DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" or "High School Story," I only own Diana, Wesley, and Karena. I also do not own the song "Everything."
The next morning came, and the three of us approached Sydney at her locker.
"Hey, guys! What's up?"
"What were you doing at computer fourteen in the lab on Monday?" Maria asked. "You were the one logged in when the email to Kieran was sent."
"Sydney, please tell me there's an explanation," I pleaded.
"Well, it definitely wasn't me," Sydney defended herself. "I haven't been to the computer lab for an entire week because I lost my login info."
"You don't remember it?" I asked in surprise.
"I change my password a lot, so I can never get it right off the top of my head. I keep it written on a little note that I keep in my binder. But now I can't find the note anywhere."
"Where was the last place you saw it, Sydney?" Maria asked.
"When I was working on my Spanish project with Tucker in the lab. I didn't notice my note was gone until I left… but Tucker was the only other person there."
"I hate to admit it, but I think that makes Tucker our prime suspect," I replied sadly as we made our way to the recording studio in the library. I watched as Maria and Michael got set up for their morning announcements while we waited for Tucker to show up, hopefully with some answers.
"What is taking so long?" I asked impatiently.
"Maybe he heard that we were close to figuring our what really happened and decided to skip town?" Michael asked with a little bit of anger in his voice.
"He wouldn't do that," Maria replied with hope in her voice. "Would he?"
"I don't know. He apparently sabotaged Diana, so—"
"If he doesn't show here, we can track him down and confront him," I replied with a suggestion.
"Confront him?" We turned to see Tucker walking in the studio with a questioning look on his face. "You talking about me? What did I do?" Tucker paused to put a smile on his face. "Listen, if this is about the noodle joke I made yesterday—"
"Not this time, Tucker," Michael sadly interrupted him.
"Come on, why the long faces?"
"Tucker, I know you set me up," I answered with both anger and sadness in my voice. "Just confess."
"Set you up? I don't know what you're talking about."
"You stole Sydney's login info, hacked her account, faked an email from Mia to Kieran saying that tryouts were rescheduled, and made it look like my fault."
"Hang on, he could just be another red herring," Maria suggested, not believing the story.
"No, it was me," Tucker confessed with a downcast look.
"I… Why, Tucker?" Maria asked, now with anger. "How dare you?"
"Tucker, how could you sabotage Kieran like that?" I sadly asked. "He's your boyfriend."
"I didn't want to, Diana. You have to believe me. But—"
"Someone threatened to hurt you?" Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No."
"They threatened to hurt somebody else?" I asked, and I watched Tucker's expression change from downcast to shocked.
"It was Max and Kara, wasn't it?" Maria asked. "Possibly with Zoe and Brian?"
"Just Max and Kara," Tucker answered. "How did you know?"
"They did almost the exact same thing to Myra last fall," I explained.
"You mean the Trojan statue?"
"Yeah, they threatened to hurt Myra's best friend if she didn't vandalize it," Maria explained.
"What I want to know if why you needed to bring Sydney into this?" I asked.
"Max warned me that Michael was good at tracing digital footprints," Tucker explained. "He said I should hack someone if I could. This is so much worse than I thought. What are we gonna do?"
"Ugh, can we just graduate already?" I heard Kara ask after she entered the bathroom. The four of us were hiding in the handicapped stall in the bathroom after school to encounter Kara and Max. "I can't believe we have to spend our senior spring in this… you know what I mean."
"Can't graduate just yet, babe," I heard Max answer optimistically. "We've still gotta win prom king and queen."
"Oh, honey, you always know just what to say."
"You bet I do. Now, you know I've got practice in five minutes."
Knowing this was my cue, I sneakily got out of the bathroom stall and cleared my throat, grabbing Max and Kara's attention.
"We need to talk," I told them.
"Can't you see we're busy here?" Max asked, leaning against Kara against the wall.
"I'll be quick," I replied with ice in my voice, and I explained the same situation in almost the same way, only to be met with an eye roll and a snort.
