Two years had passed since the Last Day of Summer. Isabella drifted away from Phineas. Phineas had used to take her for granted, but now that she was gone, he just wanted to be best friends again. The first day without Isabella wasn't that bad. But as the weeks of summer flew on by, Phineas realized she meant more to him than he had ever thought. It started consuming him, until it got almost half as bad as Candace's busting obsession. Then he realized that he didn't like her as a best friend. He had a huge crush on her and hadn't seen her in a few months. Phineas pushed his head deeper into his pillow. The sound of his mother cooking made him restless, no, that wasn't true, it was something else. He didn't want to tell anyone about it, because the less people knew about his secret crush, the better, or so he thought. "Come on, Phineas, all you do nowadays is roll around on your bed and invent. You can do better than this," Ferb chided. Phineas didn't respond. Not only was he heartbroken, but he hadn't invented anything very good in a couple weeks. "Why, ever since Isabella stopped coming over, you have gone introverted!" Ferb exclaimed. "Come on, Phineas, just because Isabella doesn't like to come over anymore doesn't mean we can't have fun. Take this ceramic plate. It represents all of us. Now let's break it," Ferb beckoned. He broke a small piece off. "Look, this is all of us, and this is Isabella," Ferb compared. "Now, as a plate, are we just going to sit there and not fulfill our purpose just because 5% of us is gone? No! We are still going to invent, because we are still functional!" Ferb seemed a little angry.
"I think you are confused. That one's Isabella, and that is the rest of us," Phineas disagreed.
"Wow! You have a- You have a bad, bad crush on Isabella, don't you?" Ferb confronted.
Phineas' countenance turned a hellish red. "No! Why would you- Forget it! Yes! I do! I admit it! I have a crush on flipping Isabella!" Phineas burst. Teary eyed and furious, he stormed out and nearly trampled Candace. She was moving out day after tomorrow, but she decided to stay just long enough to witness this. The Mysterious Force didn't like Candace nearly as much as her brothers. Phineas needed to apologize immediately, but he didn't. He just left the house. He kicked th oak tree as hard as he could. "Ow!" Phineas screamed. Meanwhile, Ferb stood awestruck. Phineas liked Isabella. How long had he been hiding this? Isabella had fallen out of love with Phineas, which was a lot harder than falling in love with him. But Phineas didn't know any of that. He took a deep breath. Phineas put his hand on his forehead. How was he going to get Isabella to start coming over again? How would he even talk to her without an excuse? He decided he needed an excuse to talk to her, because he couldn't just talk to her. He also needed to hold a conversation with her, and find a way to get her to come back. Candace! That was it! He would have Candace chat with Isabella about life, and then Candace would "accidentally" leave something there. Then, she would send Phineas to fetch it for her. "Candace!" Phineas asked.
"Yeah?" Candace responded. She was a little unsettled, but overall she was all right.
"Could I ask you a huge favor?" Phineas wondered.
"Only if it is important or semi-convenient," Candace replied.
"It is both," Phineas informed. "You know I have been suffering from depression lately, right?"
"Yeah," Candace confirmed.
"That just might have to do with Isabella not coming over anymore. It took me this long just to realize I had a crush on her, and I hardly ever see her anymore. All that I ask is that I could talk to her. Could you help me?" Phineas asked.
Candace nodded her head energetically. "The funny thing is that Isabella used to have a crush on you," Candace explained.
"What? And you didn't tell me? Who knew?!" Phineas interrogated.
"Everyone, Phineas. Even your mother," Candace replied.
"What?!" Phineas exclaimed.
"Now about that plan of yours, I can tweak it to turn out much better. Don't worry; if you play your cards right, you'll be her boyfriend before I move out," Candace promised.
"Wait! You really think so?" Phineas oscillated.
"If you play your cards right," Candace replied. "But I'm sure you know how to do that. Whatever you do, don't stress about it, please. I am sure you'll do fine if you just be yourself and treat her well. Remember that she used to have a crush on you; she doesn't anymore, but I bet you could get her to fall in love with you again."
"But I still don't understand how me talking to her makes anything happen," Phineas responded.
