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"Watch it, nerd!"
"Hey, Mikey, where's that homework you promised me?"
"Come here, dork, so I can stuff you inside this locker."
Comments like these were what you heard before you turned the corner towards the hallway where your locker was assigned. You and Paulina chatted about anything that was trending lately as you walked, oblivious to the stops and stares both of you were receiving. Even if you did notice, it was to be expected since you and Paulina were the most popular in Casper High. Sighs of endearment and admiration could be heard as every other female stared in jealousy.
As you opened your locker to exchange books, you felt arms wrap around your shoulders and neck out of excitement. Star cried out your name in greeting. The blonde never ceases to amaze you with her athletic ability despite her slightly smaller figure as she was previously the cheer captain for a reason.
"Hey, girl," you greeted back with a grin, "what's up?"
"Are you finally ready to be with Mr. Handsome?" she asked just as excited as she hugged you.
"Are you kidding? Of course!" you squealed.
"I'll be cheering you on, hermana!" Paulina squealed as well.
"Me too!" Star giggled.
It wasn't until lunch time you were able to get close to Dash. He was too busy dealing with some nerds who he said were chasing after some girls which you commended for. He was always looking out for you and the other girls, that's why you like him. You were with him under a tree as you had your back against the truck and he was leaning against it with his hand above your head. You tried to hold back the heat rising to your cheeks but the pink hue managed to show through your makeup face. You just hoped you looked cute from where you were standing.
"There's a dance coming up this Friday," Dash started with a low voice while a smirk played on his lips, "are you going with anyone?"
To play it off from slight embarrassment of not being asked by anyone to go to the dance, you cupped your cheek as you looked away from his intense staring, something Paulina had taught you. Despite being able to play it off perfectly, you were still flustered, "No one has asked me actually." You stopped yourself from rambling, keeping in mind of the advice the girls gave to you about letting the guy make the first move or else you would seem desperate.
"Well, how about I be the first one to?"—you looked up at him as your hopes skyrocketed—"Will you like to be my date to this Friday's dance?"
You could fly; you were beyond happy. Your crush just asked you out and it took all of your willpower to not scream and jump for joy. You almost forgot the advice given to you if it weren't for your will to not freak him out and not mess this chance up before you could even tell him yes. Unfortunately, before you could get a sound out of your opened mouth, out of no where a body fell out of the tree you were currently under. With Dash and his quick reflexes, he moved out of the way before the body crashed onto himself and instead landed in between you two.
The body groaned, which you were thankful because it would have been one of those eighties' horror films where a couple finds a dead body. The head full of black hair finally moved up and bright blue eyes blinked out of a daze. No doubt, he probably hit his head pretty hard when he landed on his front. His eyes grew open in fear when he was picked up by his collar from Dash.
"Were you spying on us, Fenton?" Dash growled in anger.
So that's why he looked familiar; he was that nice kid you came across on your first day here from moving in. He helped guide you to a classroom before he ran off after he heard his last name was called from a distance. You couldn't find out his first name unfortunately, but he was sweet. He had his odd and weird moments like now, but he was still sweet.
Like anyone who would be confronted, you told yourself this, he was stammering for his answer, "No, I was—was napping! In the tree!"
You didn't say anything and merely watched, still baffled by what just happened. Dash caught your eye as you tilt your head to the side in confusion and in thought. You wondered how he was able to stay comfortable for a long time in the seemingly fragile branches as you and Dash had been there for a while talking.
Seeing as you were slightly distracted long enough to give him a warning but not long enough to beat him to a pulp, Dash muttered, "You're lucky. Now, buzz off. You're killing the mood I worked hard to create." He let the smaller one down, but not without a little shove and a death glare.
The Fenton kid ran off without looking back.
"I'm sorry about him," Dash smoothed out, "where were we?"
Before any more could be said, the warning bell went off, signaling the end of lunch period. You saw Dash grit his teeth in annoyance and you couldn't agree more. Things were going so well! Maybe, you could leave an impression on him.
"Meet me after school under the bleachers," you winked as you ran off to class. You didn't know whether if you did good or not. You were trying to have him chase you but you didn't think it was working for you. This was up Paulina's and Star's ally.
"That Fenton kid messed up the whole thing?" Star gasped.
"He literally fell from the tree," you confirmed.
