Chapter Text
Sam spent most of the weekend in the bathroom dizzy from dehydration. Vomiting and injured ribs was a horrible combination. Every time her stomach lurched she was hit with pain so sharp it made her eyes water. Not being able to keep food down left her exhausted and weak. Eventually she broke down and dragged a blanket into the bathroom so she could rest without having to get up.
Her parents were gone again on a trip to Australia (or was it Argentina? Dehydration was definitely taking its toll.) While some staff members (like their personal assistants) traveled with them, the rest of the housestaff usually had the day off while her parents were away. So, Sam really was left to her own devices.
At least I have an excuse to skip Pink Sunday this weekend, she thought.
Pink Sundays were the result of several compromises between Sam and her mother during middle school. The first being that Sam was allowed to stay in public school so long as she participated in the various classes and lessons she was signed up for outside of school. There were many such lessons and Sam hated all of them. Music lessons, dance classes, etiquette training, language tutoring, elocution lessons, and more. All designed to prepare her to participate in debutante balls starting when she was sixteen.
Sam did not actually plan on attending any balls. Those antiquated parties were a degrading exercise in marrying off rich young girls to rich young men, simply to ensure the world's wealth stayed within the same few families. But she participated in the lessons anyway. It was a small price to pay to stay in the same school with her two best friends.
The second compromise was where the name "Pink Sundays" came from. After her family received the inheritance, lessons took up most of Sam's evenings, which made it nearly impossible to hang out after school. Sam managed to convince her mother to let her schedule all of the lessons on the same two days of the month. Every other Sunday, multiple instructors would arrive at the Manson Mansion and she would go from one lesson to another, back to back.
In exchange for narrowing it to only twice a month, Sam's mother got to dress her for the lessons. She selected the outfits, hairstyles and makeup months in advance so even if she was out of town, Sam would still be forced to comply. She was always required to send photographic evidence of her in the ugly, pink nightmares her mother chose and she always hated it. But were it not for Pink Sundays, Sam could never have been a part of Team Phantom. So she would grin and bear it...and make sure that Danny and Tucker would never find out.
Sam had hoped she'd bounce back from the food poisoning quickly and her friends wouldn't need to know. The raw meat incident was extremely demeaning and she would have preferred that they all forget it ever happened. Crying while choking down bits of raw animal carcasses, helpless and afraid...that was the exact opposite of the kind of person Sam wanted to be. The thought of Danny and Tucker seeing her as that person was even worse. She wanted to walk into school on Monday like nothing happened so they could all forget what she'd been forced to do.
Of course, Sam was never that lucky. Monday morning found her so sick and dehydrated she could barely stand. She missed school and now her friends were concerned. They'd been told she was sick (since they'd had to finish cleaning the school without her) but they had initially assumed she was pretending to be sick so she could rest and recover from her broken rib. But Sam wouldn't skip school unless it were serious and they knew that.
Sam got Tucker's text while she was lying in a groaning heap on her bathroom floor. The boys had both gotten their phones taken away for starting the food fight but Tucker's parents didn't know he had more than one.
T: are you really sick?
S: Unfortunately yes
T: Can we stop by after school? Dannys worried youre hiding more injuries. Wants to be sure you're OK
S: No one visits my house. You know that.
T: You could come to my house
S: I'm sick. Not going anywhere.
T: So let us come see you
S: No.
Sam didn't want anyone, especially Danny, to see her in her present condition. Pale and weak, hair plastered to her bruised face from the sweat. She hadn't changed out of her pajamas in two days and she knew she must smell awful.
T: Its food poisoning isnt it?
She didn't answer. Admitting she had food poisoning was like admitting she'd eaten raw meat all over again.
T: Remember how you were going to start trusting us more?
S: Please Tucker. I'm trying to keep my last shred of dignity here.
T: So it is food poisoning
S: Yeah and I really don't need an audience.
T: Danny wants to bring you his moms electrolyte drink. Says its magic
S: I really am fine.
T: You gotta let him do something. He feels guilty for not finding you sooner. He says its his fault youre sick
Sam sighed. She wanted to refuse, but if Danny was feeling guilty that meant he was distracted. Danny made mistakes when he was distracted and she wasn't there to help Tucker cover for him. His secret was more important than her pride.
S: Fine. He can leave it on the doorstep.
She thought about it and realized if he left it on the doorstep she would have to go downstairs to get it.
S: Actually, ask him to leave it on my windowsill. It's at the front of the house on the top floor with purple curtains. He can use his talents to get it up there but tell him if he uses those talents to come inside I may never trust you guys again.