"I'll take care of that part. Just trust me, Phineas," Candace advised.
"Okay," Phineas trusted.
Candace took out her phone. "In fact, I'm going to call Isabella right now," Candace uttered with a grin. Phineas eavesdropped at the beckoning of Candace. "Hi, can I please talk to Isabella?" Candace requested.
"Candace? Is that you?" Vivian responded.
"Yeah. I just wanted to talk to her about life, because I am moving out in two days, after all," Candace explained.
"Oh! Wow! Congratulations!" Vivian started.
"Is Isabella there?" Candace interjected.
"Oh, yeah, um, here she is," Vivian beckoned.
"Hi, Isabella here," Isabella stated.
"It's me, Candace," Candace clarified.
"Oh," Isabella responded. She sounded a little less than happy about Candace calling her, because in her book, Candace meant Phineas, and Phineas meant her heart shattering all over again.
"Yeah, I am moving out in two days, and I thought 'Hey! Why not call Isabella to see how she is doing?'. Also, I wanted to tell you I finally busted the boys! Yeah, they didn't get in trouble, but when you're Candace Flynn, you take what you can get. I'd love to chat with you over the phone, but I'm crunched for time; could I come over to your house tomorrow?"
"Sure, I'm not doing anything tomorrow; how about 10:00 in the morning?" Isabella asked.
"It's a time! See you tomorrow," Candace finished. Then Candace hung up. She walked up to Phineas and whispered more advice in his ear.
· · ·
Candace got up. The clock read 7:30. And when the clock read 9:57 Candace walked out the door. She walked across the street and almost got ran over by a semi truck. "Yer kids!" the driver yelled. She knocked on Isabella's door. Vivian opened it. "Oh, hello, Candace! My have you grown! Why, last time I saw you, you were this tall," Vivian greeted.
"That is how tall I am right now," Candace responded.
"Oh," Vivian receded. "Isabella is out in the backyard."
Candace gave a slight nod before going out. "Hi, Isabella," Candace greeted.
"Hello, Candace," Isabella greeted.
"How have you been doing?" Candace wondered.
"I have been doing quite well, actually," Isabella fibbed.
"Can I put my coat in the coat closet?" Candace asked.
"Sure, and yeah, life has been really good to me," Isabella repeated.
Candace was speaking based off of what Isabella said as far as the subject of Phineas went. "Cool. Yeah, I am preparing for the next busing step in my life, Phineas is doing great, Ferb is doing okay, and I think we're all pretty content right now," Candace fibbed back.
"What have you been up to lately?" Isabella wondered.
"Oh, I am getting married to Jeremy in four weeks, Phineas has taken a step back from inventing, and Ferb hasn't changed much at all, which is concerning," Candace replied. "And you?" Candace questioned.
"I'm not a Fireside girl anymore, and, well, that's pretty much it," Isabella answered.
"Yeah, it is amazing how time flies, isn't it?" Candace remarked.
"It sure is," Isabella agreed. "Would you like some tea?"
"Yes, please," Candace accepted.
"Okay, let me start the water. What flavor would you like?" Isabella proffered.
"Chamomile," Candace answered.
So Isabella left for a second. She came back with two teacups, both filled to the brim with hot chamomile tea. Isabella had to be very careful as to not have any slosh out. She finally got them to the table. The steam from them did not hesitate to embark. Isabella ran back to get the sugar and the ice. Meanwhile, Candace decided to do something stupid. She took a sip from the teacup. It was too hot; Candace jumped up and moaned in pain. Isabella arrived with the sugar and the ice immediately after. "Sugar and ice?" Isabella offered.
"It's a little late for that," a sour Candace responded.
"What happened?!" Isabella asked concernedly.
"I burnt my tongue," Candace answered.
"Oh," Isabella responded. She had forgotten how lacking Candace was in the common sense department. Truth be told, Candace hadn't had a hot drink since Christmas. "Here, suck on an ice cube, and make contact with the burnt area," Isabella advised.
"Why?" Candace wondered confusedly.
"It will effectively reverse your blunder," Isabella exclaimed.
