Jazz tapped her pencil on her desk, counting the seconds go by.
She didn't know why her counselor was making her take this class again– she'd taken several psych classes in highschool, some of them even for college credit (not to mention the hundreds of hours she had spent studying it on her own). She knew the material forwards and backwards. She wanted to learn something new.
This was a total waste of time.
When her phone began buzzing in her pocket– long, rhythmic vibrations that could only be a phone call– she was grateful for the excuse to leave. She packed up her belongings and silently stepped out of the classroom, garnering a few glances from her classmates and professor, and checked the caller ID– it had been Danny.
She re-dialed the number, listening to it ring for just a split second before her little brother picked up.
"Danny?" she asked.
"Heyyy, Jazz."
He had gotten himself into more trouble, it seemed. Just what she had been afraid of.
She sighed, laughing to herself, "What happened this time?"
Since she left for college just a few weeks ago, it had been her biggest fear, leaving Danny alone in Amity Park– with their parents. But he'd promised to call if there were any problems, and she was able to rest easy– somewhat. Her brother was a bit like a cat, hiding when he was hurt, and she couldn't honestly believe that this was the first time something had gone wrong, which made the call all the more alarming.
"I need to get out of Amity Park for a few days," he said, wind cracking at the receiver. "Can I stay with you?"
Jazz stumbled over her own words– "Wait, what? I mean– why do you- how am I supposed to- Danny, what happened?"
Her brother was quiet for a long time, but the wind continuing to sound through the phone told her that he was flying, and she could guess where. He was the kind of guy who acted first and asked for permission later. He was coming straight for her dorm.
"There's just… some ghost hunters, right now. They're causing problems. California's probably too far off their radar, though, right?" He laughed at that last part, like any part of this situation was funny.
"How can ghost hunters push you out of an entire city?"
The line was silent for a few moments more, and she was about to ask another question when he quietly said, "Jazz, please."
He was serious this time.
He needed her help.
How could she say no?
"Alright, just for a few days," she said, heading back towards her dorm to meet him. She could afford skipping the rest of her classes for the day. "You still know my address?"
…
Jazz's room was empty when she got back to it– even her roommate was still out, stuck in her biology lab, as their schedules pinned to the cork board explained. That was probably for the best– Jazz still needed to come up with an excuse for Danny staying with them for the next few days.
They lived in a girl's dorm that barely allowed guests in the daytime– there was no way he'd be allowed to stay with them if anyone found out. But, there was also no way for Danny to be invisible 24/7, so they'd have to get Charlee on their side.
Assuming, of course, that she didn't immediately report them to their RA and have Danny kicked out.
Jazz puzzled over that little conundrum at her desk, surrounded by her homework for the week. It would have been wise to get some work done while she waited for her brother, but she was distracted, chewing on the eraserhead of her pencil, thinking deeply.
Convincing her roommate was only part of the problem.
What about their parents? Wouldn't they wonder where Danny was?
And Casper High– he already missed so much school from hunting ghosts all the time, he couldn't miss any more.
None of this had really been a problem before, when Jazz was still at home. She was able to cover for him, or hunt ghosts so that he didn't have to, provide emotional support face to face, rather than over the phone.
Now… she couldn't imagine it had been easy doing it all by himself, but there was something off about this situation and she couldn't figure out what.
Jazz groaned and shook her head. She'd have to grill Danny later when he got there.
This essay wasn't going to write itself.
…
Danny got there a few hours later, materializing in the dorm right before her eyes.
Physically, he looked fine, even as he transformed into his human self– no cuts, scrapes, or bruises, no obvious injuries. Emotionally, though– there was no hiding how broken down he looked. He tried to smile when he saw Jazz, but she'd seen that sad, lopsided grin too many times to be fooled.
"What happened?" she gasped, jumping up out of her bed to hug him tight.
He laughed, his voice catching, "It was nothing, I'll handle it."
"Don't give me that– you flew halfway across the country to get away," she argued. She asked again, "What happened?"
He collapsed onto her bed and she sat next to him, supporting his shoulders.
"Some ghost hunters– they found out," he whispered. "They're looking for me in human form, now, too."
Jazz bit her lip– that certainly didn't bode well. But she was nothing if not the problem solver, so she asked, "Which ones? How much proof do they have? We could pretend you were possessed or–"
"That is what they think," Danny cried. "And they have tech that sees through this–" he motioned at himself.
"Who does?" Jazz tried again. The GIW made the most sense, if it spooked Danny this badly, but then, what did their parents think of all this? She checked her watch– it must have been almost 8:00 in Illinois. Wouldn't they be concerned about him by now? Where did they think he was?
A chill ran down her back, across her skin.
Danny had hesitated too long to answer, and when she looked into his eyes, knowing and afraid, she knew she was right– it wasn't the GIW at all.
"Mom and Dad?!" she bellowed. She'd always thought they would understand– that they would accept him. Maybe it was a bit resentful, but she'd always thought that was the least they could do after turning him into a ghost.
And yet, here they were.
Their parents knew that he was Phantom, and they didn't believe him, and Danny was too scared to be home, or anywhere near it.
She wasn't sure how Danny was going to solve this in the next few days, and Jazz had the sneaking suspicion that she'd have to be the one to do damage control.
For now, though…
"You've been flying since lunch, you must be starving," she observed.
Danny looked up at her curiously and she rolled her eyes. Clearly he hadn't thought that far.
She hopped up and motioned for the door, as if that was how her brother was going to be exiting the dorm. "C'mon, let's sneak you into the dining hall. You need carbs."
…
When they got back to the dorm room an hour later, Charlee was still out, and Jazz let Danny take the bed where he passed out almost immediately.
She was suddenly very grateful that she had opted for a dorm room with a sofa– if this was going to be their arrangement for the next few days, they were going to need it.
How she was going to convince her roommate, however… She still wasn't sure.
Jazz let out a shaky breath and shot a text to the other girl.
Hey, I need to talk to you before you get back. It's important.