I wrote this fic a month ago, before the PnF movie came out. But I didn't finish it till now so…it doesn't really follow the movie very much. It sort of does but not really…so yeah. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Phineas and Ferb. Simple as that.
"Hey Ferb, bogus weather we're having, huh?"
"Ferb, do you know what the homework for Chemistry is?"
"What up Ferb? Are you going to debate practice today?"
This was a typical morning for Ferb Fletcher. Every day he would walk into school with his stepbrother Phineas and neighbor Isabella. The people he would walk past would smile and wave. Some even asked him questions but nobody waited for an answer. Though Ferb was quieter than most kids, he had begun to talk more frequently when he entered high school. Many of his classmates hadn't realized that yet.
The only difference in this morning was Isabella and Phineas were not with him. Isabella had to get to school early to study for a test and Phineas took a detour by the secretary's office to pick up some flyers for family weekend next Friday. This left the British teenager to walk to his locker alone.
He was taking out his books for first period by the time Phineas caught up with him. He knew his stepbrother was close by without even turning around. Unlike himself, people actually gave Phineas enough time to answer their questions. He could hear their questions and his answers long before Phineas had even arrived at the row of lockers.
"I have to get to my locker, Randy. These flyers are getting heavy. But thanks for the tip. I'll make sure to check that site out when I get home," he heard Phineas say. Turning around, Ferb could see Phineas moving slowly towards him, his hands filled with colorful pieces of paper. Ferb quickly went to open Phineas's locker.
"Thanks Ferb," Phineas said as he carefully stuffed the flyers into his locker. "Now all that's left is to distribute them around town."
"Isn't that pile a little small for you to be distributing them to everyone in town?"
"Yes, yes it is. That is why it's only for the school. I have something better planned for the rest of the town." With that, he began rummaging around his locker. "Hey Ferb, do you have that confetti cannon we modified last week?" Ferb raised an eye at his brother's random question but looked in his locker anyway.
"Here it is," Ferb said, pulling out the device from his locker and handing it to Phineas.
"Thanks," Phineas said. But before he took the device from Ferb, he hooked a mic to his ear. "Ready to see what this confetti cannon can really do?" he asked as he rolled up many of the flyers and stuffed them into the cannon.
"I built the thing Phineas," Ferb said, rolling his eyes. "I know what it can do." Phineas only smirked at this.
"Well, you haven't seen anything yet," he said and pointed the thing into the air. Then he tapped the mic to make sure it was working and began shooting the flyers into the air.
"This is Phineas Flynn telling everyone to come to Family Weekend next Friday night and all day Saturday. Bring your brothers, your sisters, your parents, your grandparents, your dogs, your cats, your pet platypus; anyone you consider family. There will be food, drinks, games, rides, and a special invention made by yours truly." At this everyone began cheering and grabbing as many flyers as they could. "Don't forget, the festivities begin next Friday at the fairgrounds." With that Phineas stopped shooting the flyers and put the confetti cannon and mic in his locker.
"Nice job Phineas," Ferb said, smiling. Phineas smiled back.
"Thanks Ferb," Phineas said as he began taking books out of his locker. "I'm leaving the rest of the flyers for lunch. Anyway, what'cha doin'?" Ferb rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure Isabella is floored you used her catch phrase." Phineas just laughed in response and zipped up his backpack.
"Are you going to the school dance tonight?" Phineas asked. Ferb looked up from closing his messenger bag to look at Phineas. That was out of the blue.
"Uh, I guess. I mean, I don't really have a date."
"What about that girl you have a crush on? What's her name? Vanilla? Rebecca?"
"Vanessa."
"Right, Vanessa. Why don't you ask her?" Ferb sighed.
"I can't do that. I'm fourteen, she's nineteen. I'm in high school, she's in college. It's just not right."
"Love has no boundaries," Phineas said, his eyes full of concern for his brother.
"It does when you're a kid," Ferb said. "Besides, I don't think she likes me that way. I mean we've been on adventures together, like the trip around the world and that time we rebuilt the Great Barrier Reef together, but I think all we'll ever be is just friends. We'll never be anything more."
"Never say never bro," Phineas said. Ferb just sighed and put his bag on his shoulder.
"What about you Phineas?" Ferb asked. "Are you going to the dance?"
"Yeah, I'm going with Holly Arland," Phineas said, putting his own bag on his back. Ferb let his mouth hang open a moment.