"Where'd you learn that?" Candace questioned.
"As a Fireside girl, of course! I and the girls had to get our 'Too Hot!' patches, so I have experience with this kind of stuff," Isabella replied.
"Ah," Candace responded.
"So how has your relationship with Phineas been?" Isabella asked.
"It has been a lot better lately. He has been growing into a young man. He isn't a nuisance like he used to be. I can happily say that I have two brothers now," Candace boasted.
"Uh huh," Isabella responded.
"How is Ferb doing?" Isabella rushed. She clearly didn't want to think about Phineas anymore.
"He is doing quite well. He has a girlfriend now," Candace answered. "You know, you really should see what he and Phineas are doing these days."
"Why'd you say Ferb first?" Isabella asked.
This threw Candace off kilter. "Because I had been talking about him first," Candace fibbed.
Isabella knew she was hiding something. "What aren't you telling me, Candace?" Isabella confronted. Candace's face darkened. "Did Phineas die?" Isabella worried.
Candace burst into laughter. "No, silly! Phineas is fine!" Candace equivocated.
"Oh, then what is it?" Isabella asked again.
"What's what?" Candace stalled.
"What isn't fine at the Flynn-Fletcher household?" Isabella interrogated.
"Um, nothing?" Candace lied.
"Candace, you can tell me anything," Isabella encouraged.
"I am sorry I don't feel the same way," Candace fled.
"What is it, then?" Isabella ignored.
"Let's make a deal. I'll tell you what's bothering us after you tell me what's bothering you," Candace proposed.
"No!" Isabella exclaimed. "I mean, I don't have anything that's bothering me."
"So you know how I feel, then?" Candace sped.
"Yeah," Isabella closed. "Good talk, and who knows, maybe I'll bump into you at a mall someday."
"Yeah, good talk," Candace agreed. Candace left without her jacket or her thingamajig that she had been holding, supposedly. That thingamajig was a gift from Jeremy. Still, this was all purposeful and premeditated. All Candace had to do now was wait a couple of hours, send Phineas on the mission, and stall Phineas duly departure. The first step was pretty easy. Candace sent Phineas out with exact instructions. So Phineas walked across the street. He had never been more nervous in his life. He knocked on the door. Isabella looked through the peephole. When she saw Phineas, she freaked out. Why was he here? How did he get even more handsome? A few months of falling out of love with Phineas were dashed to pieces in one moment. She opened the door nervously.
"Hi, Isabella," Phineas greeted. The amount of effort it took for Phineas to say that was just ridiculous.
"Um, hi," Isabella greeted back.
"I just needed to come back for Candace's jacket and her thingamajig that she left here," Phineas explained. "Uh, she couldn't come back herself, because she is busy packing up her stuff." Phineas failed to suppress his blush. He needed those excuses not just for justification, but also for distractions.
"Oh," Isabella responded. The only thing keeping her from Phineasland now was fear. What if she said something regrettable? Wait, was Phineas blushing?
"Could you help me find her jacket and her thingamajig?" Phineas asked.
"Of course!" Isabella uttered as if she was possessed.
"Great! Let's get started," Phineas suggested. Isabella woke up from her trance. Phineas had already gone into the closet to search for the jacket.
"Oh! Jacket! Right!" she thought. So she followed in his footsteps. She didn't realize that he was right there, so she bumped into him and she fell over on top of him. This was a particularly embarrassing moment. Phineas awoke after a few seconds of what seemed to be unconsciousness.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize-" Phineas started.
"It's okay, it was my fault," Isabella imploded.
"Don't say that!" Phineas exclaimed. "I should have warned you I was right here."
"No, it was my fau- never mind, it doesn't matter anyway. This is Candace's coat, right?" Isabella asked.
"Mhm," a very embarrassed Phineas replied. Isabella's brain was still working, but only 2/3 as well. She was completely ignoring what just happened. If she didn't, she would not know how her mind would take it. She's probably leap into Phineasland and never come back.
"Okay, so what do we do now?" a dazed Isabella inquired.
