This Goes Beyond Obsession

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Paulina Amelia Sanchez sat numbly in her holding cell at Amity Park Police Station, refusing to speak with the officers preparing the case file involving her crime.

After crying, sobbing, and begging to be let out a couple hours before, she resorted to hostility and the cold shoulder. She assumed Valerie had told them where she found her, who she found her with, and what she did, how come they had to keep bothering her?

It was only a matter of time before the police get hold of more evidence, like the hunting knife that was still lodged in the monster's abdomen...

Paulina refused calling her parents, or a lawyer, until morning. Although she realized her mistakes of actually harming another being, Paulina felt oddly at peace with it, but she didn't know why.

All Paulina knew was that somewhere across Amity Park, Samantha Manson was heavily injured, Danny Phantom would soon come to his senses and fall in love with the right girl, and everything would be alright soon.

Honestly, how can you end up in jail for the person you love unless you truly love them? No way was she obsessed. Valerie was wrong. That monster was wrong. They're just both angry they lost Phantom to her.

She was also wrong about herself earlier. She was not lonely, ruthless, cunning, shallow, and definitely not obsess... obsessed.

Yea, that was it. Not obsessed. None of those. Not even close.

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It was near two in the morning when the same officer who escorted her to her holding cell, the older, mustached man who reminded Paulina of her father, came back announcing she has a visitor, unlocked her cell, and escorted her to a white interrogation room a couple halls down.

Paulina half expected her parents to be the mystery visitors, angry, worried, and scared for her well-being and future. She slightly hoped it was her Danny, back to talk to her about what happened hours ago. Paulina, however, narrowed her eyes at the blonde haired, teal eyed girl sitting at one side of the room's table, and held back a volley of insults until the officer left the room. She was definitely not expecting this traitor.

"What are you doing here?" Paulina finally said when it was just the two of them locked in the plain white bricked room, "Shouldn't you be making stupid rockets or something with your idiot boyfriend?"

Star sighed sadly, "It's nice to see you too, Paulina. Why don't you take a seat?" She motioned at the chair across from her.

Paulina looked over her ex-friend's appearance. The same blonde hair, same teal eyes, but make-up-less face. She wore a red and white "Casper High" hoodie, black sweats, and a pair of black Nike's. "If we were still friends," the girl thought, "you wouldn't be wearing such disgusting clothes around me."

The Latina scoffed and turned her head, nose up high and made no move to sit, "Well I wish I can say the same, traitor. I'm going to ask again: What are you doing here? We're not friends anymore, you made that clear."

"I'm here," Star started off slow as she wanted to pick her words carefully, and rubbed something on her wrist, "Because Tucker called me saying Danny and Sam, mostly Sam, got really hurt because of something you did tonight."

Paulina instantly snapped her head towards Star, "Your boyfriend knows nothing, and that monster deserved it."

Star countered just as fast, "Her name is Sam. She is my friend, and she got hurt tonight, Paulina. I want to know what happened."

Paulina growled in frustration and paced the room, "How do you even know if Sam's the victim here? You're just blindly following that damn boyfriend and his friends around. You think you've changed, Star," the girl mocked, "Think you've changed for the better since you've left the A-Listers," for emphasis, Paulina eyed the girl's attire, "and made loser friends and got closer to Phantom, but you'll always be the satellite, forever revolving around those more important than you. Whatever Foley told you is wrong."

Star felt her anger flare and she continued to fumble with her wrist, "You're just saying that because you're bitter. Bitter that I had enough strength to leave you and all those toxic people behind for people who are genuinely nice and accept my interests. Bitter that I'm not afraid to be smart, that I'm not afraid to leave those who I know will be bad for me and my future."

"Is this why you're here?" Star flinched when Paulina slammed both hands on the table and leaned in, "To brag about how great your life became once you stopped talking to me?"

"No," Star said evenly and stared directly into Paulina's fake purple eyes, "I'm here because Tucker called me around midnight, frantically begging if I could donate blood at St. Mercy South because Sam was being treated for three stab wounds, and they did not have enough O- blood to give her. If they couldn't find a donor in the next hour, Sam would have no chance to recover."

Paulina blinked and backed away, "A-and... you actually did that? You gave blood to that hideous monster?" she said, lips curling into a grimace.

