An alarm clock started blaring, though only briefly, as a hand reached over and hit the snooze button. Ginger rose from bed, stretching her arms up towards the ceiling. Her eyes immediately turned towards the calendar, and she was reminded that the page was turned to March. It had been for several weeks. But for some odd reason, this particular day in March meant extra significance to her.
"What's this? Could it be?"
She made her way over to one of her bedroom windows and lifted it open. As she gazed up out into the front yard, she took note of the visual signs of this day.
"Nippy, not chilly, temperatures… cherry blossoms beginning to bloom… and no snow! Could it be? Could it REALLY be?"
She looked down and saw her older sister Stacy, in the midst of rolling out the garbage can to the curb.
"Dearest sister!" she yelled out to her. "Is it truly the first day of Spring?"
"Well, not that you HAVEN'T been asking each of the past seven days, Ginger… BUT today really, really, REALLY is the…"
Ginger squealed, then slammed her window shut, heading off to get ready.
"You could've let me finish first!" huffed Stacy, putting her arms on her hips.
20 minutes later, Ginger was down in the dining room, bopping up and down in her seat as she and Stacy were waiting for breakfast to be served. Their mother walked in from the kitchen a few seconds later, holding a plate of waffles in one hand and a bottle of hot maple syrup in the other.
"I'm glad my two girls are up so early on such a bright Saturday morning instead of sleeping in. What's the occasion?"
Stacy answered first. "Candace and I are gonna try to embrace this new workout dance craze all the cool kids are talking about. Unlike the last two Saturdays, I think today it might actually happen!"
"Good for you. And you, Ginger?"
"I'm gonna confess my love to the boy of my dreams!"
Stacy rolled her eyes. "And here we go…"
"I know the first time things didn't exactly work out as planned. But, like they say, time heals all wounds, and I'm ready to give it another go!"
"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Dr. Hirano. "Just remember…"
"Mom!" Ginger cried, cutting her off.
"I was gonna say be home by 4:30, 'cause we're going out for dinner tonight. Why… what did you think I was gonna say?"
"Oh." Ginger blushed, sheepishly. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Fireside Diaries"
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
So I thought we were done with Ginger having the fourth episode every season. But I guess old habits die hard. Also, with this entry, as you can tell by the cold open, spring is here, as the march to the finale begins in earnest!
Disclaimer: The characters of 'Phineas and Ferb' belong to Disney and not me.
Prerequisite (read the following first before reading this):
- Entry #536 ("Fireside Diaries," Episode 502)
-
Entry #571 [FSD504] - Ginger Blossoms (04.07.14)
-
Entry #571 - Written by Ginger Hirano
It's spring at last! And you know what that means, right? It's time to find a cute boy to crush on! Thankfully, I already have one!
Ginger was looking through a scrapbook of hers, and to no surprise, all of the pictures inside were of Baljeet. Or herself. But, notably, none of the two of them together.
Ginger was planning on fixing that.
Everyone knows that I've been longing to finally admit my love for Baljeet, the cute Indian boy with a penchant for making color-coded schedules and solving calculus-level equations. And, much as I loathe to admit it, I had tried to once before…
Baljeet closed the door to his bedroom, and then turned to face the girls. Holly was sitting backwards on Baljeet's deck chair, while Adyson and Ginger had parked themselves on his bed. The Indian boy took a deep breath, and then began...
"It has come to my attention that there is a disagreement in regards to which girl I desire to have relations with. Well, allow me to clear the air."
Holly handed Baljeet a rose, and then stepped back to allow him to make his decision, at his own pace.
The young dark-haired boy took a few deep breaths to keep his nerves in check, and then he turned to face the pair that was sitting on his bed.
He extended his arms forward, holding the flower out in front of him...
"Do you accept this rose?"
...and in Adyson's direction. The brunette was visibly stunned.
"M-m-me?"