You heard Paulina scoff, "I swear, he's always up in our business."
You managed to meet up with your friends, but with very little time during passing period, you ended up whispering to each other during class. They bombarded you with questions and demanding details about the hook up. You told them everything was going smooth and you did everything they taught you up until Fenton falling in between you and Dash. The mood flipped and Paulina seemed the most affected.
"What do you mean?" you asked.
"He does it for attention," Paulina scoffed more as she flipped her hair, "He did something similar to me during freshman year just so he could ask me out."
"You think he's trying to do the same to me?" you gasped.
"Possibly," Star nodded, "there isn't a moment when he's not trying to be with the A-listers."
You frowned in disappointment. When you have moved here, you were already nervous about making friends. Luckily, you had come across Paulina and Star as they immediately became your friends. They accepted you with open arms and you've bonded with them. When you became friends with them, they had explained they weren't ordinary. Their group was called "A-listers" and they were considered popular. You didn't mind hanging out with them as they consider you as their own. This was how you met Dash and the others. Unfortunately, this came with some consequences. The others had warned you about your kind nature and other people taking advantage of it. The student body would do anything to have a spot with the A-listers. This must be one of those times. You knew it was going to happen, but you weren't expecting Fenton to be one of them. He was so kind and sweet when he had helped you.
You hoped it was just an accident, but the amount of times Fenton has interrupted your interactions with Dash this week didn't seem so coincidental anymore. When you made it back to the bleachers, Dash was waiting there. Thank goodness, it seemed he was still interested in you. Before you could even greet him, you heard a tear from clothing above you and Fenton once again fell in between you. You concluded from his rip on his t-shirt that he was hanging from from the top of the bleachers. Dash had chased him away, calling him a creep for listening in on other people's conversation. When you met up with Dash in the hallway by your locker and you opened it, Fenton came almost flying out as he hit the other wall with a painful grunt. Or at the cafeteria, when all of your friends walked away to give you alone time with Dash, Fenton slid along the table with your lunch trays, creating a small splash and ruining your clothes for the rest of the day. Heck, you even found him in the girls' locker room when you were getting ready for cheer practice. He looked like he hit his head, but laid there when he realized there were girls changing. Every girl chased him out as you stood hiding yourself embarrassed and humiliated at the thought of someone looking at your underwear. When Dash heard of this, he couldn't hide his anger anymore as he said he would let his fists do the talking.
You were angry and fed up with his tricks with Paulina and Star being innocent bystanders and witnessing first hand of how much of a creep Danny Fenton can be. You had told your friends of your plan to ruin Fenton once for all and have him get a taste of his own medicine. They thought it was perfect and encouraged you to do so. You thought it would be good timing to catch him during passing period as it gave him little to no opportunity to decline your offer. There was a little doubt about him declining, but Paulina reassured you of that not being the case.
Just when you turned the corner from leaving your class and heading to where you hoped you remembered his locker was, you saw him rummaging through it to exchange books. You approached him as you saw his friends no where in sight. Good, you thought, you didn't want any distractions.
"Hey, Danny," you called with your hands positioned behind your back.
He jumped from you suddenly calling him out and hit his head on the locker. His eyes widen at the sight of you as he rubbed the spot on his head where he hit it at. He greeted you back, "Uh, hey."
You gasped in faux concern, "Are you alright? That looked like it hurt."
He seemed to be in a complete daze or rather speechless as you reached for the tender spot. His cheeks flushed lightly as you made contact with it and caress it with as much gentleness you could muster. You couldn't help but notice how soft his hair was.
"I'm fine," he stuttered out as he backed away from you slightly. When he did, he looped one of his fingers through his belt loop of the side of his pants. You found it strange, but tried to conceal it, not showing the oddness of his behavior. "What's up? Need help finding another classroom?"
You stared in stupor from his comment for a moment. To think, he remembers you still as someone new and not knowing their way around. You would have found it sweet and charming as he would know how to joke around, but you were past that. You still wanted revenge. Nonetheless, you giggled, "No, silly, I was just wondering if you were going to Homecoming."
"Oh—uh, yeah! Yeah, yeah," he confirmed.
"And," you trailed as you batted your eyelashes a bit, a skill Paulina and Star had taught you before you went to find him, "I was wondering if anyone was going with you."
