Work Text:
Someone said she was smitten.
Paulina was not smitten.
It was love at first sight.
And they were meant to be.
"Hm." Paulina flickered a quick eye down the boy. "I see you're back."
His head turned, those bright blue eyes settling somewhere a little too high and to her left, a smile cracking across his face.
"Is that a joke?"
Caray. That had slipped out.
Paulina sniffed. "I wasn't trying to be funny."
She promenaded on past. Star, Valerie, and Ashley went with her. Paulina carried on with her story, determined not to dwell on how utterly tragic that was back there.
That he couldn't see her, of course.
Swirling through her combination, Paulina opened up her locker and looked just to the side of her perfectly placed mirror inside. Peering through the crack of the open door. It was a lovely way to get what other students thought were faces hidden from view as they opened lockers. To get vibes and feels for the day. The potential gossip.
Most eyes went to him.
Not her.
She wrinkled her nose.
Him. Oblivious, but obviously aware that there must be looks.
Attempting to force down the helpful hands of his two friends leading him through the crowds. But Paulina was not blind. She could see perfectly well how their hands were latched on down at his sides. One friend on each side. Blocking him off from running into anyone. Or anyone running into him.
Not that that was an issue.
Anyone who came close was careful to keep distance.
As if blindness was catching.
Shame.
Paulina actually felt as if she could, like, legit miss his flattering looks of appreciation at her.
Looking back to her locker mirror, she touched up her lips, and closed it shut.
Don't be silly, she told herself.
Blind or not, he still clearly noticed her, pinpointing her voice nearly perfectly in the hallway.
"So, anyway, in the end, I, of course, got the party planner to see things the correct way. Papá promised me a perfect quinceañera. As Miss María is fully aware of. Get with the program puta. This is mine. Not yours."
"Precisely." Star responded primly, sweeping her hair back over her shoulder.
"Oh, for sure and exactly. It's going to be fabulously the best. A quinceañera is worth far more than anything on Sweet Sixteen. Oh! But I do look forward to legally driving around myself," Ashley added in with a far off look.
As if that was anything more than a thrill of Ashley and Dale's private little steamy hookups having a new location. Dale's girlfriend was, well, nice, but a very socially awkward girl. It was a matter of his parents and Claire's parents strongly approving. They were like, a pair of old couple friends that thought it cute. Their kids. Together. And pushed for it. Practically shoving them together in some future arranged marriage thing.
It wasn't exactly romantic, but certainly thrilling and they were more than fine about their current relationship with each other.
Paulina didn't judge.
Much.
But that was certainly not for Paulina.
She wanted everything when she found the one for her.
"Please." Valerie tutted and rolled her eyes. "That's what she got hired for. Do the job. It's amazing the amount of excuses some people give on not doing what they're supposed to."
"I knooow. Amazing. The nerve of her to suggest a no to me. I made that lady aware of who she was dealing with. Me. The birthday girl. And of course, you three are invited once she completes the formal invites by the time I get home tonight. Expect them come tomorrow morning. In front of all these jealous losers who can only dream of attending such extravagance."
He was slim and lean and fast.
His voice echoed around her like a hug.
He lifted up fears and panic with endearingly childish joy as he delivered ridiculous jokes and puns and quips.
His beautiful sunlit green eyes and hers meet.
He was achingly bright.
His body moved like water, like a dancer of a genre Paulina had yet to try herself.
He swooped in and acted quickly with the problem.
He wasn't all swaggering, too showy unneeded violence for anyone.
Not like some boys who were just like that for their own pleasure or for the 'benefits' of an audience.
He wasn't false bravado shattered, screaming and running for his own safety.
He was perfect balance when he swooped in to tackle the problem.
Did what was needed.
Sure, he fumbled, but worked it out real time.
He just...was.
No lie.
The confidence and openness on allowing what other boys saw as weaknesses to be seen was, oh, devastating.
A ghost or not, Paulina's heart was gone and taken.
It was him.
No question.
And even when he left after successfully dealing with the problem causer, Paulina knew she would find him and he would be back and they would be something special.
Ghosts being seen as real and suddenly plentiful, did not take Paulina by surprise as much as it did for some of her classmates. Perhaps she had never been able to see them with her own eyes before, but she had grown up speaking to them. She loved informing her abuelos of all the family and neighborhood gossip. Updates of her life and everything going on around it. When she was put up on an ofrenda, a long long long time from now as the most adorable old lady ever, Paulina better have a family member doing the same for her in getting her all the good and dirty updates about everyone still alive.
But right now, she was living for any update or information about her ghost boy.
Mentally cataloging everything she could and pressing it close to her chest.
Precious little shiny gems of treasure too precious to sell.
Share and show off, sure. But to discard this for some other?
There was no compare. No replacement.
It was him.
The way his ears perked up and head tilted over at people, at her.
The way he clicked and weaved to the side of a ghost hornet (the size of six-eight David!) attack.
'Missed your shot at me! Rejection stings, doesn't it?'
The way he lingered for a momentary check of everyone afterwards, then left.
The way his sunlit green eyes always drifted toward Paulina.
The way he would now brightly answer a question from her, then shyly duck his head down with a warm smile.
The way her heart squeezed upon realizing she'd been doing the same. Excitedly answering a question from him, then smile to herself in seeing him care about the response. Not a nothing question like boys often liked to do, not caring about the answer but in how they could get touching close.
It was simple and sweet.
And Paulina wouldn't change it for the world.
Except perhaps for when he hastily gave a goodbye, a smile that crinkle closed his eyes with what seemed to be affection, then flew off into the sky.
Sighing, Paulina propped her head up on the desk, hand cupped around her cheek, and stared off and out the classroom window.
Her heart leapt up at spotting a spec in the sky growing closer. And shouted with great enthusiasm. It was the huge mechanically armored ghost who called himself 'the best hunter'. As if, to quote the fashionable Cher from her favorite movie as a child. Such a typical little boasting boy. The big tonto had yet to come close to her ghost boy. To Phantom.
If this ghost was here, Phantom was sure to be here as well.
And it was his turn to ask her a question. What would he ask? What did he wish to know? What was important to him?
