We will be reunited with two of the characters from the film. Can you guess which two? DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" or "High School Story," I only own Diana and Karena. I also do not own the song "Everything."
"Hold still, Diana!"
"I'm trying to, Auntie Tallie!" I exclaimed as my cousin-twice-removed, also known as my godmother, helped me put on my red homecoming dress. My mom had already done my hair, which was straight. I had also told her to do the cowlick, since I remembered Caleb telling me he would like to see the cowlick on me. If he liked it, I might keep it. The dress was also long-sleeved, since it was a little cold in Connecticut, but it was also short and just below the knees, as a homecoming dress should be.
"You look stunning!" Auntie Tallie said with a big smile on her face and we gave each other a hug.
"Diana! Your friends are here!" I heard my dad yell from downstairs.
"Just wait until you see the look on his face!" Auntie Tallie said. "He'll just die!"
"Uh, please don't kill him, Auntie Tallie," I requested with some giggles. "But we do need to go downstairs."
Auntie Tallie and I went downstairs to find not only my female friends, but also my godfather, Carl.
"CARL!" I shouted out, running up to the gold robot and giving him a hug.
"Hello, Diana!" Carl replied back, returning the hug. "You look just as beautiful as your mom."
"You really do," Dad chimed in, hugging my mom. "Aunt Tallulah did a great job on you."
"Thank you, guys," I replied, and then I turned toward Maria, Emma, and Myra, whom I introduced to Carl.
"Your homecoming crew is here and we brought the party!" Myra shouted with excitement.
"I can't believe the dance is already here!" Emma exclaimed with a smile.
"All our hard work has led to today!" Maria chimed in. "I can barely contain my excitement!"
"Time flies when you're having fun!" I replied.
"Speaking of which, are you excited to see your date?" Myra asked.
"Diana has a date?" Carl asked out loud, and we all laughed.
"Yes, Carl, I have a date," I answered. "And I am so excited!"
"I bet he's gonna look amazing in his suit," Emma said.
"It'll be a fun real first date with him," I replied. "I had—"
"Gone to the movies with him," Dad finished my sentence.
"Alright girls, we have two bathrooms," Mom explained. "We have one upstairs and one downstairs." Mom paused and walked over to Auntie Tallie. "This is Diana's godmother, Tallulah Robinson. She made Diana's dress and did her makeup, so if you need help, Tallulah will be happy to help."
"Thank you again for having us over, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson," Maria said as she started to head upstairs while Emma stayed downstairs. Myra stayed out of the bathroom with me as we followed Emma into the kitchen.
"Oh please! It's Wilbur and Karena," Dad corrected her. "We're all on a first name basis here."
"So, Diana, what's the deal with you and Caleb?" Myra asked with a glint in her eyes.
"I don't know, Myra. What's the deal with you and other people's love lives?" I playfully asked her.
"Aw, come on! Getting ready for the dance is no fun if we're not gonna gossip about our dates!"
"Caleb and I are still figuring this out," I answered. "He was in a really serious relationship for a long time, and I'm still new to the school, after all. There's no need to rush into things."
"Okay, okay, but the moment anything happens, you're gonna tell us, promise?"
"Alright, Myra, I promise," I told her with a sigh as Emmaa emerged in a light blue dress and Myra went into the bathroom. "Oh Emma, you look adorable!"
"Thanks! It makes me feel like Cinderella," Emma replied and twirled her dress.
"Planning for Prince Charming to sweep you off your feet?" Myra asked from the bathroom.
"I don't think so," Emma replied as Myra came out of the bathroom and Tallulah appeared in kitchen with her makeup kit. Tallulah had started to work on Emma. "Maybe next year."
"Myra, that dress looks amazing!" I exclaimed as I watched her emerge in a jeweled pink dress.
"Thanks! Aiden's gonna hate it. Pink is his least favorite color." I couldn't help but laugh.
"Wait a second, are you two a couple?" Emma asked. "I didn't realize you were going together."
"Oh, ew, no!" Myra exclaimed. "No, we're just going as friends. That's why I'm wearing a dress he'll hate. It's so entertaining to tease him."
Then, Maria came down the stairs in a dark blue dress with tall heels.
"Do I look okay?"
"More than okay, Maria," I answered. "Did Tallulah do your makeup?" Maria nodded. "You look amazing. I'd better be careful or Caleb might decide he'd rather go with you!"
"If he does, I can always remind him about all those signs I made him paint," Maria replied with a wink. Then, we heard the doorbell ring and Mom went to answer it. The first boy to come in was Aiden.
