This Is Home [Danny/Dash]

Chapter Six: Not Much To Lose

"What was all that about?" Tucker loudly questioned. It took a minute to regroup with them, but once Sam and Tucker found me I knew I was in for it.

"Well-" I took a deep breath and sighed, "I guess he might be trying to have a change of heart."

"And how do you figure that? Hasn't he been beating up on you and being a dick for, like, over a year?" Sam pointed out.

"I know, and I don't believe that he is changing so fast either! I mean it's been less than a day since he and I talked but I guess-"

"You guys talked?" Sam interrupted. Shit, I guess I hadn't filled them in on what happened last night.

"I kinda ran into him last night and we had a talk. But he thought he was talking to Danny Phantom, not me." I started, already seeing the concern in my friends' faces.

"He told me that he regrets the way he's been acting at school and that he wants to change." I figured I could spare them the details of Dash saying he basically peeped on me in the shower.

"He really said that? That doesn't sound like him at all." Tucker pondered, pausing for a moment to bring his hand up to his face in thought. "But maybe it would be good to let him do his new thing." He suggested.

"Wait, what?" I gave Tucker a strange look.

"Yeah, what?" Sam also questioned

"I'm just saying, maybe believing in this new side to him could help him get out of his tough jock persona." Tucker shrugged off a look of concern from Sam. "I feel like he wouldn't say something like that if it wasn't how he actually felt, you know? If we start accepting it, he might transition into being a nice person easier." He theorized. I blinked in surprise.

"Tucker, we can't just forgive him that easily. That's just... not how it works." Sam trailed off, still trying to prove her point. She gave me the feeling that she was even more reluctant to accept this new side of Dash than I was.

"Let's just forget about it for now. Class is about to start anyways." I observed, as the bell was about to ring and we were nowhere near where our classes were. Being as worn out as I was, I didn't want to think on the subject of Dash any longer than I had to.

"Yeah, okay. Just watch out and make sure he doesn't pull anything funny on you." Sam warned me. She was clearly being overprotective, but I appreciated her looking out for me. I gave her a thumbs up and started making my way to class.

At this point, the lack of sleep was really starting to get to me. The adrenaline from my run-in with Dash was wearing down and my body was starting to feel heavy once again. I could feel my vision starting to go out of focus. In an attempt to wake myself up I shook my head and pinched my cheeks. It has been far too long since I've gotten any decent sleep, what with fighting ghosts and being a high schooler, and I knew I couldn't keep up with my responsibilities for much longer with a lack of sleep. Even though I knew that my body couldn't withstand this strain much longer, I still dragged my feet through my classroom door and into my desk.

The classes leading up to lunch seemed to go by in a blur. If someone were to ask me what I did in class, I think the only answer I could give would be that I sat at my desk and spaced out. I was looking forward to the lunch break now. All I wanted to do for the next half hour was relax and not worry about class, or anything really.

I knew that Sam and Tucker would be waiting for me in the cafeteria, but I knew that going there might overwhelm me in my current state. Something inside of me wanted to isolate myself from the rest of the school. I sent my friends a quick message saying that I wouldn't be meeting up with them for the break and then headed for the nearest exit.