All crucial and critical in them building up their growing relationship. What mattered.
Everything so far was good signs, even where they differed, because they still fit and meshed well on the big things.
Like, people mattered to them both.
And-
"Oof!"
Stumbling against the person she bumped into in the class's scrambling for prime window views, Paulina squeaked as a hand quickly yanked at her top and another grabbed at her boob, she stumbled away farther even if it did mean she fell to the floor. Apologetic sorries filed off in rapid succession. As if that'd change anything. Or how their hands dragged across her body, not letting go, then gripping tight to her arms. She tried pulling back, feet properly set beneath her now.
And then realized who was the red faced boy she had bumped into.
Danny Fenton.
A boy who couldn't see precisely what he was grabbing, yet clearly, honestly trying to help her not fall and get hurt.
He was babbling apologies still, between his frantic asks on if she was okay.
Paulina watched him for a moment, finding herself thinking once again what a travesty it was that his bright blue eyes could not see anything or her. At their nearness, they were close and so he was close, but he appeared to be looking at her forehead. He always seemed to look higher than he should at her now. Like he expected her taller or someone he hadn't simply once given such flattering looks of appreciation at, but someone he looked up to.
She swallowed and spoke steadily, interrupting his babbling stream of concern.
"I am fine and not at risk of falling. Get your hands off of me now."
Danny quickly let go, carefully sliding a step back.
"Hey. So everyone is really giving it their all on their seeing is believing joke on me, aren't they?"
Paulina couldn't even take a step away towards the window to spot Phantom at hearing that.
"They." She stopped. "Seeing is believing. They're real. Ghosts are real. You've heard us talking about them. You spoke to the one that looked like a lunch lady."
"From our conversation, yeah, she was a lunch lady. But I didn't see any ghost."
"You."
Paulina stopped, realizing and easily spotting the joke at his own expense. Danny was smiling. Pleased with his joke, the right side of his mouth pulled up high enough to dimple. As long as they'd shared classes, all the way back to third grade, he'd always had that right dimple. Right along with his silly jokes. She'd taken notice back then. A dimple was a dimple after all. A playful little indent shared to others when happy. Paulina had always felt partial to those with dimples, if jealous when younger, because she thought they were cute and she didn't have one.
She should let the boy down and make sure he didn't think there was a chance.
After you know, like, the most caring boob grab ever?
"Danny. I haven't been shy about speaking about the one who has my corazón." She pressed her fingertips beneath her collarbone, momentarily forgetting he could not see the gesture. But he seemed to perfectly well understand her tone.
"Why do you like, uh, him?"
"His confidence."
That was easy and Paulina loved to gush about Phantom. Even if she knew most of her friends gamely nodded along. Talking about it like they did Ashley and Dale. Not real or an actual potential romantic relationship. Like, idiots. This was Paulina's life and choice and heart. They didn't see it. What she felt and knew as soon as he flew into her sight. He was the one. In the fullest of ways. A few boys she felt had come close, but there was always something missing or not right to truly be it.
In certain ways, Danny Fenton had been in the mix. Except that had been years ago. Before he became less than he had been. The pieces were still there, but a couple were gone and one had never been there. He'd dart in, thoughtlessly, as a child. It was all so TV sitcom righteous. Innocent and puffed up to right things. But he never had the confidence to see it through. To get back up, so to say. Danny had always, bent and gave in when piled on. It was disheartening to see and not something Paulina wanted in a partner. She wanted meaningful arguments over specifics in how to go about what they both valued. She wanted someone who had a backbone. That they could stand toe-to-toe with her in joint union against an opponent that faced them both. Sure, her papá gave in and spoiled and treated Paulina and Mamá like the princess and queen they were. A love and adoration Paulina needed in her life. But she had all this energy and for it to go nowhere, the guy she was with just bowing out right away? No. She wanted someone to match her energy.
Phantom had that.
Phantom had and was everything.
She wanted everything with him.
"Confidence?"
Danny sounded so, like, shocked about that. Strangely so.
Yet Paulina would not lose a chance to freshly gush with none of the nonlistening nods.
"Sí, his confidence. In standing up for beliefs, for other people, not giving up, openness on being himself, allowing vulnerabilities to show and growing from them, rather than cover it up and never do anything about it and remain stupid like other boys. He's so real. No fake veneer. That confidence. It's, like, a prime top thing for me and...buenísimo."
"And what?
Distracted by louder noises, Paulina turned her head, going up on tiptoe to peer over heads and out the window. No Phantom out there. Which seemed to be an issue for the other ghost too. He was not happy and blasting at the dumpsters.
"Ugh." She wrinkled her nose. "Now it's going to all smell like burnt, rotting trash when we leave school. Total jerk."
"So now everyone is going to dump trash to keep along with this ghost thing? That does sound like something Dash would do without thinking about others having to smell it too."
Paulina almost snorted, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.
It was! It totally did sound like something Dash would come up with! Like his horror house of gym terrors.
"The seeing is believing bit is funny. A little," she quickly added in. Least of all this boy think he has a chance or had ever had a possibility of a chance with her. Her heart was simply more open and her fondness of traits she loved in Phantom caused her to enjoy spotting them within others. "But ghosts, and my Phantom, are very much real Danny."
"No."
His mouth pulled up, like a smile, but not far enough to dimple.
"I don't think so. But thanks, Paulina."
She scowled, hands on her hips, sliding her foot forward and toeing at his toe, so he knew she was there, and snorted. Just for him. To let him fully know. She was pressing forward and leaning into his space, going toe to toe, and that she was not pleased.
"¡Perdón! I can very well pull a boy extraordinarily easy. I am not ignorant of the looks and stares and leers. Most girls aren't. And most of those boys are not any type of bueno. You? You are a mostly hiding along the sidelines friendly. With possibly the smallest measure of impolite sorts of gazing. I notice. I see you. I have seen you, known you since third grade. It goes both ways. Do you not know me and who I am? I do not need to make up a boy to reject you, Danny Fenton."
He stood, bright blue eyes nearly right in looking at her.
Paulina wanted to shake the boy.