He visibly gulped and you took it as a good sign as he became more flushed, "Not that anyone has asked."
"Really?" you stared with false hope, "Well, would you like to go with me?"
This was it. Everything was good so far. There were still no interruptions. Your mission would start as soon as he would say yes, but to your surprise, he responded differently than you had planned. "You want to go with me?" he asked bewildered, "but I thought you hate me. I kept interrupting you and Dash."
Well, he's smarter than what you gave him credit for, but you still had a plan as you were good at improvising anyways. You shook your head, "You might think I'm cliché, but I think it was more of a sign that I kept getting interrupted by you all the time. I think the universe wants me to go with you instead of Dash."
There was a time where you had thought this, so it was a little bit of truth, but after the locker room incident, that idea flew out the window.
"Okay, I'll go with you," he smiled.
In that instant, you couldn't help but grin out of excitement. You wondered why it felt like you were more excited now than when Dash had asked you out, but you told yourself it was out of excitement for revenge. "Great," you smiled back as you grasped Fenton's hand in both of yours, "Pick me up at five?"
The warning bell had rung as the remaining students in the hallway had rushed to their next classes. You waved him goodbye as he stuttered out a reply. It didn't matter with what he said anymore, you had already accomplished the hardest part of your plan. Now, it's the waiting game until the actual game this Friday.
Since you were in cheer, you had to be there at the game. You left your dress and other essentials to prepare yourself in the locker room right after the game finished. Fenton must have forgotten about that fact as he showed up in a tux. He looked at you with a surprised look to see you in your cheer uniform and a duffel bag on your shoulders. You had to admit while you were looking at him, he cleaned up good and his eyes stood out more with the light blue tie around his neck.
"Uh—is that what you're wearing to the dance?" He queried.
You ignored the feeling to roll your eyes. Instead, you giggled, "Nope, did you forget I'm in cheer?"
"Oh, right," he gaped, "You have to be at the game."
From there, you walked out of your house, locking the door behind you and bounding to Fenton. You kept up your act as you held a decent conversation with him during your walk to the school. You had told him you would be dismissed early before the dance started to get ready in the locker room. He understood as he nodded with a smile. He then had asked you if you were settling in Amity Park alright.
"It's nice, but the ghosts are taking some getting used to," you commented honestly.
"Yeah, I could agree," he concurred, "and I've been here my whole life." You laughed in response before he continued, "At least, there's someone out there helping us. Have you seen the ghost kid, Phantom?"
You pondered about the limited time you've been here. There was a time with your moving truck and the Box Ghost was taking possession of your clothes temporarily, but as far as when it came with other fights, there were only glances. You were fairly neutral when it came to the ghost hero because of Paulina's crush on him. You were familiar with the girl code, so you don't bother showing interest and it works since your friend likes to swoon about him every once in a while.
You hummed in thought, "There were times when he did something sketchy. For example, he and other ghosts were involved with a lot of robberies." You had recalled the research you had done when you didn't know who Paulina was talking about and she demanded you to know of him. "He seems to be a show off on top of it." The photos of his poses and some of his grinning faces flashed through your mind. During the whole time you were talking, you hadn't noticed the mental jabs Fenton was taking. There would be arrows of 'sketchy' and 'show off' written on them as it stabbed his body while he had a defeated look. "But after that," you continued, "He was saving people left and right, then eventually, the whole town. There were probably other times his acts of heroism were not reported. Otherwise, I think he's the hero this town needs. The media that showed him collating with other ghosts weren't wrong for the most part, but I think there was more to the story than what they found. I believe he was under some mind control or some sort."
You smiled up at him, but twitched when you realize you were rambling, snapping out of whatever tangent you were going off of. He stared at you with wide eyes and bewilderment. "Wow," he commented, "how do you manage to figure that out?"
He probably thought you were weird, but since he continued the conversation, you thought you didn't mess up. You thought back to the feeling you had when you compare news articles and reports of any visual happenings. "His demeanor changed after Circus Gothica left or were apprehended. The ring leader was put under custody after finding the stolen goods with him. The ghosts involved still should have been guilty, but that wasn't the case once the ghost related robberies stopped all together afterwards. Phantom was the only one who showed his face after the matter was settled, but didn't do anything illegal anymore. I believe the ring leader had something to do with this obviously, but nothing was reported after."
