Rated T for teenage romance, implications of teenage sex, and mildly offensive language (two uses of 'ass').
Timeline: end of summer before junior year of high school; Phineas and Isabella have just turned sixteen. Despite some similarities with the LIke Kissing Her Brother timeline, they are not the same, nor is this a simple branch off of that timeline. (Ferb's dating Gretchen in this timeline, and Phineas and Isabella started dating a year before the story starts, for example.)
Formatting note: each scene starts with a Facebook post. The format will look like this:
Name: Initial post. Date
* Name and Name like this.
* Name: comment.
* * Name and Name like this.
* Name: comment.
And then the scene begins here. I know that isn't quite what Facebook looks like, but, hey, they change it every couple weeks, and it's the best I can do given the formatting restrictions here.
Phineas Flynn is now single. Aug 16
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro is now single. Aug 16
* Adyson Sweetwater: :( :( :( Gonna miss you so much!
"I'm still willing to try, Phineas," Isabella said, tears in her eyes.
"I know, Isabella. But I think it's best this way. You can be free in New Mexico to find some great guy who can be there for you. I wish you didn't have to move away, but...your mother really couldn't pass up this promotion..." Phineas trailed off.
"I love you, Phineas. We can make a long-distance relationship work."
"I love you too, but I don't think it'd be fair to you. You deserve to have dates on Friday nights, and somebody to take you to the prom..."
"I'd rather have you."
Phineas took his girlfriend in his arms one last time. "I'm going to miss you so much, Isabella. But this really is for the best. Enjoy your last two years of high school. And if we end up somewhere together again, and we're both available, we'll see if we can make it work again. But you're a very social person, and I can't get between you and your new friends in New Mexico."
With a deep sigh, Isabella nodded. She gave him one last kiss, then climbed up into the U-Haul truck with her mother. She waved to him, her cheeks wet, as her mother put the truck in gear. He stood and watched the truck until it turned the corner, and then he finally let himself cry.
He slumped back into the house, throwing himself onto his bed. Ferb stuck his head through the open bedroom door.
"You're a fool," Ferb said.
"I know, Ferb. But...you know what they say. If you love somebody, set them free. We'd never be able to make a long-distance relationship work. This way...maybe we can be together and make it work later. And if not, then at least we can still be friends."
"You're a cretin and a poltroon."
Phineas looked up at his brother. "You've been hanging around Gretchen too much."
Ferb glared at him. "I'm quite certain you'll regret this."
"I already do, Ferb. I already do."
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aug 19
* Anna Garcia likes this.
* Anna Garcia: Welcome to ABQ!
"Oh, Anna! Welcome! You've grown so much!" Vivian said as she opened the door.
"Thanks, Tía Vivian! Is Isa home?" Anna replied.
Vivian sighed. "Yes, she's upstairs in her room - first door on the left. She's supposed to be unpacking, but I think she just doesn't want to come out yet. Maybe you can cheer her up a bit?"
"I can try," Anna said. She climbed the stairs and knocked on the door.
"Go away, Mom," Isabella said through the door.
"Is that any way to talk to your favorite cousin?" Anna asked.
"Anna? Just a second," Isabella said, and the door unlocked and opened. Anna entered, and saw that the room was full of boxes, still packed. An empty dog bed sat next to Isabella's bed.
"You have a dog?"
"Had. A vet stopped by just before we had to leave - some old woman in a military uniform - and said he was too sick to travel and had to stay in Danville. Bad enough that I lost Phineas, but I lost Pinky too." Isabella's eyes were full of tears.
"Phineas - that was the redhead who came with you last summer?"
Isabella nodded. "My boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend, now. I've been in love with him since I was nine, and we finally started dating last summer just after we got back from here...and now I had to leave him, and we broke up instead of doing a long-distance relationship. And I just want to go back to Danville and pretend this whole thing never happened!"
Anna hugged her cousin, letting Isabella cry on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. Mama always sings, Que Sera, Sera, about things like this. It'll work out somehow. Maybe you'll find someone you like even more than Phineas."
Isabella sighed deeply. "Yeah. Right."
"Come on, let's get you unpacked. Then we can go down to the mall and meet up with some of my friends. They're dying to meet you, and a couple of them have cute brothers."
"I am so not up to dating yet, Anna."
"I bet you'll think again when you get a look at Tony."
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Woohoo! I made the varsity volleyball team! Aug 30
* Phineas Flynn, Alyssa Hamilton, and 9 others like this.
* Alyssa Hamilton: Congratulations! Glad I don't have to play against you!
