One Little Secret CH3

One Little Secret CH3

Valerie's father had to force her to go to school the next day.

"Valerie, nothing good is going to come from moping around the house! The least you can do is find the ghost boy and apologize, if you really want to set things right! You'll never do that if you stay in bed!"

"What do I say to Star? She'll want to know what happened. I've never fainted after a battle before."

"Just tell her that you were tired. I've seen my office manager pass out from exhaustion before. Besides, she'll find it even odder if you stay home." Damon looked her in the eyes with a stern gaze until she finally sighed and threw the covers off of herself.

"Fine. I'll go. But I won't like it."

Damon laughed. "There's my girl, acting just like the toddler I've always known!" He received a pillow in the face for this, but also laughter. He always knew how to make his little girl smile.

Once she was dressed, Valerie's father drove her to school. She usually rode her glider, but like she had said the night before, she was never going to activate that suit again.

"Have a good day, sweetheart. And good luck."

Valerie smiled at her father. It was a guilty smile though. She didn't deserve his kindness, not after what she had done. "Thanks Daddy. You too."

"Oh, and Valerie- do you want me to pick you up after school as well?"

"Um, no, that's fine. You have your work. Don't lose time on my account. I can walk, or have Star bring me home. I'll make it, don't worry." Valerie didn't want him to have a lower paycheck because of her. Every cent was precious.

"If you're sure, okay then. See you tonight."

"See ya, Dad." She waved, and he pulled away. Taking a deep breath, Val turned and prepared to face the day.

Surprisingly, the first three classes went by in a flash. No one went out of his or her way to talk to Valerie, and she didn't see Star at all until lunch. For the first period, it felt like everyone in the class was glaring at her, like they all knew what she had done. But the feeling slowly dissipated, and Valerie set her mind to her studies.

As Valerie sat down for lunch, though, she was crushed by a tight hug. "Val! You're okay!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine Star! Let me go! I can't breathe with you squeezing me like that!"

"Oh, sorry!" Star quickly released Valerie, and sat down on the bench across from her. "What happened last night?" she asked immediately.

Valerie knew this was coming. Star was always very direct with her thoughts, and therefore very predictable. Val decided to go with her father's advice. "Nothing happened. I was just tired, that's all."

"But you were crying. And you kept saying 'I'm a monster, I'm a monster' over and over. You can't say you were just tired."

"I was tired. I didn't know what I was thinking, but it was just exhaustion."

Star pouted her lips; she didn't like being lied to. "Then why didn't you call me last night? Why did your dad do it?"

"He, uh, made me go to bed as soon as I came around. You know how protective he is." Valerie was a quick thinker and a very good liar. And she didn't like to say this, but Star wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

"Oh... well... oh. Okay. I guess he is, isn't he?" Star laughed, and swept her long hair back over her shoulders. "You feel better today?"

Valerie bit her tongue and lied again. "Yeah, much better."

Before Star could say anything else, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley approached their table, looked pretty haggard. They both wore dark circles under their eyes, like the ones Danny usually had. Sam's hair wasn't neat either, like it usually was. Tucker's shirt had the stain on it from yesterday when he had dumped a hot dog on himself. It was like neither of them had bothered taking care of themselves that morning.

"Sam? Tucker?"

"Hey Valerie," Sam said softly. "Sorry to bother you, but... have either of you seen Danny?"

"Fenton? Why would I bother seeing that loser-" Star stopped when Valerie glared at her, and looked down at the table.

"No, Sam, I haven't. Did something happen?" Oh no, he was hurt as the mall last night, wasn't he? He had been near that department when it had happened.

"Yeah." The Goth's eyes teared up. "He didn't come home last night, and he won't answer his phone. No one knows where he went." Tucker squeezed her hand softly.

"We searched all last night for him," he continued. "There was no sign of him anywhere. Jazz was with him last, and even she doesn't know where he went."

Valerie felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh God. It was the ghost attack. He must have gotten hurt. What if he tried to get home, but couldn't make it? What if he's lying hurt in some alley? Oh God..."

"We checked everywhere around the mall," Tucker replied. "We thought that too, at first. But we're still empty-handed."

Sam blinked out more tears. "Valerie, please, if you see him anywhere, tell us, please."

"I will. Of course." Sam smiled thankfully, and leaned her head against Tucker as he led her out of the cafeteria.

Valerie stared blankly at the table. If Skulker had done anything to hurt Danny, she would- do nothing. She wasn't going to hunt ghosts anymore. Right?

"I'm sorry Val, I guess," Star said quietly. "I know you really liked him. He liked you too."

Valerie's eyes widened. "He did? How do you know?"

"I spoke to Maddie last night. She said he has a crush on you, even after you dumped him."

"Really?"

Star nodded. "Really... You could look for him after school, if you wanted to. With your glider, you would have an aerial advantage."

"I would, wouldn't I..." Valerie trailed off into thought, and didn't say another word all of lunch, much to Star's annoyance.

At the end of the lunch period, Val muttered only a quick, "Bye," to her friend. She stayed in her own world for the rest of the day, arguing with herself. Part of her wanted to don her suit regardless, if only to search for Danny. She didn't have to hunt any ghosts, just look. Star was right, her glider's view might be the one thing to save Danny's life. But another part of her held her back. Valerie had noticed throughout the day how many times she had thought of hunting down this ghost or that. Wearing the suit might provoke the urge to search for something to blow up. Hunting was her second nature, and wouldn't be so easily rid of.

And one last voice whispered, Do you even want to find Danny? Phantom's only half ghost now, remember? His human half could be anyone...

She shook that thought away. Val didn't know anything about halfas. Who said they even had a human appearance? They could just be part human because they shared human emotions or organs.

Before she knew it, the last bell of the day had rung, and Val found herself standing outside of Casper High. It was the moment of choice. Look for Danny by air, by land, or at all?

She saw Sam and Tucker walking forlornly down the road and decided.