Empty Apartment: Chapter 50

Author's Note: Hey all! Happy almost 10-year anniversary to this story! I honestly can't believe that it's been ongoing this long! Just 18 chapters left to go!
Also, this was originally going to be longer but I ended up cutting a scene that I didn't think really fit in this chapter. It's going to get reworked into the next chapter (which I'm really excited about because a *big* thing happens).
Lastly, thank you as always for reading and reviewing! I love reading the comments from people who are either still invested or have just gotten invested in this story. It's just so cool to me that we're all on this ride together!
Anyway, read on :)


Friday, April 18th

"Where is Isabella?" Baljeet asked as he and Buford took seats across from Phineas at their lunch table.

"She needed to proofread a story before lunch. She said she'd be quick," Phineas explained as he pulled the crust off of his sandwich and picked at it. He didn't feel hungry.

The days had been passing by slowly and painfully since his encounter with Ferb on Sunday. Ferb had made it apparent that Monday that he didn't plan to talk or associate with him or anyone else, for that matter. He'd been silent as a mute aside from a couple of 'fuck offs' to persistent people since then.

"Bet Beanpole is off burning his lungs," Buford said bitterly as he stabbed at his food, rather than ate it.

Phineas gave a noncommitted shrug. "That's probably a good guess."

Phineas had tried to be ready for it, but he hadn't really anticipated how other people would fit into things. He'd done his best to prepare for Ferb's cold shoulder, but he hadn't thought about anyone else getting it.

"Fuckin' asshole gets a tummy ache an' suddenly he can't talk," Burford grumbled.
He'd taken things harder than Phineas had thought he would. It seemed at some point Buford had started considering Ferb his friend, and he wasn't taking the rejection well. Phineas couldn't help feeling guilty. Maybe if he hadn't approached Ferb, he'd be the only one getting this treatment.

Baljeet didn't look impressed by Buford's word choices but chose to ignore them and focus on Phineas instead. "I have been reading about selective muteness during my study breaks. Do you think perhaps Ferb suffers from that?"

"Is givin' people the finger a symptom? 'Cause if not, Buford ain't buyin' it." Buford's eyes were downcast in that way they always were when he was trying to mask his hurt with anger.

Baljeet sighed in frustration. "Look, I am just trying to find a reasonable explanation for his behavior." Baljeet then turned to Phineas, giving him the same look that it felt like he had been giving him for the last two weeks. "Are you sure you do not know why he is acting this way?"

Phineas hated this. He felt like he was on trial, and worse than that, he was completely guilty of the crime. He felt his heart speed up. "I told you, he hasn't said anything to me either. Something at the party must have upset him for some reason." He hated lying to them, but he didn't know what else he could do.

Baljeet was looking at him like something about his answer didn't sit right, but then his face changed to one of acceptance. "I suppose you are right… Still, perhaps maybe if you talked to him, he might listen? You and he are—"

"I've tried," Phineas cut him off. His throat was feeling tight. He tried to calm himself. He needed to change the subject. He was thankful he had a way to do so, even if what he was planning to do was only marginally better. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you guys real quick while Isabella isn't around."

That seemed to get their attention.

"What about her?" Buford asked curiously.

"I've finally figured out how I want to ask her to prom, but I'm going to need some help from you guys with the setup. Do you guys mind helping me? I promise it's nothing too crazy." Phineas hoped this would be enough to steer the conversation away from Ferb.

Baljeet's face immediately turned excited. "Of course, we will help you! What do you need us to do?"

Buford scoffed, "Don't volunteer Buford." His only response was a shove from Baljeet.

Phineas forced a smile as his breathing evened out. "Well, after school today—"

"Today?! Are you insane! That is so little time!" As Phineas had hoped, this was going to take all of Baljeet's focus.

"I figure if anyone can help me pull it off, you can."

And just like that, everyone's attention had shifted away from Ferb.

Well, everyone's but Phineas'.


