A/N: And here we are: my second go at Phineas and Ferb fanfic. This one will be a tad longer, so hopefully I can hold your attention! This one was inspired by a song by The Decemberists called Summersong. They're an excellent band, and I would recommend that you go check them out. But you're not here for music, are you? So, without further ado...

Ramblin', where to begin?

I taste the summer on your peppery skin...

.*.

No single conversation could be heard above the collective din of a dozen other conversations. The music was too loud, people were yelling and singing along, and the general ruckus was enough to deafen even the most concert-trained ears. It was just after graduation, and the celebrations were in full swing.

It was not as if the grads needed an excuse to party, since they had been doing so constantly even in the months leading up to graduation, but this was special. This was the end. This was the final day of high school before the final high school summer vacation. They were one step away from the real world—jobs and university and college and responsibility—but for one last summer, they were free to live it up.

Isabella sipped her cooler and leaned against a wall, observing the madness. She checked her watch, frowned and continued her restless vigil, becoming increasingly aware every minute that he had not showed up yet. He had said that he would be here by eight, and here it was, eight twenty-three, and he was nowhere in sight. Isabella had half a mind to text him, but she restrained herself from sending yet another message. Beyond three, she would become a nag.

Finally, she caught a glimpse of red hair barely visible through the sea of bodies, wending its way in her direction. Phineas stumbled out from the crowd and braced himself against the wall, gasping for air in an exaggerated manner.

"It's crazy out there!" he declared, yelling over the noise. A chest-rattling techno beat had started blaring out of the speakers, and Isabella could hardly hear his raised voice.

"No kidding!" she yelled back. "Want to find somewhere that we can actually talk?"

He did not seem to have understood what she said, so she pointed toward the outside and then plugged her ears. Comprehension dawned in his eyes, and he nodded. Pushing their way through the crowd, they somehow managed to get through the patio doors and into Django's backyard. The host of the post-graduation party himself was nowhere to be found; rumour had it that he had snuck off with Wendy, much to Baljeet's chagrin.

"I can't even hear myself think in there," Isabella said, still speaking loudly over the ringing in her ears.

"I know what you mean." Phineas plucked a can of beer out of a nearby ice chest and popped open the tab. "Kind of a lame party, huh?"

"They all are," Isabella responded with disdain. Throughout the grade twelve year, she had chosen to attend only two of the other parties, and had found them to be equally disappointing. It was true that she had not had anything to drink at either, which could have explained her boredom in contrast to the mindless amusement that everyone else seemed to derive from a state of complete inebriation.

"Man, I should have thrown the party," Phineas mused. There was a gleam in his eye, the one that usually preceded the implementation of some elaborate scheme. "I could've made it awesome!"

Isabella giggled. Some things never changed. Though she had long ago gotten over the worst of her hopeless infatuation with Phineas, she knew that she would always have a weakness for him. His quick wit, brilliance and charm were often too much for her to ignore, but throughout the years, they had remained friends—and only friends.

It had become far easier to concentrate on school after getting over the crush. Rising to the top of the student council, she had easily gained the status of class president in their graduating year and had consequently overseen most of the grad activities. She had often been too busy to devote any of her time to frivolous social interaction—even with the boy for whom she admittedly still had a soft spot.

"You should still throw a party!" Isabella drained the rest of the cooler and tossed the bottle into a nearby bin. "Just for us, or something."

Phineas glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Us, like...?"

Isabella pressed her fingers to her lips, and felt a blush rising in her cheeks. "Oh, no, not like...I didn't mean...not for us, like me and you, but for...you know...the others...our friends..." As her speech tumbled rapidly into a succession of increasingly poor excuses, she somehow managed to shut herself up before she could ramble on much further.

Phineas only laughed in response. "I knew what you meant. Don't worry about it." He was silent for a moment as he drank the beer. "So, what are your summer plans?"

"Working," Isabella answered with a sigh. "I'll be scooping ice cream in the park. What fun!" She rolled her eyes. "Maybe you and Katie can stop by one of these days?" The words tasted bitter in her mouth, but she had perfected her false interest in Phineas' love life a long time ago.

"Yeah, maybe." Phineas' expression seemed to darken momentarily, but before Isabella could figure out why, he had brightened once more. "I'll be working too, as an apprentice to this survey engineer that my dad knows. I want to get lots of experience before starting school in the fall."

"Ugh, don't even remind me." Isabella shuddered at the idea of starting university two months from then. She would be studying journalism in hopes of becoming a reporter—a lifelong ambition, but she still was not eager to put herself through another four years of education. Summer vacations from that point on would be nothing but work and preparation. She could get away with doling out frozen treats this summer, but after that, it was serious business.

Phineas looked like he was about to say something when Katie appeared from nowhere and sidled up next to him. She promptly wrapped her arms around him and tried to subtly draw him away.