T: Ill tell him. Thanks for giving him a way to help. Hes annoying when hes worried
S: Any incidents today?
T: Just a couple, nothing I couldn't handle
That evening, Sam heard a light tapping sound on her window. She took her time getting up and dragging herself over there so by the time she opened the window Danny was gone.
Sam rolled her eyes and smiled when she saw the large grocery bag on the windowsill. Danny must have told his mom she was sick; this had Mrs. Fenton written all over it.
In the bag, she found a few bottles of Fenton-aid (the supposedly "magic" electrolyte drink), a box of crackers, a container of rice that was still warm, a folder with the homework she'd missed, and a little Get Well Soon note that definitely was not Danny's handwriting.
It was embarrassing to have someone make such a fuss over her but it was so sweet that she couldn't help but smile. Maddie Fenton was one of the most loving people Sam knew and she almost always shared that love in the form of food.
As she settled down to rest (and took some experimental sips of Fenton-aid) Sam thought about how lucky she was to have grown up with Tucker, Danny, and their families. They had provided her the unconditional support she never got from her own family. Without them, Sam doubted she would be the person she was today. Most of the credit ironically went to Tucker, someone who was different from her in almost every way imaginable. It was his silly, affectionate personality that had set everything in motion...
Sam had gone to a private school in kindergarten. Her parent's didn't have their full inheritance yet, but they tried to prepare her early for the life of a socialite. Kindergarten had been a disaster. Young Sam was cripplingly shy and didn't know how to interact with other kids. The pressure from her mother to be likeable and popular only made things worse. Her mother pushed constantly to get her out of her shell but made no progress.
The first glimmer of hope was when Sam and Tucker met at after school swim lessons. Where Sam was quiet and reserved, Tucker was loud and outgoing. Making friends had always been easy for him and this was no exception.
"Hey cool goggles! I bet you can see all the way to the bottom of the pool!" The young boy in green swim trunks exclaimed as Sam joined him on the stairs before their lesson.
"Maybe, I haven't tried yet. I can't swim," Sam admitted, nervously running her hands over the pink swim skirt that was attached to her suit.
The boy laughed. "Me neither, that's why I'm here. I almost drownded at my cousin's birthday last month and mom said I needed to learn how not to do that again."
"What happened?" Sam asked with wide eyes.
"I jumped in the deep part. Here, I'll show you!"
Before she could reply, the boy was out of the pool and sprinting for the deep end, ignoring the "no running" call from the lifeguard. She watched in shock as he plugged his nose and jumped in. Within seconds the lifeguard was at the side of the pool, pulling him out. "For the last time kid, stop doing that!" Sam had never laughed so hard in her life.
When their parents returned to pick them up, Sam and Tucker didn't want to get out of the pool. They were too busy trading Sam's goggles and making funny faces at each other under the water.
Her mother had been overjoyed to see Sam actually socialize with someone. The simple fact that she smiled and spoke with him voluntarily was a miracle. She immediately tracked down Tucker's parent's to set up playdates, hoping that more time with her new friend would turn her quiet daughter into an extrovert.
The plan failed in that Sam never became the extrovert her mother wanted. But facilitating the friendship was the best thing her mother ever did for her. Tucker changed everything. Enthusiastic, hyperactive, overconfident Tucker was not dissuaded by Sam's hesitation or anxiety. He didn't respond to her the way kids at school did.
At school, kids would always suggest games that Sam hadn't played before. She always responded the same way saying, "I don't know that game, I'll just color." Since most of their games were pretend games (playing house, princesses, acting like cats, etc) the other kids assumed she was just mean. She learned this and used it to her advantage. She would glare at her classmates if they came near her and give angry, sharp replies when they spoke to her. If the kids thought she was mean, they would leave her alone.
But young Sam was not mean, she was terrified. She just knew she would mess up somehow and the teacher was watching, always reporting back to her mother. It was so easy to do or say the wrong thing...it was better to sit alone and color.
When she said the same thing to Tucker, however, he would shrug and say, "I'll teach you! It's so much funner than coloring!" When Sam worried that she would do it wrong, Tucker brushed away her fear, "It's just pretend, if we don't like it we can pretend something else!" He was always so excited that she couldn't help but join in. She'd have so much fun, she'd forget to worry that her mother wouldn't approve. His carefree nature was contagious and Sam finally started acting like the child that she was.