Look at me! At me!
He was a smidgen off, enough to boil up Paulina's insides. He asked, cared, listened. It wasn't a mindless question. Danny had listened, he had to do that much, but he didn't see her. Not like Phantom. But how they were in this matter was similar enough that she wanted to scream at him.
And Danny finally, and simply, shrugged.
"Okay."
Twisting his wrist to snag a hold of his dangling white cane's handle, Danny made to tap away and out of the classroom.
Breathing hard, Paulina's fists worked. All that energy. No where.
She hated it. Couldn't stand it.
And now she was in this kind of mood right when Phantom was likely to come by.
Danny stopped and turned, bright blue eyes aimed to the side of her again, but low this time. Hooded almost. Low and at the height of her knees.
Her breath caught.
No.
Stop that. He wasn't fully enough in what she wanted in a partner. Heart. Quit grasping a hold of anyone carrying enough similarities to the one that was it. Meant to be. Love at first sight.
"It does go both ways. I see you. Sight or no sight. You're very clear about it. I'm not mistaken in where I stand in your eyes. But, Paulina. Do you really see me? Your eyes work, but I don't think so."
What.
The.
Hell.
Forget that boy.
Paulina spun and wedged her way through all the other students to have prime view. Her spirits lifting up at the sight of her spirit. Her ghost boy. Phantom.
'Do you really see me? Your eyes work, but I don't think so.'
Paulina's jaw clenched.
He barely glanced in her direction before flying off and up.
Stunned, Paulina stared outside the window, the devastation of the upended dumpsters and flipped picnic table.
Before the word of mouth was finished being passed to Paulina, she was rushing for the stairs and darting down. Down to the first floor. Down the school's front steps. Around to the side of the school. A quiet and private side area facing trees. But a not so perfect place to sneak away to because all the gross trash was there. Only losers sat at this sad picnic table. Paulina ran right for it.
She didn't even pause to collect her breath and composure. She drank in the sight of him, for like, a second. Floating midair by about a couple feet and back to her as he tossed several large black garbage bags at once.
"Phantom!"
Breathlessly, Paulina jogged closer, not caring (okay, she did but that wasn't worth her attention right now) about the horrid smell.
His head tilted to one side, ear lifting upwards at her voice.
However, he didn't turn his head to look at her. He floated down far enough to snag a few more bags to chuck in together. The back of him still facing her as he cleaned up the earlier mess from the other ghost and from their fight.
"Paulina." Phantom responded simply.
His voice that echoed like a hug was lacking. A reluctant, almost unwilling, hug.
"Phantom, can I help? Are you hurt? What's wrong? This isn't like you."
"Don't worry about helping. You shouldn't have to smell this. Back up and head back inside. I've got this handled."
First dumpster full, he flew further from her and took a hold of the top corner of the second dumpster, flying up to lift the entire thing up. And setting it back down onto the cement gently. If Paulina hadn't been looking, she wouldn't have known. It made no noise.
His head remained tilted, ear up in her direction, still listening for her. Even if he wasn't looking at her.
Scrunching up her nose at the smell, Paulina carefully picked her way across the trash, coming up closer to Phantom to see him better and try to figure out what was wrong. It was concerning. This wasn't like him. Not in general and especially with her.
No injuries she could see. She leaned her head to look up at him more and get somewhat of a better look at his front side. Eyeing his face. Sunlit green eyes weren't focused on anything in particular, distant. There must be something heavy on his mind. Phantom's countenance gave away little, but it was telling. His whole being was normally so achingly bright to match those sunlit green eyes. A sun to gravitate towards, day cheered up by the mere sight of them.
"I can listen-"
"Don't do that!"
Leaping up from where he already floated, Phantom pulled himself up higher, hunched with a gloved hand on his chest and clicked his tongue rapidly at her.
Paulina reared her head back. "Well."
He turned away, back to the dumpster mess, floating back down to a few feet above the ground. Muttering to himself. "Yeah, well, I'm still not as good in straight surrounding sound." Phantom's voice lifted up louder. "You can leave your chosen question of interest for next time. Maybe."
Straight surrounding sound? Did she hear that right?
His reaction to her voice was startled and sudden.
Too much.
"Wait a minute. This is your turn for a question. But, what? Do sudden unexpected sounds from your surroundings freak you out or something, Phantom? Is there a reason? Is that what- No, Paulina. That's rude."
"Sure. Yeah. Whatever." He said shortly, clearly not wanting to talk abo- "I don't like talking about it. Skip. And you said it was my question. Fine. I'll ask you. Why do you like me?"
Paulina froze.
Had Phantom been there? In the classroom? When she'd answered Danny Fenton's question about liking Phantom? Had Phantom heard and seen? Taken issue in something she said, what she'd gotten in Danny's face about?
"Why?"
"Yeah." Phantom tossed in a couple more bags of trash into the second dumpster, refusing to look at her. "Why is it that you think you like me?"
Paulina bristled, neck straining from looking up so long at him. As if she wasn't strong enough and not on his level. Phantom was distant and high and drifting out of reach. She sprinted forward, eyes watering, unwilling to face the idea of them not coming and being together. Even if her friends looked at her like she was not quite right! For her heart saying Phantom was it, the one.
"I do like you! I've made it clear! And I know I mean something to you! In a liking way! I can clearly see that! Whatever the issue is, there is enough here to work past it!" Paulina swallowed, breath catching up in her chest. "May it work against me, I'd rather we not ignore issues but tackle them together. If you heard me answer that boy in my class, Danny Fenton, then you know my top reason is in your confi-"
"Wrong." He clicked his tongue once and turned his head, sunlit green eyes in her direction. "I've gained abilities as a ghost. They grant me freedoms I enjoy. I'm not open in who I am, I hide major parts from everyone, even you. That's all part of a felt freedom because I don't have anything to lose. Correction. I don't have much to lose. I've already lost major things. I am not a real boy to date. You don't see me-"
"You're blind!" Paulina gasped.
And Phantom jerked back, sudden silence deafening as he froze midair. His eyes rounder and wider. Turned fully in her direction. Mouth unable to respond or say anything back.
