Chapter Text
"It's got to be bad. If this guy is a ghost story to ghosts."
Danny staggered into the classroom and collapsed onto a chair, eyes wide and unseeing.
It’d been stupid. That thought. His rush to come here for the early morning, before class, emergency meeting of the club.
She wasn’t here. Jazz wasn’t here.
Blearily, hope sharp and stabbing, Danny looked across the classroom again.
No Jazz. No Jazz. No Jazz. Pale and tense faces surrounded Danny. Most likely not for their president and founder. Likely, only a few. Boyfriend Dash was here, sitting beside his best friend Kwan. Both her friends were here, Hannah and Spike. And Jazz wasn’t seated beside any of them. Or presiding at the front.
Up front, Beau shot Danny a concerned look. Then the vice president got dragged back into the current conversation as he attempted to wrangle everyone into the semblance of not spiraling. Which, from the emotion of the room and spurts of talking over each other, wasn’t really working. Not that Danny could blame them. All the ghosts that had come through, running here, all of them running away in fear of a single ghost… Yeah.
Danny should worry about that.
But it’d now been around 24 hours since Jazz had been noticed missing. Yesterday. A little bit into the school day when the Fenton household got the call about Jazz and Danny not having showed up. Could be longer. And that’s all Danny’s mind could circulate around right now.
Where was Jazz?
In the seat beside him, Sam patted sympathetically at his back. Paulina snapped from next to Danny, twinning her arms around his arm. Too done to care about the pissing match between the two, Danny rolled his head back. He briefly spotted Tucker’s upside down pinched look of worry and promptly closed his eyes to the world.
No. Just no.
"Cat fight later, ghost fight now!" Emphasizing his bark, Danny heard Beau slap the classroom whiteboard.
Danny’s eyes opened at that, chest heavy at the reminder and weight of who was coming.
King.
The King.
The King of All Ghosts.
Fuuuck. Fuck fuck fuck.
As if it were so heavy to become physical, Danny slid down further and felt every point of contact pressing up against his back and felt as though he had to gasp for air. Danny managed it. And protested what he was bound to be facing.
"I don't wanna." He moaned up at the tiled ceiling. Several voices piped their agreements to his whining.
Danny wanted to fucking scream at their complaints around him. They were complaining? Really? When he was the one over here who had to deal with all the real shit? Would have to face this King of All Ghosts? Rundown for weeks. Finally had one day to himself, no way back on any sort of normality, as if he could truly claim it for what felt like fucking forever. Thrust back into a fucking ghost invasion. Sure their help, complain complain complain, was appreciated. But it all came back to Jazz. Jazz started this up. Like she fucking knew or some shit, but saw Phantom needed the assist and she was gone. She was gone and all of them were just…just…
"We've been dealing with way more ghosts the last three weeks already."
Oh really? They had? Really? As if Danny hadn’t fucking noticed.
"All the animals."
All of them? Such a crock of shit! None of them were out at night, not past curfew!
"So many of them."
Too many of them! It was normal! As much as anything could be normal or good in Amity Park since Danny stumbled right into turning the Fenton Ghost Portal on and blasted anything resembling normal gone! His own body? Unnatural. Not normal. Ghosts, to any of these increased amounts to Amity? Not normal. The invasion, the mass exodus, the incoming King of All Ghosts? This all lead back to him! Even…even possibly leading back to Jazz currently being missing. And here everyone was complaining over weak animal ghosts like they were an assigned piece of homework they were trying to get out of doing!
"They're vicious."
Oh? Vicious? Danny could show them real–
Beau whistled. Sharp and loud. The whole classroom shut up.
Startled, Danny blinked. Snapped out of his building anger. He shook his head and slumped back into his seat, hiding his fisted hands practically all the way up in his armpits. Better than blasting an unsuspecting room with a horrible outlet for his anger.
A hand rubbed at his upper arm. Biting on his tongue and unwilling, Danny fidgeted before glancing over to see Paulina’s look of confused concern. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. Then mouthed her a ‘thanks’ and stared back up at the classroom ceiling. Avoiding anyone’s eyes, either to look at anyone or to see anyone looking at him.
His worry and rage built up inside was strong enough to override anything else right now. Best to just...take deep breaths. Stare at the ceiling. Try to settle his emotions back down to feeling more manageable. If he could manage it under the circumstances.
"Those are weak and manageable. I know they’re everywhere, that this has been an annoyance. But we’ve been handling and can handle them.”
Beau’s voice was steady and built up assurance, positivity and bolstering up the group mentality. An ability Beau was great at, had the practice at from years of doing so with the football team. It was amazing to see the difference from multiple losing first halves to a winning second half. A thing that always got the team going on about his halftime pep talks. The classroom was silent, attention clearly focused on Beau Turner.
Closing his eyes, Danny took in a long and deep breath.
Yet another reason Jazz chose well with her vice president of this club.
“This right now is just every patrol on deck. That’s it. We got this. Same as always. With the stronger ghosts best left to Phantom. Jazz started this club to help support Phantom. In what he does. Taking care of any ghost problems. And even Phantom has been flagging lately in being overworked by the sheer amount of ghosts."
Danny looked through the corner of his eyes at the senior. Beau shoved a hand through his brown hair. Then back down over his face, only leaving his tiny chin scruff visible while rubbing at his temples. His mouth quirked up on one side, half shrugging, his tone suddenly jovial.
“Amity Park is all of our homes.”
Danny felt suddenly bad about complaining. At his anger. The familiar horrible feeling inside of him of failure. Failing in keeping up and keeping his end of the deal lately. That he even needed their help. Feeling bad that he couldn’t handle it himself and accepting their help sometimes felt like admitting defeat. Especially the past three weeks. When even with the club’s help, he…
His effort hadn’t gone unnoticed. Wasn’t being blamed. It was a call for all to step up.
Everyone to do their part and support each other in the effort of dealing with ghost problems that, at the end of the day, affected them all.
Danny sank further down in his chair, heavy and useless. This was the club Jazz had (unknowingly) made to help him. And he had failed to even find her last night. Slowly, he slid his gaze across everyone in the classroom.
Beau. Hannah and Spike. Kelsey and Helen and Tasha. Mia and Rebecca. Tiffanie. Alex and Scott and Wade. Dirk. Heather. Timmy and Tammy. Rodger. Nathan. Dash and Kwan. Paulina and Star. Valerie. Sam and Tucker.
The main and most active members of the club. People he’d grown to lean on in their help and worried in letting them down for all the support they gave him. Danny was fairly positive the numbers were easily triple this. It'd grown in numbers and activity the past month. But these were most of the main members he’d come to rely on.
Key word: most.
Jazz would be the one to think of the best plan and talk ghosts into some semblance of a peaceful truce or some shit. Jazz would make sure no one spiraled (except for maybe herself). Jazz would fill the room with positive thoughts and enthusiasm. Jazz would keep spirits up. (Despite and probably in spite of Spectra) Jazz would be there, steady as a rock for everyone, but especially and always for Danny.