"Uh, no we didn't," Max replied. "You freshmen just want to blame us for everything."
"I know it was you," I angrily replied. "Tucker said so."
"And you'll believe him just like that?" Kara asked, giving me a glare. "The kid's an improv master. Of course he knows how to lie."
"Besides, why would we bother hacking Sydney's account?" Max asked with a big smile, and I knew that he was lying, because my dad had told me he always carried a big smile whenever he lied.
"You Westport kids are so gullible," Kara said. "I bet Tucker's had you wrapped around his finger ever since open mic night."
"Wait a minute. Max, how did you know about Sydney's account?" I asked with a grin. "I never mentioned that."
"Someone… told us?" Max asked, sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Really? Who?"
"Uh—"
"Ugh, Max, just let me do the talking from now on," Kara remarked, and then turned back to me. "Okay, I'm not saying we were involved, but if we were, what are you gonna do? You can't prove it."
"Are you sure about that?" I asked, still grinning when my friends came out of the handicapped stall.
"What the heck are all of you doing in here?" Max asked in shock.
"Recording this!" Michael answered as he replayed the entire conversation. "Proof enough for you?"
"You… can't do that!" Kara exclaimed. "Recording people in secret is against the rules!"
"I don't care about the rules, Kara," I angrily replied. "I care about justice."
"Wow, you're ruthless. I'm almost impressed."
"I do what I have to do to deal with people like you."
"So, what are you gonna do?" Max asked, still sweating.
"If you confess to Mia and Kieran and clear my name, nothing. But if you don't—"
"This recording gets played on the announcements tomorrow morning!" Maria chimed in.
"Okay, okay, just let us tell Mia ourselves," Kara replied, putting her hands up.
"It's more than you deserve, but go ahead," I replied as they scurried away.
"I'd like to make an announcement," Mia said as we finished practice and took a seat in the bleachers. "I'm redoing tryouts. Someone contacted me earlier and confessed they sent Kieran a fake email saying the tryout times had been changed." Mia paused as she glanced at Kara. "I promised them that I wouldn't say who it was, but please know that it wasn't Diana."
"I would never do something like that to you, Kieran," I spoke up, and Kieran walked up to me with a frown on his face.
"I know that now. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."
"It's alright. I know I must've looked pretty suspicious."
"So, when are the new tryouts going to be?"
"Does tomorrow work for both of you?" Mia asked, and we both nodded our heads in agreement. "Then it's settled. I'll see you two tomorrow."
"Wait, I'd like to make an announcement too!" Kieran said, and we gathered to listen. "I know we're normally rivals, but I think it's time that the Staples cheerleaders and the Westport cheerleaders stop fighting. It's supposed to be really nice this evening. How about we go to the beach and have a squad bonfire?"
"A bonfire sounds like fun," I replied with a smile. "Count me in!" I listened most of the other cheerleaders chimed in on agreement.
"Hi, you made it!" Kieran exclaimed, running over to me and giving me a hug.
"I did!" I replied with a smile, and then I looked around. "No way was I going to miss this! I see Kara couldn't make it."
"No great loss," Kieran shrugged.
"Looks like you've got a pretty good fire going already."
"Yeah, Emma's kind of an expert," Kieran explained. "Apparently she learned from one of her mystery books."
"You should see her with a lock pick," I replied.
"So, where are you gonna sit?"
"Do you mind if I sit with you?" I asked.
"Sure!"
I followed Kieran and joined the rest of the squad.
"Thanks for planning this. It was a great idea!"
"No problem. Thanks for encouraging everyone to come!"
"How much longer until we can roast marshmallows?" Sydney asked.
"Just a few minutes," Emma answered as we started telling each other funny stories. "Okay, everyone, I think it's warm enough now. Time for s'mores!"
"Marshmallow are over here," Sydney explained. "Just remember, you want to hold it over the fire until it's golden brown."