"Oh my gosh," Myra said, pointing at Aiden before Tallulah started working on her. "Look at this fancy loser. Is that a waistcoat?"
"Says the girl in the jewel-covered dress," Aiden answered. "You know I hate pink."
"That was the point," Myra replied as Michael came in the door. "Thanks for coming to homecoming with me. Holy crap, Michael is wearing a suit and going to a dance!"
"I figured, well, I'm going, so I might as well do it right," Michael said with a smile. "Tried to get Morgan to come as my date, but she wasn't too keen on the idea."
"Alright, Myra, I need you to stay still for me," Tallulah said, still working on Myra's makeup.
"Too bad," I replied. "I'm sure Maria would have loved to spend the whole night around her favorite surly punk."
"Your words, not mine," Maria replied as Luis came in.
"Hey, Diana. Thanks again for letting me go with your group even though I don't have a date."
"Totally fine, Luis! We're all friends here!"
"Besides, you're not the only one without a date," Myra chimed in. "Isn't that right, Emma?"
Emma snapped out of her zone.
"I hate to interrupt," Michael said. "But Diana, there's someone here for you."
I walked toward the door to see Caleb standing there with a big grin on his face. His hair had stayed the same, but he wore a blue suit with a rose in his pocket.
"I feel like the luckiest kid at school," I said with a big smile. "You look so handsome!"
"I feel the same way, Diana," Caleb said. "You got the cowlick!"
"Yeah, I decided to put it up this time. What do you think?"
"I think you should keep it," Caleb answered, taking my arm. "It suits you. I have a feeling this is going to be the best homecoming yet."
"You're Diana's date?" Carl asked , and he nodded his head. "I'm Carl and this is Tallulah."
"We're her godparents," Auntie Tallie said, getting up and shaking Caleb's hand. "Well, Wilbur and Karena want pictures of you all, so let's go into the living room!"
After eating dinfast – that is, breakfast at dinner, we were fashionably late to the dance. With the "Under the Sea" theme we voted on, the dance was already in full swing!
"I can't believe you guys did all of this!" Emma exclaimed. "It's amazing!"
"Thanks! It was a lot of work," I replied.
"Yeah it was," Michael chimed in. "Hours and hours' worth."
"Excuse me, Michael," Maria said, giving him a glare. "But didn't you spend most of the meetings slacking off and making snide remarks?"
"Well, whoever made them, I think we can agree that this dance is going swimmingly!" Myra said, clicking at the last second with a pun, to which Aiden groaned. "Water you groaning about, Aiden?"
"Myra—"
"This is a great theme for a school dance!" Myra exclaimed, still grinning from ear to ear.
"What?" Emma asked with confusion on her face.
"School, as in school of fish," I explained. "That's terrible, Myra."
"I think you mean fintastic!"
We shook our heads as we continued to listen to the music.
"Holy fish, there's a karaoke machine!" Luis exclaimed as he ran over to the karaoke machine and chose a song.
"Well, at least one person's having fun," Maria said with a smile as Luis finishes up his song.
"Thank you, thank you very much," Luis said.
"Hey, I'll be back," I said, walking over to Mia, who was just standing there with one crutch. "Hey, how are you doing?"
"I'm… I'm fine," Mia said, glancing at Sydney and then back at me.
"Is it about Sydney?"
"No, we're all right now. I forgave her."
"Is that all?"
"Okay, no, I also apologized," Mia explained with ice in her voice. "I was wrong to blame her for my injury. Everything's good now… I guess."
"If you need anything, you know where to find me," I offered, walking back to my friends.
"There you are, Diana!" Myra said, grabbing my arm. "Come on, we're all on the dance floor!"
We continued to dance to the music in the karaoke machine as students picked their songs and sang them.
"Holy crap! What is Brian doing here?" Luis shouted as my eyes bolted toward the door and found Brian sneaking his way over to my group.
"Wassup, guys?" Brian asked with a grin.
"SECURITY! WE HAVE AN INTRUDER!" Maria shouted as she ran to the door.
"Easy, girl. I'll be gone in five minutes," Brian explained. "I just wanna talk to my old buddy Caleb."
"This had better be good," Caleb said with ice in his voice. "Why are you here?"
"Why do you think? You know I heard what Zoe said to you after the game!"
"So what? Whatever drama is going on between you two has got nothing to do with me."
"Will you just shut up for a second?" Brian shouted. "I've got something I want to say!"
"Fine. Then go ahead and say it!" Caleb shouted back as the room suddenly got silent.
"I wanted to say… I'm sorry."
"Wait, what?" Caleb and I said at the same time.