"You really do your research," he smiled. Caught again with your chattering, your face flushed slightly as you attempted to apologize for talking too long. He shrugged it off, "Don't worry about it. You seem to know your stuff. Besides, I like listening to you."
You didn't know if his timing with catching you off guard was good, but Danny's comment made you cheeks increase with heat. You had to admit; it was nice to talk to someone who would listen and not be interrupted. He let you finish your thoughts as well as letting you speak your opinion about what you know without disagreeing with you. It felt...new. You just didn't know whether to label it as bad or good. The conversation was decent at least, and didn't leave a sour taste in your mouth. You felt light. You shook your head from any more thoughts parading in.
The rest of the walk was silent as you arrived to the football field with the rest of the cheer squad waiting for you. You waved Danny goodbye as you left him to go to the bleachers. You had met up with Paulina and Star as you set your duffel bag down and opening it to grab your pom-poms. Your friends giggled behind you as they greeted you.
"I see Fenton came with you," Paulina sneered at the sight of him, "The plan is in effect."
"Yeah," you said reluctantly. What is going on? You were dead set on ruining Danny—
When did you start referring him as Danny?
Sure, you called his given name for show, but when you were by yourself or with your friends, you would refer him with his last name.
"The game is about to start," Star interrupted your thoughts, "You should cheer for your real man."
Your eyes followed her gaze to the blonde boy you had your heart pining for the longest time, dressed in his football gear and black ink smeared under his eyes. His blue eyes found yours and his lips curled to a smirk as he winked at you. That would have worked a week ago, heck, maybe not even twenty-four hours, but the rose-tinted glasses were gone. His eyes that you were so fond of before paled compared to Danny's. His blonde hair felt too stunning as Danny's black hair was a sight for sore eyes. Nonetheless, you waved with a smile. Dash looked confused as you weren't your shy self anymore when greeting him, but shook it off as he had a game to play.
You also did your best to be part of the team as the game went on. You found yourself cringing when you were facing the field, seeing that we were losing horribly and no longer enthusiastic about the game. You kept a false spirit for the cheer though so others wouldn't see your change of attitude. When you faced the crowd on the stands while you did some routines, Danny's face would always catch your eye. It was almost too distracting. In between routines, the cheer team would occasionally wave and cheer towards the crowd, keeping their spirits up. Every chance you were given, you would wave and smile up to the top of the bleachers where Danny was. His eyes never seem to leave yours as he smiled down back at you.
As expected, your coach dismissed everyone who was going to the dance an hour before the game had finished. You, Paulina, and Star walked together to the locker room where your dress hung waiting for you to put it on. It was a dress with a color you found adorable and you thought was suitable for a casual dance such as this. It ended at your knees, showing off the white high heals you picked with the outfit. You and your friends took turns to doll each other up as your group had found it to be faster this way instead of waiting for one to be done on their own. Star had curl your hair into waves, leaving it in a half up-do. Paulina had given you a smoky look with the same color as your dress. You were ready to see Danny again. You hadn't told him a specific place to meet each other but it probably didn't matter.
Paulina and Star joined with your grand entrance. You decided to stay behind Paulina as she would attract more attention as she usually does. It was no secret that she was attractive, so you could imagine what happens when she dresses up. Your eyes scanned the crowd for the awkward boy you came to the dance with. You found him in a corner with his friends. They were animatedly chatting away with each other, but it didn't look pleasant. His goth friend had her brows furrowed and a frown was evident on her face. His techno fanatic friend seemed caught in the middle as his eyes displayed the concern from the scene. The goth one saw you walk their way and her teeth gritted at the sight of you.
"Danny?" you called.
You had already seen him in his tux before the game, but seeing him again almost took your breath away. You found yourself nervous and subconscious about how you look when his head turned your way. His eyes widen a slight fracture when he saw you. Then, he blinked multiple times at you. He was speechless as he thought you looked simple but cute. You were becoming more aware of his gaze on you.
To interrupt the silent moment between you two, you asked him, "Would you like to dance with me?"
You saw the goth huff as she was going to start an argument, but Danny's other friend intervened putting an arm in front of her charge. Danny must have seen the worried look you displayed from the small exchange as he looked behind seeing the small scene. He put his surprisingly large hand on the small of your back as he guided you away from them. He pulled you onto the dance floor and positioned you into a waltz. You managed to recovered as you followed his lead. During the dance, he started complimenting you.