Where was Jazz?
This can't be a 'me day'. No matter how much she'd relaxed and loosened up lately, being his older sister was far too ingrained into her. As was being responsible. This was her club.
Danny had held out hope on a lost note on a ‘me day’. That was until he made it to the classroom doorway and saw she wasn’t inside for a club meeting.
It’d been too long. Too long to be a day for herself. A full 24 hour day. Danny’s hope hadn’t been high. Jazz should have been home last night after all. But he had still hoped for the best rather than spiraling in fears.
Jazz was definitely missing.
Was it Vlad?
Biting at his bottom lip, Danny once again ran through those moments with Vlad. Uncertain. Picking at Vlad’s words, trying to think of a way around them.
‘What did you do to her!?’
‘What?’ Jolted, Vlad looked up and closed the laptop. Face wrinkling in disapproval as he straightened and peered down his nose. ‘I have done nothing to her, Daniel.’
‘Then you ordered someone to take Jazz! So you can look like some hero to Mom when you find her! Let me guess, the supposed ghost that supposedly beat you up? Fighting an evil ghost to get Jazz back? Kind of like your stupid plan to look heroic in Colo–’
‘I have ordered no one to take Jazz.’ Vlad snapped, standing up.
‘Then some invitation for far–’
‘Oh please, Daniel, do you really believe I would be insane enough to attempt the same folly twice?’
‘Fruitloop.’
Sighing, Vlad pinched at the bridge of his nose. ‘I do not have the time to deal with you Daniel.’
‘Yeah?’ Danny lit up his fist. ‘Well, make the time.’
Vlad rolled his eyes at him, not bothering to make any move to defend himself or blast Danny first. ‘Nor do I wish to go along with your likely and eventual plan of attempting to beat it out of me. It is also a waste of your own time and energy.’
‘Attempt? Don’t dismiss me, you fruitloop. I’m strong enough and pissed enough. This is not a waste of time or energy. Punching your face in never is.’
Vlad snorted. ‘As if you’ve ever managed to do so. Dear Daniel, in the case of anything to do with your sister being currently missing, I have played absolutely zero part in leading to that. In leading to her missing status changing, well, I have regrettably also played zero part in it.’
Danny paused. ‘Huh?’
‘In other words, any ‘schemes’ this ‘fruitloop’ might currently be partaking in, lie elsewhere. And elsewhere is the best use of my, or your, time.’
‘Don’t you leave! I need answers!’
Vlad ducked the fist, smiled, and shook his head at Danny. ‘You should be paying more attention. This is a duplicate, Daniel. Real me is flying around out there. Using my time wisely. Unlike you. Ta.’
With a two finger salute, Vlad’s duplicate disappeared before Danny could punch him.
‘Flying around doing what?!’
Danny had found Vlad later, sneaking around a building and sticking his head through to peek inside. Checking on something? Or someone? Danny had then hid and darted to the building once Vlad flew away down the street. Didn’t need to fight Vlad if he could simply swoop in and get Jazz out of there. Except Danny hadn’t found Jazz inside.
The building had been a small clinic. Which gave Danny relief to not find Jazz there. But the unsettling realization that perhaps Vlad wasn’t the one behind Jazz being missing. That Vlad seemed to be searching for Jazz too.
It had sent Danny back to the hotel room he’d found Vlad’s duplicate in, lifting the laptop open again to search the history. It looked as though Vlad had been…helping. Or knew Danny might go through his history.
Hospitals, clinics, youth centers, safe centers, homeless shelters, hacked police reports from the past 2 days, information given to investigators by Mom and Dad earlier today, and there was a local child predator list that shot a burst of fear up Danny’s spine. Very last thing in Vlad’s history was the 2 year old obituary of Doris Haynes. Guess Vlad thought about the woman after Mom brought her up. It was the only thing in Vlad’s history that didn’t have anything to do with Jazz being missing. Everything else was…
Danny bit harder at his lip and glowered at the tiled school ceiling.
From words, actions, and web history… It really didn’t seem as though Vlad played a part of Jazz being missing. But Vlad was good at planning, wording and making things seem elsewise. This time seemed different. It seemed real. Could Danny really believe that? With the timing and Vlad being Vlad. It should be so obviously Vlad.
That list of local child predators popped back up into Danny’s brain.
He’d much rather believe Vlad behind it.
"Uuuh."
Danny’s head lifted up from the back of the chair. That interrupting noise cutting through the far more optimistic vibes and patrol organizing session Beau had gotten going with the club. The following silence hung long enough to feel unsettling and grab Danny’s attention away from thinking about Vlad.
Danny gazed around the classroom to find the source.
Kwan stared across the classroom, wide eyed.
At his hesitation, the room kept staring and leaned forward, silently prodding Kwan to continue. Danny lifted his gaze back up to the ceiling, knowing how he himself disliked everyone staring. His ears wide to listen and pay attention. Hoping it was worth the interruption to his thoughts circulating about potential Jazz whereabouts.
Tentatively, Kwan spoke. "Maybe that's why there've been so many lately? This ghost king guy wearing us down? Then launching this, uh, kinda attack? With himself to follow soon?"
Danny’s gaze left the ceiling, mouth parting at the idea.
The entire room stared speechless.
Danny straightened up. Back straight. Paying attention now.
Paulina patted twice at his arm and sat straight in the chair beside him. Every line of her was fierce and determined. Ignoring Sam’s snort, Danny flashed Paulina a smile, glad for her in-solidarity action with him. That she was in it with him. And likely ready to make sure her words came true that no ghost would dare mess with their date night. Which was...
Kwan continued his thoughts, stumbling through.
"Like. The king guy sent all the weaker stuff through on a first wave. All the ghost animals didn’t increase that much for no reason. Right? Then, uh, the king scared pretty much every other ghost through for a second wave. Making us all tired and weaker. Then him and possibly his army being the last wave. And, um.”
Kwan winced a little and shrugged. “Well, being the most brutal wave of attack from how Musical Mayhem and Ghost X and all of them are acting and talking about him. It’s a good strategy, don’t you think Dash?"
Beside Kwan, Dash shrugged up a shoulder, his eyes shifting from staring at the desk and away from the group.
Danny eyeballed Dash. In how weird he was acting, Dash certainly knew Jazz was missing. Probably had his mind on that. Danny tried to catch Dash’s eye, but Dash still had his attention away from everyone as he stared resolutely at the door. He’d catch Dash before classes started so they could combine heads on where Jazz could have gone and where she could be now.
A few seats ahead and over, Helen turned her whole upper body about and nodded at Kwan.
"I can see that. In how animals sense things before we can sort of thing. Same is likely true with ghost animals too. Maybe the other ghosts didn't realize or it took a while to figure out why all the animals were fleeing the Ghost Zone."
And didn’t that idea just have Danny feeling abso-fucking-lutely fantastic for when this King of All Ghosts got here.
He bounced back better than anyone else in the club dealing with the stronger ghosts. Bounced back better didn’t mean not injured or hurt or damaged in some way. And those strong ghosts were running scared. Just how fucked over was Danny if he really had to take on this king?