"Come on, man. Don't make me say it again. You know how much I hate the 's' word."
"You've gotta be kidding me," Caleb said with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry is the 's' word?" I asked, also with a raised eyebrow. "Really?"
"Seriously, bro. I realized what I did to you was wrong. I violated the bro code."
"That's what you think this is about?" Caleb asked, shaking his head and walking away.
"Wait, I can do better," Brian said as Caleb froze in his tracks and turned around. "It's pretty hard when everyone likes your best friend better than you. All my life, I acted like I was the coolest kid at school, but I knew the truth. I was practically your sidekick. And then when I became quarterback, it was finally different. I actually was the coolest guy around. I got to throw the best parties, have any girl I wanted, including Zoe. Not only did I want to be with Zoe, but it also made me feel like I was finally better than you. But look at how that turned out. I guess we both got our hearts broken in the end, and it's all my fault."
"This is the worst apology I ever heard," I chimed in. "But, you had a lot of courage admitting that you were wrong."
"Diana's right," Caleb said, agreeing with me. "Coming here today is probably the bravest thing I've ever seen you do. I forgive you. I'm too happy tonight to hold onto a grudge. But, we're done. It's too late to make up our friendship."
"Well, I guess I'll just settle knowing you don't hate me anymore," Brian replied as Maria headed our way with Principal Hughs and the vice principal.
"Oh dear, a Staples student at the dance!" Principal Hughs exclaimed. "What should we do? Maybe a time-out would be best?" What is this? Grade school?
"Or how about we call the cops and report him for criminal trespassing!" the vice principal harshly suggested.
"Oh my! I'm not sure this is really a police matter." The principal turned to Brian. "Please go, young man. You've caused quite a few hurt feelings here."
"Actually, I'm feeling kind of nostalgic," Brian replied, shocking everyone in the room. "Maybe I'll stick around and do some dancing."
"Mr. Crandall, since you are neither a Trojan student nor the official guest of a Trojan student, I must ask you to leave at once!"
"Oh yeah? Who's gonna make me?"
"I will!" I heard Frank say as he approached the group.
"Oh goody! Frank the Bouncer! There you are!"
"Bouncer?" Brian asked, suddenly feeling uneasy and running out of the building.
"Okay, everyone, back to your sock hop!" The principal announced happily. "Frank and I will make sure there aren't any more scary boys intruding!"
"You know, even though he treated me like dirt, I kinda feel sorry for Brian," Emma said, standing next to me.
"I don't," I replied with a grim look. "We could go on all day about the reasons why he is the way he is, but the point is, he made a choice, and now he's facing the consequences."
"Attention, everyone!" Maria announced as the music stopped playing. "The votes have been tallied, and it's time to announce the Homecoming King and Queen!"
That's my cue, I thought to myself as I went up to the stage with the rest of the homecoming court.
"This year's Homecoming King and Queen are… Julian Castillo and Diana Robinson!"
I gasped and broke into tears, not paying attention to the applause, as Mia gave me a hug, and then I approached Maria, who crowned me and Julian.
"Congratulations to you both," Maria said with a big smile. "Is there anything you'd like to say to your classmates?"
"Thank you, everyone," Julian started. "This school is one of the best things to ever happen to me, and I'm proud to represent you. Shoutout to my football team. This has been one heck of a season!"
The audience applauded as Julian handed the microphone to me.
"Oh my goodness, thank you. This really is an honor. On my first day as a high school freshman, I knew right away that Westport High was a special place: a place where students cared about each other, and everyone got a chance to be their best. Every day, I've gotten to see just how right that first impression was. I could go to Staples or a school in my dad's hometown of Todayland, but I doubt they carry the same heart as Westport High. Thank you, Trojans, for accepting me."
The audience applauds as Julian and I hugged each other, and I heard the karaoke machine play a song, signaling the coronation dance that was picked by Ezra. Julian held out his hand for me to take, and I looked into his brown eyes and started dancing.
Find me here and speak to me.
I want to feel you, I need to hear you.
You are the light that's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.
"You're a good dancer, Diana," Julian said. "Congratulations on becoming Queen. That's unheard of for a freshman."
"I'm surprised myself," I replied. "Congrats to you, too. You deserve being King."
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the life to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
Julian turned as he felt a tap and found Caleb standing behind him.
"May I?" Caleb asked with a smile and Julian stepped aside. I watched Autumn approach him and ask him to dance.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
"There's my Homecoming Queen," Caleb said with wide eyes and a big smile on his face. "Congratulations, Diana."
"That's Queen Diana, to you," I replied with a smile.
