DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" or "High School Story," I only own Diana and Karena.
I was in gym class where we were watching Space Jam, and I could not stop thinking about Caleb. I also started to wonder if my dad had a point in saying that he would start an investigation himself when he was my age. I wondered if I could start my own investigation on Principal Isa.
"Hey, Coach Isa, could I go to the bathroom?" I heard Sydney ask, and I watched him write her a hall pass without taking his eyes off the television. Then I had an idea.
"Hey, Coach Isa, I need to go to the bathroom, too," I said, and he wrote me a hall pass.
"No problem, just don't make me miss the best part!" Coach Isa said as he handed me the hall pass, and I went straight to the cafeteria without encountering a hall monitor.
"Hey, Caleb."
Caleb looked up with shock on his face.
"Diana? What are you doing here?"
"We were watching Space Jam in gym class," I explained. "I got a hall pass so I could come help you."
"But why would you want to help me?" Caleb asked with a frown.
"Because I care about you a lot," I answered with a genuine smile.
"You really shouldn't," Caleb replied. "At this point, I've screwed over everyone at school in some way or another."
"Not everyone."
"Okay, maybe not directly. But I knew the hall monitor program was bad news, and did nothing until I just got so angry—"
"If you knew, why didn't you do something about it?" I interrupted, my smile completely disappearing.
"I guess because I didn't want to admit it. I think I wanted to like Isa more than anyone else in the school."
"You've always been the kind of person who wants to see the best in people. I'm the same way."
"That's not the only reason: when the previous coach quit like that, it was the second time my team had been torn apart by a love affair."
"Alright Caleb, the coach and the principal were not the same thing as Zoe and Brian."
"I know, but after the team had been through so much, I just wanted stability. Principal Isa wanted order… or so she said. I did too."
"What kind of order, exactly? The controlling kind or a democracy kind of order?"
"It's not the first time I've been wrong about someone."
"I suppose there are worse things to be than an optimist, but you can't let that get to you."
"I started getting a bad feeling after Aiden was suspended, but I knew if I backed out, I'd be a huge target for the others."
"Oh my gosh…" I put a hand over my mouth. "Caleb, I'm sorry, I guess I never thought of it that way."
"That's because you're better than me. You're not a coward."
"Caleb, you were trying to protect yourself. There is nothing wrong with that."
"Are you sure? Because look at where that got me. Isa is gonna have me expelled, and everyone hates me."
"Caleb, that's not true!" I yelled out angrily. "You have friends here who think you are the greatest guy in the whole world! I think you're the greatest guy in the world! No, you are the greatest guy in the world."
"You probably should hate me," Caleb replied, still with a downcast look. "I sort of hate me right now."
"Then maybe it's time for a change," I suggested.
"I think it's a little late for that."
"It's never too late, Caleb." I walked up to Caleb and put my right hand on his left shoulder. "I don't hate you. My feelings for you have never changed. I'll be by your side, no matter how hard it gets."
I took one more step forward to get as close as I could to Caleb, closed my eyes, and I pressed my lips on his. I could tell Caleb was startled, but he returned the kiss. After a brief moment, we pulled apart, and I felt my heart flutter as we smiled at each other.
"I've wanted to do that for a while," Caleb said with a big smile on his face.
"So have I," I replied, still smiling and blushing. "I have to be honest, this was not what I expected my first kiss to be like at all."
"Well, I still enjoyed it," Caleb replied, as we pulled in to kiss again, but this time, it was a deeper kiss for a longer moment, and it lasted until I accidentally stepped in a puddle of soup.
"I think that's a sign that we should get back to cleaning," I said, cracking up in laughter.
"You really don't have to do this," Caleb replied. "It's my job."
"Since when has that stopped me?" I asked with a smirk as I started to scrub down the tables.
"I told you she'd be here already," I heard Michael say, and we both looked up, not realizing the bell had rang, and we also saw Maria, Emma, Aiden, Luis, Myra, and Sydney.
"Why are you always right?" Maria asked with a smirk.
"What are you all doing here?" Caleb asked with the same expression he gave me.
"I take it you're here to help out?" I asked with a smile.
"You got it!" Luis answered.
"We were looking for you too, Diana," Emma explained. "When we couldn't find you, Michael said you must already be here."