"Oh. Oh!" She clutched her mouth. And then let go, pouring it all out, like a stream pounding away until it smoothed all the rough and problematic rocks.
"It's a major part, isn't it? One you lost, but! No one's noticed! It's not obvious! Your sunlit green eyes, the whole eyes with no pupils, so no telling where you are looking really, I just assumed and with what felt clearly obvious. I assumed! I'm so sorry, Phantom! But I see you! And I mean, it's not like you are the only ghost with weirdly colored eyes or ones like that. It wasn't strange. Not for you as a ghost. I thought. And it isn't for a ghost. But how you tilt your head, ears always up. Clicking your tongue! Like a dolphin or something? The way you'd fumble and bump around when first starting up. I had chalked it up to learning. Proud as you improved! Thought it was awkward limbs of a growing boy, even if that may not be true for you, that's actually a question down my list. And then there is the loud-"
"I can see in my own way well enough." He snapped. Irritated and afraid, drifting away with a tensing hunch to his shoulders.
And, Phantom didn't so much as flicker his eyes around in contemplation of flying off, but in this little shifts of his head. Fingers tapping at his leg. Paulina caught notice of the familiar little movement, now questioning it and wondering if, like his clicking, it was a way he could create his own sound to hear to see his surroundings. Not as good in straight surrounding sounds. He could use the noises around him, but perhaps making the sound himself made it clearer and sharper images? Or something. Paulina only recalled so much about dolphins and their use of sounds from when she was a little kid, delighted by the animal and insisting on Lisa Frank dolphins on all her school stuff.
Paulina did know well the look of a kid who was terrified at something coming out, or the idea of something coming out, that marked them as a stand out different in a way they didn't want to be known or to become their marking factor.
"I know I've been gushing about you everywhere and sharing everything I can about you, but it's because I like you. Even if you think the confidence I highly value in you isn't true, it's how I feel and how I see you. I really like you Phantom." Paulina took a step closer to where he had drifted back, snapping her fingers as her other hand stretched out and laid on the top of one of his feet. "I won't tell anyone about this. Not when it's clearly so personal for you. I...I'm sorry I figured it out instead of you feeling able to tell me. Trust me. But you can trust me with it. I won't tell anyone. That’s una promesa."
Phantom hesitated, eyebrows furrowed beneath his sunlit green eyes gazing in her direction.
So bright. So normally bright. Bright and cheerful and a merry delight. Gleeful at making things light for others, for making Paulina smile and laugh with his silly bits of childish fun. Not afraid to be seen or feel a need to hide his sense of humor others liked to dismiss. She loved it. She, for one, still found delight in those types of jokes still. It didn't make him a child or stuck in childhood. He embraced himself and who he was. Not finding it worth hiding.
But this, his differing way of seeing, that was something else.
That wasn't who he was.
It was what he was.
There was a difference.
But Paulina's heart hadn't been taken by the what.
It'd been taken by the who.
Who he was.
His booted foot moved from the touch of her hand.
And Phantom floated down, barely inches from the grassy and trash speckled ground, almost even with her height.
His mouth pulled up, crinkle dimpling. And chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well. Forget any confidence you think you see in me. I know where I took inspiration from."
Face flushing, Paulina sucked in a breath, extremely flattered and speechless by his easy, factually spoken words.
"Thanks, Paulina. But, you got to know, I still think anything with this between us, in what I am now, it's not-"
"I. Don't. Care."
Phantom blinked, mouth still parted open but silent.
"What we are is insubstantial. It's the who that matters to me."
"Really?"
She nodded. Firm.
"Really."
The next time Phantom was around, things felt a little unsure and bumpy, but it quickly faded.
And, if anything, most definitely, their conversations went deeper and longer. Growing stronger. Paulina was floating on a cloud!
Floating on a cloud. Ooooh. She really wanted to figure out a good joke with that for Phantom.
But.
Speaking of someone who was decidedly not living life in a fluffy cloud, more like a storm cloud, Valerie spewed and spat with hands flying beside Paulina.
And Paulina had far more than enough out of her good supposed friend.
"Okay. Chica." Paulina snapped her fingers rudely right in front of Valerie's face. Star's face pinched and squeezed up from walking behind them to get up on Valerie's other side. Eyes darting between the two in panicked concern.
"I have allowed you to go on long enough like this. It is not my Phantom's fault that your father lost his job. A job. Girl, you're fine. He hasn't died. He got another job. Sure, it's not as prestigious or pay as much, but that does not matter at the end of the day. Leaving your home? That, I can feel for and be sympathetic and on your side. Back your complaining over changes to your life. However, you need to stop. Ghosts did not ruin your life. They affected your life. Affected your father's life more and I haven't heard you speak a word of him feeling an iota of any unflattering emotions screaming out of your pores."
"Because this isn't about my father!" Valerie spat back at Paulina, stopping to step close. "This is about him. You act like we're blind! Like we don't see. When it's you who are blinder than that Fenton boy! So blinded by your rose colored romantic glasses that you don't see that ghost boy for what he is!"
Paulina spun, snarling.
"I see him perfectly well for who he is!"
"Do you? Because I don't think so! He's a ghost, Paulina! He's dangerous! He only means and causes harm! He's done terrible things! Or did you forget about those little crime details? Believe his lies? His so called heroics leave destruction behin-"
"I know he's not perfect! But he leaps into action and does something about problems! Sometimes that means he gets into trouble himself in attempting to handle things so people, everyone, even you, won't get dragged into danger and get hurt from it! Phantom takes it badly when things get messy and not quite right! Tries to fix things and do better! Like putting the dumpsters and all that gross smelly trash back last week! Or, probably, going to your dad and your dad's boss to apologize about that ghost dog and that no state of the art security system could do much about ghosts. Yet. Offering a couple cards of those working on perfecting a system that can cover ghosts."
