Danny yawned and stretched. He turned off his alarm clock.
Only 7:03. He’d make it on school for once. Ghost hunting had made him late everyday this week.
Danny crawled out of bed and threw on his everyday clothes, his red shirt and jeans.
He sighed and looked in the mirror. He desperately needed to get some new threads. With all the ghost hunting lately, he hadn’t had time to go to the mall for at least 3 months.
Danny went down to the kitchen. Jazz was eating her pancakes topped with sticky syrup.
Jazz lowered her eyes and raised her eyebrows.
“On time for breakfast this morning, hmm?” she asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Danny said, sitting down at his seat.
“Well, you always come down just in time to be ten minutes late for class!” Jazz rolled her eyes.
Suddenly a bluish mist floated out of Danny’s mouth.
Danny got up and ran out of the kitchen. “I gotta go!” he cried.
“School’s that way, genius!” Jazz called after her brother, pointing to the front door.
Danny ran down to the lab, where a giant ghost was coming out of the ghost portal.
“Awww, great,” Danny muttered as he transformed.
A huge black figure with glowing green eyes entered the room.
“I am the Shadow,” a cold raspy voice said.
“And you’re going back!” Danny said as he kicked the ghost in the stomach.
The Shadow curled up into a ball and collapsed onto the ground. Then the phantom dissolved in thin air.
“That was easy, but now I’m late!” Danny transformed back into his human body and glanced at his watch. 8:05! He had ten minutes to go!
Danny ran back upstairs.
As soon as Danny left the Shadow reappeared and laughed evilly.
Danny ran out the front door and saw the bus drive away as soon as he got outside.
He ran onto the sidewalk, screaming, “Wait! Wait!”
Danny dragged into the school at 8:37. His teacher stood, her arms crossed firmly.
“Late again, Mr. Fenton? That’s your ninth demerit this month! Your third detention should be tonight, but I’ll let it wait until tomorrow so you won’t miss the Spring Fling. You better be thankful, Fenton, I’m letting you go to that stupid dance. And I don’t want to see you late again,” the teacher walked away angrily.
Sam and Tucker walked up to Danny. “Ghost hunting again?” Tucker inquired.
Danny sighed. “You’ve already missed Homeroom and we just had a free period because there was no Science class because the teacher was sick. It’s a good thing Mr. Wills got sick otherwise you’d be missing the exam! This ghost thing is getting out of hand,” Sam said as the three friends walked toward the English classroom.
“I know. And I totally forgot about the dance! The spring Fling is the biggest dance of the year, and I don’t have a date!” Danny cried out in anguish.
“I don’t have a date. You can take me,” Sam said. “Thanks, Sam. It’ll be great. I’ll pick you up at 6,” Danny said.
“Oh great, English. We’re probably going to have one of those stupid pop quizzes,” Tucker muttered.
Danny, Sam, and Tucker went into the classroom and slid into their seats.
The teacher smiled at the class and said happily, “Guess what class? I have a joke! Knock Knock?”
“Who’s there?” the class moaned uninterestedly.
“Pop!”
“Pop who?”
“POP QUIZ! This is an important one class, about the novels we’ve been reading. Good luck!”
The teacher handed out the tests.
Suddenly the mist floated out of Danny’s mouth again.
Danny’s hand shot up. “I have to go to the bathroom!”
“I’m sorry Danny, you’re just going to have to wait,” the teacher said.
“But I’m constipated!”
The class giggled.
“Very funny Mr. Fenton. You and your constipation will have to wait until the test is done.”
More mist came out of Danny’s mouth. He sped through the quiz, circling True for every answer and writing one word sentences for the essay questions. He got out of his chair and ran for the door.
In the empty hallway the Shadow stood menacingly. “Ah, we meet again, ghost boy,” the specter cackled.
“Not again! I thought I defeated you!”
Danny punched the Shadow and whipped out the Fenton thermos, sending the Shadow inside.
He stuffed the thermos back into his backpack and ran back into the classroom.
As soon as he got into his seat, the lunch bell rung.
Sam, Tucker, and Danny walked into the cafeteria, bought their lunches, sat down, and started to eat.
As the others dug into their lasagna, Danny’s eyes lowered into a sleepy daze.
“Danny, are you OK?” Tucker asked.
“Yah…” Danny’s face fell into his Italian lunch. “Danny?” Sam asked.
A loud snore erupted from the sleeping boy.
The cafeteria cracked up. Dash ran up to Danny and took a picture of him with his camera.
“Cover of the school newspaper, Fenton!” Dash laughed as he ran off.
Sam shook Danny awake. He sat up. “Danny, you fell into your plate! Again!” Sam giggled.
She peeled some pasta off Danny’s face. “Aw great. Those stupid ghosts have really messed with my sleep schedule,” Danny mumbled.
Danny grudgingly went through the rest of his classes. At the end of the day, he started walking home with Sam and Tucker.
The three came to the end of the sidewalk. “Bye guys, see you tonight,” Tucker said as he veered to the left.
“Bye Tuck! Bye Danny!” Sam called as she went down her middle path to her house.
She had gone a few steps when she noticed a sleepy Danny next to her.
“Danny! You know you live that way! Why are you following me?” Sam asked.
Danny’s eyes were half open. “Oh? I live to the right? Oh. Sorry.”
Sam giggled as she waved to him. “See you at 6 Danny!”
As soon as Danny was at his house, he fell fast asleep on the kitchen table.
Jazz shook him awake. Danny woke up slowly.
“Don’t you have to go to that stupid dance of yours Danny? Wake up, if you want to get your homework done and have your dance too!” Jazz demanded.
“What time is it?”
“4:30, Danny! Just get up off the table!” Jazz said.
Danny got up and finished all his homework by 5:15.
“And I’m still in time to get ready for the dance!” Danny said as he put his homework away.
He went up to his room and was ready, in his suit, by 5:45.
Danny was down in the kitchen, adjusting his bowtie, near his backpack. His foot moved a little, and the contents of his backpack spilled out.
The cap of the Fenton thermos fell off, and all the ghosts he had caught the past two weeks came flying and cackling out.
Danny smacked his forehead. “Great!”
Danny transformed and started fighting.
The tired boy fell to the ground, after two hours of non-stop ghost hunting.
He transformed back into his human body, in a beaten-up suit.
Without bothering to check his watch, Danny ran outside, straight to Sam’s house.
He found Sam sitting on her front step sobbing into the billowy sleeve of her black Goth dress.
“Sam! The dance! Come on, we’re going to be late!” Danny said as panted and heaved of exhaustion.
“The dance is over! I went with Tucker! Clearly, ghosts mean more to you than I could ever hope for! Goodbye Danny, and goodnight!”
Sam went into her house and slammed the door shut, right in Danny’s face.
Danny sighed and stuffed his sweaty palms in his pocket, as he dragged himself own.
Was it really all worth it?