Polar Opposites

Linda finished setting her Crock Pot up for dinner that night and then turned back to face her teenage sons, both of whom were still looking at her with wide smiles and pleading eyes. She folded her arms as she looked sternly at them.

"You know, I trusted your sister once when she was about your ages to not throw a crazy, wild party while your father and I were out," Linda told them. "Something about this feels like déjà vu all over again."

"But there's a difference here," Phineas said, clearly prepared to make his case. "That time, Candace wasn't planning on having a party in the first place that time. It just kinda happened and she lost control of things. We, on the other hand, are planning the party from the get-go. And we're not doing it alone."

"Ginger Hirano is organizing the guest list," Ferb added. "And Gretchen is going to talk to Jeremy about catering courtesy of Mr. Slushy Dawg, so there'll be no cooking to worry about."

"What about security," Linda asked as she sat on a stool by the breakfast nook. "How are you going to handle anyone who might get out of hand?"

"Buford and some of his buddies from the football team have already said they're cool with handling that," Phineas told her confidently. "And we're putting a hard cut-off time of nine 'o clock for the party. Once everyone's gone, Ferb and I will handle the cleanup ourselves."

Linda carefully considered the arguments the boys had put forth as she looked back and forth between them. They both, once again, smiled brightly at her and put their most pleading eyes on. Linda rubbed her forehead and sighed as she realized they weren't going to give up on this easily, if at all.

"Oh…alright," she said, finally conceding to them. "I can't help but have a bad feeling about this, but you boys have never given me reason to doubt you before."

Phineas and Ferb both ran up and hugged her tightly.

"You are the most awesome mom in the history of the universe," Phineas told her excitedly.

"Alright, alright, stop crushing me," Linda pleaded, lightly pushing the boys back. "But understand, boys: if I find anything out of place after this party is over, you're both going to be in really hot water."

"You won't have anything to worry about, mom," Ferb told her, smiling. "If anything, the house will be in even better shape after we're done."

"If you say so, honey. Just keep me in the loop about your plans and I'll make arrangements with your father so we won't be in your way," Linda told them.

"We will," Phineas said, nodding vigorously. "And really mom; thanks a ton."

After their mother bid them goodbye and left for the antique shop, Phineas and Ferb retreated to their room where they brought down their big screen and booted their network up. Moments after they came online, Ginger appeared on her webcam.

"Hey guys," she said cheerily with a wave. "How'd things go with your mom?"

"We're golden, Ginger," Phineas told her, still smiling widely. "How's the guest list coming?"

Ginger looked down at her clipboard as she spoke. "So far I haven't had anyone turn down an invitation. Some kids are unfortunately out of town on vacations, but there's not much we can do about that. Nonetheless, I'd say I'm about seventy-five percent through the list and about ninety percent of them have said they're coming."

"Wow. That's gonna be a lot of people. We'd better tell Gretchen to figure on a bigger order."

"I'm way ahead of you. I called her earlier when it started to look like the actual number for attendees was trending above what Baljeet had projected."

"Man, you are good."

"It's a gift. Any word from Isabella on decorations?"

"Nothing yet, but I'm sure we'll hear from her soon. Let us know when the guest list is all set, and make sure to copy Buford in on the final list. He'll need it for reference purposes when he's checking people at the gate."

"Will do. I'm gonna get back to contacting people. By the way, we're still keeping this secret from Django, right?"

"If at all possible, yes."

"Roger that. I'll let you know when the guest list is completed!"

Ginger stayed visible on-screen, but was visibly working diligently contacting people via e-mail and phone calls. A few minutes later, Isabella came on screen with a list in hand.

"Hey gang," she said without looking away from her list. "I've got palm trees, tiki masks and torches all lined up. Anything else?"

"Nope, that's everything," Phineas told her happily. "You're a gem as always, Izzie."

"Oh really," she replied, gazing into her camera with a dreamy look in her eyes. What kind of gem?"

"Don't say diamond, Phineas," Ginger said in a warning tone. "There are connotations that go with that stone that I'm pretty sure you don't want to convey just yet."

"Nah, I was gonna say sapphire," Phineas said, still looking at his girlfriend. "Y'know, to match those stunning eyes of hers."

Isabella sighed contentedly as she and Phineas made eyes at each other through their respective webcams while Ginger acted like she was gagging. Ferb pushed his brother away from the screen to avoid them wasting any more time with flirting.