Nose flaring, Paulina narrowed her eyes at Valerie, daring the girl to dispute that. Knowing full well, from Phantom, that he had done just that. Tried to fix things and make it right. No one, or barely anyone, could predict or plan for an energetically little determined ghost puppy. Little horrifically excited regular alive ones were troublesome enough all on their own. (Paulina had issues, still, from the 'training' days of Dash's dog, Pookie)
"Yeah. Pay attention, Paulina." Valerie sneered and crossed her arms, planting her feet solidly with conviction.
"I pay more unbiased attention than you and know what he is better than you. All of that 'fixing it up'? It's bullshit. After he got what he wanted and all his damage was complete. Words and an offer that equal nothing. Except that idiotic people, like you, will keep letting him trash Amity and destroy their lives, one by-"
"You want the destruction in your life so bad, puta?"
Paulina drew back a sharp smile and leaned in.
"Sorry. I mean perra." She purred and pressed a finger into Valerie's shoulder. "Fine. You've destroyed it. I'll happily help. You've now joined a list of one. Right out of the A-list and into the Ass-list. Enjoy! Despídete."
Pout smiling with big eyes, Paulina lifted her hand up and tapped her fingers into her palm a couple times at Valerie.
Then, dropping her baby cute face, she looked away from Valerie. To Valerie's side. Giving a directed and very pointed look to Star. Paulina tipped her head over in her own direction. Glancing between the two, Star bit her lip, looked apologetically at Valerie, and moved from being beside Valerie to beside Paulina. Dismayed, Valerie stared, speechless.
"You aren't exactly being...reasonable right now. This attitude right now isn't very... We can talk later, Val."
Paulina hummed, not caring about that, fine if Star could manage to talk sense into the girl. As long as Valerie got what she deserved right now and stayed the hell out of anywhere in Paulina's life. Paulina was not going to accept that. From anyone. She liked Valerie. They were similar in the strength of beliefs. Normally, not a problem. But this was so...irreconcilable. Well. That vocab word from their latest book read for Mrs. Carnell finally found a good use.
"She wasn't fully..." Star paused and winced. Glancing back to where they left Valerie. Then back to Paulina. "Not fully...wrong. Per se. In your tiiiny bit of rose colored glasses with Phantom. In what he is. A ghost. That's not exactly conducive for a proper, long lasting relationship. I don't think you should throw all of what she...said, out of hand. There's still maybe some truth in what she's noticed about him. From before her dad-"
"Puh-lease. Valerie doesn't really pay attention." Paulina tossed her hair. "She's just a hater."
Squinting at her locker mirror, Paulina gave a little swipe across her eyebrows to brush that odd strand back into place. "No bad hare day for you," she whispered quietly to herself with a smile. Remembering Phantom's latest ghost he handled. It'd been a quick little thing, making awful work of the community garden in Double Park. She had grabbed a pair of extra gloves from the older persnickety garden ladies and helped him in sorting through some of the torn up plants. The similar looking ones gave him problems. If anything, Paulina had figured out with him, Phantom could relatively see the world fine. Colors though? But it allowed for them to chat for longer than usual since the garden ladies were very particular about things.
She glanced at the colorful drawings she'd convinced Dale's Claire to do for her. Girl may be totally socially awkward, but she was nice. And was in lots of art classes with a cute anime style look to her things. Very...purr-fect.
Paulina smiled, touching at the rolling eye cat with 'Hiss-terical' written on it. Her eyes went from that one to the other cat one she was partial to, hearing Phantom's laugh as he barrel rolled away from an angry ghost named Kitty. 'All kitten aside, I'm claw-some!' There was the one with a too helpful ghost who'd been a dentist causing issues and took major fighting issue when Phantom asked him to let the other dentist do their job. A pair of huge white teeth chomped on the words 'Jaw ready for this?'. A simple little drawing of animated peas was in Paulina's little collection. Phantom had told her about that one after the fact, thinking she'd enjoy his joke fired off (with a spoonful of them) at the Lunch Lady ghost. 'Peas out!' The newest one Paulina had gotten Claire to make was an adorably smug looking jellyfish. 'People are a little jelly of me'.
And she had more in the works. Special ones. For her birthday. To give to Phantom.
Paulina wanted to make it a thing, a little thing meaningful between them, yet she felt...hesitation.
'Rejection stings, doesn't it?'
That one stood out in her mind, even if she hadn't gotten that one done up.
Things had been good.
But the what of who they were clearly weighed on Phantom's mind.
There were moments.
Little pauses and droops on his bright, beaming face whenever she claimed him as hers.
He didn't dispute or fight it.
But she noticed.
And noticed how he had yet to verbally call her as his.
Phantom wasn't quite ready or able to jump that hurdle yet.
Time. Time and patience. Paulina knew this was meant to be. They already were something. They had time to work and build into the more they would become. Yes.
She nodded to herself in the mirror.
Yes.
Paulina closed her locker door and automatically looked down the stretch of lockers for Danny Fenton.
To continue cataloging things about and handling blindness! That was all.
Freezing, she blinked at the boy proudly making his own way up to his locker.
His two friends behind in nervous, ready to fight anyone if needed, support.
It might be.
Paulina was far from the only one looking.
"I know. We all see it, right?" Dash asked the group around Paulina's locker at large. "Question is, do we go up and inform Fenton that his new blind person dog is a glowing green ghost? The kid is literally the only one who's never seen one and still thinks it's some great big new bully tactic from me. Dude really said 'seeing is believing' and chose not to see proof that his crazy ass parents were right."
Paulina slapped his side with the back of her hand.
"He had an accident Dash! As if anyone, even him, would choose to be blind."
Scowling, he rubbed at his arm.
"Yeah. I know. It's just... Look at him."
"I think someone ought to." Star said. "Or at least go ask his friends if he knows. Except, Valerie has kind of joined them. A little. They would know. But that could be why they look on guard to him and his new guide dog. Um, we don't think that's the same one? The one Valerie-"
"I'm telling her." Paulina said, immediately leaping onto the idea. "Where is she? She's got to be close or coming their way. I'm going over."
Shoulders back, smile on her face, Paulina strode down the frozen and staring hallway. Causing people to look at her with wide eyes. Interest high.
She lifted her head.
They only wished they had her agallas.
Tossing her hair, she reached close enough not to startle and clicked her tongue. "Danny."