Very fucked.
Danny didn’t want to think about that much. Not right now. Or ever, if possible.
"Huh." Beau said. Then he shook his head. "While interesting, that doesn't exactly help us at the moment in dealing with the sudden, maybe not invasion, but certainly this increased infestation of ghosts in Amity. We’ll do much the same as last night as decided and written on the whiteboard.”
Glancing to the whiteboard behind Beau, Danny realized he’d reorganized and added on patrol groups for tonight. As well as mixing up a few groups to fit into school hours. Taking advantage of study hall times. Lancer was going to love seeing that decision later.
Realizing Beau’s darker green eyes were directed at him, Danny turned his head to pay attention.
“Unless you know anything pertinent as Jazz isn’t here. Danny?”
Confused, Danny stared at Beau. Know anything? Like what?
“Pertinent. About the increase in ghost animals. If it’s helpful.” Beau’s head swiveled, searching for his answers elsewhere. “Hannah or Spike? Dash?"
Dash slid down in his seat, jaw working, and shook his head over his crossed arms. Mumbling. Looking away from everyone. Kwan reached over and gave a couple of pats to Dash’s back.
Hannah sighed and shook her own head. "Nothing helpful to this. She was investigating more, but she hasn’t found anything concrete.” Her eyes slid to Spike momentarily, then back to Beau. “Yet. Last we know of."
Danny sat up straighter, nearly up out of the chair, panic inching into and under his skin.
"Wait, what?! Jazz was doing what?! She? As in alone? Not with you and Spike?!"
Spike flinched. Hard.
Danny’s chair screeched.
“I thought you guys had been checking that area out together! That’s what he said yesterday! That you guys were– Let go of me Beau!”
“Woah, woah, woah! Calm down, Danny.”
“No!”
More hands grabbed at Danny, but it didn’t stop him from moving forward. Toward paler than normal and paler than before Spike. Toward steady unruffled Hannah, who wasn’t speaking or answering his question.
“You guys knew! Didn’t you? Didn’t you?!”
“Holy shit.”
“What the hell?”
"Hold him."
"I am."
Danny yanked, getting another footstep forward, pulling at all the hands.
“Did you let her!” He roared at Hannah and Spike. “You’re her friends and you just let her poke her nose–”
“Danny! Dude! You need to chill.”
“Danny? What’s wrong? Tell me. There’s been something wrong this whole time.”
“Do you,” Hannah suddenly spoke up, her voice even. “Think that we did not check that area or that I failed to pass along places Jazz is recently and typically at to anyone?”
Breathing hard, Danny stared at her, then slumped. Several people sighed in relief around him. Dirk breathlessly questioned what the fuck did Danny weightlift. But Danny didn’t care about his slipup in his strength. Excuses could be given and believed later.
That’s right. And he saw the proof himself on Vlad’s laptop. Last name Hirsch.
Mom and Dad had talked and given information to Hannah’s dad.
No way, as his daughter and Jazz’s friend, Hannah didn’t tell him everything she could to help.
“But you two didn’t let her? Right? Go alone?”
Danny swiveled his head between them, his focus solely on pale Spike and Hannah’s near perfect poker face. Neither of them answered. Still. And Danny’s chest clenched at that.
They had knowingly let Jazz go poking around investigating this ghost animal increase solo.
“Wait a second.” Beau spoke up. “Danny? Hannah? Why does it sound–”
“Come on, you didn’t.” Danny pleaded of Hannah and Spike. “By herself? What if she was, she could have been. And then… What if she dug too far into all these ghost animals, if that’s why she’s missing?”
“Missing?!”
The entire classroom exploded, voicing piling one over the other.
“Dios mío. Danny.” Paulina breathed it out, carefully touching his cheek and turning his head to her. He swallowed at seeing the sympathy in her eyes. But her voice came out solid. “I will help you get her back. Like you. With Papá.”
“Oh please.” Sam snorted. “Because there it is, the only reason you took an inkling of positive interest in–”
“Settle down. I said settle down!” Beau barked over the noise.
Jaws snapped shut and frantic movement ceased.
“Okay, Sam.” Tucker slowly tugged at Sam, fearfully swiveling his head between her and a steaming Paulina. “Let’s just go sit down. She’s going to go sit down, it’s all good Paulina.”
“No it’s–”
Like a miracle man, Beau’s voice pierced through once again.
“I said settle!”
Danny tugged Paulina closer to him. And, much to his suddenly warm faced delight, she surprisingly allowed it. Curling up close to him, curling up under his arm and wrapping it around her. Oh my god. Extremely red, Danny quickly looked away and to Beau.
Taking in a breath, Beau’s steady gaze fell on Danny. “I was under the assumption Jazz had been out sick yesterday with you and she was still under the weather today.”
Danny's head shook. "I thought so too. But she's not at home. I was…not feeling up to school yesterday. Overheard my mom on the phone with the school about both Jazz and I being missing. Thought she wasn’t up to school too, but… We don’t know exactly when she went missing. Our parents have been out trying to find her. Er, had been. Before this happened. Still trying to even with all of this. I, uh, kind of hoped there was just some major miscommunication issue on her taking a ‘me day’ yesterday and she’d be here this morning, but…"
Beau sucked in a long stuttering breath. "Well. Okay. That. That's not exactly…ideal."
Sam snorted. "Not ideal. There's an understatement."
"The ghost king guy found out!"
The entire room jumped. Turned to Kwan. Kwan’s head swiveled around the room, his eyes wide. Impatient to burst more words out into the world.
"Jazz got too close in looking into why all the animals were here and the guy behind it took her out!"
Screeching, a chair clattered to the floor.
Everyone jolted. Attention spinning to the cause. A few jumper ones had their wrist rays lifted up. But the cause hadn't been ghostly. And Kwan gasped in realization of what he said.
“Dash! I, uh, I’m sure she’s fine and uh–”
Chest heaving, Dash bolted from the classroom.
"I, uh."
Kwan's head twisted to and fro, taking in everyone's faces. Lingering on them.
On Beau. On Spike. On Hannah. And finally staying on Danny.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say she… I always jump to the worst. I just… I'm sure Jazz is fine. Caught up in her investigation thing. Then this invasion now. Yeah. That's all. And. She’s just, um. Uh. I'm going to go after Dash. Uh, sorry."
Hastily, Kwan exited the classroom. The door hitting shut in the silence left behind. Nothing he said rang true. Not the least bit reassuring in the manner it was said. Unsettling and uprooting every worst fear and image in their heads. The silence hung like a grave.
Danny yanked himself free of Paulina.
“Gotta go. I can’t. I can’t be in here.”
“Wait! Danny!”
He could hear Tucker and Sam and Paulina calling out after him. Heard Beau as he finally broke and swore. But he took off in the opposite direction Dash went, cheating and going through walls once he turned the corner. Chest heaving and forcing himself not to break down until he reached the safety of a place no one else would be.