"Get to work with the music mix, Phineas," he told him. "Sorry, Isabella, but we do have a schedule to keep here. When will the decorations arrive?"

"Within the hour," Isabella told him. "I'll be over before then so I can start arranging everything properly."

"Excellent. We'll see you when you get here then," Ferb said. Isabella signed off, so he then turned back to Ginger. "Ginger, how much longer do you suppose it'll take to finish the list?"

"Assuming no distractions, I should be done well before the decorations arrive," Ginger replied. "So I'll sign off for now and buckle down."

"Much appreciated. Just come straight over when you're done."

"Will do. I'll bring Baljeet with me too. See you guys then!"

Ferb signed off of the network for the time being and looked over at Phineas, who looked to be sulking slightly as he browsed through their massive music library.

"You know there was a time when you'd berate me for not giving her enough attention," Phineas said without looking back at his brother.

"When the party's in full swing, you two can do as you please," Ferb told him, folding his arms. "Until then, can you try to stay on task? Remember for whose sake we're doing this after all."

Phineas looked back at Ferb, now smiling as brightly as ever. "I'm well aware, dude. I just couldn't resist the opportunity to give you a hard time for it is all."

"Fair enough. I admit it is fairly ironic to have to tell you to not dote on Isabella."

"Oh, you think?"

Ferb shook his head and joined his brother at his computer as they threw themselves into putting together a top notch music list for what was sure to be a dynamite party.

Just after noon, Django pulled up in front of the Flynn-Fletcher home on his bike still curious about what the day's activities would entail. Back when he lived in the area he had at least been a spectator for many of the brothers' stunts and inventions, but apart from one time when they helped him paint a massive picture outside the art museum he'd never really been much of a contributor to their efforts. The fact that he'd been summoned to the house with the promise of a surprise especially for him had him mystified. He reached the gate to the backyard, opened it, and couldn't believe his eyes.

An island-themed party was already well underway with a giant TV screen towards the back that had an animated message of "Welcome Home, Django" continually playing on it.

"Hey everyone," Phineas called out, spotting Django as he entered the backyard. "The man of the hour has arrived!"

"Whoa," Django said, quite overwhelmed by the spectacle. "Seriously, whoa. You guys did this for me?"

"Since you're gonna be around the whole summer, we figured people should know you're here," Phineas told him as he stepped up to his old friend. "There's no better way to do that than with a party."

Django smiled and fist bumped Phineas as they walked further into the party. "Dude, you rock harder than words could possibly convey."

"You just mingle around and enjoy the party, man. We've got everything taken care of."

"Gotcha. Think I'll head over and get some food and a drink first."

Phineas headed off to check on other aspects of the party while Django approached the buffet, which was attended by Gretchen and her boss, Jeremy.

"Good afternoon, Django," Gretchen said pleasantly. "We've got a nice variety of choices courtesy of Mr. Slushy Dawg."

"I had no idea there were so many ways to serve a hot dog," Django said, impressed at the spread. There were hot dogs, corn dogs, windmill dogs, tiny hot dogs cut to look like octopuses with smiley faces drawn on them, hot dog hoagies, pigs in a blanket, and at least a half dozen other styles that Django didn't know how to begin describing. All of that didn't even include all of the condiments and toppings available. It was a smorgasbord befitting of a teenaged crowd.

"Knock yourself out, man," Jeremy told him. "Gotta say, I never thought I'd be catering a party with this stuff."

"Hey, you know us teenagers," Django told him, smiling as he piled hot dogs, corn dogs, and a windmill dog on a plate. "We'll eat anything; especially if it's available in large quantities."

Jeremy had to laugh, knowing not too long ago such had applied to him as well. "Truer words were never spoken."

"Thanks guys. I'll be back, count on it."

Django grabbed a can of soda and began munching on hot dogs as he continued making his way around. His next stop was by Ferb, who was surrounded by sound equipment.

"Ferb, my man," Django said after forcing a huge bite of food down his throat. "These are some choice tunes, dude."

"It wouldn't be much of a party without proper music," Ferb replied, saluting Django from where he sat. "How do you feel about something a little more classic-sounding?"

"Hit it and I'll tell you," Django told him, wondering what the British teen had in mind. Ferb hit a few buttons to queue up the song in mind and waited, smiling devilishly at Django. Moments later, the beginning chords of "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet filled the air.