"This is really, really nice of you guys," Caleb explained. "But you should probably go. If Isa catches you here, you're all gonna be in trouble."
"No need to worry about that!" Sydney exclaimed happily. "Koh and Wes are on the other side of the school creating a distraction."
"Wait what?" I asked.
"Koh volunteered. I know most of you aren't that close to her, but it seems like she has a lot of respect for Diana," Michael explained.
"This is all too much," Caleb replied. "I don't deserve help from any of you after the way I acted."
"Caleb, it's not like any of us are innocent here," I explained, and everyone else chimed in.
"Don't say that. We all know I'm guiltiest of us all."
"Maybe, but perhaps if I hadn't gotten so caught up in the fighting, things would've gone differently," Sydney said solemnly.
"And if Michael and I had gotten more involved," Maria said.
"And if I hadn't let Isa use me as an example," Luis chimed in.
"Look, we can go around all day talking about this," Michael explained. "But the way I see it, it's not any of our faults. It's Isa. So how about we stop this and start cleaning?"
"Well, if you insist!" Caleb exclaimed, and we all grabbed cleaning supplies and worked together to make the cafeteria flawless, which took us about an hour.
"Well, I'll be darned," Michael said with a smile on his face.
"All right!" I exclaimed. "That's the power of friendship!"
"Really? Are we gonna turn into pink cartoon ponies and start singing now?" Aiden asked with amusement in his voice.
"Please no," Michael and I answered at the same time.
"Please yes!" Myra exclaimed happily.
"No pink ponies, but I think this calls for a group hug," Sydney said, and we all gathered in for a group hug. Michael was hesitant but he eventually joined in.
"Hey, guys, I have something to tell you," Emma spoke up. "Don't get mad."
"Wait, what?" Maria asked. "Emma, what are you talking about?"
"I think I know," I replied. "Emma, are you sure about this?"
"Yes. I wasn't before, but after seeing everyone help each other like this, I think it'll be okay." Emma paused before explaining her situation. "So you know how I couldn't do any activities this quarter, and I kept not being able to hang out?" All of us nodded our heads. "Well, money's been tight for my mom and I. Like, really tight. Ever since my dad left, it's been up to my mom to pay the mortgage on the house. We were scared of getting foreclosed. I've been working at Futureburgers across town to help make ends meet."
"Wait, that's it?" Sydney asked in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"Emma, you could've told us," Caleb explained with a smile. "No one here would judge you."
"See, Emma, I told you everything would be alright," I assured her.
"You did," Emma replied with a smile. "And now I know for sure. I guess I was just so happy to finally have friends, I didn't want to say anything in case I ruined it."
"What kind of friends would we be if we threw you out for money problems?" Aiden asked.
"I don't know… I just didn't want to risk it. Besides, even if you didn't leave me, I was scared you might think of me different and it would be awkward. But now I know it wouldn't be. And I'm not so scared anymore because I know we'll be together no matter what."
"Oh, Emma," I started to say as we all got into another group hug. I looked up to see Michael not participating again. "Just go with it, Michael. It's that kind of day."
Michael hesitantly joined in on the group hug, and we all pulled apart.
"Hey, for real? You guys are the best friends a guy could ask for," Caleb said with a smile on his face. "Just promise me we'll keep in touch after I'm expelled, okay?"
"Do you think Isa really meant it?" Emma asked solemnly.
"This is Isa we're talking about. She definitely did. I just hope I'm not sent to Staples."
"You won't be," Michael spoke up, suddenly determined. "Not if I can help it."
"Michael, that's nice of you—"
"No, you don't understand," Maria chimed in. "We can stop her!"
"Did you guys do an investigation already?" I asked in shock.
"It's kind of a long story," Michael said, and I smirked at them.
"Tell us everything."
"Well, okay, if it's that important to you," Michael replied, and he started explaining the story of his investigation with Maria. They had agreed to team up after Maria was forced to resign her leadership positions, and together, they ended up finding a secret cell phone and a spare key to the office.
"I'm impressed, guys," I replied. "But why didn't you tell me? Surely you could trust me."
"We both wanted to, but tensions were already high because of the funding problem," Maria explained. "We didn't want to tell anyone until we had more evidence."