I grabbed a marshmallow and held over the fire just long enough, and then I pulled it out.
"Nicely done!" Kieran complimented me.
"My mom taught how to make good s'mores," I explained, as I take a bite of my s'more and savoring the taste.
"So, does anyone know any good ghost stories?" Emma asked.
"No, please no!" Payton cried. "I'm scared of ghost stories!"
"I've got a better idea," I replied. "How about we go around and each tell the story of how we got into cheerleading?"
"I'll go first!" Kieran volunteered. "I actually started out doing gymnastics. I wanted to go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, like Shawn Johnson. I wasn't good enough at the rings or pommel horse to qualify for the boys' team at my gym, but I was really good at floor routines. So, my instructor suggested I go into cheerleading."
"Good call on their part," I replied.
"That makes sense," Mia replied. "Tumbling is the aspect you're strongest at."
"What about you, Diana?" Kieran asked. "How'd you get into cheer?"
"I have been cheering for as long as I can remember," I explained. "My dad is a black belt in karate, so he taught me karate and mixed martial arts as well as some aerobics and gymnastics. I also took ballet classes, and I even participated in the junior cheerleading squad back in grade school."
"Did you ever get injured?" Sydney asked.
"Thanks to my dad's excellent teaching, I have yet to get injured," I replied enthusiastically.
"I never got injured either," Zoe chimed in with a smile. "I've been going to cheer camp practically since I was born."
We continued to tell stories about our backgrounds in cheerleading as the moon continued to shine. It was eventually time to go when Kieran tapped me in the shoulder.
"Hey, I know I said this already, but I'm really sorry for blaming you for that email. You've always been nice to me, and then I acted like a jerk."
"Kieran, it's in the past," I replied with a smile on my face. "As my dad would tell me, we have to let go of our mistakes, learn from them, and keep moving forward. All that matters now is the real tryouts happening tomorrow."
"Shake on new beginnings?" Kieran asked, holding out his hand, and I took it, shaking it firmly.
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck!"
The next day came and went as Kieran and I had our tryouts. I was way to excited after getting my results, so I ended up running all the way home. When I got to the porch, I opened the door and just collapsed on the couch.
"Mom, Diana's home!" Wesley yelled from my right, and I winced as he turned to look at me. "Where's Caleb?"
"Oh shoot, I forgot to tell Caleb," I replied after moaning. "Caleb's not here, but I'll text him and invite him to dinner."
"Hey Diana!" Mom said as she entered the living room. "Wow, you look beat."
"I was too excited to walk," I explained with a weary laugh.
"What got you so excited?"
"Before I answer that, can Caleb come over to dinner?"
"Caleb is always welcome here," Mom replied with a smile. "But you're not answering my question."
"Mia redid tryouts, and this time, Kieran showed up. I earned the solo!"
"Well, you most certainly do! When are tryouts?"
"Mom, they were today. I got the solo!"
"Oh, Diana that's wonderful!" Mom sat down and gave me a big hug. "Oh, Dad's gotta know this—"
"At dinner," I interrupted as I got up to set the table. Then, I texted Caleb.
WonderWoman45: Hey honey, would you like to come to dinner? I've got some news.
I sat back down on the couch when I got my response:
CalebMitchell44: I'd love to. See you soon.
The next Monday, Dad was driving me to school when we both noticed something different.
"Wow, I wonder what the occasion is?" Dad asked as he parked the car, and we both got out. We went around the car to find so many lanterns with candles in them, creating a path to the school entrance. I watched my dad take out his phone to videotape the occasion, and I saw Emma walking up to me.
"Someone wanted me to give you this," Emma explained with a big smile as she handed me an envelope with my name on it. I opened it and took out a card that said, "Take a walk with me?" Then I heard music playing: the same music that Caleb and I danced to at homecoming. I started to walk along the candlelit path, passing Emma…
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.
And Luis, and then Sydney.
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.
