Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older and I'm getting older too
Oh, I'm getting older too
Landslide – Stevie Nicks
It was our 8th friend-a-versary. I was sitting on a bench, waiting patiently. I turned around and heard her voice from the distance. My mood just got 101% better. She ran up to me. I was glad to see her. She always knew how to brighten someone's day, and I could say that 85% of my happiness was whenever I'm with Isabella.
She gave me a smile. "Hey, Phineas, whatcha doin'?"
She never stopped using that catchphrase of hers.
"Just working on some new ideas that me and Ferb came up with," I replied, scribbling in my notebook.
Yes, we were still coming up with new inventions every day. We were still kids at heart, even though our childhood had already faded away several years ago.
Isabella laughed. "Still working on those crazy inventions, huh?"
I laughed with her. "Yes, yes I am. And speaking of inventions, here's our lunch: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I'm not going to lie, Isabella, but I'm the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich maker in the world."
"Of course you are," Isabella said sarcastically, taking a bite of the sandwich. "Gosh, you can make anything, Phineas Flynn. This reminds me of our childhood: lying under the tree and watching you make your first ever rollercoaster. This is good, you know? It brings back so many memories."
I nodded. I just kept staring at her and she stared back. We smiled. She'd had a crush on me ever since I met her in the first grade. The only thing is, I was too clueless to figure that out. Ferb had to tell me and explain the whole "crush" thing. But now I wasn't sure if she still had a crush on me or if that was only puppy love. You could never read a girl's mind. The biggest problem for me, though, was letting her know how I felt about her.
"It's amazing what a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can do to you," I said back to her sarcastically. "After all, I am the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich maker in the world, you know."
Isabella slapped me playfully. "You're so conceited!" she joked, and then said suddenly, "Hey, hey, pass me the grapes."
She threw one at me and I caught it. We both laughed.
"Oh, I love this game!" I said excitedly. "Throw me another one."
I missed. It was a green grape. I hate green grapes.
"You still hate green grapes, huh?" Isabella asked in a chuckle.
"Yeah, they're too sour," I complained, acting like a five-year-old.
Gosh, did I miss my childhood. I mean, I still had my friends and family, but I felt like there was a part of me missing, like I only had half a heart.
"Phineas?" Isabella called out in concern.
I had apparently spaced out. It was either that or I was thinking too much. I think a lot. I blinked my eyes two times and suddenly came back into reality.
I looked down at another missed grape. "Oh, I missed it. And I thought I was the champion of this game. Hey, throw me the grapes. It's your turn, Princess Isabella Who Eats A Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich With Utensils."
"Oh, so that's my name now, is it?" Isabella asked, laughing.
"Yes, yes it is," I replied, picking out the green grapes and popping the purple ones into my mouth. "It's your turn, Princess."
I threw a grape at her. I laughed. I can't remember the last time someone made me have a good laugh. She missed. Ha! I told you I was the champion at grape throwing!
She scrunched her nose. "I wasn't ready!" she whined.
That was totally a lie. She had her mouth open and everything. That little liar. But I loved it when she whined. She just doesn't want me to be champion, because I am the champion.
"Liar," I accused.
"Hey, you got another go, so now it's my turn!" Isabella retorted.
We were very serious when it came to this game.
We were acting like little kids, fighting over something as silly as grape throwing. Wait – not silly. I was beast at that game. But I swear, if people saw us right now they'd think we were crazy.
"Fine, Princess Isabella." I laughed. "Think fast!"
Ha. She was so going to miss. Or not.
Isabella let out a loud whoop, yelling, "Caught it!"
I had to think fast. I ran up to her and took it out of her mouth, but as soon as I looked back up, she was staring straight at me.
And then, Isabella tilted her head and lowered her lip that had fallen between mine and I felt a zing of electricity. My eyes grew wider and wider.
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I exhaled. You know how they say you get butterflies in your stomach? It's true. That's the feeling I was getting right then.
I could feel fireworks exploding behind my eyelids. As we fell deeper into the kiss, Isabella's arms slipped around my waist.
We released the kiss and my senses were slowly beginning to come back. I stared at her for a moment, thinking about what had just happened. I struggled to breathe.
"Think fast, Phineas Flynn!" Isabella shouted, laughing.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a green grape started flying right at me. I blinked my eyes a couple of times to try to focus and then I quickly opened my mouth. I caught it.
I was the champion.