"Um-" Phineas started. "Oops! Let's see here, why isn't the doorknob work- wait, are we stuck in here?!" Phineas, for whatever reason, did not want to be in a dark closet with Isabella. He didn't know what happened behind locked doors, but his instincts told him it wasn't good. He wiggled the doorknob with all his might, just to be sure. Finally, the door opened. "Now to the thingamajig!" Phineas shouted. "I need to call Candace, she'd know where it would be."
"Phineas?!" Candace bellowed over the phone.
"Candace, where did you put your thingamajig again?" Phineas inquired.
"I don't know, but you know that was a gift from Jeremy! Don't rile me!" Candace warned. "You know what? I don't even have time to talk to you, I have Ducky Momo in one hand, a bag of Thor memorabilia in my other, and I'm not talking about Mandy's brother, mind you! My phone is pressed against my shoulder, and I am not happy right now! Ferb! Get your grain silo out of my way! I don't care if it's a water heater, it's in my way!" Candace rambled loudly. Then Candace hung up.
Phineas sighed. "Yeah, Candace isn't going to be much help," he stated.
"Let's check outside first. Wait, does my mom know you're here? I'll meet you outside," Isabella instructed.
"Sounds good," Phineas responded. The good thing about Candace's rant was that it allowed Phineas and Isabella to compose themselves. So Phineas went out. He saw the teacups and the teapot. They amused him. Little did he know, his own little mental world he had created was about to be destroyed.
"I'm here, Phineas," Isabella informed. Boom! It was gone, just like that. In Phineas' thought process, Isabella blocked out all other irrelevant thoughts and partially blocked other relevant thoughts. When his brain was given a visual, Isabella was all he could think about. His jaw dropped. Was it the lighting or the scenery? Isabella just became ten times as beautiful to Phineas, if that's possible. The correct explanation would be that he was prepared to block out her beauty and his desires when he knocked on her door, but now he was not. He thought he would get hit hardest at the door; he was wrong. Was she wearing something different? He suddenly couldn't tell. He couldn't let this consume him. He already felt quite weak and almost dizzy. The only way he could keep his eyes off of her is if he closed them, or at least squinted; he did the latter. "Where do you think it would be? It isn't on the table, where do you think the thingamajig is?" Isabella wondered.
The word "thingamajig" snapped him out of his trance. He thanked his lucky stars. "Did you guys go to the other side of the backyard?" Phineas investigated.
"No," Isabella denied.
"Maybe it isn't out here-" Phineas started. His head turned quicker than a squirrel when he heard a loud crash behind him. "Isabella!" Phineas cried. "Are you hurt?!" He instantly ran over to Isabella.
"I, I, I'm, uh, f, f, fine," she struggled to respond. He felt an overwhelming urge to hold her; he was filled with distress. He had to know that she was fine. He felt like slapping himself. After today, he probably wouldn't see Isabella for a long time. "I'm j-just a l-little shocked," Isabella explained. He pulled her up.
"Do you have any marks?" Phineas asked. The word "marks" snapped her out of her trance. She didn't think she had ever heard Phineas say that word before.
"Just a couple scrapes and bruises," Isabella answered. Then she turned to see the sideways table overlooking the pool, which had two teacups and a teapot at the bottom. "Oops," Isabella seemingly interjected. She attempted to lift the table, but Phineas was on the task before she could say a word. Soon it was back in its rightful place. "Great, how are we going to get the teacups and the teapot?" Isabella wondered.
Luckily, Candace had really prepared Phineas. He was already wearing swimming shorts. "I'm wearing swimming shorts; I could retrieve them for you," Phineas offered. Before she could say no, he pulled his shirt off, blinding Isabella, and jumped into the water. He struggled to grab one of the teacups. His finger slipped through the handle and he came up to the surface hastily. Isabella was watching in shock. His handsomeness seemed multiplied. He was like a shimmering dolphin, sliding through the water like a knife through warm butter. He came up fast as a geyser. "Here's- the- first- teacup," Phineas stated between breaths as he prepared for his second dive. He grabbed the second teacup without much effort, but his trip to the surface took longer than it should have. "I- - have- - the- - sec- - ond- - tea- - cup," Phineas muttered in between every other breath.