"Dude, you know me so well it's kinda creepy," Django told him.

"I thought it might be fitting," Ferb replied, high-fiveing him as he passed by the table. "Enjoy the party."

Django laughed as he headed away. "As if I could do anything else."

As he continued to enjoy the music, mingle with other teens, and caught up with a few people he recognized, he wondered just how much more surprising the day was going to get.

"Aw for crying out loud, Katie, how much longer are you gonna be?"

"Excuse me if I'm trying to finish my requirements to get my driver's license! You're the one who keeps bugging me to do it so we can go where we please when we please."

"Yeah, but now I'm gonna be at this party surrounded by people I don't know and couples I'm gonna feel totally out of place around."

"Well, consider the people as future voters to get you elected student council president this fall. As for the couples, what's to worry about? They're all still friends, aren't they?"

"Yeah, friends I barely saw all year because they were so busy with each other."

"You were pretty busy too as I remember."

"With stuff that actually mattered! They were just sucking face in the halls most of the time."

"Look, just stay cool and mingle as much as you can. I'll be done with this lesson pretty soon and I'll be straight over after. I promise."

"Okay…I'll be civil, I promise. Just get here as quickly as you can, please. I'll see you then."

Flipping her cell phone closed, Adyson stopped walking as she saw the Flynn-Fletcher home come into view. She looked over her outfit one last time, making sure nothing was out of place or that anything she didn't want showing was, and then approached the gate of the backyard which was now being guarded by Buford. He looked otherwise like his usual self except for a black t-shirt with large, white block lettering that read "Angry Wall of Meat" and a clipboard he had clutched in his right hand.

"Hey Buford," Adyson said flatly, stepping up to him. "Can I get in here?"

"Name," Buford asked in reply, looking at her as if he were looking through her. Adyson sighed audibly and dramatically. Frustration was setting in already and she wasn't even inside the party yet.

"It's me, doofus. Now let me in."

Buford looked over his clipboard briefly. "Ain't no 'Me' on my list here."

"We're really doing this? Seriously? You've known me since we were kids, for crying out loud!"

"Hey, I don't care how long I've known ya. I don't get a name to check, I can't let ya in. I told Ferb me and my boys would take this seriously and we are."

"Buford, sweetie, are you giving poor Addie a hard time," Milly asked as she stopped by his post. She had a plate of Slushy Dawgs in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She handed him the plate of food with a sweet smile. "Here, tank up big guy. Gotta keep your energy up."

"Thanks, doll," Buford replied, happily taking the plate as he smiled at her.

"Come on in, Adyson," Milly told her. "I know for a fact you're on the list. Buford just really gets into character when he gets jobs like these, so don't mind him."

"If you say so," Adyson said, warily watching Buford wolf down hot dogs as she entered.

She quickly looked Milly over as they walked. Despite being a bit bigger than the rest of the girls from their old Fireside Girls troop, she still carried herself with poise and dressed quite well with looser blouses and longer skirts as opposed to the more form-fitting styles that most girls their age favored. Milly was also still as good-natured and even-tempered as ever. She had always seemed like something of a mother figure to Adyson, which certainly wasn't a bad thing; just not what she wanted for her own future. Adyson was sure that having a boyfriend had also done wonders for the curly-haired brunette's confidence and temperament as well; even if it was someone as boorish as Buford.

"So what're you up to this summer so far," Adyson asked as they strolled the party.

"Oh I've got a pretty thriving babysitting gig set up," Milly told her, still smiling. "It's decent cash and kinda fun, really. It's making me think about going into daycare or teaching."

"That's cool, I guess. Not my thing, though. Anything else?"

"That's it, really. Apart from spending time with my cuddlesome one, of course." Milly giggled as she thought dreamily about Buford.

"Okay, seriously, whoa. You can't possibly tell me that dude back there with the 'Angry Wall of Meat' t-shirt is cuddly."

"You'd be surprised. When it's just the two of us at the movies we put up the armrest between our seats, snuggle up and…"

"Oookay, thank you for the TMI, Milly," Adyson said, silencing the girl before she went into too much detail about her private time with Buford. "I think I'll just continue on my own from this point, if that's cool with you."

"By all means. Oh just so you know, all the other girls are here except Holly and Katie. Holly's not coming, though. Ginger said she's out of town for a family vacation."