I approached the door to find Myra and Nishan, and they opened the doors for me to find another candlelit path in front of me. I saw Ezra and Nikki at the corner as I walked toward them.
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall
You steal my heart and you take my breath away
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now.
I rounded the corner to find Caleb at my locker, with balloons in the background, him dressed up, and holding a bouquet of white roses! I continued to walk up toward him, now blushing with a big smile on my face.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
"Is there a reason for this walk?" I asked, looking up at him.
"There is. Diana Robinson, will you go to prom with me?"
I look at my surroundings, taking it all in, with my last glance being Caleb's gorgeous brown eyes.
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
"Caleb Mitchell, yes! Yes!" I started crying happily. "Ohmygosh, YES!"
I jumped a couple times before I embraced him and kissed him passionately. He returned the kiss, and we didn't care about the cheers surrounding us as we never stopped for air.
Cause you're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything, everything.
"Guys, it's time to get to class," I heard Sydney say, and we both opened our eyes and released each other, still staring into each other's eyes.
"Is it?" I asked dreamily, still gazing into Caleb's eyes.
"You didn't hear the warning bell?" Sydney asked.
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
"We were really that distracted, huh?" Caleb asked, still smiling at me.
"I wish we could keep being distracted," I replied dreamily.
"Who says we can't?"
"Oh, Caleb, are you saying we should skip class?" I asked with a smirk.
"That's probably a bad idea," I heard Dad reply, and I turned around to see him behind me.
"Dad, were you here this whole—wait a minute, this was your idea, wasn't it?" I asked with a smirk.
"Nope! I had nothing to do with this!" Dad exclaimed, holding his hands in the air. "But this was a special moment for you, so I tagged along."
"Dad, you're the best," I replied, giving my dad a tight hug, I felt him hug me back. "I love you."
"I love you too, princess." We let go of each other, and Dad gave me a determined look with his chocolate-brown eyes looking into mine. "You have a great day, alright?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Shall I walk you to class?" Caleb asked, taking my hand.
"Please do!" I answered as Dad walked out of the building and we walked to class.
The next Sunday was the band concert, and I promised Nikki that I would go see it. My parents and Wesley also attended, but I volunteered to sell some roses as a prom fundraiser before the concert before I joined them.
"Break-a-leg roses! Two dollars apiece!" I yelled out, hoping to get some last-minute customers, and I saw Ezra walking up to my table. "Hey Ezra! Aren't you supposed to be backstage?"
"I'm stepping out for a minute," Ezra explained. "I'll take one for Miss Nicole Fox. And there's no need to leave your post. I'll deliver it myself."
We made the exchange and I watched Ezra return to the band room. I couldn't help but smile, feeling happy for my childhood best friend, for she too had found someone to care for her. I took out my phone to check the time.
"Five minutes until the concert," I said out loud. "It looks like it's time for me to start packing up—"
"Talking to yourself, loser?"
I looked up to see Brian at my table with a smirk on his face.
"Well, I certainly wasn't talking to you," I replied with ice in my voice.
"Aw, and I was about to buy one of your flower things," Brian said with a pout.
"Let me guess—"
"My girl, Myra Khandaar. You know, with the short brown hair?"
I felt my stomach churn, but I complied anyway.
"It's two dollars."
"Two bucks for one stupid flower?" Brian asked in shock. "What a ripoff!"
"Then good-bye!" I replied angrily.
"Of course I can afford one. Do I look poor to you?"
I rolled my eyes as I accepted his money. I had a bad feeling when I delivered the rose to Myra in the band room, and Myra ended up tossing the rose behind her anyway. I returned to the auditorium to join Caleb, his family, and my family as the concert was about to start.
"Thank you, thank you!" Principal Hughs spoke into the microphone as we applauded, and she introduced the concert band. "The first piece was composed by junior Aiden Zhou, and features a solo performed by junior Cameron Levy. Let's give them both a hearty round of applause."
The whole auditorium cheered.