"Phineas!" Isabella shouted.
"Ya?" Phineas responded.
"You need to take your time on the surface!" Isabella ordered. She was genuinely worried. Phineas dove in again, much to her dismay. She saw Phineas grab the teapot and boost off of the bottom of the pool. He came up with a little water in his lungs. He was coughing. "Phineas! What did I say?!" Isabella bellowed. He continued coughing loudly. "I told you to wait, but no! You had to go down there as soon as possible! You could have drowned!"
"But I got the teapot, so we can continue to search for the thingamajig," Phineas justified. He hadn't meant to get her into such a state.
"Fine," Isabella uttered in a slightly miffed tone. Then he got out and put his shirt back on. "You might want to dry off," Isabella suggested.
"Yeah," Phineas agreed.
"Here, let me get you a towel-" Isabella started.
"But my shorts dry really fast, remember?" Phineas reminded.
"Oh, you are wearing the ones from that day, that's right," Isabella uttered disdainfully. That day was not one of her better days. Phineas opened the screen door to continue the search. It was just another reminder to Isabella that Phineas didn't care about her that much. She thought back on all the times just today he had ignored her, wait, something was different today. Her disdain turned to puzzlement. It was just them, but she somehow knew that was not all.
"Isabella, are you coming in?" Phineas asked.
That moved something in her stomach, but it wasn't the butterflies she had ever felt before. It was different. "Of course!" she said mindlessly. She followed him in.
"Do you want to come over tomorrow?" Phineas asked.
"Probably not," Isabella denied.
"Are you sure?" Phineas asked again.
"Yep," Isabella answered.
Maybe, though, just maybe he could get her to change her mind, while he still had an excuse to be over at her house, but probably not. Phineas couldn't dwell on this anymore; it hurt too much. "Where should we check first?" Phineas queried.
"I have no idea where Candace put her thingamajig," Isabella replied. "Let's check the living room." So they checked the living room. Isabella, while mindlessly searching in between the cushions of the sofa, drifted through Phineasland slowly. Phineas checked underneath the sofa. Both of their searches were fruitless.
"I'm gonna call Candace," Phineas decided.
"Phineas! Why are you calling me again! I and Ferb were in the middle of moving my bookcase! What do you want?!" Candace bellowed.
"Candace, I think your thingamajig might be at our house," Phineas suggested.
"Well, if it is, come and find it!" Candace screeched.
"Volume, Candace," Phineas reminded.
"I am very stressed now! I am sorry, but I cannot help you right now!" Candace hung up again.
"Let's go, then," Phineas decided. He held out his hand. Isabella was stuck in Phineasland, otherwise she would have made up an excuse to stay home, because she thought that Phineas wasn't good for her. She had avoided him for so long. But Candace had to break Isabella's sober streak. She was at a very low state of awareness. They crossed the street. Phineas was so focused on the mission that he didn't notice the closing proximity. If Isabella hadn't tripped, she would have kissed him in her stupor. Phineas, luckily, caught her before she hit the ground. This woke her from her stupor. "Whoa! Are you okay?" Phineas worried. Isabella had to ignore his cuteness, now! He had pulled her up.
"Ignore the triangle! Triangles are bad!" she thought hysterically. "Horse in a bookcase!" That random stray thought brought her back to sanity.
Then Phineas opened the gate for her. He was having his own problems ignoring her. "Giant Floating Baby Head!" Phineas thought in panic. He closed it behind her and there they stood, in a backyard with dead grass.
"What happened to the grass?!" Isabella inquired concernedly.
"Mom let it die," Phineas answered. "She lost her love for plants of all kinds a little over a month ago, excluding succulents."
"Ah. Should we go search in Candace's room?" Isabella asked.
"Sure," Phineas answered mindlessly. He was in another trance. "How does Isabella look so different, but so similar? What color is her hair? I am staring at it, but I can't tell anymore," Phineas thought with a wandering mind. They arrived to see a startled Candace holding a box in her arms. Phineas awoke from his trance when Candace jumped in surprise.
