Seeing Double

Rebound - Part 12

He tried to play it cool as they made their way into the cafeteria, Sidney's arm still wrapped around Danny's waist.

Students stared at them as they approached the popular kids. Someone whistled.

Tucker, alone at their usual spot, was expressionless.

Danny tried to give him a meaningful look, but Tucker didn't react.

He half expected Sidney to greet Tucker- didn't he like Tucker? - but the ghost had his eyes trained on the A- Listers.

"Hey guys!" Paulina was all smiles. She pulled at Danny's elbow, making sure he sat next to her. "Not hungry today?"

Stuck in between her and his ghostly boyfriend, Danny could only chuckle. "Who needs food when you've got... uh. Friendship."

Lame. So lame. Die. Die for real and give Phantom his life back.

Sidney ruffled his hair. "That's the ticket!"

He kissed Danny on the cheek. "Really should eat though. I'll go get us some meat an' gravy, you just sit tight!"

And just like that he was moving away. Getting in line.

Danny glanced around the table. Would it be weird to leave?

Star giggled. "So you and Dash! How did that happen?"

"Uh, it's a long story," Danny said, glancing back at the lunch line. Then at Tucker.

Tucker was typing away on his phone, looking unbothered. Message not received.

And where was Sam?

"We all knew it was inevitable," Paulina said.

"We did?" Star playfully smacked her forehead. "Right! Duh, we totally did."

Kwan was looking down at his macaroni, squishing it around with his spork. "I mean, he's always been kind of fixated..."

Deciding it was best to play along for now, Danny tried to put together a game plan.

Sidney could fly. He could fly and he could, well he could do ghost stuff... But he didn't take the ghost tech.

Why didn't Sidney take the ghost tech? He'd implied that he knew about it, hadn't he?

"...we just gonna pretend Wes doesn't exist?" Kwan said.

Danny was having trouble keeping tabs on the conversation, eyes still on Sidney as he chatted with the cafeteria lady.

"They've always been rocky," Paulina said. "Just leave it alone."

She leaned into Danny's view, eye lashes fluttering. "Hey, you want my blessing for you two? You'd get instant A-Lister status."

Nodding absently, Danny decided his best option was the thermos. He straightened to look over Paulina's head, keeping his eyes on Sidney.

Paulina poked him. "Or we could toss Dash down the social ladder," she whispered. "Think he'd resent you for it?"

That got a laugh out of him. "Think I'd give a shit if Dash resented me?"

Sidney was approaching with a lunch tray in each hand.

Danny kept his hands under the table, slowly unscrewing the thermos lid.

Paulina grabbed Danny by the chin and forcefully turned his head to face her. "Are you even into men? Or is this a sick play at revenge?"

"Whoa there." Sidney carefully placed the lunch trays on the table.

Paulina let go of Danny's face.

"You writing a book, girlie?" Sidney glanced between the two of them.

"Yeah what's with the interrogation?" Danny opened the thermos and pointed it at Sidney theatrically. "Don't you think he's smart enough to pick his own battles?"

The thermos was cold stone silent.

Danny sighed. The ghost is protected by Dash's body.

He'd figured as much, but it didn't hurt to check.

Paulina tossed her hair back and guffed. "I'm just saying-"

"What are you saying?" Sidney stared at her.

She pouted at him. "Well, weren't you curious too? Did you already ask him?"

In his peripheral Danny noticed Sam finally make her way into the cafeteria.

She was walking oddly. Sort of jogging, but she had her hands out for balance, like she was skidding on ice.

He tried to stand, but Sidney put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

"... family knows about Phantom," Paulina was saying.

Danny tuned back in. "Wait, what?"

"C'mon we can be friends!" Star chirped. "Don't hold out on us, c'mon. We're just curious is all."

"Curious about Phantom." Right, it was always the same with them. What else had he expected? "Uh, I don't know much-"

"You've been holding out on us," Paulina insisted. "Keeping him for yourself."

Danny huffed. "He's not mine to keep!"

Then Sam was there.

"The hell is going on here?!" She roughly grabbed Sidney and pulled him out of his seat.

He went down easily enough, probably because she caught him by surprise, and Star clapped her hands. "Love rival! Whoo!"

"Sh-she's not a-" Unbidden, Danny remembered pulling Phantom away from her at Ember's concert and he blushed. "Wait, this isn't like that-"

But the way they were glaring at each other was intense. Sidney stood and calmly dusted himself off while Sam braced herself, fists raised.

"Siding with the bully?" Sidney said.

"Y-you're a bully!" Sam said. "And a thief."

She glanced at Danny. "What do you think you're doing with him huh?" Her expression twisted into a sneer.

It was an expression that didn't belong on her face. "C-cuddling up with a nerd in my- just get back in there then!"

Before Danny could process what they were talking about he felt cold arms wrapping around his torso. "Sorry I'm late," Phantom whispered.

Danny stiffened.

He elbowed the ghost, ignoring his grunt of surprise and the way his grip tightened, and moved to stand in between Sam and Sidney.

The eyes on him were unnerving. It felt like the entire student body was watching, holding their breaths.

Danny cleared his throat. "Why don't we all just calm down and take this outside? Sam, I can explain what-"

She glared at him. "Shut up, Fenton! You can't solve everything with your smart mouth."

He stared at her. "Dash?"

Phantom's icy breath on his ear made him shiver. "Get Sidney outside," Phantom whispered. "Dash will follow."

But Sidney had lost patience. Around them lunch trays and backpacks were floating into the air. Students screamed and Sidney chuckled.

"Show yourself, Phantom," Sidney said. "I'm aching for a breaking."