The blonde nodded, adjusted her hoodie sleeve to show her inner elbow patched up, "That's what friends do, Paulina."

" I was your friend once, wasn't I, Star?" Paulina said quietly, and Star could only turn away in shame.

Silence filled the room and the two estranged girls wondered where the conversation would go next. Paulina closed her eyes from exhaustion, but remained close to the wall, shifting nervously like an animal.

Star sighed decided to go on, "I also brought my mom with me just in case the amount I was going to donate wasn't enough. She's O-, too. "

Paulina made a small grunt, out of approval or frustration, Star would never know.

"Did your monster friend make it?" The Latina finally asked, her eyes trained on the old, linoleum floor.

Star opened her mouth, paused, and said, "I left when they finally got Sam stable. She'll have to be put in bed rest for a while and take tons of pain meds, but they were able to get her blood to clot, treat the damaged organs, and stitch her abdomen up. Her chances of surviving are really high now, as long as they keep a close eye on her."

"What about Danny?" Paulina asked quietly, her eyes slowly making contact with Star's, "How is he?"

"A wreck, if I'm going to be honest." Star replied despondently when she remembered her friend's usual joyful, determined blue eyes red, puffy, and beyond exhausted, "He's the hero of our town and the world, he didn't deserve to see Sam like that. Why couldn't you leave them alone, Paulina?"

"Because I love him!" the girl replied with another burst of frustration, "I was doing him a favor. He needs to realize he's been with the wrong girl for too long. If he were with me from the beginning, none of this wouldn't be happening. I would be happy with my Phantom!"

"But would he be happy with you?" Star asked quietly, toying with something on her wrist again. A bracelet? Paulina pondered.

Paulina then scoffed as if it was the stupidest question in the world. Well, in Paulina's world: yes, it was the stupidest question.

"Of course he would be happy! Why wouldn't he be?"

Star began to answer until Paulina interjected, "I don't understand why you're still here anyways. We're not friends, we haven't talked all senior year. Just go home, traitor."

For the first time in their meeting, Star slammed her palms on the table out of frustration, "Damn it, Paulina! I'm not a traitor, I still care about you. I'm worried about you, and after tonight, you need all the help you can get."

"I don't need help! Why does everyone keep saying that I need help!?," Paulina shouted back, "Maybe you're the crazy one!"

Star remained in her seat, unrelenting, "I didn't say you were crazy! But have you looked at yourself? You look like Samantha Manson, the girl you almost killed today because of your unhealthy fixation on Danny Phantom. I don't know how you feel, I really don't, but it'll make things easier for you if you just admit your actions were caused because of your obsession with Danny's ghost half."

"Shut up, Star-" Paulina started, but was shot down by the other girl's surprisingly firm voice.

"No, I will not shut up. I've been "shutting up" for so many years, that it's finally time someone told what you needed to hear." Star glared at the furious girl before her, "How come so many years of bragging about your own looks, it takes you just a day to change your hair, your clothes, and even your eyes, to look like a girl you bullied? What possessed you to believe something good will come out of you impersonating her? and I am not leaving here without bringing up the letters.

"The reason why we stopped being friends was because your damn obsession was just too scary. At first I thought it was just a phase because Danny just revealed himself to everyone in the world, but no. You started writing those letters, asking him to marry you, sharing these fantasies, do these things to you... Jesus, Paulina, we were still underage when you wrote those things. Do you know how creepy it was to proofread them for you? There were so many times I wish I got you help sooner... You're capable of so many things..."

Star took a shaky breath and eyed Paulina, unsure as to why her old friend remained as still as a statue near the wall, "Now Sam's blood is on your hands...and clothes, literally. Not only that, Danny still won't love you. If anything, he'll have his guard up whenever you're near him, Sam, his friends and family. Knowing him, truly knowing him, he'll feel guilty for making you act this way. Not love you."

.

In one quick movement, the seemingly still Paulina dashed from her side of the wall, and grabbed onto Star's exposed, pale throat, effectively cutting off the girl's rant. The girl's dark hands tightened their hold, and brought Star closer, causing the chair beneath the girl to scrape across the floor.

"You," Paulina drawled out coldly, "are just a stupid girl who made the dumb mistake of leaving me. A bigger mistake of saving that filthy monster from dying, and an even bigger mistake of telling me Danny would never love me."