"The Holly Arland? As in the senior Holly Arland, the head cheerleader?" Ferb said, his voice filling with disbelief with every question.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Phineas asked as he closed his locker.
"Well, it's just, uh, why did you, um, ask her?" Ferb said, closing his own locker and leaning against it.
"I wasn't planning on it," Phineas said. "I was at the secretary's desk, getting those flyers, when Holly came in crying. She was getting some more tissues. Apparently her boyfriend dumped her."
"Poor Holly," Ferb said. Phineas nodded in agreement
"Anyway, she was all upset about how he dumped her the day of the dance. But I think she was mostly upset about how she thought he loved her. I think she really cared about him. So I told her I would take her. What better way to get back at her boyfriend than to show him she's moved on."
"It also helps when your date is the famous Phineas Flynn," Ferb said, raising his eyebrows.
"More like un-famous," Phineas said. Ferb just laughed.
"So you didn't ask her because you like her?" Phineas just shook his head and smiled.
"Nah, I don't think I'm ready for a girlfriend just yet," he said smiling.
"Hey Phineas, hey Ferb," a voice said, catching their attention. "What'cha doin'?"
"Oh, hey Isabella," Phineas said. "We're just talking about the dance tonight." Ferb saw Isabella's eyes light up at this.
"Oh really?" Isabella said, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Yeah," Phineas said. He looked like he wanted to say more but instead he turned to his stepbrother. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Randy wants us to look at this website when we get home. It has pictures of these inventions kids like us have built and, apparently, the stuff is super-"
"PHINEAS!" Phineas, Isabella, and Ferb turned around to see their friends Buford and Baljeet running up to them. Both teenagers were breathing heavily when they got to their group of friends.
"Hey Buford, Baljeet, what's up?" Phineas said, raising his eyebrows. Baljeet held up his finger as he tried to catch his breath. Buford caught his breath much quicker than his nerdy friend and said what was on their mind.
"IS IT TRUE YOU'RE DATING HOLLY ARLAND?" Buford asked Phineas. Phineas stepped back from his loud friend and shook his head clear. People around the five friends turned to listen in on the juicy conversation.
"No, I'm just going to the dance with her," he said.
"So you are dating her," Baljeet said.
"No," Phineas said and began trying to explain to his friends the situation. However there was one friend who was not listening. When Isabella heard that Phineas was going to the dance with the head cheerleader, her whole world shattered. How could Phineas date her when he couldn't even see how much she liked him? She was so mad and upset. She quickly walked up to him, grabbed his jacket, and smashed her lips into his.
When Isabella finally pulled away, she was in shock. Not only had she kissed her childhood crush in front of everyone, but she had thrown her and Phineas's friendship down the toilet. Phineas eyes were filled with confusion, shock, and a little bit of fear. He started to back away from Isabella.
"I'm so sorry Phineas," Isabella said. She reached her hand out to Phineas but Phineas kept backing away. He looked into Isabella's eyes one more time before turning around and running off. Ferb got out of the shock of what he had just seen and ran after his best-friend. The distraught Isabella leaned her back on the lockers and slowly slid down to the floor. Her eyes were covered by her hands.
"Woah," Buford said, at a loss for words. "That was, um, interesting."
"This is beginning to be a very odd day," Baljeet said. Buford nodded in agreement just as Ferb joined them, sopping wet.
"He ran off into the storm," Ferb said as he tried to get most of the water out of his hair. "I couldn't catch up."
"Why did he run off like that?" Buford asked. Ferb looked at Isabella before he answered.
"He probably just wants to think about this alone," Ferb said. "I think he's just confused. He'll be back by lunchtime." At that moment, the bell rang for the start of school. Ferb sighed and helped Isabella to her feet. "If you were listening to Phineas's explanation," he said to her. "You would have heard him say he's was going with her as friends." Isabella sniffed and looked at Ferb.
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Isabella said. With that, she left Ferb in the hallway and headed to her first period class.
For the first time, Ferb had been wrong. Phineas had not returned by lunchtime and by the time the buses were being loaded at the end of the day, no one had seen Phineas since the morning incident. By the time the last bell of the day had rung, Ferb had started to worry where his brother was.