"Show them who's the real first chair, Terrence!"
"Yeah Myra! Play well!"
"Go concert band!" I yelled as the music started with Ezra conducting. I watched the band play extremely well as Cameron stood up to play her solo.
"Woo hoo! Go Cameron!" Sydney cheered before Maria shushed her, and the first song was finished.
"I cannot wait to teach this group," I heard my mom say, and I turned to her in shock.
"You're teaching here next year?" I asked quietly.
"You betcha! The principal interviewed me for the job and, in August, I'll be teaching at both schools again, just like old times!"
"That's amazing, Karena," Caleb replied with a smile. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, Caleb," Mom replied, and we got quiet as the second song played. Before we knew it, there was one more song left to play, and the band got started. At first only the percussion group played, and then…
"Hey wait! Stop the music! I have something important to say!"
We all turned to spot Brian running through the audience and onto the stage as Ezra stopped the music.
"What is he doing?" Dad asked with a confused look on his face.
"What's going on here?" Cameron yelled at Brian. "Get off the stage!"
"Chill out, I will in a second," Brian replied. "I need to ask someone a question."
"He's going to embarrass himself," Dad remarked, putting a hand on his forehead.
"Myra, will you go to prom with me?" Brian asked, and Myra look terrified on the stage.
"Brian, get off the stage!" I yelled from the seats.
"Shut it, Robinson!" Brian yelled back. "This is between me and my girl Myra!" I watched Brian turn back to Myra. "So, sweet cheeks, what do you say?"
"HECK NO!" Myra screamed at him.
"Aw come on, don't be like that. I went through all this trouble to show up to your concert and plan a promposal. The least you could give me is a yes and a kiss."
"That is the worst prom proposal I have ever seen," Dad said, still shaking his head.
"Cut it out, Brian!" Nikki yelled. "You've ruined the concert!"
"False. Myra's the one ruining the concert," Brian said. "If she'd said yes, then you'd all be going on about how cute it was."
"Brian… you… THIS WAS MY FAVORITE SONG!" Myra cried. "HOW COULD YOU?"
Everyone watched as Myra ran off the stage in tears, and I watched Nishan and Luis get out of the auditorium to find her.
"Couldn't even get the attention of a girl like her?" Terrence asked with a smirk. "Pathetic."
"You're so right," Zoe yelled back from the audience.
"Terrence, Zoe, shut up!" Ezra yelled, and then he turned to Brian. "Off the stage. Now. Or I'll get Frank up here to remove you."
"Whatever. Guess I'm not gonna get with—"
"Brian, get out of here!" Aiden yelled, and Brian finally got off the stage.
"Diana, thank you for not picking Brian," Dad whispered to me as the principal sadly closed out the concert.
"Why would I consider going out with Brian, Dad?" I whispered back, shaking my head. "He has always been a jerk to me, to Caleb, to everybody."
We watched as everyone got out of the auditorium, and me and my friends went to look for Myra, and we found her with tears on her face with Nishan and Luis comforting her.
"Oh, Myra, why did I agree to deliver that rose?" I asked, shaking my head. "Maybe if I hadn't Brian would've given up."
"He probably would've gone through with it anyway," Nishan explained. "Don't blame yourself."
"I'm trying not to, but… I wish I could've done something."
"This was bothering you more than you let on, wasn't it?" Cameron asked with compassion.
"I don't know," Myra answered. "I think I liked the attention at first, but then…"
"Did you feel like you couldn't fight back after that, because you'd been okay with it at first?" Caleb asked, and Myra nodded. "Because, if so, I know the feeling."
"Is there anything we can do for you?" I asked.
"I think I want to go home," Myra answered, and Nishan and Luis got her up and took her home. We all went our separate ways, with my parents meeting me at my locker so I could grab a textbook. I noticed Brian in the hallway as well, but I tried my hardest to ignore him.
"Hey, loser! Way to screw everything up!" I turned to see Brian standing right next to me with an angry expression on his face.
