Becoming Phantom Again

Chapter Three

Danny's POV

     I bring a blanket and lay it in the spot I used to always sit in when star watching. I'm the first to lie down. Sam lays next to me, and Tucker is about a foot from us. The street lamps go off after just a few minutes, and we can see the sky clearly. Sam cuddles into me, so I wrap my arm around her.

We lie in silence for about an hour. Tucker breaks the quiet by saying, "What do you think would happen if I just resigned from mayor. I mean it's cool and all, being the youngest mayor ever, but I want to not have to worry about a city during our senior year."

"You should totally do it. Then we can hang out all the time without having to worry about your schedule," Sam responds.

"Do you think tomorrow would be too early?" Tuck asks.

"Nope. The sooner the better," Sam says as she snuggles deeper into my chest. We go back to silence until about midnight. Sam mentions, "You know, I snuck into my parents' liquor cabinet and brought some. Do you guys want to break into it?"

"Why not?" I reply. We make our way back to the living room. I check to make sure my parents are still in the lab. They both fell asleep at the desk they keep in the basement. We won't have to worry about them tonight.

I join Tucker and Sam in the living just as Sam is opening a bottle of wine. "So this is Syrah. I thought maybe we could give it a try since it's the one my parents have the most of, so it's the least likeliest for them to notice I stole some." She pours some through a weird funnel-shaped contraption into three solo cups.

We start playing truth or dare as we drink. After two bottles of wine, the three of us are a little tipsy. I decide to grab us each a beer from the fridge. My parents won't notice. They hardly go in there anymore. I expected us to be drunker than this, since this is our first time drinking. We go through two beers each before we decide to quit drinking. Tucker is shitfaced. Sam has gone practically quiet unless it's her turn to speak. I can't stop laughing. We are going to feel like hell in the morning, but right now, this is fun.

"Okay.... Okay...Danny. I dare you-" Tucker starts.

"Tuck, I didn't even pick truth or dare," I state.

"You're right, I picked dare for you. Now, I dare you to... I forgot... Oh! I know! I dare you to become ghost!" That's when all the fun stopped and the color drained from my face.

"Go to bed, Tuck. We're done," Sam basically whispers.

"Why? Aren't we playing a game?" Tucker asks innocently.

"We were, but you crossed a line. Come lie on the couch. I'll help you settle." Sam helps him to the couch and gets him a pillow and blanket. I run upstairs to my room and slam the door. I try to sit on my bed, but I end up sitting on the floor with my back against the side of my bed. I place my head in my hands and try so hard not to cry. The tears start rolling down my face anyway. Why am I so upset? I've never felt like this about my powers. A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts.

"Please go away," I say in a raspy voice. Sam comes into my room anyway. She kneels on the floor next to me and wraps her arms around my body. I begin to cry, but my crying slowly turns into sobbing. Sam makes soothing noises and runs her hand through my hair.

"Babe, it's okay. You don't have to be Danny Phantom, you can just be Danny Fenton. Don't feel like you owe it to anyone, especially me. You don't. You do what you want to and what you feel is the best decision for you. I love you no matter if you're Danny Fenton or Danny Phantom. You're equally as great in both forms. You'll be okay. Everything will be okay. I love you. Please just calm down. You're breaking my heart, Daniel," Sam whispers in my ear. I slowly calm down and am back to normal after five minutes.

"Sam, I want to be Danny Phantom again. But I don't want it to end up like last time..." I trail off. I can't go through an experience like that again.