Author's Note: With regards to the title quotes I mentioned earlier, this chapter quotes Isabella's line from SBTY: 'How can he not feel the same way?' I'm mentioning that here as well, because I have some thoughts about the line that I'd like to discuss with the reader. If you agree or disagree with my view, feel free to give your input. I'd like to hear what other people think about this, considering how important the Phinbella-Ferbella shipping debate has always been to the Phineas and Ferb fandom.
The reason I have contemplated this line and its implications so many times, including its other half ("when we're strolling down the Champs Elysees") which for obvious reasons doesn't fit here, because to me it marks just what I hate so much about Isabella's crush and Phinbella as a ship - the presumptuousness. Despite her complaints about Phineas' rejections, she always subconsciously or consciously assumes that the problem in her relationship with Phineas is simply one of time - he does not see her in that way YET, and he will once he's mature. I shouldn't have to explain why this is problematic, but the fact that Isabella simply doesn't contemplate the thought that Phineas may not like her in that way and that he has other interests which he might value before romance for a long time, maybe forever, sets the stage for what would be an unhealthy relationship filled with far too many assumptions and senses of entitlement from Isabella's side. It sets her apart from Candace, who by contrast has often been terribly insecure about whether Jeremy likes her or not - no matter how much she overstates the importance of him liking her, the thought that she could fail is always present in her mind, whereas Isabella is if anything oversecure. Phineas loves her, she's sure of that, and one day he will realize that she's the perfect match for him. She's not merely disappointed with the fact that the romantic atmosphere of Paris has no effect on him (which she has no right to be anyway given that he never gave her reason to presume the trip would be romantic and they need to get home quickly, so he definitely has his priorities straighter even if the narrative makes you think that he's in the wrong) she's baffled that he's not falling for her. How can he not feel the same way. How is it possible that Phineas could not fall in love with perfect Isabella. She laments this in despair. Any sympathy I could have had for Isabella's plight just disappeared with that line.
Now I don't hate Izzy. She's a smart, cute, friendly neighbor and without a doubt an excellent Fireside Girl. But just like Candace really ought to be confronted with the fact that her busting efforts aren't helping anyone, least of all herself, Isabella needs to face the fact that she's been making far too many assumptions about Phineas and that she isn't in any way entitled to his love. That's part of why I hate Phinbella scenarios so much - they simply confirm Isabella's bias because it turns out that he did have feelings for her and it was just a matter of time and becoming a more romantic person for them to come to the surface. And that means Isabella is going into a relationship with her assumptions unchallenged and a belief that Phineas is exactly the romantic centaur that only has eyes for her she's always dreamed of in Phineasland... and that's going to clash with reality, hard.
"Act Your Age" is a prime example there - the more I think about it, the more I feel like it's more of a parody of a Phinbella episode than an actual Phinbella episode, with hidden clues that this relationship will not work out. Just think about it - you've got Phineas and Isabella drifting apart before summer, a version of our favorite duo which seems to care little about inventing or even about going to the same college, a 'romantic' song that descends into self-parody by the end, the ridiculous 'ten years' concept which would mean present-day Phineas and Ferb are eight (and there's eight years between Ferb and Vanessa), the way everyone suddenly starts bringing Phinbella up and rooting for them (parody of the fanbase?), the way the creators get emotional at the end (about Phinbella happening? ...nope, about Phineas and Ferb being college-age, which means Phinbella wasn't even the main focus in their minds) and, of course, Ferb. Ferb who apparently never knew about a crush that Phineas supposedly had through high school. Ferb, who knows Phineas better than anyone else and who - unlike practically everyone else - is never seen being enthusiastic about this couple and spends one of his precious sentences saying "You know, you can't force these things."
So... yeah. Those were my thoughts on Phinbella, and it's why that's not going to happen in this story. Ferb and Isabella, on the other hand, might have some interesting developments ahead.
Please review!
Isabella just didn't understand what had happened to her.
It was so sudden and overwhelming that even as she walked back to her seat for lack of anything else to do, she couldn't quite comprehend what had occurred. Just yesterday, she had been delighted that Phineas had asked her out. Only one hour ago, he had arrived at her home and it had been perfect. Everything she'd ever dreamed of. Sure, he still didn't quite seem to get the romantic implications of all, but Isabella knew by now that as difficult as it could be to muster it sometimes, she needed to have some patience with her crush. But they were out on a date for the first time, and that was the most significant step forwards in their relationship in years.
How could it have suddenly crashed down like this? She had been enjoying herself! Phineas had been enjoying himself too, she could see it, and even if he hadn't responded to her putting her hand on his or to all the flirtatious comments she'd made while they were there, surely he would figure out sooner or later. It was in part why she had ordered spaghetti – it was the perfect pretext to set up a kiss between them, and in the awkwardness that ensued she could ask him if he wanted to do it again, and maybe that would be the way their relationship would start. (She preferred to ignore the possibility that he would like the kiss but not see it as romantic. Surely even Phineas couldn't be that oblivious.)