"Besides, we've told you now, haven't we?" Michael said. "If this case is like any other in the county, Caleb, you're not gonna have an expulsion hearing until next month. If we can prove before then that Isa is trouble—"
"Then Caleb probably won't be expelled!" Emma finished the sentence with excitement.
"One problem, though," Maria interrupted. "I'm still not sure how we're going to break in without Isa catching us."
"Couldn't we just sneak in during the middle of the night?" Luis asked.
"There's an alarm system active from midnight to 5 AM," Michael explained. "Too risky. We need some other time when Isa won't be there."
"How about a big school board meeting that all educators in the district have to attend?" Aiden asked excitedly.
"Is there one coming up?" Maria asked.
"This Saturday. My mom was just complaining about it this morning."
"My mom was saying something too!" I exclaimed. "This is perfect!"
"Saturday morning, 7 AM sharp, parking lot," Michael said as we started planning for Saturday.
I knocked on my parents' bedroom door.
"Come in," I heard Mom say, and I opened the door to find my parents sitting in bed with their pajamas on.
"I hope I didn't disturb you," I said uneasily.
"Diana, you are more important than what we were doing," Dad assured me. "What's up?"
"What was your first kiss like?" I asked, and my parents exchanged awkward looks.
"Well that got deep quick," Mom said and then she cleared her throat. "Thankfully, this is easy. My first kiss was with your dad."
"And vice-versa," Dad said, telling me that Mom was his first kiss.
"Dad had just come back from dropping your grandpa off in the past, and he gave me a tour of Todayland in a time machine. I had told him of my mom's passing—"
"And I couldn't wait anymore to tell your mom how I felt," Dad chimed in. "We had mutual feelings for each other, and we had our first kiss in the time machine."
"Was it unexpected?" I asked.
"I saw it coming," Mom answered. "But I was expecting a totally different timeline. I was expecting to remain a single woman in Los Angeles pursuing a career in music."
"And I was not expecting to fall in love with my future wife at 13 years of age!" Dad exclaimed. "I was expecting to wait until I had graduated high school before getting serious with someone."
"But, here we are with you and Wesley, and we could not be happier." I watched my parents kiss each other.
"Why do you ask?" Dad asked.
"Well, I had always imagined what my first kiss was going to be like," I explained. "It was going to be on my wedding night with my future husband."
"Wow! That's a long time to wait for a first kiss," Mom exclaimed.
"Well, that doesn't matter anymore. It's a long story, but Caleb was down in the dumps and he was convinced that everyone hated him. I assured him that I did not hate him and that my feelings for him never changed. Before I knew it, I kissed him, and he returned it."
"How did you feel?" Mom asked.
"Like my heart had carried butterflies and they were released," I explained with a contented sigh.
"Diana, I probably should have done this while I was dating your mom, but you need to be careful," Dad explained.
"Dad, you're not going to give me the talk about STD's are you?"
"No, but the temptation will be through the roof. You will have temptations to make the relationship physical."
"Dad, all I need is intimacy, which can be accomplished via dates and spending time together."
"Well, alright, but if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us."
"Yes, Dad, I promise."
"Oh, Diana, one more thing," Mom said with a smile before I left their room. "You can dream all you want about your love life but trust me when I say relationships are nothing like you expected, but they are worth it."
"Morning, Diana," I heard Caleb say as I approached the school on a cold, Saturday morning.
"Hey! Are you feeling any better?"
"Yes and no. I'll feel a whole lot better if I can convince them to not expel me."
"Not if. When," Michael said, approaching us. "When you can convince them to not expel you."
"I'm trying not to get my hopes up," Caleb replied, as I put my right hand on his left shoulder.
"Well, after today, you won't have to."
"Okay, it's 7:00, let's go in," Maria said, but Michael raised a hand in the air.
"Hang on, we're still missing two people."
"Who?" I asked just as another car flew in, and out came Koh and Wes.
"Wassup?"Koh asked.
"You two are helping?" I asked in surprise.
"You bet!" Wes answered. "You and Michael may have been able to break into Staples last fall, but Koh and I are the real masters."
"Don't remind me," I replied, suddenly looking down at the ground.
"Alright, alright, let's get in there!" Maria said impatiently.
"Now hang on, we can't all just barge in!" Wes exclaimed. "The hall monitors will catch us!"