He startled anyway, but more of in surprise, head lifting up with his bright blue eyes aimed at the area of her mouth.
"Paulina. Uh, hi. Did you just... Nevermind. What do you want?"
"Oh please, Danny." Her lips curled up, ignoring the curious and furious gazes of his two friends. Manson had never liked Paulina. It was mutual. But not really a surprise. Paulina was fairly certain it crossed the lines of Manson just being Manson and into the girl perhaps having a little thing for this particular friend of hers. Paulina didn't really blame the girl. For having a little thing for Danny. Not the whole general pissed off attitude. It was definitely not an attractive look.
She leaned up against the lockers, gaze going down to have a better look at the harness. The ghost dog did rather look young, a puppy. Its tail wagged, but appeared to be at ease and supposedly doing its job.
If it was the same puppy, Phantom did say it had been trained. As a guard dog. But trained. Perhaps he thought this to be a good way to focus the puppy's energies to not cause trouble. To give it a replacement job.
"Please, what? Am I supposed to know what you want?"
Paulina turned herself toward him, lowering her voice.
"Please as in I know what you're up to with your little joke on the school. Calling ghosts a 'seeing is believing' as a prank pulled on you, when you are the real prankster using that phrase on the school here."
Danny's lips twitched, fighting the smile.
"See here Paulina. I have no idea what you're talking about."
She grinned.
'See here'.
The boy was still his own version of hilarious.
Phantom was likely delighted to discover him and Danny shared the same sense of humor.
"I love your new guide dog."
Danny's smile came out.
"Yeah? Sam came up with the name for him that I picked. This little terror is Cujo."
It took a second for Paulina to place the name. Cujo. It was a horror film about a rabid dog or something.
This one, gazed upwards at them with its tongue out and tail still wagging, was adorable.
As a ghost though, and from the stories from Phantom and Valerie, he certainly could be a little horrible terror.
"Adorable. Where'd you get him from?"
"Funny story, the guy who found him tells people to call him Phantom. Gotta say, Paulina. Whoever that guy is, he really knows how to keep a joke going for a blind guy." Leaning down, hand drifting along the stiff harness thing, Danny reached down to give Cujo a pat on the head. "Feels like a dog to me. Don't'cha boy?"
Cujo's little green tail wagged faster.
Clicking, Danny's bright blue eyes went upwards toward Paulina's face, a dimpling smile on his face. "See? A dog. Can't pull anything over a blind kid's eyes. It doesn't do anything. And we can still hear and smell and touch. Taste is totally unrecommended in this matter here. Too furry and slobbery and kind of gross."
Over to the side, Manson groaned into her hand. "I have no idea how on earth you and your parents got him registered. I said Cujo halfway as a joke, Danny. That horror dog caused death, not was..."
Paulina studied Manson and shifted over to the other boy. Both of Danny's friends were fidgeting a bit and not speaking up on the obvious, seen to everyone, and clearly known by Danny. Neither one had brought up or actually informed him this puppy really was a ghost.
Interesting.
Danny's right dimple dipped down more, the boy outright grinning in Paulina's direction and straightened up from patting Cujo.
"Dad quote, you'll like this. 'Not a real dog?! No, we totally did not register a ghost dog that can go the size of a house if Danny comes under a ghost attack! That'd be crazy!' End quote. You're welcome."
Snorting, Paulina went red and quickly covered her mouth, trying so hard to not fully bust out laughing and to force it back down.
Danny grinned wide, unrepentant, laughter tumbling out of him.
"So." Paulina coughed, clearing her throat, going back to business while waiting for Valerie to show up. "You need to register a guide dog. How's that work exactly? And the training for a dog like Cujo?"
"Well, Cujo already had some training. Not for this, but he's been picking up things quick. My parents, uh, kind of rushed the registering process and some of the... Well, you've had the honor of meeting them. They can be a little energetically much when they want something done."
"Sí. So I've seen."
"Glad someone can!" Danny responded cheerfully. "Because I'm sure glad I can't anymore."
Okay. She let herself have that one. And gave out a laugh at that.
"Ooooh. You're horrible."
Wait.
Oh no.
Why did that come out like she was teasing and flirting with him?
"It's that dog!"
Saved by the screech of a Valerie Gray.
Aaaah.
Paulina turned herself to face away from Danny, still leaning against the lockers as she took in the ballistic looking Valerie shifting out of frozen shock to storming through the students over to Danny.
Front row seat.
"So then." Phantom's face brightened even more as he told Paulina the whole story of what happened with a herd of ghost cows that'd wound up in the mall earlier that morning. "Oh, you'll like this. 'This is just an udder embarrassment.' The pun of the entire event. You're welcome."
Not exactly one Paulina would plan to have Claire make up for her, but the image of everyone freaking out and trying to herd cows across the mall and the one that managed to get inside the elevator were...
"Udderly hilarious."
Laughing, Phantom rolled over in midair to lay on his back, head tipped back to seemingly look back at her face. Sunlit green eyes brilliant. White hair fluttering loosely in front of Paulina.
Clicking her tongue, she reached out, running and ruffling her fingers through the silky floating soft strands.
He fell silent.
It was quiet and nice.
"Hey."
His voice was softer and lower.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you start clicking your tongue so much?"
"Oh." Paulina carefully rubbed along the back of his ear. "I noticed it was something you did. That and tapping your fingers against yourself or objects you're touching. I kind of figured it was how you hear to see better. You never did say if I was right about that, but I've noticed that since then, you do it more often around me. And your complaint about surrounding sounds... Those work, even if not as well? Anyway, I thought maybe if I helped add some clicks myself where it's more quiet? Or at least it's some sort of heads up for you when I come closer or move like this."
Shifted her hand to rub behind his other ear, she pulled her hand back and away from his head of soft touchable hair.
"Is that okay? Or is it not helpful or appreciated? I can stop if it's causing you issues. I haven't noticed any so far, but if-"
"No."
The answer was short and abrupt. Phantom made a noise in his throat, face shifting. He rolled midair again, doing tiny little tuts, rolling back to his front to have his face looking in her direction better, sunlit green looking right at her face.
