Fifteen: Taller

Authors note: I can't believe how popular this series has become! Thank you guys so much for the reviews, favorites, and alerts! Please continue to let me know what you guys think!

"You're getting a new jacket." Mom says, her tone telling me that she's losing patience with me fast.

"Why?" I ask, once again invoking a glare from my mom.

Normally mom and I don't fight. Seriously. I know a lot of kids fight with their parents, but for the most part I just don't. I think my parents are usually right and I usually do what they tell me to without much thought. But even I have things I have to fight for.

"Phineas," Mom started, her voice drawing out the syllables in my name, "It's old, it has holes in it, and you've outgrown it."

"It still fits." I argue.

If there is one thing I hate it's getting new clothes. When I was younger it was a breeze. Ferb and I would walk into the mall and pick out the same clothes in larger sizes and call it a day. Of course now that isn't a choice and it really grinds my gears.

"No, it doesn't," she says exasperatedly. "It's short and it doesn't even go down to your wrists. I'm throwing it out, and you're getting a new one."

We're currently arguing in the kitchen. Mom is trying to get things ready to make dinner, but she got caught up in yelling at me about the jacket that I have on for the first time since last year.

Ferb is currently sitting at the kitchen table listening to us argue about my jacket. We've probably been going back and forth on the issue for ten minutes. He looks more amused than anything.

"If I'm happy with it then why does it matter?" I ask throwing my arms up.

"Because I don't want everyone to think you have a mother who doesn't care about you enough to buy you a fitting jacket," she replies as she begins preheating the oven.

"So what you're saying is that I have to be unhappy so you can look good to the neighbors?" I ask. I can see Ferb cover a snicker at the table.

"Do not mouth off to me young man," she says looking ready to really lose her temper.

At this point I watch Ferb get out of his chair and head out of the room. He is wearing a brown leather jacket that he got recently. Ferb doesn't have the same hatred of shopping that I do. Of course if I looked like Ferb I wouldn't hate shopping either. No, I'd be looking in that dressing room mirror all day. But I may not bother putting the clothes on, no I'd just take them off-

"Are you even listening to me?" Mom asks me in an annoyed tone. Apparently she's been talking to me. I was more concentrated on the god walking out of our kitchen.

I am about to make up an excuse for not listening, one that doesn't involve checking out my brother's perfect ass, when Ferb walks back into the kitchen to save me.

He throws a black jacket at me that I recognize immediately as the one he wore when he was fourteen.

"What is that?" Mom asks looking at the jacket in my arms.

I pull off my orange fleece jacket and replace it with the leather jacket Ferb gave me. The fit is near perfect and I swear it still smells like Ferb.

"I remember telling you to get rid of that." Mom says turning to Ferb.

He shrugs in reply. "I thought he'd want it."

I do want it as a matter of fact and not just because it was Ferb's. I mean, that helps, but that's not the only reason. I actually just think it's a cool jacket. It's got padding on the elbows and just has a certain edge to it.

"I'll make the trade." I say holding out my orange jacket to mom to show that I'm serious.

Mom sighs as she inspects the jacket I'm wearing. "It looks a little beat up."

"That's the only way to wear leather." Ferb supplies.

Mom looks like she wants to say no, but instead she sighs. "Fine," I smile as she gives in. "But you're going to be an angel the next time we go clothes shopping."

We both know that I probably won't be, but just the same I respond, "Sure!"

Mom shakes her head knowingly as Ferb and I turn to leave the house, just as we had been planning to do before the jacket fight began.

We get outside before I speak again.

"Thanks Ferb." I say as I bump his shoulder a bit.

"No problem," he says easily. "I always thought it'd look good on you."

I almost blush at the comment. "So I'm pulling off this whole leather jacket thing?" I ask in a joking matter.

"You're pulling off that and the whole fifteen thing. Actually you're pulling that off quite well," he says as we walk down the sidewalk.

"What do you mean?" I ask. This time I do blush.

He's about to answer when Isabella and Baljeet begin calling to us from the end of the street and coming toward us, along with a grumpy looking Buford.

Ferb lets out a small chuckle before looking at me. "Fifteen looks good on you."

He doesn't get a chance to say more before our friends are surrounding us.

If his reply didn't make me so giddy I'd kill them for interrupting us.

I still might.