Star's pale hands came up in a desperate attempt to pry off her ex-best friend's grip. No use. Where the hell are the officers? Aren't they supposed to monitor the room?! Star internally panicked.

"How can you honestly tell me off like that when you saw what I did to that monster?!" Paulina cackled, and Star felt fear travel up her spine when an odd glint passed through the girl's fake purple eyes, "I can do so much worse to you, Star. I am capable enough. You said so yourself."

Star started seeing black spots as she continued to gaze at Paulina's eyes. Her grip was unrelenting, but Star was determined to escape. She let her own hands go from Paulina's, toyed with her wrist again, and tears sprang from her eyes. Before Paulina could taunt her further, Star activated her Fenton wrist ray and shot directly at Paulina's abdomen. Star felt terrible for using ghost hunting equipment on a human, but the tiny ray was nowhere near lethal...though, it made the perfect alternative to a stun-gun.

The Latina's grip on Star's neck instantly disappeared, as the girl flew back a couple feet. While Paulina was at a shock, Star immediately sprang towards the locked door, violently pounding and screaming in hopes of an officer hearing and granting her freedom.

"Help! Please! Someone open the door!" Star's raw voice screamed as she pounded louder and louder, "Let me out! Help!"

The moment Star felt Paulina grab for her neck and hair from behind, the door opened and two officers immediately rushed in, shielding Star from Paulina's view, while another officer remained at the door. The two officers restrained Paulina, who was cursing, screaming, and kicking the whole way out the room and back to her holding cell. Her screams echoed off the walls, and Star flinched when she realized Paulina, her old best friend, was threatening her very life.

Star finally let the tears flow as she rubbed her bruised neck, feeling pain for both herself and her ex-best friend.

How could things end up so terrible for Paulina so fast?

Although, Star thought, she shouldn't have deserted her best friend when she recognized her obsessions were becoming harmful. She shouldn't have left Paulina, her A-lister friends, and deserted her "dumb blonde" facade without a warning.

She should've told someone, a teacher, counselor, her parents, or even Dash about what was happening to The Queen Bee.

She definitely should've told Danny and his friends the moment she started hanging out with them the summer before senior year.

Star sobbed quietly in the interrogation room until a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Peering at whoever was touching her, Star have a shaky smile as an older officer lead her wordlessly out the room and towards the Police Station's doors, offering her a wad of tissues.

"I'm so sorry no one was able to get to you as soon as your friend laid her hands on you," the officer eventually said quietly as they neared the Station's entrance and exit doors, "your friend will be kept here overnight, and hopefully she'll calm down enough to call her family or a lawyer to help sort out this mess."

Star nodded and gently rubbed her sore neck again with one hand, and clutched the used tissues in the other. She could only imagine eight to ten finger-sized red and purple bruises littering her pale neck. Oh boy, Tucker's going to be so mad.

"I just wanted to know why she hurt my friends." Star replied forlornly.

The officer hummed in understanding, "I hope Ms. Manson will be alright. I can't imagine how devastating losing her would be to Mr. Fenton."

The blonde sighed heavily, "I can't imagine either, sir."

The two reached the Station's revolving doors, and Star peered out to see still clear skies and the bright moon. Glancing at the Station lobby's wall clock, she noted it was about 3:10 AM, and wondered when this long night would finally end.

Star gave the older officer a final thanks, waved, and left the station for her car.

In return, the older officer waved, and wished her a safe trip home and some rest.

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"Who the hell does that puta think she is?" Paulina muttered to herself, once again in her holding cell.

"Of course Danny loves me. He always has..." the girl ran a hand through her short, black, wavy hair. "He's always been so nice to me, always saves me, he's just waiting...for the right moment to leave the monster..."

A yawn escaped the girl's lips, and she reluctantly laid on the filthy bench of her cell. She tired blinking exhaustion from her eyes, but couldn't fight sleep any longer.

Moments before Paulina fell into a dreamless sleep, she finally came to accept that everyone in Amity Park misunderstands the depth of her love for her Danny.

Just her's. No one else's.

What a shame, really, for others to never know what true love really feels like.

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A/N: I honestly suck. I haven't updated in over a year and a half. I am a terrible author. Please don't kill me. This story will eventually be done. Eventually.