would be equally nasty. Eventually, Danny just hung his head in defeat and declared a talking time-out.
"You two fight more than me and the box ghost."
"What?" Sam stopped and looked at Danny incredulously. Tucker also paused and gave Danny a horrified look. It took him a few seconds to realize his mistake as he looked at Sam in fear.
"I-I mean, like," He stuttered and tried to think. "In the Danny Phantom videogame, you know?" He scratched the back of his neck again, the awkward tick not going unnoticed by the female.
It was true that there had been a videogame created in honor of the hero, where more of his well-known adversaries stared as the main villains. The box ghost was well-known as an easy target, but it was constantly in the way. Despite this, Sam did not believe him.
She wasn't stupid. She prided herself on being self-aware and conscious of those around her. Danny had always been a terrible liar, and she knew that for a fact. Even in the times when he was mean and hurtful to her, he still always had an awkward tell or a shift in the eyes. He was obviously trying to hide something, but nothing she could think of made any sense… unless.
"Danny are you a ghost...?