[Third Person POV]
As Danny held Johnny tightly by the collar, Johnny's shadow seemed to tremble with fury. From the shifting darkness behind him came a low, guttural growl. The shade's outline warped unnaturally, and faint facial features began to press forward as if something inside it longed to break free. Its narrowed eyes glowed faintly as it leaned toward Danny, waiting for its master's signal, eager to pounce and tear him apart.
Danny's breathing was ragged, anger vibrating through his chest, but Johnny only smirked even while momentarily frightened. Instead of fighting back, he casually extended a hand toward the ground, palm out, a silent command for the shadow to stay where it was. The confidence in that small gesture made Danny's blood boil hotter.
"Danny!! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Jazz's voice cracked through the air. She rushed forward, shoving herself between them, her hands clawing at Danny's arm until she managed to wedge herself in front of Johnny protectively. Her sharp glare snapped onto Danny, full of disappointment and outrage.
Danny squeezed his eyes shut so as to not expose his glowing eyes, forcing him to reign himself in. His fists trembled at his sides as Jazz raised her voice again, her tone scolding and firm. "Just what is your problem?! He just saved my life, Danny! Saved me! And instead of thanking him, you go straight to beating him up like some kind of maniac!?"
Danny's eyes shot open, the green glow fading back to their normal color as he snapped right back at her. "Thanking him?!" His voice thundered, raw and unrestrained. "He clearly orchestrated the entire thing!! You want me to thank him?! Fine—I'll thank him with another punch to the face!"
"Oh come on, Danny, don't be ridiculous!" Jazz exclaimed, her voice climbing higher, fueled by frustration. On the ground, Johnny tilted his head just enough to let a smug grin spread across his lips, watching Danny unravel with almost gleeful satisfaction.
Danny could feel every ounce of his control slipping away. The sight of that smug look made his chest tighten with rage. Jazz, however, pressed on, "How exactly would he have orchestrated all of this, huh? Give me one good reason why he'd go through all this trouble! We literally just met him a few minutes ago!"
Danny's hands curled into fists at his side, his whole body shimmering with the violent pull of his anger. He wanted to scream the truth at her—that Johnny wasn't what he seemed, that he was a ghost manipulating her. But if he said it outright, he'd expose himself too, reveal the secret he had been desperately guarding. His mind spun in circles until the impossible question broke through: Wait… why couldn't he tell her?
Before he could act on it, Johnny groaned theatrically, pushing himself up on one elbow. "Don't worry about it, Jazz. He's your little brother, right? It's obvious he's just being protective of you. After all, I know how my looks might… send the wrong impression."
"You motherf—" Danny began, his voice a venomous growl, but he stopped dead when Jazz shot him a glare so sharp it could cut stone. The weight of her disappointment froze him in place.
Jazz crouched beside Johnny, looping his arm over her shoulder to help him up. ""That still doesn't give Danny the right to lay hands on you. Especially not just because of how you look. Danny, you should know better. I'm honestly very disappointed in you." Her voice was softer now, but the weight of her disappointment hit harder than her shouting.
She turned to Johnny, concern etched on her face. "Look at you, you're bleeding."
"HIS BLOOD IS QUITE LITERALLY GREEN!" Danny exploded, his voice breaking into a shriek as he gestured wildly with both arms. "How is that not suspicious to you?! Are you actually serious right now?!"
"I… I have a medical condition," Johnny said quietly, lowering his gaze. His tone was just the right balance of shame and vulnerability, and it made Jazz's expression soften immediately. "It's something I'm sensitive about. People have bullied me for it before."
Danny gawked at him like he'd just grown another head. "...What the actual fuck are you talking about?!" he screeched, tugging at his hair in disbelief. "You cannot be serious right now, Jazz! You can't actually be buying this garbage!"
"There is such a condition, Danny," Jazz interjected with her matter-of-fact tone. She folded her arms, almost like a teacher explaining a concept to a stubborn student. "It's called Sulfhemoglobinemia. It's extremely rare, but it exists. It's when the hemoglobin in the blood bonds irreversibly with sulfur atoms. That causes the blood to take on a greenish tint and makes it incapable of transporting oxygen properly. The end result is that the blood looks unnatural, almost toxic."