"Oh boy," I said out loud.
"That's Autumn's car over there," Wes explained, pointing to each car. "That one is Frank's, and that's Morgan's."
"What are they doing here on a Saturday?" Luis asked.
"I bet they're here to watch over the kids in Saturday detention," Caleb explained. "Isa was trying to get people to do that."
"What are we gonna do?" Sydney asked hopelessly.
"I'll tell you what: Isa's office is on the first floor," I explained. "I'll go in by myself, sneak past the hall monitors, and unlock the window."
"Are you sure?" Emma asked. "If someone catches you, you'll be in huge trouble!"
"Trust me, I've got it all under control. Diana Robinson never fails."
"Well, then take this key," Maria said, giving me the spare key that used to belong to the previous principal.
"Wait by the window. I'll be there in a few minutes. I promise."
I had to act sneakily around Autumn and Frank. To avoid Autumn, I hid in the janitor's closet, and I had a little debate with myself whether to wear the spare uniform or not. I decided against it, and I peeked my head out the door to see if Autumn was still in sight. After she left, I quietly got out of the closet and did some aerobics until I heard Frank singing and heading towards me. I had to scan my locker and get in it without closing it all the way, something I am never doing again. I almost made it to the principal's office when…
"Busted!" I jumped when I heard Morgan's voice, and I turned to face her. "Diana Robinson, you have five seconds to tell me what you're doing here."
"That is an excellent question," I said, thinking about what Dad would do. "I'm... going to my locker to get homework that I forgot yesterday!"
"Yeah, right. You expect me to believe that?"
"Yes?"
Morgan stared at me, and then stepped aside.
"Fine. Get your book, Robinson. But then get out of here."
"Of course," I replied, and I started to slowly head to my locker. When Morgan moved on, I did more aerobics until I got to the door and unlocked it. I quickly and quietly closed the door, and I unlocked the window to let my group in.
"Could someone get the lights?" Emma asked, and the lights turned on. I had forgotten that the lights automatically turned on if one of us mentioned the word 'lights.'
"So now what?" Aiden asked.
"Now, we search," Michael said, and we got to work.
"There's so much stuff around here," I said with worry.
"Where do we even begin?" Emma asked.
"Let's split up so we can cover more ground," Michael suggested.
"Well, I'll keep an eye on the hallways in case more hall monitors show up," Wes said. "Caleb, Aiden, you can join me."
"Us?" Aiden asked with surprise in his voice.
"If you insist," Caleb replied, leaving the office with Aiden and Wes.
"Guys, there's a safe in here!" Koh exclaimed, pointing in the next room.
"What's a safe doing in there?" I asked. "Safes went extinct years ago! But, how much do you wanna bet Isa is hiding some answers in there?"
"I might be able to open it," Emma said with hope in her voice. "I've read about safe-cracking before."
"While you do that, I want to get in her computer," Maria said, immediately taking a seat.
"Now hold on, that's my specialty!" Michael exclaimed, pushing Maria out of the seat. I decided to catch up with the boys in the hallway but remembered to be discreet about it. I noticed that Wes was holding a large map, which I assumed was a blueprint for the school.
"It's around here somewhere, but which door is it?" Wes asked, scratching his head.
"What are you looking for?" I asked with curiosity.
"Wes thinks there's a secret room somewhere," Aiden explained. "But I think it's ridiculous."
"It's a good thing I'm not asking you then," Wes shot back as we stopped in front of a door. "Ye of little faith." I watched as Wes took out a set of keys and tried each key on the door, none of which worked.
"Where the hey did you get all those keys?" I asked.
"I have my ways," Wes answered with a grin. "This is it. This door isn't on the school blueprint, and the school keys don't work on it. Don't you think it's a bit strange?"
"Try impossible!" Aiden exclaimed.
"It would be a great place for Isa to hide something," Caleb replied.
"That settles it. Diana, take one of the guys and explore the room."
"Me? What about you?" I asked, taken aback at Wes' suggestion. "It was your idea!"
"I'm going to keep an eye out with whomever you leave behind in case the hall monitors come back."
"We have to find out what Isa is hiding," Caleb said with a determined look.
"Whatever it takes to bring her to justice," Aiden chimed in.
"Well, Caleb, let's do this," I replied.