He didn’t want to and certainly no one who knew would blame him, yet Danny moved at the sound of the bell and flopped into his first class of the day. Late. But Mr. Falluca didn’t say a word about it or mark the tardiness down.
Great.
It could be chalked up to kindness granted with the big time ghost issues and general Fenton family involvement with all ghost issues.
But tied in with all the eyes he was slouching to avoid…
News about Jazz’s missing status had traveled across the school already.
Great.
Awesome.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
Danny shifted in the resemblance of upwards in his seat. Then promptly sank his head into his arms, breathing in the scent of wood and paper he was supposed to be taking notes on. Instead, his mind worked on a completely different problem. Far less math. And with far more worry than any class could send him through.
What did he know?
Jazz was missing. For potentially more than 24 hours.
Talk of a ‘me day’ had been going on.
Very unlikely.
She had been looking into reasons behind the increased amount of ghost animals. Figured. But on her own sometimes.
Danny peered up from behind his arms as Kwan came in later than he did, a pinched look on his face. Right. Dash. They didn't share class until just after lunch. Danny and him ought to talk by then. Dash might know something. Or like, need an outlet for some bottled up emotions. As long as it remained the new verbal norm between them. Although. The physical kind of felt nostalgic and sounded better than the metal beating up Danny was giving himself at not noticing things more with Jazz.
At the shiver of a sharp chill rolling up his throat that puffed out as a visible cold breath of air, Danny mentally rolled through the club members. Beau had a study hall, as did Timmy Stone. They'd gotten his girlfriend Tammy Sword and Packy cleared out of their first classes too.
Whatever ghost was setting off Danny's senses, should be easily taken care of by those seniors and junior. If not, it wouldn't take long to notice the commotion of a more difficult ghost looking to cause trouble.
He pressed that internal ghost alert to the side.
Kwan flopped down into the seat beside Danny.
Ghost King on his way here. Did that play a part in Jazz missing?
Fuck.
Danny fought a groan as he threaded his fingers through his messy hair and stared down at his untouched text and notebook on his desk.
He was going to have to fucking deal with this imminent Ghost King, wasn't he?
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
And one more fuck inside his mind where no one could tell him off about his language. The fucks were well warranted. He deserved to have them.
Now.
Ignoring that…again.
Back to who and what mattered to Danny.
Jazz. Missing.
So unlike her.
She'd responded to a text yesterday morning to Hannah.
Nothing else.
Hannah had said Jazz didn't respond to her text though. Weird. Hannah was odd, but not that kind of odd.
She thought perhaps it was a kidnap. Kidnapped away by the flurry of adults and politicians suddenly against the club. Of how much it was needed and in use the past few weeks. Run and managed by children.
But they'd return Jazz after a talk. Right? If there had been some sort of thing with those adults having personal problems and running vendetta with Jazz’s club. They wouldn’t just…keep her. Right?
Hannah's dad might know considering his job. Would he keep that from his daughter? If he knew? Wasn't exactly a secret his daughter was in the club and close to Jazz.
And then there was Vlad. Vlad's timely and concerning reappearance. Showing up when Jazz went missing. Right before the Ghost King sent a wave of fearful ghosts pouring into Amity for escape. In the middle of trouble. In the perfect spot to play hero and get back into good graces with ‘the love of his life’. To win Danny over as his precocious little mentee and picture perfect son.
Yep.
Biggest suspect right there. It was so obviously Vlad. It had to be. Who else and why else would Jazz be taken?
Danny's hands clenched tight and pulled his hair.
“Uuuh. You okay there, Fenton?” Kwan leaned over the aisle to ask cautiously.
“Oh, I'm just peachy.” Danny snarled up from his desk and past his arm, tightening his hold on his hair.
Kwan quickly pulled and looked away. “You and Dash. I am not cut out for this, this reassuring people kind of thing. Oh, why do I just keep exacerbating all of this?”
At the fretting, Danny huffed. Sighing.
“Sorry for snapping. I'm just stressed and worried. I know you're not doing it on purpose, Kwan. Uh, so. How's Dash doing then?”
Kwan slammed his head down and buried his head into his arms.
Danny winced.
“That great, then? Well f–"
“If we could cease the side chatter Mr. Fenton and Mr. Kwan?” Mr Falluca snipped in irritation. “I'm aware of the going ons, but my sympathy only stretches so far within the confines of my classroom. I will make an example of you two if you do not desist.”
“Sorry, Mr. Falluca.”
That pretty much summed up the extent of what Danny learned during the first class of the day.
A strong starting sign of how this day would go. And a sign of his upcoming grades. But that was near the bottom of Danny, or much of anyone else's, worries and concerns.
Discounting Mr. Falluca.
“Well, they can't do much about ghosts, but at least they can do this.” Valerie snarked. Then shot a dark scowl over at the them in question. “Unless it's connected to ghosts.”
“Don't you worry Danny.” Paulina reassured with a tug at his arm and a pat, curling up against him.
Startled at the physical touch and display, Danny's head jerked up, very suddenly alert and aware of things going on around him. As well as extremely warm in the face. Wide eyed, he stared at her, her chin tucked onto his shoulder as her glossy smile curled further upwards at him.
“I've got Star to have Mia keep up on Hannah and any updates she can gather between Hannah and her father. Valerie's father is hard to dislike and his job change earlier this year doesn't hurt, so I've had her get him to agree on telling us what's going on with the parents who are more vocally active against the club. Kwan is on Dash in case he knows something of help. Ugh. Dash is being so twitchy and sensitive right now with her missing.”
Paulina's nose scrunched up about that. Then quickly pasted up her smile again. “Just friends. I mean, Dash does this whole kind of, ya know, thing with his madre and friends and teammates and all, but I'm not jealous of it. Us being seen as a couple for events was all show. Mostly. Definitely mostly friends. And, oh my gosh. He's kinda so way sweet with your sister and less, hm, what’s a good word? Violently active? No. I mean, still active boy Dash. He’s always doing something. Emotionally reactive? Oh! That sounds right! Maybe Jazz is right about me signing up for psychology class. Or her current interest in it has rubbed off. It's weird though… Dash is not really actively doing anything that I've seen today. It’s like, super weird. Especially for him. Even if he’s gotten chilled out on the whole lashing out shows of mucho machismo things.”
Her head lifted up, Danny's arm being tugged and brought along slightly as she turned to Valerie and Star. Those two glanced at each other. It was seriously amazing how easily they could ignore other eyes in the hallway staring at them and sneaking looks and startled double takes at their specific grouping. Or the studious gaze aimed at them by those two cops standing guard outside a borrowed classroom.
Danny ducked his chin down and stared at the floor, fidgeting at the attention. It was way too new. Then adding in the cops and mixing that reason into the mix of even newer, horrible and gut-wrenching, whispered words over him…
He drew in a breath, trying to avoid and push that out, to steady himself even as his mind trickled in more and more about Jazz.
“I’m not jealous.” Paulina reiterated. “But I am worried about Dash too with all of this. He’s my friend and your sister’s boyfriend.”