* Ginger Hirano: Wait, there was doubt? Your new team must be really good if you had to work for a spot.
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: There were a lot of good players looking for spots this year.
* Alanis Jacobs: Welcome to the team! Go Hornets!
Isabella sat waiting with the other girls who'd tried out. Finally, the short, muscular redhead came out of her huddle with the coach. "Okay, we have four slots open this year. The new team members are: Rachel, April, Josefina, and Isabella. You four, come up here. The rest of you, the JV coach wants to talk to you."
Isabella tried to keep from cheering as she went up to join the rest of her new team. She hadn't been expecting to have a problem - she'd made varsity in her sophomore year in Danville - but there were several extremely good players trying to move up from JV, and she couldn't help but feel she'd barely squeaked by.
The redhead looked at the four of them. "Okay. Hi, welcome to the team. I'm Alanis, and if you say anything is ironic around me, you'll regret it."
Isabella couldn't help herself. "So, we oughta know better?"
Alanis glared at her, then burst out laughing. "Something like that."
Phineas Flynn checked in at Fireside Coffee with Alyssa Hamilton. Nov 1
* Ginger Hirano: Phineas and Alyssa, sittin' in a tree...
Alyssa pulled up in front of the Flynn-Fletcher residence. "Thank you, Phineas. I had a nice time."
"I did too. Thanks for helping me get back on my feet here."
The blonde reached over and took his hand, giving it a brief squeeze. "Likewise. Interested in doing this again some time?"
"How's tomorrow sound?"
"It's a date."
Phineas Flynn is in a relationship with Alyssa Hamilton. Nov 9
* Alyssa Hamilton, Ginger Hirano, and 3 others like this.
* Ginger Hirano: About time, you two!
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Take good care of him, Alyssa.
* Alyssa Hamilton: Will do. Somebody had to keep him coming to the volleyball games.
* * Isabella Garcia-Shapiro likes this.
Anna knocked on the door to Isabella's room. "Isa? What's up?"
Isabella opened the door, her eyes red-rimmed and full of tears. "Phineas just got a girlfriend. One of my old teammates, who broke up with her last boyfriend a couple weeks ago because he cheated on her."
Anna gently pushed Isabella back, into the room, and sat her down on the bed. "What's she like?"
"She's a senior - captain of the volleyball team this year. She's athletic, pretty, blonde, smart, funny...half the guys in school are probably jealous of Phineas."
"...so, basically you, but blonde?"
Isabella laughed through her tears. "I'm not team captain, and I'm not that pretty."
"You totally are, Isabella, and half the guys at our school are waiting for you to come out of your funk and be ready to start dating. And you'll probably be team captain next year, the way Alanis raves about you."
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro checked in at Taco Teepee with David Arquez. Dec 11
* Anna Garcia: David! You can't do better than Taco Teepee?
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro checked in at Starbucks with Timothy Chapman. Jan 5
* Timothy Chapman: I had a great time. Maybe we can do that again?
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro is in a relationship with Timothy Chapman. Jan 17
* Anna Garcia, Rachel Jimenez, and 11 others like this.
She wasn't quite sure what it was about Tim that had first caught her attention. She'd expected that she'd look for someone like Phineas - red hair and a vibrant and outgoing personality. But her one date with David had been a bust, because he was too much like Phineas.
In contrast, Tim was calm and reserved, like a deep pool of water, with deep brown eyes and dark brown hair. It was a welcome change of pace, and made it easier to not compare the two.
And, also unlike Phineas, he actually knew what he wanted. And, now that they'd caught each other's eyes, what he wanted...was her. Their first date - just down to the coffee shop - had been fun, and now, less than two weeks later, he'd asked her to go steady. Compared to the years it had taken to get Phineas's attention at all...she could get used to this.
Their first kiss had been unexpected, and she'd briefly tensed, the back of her brain worrying about cheating on Phineas before she remembered that he'd broken up with her. His loss, she'd thought, and kissed Tim back hungrily.
Phineas Flynn and Alyssa Hamilton were tagged in this photo by Margaret Hamilton Mar 30
* Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Candace Flynn, and 8 others like this.
* Linda Flynn-Fletcher: So grown-up! Hope they have a good time at prom!
* Candace Flynn: Aren't you a little young to be going to prom, Phineas?
* Phineas Flynn: Yes, yes I am, but Alyssa isn't. And since I'm her date...
* * Alyssa Hamilton likes this.
The limousine dropped them off at Alyssa's house.