Adyson nodded and waved to Milly as she broke off and headed elsewhere in the backyard. She of course already knew Katie would be late, but with Holly not showing that left her prospects for making it through the rest of the evening with her sanity intact poor to say the least.

Surveying the party she easily spotted each of the other girls in turn. Isabella and Ginger were with Baljeet near the giant TV screen, laughing about something or another amongst themselves. Gretchen was next to the buffet chatting with Ferb, who was eating while they talked. Milly, who she'd just left, wandered over to Phineas who had a pair of headphones on as he took his turn managing the party's music.

As she continued looking around the party at all the other random people she either barely knew or didn't know, she grew more and more despondent. Coming to the party now seemed like a huge mistake, and just as she wondered if it could get any worse for her she tripped over one of the roots of the backyard's tree. She spun and landed on her backside, though she didn't hit the ground as hard as she thought she would. As soon as she got her bearings and looked to her left, she saw why: she had landed in someone's lap.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," she said, suddenly flustered by the flare up of her innate clumsiness. She then stopped as she realized whose lap she'd fallen into.

"Holy cow," Django said, looking at her with utter surprise. "Adyson?"

"Django?"

"Yup, in the flesh. How've you been?"

Adyson shot up to her feet in an instant feeling horrendously embarrassed. She had known the party was to welcome him back to the neighborhood, and she certainly had wanted to reconnect with him, but not by falling on him.

"I've had better days," she said as she tried to straighten her clothes. "Sorry about falling on you there."

"No big," Django said, slowly standing up as well. "It's not the first time you've done that, after all. So what's with the Biz Cas look?"

"Biz Cas? What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

"It's short for business casual. Y'know, like what you're wearing."

Adyson looked herself over again, not finding anything wrong with the light blue sleeveless buttoned blouse and knee-length navy blue skirt she was in.

"I just thought I'd dress up a bit," she said, turning her head to try and hide her blushing. "Besides, there's people here I wanted to impress too.

Django cocked an eyebrow at her. "Dressing to impress? And you're how old?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm fifteen, thank you very much!"

"Fifteen going on what? Thirty-two? Seriously, we're in high school Adyson. It's not like we've got some stuffed shirt boss to impress or anything like that."

"I have a hard time taking fashion advice from a guy who's dressed like he slept in the clothes he's currently wearing," Adyson said, looking over his rumpled and faded clothes. "Ever heard of things like cleanliness and hygiene?"

"Hey, I resent that," Django said defensively. "I always change my underwear every day. And I brush my teeth every day…well, almost every day. I think I brushed today…"

Adyson stifled her gag reflex while Django tried to do a sniff test of his own breath, only picking up the smell of the hot dogs he'd been chowing down on all afternoon.

"Do you even have a concept of self-respect," she asked, her stomach finally settled after she willed it to calm down. "Or has the Left Coast sun fried your brain that much?"

"At least my concept of self-respect isn't hung up on appearances," Django replied, looking her over again. "Makes me wonder how comfortable you are with yourself if you're so hung up on how you and other people look."

Indignation filled Adyson. Her eyes went wide as she glared at Django. For his part, Django still looked calm and collected as he was being stared down. He cracked a half-smile at her as she fumed at him.

"Look," he said, changing the tone of his voice to try and calm her down. "You're not the first girl to jump to conclusions based on how I look. So let's just chill a bit, go get a hot dog or something, and…"

Django had used a similar approach to calm down girls in California who'd freaked out on him before and it had never failed him. It made the subsequent slap across his face from Adyson all the more surprising.

"I don't know what living out there did to you," she said angrily, "but you don't get to talk to me like I'm some brainless, superficial twit like your girls back in California! You know nothing about me or what I'm like now. You might be able to fool girls back there into wasting their time on you, but it's clear to me you're nothing but a beach bum who can't be bothered to care about anyone or anything but himself. And even that's questionable."

Only after her rant did Adyson finally look around. She saw a host of familiar faces standing around now, watching them. Feeling like she was about to be surrounded, she quickly found a path to an open part of the backyard and walked away without another word. Phineas and Isabella quickly stepped over to Django, who was rubbing his red left cheek that still stung a bit.

"Are you alright, Django," Isabella asked. "I'm really sorry about that. Adyson's become a bit…abrasive since you left."

"Yeah, I figured that much out," Django replied, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs.

"We'll go talk to her," Phineas told him. "She owes you an apology."

