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Description
Me

She wasn’t the most cheerful of people by choice, the gothic attitude being so deeply ingrained that it was second nature. But she was usually much more cheerful than she was feeling as she walked alongside Tucker to Danny’s house. Then again, it wasn’t every Sunday morning that she woke up knowing that she’d been ditched. It wasn’t his fault, though, and she knew it. But the real annoyance was that she knew it was going to happen again, and far too often for her to be pleased about it.

“So how’d it go, Sam?” And Tucker, right on cue with the overzealous question she’d hoped he’d avoid.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “It didn’t. He had to cancel.”

“What?

Of course, it was a redeeming quality that Tucker sounded ready to murder Danny, whether or not the other boy had ghost powers and the ability to kick his ass with both eyes closed, arms tied behind his back, and both legs trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

“He said there was a ghost problem. That he really wanted to but couldn’t.”

her voice was very, very quiet as she said it. It had hurt to hear him say it. More so because she’d waited for three years before he’d finally seen what was in front of him. Three years for him to say the words, to ask her out. Three years to be shoved to the side because he was hero. And it hurt.

She felt Tucker’s arm go around her and bit her lip against the sudden burning in her eyes. “Sam, he’s crazy about you. He might kill me for telling you, but he’s been crazy about you for a long time. He’s just…”

“A coward.” Danny’s voice had both of their heads shooting up startled. “I’m sorry, Sam. About last night. I’m really, really sorry. But it wasn’t something I could do anything about.”

She mustered up a smile and he gave her a faint echo of it, but his eyes were tired and shadowed. He didn’t move, just watched her as she and Tucker both found their way to him and where he stood, just at the corner of his street. He looked… tired. Transparent. Like he was being stretched too thin and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Sam found her voice. “It’s okay, Danny. I understand. Don’t have to like it,” and she smiled. “But I understand.”

“I hope so,” he murmured softly as they made it past him. He didn’t offer to touch them, only stood there, turning as he watched them stop dead in their tracks.

An ambulance, to police cars. Jazz holding on to her mother on the front stoop, face hidden by her hair. It wasn’t hard to tell the younger girl was crying, not with the way her body shook. Maddie’s face matched Jack’s; confused, frightened. Lost. Much like Tucker and Sam’s faces when they turned back to their best friend. Danny only watched them, his eyes lost in the pain and sadness they saw there.

“Danny…” Sam whispered.

Tucker started to reach out to Danny and then hesitated, torn, and afraid of what he wanted to ask. But the words were already past his lips before they could be stopped. “What ghost was it this time?”

“Me.”

It was soft but carried across to them. And then Danny closed his eyes and faded into the sunlight.

Description
Me

She wasn’t the most cheerful of people by choice, the gothic attitude being so deeply ingrained that it was second nature. But she was usually much more cheerful than she was feeling as she walked alongside Tucker to Danny’s house. Then again, it wasn’t every Sunday morning that she woke up knowing that she’d been ditched. It wasn’t his fault, though, and she knew it. But the real annoyance was that she knew it was going to happen again, and far too often for her to be pleased about it.

“So how’d it go, Sam?” And Tucker, right on cue with the overzealous question she’d hoped he’d avoid.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “It didn’t. He had to cancel.”

“What?

Of course, it was a redeeming quality that Tucker sounded ready to murder Danny, whether or not the other boy had ghost powers and the ability to kick his ass with both eyes closed, arms tied behind his back, and both legs trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

“He said there was a ghost problem. That he really wanted to but couldn’t.”

her voice was very, very quiet as she said it. It had hurt to hear him say it. More so because she’d waited for three years before he’d finally seen what was in front of him. Three years for him to say the words, to ask her out. Three years to be shoved to the side because he was hero. And it hurt.

She felt Tucker’s arm go around her and bit her lip against the sudden burning in her eyes. “Sam, he’s crazy about you. He might kill me for telling you, but he’s been crazy about you for a long time. He’s just…”

“A coward.” Danny’s voice had both of their heads shooting up startled. “I’m sorry, Sam. About last night. I’m really, really sorry. But it wasn’t something I could do anything about.”

She mustered up a smile and he gave her a faint echo of it, but his eyes were tired and shadowed. He didn’t move, just watched her as she and Tucker both found their way to him and where he stood, just at the corner of his street. He looked… tired. Transparent. Like he was being stretched too thin and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Sam found her voice. “It’s okay, Danny. I understand. Don’t have to like it,” and she smiled. “But I understand.”

“I hope so,” he murmured softly as they made it past him. He didn’t offer to touch them, only stood there, turning as he watched them stop dead in their tracks.

An ambulance, to police cars. Jazz holding on to her mother on the front stoop, face hidden by her hair. It wasn’t hard to tell the younger girl was crying, not with the way her body shook. Maddie’s face matched Jack’s; confused, frightened. Lost. Much like Tucker and Sam’s faces when they turned back to their best friend. Danny only watched them, his eyes lost in the pain and sadness they saw there.

“Danny…” Sam whispered.

Tucker started to reach out to Danny and then hesitated, torn, and afraid of what he wanted to ask. But the words were already past his lips before they could be stopped. “What ghost was it this time?”

“Me.”

It was soft but carried across to them. And then Danny closed his eyes and faded into the sunlight.