Dani threw water in her face after she was mostly done getting herself ready for bed, trying to calm herself down just from the rush of emotions that had happened. Her heart was practically fluttering every second as she thought about Valerie. It all felt so right and so confusing at the same time.
Realistically, she didn't even know Valerie that well, even with the memories and dreams that was trying to bring her up to speed with the wish. And yet, it seemed like it was making sure that she got all the right ones, as if the wish was also pushing them closer to one another. Dani took another look in the mirror as she sighed.
"Just one sleep and then we'll talk… so why on Earth am I so nervous?", Dani asked herself. She exhaled, "Ah, maybe I could feel better if I get some sleep. Still, that was…astounding that she actually likes me, likes me!".
Dani chuckled before glancing at her closet and smiled as she went to settle her mind some more by writing down what happened in her new timeline on her new journal while checking her other journal, seeing the differences with Dora back then and Danny.
And then wrote down the boring stuff in her normal journal that happened today. After that, she felt better by organizing a bit of the chaos again, and flopped in her bed in her pajamas, glancing at her photo of her and her best friends, especially Val.
Danielle gave a small sigh with a smile on her face as she stared at the picture; the brief memories of her new friendship with Sam and Val popping in her brain like popcorn at moments before she took a deep breath, rolled over and closed her eyes.
"Come on! It's my turn to go down the slide!" A young Dani, maybe 6 or 7 years old, certainly around a first-grade level, called out as she was waiting for someone to go down the slide who still hadn't decided to either turn around or slide down.
An adorable six-year-old Valerie shivered, "It's really high and scary...I don't know if I can...", and Dani replied, "It's fun, I swear!", and Valerie whimpered, "Are you sure?".
Dani thought for a moment before smiling, "Hey, maybe we can go down together! This way you can be brave!", and Valerie blinked, "Really? You will?".
Dani started to climb the wooden ladder before she was behind Valerie. "Come on, it's easy!", Dani smiled as she got behind Valerie, wrapped her arms around her and started to push forward a bit so the slide and momentum could send them down.
Valerie whimpered at first before widening her eyes as she then felt the wind, and laughed, shrieking all the way down with Dani laughing alongside, ending into a pile in the sand, blinking before giggling.
"See, nothing to it!", Dani laughed as Valerie nodded. "Yeah, you're right, sorry, it was just so high there that I got scared.", Valerie told her.
"Hey, I had that same fear first time I tried going down a slide by myself. My daddy always would hold onto me the times before I would slide by myself.", Dani dusted herself off. "I'm Dani Fenton, well, Danielle, but I like Dani more.".
Valerie got up, smiling, "Nice to meet you, Dani...I'm Valerie...I never had a nickname...", and Dani blinked thoughtfully before grinning, "I can call you Val! Um, can we be friends?".
"Sure.", Val smiled. "And I like Val... guess we're both liking shorter names.", she giggled as Dani got onto her feet and helped Valerie up.
"May I sit here?". Dani's memories fast-forwarded to a few years later during lunch when she recognized a third-grade version of Sam, holding her tray as Dani and Val were sitting with one another. The surprising thing was younger Sam very much barely resembled the Sam of the present.
Dani smiled, "Sure, there's plenty of room! Right, Val?", and Val grinned, "Totally! We could certainly like a new friend. Sit your rump down...er, Samantha, right?".
Sam sat down with a smile and then a scoff, "Call me Sam! Gramma does, yet my mom and dad doesn't, saying that it's not proper to nickname someone. Honest, really!".
"Well, we don't care.", Dani smiled. "Our names are shortened too, I'm Danielle Fenton, but call me Dani, and this is Valerie Grey, she goes by Val.", with a gesture to Val who waved with a nod. "Thanks.", Sam smiled. "Sam Manson, by the way, if we're tossing out last names.".
"You just moved to Amity Park, didn't you?", Valerie asked as Sam nodded. Sam nodded, "Yeah. Turns out that Gramma Ida got on my case, managing to convince my parents that she's helpless and old, and so now I'm officially living here, since Chicago was...ah, too busy for my taste, next to the nasty traffic...My parents soon found connections to their old jobs...Gramma Ida's living with us.".
Val smirked, "Ooh, I like your gramma's style! Well, Amity Park is cool when you know where to look for the best stuff. Sure, sometimes it's quiet, but you can literally see so many stars, way better skies which is Dani's thing as she's happy for it.".
Dani blushed, "Val!", and Sam grinned, "Wait, you're wanting to grow up to be a astronaut, that's cool! Me, I don't know what I want to grow up to be...All I know is I want to be badass!", before looking at her new friends, "Uh, sorry...that was a Chicago word...".
"Eh, nothing we haven't heard on TV late at nights... or some of the videos I nab from my Dad's collection.", Val chuckled.
