The umbrella wasn't all that big and to prevent me from getting wet Ferb insisted I walk closer to him. So there we were, shoulder to shoulder, stepping over puddles and muddy walkways just trying to make it through the storm home; quietly.

I could have spoken up, but every time I felt him brush up against me my brain tended to empty and I got ridiculously self conscious. Every sort of conversation topic I could have tugged on flitted itself away from grasp every time he glanced down to make sure I wasn't lost in the flood and, if I tried to speak up, I was always drowned out by a car or the increase of downpour. It was so loud and yet too tranquil.

I was losing my mind by the time we reached our street, and Ferb had acquired a worried crease in his forehead, I barely noticed when he stopped in his tracks to look at me. I had nearly stepped out from under his protection and my bangs, despite my efforts, became soaked in an instant.
"You look stressed." He pointed out. I gave him a weak shrug, I still wasn't finding my words,
"If you want to say something say it now." A shudder travelled up my spine as he spoke. I would never get used to that.

Say something! Anything!

"Your laptop." I fumbled, the words tumbling out of my mouth without any sort of follow up or excuse. The slip up was completely worth it when I looked up to see Ferb's face twist into something of slight embarrassment and relief, his cheeks turning a faint rose.

I didn't know I could smile so big.

"My laptop… and books-"
"Did you forget?" I finished and he only blushed more, he gaze turning towards my house. Maybe I stepped over a line, but gosh, I don't care- I'd never seen Ferb so-

Vulnerable.

I made a quick motion for his wrist, tugging him in my direction, "Come on, my mom's still at work- if you hurry you can pick it up without her seeing you." I could hear his feet scuffle over one another as he made a quick movement to match mine, following close and still keeping us dry. As we stepped up through the front door, he gave me a confused look and it hit me that I never filled him in on my grounding.

"My mom caught me, that night you stayed over. She wasn't happy at all." Ferb closed the door behind him with a soft clunk, handing me the closed umbrella; it feeling damp in my hands.

His brows knit and his eyes cast down guiltily and I made a desperate sound, searching for words to console his guilt.
"Hey! It's not your fault-" I let out a giddy chuckle, "It was so much fun and, you know, two weeks is nothing." I shrugged again and his eyes finally lit up to their usual luster. I sighed finally, relieved to see that thin line of a plain smile, his vacant stare.

"Here, your things are still in my room." I didn't bother with any lights, in the storm the house just seemed a dull grey colour but not too dark to see. Everything felt a little colder and it made it hard to recover from the wet outside conditions. My room was no different, dim and gloomy and in the corner laid Ferb's laptop and textbooks. A few scattered papers jammed in between the covers.

"Sorry if anything's crinkled," I said, leaning over to retrieve them as he stood in the doorway, head tilted back to look up at the posters on my walls. Various bands and movies, things I never bothered changing. "It was a crazy night anyway." I concluded with an excited laugh.
He flashed a small smirk as he lifted the books and such from my arms.

"Thank you, Isabella." There was a long moment where we both stood beaming at each other, not really sure where to go from there.
I was beginning to feel that buzzing in the back of my head again, I didn't want him to go so soon but, what could I do?
Ferb's grin was starting to fade and his eyebrow rose quizzically, I suppose I had started to frown and made him feel uncomfortable.
I took a breath and opened my mouth-

"What was that noise?" Ferb's framed tensed up noticeably as he muttered his question and I froze, turning my head towards my window.

To my teenage horror, it was my mother, standing in the driveway as she pulled grocery bags from the back seat of her car.

I'm dead.

"Oh my gosh-" I practically squealed, scrambling passed Ferb and down the hall to the stairs, leaving him in the doorway. I had no plan whatsoever, maybe I could distract her long enough for him to sneak out the door but, by the time I reached the foyer she was already in the kitchen.