Both Danny and Johnny froze, staring at her in stunned disbelief. Johnny, despite being the one who had just spun the lie, blinked in genuine shock that such a bizarre medical condition actually existed. Danny, meanwhile, felt like the ground had been yanked out from under him.
Jazz crossed her arms and pointed at Danny like a judge slamming a gavel. "So shame on you for pointing it out"
Danny's eye twitched violently, every fiber of his being screaming to lash out. Behind Jazz's back, Johnny leaned slightly to the side and silently laughed, his smug little expression mocking Danny even harder.
"Come on," Jazz said gently, tugging Johnny's arm. "I'll make sure you get treated." She turned back once more, glaring at Danny in disappointment "You can wait here for Mom and Dad to pick you up. Maybe while you wait, you'll reflect on your actions."
Johnny straddled his motorcycle with practiced ease, Jazz climbing on behind him. Just before revving the engine, Johnny turned his face ever so slightly, showing Danny the side where Jazz couldn't see. He stuck his tongue out wildly and winked, a taunting gesture of victory meant solely for Danny.
The bike roared to life, the tires kicking against the pavement as Johnny sped off with Jazz holding onto him. The sound of their departure echoed through the street until it faded into silence.
Danny stood there, trembling, then buried his face in his hands. He rubbed his face roughly as he let out a long, incoherent screech of frustration.
Sam and Tucker peeked cautiously from behind the corner of the truck, their eyes flicking nervously between the spot where Johnny had just sped off with Jazz and Danny, who still stood in the middle of the street gripping his hair like he was about to rip it out strand by strand.
"Danny, are you okay?" Tucker asked hesitantly, his voice laced with concern. He adjusted his glasses as if bracing himself for an outburst.
With a guttural growl, he slicked his hair back with both hands in frustration and snapped, "No. I want to commit mass genocide."
Tucker blinked, his eyes widening slightly. "…Yeah. I mean… fair. I can see why you'd feel that way." He gave a weak laugh before patting Danny's shoulder awkwardly.
Sam crossed her arms, leaning against the side of the truck with a grim expression. "We saw everything. We would've stepped in and backed you up, but…" She tilted her head toward the road Johnny had taken. "From the looks of it, Jazz was dead set on siding with him. If we joined in, it would've looked like the three of us were ganging up on him. Then you'd just look like the jealous little brother and us like your attack dogs."
Danny clenched his fists, grinding his teeth. "That's exactly what he wanted. He planned the whole thing just so Jazz would see him as the poor victim. I know it. I can feel it." His voice cracked with the weight of his fury.
"Wait," Tucker interjected, curiosity flickering behind his glasses. "Was that the guy you met yesterday? The one you said caused all that ghost trouble and made us stay up all night re-trapping everything that broke loose?"
"Yeah," Danny snapped, his voice low and venomous. "That's him. Though honestly, I can't even remember his name right now. Jonah? James? Jackass? Ugh—I'm too mad to care." He pressed his palms against his face, muffling another incoherent growl.
Tucker tried to lighten the mood with a grin. "Well… credit where credit's due. Good job sucker punching him. That was one mean swing. I thought his head was about to fly off." His tone was half teasing, half impressed.
Danny let out a short, humorless laugh. "Not good enough. I should've hit him harder."
"You should've punched him two more times" Sam cut in coldly, narrowing her eyes at the empty road. "One for each of us for making us stay up so late."
Both Danny and Tucker froze, their eyes snapping toward Sam in disbelief. For a moment, they just stared at her, stunned into silence. Of all people, Sam was the last one they expected to advocate for throwing extra punches.
Sam, catching their looks, let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. "What? Don't look at me like that. Just because I don't like violence doesn't mean I'm against it when it's necessary. And trust me—he deserves every hit you can give him." Her tone was sharper than usual, and the glare in her eyes made it clear she meant every word.
********************************************
+10 advance Chapters and my other patron exclusive content on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3