Chapter Text
”Before I wish you all a merry Christmas, or happy Hanukah or whatever it is you celebrate I’d like to introduce Mr Emery Peabody.” Announced Mr Lancer once again covering for the schools headmistress for the end of year speech. There was some spares applauds among the assembled students as Peabody walked up on stage waving at them. “Mr Peabody will take over teaching history to Junior and Senior students starting next year. And on that happy note have a nice holiday and I’ll see you all after the new-year.” Lancer finished and turned to his friend talking.
The assembly hall exploded in to motion and sound as the students all started talking to each other, doing their best to get out of the school as soon as possible. The only ones who didn’t move was three students sitting in the back. Sam, Tucker and Valeri were putting on their jackets but wasn’t in any hurry to leave in the crazy crowd.
“I thought you said that this Peabody was a bit weird, he look just as normal as Mr Lancer, if not a better sense of style.” Said Valeri shrugging on her jacket.
“Yeah. I know.” Agreed Sam stretching her stiff back, the chairs in the assembly hall were not meant to be sat in for hours. “He just gives me the creeps, I think it was something he said. I can be wrong.” She shrugged.
“I have never heard you say that you can be wrong Sam.” Said Tucker giving her a shocked look.
“That’s because I never am.” Retorted Sam picking up her own jacket from where it had fallen to the floor. “And speaking of being wrong Tuck you owe me five box. Danny didn’t show up for the assembly.”
Tucker gave Sam a superior smile. “Let’s make that double or nothing.” He said and dug out a small pencil shaped object from his jacket’s pockets.
“Is that a dog whistle?” asked Valeri recognizing the small metallic whistle.
“Yeah.” Answered Tucker before taking a deep breath.
“Blow that whistle and You’ll have to deal with Cujo.” Said Danny, speaking from just behind Tucker. His friend made a sort of jerky motion before letting go of the air. He turned around with Sam and Valeri to look at Danny.
“How long have you been sitting there?” asked Valeri pretty certain that he hadn’t been there a moment earlier.
Yawning Danny checked his watch. “Ten minutes, maybe eleven. Got to hear the end of the acapella chorus mangle joy to the world.” He smiled at his friends, he’d done that a lot more lately.
“That means I win the bet, Pay up Sam I’ve got a Date with a new iPhone tomorrow.” Said Tucker stretching out a hand towards Sam.
“Naa Don’t think so. You said double or nothing, so I guess it’s nothing for you.” She smiled wickedly as Tucker realized his mistake. Danny laughed at his friends folly together with Valeri. “Hey Danny, aren’t you in a hurry?” Asked Sam looking at her own watch.
“Why?” he asked meeting Sam’s eyes for a sec.
“You said you and your family were going to your grandma in New England to celebrate Christmas with all your relatives.” Danny nodded. “Weren’t your parents picking you up after school? You know speakers and embarrassing messages?” She asked.
Valeri and Tucker turned to Danny to hear his answer. He shrugged. “I passed by the house sending Cujo back in to the Ghost Zone. Mom was making Dad sort out the ghost hunting gears they didn’t need for the trip from what they couldn’t go without. It’ll take them at least half an hour to have the RV packed.” He explained picking up his backpack. “Which reminds me I have something for you guys.” He took out three neatly wrapped gifts and handed one to each of them.
“Thanks but we already exchanged gifts yesterday, Remember?” Said Tucker shaking the small gift.
“If you don’t want it I can take it back.” Offered Danny watching as Valeri unwrapped her gift and opened the little box inside.
Her face lit up and she flung her arms around Danny giving him an awkward hug over the back of her chair. Danny’s face turned a shade pinker and after a moment he was the first to break the hug avoiding eye contact with Sam. “You fixed it.” Said Valeri almost jumping in her seat. “How?”
The gift held the four bands that turned in to Valeri’s ghost hunting gear. “Well I am the son of two expert ghost hunters and genus inventors,” Danny began but was cut off by Sam’s un ladylike snort.
“Oh come one Danny you asked Tecnus to fix it.” She said. “And you got Tucker to rig the game so that he couldn’t get access to the internet.”
“Um What?” asked Valeri looking a bit confused.
“I made a deal with Tecnus to get him to fix your gear. It’s way beyond anything my parents has ever invented so I figured I go to the guy who upgraded it for you and have him fix it. In exchange I gave him a copy of Doom 2 but Tucker rigged it so Tecnus won’t ever get access so the internet, he’ll be sent back to level one if he tries.” Explained Danny giving Sam a look as if asking if she was happy with his answer.
“Thanks, you didn’t have to go through all that trouble I could still use it.” Murmured Valeri as she put on the four bands that sent out a light pulse of light when touching her skin.
“Well we can’t have Amity Park’s greatest Ghost hunter go around with broken gear now can we.” He said and turned to watch Tucker and Sam open their gifts.
Unwrapping the black and purple paper from her gift Sam frowned seeing it’s content. “Thanks Danny but you know I have like ten just like these at home.” She said holding up a broad bracelet, with skulls and chains running around it, a tech like pattern glowing green on the black band.
