Author's Note:
All characters are 17 by this point. Please read & review! (And maybe sing.)
"Wait...what?!" Phineas screamed angrily. "Why would you date her?!"
"Because… I at least admit something to her. And besides, you never read that paper Isabella mailed...four years ago." Ferb answered. "Maybe that contains the answer to why she hasn't been visiting you for the past four years."
"Thanks Ferb." Phineas slowly, sarcastically replied. He went over to his desk, and retrieved the paper Ferb mentioned. It was folded four times into a square, not a normal way for anyone to fold their paper. Seems rushed. In addition to that, there were a few tears, and a heart that contained the letters: IF.
Phineas, again oblivious to love and hate, unfolds the paper to find a short letter written in red pen.
"Phineas,
I am sick and tired of having to wait for you to catch up in this game of romance…
I'm just going to be honest this once, I HATE YOU. Despite of what you have done through your inventions, without them, you're practically nothing! What have you truly done to me as a normal boy? Again, nothing but break my heart everytime. I had enough. I'm not going to visit you anymore. Or look at your face every again. -Isabella"
Just as Ferb left the room, he loudly whispered, "And now you know what's ruined everyone."
"I didn't know… I didn't know… I just didn't know what went wrong…" Phineas wept on and on for what it seemed like an eternity. Soon, he fell asleep, while hearing very very amused laughs from his own family.
Nineteen hours later, he began singing a song he remembered, while walking around Maple Drive.
"My heart is paralyzed
My head was oversized
I'll take the high road like I should
You said it's meant to be
That it's not you, it's me
You're leaving now for my own good…
...so help me, help me, I'm all out of goodbyes,
And ways to say you died…"
Just as Phineas decided to take a one-second pause to catch his breath, Gretchen stepped out the door to go to a friend's house on Maple Drive.
"My pride still feels the sting
You were my everything
Some day I'll find a love like yours
She'll think I'm Superman
Not super minivan
How could you leave on Yom Kippur?
That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say…"
A minute into Gretchen's short walk, she saw a familiar triangular human figure singing in agony, on the other side of Maple Street. "Phineas…?"
Phineas stopped singing for a minute, upon seeing Gretchen on Maple Drive as well. "Hmmm?"
She tipped her glasses before asking, "Why are you randomly singing out in the street? Did you read that letter?"
"How...do you know?" That was all Phineas was able to utter. He was slightly surprised by the mention of that letter and its relatively dark tone Gretchen placed on it. No one knew that he read that letter except for Ferb… Besides, even if Ferb told someone, that person would only cheer for Isabella. Not in Gretchen's case, whatsoever.
"Because you're still weeping in the inside. I...just...know…" She answered.
"I-I'm doing fine… I promise." Phineas told her, as he slowly walked away. However, Gretchen grabbed his hand as if looking for comfort as well.
"Neither one of us is. In fact, I tried to sing this exact song earlier… Ferb looks so happy with Isabella, it just breaks me." Gretchen said calmly, or at least as calmly as she could get before wiping a tear as well.
"I guess what Ferb said was true, this letter ruined everyone." The boy spoke. He said it slowly enough that it only caused Gretchen and himself to wept together…
Five minutes later, Gretchen stated, like she would in a speech, "It sucks. I even got booted off the Fireside Girls just for being Ferb's first crush...and no one did anything to stop that… It seems like they truly don't care for one of their troop members...at all… So much for one-for-all and all-for-one."
Phineas expressed his own feelings about the past four years to Gretchen, "It wasn't much better for me. No one wanted to talk to me. Not even my parents...unless to make fun of me for what I've done, so I basically stopped being me."
"I feel sorry for you Phineas. I could never pull off living four years around people who truly don't care for you, but I've already done that, haven't I?"
"I guess so…" By this point, both Gretchen and Phineas feel much better about living, and end up holding hands with each other for fifteen minutes.
Suddenly, Phineas felt slightly panicked about why Gretchen was outside in the first place. "Gretchen? I thought you were going to a friend's house today?"
"Oh, about that… I was going to your house for you, Phineas."
"Why so?"
"To check on how you've been doing. From today, I can tell you need much comfort from a friend… can I possibly take you out sometime today?"
"Of course, Gretchen." Phineas simply smiled at the thought of being happy again. No more being sad forever. No more nightmares for four years. No more loneliness. However, something felt rather incomplete. "Can I at least finish singing the song?"
"Not if I can't sing with you. That's my favorite song you're singing, Phineas!" Gretchen felt excited, to sing her favorite song again, and to spend time with an actual friend.
"She was killed in the desert
Drowned in a hot tub
Danced to death at an east side night club
Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies
And ways to say you died..."
After hanging out with Gretchen at the mall for the day, Phineas and Gretchen say their goodbyes for today. Just as Phineas starts to walk away, Gretchen asks, "So what'cha doin' tomorrow?" Phineas did not feel disturbed at all. Not even if Gretchen stole Isabella's catchphrase.
"Thanks for the help." Both Phineas and Gretchen thought, as they went back to their homes.
Author's Note: This will not be continued by me, but merely a drabble.