"Let's do this!" Caleb replied as Wes went to work in unlocking the door with two bobby pins, he was able to unlock the door, which revealed a staircase going downstairs.
"It looks like it leads down to some kind of basement," I said, suddenly becoming nervous.
"Who wants to go down the creepy staircase first?" Caleb asked with a smile on his face.
"You don't seem as terrified," I replied. "I'll follow you."
"Good luck," Wes told us as we started to go down the stairs into the darkness. We fumbled for a light switch, and we couldn't find it until we were at the bottom of the stairs.
"It doesn't look all that special," I said, and I heard my voice echo. All we saw was a rug on the ground, a water heater, and a book shelf that's full of boxes. I walked up to the shelf to take the boxes down, and I noticed how they were touched more frequently than anything else in the room. "Maybe this is her big secret."
I opened the box to find files of with familiar names on them.
"Are these files… on us?" I asked, suddenly feeling uneasy.
"These are all the hall monitors," Caleb said, rummaging through the files. "Including me! What does she mean 'easy to manipulate'? How can she say that?"
"Caleb, let's spread these out," I suggested. "I want to read them thoroughly."
We spread them out and we started reading all of the files, which was on every single Westport High student. I told Caleb to hand his to me, and I read his file first. The file listed his name and what grade he is in, along with some notes about his behaviors and his weaknesses – which turned out to be me, a recommendation, and an update for him to be expelled. Every single file I read had similarities, and they were grouped under "Hall Monitors," "Troublemakers," or "Others." Some of the 'others' were classified as either future hall monitors, future troublemakers, or they were left alone. The more I read, the sicker I felt, and I had placed a hand over my mouth while I read Maria's file. I continued to be disgusted with each file that Principal Isa had made, even one on Emma, who probably had been the least troublesome because of her job. When I had finished reading Nishan's file, I put all of the files back in the boxes and I let out a disgusted sigh as I looked at Caleb.
"I can't believe this," I said, putting one hand on my forehead and the other on my stomach. "Isa has pinpointed everyone's weaknesses and how to manipulate us. It must be part of her plan to rule Westport High."
"She's even handpicked who could be a hall monitor and who's a troublemaker!" Caleb exclaimed angrily.
"This is so horrifying," I said, letting out another disgusted sigh. "We're not some chess pieces to be played with! This is horrible and crazy, and Isa needs to be taken down now."
"I agree, but… There's one more file you should look at." I gulped when I heard Caleb say those words and immediately knew whose file it was. "I found it in the troublemakers box."
I reluctantly opened up my file and instantly wanted to puke.
Name: Diana Robinson
Year: Freshman
Notes: Daughter of TIME's Wilbur Robinson, clear leader/unifier of the school, CANNOT be completely influenced, must be addressed to take full control of Westport High, broke into Staples, late to class, part of Trojan News
Recommendation: To be taken down and hopefully expelled
"What? She wants me expelled?" I gasped. "But… why? And how... how did she know my dad is a TIME agent? I didn't tell anyone but you and Emma."
"I should've done something to stop this!" Caleb exclaimed. "I was one of her hall monitors!"
"You're helping us now," I replied, taking deep breaths. "That's what matters."
"I won't let her get rid of you," Caleb said, placing his right hand on his left shoulder. "You're the glue that holds our group together."
"Caleb, you're the one who keeps me strong," I replied, placing my right hand on his left shoulder while still clutching my stomach with the other hand.
"I don't know about that," Caleb replied with a smile on his face. "But thanks."
Our eyes stayed locked as we moved toward each other and drew ourselves in for a kiss. After we pulled back, I pulled him in for a tight hug, because I needed holding.
"Definitely can't let Isa expel you," Caleb said, holding me tight. "I'd miss you too much."
I let a tear fall as my dad's words entered my mind. Keep moving forward. Wilbur Robinson never fails, and neither does Diana. Pulling myself together, I stood up and grabbed Caleb's hand to help him up. I started to follow Caleb up the stairs, but I quickly turned back and swiped all the files and put them in my backpack. If there was one person who needed to see these, it was my dad. But, I put the boxes back on the shelf so that Isa would not suspect me of thievery.
I walked back to the principal's office where I found Michael, Maria, and Sydney at the computer.
"You guys got in?"