"No, don't. I was pretty out of line too. I'll try to catch up with her a little later. She needs some time to cool down."

"Well, we won't let her leave before this all gets sorted out," Phineas said. "I won't let two friends of mine be at each other's throats like this."

"I'll get Gretchen and go talk to her at least," Isabella said. "Hopefully Katie gets here soon. The two of them are much closer these days and I know she can get Adyson to calm down."

Django nodded to Isabella and she immediately headed off to get Gretchen and go find Adyson. He leaned back against the tree as Phineas stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I guess she's a little different from the girls you know in California, huh," he asked.

"Oh yeah," Django said, laughing a little. "But you know…it's not a bad kind of different."

The remainder of the party went reasonably quietly. Django greeted and talked with dozens of other kids without incident, but his encounter with Adyson remained at the forefront of his thoughts the entire time. Occasionally he'd spot her across the crowd being accompanied by Isabella, Gretchen, or Katie once she arrived. He'd try to get her attention, but every time she saw him she would whirl and walk in the opposite direction. He began to wonder if he'd even get the opportunity to apologize as the sun began to set, but thankfully Isabella and the other girls were vigilant in making sure Adyson didn't leave with no one noticing.

For her part, Adyson wasn't trying to avoid Django because of not wanting to talk to him. As much as he wanted to apologize to her, she wanted to do the same but found herself wholly embarrassed by her earlier actions. No amount of pep talk from any of the girls, even Katie, had been enough to get her to swallow her massive pride and do it. As she began contemplating simply heading home due to the setting sun, she quickly found herself surrounded by all the other girls, all of whom had their arms folded as they looked at her with disappointed expressions on their faces.

"This isn't gonna end well for me, is it," she asked with a heavy sigh.

"That depends on if you're done playing hide-and-seek now," Isabella told her. "You need to talk to Django and get this all straightened out."

"I don't know that more talking is going to help improve our opinions of each other," Adyson said, shrinking back a bit.

"Leaving without saying anything would be even worse," Gretchen said. "Do you really want to spend the rest of the summer dodging him?"

"Or the rest of us for that matter," Milly added. "We're all going to end up hanging out with him off and on as summer goes on, Addie. If you want to do anything other than just sit at home alone until school starts, you're gonna have to set things straight with him."

"It's just…it's not as easy as you guys are making it out to be," Adyson said, now getting flustered. "At least not for me. I mean, I may be good at just about everything I do…"

"Says Miss Accident Prone Sweetwater," Ginger commented. The old in-joke elicited a stifled chuckle from everyone but Adyson.

"Ha ha," Adyson said, now annoyed with Ginger. "We done with the dumb old joke? Look…I knew Django way before any of you guys. We were in preschool together, along with Phineas and Ferb. I remember the kind of kid he used to be. We were really good friends back then and had a lot of fun together. Living out in California has changed him a lot, though. I can tell. He's not the boy I remember. I wish I could just go up to him and talk like we used to, but I'm just not sure I can."

Katie was about to say her peace on the matter, but paused as she considered everything she'd been told and seen since arriving at the party. First there was the fact that Adyson was pretty dressed up for something as simple as a party in Phineas and Ferb's backyard. Second were the details of the incident, which Gretchen and Ginger had filled her in on upon her arrival. The final nail in the coffin was the fact that just now, as she'd been talking about her childhood with Django, a hint of redness had crept into Adyson's face. When she finally realized what was really going on, Katie burst into laughter that caught the attention of all the other girls present.

"And now Katie's cracked," Adyson said, sighing. "At least I assume that laugh is brought on by insanity caused by this whole mess."

"Oh no no," she said, recovering her composure. "I just figured it out is all."

"Figured what out," Isabella asked.

"What this is really about," Katie told her.

"Care to enlighten us," Gretchen asked.

Katie smiled, walked over to Adyson, and put an arm around her shoulders as she looked back at the rest of the girls.

"Our dear Miss Sweetwater has a crush on young Mister Brown," she announced.

Isabella, Gretchen, Ginger, and Milly all blinked a few times and looked slowly from Katie back to Adyson, whose whole head had turned so red it looked like it was going to pop.

"Th-th-that's absolutely absurd," she said incredulously, quickly pulling herself away from Katie. "What could I possibly see in that…that…slovenly, brain-fried beach bum? I mean, sure he's kinda cute but…"

"Aww," Milly said sweetly. "She thinks he's cute! I think Katie's on the money here."