“That's not…”
Danny trailed off, unable to speak it outloud.
Paulina paused, glossy lips pursing. Her thumb rubbed a spot on his arm where she had a hold of him. She hummed.
The lack of chatter in Paulina's presence was unusual, but Danny couldn't find any words to fill the void and she wasn't opening her mouth to say anything either.
“I think it could be that there isn't much Dash can think of to do.” Star spoke up into the silence. “I mean, what is there besides gathering information? Which is what we're good at doing. And that's their job. Well. Hannah's dad and old Robertson in there talking to Beau right now.”
Danny lifted his head to look back at that guarded classroom door, doing his best to ignore the eyes of the men in uniforms watching him.
Words finally came out of him, focused on his top of the mind concern. His missing sister.
“I don't think Beau knows anything helpful for…for figuring out where Jazz is.”
The likely extent of what Beau knew had been displayed during this morning’s early club meeting. Perhaps there was some tiny helpful tidbit Beau unknowingly knew. Danny wanted to hope for that. But Beau wasn’t the kind of guy to not say anything or leave anything out like that.
“I told you, Danny. Don't worry. I will help you get her back. Meanwhile, Beau and the club and Phantom will cover this little…ghost scare.”
At Paulina's trivializing choice of words combined with a flick of the wrist and eye roll, Danny laughed.
Victorious, she smirked and tapped his chin with her free hand, raising his head up. Her other arm readjusted around his, tugging him fully upright and down the hall with her. Lifting her own head and tossing her hair back as she strutted, high on the minor success of making him laugh. It made the looks cast their way feel easy to ignore.
“After all, no one is messing up our date in two days.”
Chuckling, Danny smiled at Paulina and she preened.
He laughed. “Right. I love your confidence.”
Danny froze, belatedly realizing he said that out loud.
“Thanks. I work hard at it.”
Oh. Right.
He relaxed.
Paulina said on their first date how much she liked compliments about her. Especially the kind he apparently gave to her during it. Accidentally? Lucked out? Danny had over-thought that the whole Friday night and into the next day. And was pretty sure the kind of compliments she liked were ones about her and not her looks. Which totally blew Sam’s whole ‘Paulina is just a shallow bitch’ thing out of the water and therefore was not a fan of Danny’s theory shared in the midst of his blissful ramblings about the date when Tucker had excitedly asked Danny on how it’d gone.
Somehow stumbling into the unheard of second date with Paulina and Paulina’s clear claiming of him was…mind boggling. Danny wasn’t at all quite sure how it’d happened. Not that he was going to protest against it. Like, at all.
“But I project it, believe in it to make it work for me. As a method to actual confidence and a shield. Your confidence is much sexier.”
“Huh?” Blinking, Danny drew away from Paulina’s close up whisper tickling into his ear, feeling suddenly confused and very very warm.
She tugged him back, smile twitching.
“See? I’m not the only one who likes those kinds of compliments. You don’t project it. You simply are. Taking charge and doing what needs to be done when it comes down to it. Knowing what you do and don’t know, admitting to it… It’s a confidence I don’t have to be that bare to the world unless I know and like and trust them. I’m okay giving you a boost in that department. And I can. Gathering information is a thing I’m good at Danny. I know you’re worried. Like I was with Papá. But we got this. Jazz will be found. The club has the ghost problems covered. And Phantom will be free to handle the big one.”
Assuringly, Paulina smiled and squeezed his hand.
“I’ll see you at lunch.”
Danny felt as if he had to force part of his smile back. Or at least make it bigger.
“See you then.”
After all, Paulina didn't know Danny wasn't going to be free of the big one, the King of All Ghosts. That Danny would need to face that eventually. Because he and Phantom were one and the s–
Light and warm, glossy pink lips drew back from a quick dart for his cheek.
Stunned, Danny reached up to touch the mark left behind with his fingertips, lost for thought or words.
Like a silly fool, he simply stood with what felt like the goofiest smile as if he could do anything else when Paulina's eyes glinted like that at him with–
“Stop overthinking and stressing so much.”
Dumbly, Danny nodded.
Proud and pleased, she turned on her heel, long hair spiraling outward like a twirled dramatic cape of an exit. His eyes followed the bounce and sway of it. Fingertips still on his lip touched cheek.
Edna Mode would so not like Danny’s feelings about capes right now.
“Boys.” He heard Valerie comment somewhere around him. “They all–”
Quickly, Danny darted forward before Paulina could strut away for her class two doors down from his.
“Hey.” He said breathlessly.
She spun around. Smiling. Knowing and pleased. Eyes twinkling. Leaned in his direction. “Hey.”
“Can I–”
Suddenly aware of their hallway audience, Danny swallowed, glancing about, uncertainties rising beneath all the expectant and judging eyes.
As if he had the experience or practice at this or wanted the microscope of high school scrutiny for kissing someone for the first time. Fake-out make-outs didn't count. Those weren't meant to be good. Those were literally meant for most people to divert eyes away to not get caught doing something. Bad, good, it didn't matter, it wasn't the point and the only kind of kiss Danny had gotten in his entire short teenage life. A fake one! With a friend. Not anywhere near…
He didn't need to.
Leaning close and into her space, Danny hoped this was okay because he wasn't okay with the public and all eyes on him. They could think, but he'd know. And Paulina.
“Can we like, pretend I'm giving you a kiss here if you want? Or really good whispers? I just haven’t really… I'd prefer if it was just you and me. After you were all…heroic. A dramatic cape walk away, but with your hair billowing–”
Giggling, laughter tinkling out of her, Paulina drew back and curled her hand along her jaw, covering pink cheeks and nearly all of her glossy pink lips.
Good? Bad? She was still standing along his side. Sooo. Good?
“Danny. We can do that in private.”
She winked and the hallway tittered.
It took Danny a moment of hesitation and then he broke into a smile, ducking his head and rubbing at his neck.
No audience for the real thing, for him and Paulina keeping parts of…this, as for just them. Even if she needed a little show, took his offer for playing up his whispering for the crowded hallway. It'd been something that'd hit Danny hard and by surprise on Monday, on top of being so tired and drained from all the animal ghosts. Paulina claimed him so openly and all the attention that landed on new relationships, especially when it was a more popular kid and this was Paulina who seemingly thrived on attention.
He sighed in relief and smiled wider at her.
“Right. Okay. Great. Awesome.”
Could he talk? In more than single word sentences?
“Thanks.”
That answer was a no.
Lingering, Danny stayed where he was, brain searching and scrambling and knowing from the quickening pace of those in the hallway that time ran close to the start of the next class period.
“I'll see you at lunch.”
Oh good.
A sentence.
An already said sentence.
He heard the mocking of it already from Valerie. Come on.
“It's just today, yesterday and today with everything, I. Being with you is like…a bright spot I can trust to look forward to?”
What were the words babbling out of his mouth now? Danny furiously began berating himself. Mentally telling himself to shut up and stop talking and his mouth was still moving.