"Hey baby, where've you been?" Katie brushed her nose against his in a cutesy sort of way. Isabella had to prevent herself from gagging. "I've been looking for you everywhere. This party sucks. Want to go somewhere more...private?" Katie raised her eyebrows in what Isabella suspected was supposed to be a provocative manner, but what ended up looking like a middle school seduction attempt.

Phineas shrugged. "Uh...if you say so." He turned and gave Isabella an apologetic glance. "Talk to you later?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Isabella responded weakly. It was difficult to summon any real enthusiasm when Katie was already half-dragging Phineas away, shooting Isabella dark glares the whole time. Once the two of them disappeared, Isabella felt that she needed another drink. She was far from the type to get drunk, but she had been struck by a sudden urge.

Isabella began to beat her way through the crowd in order to find where she had stashed her box of coolers. Once she reached the small stand of bushes, she noticed that someone was standing nearby. It was Ferb, seemingly alone, observing the party with an expression of disinterest on his face.

"Oh, hi Ferb," she said brightly. "Enjoying yourself?"

He gave her a dry look to indicate just how much fun he was having. He held a can of cola in his hand, but no alcohol. It was typical of him—though he was quiet and did not participate much in social events, he was a hard worker and never failed to keep everything in his life in order. His ethic was infallible in both his projects and his schoolwork; as a result, his marks far surpassed her own.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Isabella produced another one of her coolers from the hidden box in the bushes. "I might just get out of here soon. What about you?"

Ferb shrugged. He gestured with his thumb out into the crowd with an inquiring look on his face.

"Phineas? He left with Katie." Isabella pointed a finger down her throat. "That girl drives me up the wall. She's so clingy, always hanging all over him, and—what?" She put her hands to her hips at Ferb's knowing expression. "That is not why I don't like her! It has nothing to do with Phineas! Who he spends his time with is his own business, and—stop that!" Ferb was continuing to give her the look. "Oh, think what you want, but you're wrong." She huffed an impatient sigh and downed a good portion of the new cooler.

Ferb was now viewing her with mild concern. "Don't drink that too fast—you'll get sick."

Isabella snorted a laugh. "Who cares? It's a party. That's what I'm supposed to do, right?" She brought her lips to the bottle again, only to find that it had been taken from her hand.

She glared at Ferb, who was now holding the bottle out of her reach. It was easy for him, given his considerable height. "Give that back," she growled.

Ferb shook his head.

"Ferb, come on, I paid for that!"

Still nothing.

She sighed again and gave up. "You're right. I'm doing this for the wrong reasons. I think I will just go home. You wanna walk back with me?"

Ferb nodded, then tipped his head to the bottle.

"Oh, that. Just...put it in with the other bottles. If someone finds them, then they're just lucky. It'll be my graduation gift to them...as if they really need it."

He obliged and stuffed his cola can into the box as well. They both made their way around the house and onto the street. They were only several blocks from home, and it was a nice night for walking. The evening was windless and warm; though it was only late June, the summer weather was already in full swing.

They walked in silence for most of the trip. A few minutes from her house, Isabella heard the rush of footsteps. She turned to see Phineas jogging up to join them. When he caught up, he bent over with his hands on his knees, out of breath.

"Man, you guys move fast," he panted. "Done with the party so soon?"

"Done with Katie so soon?" Isabella could not keep the trace of contempt out of her voice.

"Basically," Phineas replied, not looking at her. "We kinda...er...broke up."

Isabella did not know how to reply to the pronouncement. Ferb merely gave his stepbrother a consolatory pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," Phineas hastily assured Isabella after catching the look of surprise on her face. "It was a long time coming."

"I'm...sorry to hear about it anyway." That was a lie. It felt as if a tiny celebration was going off inside of her heart, and she had the sudden impulse to skip all of the way home. She managed to assume a carefully blank expression.

Phineas shrugged. "Oh well. Can't let it bring me down! Summer vacation starts tomorrow! And we definitely have to make this one the best summer ever!" He gave Ferb a high five, and smiled widely at Isabella. It was a smile much too happy for someone who had just split up with his girlfriend of two years. It was the dazzling smile of a carefree young man, one ready to face the future and make it amazing all at the same time.

Isabella tried to quell the feeling rising inside of her, but she could no longer deny it. Now free of the guilt of liking someone who is in a relationship, she realized that she had fallen for him just as hard as she had when she was in elementary school. Who knew? Maybe she had always been in love with him. Denial and the repression of basic urges were parts of growing up.

No matter what, she knew that she had to do something about it. The upcoming summer might be her last opportunity before they all went their separate ways.

Phineas was right. They were going to have to make it the best summer ever.

A/N: To be continued. Reviews are greatly appreciated. The lyrics preceding this chapter are from Summersong by The Decemberists.