Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time

Chapter 3

Today was Danny's first day at Happy Harbour high school, and he was shitting bricks. What if someone recognised him? What if the school reported him to the police? What if they found out about his not so human powers?

He decided if something ghostly happened whilst he was at school, he would ignore it. Easy and simple right? Wrong. If he can do something about it when the others can't, he has to do something. It would be morally wrong if he did nothing—goddamn hero complex.

"Danny, we can hear you thinking from here!" Felix shouted from the old concession stand. He was getting ready for the day as well; Felix was young enough that asking for odd jobs around the neighbourhood without the adult turning him away.

"I can't help it! There's so much that can go wrong." Danny looked around him. Jenny was getting the younger kids ready for school, making sure they had their coats on them, and everything was in their bags. The younger kids were in the help scheme, so they get free meals at the grade school they all went to, the grade school were very understanding about the kid's positions, they even helped scout of potential parents and did thorough background checks on them to make sure they were safe. Three kids had got fostered that way.

"Well, don't think about it then!" She shouted as she finished getting the kids ready. Jenny was the only one the stayed there during the day, taking the opportunity of it being quiet to clean up and make the subway station somewhat liveable.

"Don't you ever get nervous?" Danny had wandered over to Jenny.

"I've been on the streets since I was seven, being 'nervous' gets you killed." Felix sauntered over by this point. Danny had seen this place as safe enough to keep some of his stuff; the toiletries were permanently in the restroom; his shoes and coats were in the tent that he shared with Felix.

"Alright, Jen, we get it geez," Jenny's social skills weren't exactly up to par, "you gonna be alright here, by yourself."

"Always am, even have enough quarters to get some washing done at the laundromat." She had gone over to the bedrolls and started to pick out the clothes that were starting to smell or was just too dirty to be worn again.

"Alright, we'll see you later, Jenny." Danny waved her goodbye as he and Felix, as well as the rest of the kids, left the subway station. They both lead the younger kids to school before heading their separate ways.

It took half an hour before he stood outside of Happy Harbour High School. The place was even more daunting than the last time he was here, though he suspected that was because this time he's an actual student. He walked in straight to the office to receive his schedule; other students looked at his oddly and started whispering to their friends. He swears he saw two of the teens from the beach the other day.

The office was incredibly quiet for the early morning; the principal's office door was already shut tight with the principal already inside talking on the phone, probably to angry parents. The receptionist was currently pouring monster into her morning coffee. Honestly, it was a mood.

"Excuse me?" Danny called. The receptionist took a large gulp of her morning brew before addressing the child in front of her.

"You're Danny, right?" He nodded his head, "let me print you out your schedule and call someone to show you around," her typing was incredibly quick on her keyboard. Soon the printer in the other room came to life, she then pressed the button of the microphone for the tannoy speakers, and her voice was heard all around the school, "Megan Morse, I repeat Megan Morse can you please make your way to the reception. Thank you." She turned off the tannoy and nodded to Danny, "you might as well take a seat sweetheart, she'll be here soon."

Danny did as instructed, took a seat and waited patiently. Soon enough, a redhead ran through the door; she looked slightly out of breath and have a very toned ravenette following after her. 'I saw those two on the beach last week!'

"Hi, I'm Megan Morse, am I in trouble?" She called to the receptionist with a panicked look on her face.

"Is she in trouble?" The tall guy repeated an equal look of worry on his face.

"Would you two calm down," the receptionist sighed at the two teenagers, "Megan, you're a part of the welcoming committee, and we have a new student," she then pointed at Danny, and suddenly all attention was on him.

"Hello, Megan," she slaps her forehead and goes over to Danny, "Hi I'm Megan, and that's Connor, we'll show you around and help you get to your classes, can I have a look at your schedule?" He meekly nods and hands her the piece of paper, "well it looks like we have almost every class together, both Connor and I were placed down a year so we could catch up on the time we missed."

"Alright," she hands back his schedule, he keeps it in his hands so he can start to memorise it, "my names Danny by the way."

"I'm so sorry; I forgot to ask." Danny quickly realised that she would be somewhat hyperactive, meanwhile that Connor boy had barely said a word. "You were the one talking to Kal at the beach the other day, right?"

"Kal? Do you mean the blonde with the tattoos?"

"So, it was you! I knew you looked familiar." How was she this energetic so early in the morning?

"Why did you ask him for the location?" Connor finally pitched into the conversation.

This took Danny back; he had no answer for that at the ready, he didn't think anyone would have asked him that. "Erm, well, I, it's kinda embarrassing," the lie was easily rolling off his tongue from his experience of fighting ghost and getting out of class to do so, "I fell asleep on the bus here and I thought I missed my stop as I got off. I should have asked the driver where I was, I know, but I forgot."

"Oh, that makes sense," Connor sent Danny a look. He didn't trust him, as Danny spoke his heart rate was elevated; the only reason for it the elevate was because he must have been lying. If there was one thing Connor hated most was liars. But why would this kid lie about how he got here? This Danny kid was suspicious, and Connor didn't like it one bit.

They reached their homeroom class just as the warning bell rang, in which their teacher was already there. She was a stubby woman as short as she was wide, she gestured for them to sit down until her eyes reached Danny.

"Wait," Danny stopped just in front of her, "I don't remember you being in my homeroom." Danny grimaced as he watched his new teacher's chins wobble as she spoke.

"I just transferred here; I'm Danny Soucie." The final bell rang, and the final trickle of students wandered into the room. They all took their seat with their bag at their feet; some were already resting their head on their desks feeling done with the day even though it had just begun.

"Introduce yourself to the class and take your seat." She couldn't be any more uninterested. He turned to face the only one smiling at him was M'gann.

"Hi, I'm Danny Soucie. I've just transferred here." Barely anyone was paying attention to him, and he was half tempted to say that he was haft ghost just to see what kind of reaction he got if any. But he knew he wouldn't do that; he liked his secret identity.

The day went faster than Danny expected, and soon it was lunch, M'gann practically dragged him to sit with her and Connor as soon as he got his questionable food from the lunch lady.

"So, Danny, where are you originally from?" She asked innocently as she ate something off her tray.

"Erm," there it was again, Connor noted, his heartbeat had started racing again, Danny was about to lie, "here and there really, my family and I are constantly moving around."

"Oh, that seems really hard on you, school wise that is."

"Not really, I've been home-schooled most of my life." That was a lie, most positively a lie. Connor could tell.

"This is your first time in a real high school then! Just like us!" The rest of lunch went similarly. M'gann asking question after question and Danny having to lie his ass off to answer nearly all of them. Each answer made Connor wearier and wearier of the boy if he had to lie for every answer then he didn't want M'gann around him. He didn't want her to get hurt. Connor was going to get to the bottom of his lies, for his peace of mind but mainly for M'gann.