Isabella was taking it harder than Ferb. Not only was she upset at Phineas for running off, but she was also upset with herself for ruining a perfectly good friendship. She loaded onto the bus without making a sound. When Ferb sat beside her, she didn't even acknowledge him. When the bus stopped on their street, Isabella got off and walked as quickly as she could to her house. By the time Ferb had gotten off the bus, Isabella had already walked into her house. Ferb sighed.
"Don't worry Ferb," a voice said. Ferb looked up to see Isabella's friend Amanda leaning out the bus window. "I'm coming over to her house tonight to get her ready for the dance. I'll try to talk to her about it. She'll be fine. You just worry about Phineas." Ferb just smiled and walked to his house as the bus pulled away.
When Ferb entered his house, all he heard was complete silence. His mother and father were not home yet. He knew his sister was at college so she wasn't going to be home anyway. However, what really scared him was he had no clue where his brother was. A chattering sound next to him, however, caught his attention.
"Oh there you are Perry," Ferb said, as he looked at his pet platypus. "How was Doof today?" Perry just chattered a response, took off the fedora that was on his head, and lay down on his pet pillow. After Perry decided to tell the boys that he was a secret agent, again, it became easier to leave to go on missions. While the memories of the day in the second dimension where still lost to them, he didn't feel like it was fair for them to not know who he was. "You wouldn't happen to know where Phineas is, would you?" Ferb asked. Perry nodded his head and motioned upstairs, all with his eyes closed.
Ferb made his way up the stairs, slowly and quietly. He didn't want Phineas to run off again like he did at school. Finally, Ferb was able to make it to his and Phineas's room without making a sound. He slowly opened their bedroom door and peeked inside. Phineas was in his bed, on his side with his head in his hands. He didn't seem to notice that the bedroom door was open until Ferb cleared his throat.
"Ferb," Phineas said, surprised. He didn't think he'd see Ferb till later. "I thought you'd be at school."
"I was," Ferb said, putting his backpack on his bed. "But school's over. You missed a full day of school." Phineas groaned and rolled onto his stomach.
"I really don't care at the moment," Phineas mumbled into his pillow.
"What's up Phineas?" Ferb asked, sitting down on Phineas's bed. "Usually you're totally bummed about missing school."
"I know, but right now I have more things on my mind than Algebra and English." Ferb looked at the back of his brother's head and then at his own hands. He took a deep breath.
"Is this about Isabella?" he asked slowly.
"Why'd she have to make things so complicated?" Phineas said. His voice was filled with a mixture of anger and annoyance, probably at his neighbor/friend.
"What do you mean?" Ferb asked. Phineas rolled onto his back so he could look at his stepbrother.
"I always liked her as a friend. She was my best friend. I cared about her and never wanted anything bad to happen to her."
"So, what's the problem?"
"The problem?" Phineas said. "The problem is she kissed me. She kissed me! Now I don't know what to think. Who is she to me? Is she still my friend or something more than that?"
"Just because she kissed you doesn't mean you have to date her," Ferb said.
"I know that," Phineas said. He was beginning to lose patience with his brother. "But, when she kissed me, I felt…different. It even felt like I had kissed her before. But it was almost like my whole world was complete when we were together. I always did like her company. Do you think I always felt that way?"
"I don't know," Ferb said. He wasn't sure he should be giving his brother love advice when he couldn't even ask his crush to go to a simple dance.
"You're no help," Phineas said, rolling back onto his stomach.
"Why don't you tell her how you feel, or think you feel?" With that sentence, Phineas pushed his upper body up and turned to look at Ferb.
"Are. You. Crazy?" He asked. "I can never do that. I'm not going to ruin our friendship just because I'm going through weird teenage boy problems."
"But," Ferb began, but Phineas cut him off.
"Shut up," he said. "That is the end of this conversation." With that he pointed to the door. Ferb realized there was nothing he could say to help Phineas so he left him to think about this on his own.
A few hours later, Ferb was dressed and ready for the dance. Phineas, however, was not.
"Phineas," Ferb said, entering their room. "Aren't you going to get dressed?" Phineas, his head still in his pillow, mumbled in response. "Come on Phineas. You can't avoid this forever."
"Yes I can," Phineas said, turning around. "I'm not ready to face Isabella yet, and you know she'll be at the dance. Her friends are going to make her go."
"What about Holly?" Ferb asked. Phineas looked at his brother for a second before smacking himself in the head.
"I totally forgot about her," Phineas said. "I can't just ditch her like that."