He cleared his throat.
"No, it's not an issue. It's...it's actually really thoughtful. And nice. I like it."
Paulina brightened and his lips curled up, almost shy, cheeks showing the slightest blush of color.
As much as Phantom was achingly bright in his personality and in his eyes, it was quite difficult and rare for Paulina to make and see his face go any type of color.
Clicking, she tapped at his cheek.
He ducked his head and rubbed at it. "Stop that," he muttered. But he was grinning so wide under his hand and looking far too pleased that Paulina laughed.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"You said you would think about my invitation, but that you would like to come to my fabulous quinceañera coming up tomorrow night."
"I know what I said, yes. You can wait and see if I can."
"If Desiree was around and she didn't twist them, I could make a wish to keep ghosts causing trouble at bay for you."
Phantom chuckled.
"Let's not test that. But thanks for the thought."
Paulina smiled, but found herself hesitating for a moment. Licking her lip, she leaned herself closer to him. And, if a bit too stifled, breathed out her question.
"If, if you can, and I really really hope you can, come to my quinceañera, I would like you to be there as mine. To be my date. My 'man of honor' to accompany me. Dance with me. Would you?"
The humor on Phantom's face slid.
It took a time. Felt like too long of a time. Before he said anything.
"You. You want me to be. I. I dunno Paulina."
He drifted back and Paulina's heart clenched.
"This between us is nice, but I..." He licked his lips, reluctant, slow, but he said it. "I don't think that's a good idea. Friends, friendly, sure. But for this between us to be a relationship-"
"I've told you," Paulina choked out. Jaw quivering. "I don't care what you are, it's the who you are that matters to me."
His head was already shaking.
"No. No, that's not exactly, not exactly true. And I know that. This is nice, but Paulina, you still see a little too much of an ideal out of me that I'm not-"
"No! You shut up! I don't! I see you perfectly well!"
Standing and looking slightly down to where he still lay floating in midair, Paulina swallowed and swiped at her face.
"You see part of the picture. And I'll admit this is nice, because I do and have always liked you, but it's not full and complete. I can."
Phantom's jaw worked, as if this was difficult for him, and swallowed hard.
Paulina wanted to hate him. But she couldn't. She was too mad at him. Heart breaking as he pushed on with these...these words!
"I can accept this as it is. That this is how it is. For us. Be okay with it. I'd like, I would, I would very much like if you can accept that and come to terms with it. Because. You'll be okay."
He forced a smile.
She could tell.
It didn't crinkle.
It didn't dimple.
It didn't have any brightness.
It was just...sad.
Her heart leapt and wanted to cry, because he was still going through with this.
"You'll be okay because I know who I am does not truly and fully have your heart like you have claimed. Someday, that one will have your full-"
"I don't care about the other few boys in my life who've only been close to what I want! You're the one! So what if I have once or maybe twice seriously thought about Danny Fenton! Everyone is allowed to have emotions over others and crush and be a little smitten! It's called being a person with feelings! But I'm not smitten with you! I'm-"
"Danny!?"
Phantom shot up, sunlit green eyes wide, face paling.
"What do you mean you've thought about-"
"The boy you gave that ghost dog to? Yeah. Him. Thought. Maybe the closest. You notice his sense of humor? Seem familiar? Yeah."
Shaking his head, Phantom muttered to himself, moving backward, hands clutching at his hair.
"No, no, no. That's just. No. You. No, no. Are you joking with me?!"
Frazzled, Phantom's head shot back up.
"I do not joke about my heart and in what I want and desire. So, no. No, I'm not. I don't appreciate the suggestion when I've been pouring that out to you! Because it is yours! I've already given and have had it taken! It's you that I want, I can't be any clearer! Forget Danny! I still want you by my side at my quinceañera, at my-"
Phantom burst into hysterical laughter.
(Hiss-terical)
"I'm sorry." He finally managed out, laughter ending.
Paulina was really trying to not cry.
"I'm really going to have to think about this..." Phantom gestured with both hands down all of her from back where he floated. "Whole entire invitation coming out of you. And just..."
Head shaking, he didn't fly away so she could see him go, but went invisible and she heard nor saw him anymore.
She broke, tears pouring down her face.
"No. No. I'm not giving up. There is... I know it is. It's there. I, I know it. This is just..."
She sat down in the grass, mentally giving a 'screw that' to any stains, and tucked her head down to cry.
Paulina had thought putting her party on Friday night was the best idea. It was on her birthday for one. For another, it meant everyone would be talking about it and asking about it during school. She could flaunt it. Start out the weekend right.
In reality, it wasn't the best idea.
Or, at least, a real sharp constant reminder for the entire day about it.
She slammed her locker shut and moved down the hallway. Ignoring and definitely not caring when she saw Ashley shrug and pull Dale off to the side. The others allowed themselves to fall behind. Choosing not to keep up. That was fine. Fine!
Asking Phantom the night before to not be smiling and 'thinking' about attending, but to be there with and by her side.
It'd all gone so wrong.
She had thought, had hoped, but no.
What he was still mattered to him. Believing this meant Paulina didn't see who he was.
Except she did!
She had two working eyes and paid so much attention to him! Wanting and needing to know everything! To soak everything up about him! Realized he was technically blind! That he saw the world greatly through the use of sound! What his clicking and tapping meant! Asked about and looked up information about guide dogs! Took notice and watch of Danny Fenton to see what helped him! Found Braille and requested the library send out for a Braille book! Because, since Phantom couldn't see color, he couldn't read things off of flat pieces of paper. She had made sure that her special pun drawings she'd paid (paid!) Claire to make for her were indeed special and indented so he could feel the drawing and the pun written on them! She had-
Automatically clicking her tongue and gasping, Paulina kept her composure from screaming.
Catching her breath, she eyed the dog that personally pissed Valerie off by simply existing, and praised him.
"Good boy tugging him to the side." She looked up, face pinching up as she looked at Danny, remembering all too well his name being part of her and Phantom's shouting last night. "Hey Danny. I'll just...keep going. I'm in a mood."
