Plummeting In Love (Book 1 of Danny Phantom Trilogy)

Nothing Stays Hidden Forever

Honestly, Sam had been feeling pretty good lately. If it weren't completely against everything gothic that she stood for, Sam might have actually skipped to Casper High with a smile on her face. She'd just have to save her skipping for the Christmas time. Smiling to herself, Sam walked with Danny on her left and Tucker on his other side. "So, what's the plans for this weekend, guys?" Sam asked with a bright smile.

"I don't know. I'm not really in the mood to do anything," Danny replied.

Sam felt her mood dampen slightly. Danny had been in a funk lately without any sign that he was going to get better. Sam couldn't understand why he couldn't see how great things were. Danny hadn't spoken to Kagome in days. Things were finally back to normal. More importantly, they didn't have to worry about Danny opening himself up to a sneak attack from the girl.

"Kagome still won't talk to you. Huh?" Tucker inferred with a frown.

"No. I don't blame her. I said some pretty bad things to her," Danny replied.

"You still haven't told us what you said, dude," Tucker reminded him.

"What difference does it make? At least Danny doesn't have to always be watching his back. He knows that we wouldn't use some anti-ghost weapon against him," Sam dismissed.

Danny sighed before walking on. Sam meant well. He knew that much. He had wanted to blame Sam for putting the idea that Kagome was secretly and evil ghost hunter in his head, but he couldn't bring himself to alienate another friend. It wasn't her fault that he was such a terrible friend to Kagome. On the bright (but still rather dim) side, at least Kagome had stopped glaring at him whenever she saw him in public. Now, she only avoided acknowledging him altogether. That was...better. Right?

Once they had entered the halls of Casper High, the group made their way to Danny's locker first. Danny could hear Sam talking about this new band she found and how much their music "spoke" to her. His lack of response made it seem like he wasn't interested. But truthfully, he just wasn't up for conversation.

"Hey, Fen-turd!"

Danny hung his head with a loud sigh/groan escaping him. He could hear Dash chuckling as the jock approached. Before Danny could even reply to the boy, he was risen off the floor and forcibly shoved against his locker. Tucker and Sam had backed away with astonished and irritated expressions. From where he was being pressed uncomfortably against the lockers, Danny could see Dash smirking up at him cruelly. "What's your problem this time, Dash?" Danny exclaimed. Honestly, he wasn't in the mood for this!

"Guess what, Fenton. Your get-out-of-wailing free card just expired," Dash said and pushed Danny into the locker again.

The hit should have hurt. It would have hurt anyone else. But Danny only felt his annoyance building. He'd taken less blows from his enemies before firing back at them. "What are you talking about?" Danny asked with a glare. His patience had been at an all time low lately. It probably wouldn't be best to give Dash a taste of his own medicine in the middle of a semi-crowded hallway.

"Duh. Isn't it obvious? Kagome dumped you like a rotten egg. Which means that I don't have to hold back anymore," Dash explained.

"D-dumped?" Danny parroted with a slight blush. Dash didn't really think that he and Kagome had been dating. Right? They were just friends!