"So are you going?" Ferb asked his brother. Phineas sighed.
"Yes," he said, though he didn't feel too pleased about it. "I'll go."
"Good," Ferb said, throwing a clean shirt at his brother. "Get dressed. We're leaving in thirty minutes." Phineas caught the shirt with great ease and shot a look at his brother.
"And how am I supposed to shower and get dressed in thirty minutes?" he asked. Ferb just rolled his eyes and walked out of the room.
"You're a genius," he said. "You figure it out."
Phineas was done getting ready twenty minutes later. It was a good thing he and Ferb had created that super shampoo that was shampoo, conditioner, and soap. He was clean, he smelled fresh, he was ready for, what he believed, was going to be the most awkward night of his life.
"Oh Phineas, don't you look stylish," his mom said when Phineas came down the stairs. She took a picture, blinding Phineas with the flash.
"Geez Mom," Phineas said, rubbing his eyes. "Do you have to do that?" His mom smiled and took another picture.
"Yes, yes I do," she said. "Now you too get together." Ferb and Phineas stood side-by-side as their mother and father took picture after picture after picture.
"Don't you too have dates?" their father asked. Phineas and Ferb looked at each before Phineas cleared his throat.
"My date is going to meet me there," Phineas said, unsure if he should tell his parents that his date was a senior.
"I decided that I'm going stag father," Ferb said, knowing he was never going to tell his parents he was in love with a college girl.
"Well all righty then," their father said.
"Is Isabella coming over?" their mother asked. "I want to get some pictures of the three of you." Phineas eyes widened. Ferb glanced quickly at his watch.
"Look at the time," Ferb said. He grabbed Phineas's hand and started dragging Phineas towards the door. "We must be going. Phineas doesn't want to be late for his date. See you at 11." With that, he quickly closed the door behind him.
"What was that all about?" their father asked.
"I have no idea."
Phineas and Ferb ridded in front of the school gym ten minutes later. Thanks to the jets on their bikes, they didn't need to do much peddling and they still cut their travel time in half.
"There's Holly," Ferb said, pointing towards the front door of the gym. "Go wow her with your Phineas charm." With that, he pushed his brother towards the senior. Phineas staggered and slowly made his way towards Holly.
"H-h-hi Holly," Phineas said. He was really nervous. After this morning, he was never going to be able to look at girls the same way again.
"Hey Phineas," Holly said. "Are you…nervous?" she asked amusingly. Phineas only smiled sheepishly. "Well, don't worry. I won't bite."
"Is your ex in there yet?" Phineas asked, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, Henry's in there," she said. "He thinks it's just a rumor that I'm going with you."
"Well, let's make his eyes pop out of his head," Phineas said, holding out his arm for Holly to grab. Holly grabbed it and smiled. They both took a big breath and started walking through the doors of the gym.
"What up Danville High? Are you ready to rock?" Everyone cheered as the dj started playing Gitchi Gitchi Goo. "And if it isn't Phineas Flynn walking in with Holly Arland. Hey, isn't he a little young to be dating a senior?"
"Yes, yes I am," Phineas mumbled. Holly put a hand over her mouth and giggled.
"Oh you're so funny Phineas," Holly said, playfully slapping him on the arm.
"Where is he?" Phineas whispered, barely moving his lips. He was glad he took that ventriloquist class two years ago.
"Over there, by the punch bowl," Holly said, flipping her hair back.
"Do you want to dance now?" Phineas asked. Holly kept smiling and playing with Phineas's hair.
"Not yet," she said. "I think I want to talk to my friends first. Why don't you go find your gang and I'll get you when a good song comes on. You can dance, right?" Phineas pretended to look hurt.
"I am appalled that you would think I can't dance," he said, his voice filled with mock hurt. "I'm Phineas Flynn. I can do anything." He then smiled. "Don't worry. Ferb taught me some of his dance moves. I won't embarrass you."
"I know you won't," she said. With that, she kissed Phineas's cheek. "Thanks for doing this for me. It was really sweet of you." She winked and walked toward where her friends where.
"No problem," Phineas said, a little surprised. He slowly turned and began walking towards where he had seen Ferb go. The whole way he was thinking about his relationship with girls. Holly was just a friend, right? And what about Isabella? Was she still a friend? His head hurt by the time he got to where Ferb was standing.