"Oh, we got in so much trouble for watching that Shaft movie.", Dani laughed as Val started to snicker, "Oh, I know! He still wonders how I figured out the combination to the lock on the cabinet he kept them in!".
Sam blinked, "You get movie nights?", and Val grinned, "Yep. Some nights at my place, some nights at Dani's place. We plan for them...Hey, would you like to come next weekend? We got a movie night, and it's themed for adventure!".
Sam stared at them, "Really?", with a wide, surprised smile, and Dani chuckled, "Why not? It's like what my dad says, 'The more, the merrier!'.".
Sam blushed at the thought of these two girls willing to accept her so quickly with barely any sort of questions. As Dani and Valerie later learned, even at a young age she was self-conscious about her family's wealth and how others would treat her if they knew. Of course, Sam was unaware of just how fateful their meeting would be.
And eventually, Sam found herself, becoming a badass young girl by being a goth vegetarian who likes to be able to take care of herself with her combat boots and her moves where she happened to learn both from her Gramma Ida and Maddie who is a martial arts expert, yet she was best friends with Dani and Valerie.
Of course, Sam learned the sad portion of Valerie's past which Dani had known since she was six, was that Valerie's mom, whose name was Bethany, and she had died from an unexpected blood clot that came out of nowhere and died peacefully in her sleep. It was devastating for Damon who found her in the morning, and a confusing, hard day for Val.
Then came another memory when they were discovering puberty around 12-13, as girls mature faster than boys. "Ugh, that class was horrible...", Sam groaned as they left the classroom where they had been taught about sex ed.
Of course, with Dani, that wasn't really needed considering growing up as a daughter of Maddie Fenton who emphasized the phrase of 'don't beat around the bush'. Ask her a question that usually parents give a false answer to keep up childhood whimsy, like Santa being real or not, Maddie would just straight up drop the truth. When Dani asked where babies came from at a younger age, Maddie went into extensive detail; poor girl didn't sleep well for weeks.
"I still don't know why I even sat through that.", Dani shook her head. "I mean, I already pretty much know most about puberty and reproduction thanks to Mom. I easily could've just gone elsewhere for this.".
Of course, Dani knew more better than most people at her age, considering that she experienced seeing her mom pregnant with Danny. Val was clueless herself about sex ed, thanks to being without her mother, and her dad...well, he was busy with his job and all, so he was awkward about it.
And Sam, her parents never went to talk about it, putting it in a flowery way, yet out of all, Gramma Ida was better than the other folks as she was calm, but not too blunt when Sam asked her.
Val grimaced, "I'd have to agree with you there, Sam...Honestly, I'd take Gramma Ida teaching me over anything in that horrible class...since...since Mom is not here anymore.", with a heavy sigh, and Dani went to rub her back, "Hey...it's okay...You're still got family in your dad...Heck, we are kinda part of your family, aren't we, right, Sam?".
"Yeah, well, Gramma Ida and myself; my folks, well, at least they're better with you and your dad as opposed to Dani's family.", Sam rubbed her arm as Dani rolled her eyes.
"Someday I really do agree with Jazz, who do I have to kill just to have some normal parents?", Dani joked as Sam snickered. "But at the very least, despite their insanity, they'd be more than willing to take you in, Val.".
"Thanks.", Val smiled. "But let's maybe stop this conversation now because it's almost sounding like we're preparing for my Dad to pass away there...". Dani and Sam went red faced as they realized that.
"Oh, yeah... Sorry.", Dani rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. Val replied, "It's okay...I admit I miss Mom, and I still got some memories of her, but I know she would want me to be happy...anyway, want to ditch school?".
Sam and Dani stared at her in surprise and shock as she never suggested it before since Val was less rebellious compared to Sam, and Dani...Well, Dani was the listener yet the one getting Val sometimes into trouble before Sam came.
Sam shrugged, "Better than having looks of awkwardness...Thank god that we didn't have lunch before otherwise I'd have gotten sick at how horrible it was...I still don't have an appetite...".
Dani glanced at them, "The mall, then? And if anyone asks, it was a half day or something gone wrong with a prank to the school by a bully.".
"Sounds like a plan.", Sam smiled as the girls made their way out with no one truly noticing before they found themselves at the mall. "Surprisingly quiet day...", Dani observed.
"Well, it's the weekday and class are still on for the most part, so it'll get more traffic before dark.", Sam reminded as they walked down the large halls of Amity Mall.
Their girls' day went well, easily forgetting the horrible class, happily changing clothes and show off to the other girls as judges in several stores, which was where unconsciously, Dani got a crush on Val starting when she thought Val more than just pretty, even if she knew Val was already amazing and smart.
The next year was Sam's crush on one of their new teachers and coming out to her best friends that summer after a boy tried to ask her out to the middle school dance.