As was her usual routine as of late, Adyson was texting Mishti during lunch. Her friends weren't paying much attention to her, or maybe she just wasn't paying much attention to them, given that Mishti had her full focus.

That became even more true when Mishti told her that she had an important secret to tell her. Adyson grinned before standing up, deciding that any important secret should be found out in private. Or at least as private as the walk to her locker was.

"Where are you going, Ady?" Katie asked her, suddenly shifting attention to her.

Adyson was quick to wave it off. "Just to get something out of my locker. I'll be right back." Katie looked skeptical as she looked between her and her phone, but she didn't say anything. More and more her friends were skeptical about her texting habits, but she chose to ignore that. It wasn't anyone's business.

Once she was safely in the hallway and on her way to her locker, she gave Mishti the go-ahead to spill her guts.

From: Mishti
If you insist :) My family has decided to extend their trip until the end of May! So, I will be here until the end of the school year! Please do not mention this to anyone; we are telling Baljeet tonight. But I wanted you to be the first person I told 3

Adyson had to use all of her self-control to not scream in the hallway. Mishti was staying for the rest of the school year? That was the best secret she'd ever been told!

She reached her locker and leaned against it happily as she began writing a message back that mostly consisted of a keyboard smash and exclamation marks.

Just as she hit the send button, someone stopped in front of her.

She looked up to see a tall senior, whom she knew but didn't know. He definitely went to parties, so they'd been in the same circles before. She knew him well enough to know his name was Tyler, at least.

He nodded at her. "I hope it's not some guy that's got you smiling like that."

Adyson snorted. "Why's that?"

He shrugged casually like he wasn't actually invested in the conversation that he'd started. "I just think it'd be a shame if I wasn't the one making you smile, that's all."

Adyson nodded slowly, a smile on her face only because she was trying not to laugh. Fuck, this guy was cheesy. "That's so noble of you."

"Thanks. So, what do you think about us going to prom together?" He apparently didn't catch that she was trying not to laugh at him.

"Look, I'm flattered, but I'm not really interested," she said as politely as she could. She was even debating saying something about taking a shot together at an after party when he scoffed at her.

"Damn, already found your hookup for the night, huh? Guess people aren't wrong about how fast you work," he said before walking away from her like she'd hadn't showered in a month.

Adyson was going to shout after him, but when her phone buzzed in her hand, it was like her anger had completely dissipated. So instead, she just laughed.

If some fuckboy wanted to call her a slut because she wouldn't go to prom with him, that was fine. She had a better plan for a date.


Buford was on his way to his business math class when a hand with long manicured fingernails grabbed his arm.

Buford groaned before turning around to face Adyson. "Buford can't be late for math again. I told you." It wasn't like Adyson often caused Buford to be late for math, but they had on occasion skipped class together since they shared the class before.

She scoffed. "I'll be quick. No need to get snippy." She then grinned at him. "I think we should go to prom together."

Buford was silent for a second before he started laughing, then began continuing his walk to class. "I think you're finally losing it."

Adyson continued walking beside him. "Okay, one, I'm offended that that's your reaction. I'm literally one of the hottest girls in school."

Buford shrugged. "You ain't Buford's type, and he ain't yours."

"Very true," Adyson agreed. "But two, I'm doing you a favor by insuring you'll be able to spend prom with who you want."

"How's that?" Buford asked despite not feeling very invested in the conversation.

As they approached the math room, Adyson again grabbed Buford's arm to stop him in his tracks. "So, I need you to not be insane about this or mention it to anyone, but I know something that no one else knows yet, including Baljeet."

That got Buford's attention. It was weird that she'd specified that Baljeet didn't know something. "Spit it out then, Sweetwater."

Adyson seemed to take pleasure in his reaction before looking around them as though to ensure none of the passing students were listening to them. "Mishti is staying until the end of the school year."

Buford immediately felt like hitting something, but he didn't get a chance to find something to enact that feeling on before Adyson kept talking.