"Hey Phineas," Ferb said. "Where's Holly?"
"Talking to some friends," Phineas said. "Got someone to dance with?" Before Ferb could answer, however, someone interrupted him.
"Hey Dinner Bell," someone said. Phineas and Ferb turned around to find Buford, Baljeet, and Baljeet's date Wendy coming towards them. "Where's Holly? I thought you were into her." Phineas suddenly got very angry.
"I am not dating her," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm just trying to be nice to her since her ex dumped her the day of the dance."
"Yeah right," Buford said. "You're totally into her."
"No he's not Buford," Ferb said. Buford just rolled his eyes at him.
"I think it's really sweet what he's doing for Holly," Wendy said.
"Thanks Wendy," Phineas said, glad that someone understood. "Just don't tell anyone. I don't think Holly wants everyone to know." Wendy nodded so he would understand she wouldn't say a word. Buford, however, was not going to let it go.
"Oh please," Buford said. "You're just saying that so you don't have to deal with Isabella." That was the last straw for Phineas. He rammed into Buford, pushing him into the folded in bleachers.
"I. AM. NOT. DATING. HOLLY." Phineas said. Ferb looked around to see if anyone had seen Phineas's reaction, but realized the music was too loud for people to eavesdrop anyway.
"Whoa, since when did you become so strong?" Buford said. "I'm on the wrestling team. No one can pin me down."
"Shut up," Phineas said. Buford, Baljeet, Wendy, and especially Ferb were taken back by this. Phineas never told anyone to shut up, no matter what. "Holly and I are JUST FRIENDS, and I want to deal with this whole thing with Isabella but I have no idea where to start. So shut your mouth and leave me alone." With that, he put down his arms and walked off, leaving his friends to watch him leave with their mouths open.
Phineas was thinking about getting some punch when the song S.I.M.P came on. All of a sudden he saw Holly running towards him.
"OMG I love this song," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him onto the dance floor. "Let's dance."
Phineas started spinning Holly around. Everyone around them stopped dancing and moved out of the way to watch what Phineas Flynn was going to do. Phineas began doing flips, twists, spins, and turns all while guiding Holly around the dance floor. Since Holly was a cheerleader, she was easily able to follow Phineas's moves. Whenever Phineas gave her the signal to do a backflip, she did one. Throughout the song, they moved to the beat. Phineas would dip her and Holly would giggle. They would sway their hips to the music. Eventually, others began dancing around them. By the time the song was over, almost everyone was on the dance floor. Everyone except for Isabella, that is.
Isabella was standing as far into the corner as she could. She had seen Phineas walk in with Holly. Who didn't? She hoped Phineas wouldn't see her. She hoped no one would see her. The only reason why she came to the dance was because her friends made her. All she wanted to do was wallow in self-pity, cry her eyes out, and maybe hug her dog Pinky. She didn't want to be here, surrounded by people who were so happy.
"Well, hello my pretty lady," a voice behind her said. "Would thou care to dance?" Isabella rolled her eyes at the voice and turned around.
"I'm not in the mood Irving," she said, annoyed. Irving had a hurt look on his face.
"Aw, come on," he said, making a pouty face. "No one else will dance with me, and I thought, since we were friends…" Isabella sighed. She hated herself even more for being so mean to him.
"I'm sorry Irving," she said. "I'm just not in the mood to do any dancing right now. I mean I don't even want to be here."
"Why not?" Isabella raised her eyebrow in confusion.
"You mean you don't know?" she asked. Irving shook his head. "You don't know what happened with me and Phineas?"
"Did you guys have a fight?" he asked, confused.
"Aren't you the expert on Phineas and Ferb?" she asked. "Shouldn't you know everything that happens to them?"
"Well of course," he answered. "But I've been trying to cut down on my spying. During school hours I allow them some peace and quiet."
"Great," Isabella mumbled. "Just great."
"Hey Isabella, what'cha doin'?" Buford asked as he walked towards her. Baljeet, Wendy, and Ferb followed closely behind. It seemed the dance had just ended.
"Do I need to punch your face in?" she asked, raising her fist. Buford looked scared and raised his hands in defense.
"No, I mean, uh, hi Isabella how are you?" he said, his voice uneasy. Isabella lowered her hand and smiled, happy her point came across.
"Very well, thank you Buford," she said. Baljeet and Ferb laughed at Buford's expense.