“Because everything else right now isn't looking good, in fact, it's all kinda looking shitty and you– Yeah. I'll, uh, see you at lunch.”
Danny avoided any possible bad reaction at his word vomit and flickered his eyes away from Paulina. His eyes instead caught sight of Tucker rushing down the hallway. Their eyes met.
Breaking out into a broad smirk, Tucker wiggled his eyebrows, gave a loud whoop at Danny, and darted away from retribution into the classroom which held a teacher ready to start class and a firm squasher of unnecessary distractions. Laughing. Like the knowing embarrassment Tucker knew he was for Danny. Unabashed and knowing way too much as a supposed best friend.
Red faced, mortified and irritated, Danny covered his face.
“I'm gunna go now. Maybe fully die. Sink and disappear into the ground. Or kill Tucker. Not completely, just a little.”
“So dramatic.” Paulina laughed. “You will see me at lunch. You can trust that to look forward to. And in me of us finding Jazz. Come on. Heroic is different from what any other guy has called me. Let me have this and be for you what I jokingly said Phantom was for me.”
“I, wait, what? Jokingly? You were joking about your whole…”
Super fangirl, of course he'll be mine and love me, and being a slightly concerning stalker?
“Pft, please.” She rolled her eyes, shaking her head with an amused smile. “Sure, I can be appreciative, but it's the same as me in middle school about Benjamin Bratt.”
Danny remembered that. Paulina had screenshots from Miss Congeniality and a magazine poster taped to the inside of her locker from all the way back at the start of middle school. Apparently, a precursor to her Phantom shrine.
How were Danny and Benjamin Bratt the same?
“It's fun. And was a method I thought would shoo off the entitled behaving slimy boys from pestering me. They'd be forced to compare themselves. To like, the impossible, they could never. Star does it too, with Owen Wilson. Valerie, well… She deals with Nathan.”
“Hey! I heard my name, Paulina. And we don't have to put up with this. Try not to be late.” Valerie snarked. “Let's go Star.”
Danny thought about Nathan with Valerie. About the fact he didn't know how many guys had probably asked Paulina out. Any of the popular girls. He'd sort of kept track at a distance, enough to know some names of first dates for Paulina and no one got a second one. Except in her and Dash typically going to school dances in middle school together. And even then, Danny and about everyone figured it was more to keep their dates within the popular zone. They posed, but were never spotted doing anything past overly friendly and going into a clear romantic area.
Popularity had seemed nice from Danny’s point of view. In that it seemed everyone liked them. They could be friends or date anyone. No fear of rejection. Dash had boasted every girl wanted to date the quarterback with every ounce of assurance.
“I should go. Ms. Carnell is the worst about, well, everything, but I don't need her writing up a late slip on me and sticking me with detention. But it'd figure with this day.”
At his grumble, Paulina tutted. “See, me. Bright spot. Your day is automatically made great, Danny.”
He laughed and nodded. “Right, right. The greatest. Thanks, Paulina.”
Beaming, she blew a kiss and flounced off to her own next class.
Sliding into Mrs. Carnell's classroom, barely in time, and she stared him down as he quickly made for his desk.
Sighing at that small thing avoided, Danny slumped in his seat.
Paulina had helped. Tucker's wiggling eyebrows over at Danny right now, questionable. But it still only helped so much with all of Danny's concerns and worries and problems to deal with piling up too entirely high on his plate.
Feeling the vibration against his leg, Danny kept his eyes on Mrs. Carnell and chanced it as she rolled her projector over. Slid and flipped open his cell phone.
Ooh! A text message from Paulina.
‘i can b ur hero bb’
He froze. Blinked. Reread it. And quickly snapped his cell phone shut, shoved it away, and hunched over his desk with his flaming red face smooshed into the crook of his arm.
I can be your hero, baby.
She. He. Called him. And.
Oooooh.
All Danny could think about was Paulina's hair twirling like a cape, proud and pleased.
I can be your hero, baby.
Learning? Today?
Nope.
With how today started, lots of ghosts and looming promise of much worse and his sister being gone, learning had been blown to smithereens.
And those smithereens of miniscule possibility were now blown clear out of the water.
Yep.
Gone.
Danny curled his arm around his head and lowered his face to the desk.
“Mr. Fenton. Head up.”
“Nope.”
Mrs. Carnell barely paused. Probably a result of cramming so much into each class, demanding the most of her students.
“Then keep listening and look up at the examples. We will talk after class.”
There was no way a talk with Carnell would be good.
Figures. This was Danny's day.
And then.
I can be your hero, baby.
That Paulina bright spot.
Danny shifted around on his bottom, hunched up the most he could in his seat, kept his face tucked safely out of outside view, and impatiently waited for when he could escape.
He had been wanting to grab a quick talk with Dash before now, before their shared class, but that didn't happen. Fingers tapping at his side, Danny stood, stopped at the doorway, and furiously scanned for the guy. A-lister table? Nope. Did he miss him? Dash had already avoided him via text message. Danny still didn't know whether or not he liked the fact Jazz stuck her boyfriend's cell phone number into his and his cell phone number into Dash's cell, but he would have appreciated it today. If Dash had bothered to respond.
Danny simply had a few questions. That was all. Dash couldn't be against that. Not when this mini interrogation had the aim of figuring out what Jazz had been up to and where she might be. Nothing at all like the interrogation over Dash's intentions and trying to scare the guy off of anything involved with the Fentons.
Being compared to their parents, especially Dad, rackled, but Danny wasn't apologizing about doing it. To anyone. Much less Dash. At that time or now.
Where was Dash?
Did he skip lunch?
If he skipped out on lunch because he wasn't hungry, Danny could get it, if be annoyed.
But if that guy skipped out on his lunchtime slot to avoid running into Danny coming in for his lunchtime slot…
Danny would have some words.
Swiping his hand through his hair, Danny yanked at the strands, growling to himself.
If he had bothered to pay attention to the whispering going on, he would know if Dash simply played hooky from all of this going on. Of course. When it got too tough, Dash did have a habit of bolting. Or puff up his chest to face it aggressively.
Danny could practically hear his sister in his head telling him off about his attitude about the guy and that Dash was more complicated and better than Danny gave Dash credit for.
Whatever.
“Careful. Going bald is a dumpable offense to a girl like that.”
Shoulders slumping, Danny half turned.
“Hey, Sam.”
He was not going to quote his sister.
“Have you seen Dash?”
One dark eyebrow went up at him and she crossed her arms before narrowing her eyes across the length of the lunchroom. “Nope. Can't say I've seen him. Can't say I care to see him either. Why are you looking for him? About Jazz?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged a shoulder. A ploy for nonchalant, to be as not bothered as Sam was. But below her eyesight, he began tapping at his leg again, leg bouncing.
“Stop that. You're making me agitated.” Sam whopped a fist into a palm. “I'll find him for you. He can't outrun me.”