"Hi mom!" I think I might have been screaming because she nearly jumped a foot in the air as she turned to me. "Oh, Isa! You're home-" She stopped dead in her tracks when she looked me over.
"Isabella! What happened?" My mother nearly threw herself at me, cupping my cheeks as she knitting her brows in worry. I faltered and tried choking a word out through her squishing my cheeks together, my heart was beginning to race; does she know Ferb's here?

"What? Mom, I'm fine what are you talking-" A light bulb clicked on and I reached up to rub the gauze taped to my forehead.
"Oh, mom, no- I'm fine. I just ran into a locker." I chuckled and she pulled back, protruding her bottom lip into a nervous pout, her dark red lip stick was smudged and the wrinkle in her forehead refused to press itself out as she eyed me.
"I promise, the nurse took care of me, it was just a cut." I proposed a reassuring smile and mom finally tugged her lips up, nodding.
"Okay, help mama with the groceries, yes?"
I gritted my teeth, forcing a smile as I nodded, "Of course, mom." and all I could think was:

I'm so sorry, Ferb.

I rushed around the kitchen, throwing various cans and foods in their proper places in a mad dash to try and get back to my room and help Ferb home. My mother just laughed and waved me off saying something like; "Oh you got this, I'm going to watch some TV."

I heaved a sigh, finally slipping away to my room, mumbling apologies as I slammed the door open into an empty space.

My window was wide open and stray rain drops were flying in as my curtains billowed in the spring breeze. I froze, gazing around the room curiously because maybe in some freak turn of events, maybe he was crawling on the ceiling or something.
After a few moments of gawking, I finally kicked my door closed with a loud thump and padded over to my window, forcing it closed.

Ferb was gone. Well, he must have left through the window- it was closed when we came up here in the first place. The books and laptop caught my eye as they were set neatly on the bed; I frowned, once again stuck with his things.
But atop the pile was a small piece of paper and I leaned over to see it was a note he left me.

Sorry about that.
Mind bringing these by the gym tomorrow after school?

-Ferb :)

For someone who's so handy and gentlemanly in many ways, it's amazing I could read that chicken scratch writing of his. I really wasn't expecting that.
Though, I still couldn't help grinning wide at the little smiley face he added at the end of his name, the eyes drawn in simple ovals rather than just pencil dots and the sweet way he curls his b's so they look more like 6's. I nodded to myself, making a mental note to drop by the gymnasium after school.

With another long sigh, I moved his things to the floor and threw myself onto my bed; his note in hand. I rolled to the side and could see my bedside table's drawer partly open.

My first thought was to simply reach over and close it, but I paused. I remembered when Ferb stayed over and he found that old notebook. So with a hesitant movement I pried the drawer open once again and reached inside, pulling out a small pink notebook. To the corner was a torn unicorn sticker, a secondary sticker falling right beneath it and I sniggered at the ridiculousness of it all. The glitter and crayon stains. I opened to the first page; it was torn and had a scribble of what was left of a poem. I couldn't bear reading any of that again so I continued flipping through school work to a wrinkled page.

Right down the middle was a mess of rose and red hearts in marker and pencil crayon and plastered across it in big letters was written:

'Mrs. Phineas Flynn-Fletcher'

It's funny how things change.

Without another thought, I reached back into my bedside table and recovered a black pen. I scraped the tip of my pen down the page and began scrawling dark over the letters. When the words were completely blacked out and reeled back and glanced over my handy work.

And felt nothing.

I gathered myself from my bed, seizing the rest of my notebooks and various toys from the drawer. I rummaged through my room, collecting anything that I kept over the years, things that only brought back memories of that relentless struggle. Birthday cards from him, figurines, anything and I dumped it all on my bed giving it a once over.

This is it.

With a swift motion, I poured the rest of old Isabella into a garbage bag and tied it shut. I carried her gently down the stairs; the rattling of porcelain against plastic was a dull sound, like a sad goodbye. I placed the bag on the curb; I laid her down to rest, and shoved my hands in my pockets.

I guess with all that extra space cleared I finally have room to grow up.