"Yeah, ha ha, very funny," Buford replied, but that didn't stop the snickering.
"Oh my gosh, I love this song," Wendy suddenly exclaimed, pulling Baljeet onto the dance floor as Music Makes Us Better started playing.
"Yeah, I guess I could dance to this song," Buford said as he too made his way onto the dance floor.
"At least I don't need a partner to dance to this song," Irving said, shimming his way through the crowd to where Baljeet and Wendy were dancing.
"Do you want to dance too?" Ferb asked Isabella, after a long silence. Isabella looked away. Ferb slowly rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," Isabella finally said. Ferb sighed and walked away. Maybe he could talk some sense into his brother.
"Wow, that was some dance Phineas," Holly said, out of breath once they were finally off the dance floor. "I don't know how many times I can do that."
"Sorry, you know me," Phineas said, shrugging his shoulders. "I have a lot of energy."
"I don't doubt you," she replied. They both smiled at each other. "So what's the deal with you and Isabella?" Phineas tensed at her question and looked away.
"You look like you need some punch," he said trying to change the subject. I'll go get you some." With that, he began to make a speedy getaway. Unfortunately for him, Holly had better reflexes.
"Oh no you don't," she said grabbing Phineas' jacket and turning him around. "Don't change the subject. Do you like her or not?"
"What?" Phineas stammered. Holly sighed. Boys were so clueless.
"Do you like her or not?" she repeated. Phineas averted his eyes. He seemed more interested in his shoes than Holly's face. "Look at me Phineas," she said loudly, trying to grab his attention over the music. Phineas looked up. He seemed scared.
"I don't know," he said. He was just confused. Holly was determined to fix that.
"Okay, answer me this," she said. "Does your heart beat faster when you see her?"
"Huh?" he said, more confused than usual.
"When you see her coming down the hall or when you see her in your backyard, do you feel like your heart is beating faster than normal?" she asked.
"Yeah but I always figured it was because I needed to get into shape more," he said, like it was the simplest answer in the universe.
"Says the guy who just said he was full of so much energy," Holly said, smiling. She was still trying to catch her breath from dancing while Phineas didn't look like he was tired at all.
"Touché," he said, winking at her. Holly laughed then became serious.
"Don't change the subject," she said. The look on her face washed all humor off of his own face. This was a serious issue. "How do you feel when Isabella gets all lovey-dovey over that hot goalie on the soccer team?" Phineas began thinking, no doubt picturing the guy in his mind.
"Angry, hurt, protective," he said. Holly just nodded his head.
"You're angry that Isabella likes him, hurt that she doesn't like you, and protective because you love her so much that you never want her to get hurt," Holly said. Phineas, who had begun looking at his feet again, suddenly looked up.
"Love?" he whispered. Holly couldn't hear him but judging by his shocked expression, she knew her message had gone through.
"Go get her tiger," she said, pushing Phineas into the crowd. The song was almost over and she would bet her cheerleading spot that a slow song was coming up next.
"Holly!" Holly turned around to find Ferb running up to her. "Holly, have you seen Phineas?"
"Yeah, he just left. I think he's going to ask Isabella to dance." Ferb looked at her, surprised.
"How did you manage that?" he asked. Holly just shrugged her shoulders and started to look for some punch.
"It's a girl thing."
Isabella disliked watching all the happy people dancing all over. It wasn't that she didn't want them to be happy. She loved when people were happy. However, watching happy people made her realize just how unhappy she really was. Maybe she could call her mom to come pick her up early. Amanda could get a ride back with her older brother. Isabella didn't feel like having a sleepover like they planned. She was just contemplating whether or not to tell Amanda about her plans when a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hello, my lady," the voice behind her said. "May I have this dance?"
"For the last time Irving," Isabella said as she started to turn around. "I don't want to-" Her voice faltered before she could finish her sentence. Right in front of her was Phineas, not Irving, Phineas. "Phineas?" she whispered. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She must have been dreaming.
"I'm sorry," Phineas said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked nervous. "I'll just go." He looked ashamed for asking his best friend to dance. Isabella shook her head clear and took a deep breath.
"I'd love to dance with you," she said. As much as she wanted for things to go back to the way they were, she knew she'd have to talk to him about the kiss. As much as she hated to admit it, dancing seemed like the only way Phineas would talk to her. Phineas smiled when she said this, though he looked unsure. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along just as You Snuck You're Way Right Into My Heart came blaring through the speakers.