"Our dear Adyson is a tsundere after all," Ginger added with a giggle. "It makes perfect sense now."

As the ribbing of Adyson continued, Isabella quickly and quietly slipped away from the group momentarily. Adyson, meanwhile, continued to try to mount a defense.

"Hey, what have I said about speaking Japanese around people who don't know the first thing about the language," Adyson said to Ginger, who was still giggling uncontrollably. "And just because I think he's cute does not mean I have a crush on him!"

"Who're you trying to convince here, Adyson," Gretchen asked, not being able to help but smirk at the situation. "Us or yourself?"

"Guys, come on, please," Adyson pleaded, now just about beside herself. "What's it gonna take to convince you that I don't like him like that?"

"How about talking to him, for starts," Isabella said as she returned. She had fetched Django while the girls had kept Adyson flustered and now pushed him to within a few feet of her. "We'll let you two sort things out from here. C'mon, girls."

Adyson found herself speechless as the five girls went their separate ways. Katie quickly flashed her a double thumbs up and mouthed "good luck" as she walked off. Adyson hung her head and arms in defeat for a moment and then straightened up as she looked back at Django, who was scratching the back of his head as he searched for a way to start a conversation. To her there was no denying that he was physically appealing to her with his lightly tanned skin, slightly athletic build, and dusty brown hair that she knew once had been a couple shades darker. No doubt the west coast sun and plenty of salt water had leeched some of the color out of it, but it certainly didn't detract from his appeal. She mused that if only the rest of his appearance as well as his attitude weren't so lackadaisical she might actually consider Katie's assessment accurate.

"The guys really know how to throw a party, huh," Django said, finally finding some way to break the silence that hung between them.

"That's always been their thing though," she replied. "Ever since we were little, they always pulled out all the stops on everything they did."

"Like when we all built that castle out of blocks in Kindergarten."

"You remember that?"

"How could I forget? The thing had a working drawbridge, for crying out loud. Old Miss Harrison stopped them just as they were about to start adding cannons to the ramparts."

"And then by the time their mom showed up to pick them up the rest of the kids had disassembled it already because they'd used up all the blocks in the room to make it. She didn't believe a single word Miss Harrison said about it."

"Yeah, they do seem to lead a charmed life, getting away with just about anything under the sun. I, on the other hand, don't have that luxury."

Adyson frowned and took a deep breath, prepared to make the first move. "Django, listen…"

"No," he told her, looking directly at her now. "Let me go first. Please."

Adyson nodded as Django cleared his throat before speaking.

"You were at least kinda right. I have gotten used to life out in California…a little too used to it. People out there aren't like you guys at all. I remember what it was like when I first got there and told people where I was originally from. They were all like, 'Oh my gawd, people actually live there? I thought that was just fly-over territory!' I didn't feel like I had much choice at the time. If I wanted to make any friends at all, I'd have to adapt to how things are out there. I guess I was still kinda in that mode when I got here, and that's part of why I said what I did."

"Wait…if that's only part of it, what's the rest?"

"Well…to be honest, I remember you being much more fun-loving; at least back in the day. Seeing you dressed up like you're getting ready for some kinda corporate meeting or something…I mean we're still kids aren't we? Why're you dressing like you're in a hurry to join the workforce?"

Adyson fidgeted a bit as she prepared to tell her story. It wasn't one she had shared with many, but if she was going to set things with Django it meant sharing it with him.

"My mom got laid off from her job a couple years ago and she's had trouble finding a new steady one. Dad's still bringing enough money in to cover day-to-day life, but we've had more than one family meeting about my future. My grades were okay before, but nothing to write home about. If I wanted to get into a good college, I'd have to shape up. I got into activities I hadn't considered before and started buckling down. My grades went up, I met new people, and I became pretty well-respected at school. I made student council last year as freshman class rep and I'm gonna take a shot at becoming student council president next school year."

Django was visibly impressed. "Whoa. That's a pretty heavy load."

"Yeah. And I've had to carry it more or less on my own. Katie's the only one of the girls I talk to regularly anymore, and that's because she's my assistant with the student council. Ever since everyone else got romantically involved with each other over the past year, I've seen less and less of them. It sucks, but this is how things are for me now. It's not that I don't want to do fun things anymore, but I have a different set of priorities than I did when you knew me. Different things are important to me now, and I have an image to maintain. That's why I said what I did, or at least part of why."