"Thank you for a good time, Phineas. It was everything I'd hoped my prom night would be," Alyssa said, nestling into his arms for a good-night hug.
"I'm glad. I had a really good time too."
"You're sure you won't come in for...a little while?"
Phineas nodded, nuzzling her hair. "I am. Thank you for the offer, but I'm really just not ready for that yet."
She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. "That's okay. It's weird - Clarke cheated on me with Amie because I wouldn't do that, and here I'm practically throwing myself at you."
He kissed her forehead. "It's because you always knew Clarke would cheat on you. And you know I never would."
She took a deep breath, then leaned up and kissed him. "I know. Good night, Phineas. See you tomorrow?"
"Definitely."
Phineas Flynn added 4 photos. Jun 21
* Baljeet Tjinder, Alyssa Hamilton, and 11 others like this.
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Wow, was that what you guys did today? Impressive!
* Phineas Flynn: Yep! It's too bad you weren't here to see it, I think you'd have enjoyed it!
* Candace Flynn: Hey! That's totally bustable! Linda Flynn-Fletcher, come look!
* * Stacy Hirano and Jeremy Johnson like this.
* Linda Flynn-Fletcher: The pictures aren't showing up for me.
* Candace Flynn: Me either, now. Looks like Facebook lost them somehow? Nevermind, Mom.
* * Stacy Hirano likes this.
Perry dropped back to all fours as he arrived in the Flynn-Fletcher back yard.
"Oh, there you are, Perry," Alyssa said.
It had been a hard fight against Doof today. Doof had decided to destroy all the government's records so he could claim ownership of the Tri-State Area. He'd figured that, with no documentation that could prove him wrong, he could just take control. Fortunately, Perry had wrecked the Data-Destroy-Inator before it could fire more than one shot, and that one had hit the Facebook data center on the edge of town instead of the government records building.
Hopefully, nothing serious was lost, he thought.
Phineas Flynn is now single. Aug 16
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: What happened?
* Phineas Flynn: Karma bit me in the ass.
* * Ferb Fletcher and Isabella Garcia-Shapiro like this.
Phineas lay on his bed, thinking. I can't say I didn't deserve that. But I sure didn't see it coming.
His phone rang - a remix of 'Gitchee Gitchee Goo', which he'd used for calls from Isabella ever since he got a phone. "Hey, Isabella. What'cha doin'?"
"That's my line, Phineas. What happened with Alyssa?"
"She's going to college in a week. And she decided she didn't want a long-distance relationship. Wouldn't be fair to me. Too much stuff in high school that I'd miss."
He had to pull the phone away from his ear, because Isabella was laughing hysterically.
After she'd calmed down enough that he could talk again, he said, "Yeah, the irony - on today, exactly a year after you moved - was a bit much."
Trying to change the subject, he asked, "So how are things going with this Timothy guy?"
"Oh, Tim's a sweetheart. You'd like him."
No, probably not, he thought.
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Guess who got named team captain of the Highland High Varsity Girls Volleyball Team this year? Me! We made it to regionals last year - let's go for state champions, team! Aug 19
* Rachel Jimenez, Timothy Chapman, and 11 others like this.
* Alanis Jacobs: Glad to see the team is in good hands this year. Make me proud! Go Hornets!
"Congratulations, Isa!" Tim said when they met up that night. "Come on, let's celebrate! I'll take you out to dinner."
"Not Taco Teepee," she answered.
"No, of course not. I'm thinking we can go upscale, to Burger Brothers."
She laughed, shaking her head.
"And then, maybe you and I can find somewhere private..." he continued.
She tensed. "No, Tim. I'm still not ready."
"Sorry. I know, I said I wouldn't push. I'm sorry. It's just...you are so beautiful, and I love you so much..."
Phineas Flynn checked in at Fireside Coffee with Susan Jacobson. Nov 3
* Ginger Hirano and Alyssa Hamilton like this.
Phineas Flynn checked in at Fireside Coffee with Lisa Tanner. Nov 17
* Alyssa Hamilton likes this.
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: What, are you working your way through the volleyball team?
* * Ginger Hirano and Alyssa Hamilton like this.
Phineas watched Lisa walk back into her house. Sighing, he shifted the car out of park and started the drive home.
Maybe I should just stop trying. My heart just isn't in it any more. I'm going off to college next fall, and I don't want a long-distance relationship then.
I never should have broken up with Isabella. But at least she's happy with Tim.
I'll just wait until college. I'm sure I can find somebody there.
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Yes! Regional champions! On to states! Dec 4
* Alanis Jacobs, Timothy Chapman, and 17 others like this.