"Okay, stop. I know that look, and you're thinking small picture. Think big picture," she told him slowly. He begrudgingly waited for her to explain. "Baljeet's parents would have been super weird about him going to prom, especially with you there. But now, this will be a big cultural experience for Mishti, that they'll expect her to enjoy with Baljeet."

"This ain't helpin' Buford's temper."

"That's because you have no sense of foresight," Adyson said as she rolled her eyes. "Luckily, though, you have me, and I've already figured out that if Baljeet and Mishti go to prom together, and you and I go to prom together, then we can meet up at prom and switch."

It took Buford a second to process what she meant. "So, I spend the night with Baljeet and you spend the night with Mishti?"

Adyson grinned. "Exactly. Am I brilliant or what?"

Buford stared at her. "What are you gettin' out of this?" Buford knew why he wanted to go with Baljeet, but why would Adyson want to go with Mishti? She wasn't trying to blackmail him or something, right? Nah, that'd be dumb. They'd been friends for years.

Adyson looked down at the floor before quickly shrugging and looking back up at him. "I'm sick of fuckboys. I just want to go with someone I actually like. You get that, right?"

Buford slowly nodded. "Okay, me and 'Jeet are in then." He wasn't sure if he got exactly what Adyson was getting at, but he thought maybe he did. And either way, as long as he got to go to prom with Baljeet, he didn't really care.


After his last class of the day (which had become exceedingly awkward now that Ferb wasn't talking to him or even Adyson), Phineas met Buford and Baljeet at the front of the school. Buford was carrying a large, black poster board that had 'This Just In: Phineas Asks Isabella to Prom' neatly spelled out on it in newspaper clippings.

"You're lucky Buford had time to glue these letters on," the taller boy said as he handed Phineas the poster.

"Oh, please, it was I who did the gluing," Baljeet corrected him before handing Phineas the bouquet of newspaper roses that he and Baljeet had made together during 6th period.

"Well, whoever did it, thanks for helping me and keeping hold of the stuff," Phineas told them with a tight smile. He hoped it could be read as nervousness about making a grand gesture and not as the apprehension that it actually was.

"Eh, what are friends for?" Buford said with a shrug just as Baljeet began pushing Phineas.

"Ooh! You need to get to the bottom of the steps! You must be ready for when Isabella walks out!" he urged him.

Phineas nodded and did as he was told. Once he was in place, he turned and faced the school, leaving the sign and flowers tucked tightly at his side.

He expected Isabella to be one of the last students out of the building, so he was surprised when he saw her walking out of the school with a few of the Fireside Girls just a minute or two later. He realized that one of them must have found out about the plan from Buford or Baljeet and urged her out faster.

Phineas felt dread build in his stomach, but instead of acknowledging it, he held up his poster and flowers. He watched as Isabella stopped mid-step and read the sign. For a second, he had a vision of her in his head rejecting him, and it provided him with relief, but it was short-lived.

Once the words registered, she was grinning and running down the steps toward him. Once she'd reached him, she threw her arms around him in a hug. He did his best to hug her back even with his full hands and the guilt in his chest of not wanting what was happening.

"This just in: Isabella says yes," she whispered in his ear before kissing him.

Phineas could hear the people around him cheering and clapping at the successful promposal. It made his skin itch, and the only thing that kept him from scratching his shoulder was his poster hitting Isabella's side when he lifted his hand.

She pulled away, smile still on her face.

"Lucky me," Phineas said, trying to match the look on her face. He must have succeeded because she hugged him again.

"Okay, lovebirds; kiss later! We need to get some pictures!" Holly yelled out, the rest of the Fireside Girls quickly backing her up.

It was only once they were posed for the picture, Phineas' sign on proud display, that he caught sight of green hair passing him on his way to the sidewalk.

Phineas caught his eye for only a second, but that was a second longer than he wished he had. Because a second was long enough to capture a picture of Phineas' heartbreaking, and it was long enough for Phineas to gather that Ferb wasn't coming back to him.