"Yep, she had her password written down in her desk," Sydney answered with a smile, which completely disappeared. "Diana, are you alright? You look a little green."
"I'm fine. I just found something disturbing. But don't worry about me."
"I found her email," Michael said, and I joined the trio. "Whoa, this guy named Bruce Faris has emailed her… a lot."
I read the email that was dated a year ago, and it talked about how she left New York, Mansingh, and Buffalo, and then he 'found' her at Westport.
"There's fifty shades of weird in that email," Michael remarked.
"The principal's name is Ashley?" Sydney asked, and I scanned the email again.
"You're right! Amanda's not her real name!" I exclaimed. "But there's gotta be more in her emails. Michael, can you search for New York?"
"Ooh, this one looks like it's from the beginning of the school year," Syndey said, and then she read the email out loud. "Hey Ashley… or what do you go by now? VP Isa feels way too formal. Did you see about Buzzfeed?! They lost that big award thing to a new blog! Do you still keep in contact with your old coworkers? They were… interesting people when I visited New York."
"So Isa used to work at Buzzfeed?" I asked. "Interesting…"
"I wonder why she left?" Michael asked.
"Maybe she took over Buzzfeed like she did Westport!" Maria exclaimed angrily.
"We won't know until we search more," I replied. "Michael, try looking up Mansingh."
"It looks like Bruce sent this a while ago," Maria said, starting to read the email. "Hey Ash… Went by your Buffalo apartment today because I miss you (I still can't believe you moved from Mansingh to work at the college). Obvs you weren't there though… it must be so hard changing work places AGAIN. I just want to catch up. Maybe we can play basketball like old times! CALL ME! I'm just going to send more emails until you answer."
"How many places has Isa worked at?" I asked in shock.
"Sounds like a lot," Michael replied. "I wonder what she did there."
"Maybe another email would answer that! Try looking up Buffalo."
"It's not turning up anything," Michael replied.
"Oh! Alright, maybe… Westport High?"
"That worked! This is from winter break. Hey sis! I thought about your offer from our phone call. I won't out you about your shady money deals, IF and ONLY if you let me be basketball coach at Westport High. Let me know if we have a deal. Your loving brother, Bruce."
"WHAT?! Bruce is the coach?!" I exclaimed.
"What shady money deals are they talking about?" Maria asked, clearly just as shocked as I was.
"Is that why we lost our funding?" Sydney asked.
"Let's see what else we can find in her emails," I suggested, but Michael raised a hand before I could say anything.
"Actually, I think we've found everything we're going to on here. Nice going, Diana!"
"That's why they call me 'Special Agent' Diana Robinson!" I exclaimed with a big smile.
"Who calls you that?" Nancy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"My dad, sometimes. My mom will say I'm just as cocky as he is. I'm gonna check out the side room."
I walked into the side room where I found Luis, Koh, and Myra surrounding Emma, who was trying to open the safe.
"Any luck?" I asked.
"And… got it!" Emma exclaimed, opening up the safe.
"Wow! You figure out an ages-old safe!" I exclaimed.
"Finally!" Koh exclaimed, as she took an ancient flip phone, I pull out a badge from Mansingh, and Myra took out a tablet.
"The badge belongs to a Lana Harel?" I asked. "Who is she?"
"Why would Isa have that?" Emma asked with a perplexed look.
"What's an old cell phone doing in here?" Koh asked. "Was this made in the 2000s or something?"
"It looks like it's locked," Emma replied.
"Wait, I think I know the code," I spoke up, taking the phone from Koh and entered in the code, and the phone unlocked! "I was right! This is the same phone that Michael and Maria found!"
I looked at the text messages between Ashley and someone named Blackbird regarding a payment that was late and falling for some sort of pyramid scheme.
"It looks like Ashley's in a lot of money trouble," I said.
"I don't like the sound of 'or else'," Luis said.
"Look! This is Luis' emergency room bill!" Myra exclaimed, and Luis gasped.
"The bill I got said it cost a lot more!"
"I bet Isa kept the rest of the money for herself," I angrily replied.
"We were supposed to use that money for band and cheerleading," Myra said, getting angry. "And she kept it!"
"This all seems rather fishy to me," Koh angrily said.
"Let's gather everyone together," I suggested. "We need to figure this whole thing out."