* Alanis Jacobs: Way to go! Go Hornets!
Isabella looked through the cheering crowd for a familiar head of brown hair. And then, through a gap in the crowd, there he was, coming down the bleachers to congratulate her.
"Nicely done," Tim said, taking her into his arms. "I'm so proud of you, Isa."
"Thank you," she replied, leaning up to give him a quick kiss. "I need to go catch a quick shower, and then catch the bus back to Albuquerque."
"Feel free to stop by my house when you get back," he said, then hurriedly added as her smile dropped, "Just to visit. I'm not trying to push. Honest. I just love you, and like spending time with you, you know."
She nodded and smiled, and gave him one more kiss before heading to the locker room.
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro and Timothy Chapman were tagged in this photo by Vivian Garcia-Shapiro Mar 3
* Anna Garcia, Elaine Chapman, and 11 others like this.
* Vivian Garcia-Shapiro: My Isa going off to prom!
* Elaine Chapman: They make such a cute couple.
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro is now single. Mar 3
* Anna Garcia: WHAT? What happened?
Isabella sat out on the porch in front of the house. She didn't want to go inside and deal with her mother's questions, but she wasn't sure she wanted to be alone right now either.
I should probably be crying about this, she thought. But I can't bring myself to. I think I'm too mad.
I knew he was unhappy with how long it was taking me, but...I think the more he pushed, the more reluctant I got.
Her phone rang; it was Anna. Might as well get it over with. "Hey, Anna."
Her cousin practically screamed, "Isa! What happened?"
"I said 'no'. I wasn't ready to sleep with him tonight."
"So he dumped you?"
"Yes."
"What an ass! Hope he wasn't planning on getting any more dates at Highland High, then."
"I'm sure somebody will be willing to put out for him. Just...not me."
Phineas Flynn and Adyson Sweetwater were tagged in this photo by Rebecca Sweetwater. Mar 10
* Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Gretchen Schneider, and 3 others like this.
* Linda Flynn-Fletcher: I can't believe both of my boys are going to prom this year! Have a good time!
* Candace Flynn: That can't be my little brother.
* Phineas Flynn: It isn't. I'm taller than you now, remember?
* * Ferb Fletcher and Isabella Garcia-Shapiro like this.
* Candace Flynn: Where's the dislike button?
Adyson pulled Phineas toward the seats off to the side of the dance floor for a rest, grabbing two seats in a row of six. "Thank you for inviting me to this, Phineas. I figured I wasn't going to get to go after things went south with Django, and..."
"Hey, what are friends for, Adyson?" Phineas smiled back.
Ferb and Gretchen came off the dance floor as well, grabbing the seats next to them.
"So, Adyson - did Isabella tell you why she broke up with that Tim guy? I didn't hear," Gretchen said.
"I didn't either," Adyson answered.
Phineas cleared his throat, embarrassed; both girls swiveled toward him.
"Spill, Flynn," Gretchen demanded.
Phineas sighed. "I talked to her the next day. He broke up with her because she wouldn't put out on prom night. They'd been going out for over a year, and he'd decided that they were going all the way after the prom, and...she said 'no'. And if he couldn't have sex with her, she wasn't worth it anymore, so he dumped her." He realized he was making a fist at his side, and tried to contain his anger at a young man he'd never met, and probably never would.
Phineas wasn't telling them the vile things that Tim had said, including accusations of unfaithfulness and frigidity. Tim had put as much pressure as he could on her, which had only hardened her resolve. He dated her longer than I did, but he obviously never really knew her, Phineas thought.
"Ouch," Adyson said, wincing. "Dumping her for saying 'no' - that's cold."
"Well, that's one problem we aren't going to have," Gretchen said in a low voice, looking at Ferb with a seductive smile.
Ferb raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Phineas made a sour face. "Ew! TMI, guys. I did not need to know your plans."
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: OMG! Two acceptance letters today! Boston College and Georgetown University! Now I have to choose! Mar 26
* Phineas Flynn, Anna Garcia, and 6 others like this.
* Vivian Garcia-Shapiro: And I need to figure out how to pay for it.
* * Linda Flynn-Fletcher likes this.
* Phineas Flynn: You've been wanting to go to Georgetown for years - congratulations!
Phineas Flynn: Big fat envelope from Massachusetts Institute of Technology waiting when I got home today! Mar 27
* Ferb Fletcher, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, and 8 others like this.
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Well, I know where you're going to be next year, then. Ferb Fletcher too?