"You look beautiful," he said, "You had me shocked for a second there."
"Thank you," you looked away for a bit, "You look handsome. You clean up pretty well."
Your gazed landed back on his friends. The girl looked even more heated than when you left her. She was arguing with the bespectacled boy. He looked like he wasn't having it, but managed to calm his friend down. She still looked ticked but had a more solemn look.
"Your friend doesn't seem to like me," you noted mindlessly.
You felt Danny tense against your body. "I'm sorry about Sam's behavior. It's hard for her to open up to others," he smiled sheepishly.
Guilt decided to plummet towards the bottom of your stomach just then. Call it a girl's intuition, whatever, but you had a feeling she knew you were up to no good. And now, you were having second thoughts about going through with the plan. Not because you would have gotten caught, but because you really didn't want to hurt Danny anymore.
"You mean she doesn't want anything to do with me," you corrected with a downcast stare.
The boy you were dancing with became silent for a moment before he spoke the words he was looking for. "I bet if she got to know the real you, she would have liked being friends with you," he said gently. Something in you snapped. You stopped moving completely, frozen in a spot and the boy in front of you gave a look of concern. He called out to you in worry.
"Sorry," you apologized, "I just need to go to the bathroom."
He let you go, but you wished he didn't since the comforting warmth disappeared with him. You pivoted towards the bathroom and booked it for a bit of privacy. When you walked through the swinging door to the restroom, there were others who were just finishing touch ups and leaving. You were finally alone after they did. You walked over to the sink and in front of a mirror to check your appearance. There wasn't a hair strand out of place. Your make up didn't even need refreshing.
So, why is it you feel awful?
No, you knew the answer. What were you doing pulling pranks on people to humiliate them even if they deserved it? That wasn't you. Sure, there would be innocent and harmless pranks you did with your friends back in your old town, but since you moved that hasn't come up once. No one deserves to receive the end of your dark thoughts. No one deserves that.
Danny didn't deserve that.
"Here you are," Star exclaimed with Paulina peering behind her shoulder, "we were wondering where you were this whole time."
You rose a brow as you said, "But the dance just started."
They gave you strange looks as Paulina said, "I know you're worried about your looks like me, but trust me when I say you look so cute. Every guy has been staring at you since we've showed up! Point is, it's been an hour and we were waiting for your signal."
How long were you in the bathroom for? Danny must have been worried with what's taking you.
"Oh, yeah," you laughed it off, mentally cringing at how fake you sounded and how it suddenly started bothering you, "I was just finishing washing up. I have to look perfect when I see the look on his face."
"We'll be waiting with the stuff," Star nodded as they left to go prepare.
You looked at the mirror once again. This time you didn't recognize yourself. The girl in the mirror wasn't you. It was someone created by the girls who left just a moment ago. Repeatedly, a phrase echoed in your head.
This wasn't you.
Rushing out of the bathroom, you hurried to join back into the crowd. You avoided Danny's line of sight as he seemed to be looking for you. Ducking behind taller bodies, you look around for someone in a dark purple dress. You finally found her and you were relieved to find she was with her other friend. You darted over to her and grasped her elbow gently as you called out her name, "Sam, I need your help!"
She recovered her scowl after the mild shock of someone besides her friends touching her. She ripped her arm out of your hold and grunted out of disgust. "Why do you need my help? I know what you're up to."
"Then, you should know why I'm coming to you for this. You're Danny's friend," you argued. You knew it wasn't going to be easy talking to Sam with the obvious hints of her loathing towards you, but you were doing it for Danny. "You need to get him out of here."
She scoffed with a sneer, "Please, you don't think I haven't tried? He won't listen. He's too blind-sighted by you. Whatever you're going to do, I hope you're happy."
"No, you don't understand," you reasoned, "They're going to cover him with glue and diseased-full of feathers. The A-listers agreed to call him a chicken for the rest of his high school life when it's done." His friends gasped at the tactic of using dead animals to embarrass him. It could harm him if he gets sick because of it. "Again, you need to get him out of here. Drag him out of here if you have to."
"He really won't listen," the other joined, "When we tried warning him about something wasn't feeling right, he stormed off, looking for you."