“Oh I don’t think you have anything like this at home.” Said Tucker extracting a bracelet of his own from his gift, this one white with a glowing green pattern on it. “You got your mom and dad to finish the Spector shields and start mass production?” He asked putting the thing around his right wrist.
“Sort of, I just dropped a suggestion and they made a stack of them in case there is ever a need.” He looked back at Sam. “Do you like it, I changed the color and added the decoration so it wouldn’t clash with your style.”
Sam frowned down on the bracelet, weighing it in her hand and turning it this way and that way making Danny more and more nervous. “Does it come in purple?” She asked a wicked glint in her eye that totally went over Danny’s head.
“eh… well… Um. I can change the color again if you want to I just thought black was a lot easier to match up with the rest of your wardrobe and you always said the wrist-rays would look better in black. And then there was the thing about accessorizing and that you don’t like flashy things and…” Danny rambled on finally stopping when both Sam and Valeri broke out laughing.
“Danny I love it Thank you.” Sam said her eyes tearing up. “Come on before we are the last ones in school.”
They all got up and made their way out of the assembly hall, Sam and Valeri still giggling as Tucker and Danny followed. “I don’t get girls.” Sighed Danny avoiding a baseball thrown across the corridor.
“Well that’s the beauty of women isn’t it. To figure out the riddle and charmed them enough that they will fall for you and make you dinner and massage your feet while you’re playing Video games for a living.” Said Tucker, his eyes dreamy.
“You know Valeri will kick you in the balls before she ever gives you a foot massage.” Noted Danny stopping beside their lockers.
“Who said anything about Valeri, I was thinking of Star and Paulina. You know they are holding a new year’s party and have invited the whole school except for the three off us.” Said Tucker unlocking his locker.
“Yeah you said it like five times yesterday.” Sighed Danny looking over at Sam and Valeri trying to hear their conversation over the crowed.
“And guess who is going to get invited to that party?” said Tucker shoving his school books in to his locker. Danny gave him a skeptical look that annoyed his friend. “Me, I got the perfect plan to seduce Star into inviting me and it all starts with-“
“FEN-TURD!” Danny’s back stiffened and he turned around in time to see Dash swing an arm at him. Lifting his hands in defensive pose Danny was taken aback when Dash didn’t hit him. Instead the big Jockey had flung an arm around Danny’s neck. “We are going to have a talk.” Hissed Dash in a lower voice.
“Oi what gives!” Shouted Tucker at Dash but his eyes were already scanning the crowd for a teacher, as was Sam’s and Valeri’s.
They didn’t find a teacher before Dash shoved Danny in to an empty classroom. He closed and locked the door behind them before he faced Danny. “What the hell is up with you?” asked Danny before Dash could speak, He got his head out of Dash’s grip and backed away from him.
Lifting his hands palm up Dash shrugged. “Relax man if I wanted to hurt you I could have done it outside in the corridor. I just want to talk.”
A muscle twitched in Danny’s leg, he wanted to run away, Dash wasn’t the sort of person to talk, except with his fists. “I’m listening.” Dash seamed to struggle trying to find the right words, he would start a sentence and then start over until Danny lost patience. “Spit it out already, Are you waiting for the grass to grow or something.”
Sighing heavily Dash rubbed at the back of his head. “Look what I want to say is, well the library is empty, and you isn’t that big a nerd, we still got that arm-wrestle thing and all the extra work we got over the holiday.”
Straightening Danny crossed his arms over his chest and licked his lips, there was a new taste there, one he associated with hot food. Chili? “You are dancing around the subject.” Sighed Danny. “If you don’t want everyone to know that we are talking to each other you better get to the point.”
At this Dash looked over his shoulder at the locked door expecting to see someone looking in through the window. But there was no one there. “Would you stop screwing with me Fenton.” Growled Dash. “I’m trying to ask you to come back to the library. You haven’t been there ever since the mall thing.”
“You gave me a black eye, I think that was the deal breaker of our agreement.” Retorted Danny remembering having to explain not only to his social worker and Mrs Oswald how he’d gotten hurt, but to a nosy Dr Scott as well.
“You shoved me in to a restricted area in front of the police, You deserved that black eye.” Answered Dash not knowing that Danny thought the same. He’d regretted pushing Dash the next day and would have apologized to him if the joke hadn’t decided to punch him before he could.
“Whatever.” Sighed Danny rolling his eyes. “But come to Amity Park library, it takes too long to go back and forth between here and Wishing Hill.”
Dash blinked at Danny. “Wait just like that, you aren’t going to force me to apologize for the black eye?”
Walking toward the door Danny shrugged. “It’s not in your nature to apologize Dash. The fact that you want my help says a lot more.” He stopped with his hand on the door handle. “Crap I sound like my sister.” He noted before looking up at Dash. “Just don’t hit me again and I’ll keep helping you.”
Joining the steady stream of students in the corridor outside, Danny left Dash standing in the empty classroom staring after him.