"Excuse me?" I shot back. "What did I do?"
"I don't know what you did to that rose, but obviously you screwed it up somehow. If you hadn't, Myra wouldn't have rejected me!"
"So it's my fault for something that Myra did?"
"Of course it is. What did I ever do to deserve this?"
"Oh ho! What did you ever do?" I exclaimed. "Do you really want to know?"
"Go ahead," Brian answered with a smirk. "Tell me."
"Diana, let me—"
"No, Dad." I turned my head to the right to acknowledge my dad. "I can handle this."
I turned right back to Brian.
"Brian, where do I even start?" I paused, 'thinking' of a good place to start. "How about last fall, when you attended Westport High? Remember how you stole Caleb's girlfriend?"
"Come on, I already apologized for that!" Brian explained. "You even said it was brave of me. Remember?"
"I only said that because I thought you actually meant what you said," I shot back, pointing a finger at him.
"But I did mean it!"
"That's bull and we both know it!" I screamed, still waving my finger at him and walking towards him, while Brian started to walk backwards. "What have you done since to become a better person? Absolutely nothing."
"Okay, whatever. So maybe there were some mistakes back in the day," Brian replied with a flat face. "You keep talking about last fall, and all I can hear is that you're holding a big ol' grudge."
"Seriously?" I yelled back. "I'm the one holding a grudge?!"
"Seriously. Learn to live in the moment, why don't you?" Brian asked, laughing at me. "All that negativity is only gonna hurt you in the end."
"Excuse me, I'm the negative one?!" I screamed, giving him a piece of my mind. "The only one negative around here is you. So, how about what you've done to Myra? I can't believe you kept asking her out after she rejected you over and over again!"
"But what if she changed her mind?"
"Then she could always ask you, genius," I sarcastically answered. "And why would she change her mind after you've gone out of your way to be nasty to her and her friends?"
"I was never nasty to her!"
"REALLY? Because that promposal seemed pretty nasty to me. My father even said that was the worst promposal he's ever seen!"
"Don't forget who you're talking to, Robinson," Brian shot back, stomping his foot on the ground to stop me from walking toward him. "I'm Brian Crandall, star quarterback at Staples, and son of—"
"I'm Diana Robinson, daughter of Wilbur Robinson, and I was raised to love my friends, not to make them bow before me in fear! My dad always tells me to go after my dreams and to keep moving forward, and I see myself having a future! What do I see in you? A pathetic excuse for a human being who's not going anywhere in life because he holds on to his grudges and doesn't learn from his mistakes! And don't even think about saying anything else, mister, because you know I'm right. The kids at Westport High can see you for who you are. And the Staples kids are learning, too!"
"LIAR! Tons of Staples kids like me!"
"Name one." I paused while Brian tried to think of a name. "Do they really like you, Brian? Or do they just fear you?"
"I… You don't… Um…"
"That's what I thought. Now, I need to go. My loving and compassionate parents are waiting for me."
"Now wait just a minute!" Brian yelled after me, and I turned around walked right back up to him. "You can't just—"
I angrily slapped Brian in the face before he could finish his sentence.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"Everything you've done to me and my friends since last September!" I angrily replied as I turned back around to follow my parents to the car.
"Dude, Diana, I hope all the boys at school are scared of you now," Wesley said as we drove home. "Because I'm scared of you."
"Oh, Wesley, if someone makes fun of you, I promise they're getting a slap from your sister," I replied with a smirk. "I've got your back, little brother. No one brings down the Robinson family."
"Even I'm a little scared of you," Dad replied with a chuckle. "Remind me to not get on your bad side."
"I'm sorry you had to see that," I said.
"Are you kidding?" Dad replied with a determined look on his face. "That was awesome! You stood your ground and told him off. This dad is proud of you. I wonder who his parents are because I would like to get in their face—"
"Dad. Keep moving forward," I interrupted as we got home.