But that was all irrelevant now. Phineas was gone, and Isabella still couldn't quite understand how it had happened. Okay, so Candace hadn't been feeling all right. She was willing to accept that, even if there had seemed to be something off about the whole situation. But that didn't mean Phineas just had to walk off with her and leave his date behind! Of course she wanted him to take care of his sister, but the way he'd just treated her…
It hadn't seemed to bother him that he had to leave her there. He had asked a casual question about whether she was okay, but that was about it. Had this night ever meant something to him at all? Or had she been… lead on?
Phineas had broken her heart way too many times. But today, Isabella felt like he'd shattered it.
She quietly sobbed over the dinner table, the remaining plates still reminding her of the meal she'd had. She barely noticed the servers taking it all away and her own feet shuffling out the doors of the restaurant and onto the street.
It was raining. Of course it would be raining tonight.
And she had no way to get home.
Trembling, Isabella rummaged through her pocket for her cell phone. She couldn't call her mother, because she was out of town and wouldn't return for days. And while of course she could ask various people she knew around town to come over, there was really only one figure whose name came to mind in her head at this desolate moment.
The soft ring that indicated that her cell phone was making the call stopped, and Isabella took a deep breath. "H-hello? Ferb?"
"Isabella?" He sounded confused. "Is something wrong?"
Isabella felt somehow relieved that he noticed right away. "You could say that" she replied softly. "Could you pick me up at Paul Bunyan's?"
There was a soft, irregular sound at the other end of the line, and it took her a moment to identify it as Ferb breathing. She became aware of the pressure to tell the entire story – he was entitled to know if he was to pick her up, and as much as it would hurt to get it out she needed someone to talk to anyway. "You know how Phineas and I went out to Paul Bunyan's tonight?" She sighed. "We were having such a great night together, until halfway through Candace showed up. She said she wasn't feeling well… and it's not that I want to belittle your sister's feelings, Ferb, but it just felt like something was off there and I didn't understand what. But Phineas instantly reacted and took her outside to take her home, and it felt as if he just left me behind to fend for myself. Well, he did ask me whether I was okay, but it just felt as if he stood up and left and none of what happened here this evening had meant anything to him, and part of me still expects him to come back and pick me up but I don't think that's going to happen anymore."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line after her confession, and at first Isabella expected Ferb to either say something or cut off communication altogether. After she'd gone for thirty seconds without hearing nothing, however, she became confused and worried. "Ferb? Are you okay?"
"I'm okay" Ferb replied, sounding quite different from how he normally spoke. The voice she heard was not the gentle British one she'd come to know, but a wary and embittered tone that quite honestly frightened her a little. "You'll soon be okay again. But my brother won't be." There was a pause in which he must have composed himself, for he continued in a more neutral tone: "I'll be with you in ten minutes."
That was the last she heard of that conversation, and Isabella put her phone back into her pocket and huddled underneath the covering of the terrace in front of the restaurant. The rain kept streaming down in front of her, and it left her more melancholic than she'd been in a long time. She just couldn't understand. Had she done something wrong? Was this something Phineas had done to her because he had noticed her flirting and couldn't stand it? But why would he ever do that? That wasn't the kind of person she knew her longstanding crush to be!
It was cold out here – apparently, with the rain the last vestiges of summer were being swept away too. Isabella shivered, wondering whether she could get hypothermia if she stayed here. Sure, maybe she was exaggerating a little – after all, she could just go back into the restaurant and hang out there somewhere – but she just couldn't be bothered. Something in her heart felt seriously shattered, and she had lost any and all appetite for anything but just sitting here and waiting for Ferb to come.
There had to be some kind of reason. Phineas wouldn't just abandon her like that, he… he loved her! Right? She'd always thought he loved her, and they would get together one day, but if he was too insensitive and oblivious to see what he had done to her right now then…
The sound of footsteps rushing towards her made Isabella look up. Ferb knelt over her, draping something over her body – a blanket of sorts. It made her no longer feel on the verge of freezing to death, and she gratefully looked up at him. Ferb was crouched over her, a concerned expression on his face.
He was so kind to her, and she had a hard time understanding why sometimes. After all, she'd spent far too much time focusing on Phineas and hardly noticing the guy in his shadows. So maybe Ferb didn't speak up nearly as much as his brother, and his head wasn't as acute as Phineas', but he was still clever and amazing and sweet, and she'd been giving him way too little credit for that for far too long. She remembered how often he had been by her side when things were dire and helped her, and even when her deepest wish was for Phineas to step forwards and do so instead she appreciated that Ferb was there.