"Did you find the thingamajig?" Candace asked.
"We gave up and wondered if it was here, which in my mind is much more likely," Phineas exclaimed.
"It wasn't there?" Candace interrogated.
"Nope," Isabella answered.
"How long did you look? Where did you check?" Candace asked.
"Everywhere," Phineas responded.
"Serenity now!" Candace bellowed.
"What?" Phineas asked in confusion.
"Nothing, I am just having a really hard time," Candace explained.
"Maybe it's in the box," Isabella suggested.
"No, this is the stuff from my drawers that's all messy and- you have a point!" Candace realized. She opened the box. She dug through for a couple of seconds before Phineas spoke up.
"That is it right there, isn't it?" Phineas pointed out.
Candace gasped. There lay the thingamajig. "Oh my! There it is! Thanks, Phineas!" Candace exclaimed. "Oh, and you guys have my jacket, right?" There was a moment of silence.
"Well, uh, um, I guess we got a little, um-" Phineas muttered.
"Distracted?" Candace hinted.
"By the thingamajig," Isabella prevaricated.
"Oh, sure, blame it on the thingamajig," Candace quipped.
"Candace!" Isabella warned. "Can I please talk to you?" Isabella asked of Candace. She led Candace away leaving a thoughtful Phineas behind. "Candace! Don't you dare do that to me! What if Phineas finds out I have a crush on him? A decade old one?" Isabella bellowed.
"Whoa, calm down there," Candace quelled. "Relax, take deep-"
"Candace, I'm gonna murder you if you drop another hint like that!" Isabella screamed.
"What? You used to drop more potent ones all the time!" Candace defended.
Isabella sighed in frustration. "Fine, you're right," Isabella agreed. They walked back to Phineas. "Good talk," Isabella stated.
"Yeah," Candace agreed. "Anyway, I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds alone."
Isabella looked shocked.
The word "lovebirds" resonated through Phineas' head. There were two cues. If Candace said the word "hellbent", that meant Isabella had no romantic interest in Phineas anymore. If she said the word "lovebirds", it meant that Isabella's feelings hadn't changed at all. That was his cue. He did it with his eyes closed. He was so nervous, even though there was nothing left to be afraid of. Then Phineas kissed Isabella. When they broke apart, a few moments later, they were both in such a stupor, that a tuba would have only gotten them to stir. They gradually woke up. Then it hit Isabella. That really happened! She still was not fully perked. She looked at the watch she was wearing; she had started wearing it a couple weeks after she stopped coming over to Phineas' house.
"Oh my! I need to get home! My mom is probably worried sick!" Isabella exclaimed. "I forgot to tell her I was leaving!"
"Isabella, before we leave, I need to ask you a question," Phineas stated.
"We?" Isabella questioned.
"Candace's coat," Phineas reminded.
"Oh, yeah," Isabella remembered.
"Isabella, would you be my girlfriend?" Phineas asked nervously.
"Yes!" Isabella screamed in response.
Phineas smiled and kissed her again. When they went out, they crossed the street. "Can you come over tomorrow morning?" Phineas wondered.
"Sure," Isabella responded. She still wasn't fully conscious; it was good she hadn't walked across the street alone. "Bye, Phineas," Isabella muttered.
"Goodbye, Isabella," Phineas responded. "See you tomorrow!" Then he left. It seemed so curt to her, even though she knew Phineas didn't mean to be. Then it dawned on her; Phineas hadn't kissed her goodbye, and there was something else she was forgetting.
"Hi, Candace," Phineas greeted.
"Hi, Phineas. So did you kiss her?" Candace asked. Phineas nodded his very red head.
"Awesome! Oh, and you got my coat, right?" Candace inquired.
Phineas slapped himself.
"Shoot!" he exclaimed.
"Phineas!" Candace screeched. Then she screamed at the top of her lungs in frustration.
· · ·
"Listen to the people scream as my plan is being put into motion!" Heinz ranted. Perry facepalmed, for he knew that voice.
This is the longest chapter I have ever written. Check out my improved tongue emote: :-þ And, that's a burrito!