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
"Okay, Queen Diana, may I have this dance?"
"Of course," I answered with a giggle and a blush as he took my hand and guided me to another spot on the dance floor.
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall
"Who you knew you were such a good dancer?" I asked in awe.
"Zoe taught me how back when we first started dating," Caleb explained. "I was always stepping on her— and there I go again. I'm getting over her, I swear I am."
You steal my heart and you take my breath away
"Caleb, she's still an important part of your past," I replied.
"She and Brian. It's like I can't remember anything that doesn't have one of them in it."
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now.
"I wasted a lot of time," Caleb continued, and I placed my right hand on his cheek.
"That's not true. She taught you to dance, and you know what love should be, and that's just from experience."
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
"You're right," Caleb said with a smile. "I know the kind of people I want to be around now. People like you."
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
"You should give yourself more credit, Caleb. All this talk about wasted time, but, intruder aside, we've had a great evening."
"We have, haven't we?"
"Besides, it's not over yet. Let's dance."
Cause you're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything, everything
"You're pretty good yourself," Caleb said, complimenting me on my dancing.
"My dad taught me to dance," I explained with a smile. "In fact, my parents did their first dance as a married couple to this song, so this song holds a place in my heart."
"Have you ever dated before?" Caleb asked.
"No, I never really thought about dating. I want to wait for the right person to come in my life and sweep me off my feet—oh!" I felt myself being lifted up as I looked down at Caleb, who still had a smile on his face. I couldn't help but blush as I was set back down, and we continued to dance. "It's funny that you ask because my dad started dating my mom when he was a freshman."
"Like father, like daughter?" Caleb asked, and I chuckled in reply.
"He did call me his 'mini-me.' I love my dad though. He's a very special person."
"From what I see, your father taught you to be an optimistic, confident woman. But, I should be the lucky one, because I'm dancing with the most beautiful girl in the school."
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
"Thanks for walking me home," I told Caleb as we approached the front step.
"I had a great time," Caleb replied. "I guess this is it." I watched as Caleb closed his eyes and got close to my face, but I put a finger on his lips.
"I want my first kiss to be special," I explained with a smile. "Besides, I'm sure Dad would kill me if he saw us kissing."
"The protective kind, huh?"
"You could say that. I had a great time, too."
"We should do something like this again some time," Caleb suggested, and I continued to smile.
"I'd like that," I replied, hugging Caleb, and then walking inside, where I saw my parents peeking their heads out from behind the couch. "Really, guys?"
"Hey, it was a big night for you!" Mom exclaimed, wearing her white nightgown with her brown hair in two braids.
"An even bigger night, I would say," Dad said, pointing to my crown. "What's the occasion?"
"You're not going to believe this, but I was crowned the homecoming queen."
"You're having quite the year, Diana," Mom replied, giving me a hug. "My phone's upstairs."
"It's alright! Caleb took a picture of me already. I can have him send it to me and I'll send it to you!"
"Well, still, a freshman being crowned homecoming queen," Dad replied with a smile. "That never happens. In fact, the only students who could be crowned king and queen back in our day were the seniors. I'm proud of you, princess. Or should I say 'queen?'" I giggled in response. "You're only a freshman and you're already making a difference."
"Dad, you've taught me pretty well how people think and the number one thing they need: hope." I paused, letting out a yawn. "I'm gonna head up to bed. Where are Uncle Carl and Auntie Tallie?"
"Auntie Tallie's in the guest room and Uncle Carl's shut down in the kitchen," Mom explained. "Do you need help getting out of your dress?"
"That I can probably handle," I answered. "Good night."
"Good night, Queen Diana," Dad replied, and I giggled again, going up the stairs.
It took me a while, but I was able to get out of my dress and wipe my makeup off. I had decided to keep my cowlick, but I took the crown off. I couldn't remember if my dad had mentioned anything about the cowlick staying up because it was a Robinson gene or if it would flatten out eventually, but I didn't care about that at the moment. I had tried the cowlick for the first time since grade school, and my date liked it, so I may or may not keep it. Or, I could do the cowlick for special occasions.
I got into my t-shirt and shorts as I laid down in bed, and I heard my phone buzz.
"Who is texting me this late at night?" I asked myself as I got out of bed and got my phone, which revealed that Caleb had texted me. I opened the text to find a picture of us dancing the coronation dance, never taking our eyes off each other. Another text went through:
CalebMitchell44: I will always remember this night. Sleep tight, Queen Diana. See you Monday.
I held the phone on my chest as close to my heart as I could, and I drifted asleep.