'Great,' Isabella thought. 'Just great, a slow song. Just what I needed.' Phineas seemed to tense up upon hearing the song start. The same song his parents had their first kiss to. 'Perfect," Isabella said, rolling her eyes.
Phineas finally stopped near the middle of the dance floor. Then he picked up her right hand with his left and put his right hand around her waist. Isabella felt her back tingle when he placed his hand on her back but tried to act as calm as possible. She didn't dare look at his eyes. Phineas was doing the same thing.
"What is he doing?" Ferb said to himself. "He isn't even looking at her. I don't care if they don't talk but they should at least talk to each other."
"Talking to yourself again, Ferbo," Buford said, sipping his punch. Ferb just groaned and walked away. "Whatever."
"Holly," Ferb said when he finally found Phineas's date. "I need you to dance with me." Holly, who had been sipping punch when he said this, spit it out. Ferb's quick reflexes, however, kept him from getting his white shirt stained.
"What," she said, wiping her mouth with her hand. Ferb grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and handed it to her. "Thanks."
"I need to get to Phineas to try to give him some advice and I have to make it as subtle as possible," he said, hoping she would get what he was saying. "I need to dance my way close to him and you're the only person who can through to him about his love life." Holly smiled and nodded her head. She would do it.
"So, um, how was math class today?" Phineas asked, trying to start a conversation. He was afraid that looking at her would make him speechless. He realized that this whole situation wasn't really helping him out either.
"Oh it was good," Isabella said. She knew what Phineas was doing and she was glad about it. Anything other than talking about what happened that morning was good for her. "Ms. Manson gave us a pop quiz. Franklin was so scared he threw up all over his quiz." Phineas made an awkward laugh and shuffled in place.
"Poor Franklin," he said. Isabella smiled and took a glance at his face. He looked so perfect. Phineas, realizing she was looking at him quickly turned his head. Isabella quickly turned her head to the side. She mentally cursed herself. Seven years of looking away had become a force of habit that now seemed hard to break.
Phineas was both happy and disappointed that Isabella had looked away. He wanted to look into her eyes and feel comforted by her gaze. It always made his heart stop and he liked it. He wanted to tell her how he felt but for once, he was at a loss for words. Movement out of the corner of his eyes made him turn his head. Next to him, dancing with Holly was his own half-brother Ferb. Ferb seemed to be mouthing something to him. Tell her how you feel.
No.
She needs to know.
How do you know that?
She's my friend too. You think I don't know.
Phineas just closed his eyes. There was this thumping in his head. He was beginning to think that this dancing thing was a bad idea. Opening his eyes again, he saw that Holly was facing him. She was also mouthing to him. Tell her now.
No.
Fine but I just have three words for you: YOU LOVE HER!
Those three words struck a chord with Phineas. Slowly, almost like a robot, he turned to face Isabella. She still wasn't looking at him. He took one more look at his brother, who was looking at him with concern in his eyes, before realizing what he needed to do.
"Isabella?" he asked. She started turning her head to look at him. During that span of time it took for her head to face his, millions of questions were forming in his head.
'Oh, no, she's turning. I didn't think she would actually turn. What do I do? You know what you need to do. It's just like ripping off a Band-Aid. That isn't a good comparison. It's not going to hurt. Well I hope it isn't going to hurt. You're not dreading it either. Well, you are. No you're not, you like more than a friend so it's not like you don't want it to happen. Okay, better analogy. It's just like jumping into a cold pool. Just dive in and once you've dived in, there is no going back.'
After what seemed like hours, Isabella's head finally faced his. For the first time since that morning, they finally looked into each other's eyes. Phineas took a silent breath and pulled Isabella closer to him. He leaned closer and in less than a second, his lips were on hers. Isabella, confused at first, decided to go with it, and she closed her eyes.
Ferb and Holly did a silent victory dance that did not go with the song at all. Unfortunately for them, it didn't last long. First came the fire alarm, then the sprinklers, then Buford and Baljeet running into the gym from the doors leading to the school screaming "I didn't do it."
However, through all of this, Phineas and Isabella didn't seem fazed. They were no longer kissing, but they seemed to be lost in each other's eyes. As the teachers began ushering the panicking students out, Ferb started moving t wards the exit, only to realize that Phineas and Isabella were not moving. Sighing, he ran back, grabbed his two best friends' hands and started hauling them out the door.