"Okay, now it's my turn. If that was only part of it, what was the rest of it?"

She looked at him disappointedly. "The rest was my honest to goodness opinion. You really do look like a slob, Django."

"Oh. Heh. Yeah, I guess I do. But that doesn't mean I don't care about myself or others."

"Do you mean that, or are you just saying it to try to get out of trouble with me?"

"Adyson, you're the last person I want to have mad at me. I mean it. We may have become really different people but that doesn't mean we can't like each other at all anymore, right?"

Adyson carefully considered Django's words, as well as the look on his face. She had to admit, it all felt far too genuine to be just another attempt to get off the hook like before. She allowed herself to smile as she nodded at him.

"I never have been able to stay mad at you, even back when you'd flip my skirt in grade school all the time," she told him.

"Thanks, Adyson," Django said, looking incredibly relieved. "And for the record, I only ever did that because I thought you were cute back then."

Adyson laughed and shook her head at him. "Okay now I know you're just trying to be all smooth again."

"If you say so, but it's the truth. Was back then, and still is now for that matter."

"Yeah sure, whatever. You must have become quite the player back in California. Any normal girl would fall for that kind of talk in a heartbeat, and I of course am no normal girl."

"No. No you're not. But I don't go for just any cute girl I see, you know. Appearances aren't everything, after all."

"And yet you just got done talking about the façade you put up just so you can fit in out west. Face it; you're as hung up on appearances as I am, just in a different way."

"Aha! So you admit you're hung up on appearances, then?"

Adyson suddenly realized her mistake and went into damage control mode. "I didn't say that."

"Oh you most certainly did," Django said, pointing a finger at her. "You said, 'You're as hung up on appearances as I am', I heard you clear as day."

"No no no, I said 'You're just that hung up on appearances'. Don't put words in my mouth."

Django laughed at her as he folded his arms. "Now who's the one who's acting like they've been out in the sun too long?"

Adyson put her hands on her hips as she leaned towards him now. "Excuse me? This coming from a hippie surfer dude who can barely remember if he brushed his teeth this morning?"

"Which I did. I called Jenny and she helped me remember."

Adyson rubbed her forehead in disbelief. "You had to call your older sister to get help remembering that? Good grief, Django, you really are a beach bum!"

"At least I don't come to a summer party full of teenagers dressed like I'm gonna try to recruit 'em into the Young Republicans."

"At least I don't come to a summer party full of teenagers dressed like I just came from a drum circle at some hippie commune!"

As the tit-for-tat exchange between the two went on and on, the rest of the gang merely sat back watching with a few of them eating some of what was left of the Slushy Dawg buffet spread.

"Like I said," Katie said as she continued watching them. "She's totally got a crush on him."

"No doubt," Gretchen added. "Looks like Django's got his eyes on Adyson too for that matter."

"What was that word you used earlier to describe Addie again, Ginger," Milly asked.

"Tsundere," Ginger replied. "And yes. Yes she is. I'll explain it to you later."

"So, anyone wanna place bets on if they hook up over the summer," Phineas asked.

"Ain't much to bet on there, Dinner Bell," Buford said as he wolfed down another hot dog. "Seems like a sure thing to me."

"How about we bet on when it happens, then," Isabella asked. "I've got five bucks says they're dating by August first."

"It'll definitely be sooner than that," Ferb stated. "Fourth of July and not a day later."

One by one the gang made their predictions, with the most radical being Milly's guess that the two would be a couple inside of two weeks and the furthest prediction being Baljeet's guess that they admitted their feelings for each other the day before Django would have to leave. After a quick agreement by all to not interfere with the natural course of things between the two, they all returned to watching the pair in question continue to berate each other. It would go on for another fifteen minutes, and left them all wanting more.

Next Episode Preview: Fireside Girls Troop 46231 is facing a leadership crisis, and it's up to three former Fireside Girls to resolve it. Will the current troop leader keep her position, or will a mystery new girl take over and turn the entire troop upside down?

Translation Notes for this chapter

tsundere - An often-used character type in anime these days, it basically means someone who outwardly acts gruff and standoff-ish towards someone but deep down harbors rather sweet, loving feelings for them. And like Ginger said regarding Adyson: Yes. Yes she is.