"How is it you managed to get a date to the dance, and we didn't?", Valerie asked. At this point in time, Valerie was really starting to sprout like a weed and thanks to quite a few years of playing youth sports with Dani, who stopped once they reached middle school, her present build was slowly starting to blossom.
"Yeah, Sam, I'm honestly surprised, forgive me for saying this, but your looks and attitude aren't exactly the most... welcoming to guys.", Dani bit her lip as she was expecting a bit of a counter from Sam since that was a bit out of line to mention; but friends could say stuff like that to each other on occasion and not ruin it.
Sam snorted, "First of all, it was a bad boy, not exactly goth. Second of all, he was admittedly cute in his bad boy way, but even I have my limits on smoking and all...I rejected his dance request, by the way...He probably thought I heard the rumors about him and was fine with the reject.".
Val blinked, "You would still give him a good time at the dance even so.", and Sam replied, "Maybe, but he isn't a friend, just a schoolmate. And...besides, he wasn't my type.".
Dani nodded, "We heard you, Sam, he wasn't goth or a vegetarian or standing up for the environment and all.", and Sam gulped, shaking her head nervously, "That's not what I meant...", rubbing her arm, her head dipping down, darting her eyes up and down at her best friends...frightened of their reactions.
Val and Dani looked to each other. "What else could it be? What exactly is your type?", Dani asked.
"Yeah, you into the whole opposites attract sort of thing?", Val raised an eyebrow as Sam took a deep breath as they still weren't getting it. "Girls, you two. My type is girls...", Sam admitted.
Dani and Val widened their eyes as they finally got it, and Val replied, "Wait, hold on, so, that's the reason you rejected that guy?", and Sam chuckled nervously, "Y-Yeah...next to been having a crush on that pretty teacher in home economics...".
"Whoa...Well, should have noticed that coming as she wasn't that bad looking compared to the other teachers.", Dani chuckled as Val smiled, "Especially when she got impeccable taste in fashion!".
Sam blinked for a moment, "Hold up, you girls don't mind that I'm... 'batting for the other team'?", gaping with a widened look.
"Girl, it's the 21st century.", Valerie smirked. "Who cares if you're into girls? You do you and we'll be right there with you.".
Dani nodded, "Yeah, totally. Just don't forget to make us your best women and bridesmaids, and either one of us will be jazzed to make a cool, if slightly embarrassing speech when you get married and all if you're for that, of course!".
Sam blushed, smiling in relief and joy, "Wow...Of course, I wouldn't forget...Thanks, gals...And before you ask, I ain't interested in either of you. Don't get me wrong, I love you gals, but not like love you that way, you know?".
"Not to worry.", Val said as she wiped her forehead in a sense of relief. "Actually, that's good to know... that might have gotten a bit... awkward.".
"What, you two pretty much set on boys?", Sam crossed her arms as she raised an eyebrow. Dani cleared her throat, "I think I am a late bloomer as I haven't really noticed boys...", and Val nodded, "Sports for me, and boys are just teammates or schoolmates, you know?".
"Right.", Sam then sighed. "Listen, I don't think I need to remind you...", looking a bit scared. "Our lips are sealed." Dani smiled as Val nodded.
Honestly, Sam had no idea how she was going to deal with her parents about this recent revelation of hers. She was already in a simmering boil with her attitude and lifestyle choices with them; her only saving grace was her grandmother being in her corner but who knew how long she might still be around.
Either way, Sam was overjoyed to have two more people in her corner and decided to keep her secret from her folks until she's 17 or 18, just in case she's kicked out.
That way her friends' folks know her more, able to see that she can take care of herself and take her in if something happens to Ida, or she gets kicked out with no chance to her part of the inheritance.
At Val's surprising suggestion, Sam went to make her secret, personal account in a different bank than her folks' bank, with Ida's swearing promise to never tell her son and daughter in law ever to protect the only granddaughter she loves more than anything.
There was then one final memory that came through Dani's dreams, the time a little iffy of if it was before or after the powers but certainly one that was very important to Dani as it was a warm summer day with the trio and spending it in the backyard pool at Valerie's house.
Dani sighed contentedly as she was laying on a pool floatie, and she was resting on her belly, her legs in the air as she watched Val and Sam playing a version of water volleyball, keeping score of their wins.
"Come on, Sam, can't you keep up?!" Valerie laughed as she performed another spike as Sam chuckled. "Not exactly very fair since you've got home court advantage!", she teased back as Val laughed even harder, "Girl, home court advantage isn't a thing when it comes to backyard swimming pools!".
Sam thumped the ball back over at Val, "Touche!", and Val punched the ball back as she went back further, and Sam widened her eyes, swimming back further, "I got it, I got it!", before she hand-fived it hard back at Val who widened her eyes, moving back to reach it before hearing Dani's shout, "Val, stop, look out!", as she then realized that she was heading straight into Dani's floatie as she whipped her head around.