“No! Just… I can talk to him after lunch. We have English. There might be time at the end of class to talk. Or between classes. There's no hurry. Well, no. There's a hurry, but it's not like it's just me. It's just I need to ask and maybe…maybe it'll help me figure out where to go and find…”
“Where Jazz is.” Sam finished for him.
She was looking right at him with her colorful eyes, the purple colored contacts giving empathetic human. Something softer rather than her stand strong and never back down posture against the world.
“Yeah. I got to find her. What if she's in real trouble? Hurt? And there's all these ghosts and–"
“Okay, hero. Calm down. You gave yourself the job of stopping trouble making ghosts in a way the rest of us can't, not without equipment to assist. No one put that on you. And you don't need to be increasing what you believe yourself accountable for. Because you aren't. Your parents made things thinner in Amity Park with their portal, but the problem of ghosts was already here slipping in through the cracks. And sometimes things just happen. You can't control people and their decisions ei–"
“You talking like Jazz is super weird, please stop now, Sam.”
She tilted her head at him, studying him.
“Did it help?”
Danny blinked, a little startled by that question and reason for what Sam had done.
“Uuuh. Kinda? A little? Not much, but I feel a little lighter being told it's not all for me to worry about. Even though I–oh!”
He grinned.
“It's not. Paulina's helping in getting information from everyone. She probably already talked to Dash for me.”
Danny’s head swiveled back to the A-lister table and spotted Paulina moving for it with her lunch, Star beside her. She waved at him and motioned him over. Danny smiled, ignoring Sam's long groan and dragging her feet as she followed him to the lunch line.
Mikey shifted in the line and made a motion for Danny to jump in front of him. Glad for the lack of wait for food, Danny took Mikey up on it. Sam huffed and complained next to Danny and Mikey about line jumping and social unfairness and other things that kind of blended together for Danny. He got the gist though. Preferential and unneeded special treatment was bad.
It was because he had been claimed by Paulina, the upcoming second date might mean officially dating, but Danny felt he couldn't ask her that until they got to the second date. Things could happen. He didn't want to jinx it. But Mikey doing this for Danny had only started up this week. After Paulina had, yeah. Mikey had also offered to help Danny in anything Danny needed.
It was weird. To be on the other side like this. Yet Danny really liked it. Getting line jumping privileges was awesome. He didn't have to rush as much. It gave him a little extra time, to use or relax. In how hectic his days got eaten up by ghosts and all the problems they threw at him to deal with, Mikey was appreciated for the extra time he gave Danny. And in taking a few little things off Danny's plate. Like printing off a paper Danny forgot to print for Mr. Lancer on Tuesday. Mikey even did a quick proofread and adjusted a few words for Danny. It was awesome.
Shame Mikey couldn't help much or handle other stuff.
“So. Um. Anything, um.” Mikey tentatively hesitated. “Anything new about Jazz? I know they've been calling students in, asking questions. Word is they're jumping on it because of how, uh, certain adults are about her Ghost Getters Club.”
Mikey would call it the full name Jazz gave it.
Sam snorted, boot tapping short and hard on the lunchroom floor, rolling a knowing glare at Mikey.
“You can say it. My parents are leading the charge. As if that isn't the hugest point of contention at home right now between us with me continuing to take part in ‘that super dangerous club, little Sammikins’.”
Curious and concerned, Danny turned his head. “Are you still sharing the room with your grandma? Or with Jazz–"
“Yep. So far, best deterrent to my mom locking me up and forcing me to stay home. I thought they'd be far worse in trying to keep me safe for my own good with Jazz missing, but it wasn't as bad as I feared it might be. It's cute you're worried, again, but I can handle myself Danny. And Grandma has my back.”
Head swiveling between them, eyes wide with a dawning fear unlocking, Mikey spoke in a hush.
“Why do I feel a little terrified picturing your grandmother in my head?”
Sam's face perked up and turned her head to fully face Mikey, smirking.
“Good.”
Shaking his head at Mikey's strangled reaction, Danny grabbed a milk carton and tray, the lunch lady serving him up the taco pizza. Shuffling down, the next lunch lady gave him a scoop of runny strawberries and buttered sweet corn. Mikey hastily grabbed and hurried through, shooting a concerned look back at Sam.
Was Mikey worried Sam's grandma was going to suddenly appear?
Whatever. At least Sam diverted Mikey's question away.
Rhonda swiped Danny’s lunch card and he turned his head in Paulina's direction.
“You joining?”
Sam snorted. “As if. I'll be going through the lunch line properly.”
“Right, uh huh, have fun.” Danny answered distractedly, already heading off across the lunchroom.
“Hey, Danny.”
He really loved her voice and how it sounded drawing out his name right now. Smiling, he took the spot she freed up beside her. He left space between, unsure about being so comfortable in her space and awkwardly even more aware of his elbows while eating from the previous couple of times.
“Hey, Paulina.”
“Bright spot?”
Danny smiled wider, tingling at the question and having an inside joke with Paulina.
“Definitely.”
Her lips curled up, smiling and gazing at him. Feeling high and floaty, Danny smiled and stared back at her. After a while, he started feeling too warm and awkward. He swallowed.
“So, um.” His brain searched, then grasped tightly hold, goofy smile disappearing. “Did you, what did you find for me about Jazz?”
Paulina's face went solemn and suddenly professional, rolling her shoulders back. “Right. Yes. Well, several students have been brought in to speak with Hannah's dad. Between our combined efforts, we have spoken to everyone who's been pulled in after they were done. Most do not know much, having seen Jazz last during school on Tuesday. If anyone has a guess, it goes back to your goth friend's parentals and all the adults with them who have been super against the club recently. Your goth friend got taking things a little too far, like the grass and tofu event. She gets it from somewhere. And I've meet Pamela Manson.”
Paulina's nose scrunched up.
“Jeremy and Ida too, but they take things too far in support, not starting and taking up something. Ida dotes on her little granddaughter too much. So I'm more along the lines of Pamela and Jeremy. Has she said anything about them lately?”
Danny hummed, looking up as he thought back.
“Huh. Sam did just mention a few minutes ago that they didn't try as hard as she feared they would to keep her safe for her own good with Jazz being missing.”
Paulina nodded, humming and tapping her chin with a finger.
“To be explored further. You can talk to miss goth girl, because she ain't going to talk to me.”
Danny nodded.
“Valerie asked and Hannah said she was out with Spike and Jazz right after school Tuesday patrolling for a couple hours. Then Hannah went home.”
“He has a study hall during the lunch block, so he's the latest kid pulled in for questions.” Star broke in and popped up into their conversation.
Both Paulina and Danny turned to Star on Paulina's other side. Paulina nodded.
“He's the latest. Been in there a while, so we haven't had the chance to ask him anything. I tried asking him a few questions between classes earlier, but it's like he went muter and paler than normal for him. Annoying enough that neither him nor Hannah are the most talkative of people in general.”
“Reserved. Him more so.” Star nodded in agreement. “They talk more around certain people, but Jazz is definitely the major talker of their little trio.”