"The moment my friends see me with him, that's their queue," you informed, "I can't be with Danny because all eyes are on him. As long as I stay away, nothing will happen to him."
The pair exchange a look of wary. You knew talking to them would be difficult, but you were desperate. "How do we know they would do it anyways when they see us? How can we trust you with what you're saying?" Sam frowned as she crossed her arms.
"They specifically want me there because they believe it's a revenge scheme solely for me. They want me to experience first hand what their bullying ways are like. They want me to be the first face Danny sees when it happens," you added, "Look, we don't have to get along or trust each other, but Danny needs you right now. I realized the greatest mistake I was going to make. I'm begging you to help him before it's too late."
"Fine," Sam sighed giving in, "but I'm only doing this for Danny."
You nodded in acceptance, "As soon as you find him, leave to the closest exit you can find. They're going to try to block you from leaving. Leave that and the rest up to me."
She nodded back, "Let's go find him, Tucker."
"And, Sam," you called. She had frozen mid-step making her boots nearly squeak on the gym floor with her head jerking in your direction. "Tell him I'm sorry for all of the lies." You didn't even bother to see how she would reply. As far as you would know, she probably wouldn't even say anything to him, preventing your image from being bittersweet and leaving a sour taste in his mouth. It didn't matter anymore, though.
You still had a job to do. You immediately spotted the tall blonde teen you previously had a crush on. Walking straight up to him, you greeted him. He greeted you back, "That Fenton keeps leaving you. If it were me, I wouldn't do that to someone as pretty as you." You laughed it off but it came out flat. Luckily, Dash was too oblivious to notice. "At least he hasn't tried to leave yet. I've got all of our friends at every exit, so there would be no way even if he did."
"At every exit? Even the emergency ones?" you repeated in shock. The agreement was to just have others block the main entrance and exit. The idea of Danny fleeing was through one of the emergency exits. Those doors were used very little and weren't sounded by the alarm, so his group could leave soundlessly. If the plans were changed, you could be in serious trouble.
"Oh yeah," Dash exclaimed proudly, "we figured in case he ever find out and if he would try to run away that it would be through one of those doors."
Well, that just made things much harder for you. You regretted not getting at least one of the two's number—if not, Danny's. You didn't even know what door they were taking. You wished you had planned this out better. Just then, a red beret caught your eye with two other figures ducking behind the crowd. It looks like they managed to convince Danny to leave. They were heading towards the southeast doors of the gym. Question was, did you want to distract Dash to go the other way or go straight towards the exit they were heading at to distract Kwan? To play it safe, you decided to do both.
"I think I see Fenton move towards the main entrance," you pointed to some random kid that also had black hair and happened to be there.
"Bold move," Dash grinned, "Stay here. I'll personally deliver him to you."
As soon as he was out of sight, you booked it to the other side of the gym. You called out to Kwan as Danny and his friends were getting too close and about to be seen. "Dash found him. He thinks he wants to do it at the center of the gym for everyone to see. You should come before you miss out."
"Alright," Kwan said, "it's finally about time for Fenton to get what's coming to him." The others followed him and the exits were wide open.
You didn't have much time before your friends realize something is up, but you didn't need it as you saw Danny, Sam, and Tucker coming close to the exit door you were standing near. You waved them over the last few feet as you pushed the door handle open for them to scurry out.
Danny was the last one to leave, but he hesitated. "Thank you," he said your name, "Come with me."
"No, Danny," you shook your head, "if I leave with you they're going to suspect something."
You tried to shove him out while he still have time, but he stood his ground and held your hand to his chest. "Please," he begged, "I have questions I need answers to."
"I can't, right now," you argued, "We don't have time for this. They're going to realize I lied if they see you with me and do even worse things to you."
"I don't want to leave you like this."
"You're gonna have to," you said. He wasn't going to move anytime soon, you realized. In an effort to throw him off his balance, you kissed his cheek. Before he could recover, you pushed him outside and closed the one way door behind you, hoping you didn't shove him too hard.
You wished things were different. You wished your didn't care about your current friends opinions. You wished you hadn't let your emotions get the best of you. You wished you hadn't let others influenced you. You covered your mouth from an unwanted choked sob from coming out. You leaned against the door behind you, careful on not accidentally opening it for Danny to come back inside. You wished you had gone with him.
You wished you were with Danny.