"Do you want to hear a joke?" He quickly offered before she could get away from him. He gave a smile in her general direction. "Maybe have the ghost of a chance to brighten your day?"
"Ha ha." Paulina sighed, not looking at his face. Her accidental, maaaybe flirtation with him a while ago was too much at the forefront of her thoughts. Danny may have been the closest to come to what she wanted, but no. No, she'd never fully seen everything she wanted in him like Phantom. Phantom.
"Having more fun with the 'seeing is believing'? Good for you. Enjoy that. But I'm not in a place to brightened by it."
"No, no. It's your birthday, Paulina. And you'll like this." Hand reaching back toward the side pocket of his backpack, Danny pulled out what was clearly a wrapped up, school made, breakfast muffin. And held it out to her with a smile. "Muffin compares to you. There ya go. You're welcome."
"Thanks." Only able to be so enthused by the pun (it was pretty good), Paulina took the muffin. "I know you've always liked me, you kind of make it pretty obvious, and I appreciate it that at the moment, but I can really appreciate your humor. Gifted for me like this. It's nice. Did you know I have a bit of a soft spot for silly jokes and puns like that? Even if others say those kinds are meant for kids and groan at them?"
Why was she telling Danny this? He didn't need to know that. It's not like-
"I see you. Sight or no sight. Getting and receiving more of a full picture is nice. But you know what? I think the full picture of a person is worth more than a thousand words. A person is always changing and growing and learning. So it's lots of pictures. All put together and always adding up. You have to keep looking. Or, well, talking I guess."
Somehow, that worked and Paulina smiled a little.
"Not like you can look."
It was a chance, but Danny grinned at that.
He shook his head and clicked his tongue at her, bright blue eyes practically on point and level with her eyes this time. "Now, now, Paulina. I may be blind, but I still have ways to look. Talking and asking questions is probably a little higher though. Looking is only so good. I mean, I miss it, but honestly? Looking is still only so good because people are more than what they look like at that moment. I'd rather this. You know?"
"Yeah." She nodded in agreement. "I know. Someone's looks can tell you a lot about them. But-"
Paulina halted.
"Wait."
"What?"
Danny's smile disappeared a little.
Right. Right dimple.
'You'll like this!'
Click and direct look at her.
Paulina stumbled back.
Phantom's reaction to bringing up Danny!
How?!
Who cared?
This was why...and she'd not really talked much to Danny since middle school when he'd become less of himself and-
But recently!
Because of Phantom!
Finding out Phantom couldn't see!
Danny couldn't see and she'd been paying attention and talking more and-
It had been there!
"Paulina?"
Phantom. Danny Fenton.
She laughed.
He would!
Dios mío, she loved this boy.
"Wait right there! I'll be back! Don't you dare Valerie! Cujo used to be a guard dog! Danny, you just hold right there!"
Spinning on her heel, Paulina sprinted through the hallway and pushed her way through and shouted at people to get out of the way, nearly sliding past her locker.
"Come on, come on, come on, open! Ha!"
Riffling into her backpack, she yanked an envelope from the side pocket.
Side pocket these, side pocket muffin.
Pun matching perfect!
Clutching it in her hand, Paulina sprinted back, people yelping out of her way hurriedly.
"Ay dios, can you just leave his dog alone for once! He didn't send it to personally destroy you or your father's life! Shoo! I've got great matters of importance!"
"To annoy and piss me off on your birth-"
"I said get! Dash! Kwan! Dale! I know you're around the corner!"
"Fine." Valerie snarled back. Eyes flickering back down to Cujo. Then glared up at Paulina as she walked back toward the stairway. "Fine you-"
"Do you want to push me when I can do real harm in pushing you right now?!"
Startled, Valerie stared for a moment, then said nothing as she finally left.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh?"
"Words. I needed her to leave. Sorry. And I'll tell you about her words later. I'm more fierce about people than you are. I care. Which is why I'd never. But I won't let her- That's not the point. That is not what I ran off to get for you."
Clicking loudly, pointedly, she held out the envelope to him.
Danny seemed startled, but delighted and he slowly reached up for it to take it.
"There's oh. You've got my name embossed on this and in Braille. I take it that it's mine to open?"
"Yes."
Flipping it over, he untucked the flap and carefully pulled the top one out.
Two smiling pears. His fingers felt it over.
"We make a great pear?"
"Keep going."
An ice cream cone with the ice cream dripping down the cone.
"You make my heart melt. Are you sure you're giving this to me, Paulina?"
"Are you questioning what I want?"
Danny's lips quivered and pulled upwards, the right dimple peeking out. Or rather, in.
The next one was an apple.
"You're the apple of my eye. Well. I could say something with this one."
Danny didn't though, instead eagerly pulling out the next one.
A beaming light bulb.
"You light up my life."
And then he grasped a hold of the last one. A strawberry.
His face stuttered, frozen.
"I think I'm going to skip your turn for a question. Danny. I'm not joking with you. Maybe my love at first sight wasn't complete and a little off about things, but I know my heart. If you can, and I really really really hope you can, come to my quinceañera, I would love you to be there as mine. To be my date. My 'man of honor' to accompany me. To dance with me. Would you?"
Danny's fingers rubbed over the strawberry. Rolling across the letters and words.
'I love you berry much!'
Slowly, he smiled.
And answered.
"Yeah," Danny breathed out. "Yeah. That sounds...really good."
He suddenly laughed.
"Shame. Hilarious. I mean, you thought so, but. I'm the one between us two that had love at first sight that, apparently, came to be. Me. The literal blind one."
"I can live with that. I've got you as mine and in my life."
He grinned, clicking and directing the bright blue eyes right at her.
"So. My question I want to ask. Were you really flirting with me the first day I came in with Cujo?"
"Oh!" The air whooshed out of Paulina and she clicked at her tongue before reaching to see about taking Danny's arm. He readjusted his grip on Cujo's harness and opened up his other arm for her. She wrapped their arms together. "Oh, I was so panicking when I realized I did that! Let me tell you, that was not intentional. But it makes so much sense why now."
Someone said she was smitten.
Paulina was not smitten.
It was love at first sight.
And they were meant to be.