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Danny sat down on his bed, completely exhausted. Resting his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands. This was bad. This was so, so bad. How was he going to explain his way out of this one? Valerie was smart. She could connect dots more than anyone else could. Especially after what she’d seen.
She must’ve already been suspicious that Danny Phantom was “cousins” with a half ghost. Then he opened his mouth a little too much. Part of him just wanted to tell her. But he couldn’t face her, could he? He dated her knowing full and well that he was deceiving her. Knowing that she absolutely despised his ghost half. Valerie had no idea she was dating what she hated most.
Wouldn’t she be angry? Wouldn’t she hate him for the deceit?
Flopping back on his bed, he let out a groan and covered his eyes with his arm.
“What’s wrong?”
He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Sam’s voice coming from his doorway. Sitting up, he gaped at her. “Man, what’s a guy gotta do for a little privacy around here?”
Scoffing, she crossed her arms and leaned against the entryway. “If you wanted privacy, maybe you should’ve actually closed the door.” Sam strode over to him, sitting next to his feet on the bed and giving him a knowing look. “Are you going to avoid my question?”
Danny grimaced, unable to look her in the eyes as he sighed. “Valerie may know I’m Danny Phantom.”
“What!?”
He raised his hands to calm her, waving them for her to keep it down. “Hey, relax! I’m the one panicking here!”
Sam’s eyes were fierce as she gave him a hard look. “How did this happen?”
“The stuff with Danielle happened,” Danny replied while rubbing a hand down his face. “Valerie knows Danielle and Vlad are half ghosts. That’s what she asked me about today at school. She’d already asked Phantom the night before. I-I wasn’t very good at getting her off my trail. If anything, I probably confirmed it for her.”
“How’d she figure out Vlad?”
“She saw him change,” he paused before letting out a sigh. “I’ve been so good at keeping my identity a secret, how could I be so stupid?”
Sam pursed her lips, glancing away. “Do--Do you still like her?”
“I--No. No, not like that anymore.”
She almost looked relieved, but he didn’t dwell on it. Danny knew Sam couldn’t stand Valerie. The thought of him still having romantic feelings for her was probably annoying. Especially since Valerie was technically the “enemy” even though they really had the same end goal of protecting Amity Park.
Danny shifted, moving to sit beside his best friend. “I don’t know… Maybe a part of me wants her to know. It’d be easier that way, wouldn’t it?”
“How can you say that? Don’t you remember that she shoots first and asks questions never? Do you really think she’d make an exception for you?”
“She did for Danielle! Once she realized she’d be taking part in destroying a human, she helped me save her. That has to mean something, right?”
Sam groaned, pinched her brow. “I don’t know, Danny. I really don’t know.”