* Ferb Fletcher: No, I'm going to Harvey Mudd College.
* * Gretchen Schneider likes this.
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Where's Gretchen Schneider going?
* Gretchen Schneider: Scripps College, right across the quad from Harvey Mudd College.
* * Ferb Fletcher, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, and 3 others like this.
Isabella's phone rang; she looked up from her homework, smiled, and answered it. "Hey, Phineas. What'cha doin?"
"Congratulating you - you got into Georgetown!"
"Thank you. And congratulations to you, too. I think my decision just got a lot easier."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because you're going to MIT," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "So, I'm going to BC."
"Wait, no, you've been wanting to go to Georgetown for years, you don't have to go to BC just because..."
"It's not just that. I had been leaning toward BC anyway; Mom's fine with either, since they're both excellent Jesuit schools. Being near you again..."
"No, Isabella, you should go to Georgetown..."
Angrily, Isabella cut him off. "Phineas! Stop trying to protect me! I can make my own decisions here."
"I just worry about you."
Through gritted teeth, she said, "I know." She took a deep breath to calm down. "That's the problem. I finally realized that was why you broke up with me. You worry about me so much that you'll sacrifice your own happiness for what you think will make me happy."
"...but..." Phineas sighed. "Yes, I want you to be happy. Is that wrong?"
"Then let me decide what will make me happy. And what will make me happy is knowing that we'll both be in Boston come August."
Softly, Phineas said, "I think that makes me happy, too."
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Heading off to Boston for orientation! I can't believe this is really happening! Jun 21
* Phineas Flynn, Anna Garcia, and 4 others like this.
* Vivian Garcia-Shapiro: Have a good time, wish I could go along, but this week is just a mess.
Candace Flynn is now married to Jeremy Johnson. Jun 22
* Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Stacy Hirano, and 45 others like this.
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: Congratulations! Wish I could have been there, but I needed to head to orientation. Have a good honeymoon!
Candace Flynn has changed her name to Candace Flynn Johnson. Jun 22
* Jeremy Johnson, Suzy Johnson, and 11 others like this.
* Suzy Johnson: Welcome to the family, sister-in-law!
Phineas sat off to one side, watching the wedding reception but feeling somewhat detached. The ceremony had been lovely, if planned down to the minutest details. He and Ferb had made a lovely centerpiece for the reception, with champagne fountains and a holographic picture of the happy couple, but it had been carried off by a random flock of birds just before their parents had arrived.
"Hey, Phineas," Candace said, coming up behind him. "What's up?"
"Just thinking. Everything's changing again. You're married. Ferb and I are going off to college in a couple months, on opposite sides of the country."
"And you're going to end up with Isabella again," Candace added.
Phineas blushed. "Maybe? If she still wants to."
"Do you still love her?"
"I never stopped. I screwed it up pretty badly, though."
"It sounds like she still loves you enough to forgive you. Maybe you should trust her judgement for a change."
Phineas winced. "For a change? Was I that bad?"
Candace patted him on the shoulder. "Yes. But you're not hopeless."
Phineas Flynn: Orientation starts tomorrow. I'm going to miss Danville, but I'm really looking forward to this. Aug 23
* Ferb Fletcher, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, and 7 others like this.
* Isabella Garcia-Shapiro: I'm flying out in two days. See you in Boston!
* * Phineas Flynn, Ferb Fletcher, and 3 others like this.
They'd agreed to meet at the Prudential Tower. He saw her before she saw him, and the sight took his breath away. She turned, and the bright smile she turned on him made his knees turn to jelly. She's even more beautiful than I remembered.
She ran over and clamped her arms around him, and he hugged her back, relishing the feel of her against him, the smell of her hair. "I missed you so much," she whispered.
"I missed you too. I'm so sorry for letting you go. I'm sorry I didn't give you the chance to choose."
She pulled away enough to look up at him. "It worked out. We had some growing up to do." She smiled. "Literally, in your case. When did you get that tall?"
"I don't know. It just happened, I guess."
Boldly, she looked him in the eyes. "So...you said, way back when, that if we ended up somewhere together again..."
"I did. I lost you once, because I was stupid; I don't intend to ever lose you again if I can help it."
She pulled his head down for a kiss, murmuring, "It's a deal," against his lips.
Phineas Flynn is in a relationship with Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. Aug 26
* Ferb Fletcher, Candace Flynn Johnson, and 38 others like this.
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro is in a relationship with Phineas Flynn. Aug 26
* Anna Garcia, Gretchen Schneider, and 41 others like this.