Out of luck and out of tune
Half a day and night confused
Love may wash away the blues
But I still ain't over you

"Yeah, we're going to Jump City! Jump City! Jump City! We're going to Jump City to see the Teen Ti-" A voice shouted continually into my Fenton Phone, annoying the hell out of me. Before I could stop myself, I slapped a hand hard and fast across his openly screaming mouth. "Could you SHUT UP for two seconds, Tucker!" I hissed, yanking my hand away from his shocked face. Normally I wouldn't have been so bothered by this before, I mean, it IS Tucker Foley. And being one of his best friends was basically accepting that you were going to endure a lot of meat eating and shouting, boy-style of course.

It was just that…I had just turned seventeen, a momentous change in my young life. I was promised cars, excitement, perhaps even a boyfriend, and yet all I had received was the "exciting" news of our departure to the Teen Tower early the next day that clearly overshadowed my birthday. Yes, we had cake, opened presents, and hung out like normal but I guess I had expected something different. Something life-changing. Something…wonderful. And when I looked out the window, all I could see was Danny's shining face.

"But I thought you were excited Sam?" He asked, turning around just in time to catch me staring. I studied his face while I formed a response, noticing how much he had filled out since we had last been on such an adventure. "I am, it's just, we've been driving for 3 hours and he has got to shut up before I hurt him," I finally got out, pathetically, unable to form a better excuse. It was true, yes, but that wasn't why I was so irritated.

I was irritated because it had been exactly one year and three months since Danny and I had broken up. It was mutual, we had agreed it would be better for us both if we "took a break" from all the chaos of juggling even seeing each other let alone trying to be together. But since our "break" things hadn't relaxed, they'd gotten worse. It got to the point where having us all together was nearly impossible.

And in that time, we had grown into different people. I was still gothic, Tucker was still a Techno-geek, and Danny was still half ghost but other than those things we led very different lives. I was still at Casper High, a normal girl in retrospect, but I had also become the loser of our class. I was a "heart breaker" bitch that everybody had grown to hate, even if I hadn't hindered Danny's ability to fight ghosts in the least. In fact, I was more heartbroken than he was by far. My whole life had changed after we had split, I barely saw him and when I did it was…painful. Tucker, on the other hand, had risen in power and status as the Mayor of Amity Park. He saw Danny about as little as I did and we saw each other even less. He was on his way to the stars and I still had my feet planted firmly in the ground. He had even graduated a year ahead in order to fully take on his Mayor duties while I dreaded the coming of graduation in a month's time. Then there was Danny. Though we saw little of him in person, his face was everywhere. A cruel reminder of how little I had obtained in the years after his rise to "hero." He took care of everything, working alongside other famous superheroes that came out of hiding once Danny had revealed himself. It was crazy, seeing him alongside so many different people, saving everyone over and over again.

He flashed me a grin, something that made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest and beat erratically hard at the same time. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks but fought to keep it down, it would only embarrass me further to have Danny see how much I still felt for him.

Damn the day that I forgot
Came so close and almost lost
It's been one year and fourteen months
But I still ain't over you

With the rise of power, influence, and adoration that followed Danny everywhere he went it was no wonder when he found another girl that was gorgeous beyond belief and kept her head on straight. Her name was Raven…

A Teen Titan.

He had promised me that he would make sure that he was there for my birthday, that it would be the best ever, and then dropped the bomb that he was on a secret mission with the Teen Titans and he wanted us to take part, not only to help and give us a reason to spend time together, but also to meet his new girlfriend.

Gag me.

But I agreed, mainly because there was no way I could say no to Danny, and here I was in my own personal Hell on my way to meet the girl of Danny's dreams. Fan-fucking-tastic, right? So listening to Tucker's wailing in my ear brought back memories of a time when it was okay to be close to that boy flying so near to us I could reach through the glass and touch him. And it just…hurt. In a way I couldn't even begin to describe.

"You okay?" Tucker asked, covering his Fenton Phone with one hand and staring at me with warm forest green eyes. "Yeah," I told him, way too fast. Mentally cursing myself for being so defensive, I tried to think of an excuse as quickly as I could. But Tucker beat me to it. "You don't have to pretend Sam. I see the way you still look at him, I get that. Just know you can't get anything past 'ol Tucker," He told me with a wink, then pulled away his hand to allow Danny back into the conversation.

I had hoped Danny wouldn't notice that we were suspiciously quiet, but no such luck. He was watching us as we turned back to steering the Spectro-Speeder and seemed much too quiet himself. His brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing as we continued our journey.

I sighed, allowing myself to stare at him once more. His hair had grown out slightly in the back, making it flow gently back as he flew into the wind. His face was tanner, his eyes more experienced than I'd ever seen them, his mouth turned into a frown that was made beautiful by the sun glancing off his lips in a way that made it impossible to look away. His body was muscular and his jumpsuit tightened in a way that made any sane girl swoon.