Cutting off another piece from her taco pizza, Star ate it off her fork. Danny stared at the pizza on her tray. Momentarily baffled at how she chose to eat it. Then he shook his head, shaking the minor oddness off.
“Yeah. I can try talking to him?” Danny threw out the suggestion.
Star and Paulina shared a look, then back to him with matching faces of people ready to carefully tell someone ‘no’.
“I mean, they're Jazz's friends, not mine, but I've known them for a while. And Spike has been around a bit more lately and talking more.” Danny rushed on to something else before they could tell him the ‘no, you shouldn't do that’ that'd been on their faces. “Who else has been in there? I didn't see Dash when I got here. Maybe he's there now?”
Paulina shook her head. “No. He hasn't been in yet. You would think so, but no. Dash has a study hall at the end of the day and so far it seems they're working around that. Not helpful to Beau's overall plan of the day. To take advantage of open periods. At least they call in one by one and the club usually has us in groups of threes.”
Absentmindedly, Danny nodded.
“All morning, Dash has been–Hey.”
He brought his attention back up and to Paulina. She grasped his hand, offering him a smile.
“I got this, Danny. Hero.” With her free hand, she touched lightly at her collarbone and smiled, almost seeming shyly pleased. Danny felt himself go warm at the reminder and shifted awkwardly. Paulina squeezed his hand.
“We got this. Even have a line to follow up on, see if she is being kept by the adults against her club. And it's only lunchtime. Also. She's Jazz. Too responsible to leave us alone with this ghost mess. Much less you. It paints quite a picture. Pamela Manson and her like, all those adults, dealing with Jazz.”
He could see it. Jazz breaking all their arguments down and talking them into submission and befriending them and leaving with a cheery wave farewell until the next time. Adults left in a blanket of confusion as to how that happened, but fine with it.
All the years of causing adult after adult to take a shine to her, coming to fruition.
Danny chuckled.
“Don't tell Jazz. She already likes to think she's so good at adulting, insisting on parenting me and forgetting to be a kid.”
“We approve.” Paulina and Star chorused.
He groaned. “Oh no.”
“Well, approve of her overall demeanor.” Paulina adjusted and corrected. “How she comports and holds herself. In general. But, sí. To being so serious adult. But in this case, I would think you would be glad of it. That Jazz–”
Suddenly alert, Danny turned to see what so sharply snagged Paulina's attention and watched in real-time as heads across the lunchroom created a ripple effect from the main doorway. Several students rushed out. Many leaning to see through the open doors and others standing to gather there, blocking view.
In a sweeping motion, Paulina was up and striding through the crowds. Hurriedly, Danny got up to follow her and the rest of the A-listers during this lunchtime slot. Their path was easy enough to follow as long as he kept up and didn't get swallowed by the crowd pressing back in behind them rushing to see what was going on too.
Danny couldn't quite take in the whispers trickling back, to understand, even upon reaching the entryway with Paulina snaking her arm back to pull him up to the front beside her and Star so he could see himself.
Whispers of the name matched the student of interest being taken down the hallway. But it didn't click. Make sense.
Motioning and directing stern looks to ward off any other students from coming closer, the two classroom guarding cops led. A pudgy stomached guy in uniform with the thick gray mustache had to be old Robertson. Hannah's dad was in the group moving through the hallway, face pinched in sympathy, hand on Spike's shoulder.
Spike.
Still looking unwell, like that concerning moment he had yesterday afternoon, ashy complexion drawn and moving like he was devoid of thoughts, mindlessly moving and going along.
It was Spike.
Why was Spike being marched down the hallway like this? Did he know something more? Was he taking them to where Jazz might be? What was–
Head ducked to avoid the sympathetic gaze of Hannah's dad, Spike's eyes flickered over at the massive group spilling out and peering out of the lunchroom to gawk.
Spike spotted Danny, their eyes meeting, and Spike's breath left him as he seemingly stopped breathing.
He still walked along. Led and surrounded by the four men in uniform. The blue of Spike's eyes was actually noticeable, eyeliner and dark brows failing to hide the color in how unusually wide his eyes were at Danny. Soundlessly, Spike's mouth opened and said nothing. Lanky body snapping tense, Spike resolutely stared at the floor for the rest of his path down the hallway and around the corner.
Gone.
Hannah's dad turned his head before disappearing around the corner, hand no longer on Spike's shoulder and his pinched sympathetic face no longer looking at Spike either. That face found Danny. The man's mouth pulled back, pursed and horizontal, chin dipping down the slightest at Danny.
Then he was gone.
They were all gone. Whispering growing in their wake. Meaninglessly washing over Danny.
What was that?
What did that mean?
Spike. Hannah's dad. That reaction. The hand. The sympathetic face. The nod.
What did all of it mean? How did it fit? Did they know where Jazz was? Why–
“I've not seen him do anything violent, but he's always scared me.”
What? Danny's focus clicked onto that voice in the crowd somewhere close enough to him to hear. Spike wasn't scary or violent. Violent? Look scary, maybe. But the word of violent in those words caught his notice and itched at him.
“I mean, no one's been close or friends with him for good reason. Just look at him. He's always been off and weird and concerning. Jazz is nice, gave him a chance, they got close and now she's missing. He probably wanted her all to himself or–”
“You shut your face up, shallow judgemental bitch or I'll gladly do it for you!”
Twisting, Danny found Sam shoving her way forward, snarling and fist at the ready, stance solid and prepared to follow through. Whitney squealed and tucked herself back into the A-listers surrounding her. A couple of the bigger guys shifted, stepping up to physically defend her.
Silently, he pleaded with Sam and asked the world to give him a break. He didn't want more stuff. Danny could only be so happy Whitney was stopped from saying more horrible stuff about Spike. But she wasn't alone. It wasn't really new coming from someone that didn't know Spike.
He needed to find out what that was and what was going on with Spike, because it had to be about Jazz.
“Dressing in a style you don't approve of and not as the mainstream decrees as normal and acceptable, doesn't make that person a danger to others! Being introverted and not flouncing your life around willy-nilly for desperately needed attention you–”
Whitney snapped, boldly stepping from the A-listers clumped around her and forward into Sam's space.
This was not going to end well.
“You're just jealous no one gives a crap about you or listens to your holier-than-thou preaching, ironic that, as it comes from a little satanic goth bi–”
Screeching, Sam launched.
Yep.
Not well.
Danny rubbed his hand down his face, not wanting to deal with it and knowing those two other guys would separate them, without retaliating because Sam was a girl.
Paulina made a noise in her throat next to Danny, clearly wanting to say something about Sam, but choosing not to. Danny knew, had long known, Paulina and Sam did not get along. They massively disliked each other. Paulina didn't have to say a word. Yet it was kind of nice she was trying to push her opinion of Sam back for him.
Breathing out loudly, Danny looked away from the fight being broken up to look back out into the hallway.
“What was that with Spike?”
Paulina stilled and hummed. Then answered his rhetorical question.
“Well. It doesn't seem to be good.”
Which answered absolutely nothing.