Chapter Text
"Hey Manson, you got a minute?"
Sam closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against her locker. So close. She'd been so close to being able to just go home.
"Actually Wes, I don't." She straightened and turned to glare up at him. "And I'm in no mood for your theories today."
He didn't flinch. "For once, this isn't about Fenton."
Sam would have walked away, but something gave her pause. The look on his face was not unlike Danny's when he was truly worried. Of course, she still didn't trust him, but the similarity and apparent sincerity was enough for her to hear him out. "What do you want?"
He looked around at their exposed position in the hallway and hesitated. "I need to talk to you. Somewhere a bit more private."
Private? He'd better not be hitting on her. "This really isn't a good time."
"I know." Wes sighed. "Look, I know we're not friends-"
"That's an understatement."
"But I'm not your enemy either. You're actually alright besides hanging out with Phantom."
"Okay?"
"That's why I thought...well, there's something you should know..."
Sam stared down at her feet with glassy eyes as Wes told her everything. She'd followed him to a quiet bench near the library and listened as he explained what he'd learned.
"I overheard them talking about it in the locker room today. If I had known before, I would have told you. I saw them at the mall but I didn't realize they were following you." He sat stiffly on the bench beside her, purposefully leaving plenty of space between them.
"You were at the mall too?"
"Well yeah, I was following Fenton and he was following you." He said it like it was obvious, and Sam supposed it probably should have been.
"So I'm guessing that means you saw..."
"Saw him kiss you? Yeah. So did the guys from the football team. They wanted to make sure there was proof."
Sam's face burned. "Proof of what, exactly?"
Wes shifted uncomfortably, lowering his gaze to the floor as well. "To win the bet, he needed to run the bases within a week."
Sam looked up, horrified. "Run the bases? But we didn't-"
"I know. But he's telling them you did." Wes met her eyes for just a moment before they both looked away. "He's saying... just a lot of gross stuff in general."
"Like what?"
Wes hesitated. "Promise you won't shoot the messenger?"
Sam just nodded, resisting the urge to bite her lip.
"Okay, well...He's saying- he's saying that you were easy and kinky and practically begged him for it." Wes gave her an apologetic look, like he felt guilty just for repeating it. "He asked them to give him a more difficult target next time."
"I don't understand. Why'd they pick me in the first place?" As soon as she said it out loud, she realized. "It's about Danny, isn't it?"
Wes nodded. "They knew it would piss him off." He sighed. "As much as I would love to see Fenton angry enough to reveal himself...I couldn't just let you be caught off guard. I'm not a monster; I won't humiliate someone like that even to prove myself right."
"Caught off guard? What exactly should I be expecting?" Sam felt like she might be sick.
"He was talking about it in the locker room, so the football and basketball teams all heard. I know it was already repeated to the cheerleaders and girls basketball team. Some of them were meeting up with the glee club after practice and-"
"So everyone knows," Sam summed up quietly. "Or will by tomorrow."
"And they're gonna throw it in Fenton's face. Then probably make a game out of seeing who can score with you next." Sam pressed her hands over her face as the reality of the situation started to sink in. "He said he'll share the playbook for anyone else who wants to get at you. They were joking about making an actual playbook and giving it to Fenton. I don't know if they'd really do that but..." Wes trailed off, climbing to his feet and sticking his hands in his pockets. He obviously wasn't used to Danny's friend being so emotional in front of him.
"I'm really sorry, Manson. It kinda sucks that you keep getting stuck in Fenton's messes. You don't deserve that, even if you are friends with a ghost."
"Thank you, Wes. For telling me." Sam kept her head down, shame burning through her.
"'Course. Look, I, uh, I gotta get going but...just, look out for yourself, okay?"
She nodded and waited until his footsteps faded before getting up and hurrying out of the school.