It was at one of their play dates that Sam met Danny. Mrs. Foley had taken them to the park and was pleased to see The Fentons were there as well. Tucker made a beeline for his best friend, dragging a very nervous Sam along behind him. "Danny! This is my new friend from swimming! Sammy, this is my best friend Danny!" At the time, 'Sammy' was the only nickname her mother would allow.
"Sammy" hid behind Tucker and glared around his shoulder at Danny as he introduced them. She wanted him to go away. Tucker had talked about his "best friend Danny" plenty of times but Sam had never wanted to meet him. Tucker was her first friend and she didn't like sharing. What if the other boy stole Tucker away from her?
If he was intimidated by her glare, the smiling blue-eyed boy didn't show it. "Hi Sammy. Do you wanna play astronauts?"
When Sam's mom arrived at the park to pick her up, Sam was practically bursting with excitement to show off that she had made another friend. Her mother took it as proof that "The Foley Boy" was the key to turning Sam into an extrovert. Their next few playdates together included Danny and cemented the three of them as best friends.
Within a month, Sam was transferred to public school to finish up Kindergarten in the same class as Tucker. Her mother had decided a "sub-par education" was worth it if it brought Sam out of her shell.
The change had been terrifying. Her mother didn't explain her reasoning to the anxious young girl (she never did) so Sam went in with no idea what to expect. Being introduced as the new kid in front of the class made her want to run away. But then both Danny and Tucker practically jumped out of their seats yelling, "Sammy! It's Sammy! Hi Sammy!" She almost cried in relief. Sam never spent another recess coloring by herself again.
From then on, the three of them were inseparable. They started going to each other's houses almost every day after school. Mrs. Fenton and Mrs. Foley already had a carpool worked out (their sons were practically brothers) and were happy to include a third child. Mrs. Fenton would drive them to school and Mrs. Foley would pick them up and bring them back to her house.
That was how Angela Foley became a second mother for Sam. She was concerned about the nervous, too-skinny, little girl that her son befriended. So, she welcomed her into her home without question. Sam often stayed for dinner, long after Danny had already been picked up. Sometimes she would be sent to school with a sleepover bag in tow and spend the night. Her parents essentially used the Foleys as free babysitting. Angela never said a word about it; she took it as an opportunity to build the little girl up.
It was in first grade that Sam's mom finally stopped sending her to school in fancy dresses. She ripped and stained them so quickly it wasn't worth it. In second grade, her parents bought her a bike and Danny and Tucker taught her how to ride it. By third grade, the carpool was unnecessary, the three children would ride their bikes to and from school together. In fourth grade, Sam declared herself to be a vegetarian. Mrs. Fenton started to send Danny to school with an extra PB&J sandwich, knowing Sam's parents didn't accommodate her new diet when packing her lunch.
Everything changed again in fifth grade when Sam's Grandpa Manson died and her father received half of his considerable inheritance. They moved to a mansion in the nicer part of town and enrolled Sam in so many extracurricular lessons it made her head spin.
Her parents wanted to send her back to private school for sixth grade. Instead of becoming an extrovert, Sam had grown into an outspoken, feisty, and stubborn tomboy. Separating her from "those rowdy boys" was the best solution Mrs. Manson could think of. In retaliation, Sam refused to participate in any of her lessons. Thus, Pink Sundays were born.
It was in middle school that Sam, Danny, and Tucker really settled into the roles they had today. Sam dove headfirst into the goth scene, experimenting with several iterations of an 'alternative' look until she found the one she liked today (which was honestly more punk than goth, but the 'goth' label had stuck). Danny and Tucker settled into the 'nerd' and 'geek' labels respectively.
The three of them unintentionally became outcasts simply by being friends with each other. Danny was shy and smart, he would have fit in great with the nerds if it weren't for his "weird and freaky" best friends. Tucker was unabashedly interested in fantasy and technology, he would have fit in great with the geeks if they weren't all scared of Sam. The alternative scene at their school was small, but Sam had tried to find a place for herself there...until the other goths tried making fun of Danny and Tucker.
Most t'weens would probably have distanced themselves from their childhood friends in an effort to fit in at school but none of them even considered it. When pressured, each of them made the choice to stick up for the other two...even when it meant being ostracized.
When Danny got ghost powers the summer before their freshman year, the three friends closed ranks and became more secretive than ever. From the outside, very few people noticed any difference. The reality was, while Team Phantom wasn't formed until the week of the menu trial; the three teens had been a team long before then. The trio had formed all the way back in kindergarten and from the day Tucker brought his two friends together, it was the three of them against the world.