In essence he was far too gorgeous for his own good. Whereas I hadn't turned into some emblem of beauty. I was still ridiculously thin, my hair grown out into waves that fell past my shoulders and still pitch black in color, and my boobs only up about a cup size. In short, I was a relatively flat chested Goth freak that hadn't turned into a beauty queen overnight.

Hey, I'm the blood in your veins
I'm the cold when it rains

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket with enough force to startle me out of my "Danny stupor." Stupid cell phone. I glanced at the caller and sighed, flipping it open and mumbling a quick "Hello?" as the voice on the other end excitedly said, "Hey Sam! Is Danny okay? Are you guys there yet? How's the trip? Ya'll having fun yet?" I found myself idly wondering how she could even breath, spitting out all those questions like that. "Jazz, relax. Danny's fine, we're not there yet, the trip's been long and slightly more annoying than anticipated, and I suppose fun is a lenient word so…yes?"

I sighed, hoping she wouldn't give me some long lecture about enjoying my limited time with Danny and Tucker and yada yada. When Jazz graduated, I was all by myself. She still saw me the most out of everyone and we had gotten to be really close. She encouraged my affections for Danny because she thought we'd both be happier if we were together again.

I seriously doubted that.

For one thing, Danny seemed perfectly content without me in his life. And for another, she was mainly concerned about wanting me as her sister-in-law and not so much about Danny being my husband. It was just a pointless hope, one that was quickly fading as we got nearer and nearer to the girl that threatened my happiness forever.

I'm your heart when it breaks
Time, no it ain't on our side

"So how's it going with…you know who?" She asked, obviously trying to be discreet. I snuck a glance at Danny, and quickly looked away when I noticed he'd been looking at me too. For a moment I reminisced about a time when that glance had meant the possibility of happiness with the boy I cared so much about, now it just meant he was curious about whom I was on the phone with.

"Not really. I'm pretty sure this is just a futile effort, Jazz. Nothing's gonna change. I'm just…a sidekick. Not a hero. And in this day and age, being a hero is everything. Absolutely everything," I told her, my voice quivering slightly as I held back the sadness that threatened to overtake me. I gulped in a deep breath, reminding myself yet again that there was too much time left on this trip to be getting down now. Hell, I hadn't even met this girl yet.

I'm the truth to your lie
I'm your tear when you cry

But I'd heard all about her.

Her name, Raven, fit her perfect. She was dark, mysterious, beautiful and literally a demon, but a good one. She'd overcome her sad, death-filled fate and led a life of constant tranquility and peace alongside her teammates. She was temperamental but kind. Softspoken but opinionated. Dark but outstandingly beautiful. In other words, perfect. She had the gift of the mind and her powers were hard to understand but interesting.

Danny had told us all there was to know about her, only further dampening my hopes of reconciliation with him. There was no way I could compare to someone as lovely and powerful as the girl he described. I mean, fuck! We could be best friends!

"I'm sorry, Sam. I really am. I'll let you go, okay?" Jazz responded, her voice sounding just about as distressed as I felt. "Yeah, okay," I said quietly, pushing the end button of my cell phone with a sigh.

"How is she?" Tucker asked, momentarily distracting me from my thoughts. "She's good. Harvard looks good on her," I joked with a weak smile, which Tucker reflected just as sadly. "It'll be okay," He told me, again I noticed how his hand cupped over the Fenton Phone in order to protect me from further pain.

Sometimes, he knew exactly what to do and say.

Without thinking about it, I undid my seatbelt and sprung forward to give him a hug. "Sorry for being a bitch about the whole singing thing. I'm just not…in a great mood," I told him, knowing how much of an understatement that truly was. He knew it too.

He smiled, pulling away and singing insanely loud again to some song that was hooked up to his Fenton Phone. He winked at me to indicate that he understood but wasn't about to act different because of it. Definitely good 'ol Tucker. Being mayor didn't change him too much. Only the worry and stress that coated his furrowed brow gave away the toll his job had on him. This was a vacation, time away from his duties in the city.

I guess I could understand that, even if it made me sad.

Back and forth and side to side
Right ain't wrong if wrong ain't right
Well I will love you day and night
'Cause I still ain't over you

Unfortunately, this was no vacation for me. This was just an excuse to see Danny before I had to graduate, get the hell out of that little town, and get my head off Danny. Fenton or Phantom.

"Hey Sam, how you holding up with all that?" Danny asked, catching my eyes and smiling as he pointed at Tucker who was still singing ridiculously out of tune.