The two stared at each other for a while, Ferb's face frozen in a neutral position as always but with his eyebrows furrowed slightly. She could sense that he was waiting for her to speak up, and eventually she did. "I don't get it, Ferb" she said, sighing. "Did I do something wrong? Did I offend him for some reason? I've been replaying all what happened in my head dozens of times but I just can't figure out where I went wrong… maybe I'm making too big of a deal out of this and it's entirely natural that Phineas would discard me for his sick sister and…"
"No." His voice sounded so strange, a mixture of the bitterness she'd heard in it over the phone and his normal, detached tone, and yet she could somehow sense that he cared for her. "It's not your fault, Isabella. Don't even suggest that. My brother…" He put both his arms around her, and although the touch was unfamiliar she welcomed it immediately. "Phineas just made a grave mistake. And he needs to be held to account for it. Right now."
He abruptly stood up and helped a confused Isabella get back to her feet as well. She could see the quiet fury in his eyes, and it made her seriously concerned about whatever he could be planning. She had never seen Ferb angry before, and she honestly didn't know whether the fact that he was furious on her behalf was a bad or a good thing – yes, Phineas had hurt her, but that didn't mean that she had intended to drive a wedge between him and his brother like this. "Ferb, I…" she began. It was strange that in all this, she couldn't care less anymore if Ferb's actions were going to cause Phineas finding out about her crush – not just because there were more important things to worry about, but honestly because after all that it didn't feel like keeping her most important secret mattered any longer. "You don't have to call out Phineas for me… maybe it was just a mistake."
Ferb stopped in his tracks and gritted his teeth. He turned towards her, still clearly mad but softening as he looked her in the eyes. "Isabella," he spoke softly, "you have no idea."
It was the last thing he said as he walked towards a motorcycle parked nearby. Isabella briefly wondered why she'd never known he had a motorcycle, or whether it was even anywhere near legal for him to drive one – and now was probably not the right time to ask. He sat down and motioned for her to get on behind him.
Even in the midst of her emotional confusion, Isabella couldn't help but notice as they pulled out of the parking lot that she had never been this close to Ferb before. Even during the past weeks, when she'd unmistakably bonded with him, she'd never had to literally pull her arms around him and hold him so tightly. He felt warm and muscular and oddly comforting, and she could feel his heartbeat – a bit faster than the usual, but very much controlled. Even when he was angry, he was somehow still calm. Ferb was so different from Phineas that it was hard to believe she'd never really noticed this separate person before. Why hadn't she? It wasn't for lack of character, that was for sure.
She tried to focus on the Phineas issue, and every time she thought about it she couldn't help but feel that yes, she did have the right to be offended. Why hadn't he cared more? Why had he gone out to dinner with her and been so perfect and everything she'd ever asked for… only to leave her at the height of the whole deal? And sure, maybe Candace hadn't been feeling well, but that didn't mean they had to cut off their date… and definitely not like this! Phineas had left her on the spot, not even considering her feelings, and had never looked back! There was no promise of a second date, no final word that he loved her or anything… nothing! It felt like he hadn't cared, that he didn't care, and surely that was something she deserved an explanation for!
Ferb's bike pulled into Maple Drive within minutes after they had left from Paul Bunyan's. Ironically, the rain had stopped just as they were pulling in, ensuring that they were still soaked. Isabella couldn't help but notice that the monster truck Phineas had escorted her to the restaurant with – and what an unexpected yet utterly Phineas-like surprise that method of transportation had been – was parked in front of the house, albeit somehow having its wheels shrunk and looking somewhat like a normal car. That meant Phineas had to be inside. The dim lighting that was on inside confirmed that.
Her driver carefully maneuvered the motorcycle into the garage and gentlemanly gave her a hand in getting off. He would probably have gone on towards the front door right away if not for Isabella squeezing his hand. "Ferb?" she said quietly but firmly. "I think maybe I should go first."
As usual, Ferb's expression was unreadable except for the most skilled reader of faces. Isabella saw a flash of determination, downheartedness, a moment of hesitance and even a sliver of fear… and then a new rush of determination as he looked towards the house, a wave of compassion in his eyes, and then a totally unreadable expression again as he clutched her hand. The girl felt the touch of cold metal against her skin, and as Ferb pulled away she noticed she was holding the key to the front door.
She took a deep breath and marched up to the house, Ferb only a few paces behind her. The fact that the car was still in front of the house and Phineas had apparently not even considered the fact that she might need a ride too increased her anger. Oh, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
Nevertheless, even as Isabella put the key into the lock, twisted it and yelled her catchphrase for good measure, part of her was hoping that she'd find something that would make it all go back to normal. An explanation that would completely justify and make her understand about Phineas' behavior over the past hour. Something that would be reasonable.
Unfortunately, the scene she walked into as she opened the door was anything but.
Author's Note: And another cliffhanger! Despite the immense author's note you could argue that not that much plot development actually took place in this chapter, but the next chapters will make up for it. Of course, the amounts of plot development that happens also depends on your definition of plot development, so... oh well. You'll see when you get there.