Outside, everyone was shivering as they waited for the verdict from the teachers. They couldn't go back inside until the teachers said it was okay. The fire department had already done a sweep around the school, saying a fire was started in one of the chem labs (Buford had mysteriously disappeared before the fire department had arrived). Once they left, it was up to the school to decide if the dance was to continue.
One of the chaperones stood up on the steps of the gym and cleared her throat. It wasn't needed however. Nobody was talking. They wanted to get back into the gym as fast as possible.
"Due to the unfortunate event in the chem lab, the dance has been canceled." Everyone groaned. "I know, I know. But the floors are so wet from the sprinklers that there is no way we can allow anyone back in. I'm sorry." Everyone groaned again and began turning around. Phineas heard Isabella next to him sigh. He put an arm around her, trying to comfort her. She smiled up at him. Then suddenly, his eyes widened. He started widely looking around before he finally found what he was looking for. Ferb was near the bike rack trying to unlock his bike.
Phineas smiled, cupped his hands around his mouth and said, "Ferb, I know what we're going to do tonight." Ferb looked up and smiled.
"Took you long enough," he said. All the students started clapping and yelling. The dance was back on.
Ten minutes later, everyone was out on the dance floor. Isabella was laughing as Phineas spun her and spun her till she got dizzy.
"Stop it Phineas," she said, giggling. "I'm getting dizzy."
"That's the point Izzy," he said. "You laugh when you get dizzy and I like your laugh." If she wasn't so dizzy, she would have blushed at that statement.
"Ok, but you need to stop," she said. "I don't want to puke all over these clean floors." Phineas smiled at her and stopped spinning her around. Isabella took a deep breath and tried to walk. No such luck. Phineas, not missing a beat, picked her up bridal style and took her off the dance floor. She laughed the whole way to where their friends were standing on the sidelines.
"Even in romance he is the perfect boyfriend," Baljeet said, crossing his arms. Phineas just rolled his eyes.
"You seem pretty good to me," Wendy said, making Baljeet giggle. "Come on, let's dance." With that, she pulled him onto the dance floor, leaving Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella alone.
"Where's Holly?" Phineas asked. "I just saw you dancing with her."
"Randy Newton just asked her to dance," Ferb said. Phineas raised his eyebrows.
"The catcher on the baseball team?" Isabella asked.
"Yeah," Ferb said. Then suddenly, he looked down at his shoes. Phineas scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Ferb just sighed.
"I'm fine," he said. "I guess it just feels weird that everyone's paired off except me."
"Not everyone's paired off," Phineas said. "Buford isn't."
"Thanks Phineas. That makes me feel so much better."
"Well, you won't be single for long," Phineas said. Ferb just raised an eyebrow in confusion before Phineas pointed towards the door. There, standing at the entrance of the gym was his crush, Vanessa.
"Wha-?" Ferb said, looking towards his brother and back at the girl now coming towards him.
"I called her," Phineas said. "Asked her what she thought of you, and she said she'd wish you ask her out. So I asked her out for you." Ferb was still speechless. He looked back at Vanessa. She was getting closer. "Sorry about not warning you." Before Ferb could attempt to say anything else, though, Vanessa was right in front of him.
"Hi Ferb," she said. Ferb just kept his mouth open before Phineas nudged him the back.
"H-hi Va-Vanessa," Ferb said. He was starting to sweat.
"Yes, Ferb would love to dance with you Vanessa," Phineas said, pushing Ferb and Vanessa onto the dance floor. When Ferb turned around, Phineas mouthed, you're welcome. Ferb just rolled his eyes.
"Now why weren't you that confident with me?" Isabella asked, wrapping her arms around her waist. Phineas was about to move her hands off of him, from force of habit, when he stopped and smiled.
"I don't know," he said, as he put an arm around her and started walking towards the refreshment table. "Love is a confusing thing, isn't it?"
Not so sure about the ending. I can never do endings. Sometimes I can but with this one I had no idea. I was going to end it after the sprinklers went off but I figured I needed to give Ferb some love. Ugh, the ending was so cheesy. I dislike cheesy romance stuff. It's cute but it also makes me roll my eyes at the same time. Did not like how the Vanessa part turned out. Way to cheesy. Oh well…review!
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