"Fairly well considering I'm sitting next to him AND listening to him in my Fenton Phones," I responded with a laugh, sparing Tucker a glance. He was oblivious to our discussion, still singing loudly to whatever song he was listening to now.

"Still excited?" Danny asked, still smiling but something careful about it. Like he was afraid of what I'd say.

I nodded, keeping my face frozen in the smile that felt far too fake and forced to be comfortable.

I quickly turned my face away from him to stare down at my cell phone that was still clutched in my hands. The screen flashed back a picture of the three of us back when we were fourteen, our arms around each other and big, real smiles on our faces.

Hey, I'm the blood in your veins
I'm the cold when it rains

"Fuck!" I heard Danny hiss into my ears and I jumped, looking outside to see that he was getting soaked by a rainstorm neither Tucker nor I had noticed. Lightning struck across the sky not far from the Spectro-Speeder and I felt a thread of real fear pulse through me.

"Get in here!" I told Danny, looking over at his soaked form to see that he'd disappeared. "Danny!" I yelled, unbuckling my seatbelt and running toward the window. Just then I felt a cold, wet hand press against my shoulder and pull me around. "I'm right here," He whispered, looking into my eyes under his shaggy, sopping wet hair.

As if something inside me had switched on, I realized how close we were. How sweet he smelled. How much I had missed him…

I'm your heart when it breaks
Time, no it ain't on our side

"We're almost there," Danny told me, quickly turning away from me and transforming into his human side again. I hadn't realized how much I missed that side of him until it appeared again. This was the side of him I never saw anymore, the normal, awkward teenage boy I had known for ages.

Not the face on those magazines or the boy that had a statue that looked just like him. Just Danny.

"What?" He asked, his head tilting to the side as he watched me in careful speculation. It was like he was always on guard around me. It made me aware of how much lay between us as I saw the ship grow longer, him on one side and me on the other.

"Nothing," I responded softly, turning around and sitting down in my seat.

We had been so close…the perfect moment…like time had stopped just for us. But it hadn't. Life went on and we were on our way to see the girl that made time stop for him instead of me.

"So…" He started, going to a drawer and pulling out a set of clothes he kept there. "Raven. You're gonna love her, Sam. She's great," He told me, pulling off his shirt and revealing the muscles and scars that lay underneath.

I looked away.

"So I've heard," I responded, a little too bitterly. I turned to face the window again and the storm outside that perfectly reflected how I felt inside. A single tear slipped down my cheek, one of many more I was sure. I quickly wiped it away before anyone could see, glad that Tucker was in his music and Danny was dressing to the thoughts of this mystery girl only a few miles away.

I'm the truth to your lie
I'm your tear when you cry

"How are you, Sam?" Danny asked, walking up behind me fully dressed. I glanced up at his face, noticing how distracted he looked. Small talk. Great. "Fine, and you?" I said, trying to pretend I didn't give a damn even if every word meant the world to me.

"Great," He responded, his normal pessimistic attitude replaced by some obnoxious cheeriness that made me want to punch him in the face.

"Can you believe you're graduating next month? That's so crazy! I mean, I'm glad I graduated last year with Tucker cause I needed that out of the way," He started and laughed a little. "So, what do you want to do?" He asked me, finally putting his full attention on me.

I smiled slightly, keeping my eyes out the window as I responded, "I'm going to Boston."

When the walls come crashing in
When the flames come closer then

"Why Boston?" He asked, leaning in closer now. "I have my reasons," I told him with a wry grin. It wasn't really about reasons it was about getting away from him, something he didn't really didn't need to know.

"I had a feeling you were gonna say something like that," He told me with a sigh.

Suddenly his eyes got wide and a smile broke out across his face, transforming it from confusion to happiness in a split second.

"Sam, I can see the Tower straight ahead tell Tuck we're almost there," He said eagerly, motioning at the boy that was still obnoxiously singing over the sound of the rain. "Ok, Danny I will," I said quietly, angry to be a messenger but knowing it was nothing to fuss over. I turned to Tucker, signaling him to take out the Fenton Phones and pointed at the windshield. He smiled, yanking them out and running over to join Danny.

Just remember time and again

"It's great!" Tucker said, pointing to the giant "T" shaped tower that held the Teen Titans inside. "You ready to land this thing?" I yelled to Tucker over the sound of thunder. "Ready as I'll ever be!" He yelled back, taking his place at the controls as I took mine. We both looked to Danny for assistance and he nodded, pointing us onward.

We landed on top of the tower, ambling out with Danny and then facing our destiny out in the rain. A hand fell on top of my shoulder and I looked up into Tucker's worried face. "You ready?" He asked and I nodded.

"Come on guys!" Danny called, and we ran to catch up, my mind thinking only of how not ready I truly was.

I still ain't over you…