Baljeet nodded. Adyson took the rose and sniffed it. She then wrapped her arms around Baljeet and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you," she whispered, into his left ear.
Baljeet had made his decision, and Adyson was pleased about the result. But what about Ginger? Adyson let go of Baljeet and then turned to face her friend. Surprisingly, she was still sitting there quietly, having not reacted to the decision at all.
"Ginger?"
"I… I'll just let myself out."
Outside, Ginger had just closed the front door behind her, and she quickly got onto the sidewalk so she could begin the lonely walk back home. Alone.
"Just have to keep telling myself… if Baljeet's happy, I'm happy…"
Ginger walked away, continuously telling herself that not being with Baljeet was not the end of the world. But she could not help but take one last look over her shoulder, back at Baljeet's house…
Although that "attempt" couldn't have gone any worse, the "good" news is that Baljeet was only with Adyson for a few months. Not good for either of them, but good for me. I mean, not that I wanna sound like I was celebrating their break-up, but at the same time, I felt like the reason they separated was because they both believed they were meant to be with other people. And there was definitely a part of me that hoped Baljeet's true significant other…
…was me.
But I wanted to bide my time. I didn't want to be the rebound girl. I didn't want to hurt Adyson's feelings. I didn't want to feel like a quick hook-up meant I truly was Baljeet's second choice. And I… really need to tell Isabella to stop showing me those junior Spanish telenovelas. Good for television drama. Bad for actual romantic advice. But it has been a few months.
Surely that's enough time for everyone to have moved on.
Right?
Inside the secret forest headquarters, Ginger had just finished explaining her reasoning to a small group that included Milly, Katie, and Abigail. There was a delayed response from the trio, but one of positivity, as they applauded Ginger for showing her courageousness to try again.
"We were waiting for this moment," Milly stated truthfully.
"Yeah," agreed Katie with a nod. "If you think Baljeet is cute, then who are we to judge?"
"So you girls will help me?" asked Ginger.
"Uh huh!" they said in unison.
Abigail, wanting to feel included, politely raised her hand to interject herself into the conversation.
"If I may, Ginger, I'd like to volunteer my help as well. Getting a new chance to ask the boy of your dreams to go steady? Sigh… finding true love. It's like one of the best parts of going through puberty!"
Katie eeped, ducking behind the decorative stove pipe oven in the corner, while Ginger held up her hands in front of her in a protective stance. Both carefully turned to Milly, expecting her to freak out.
But she was surprisingly calm.
"D-D-Did I say something wrong?" queried Abigail, a bit confused.
"Milly?" Katie slowly came out and walked back over to her best friend.
"You DO know Abigail is right," Milly replied, finally speaking up. "Another part of puberty is coming to terms with the fact that it happens to everyone, and to let life take its course."
Abigail was impressed. "Wow. I guess there's still a lot I have to learn about you girls."
"Mmm-hmm! Have you read the one where Ginger became a thief?"
Ginger turned to the exit and opened the door. Milly saw it and stopped, thinking she had offended her.
"Sorry, Ginger! I didn't mean…"
"I know. But you reminded me that before I confess my love to Baljeet - for the second time - there's something I need to take care of. Or, rather… TWO somethings."
Before any of them could ask for specifics, Ginger closed the door, leaving them in the dark.
Before I could approach Baljeet and ask him to go steady with a clear conscience, there were two people I had to okay it with.
No, not his parents! Though I suppose that will come. Eventually. When we're in college at an Ivy League school together…
Too far, Ginger! Too far! That's years away. Nothing happens 'til you make the first step. That gigantic first step. But to do that, again, I had two people to okay it with.
The first?
Ginger's first stop was Danville Park, where a group of kids were having an informal meeting disguised as a picnic. Each of the six was of different ages, which made it odd that they were all hanging out together. Unless you went to Danville Elementary and were aware that all those present were all of the current class presidents. And leading the gathering was the sixth-grade president - the de-facto Student Council president - who was making sure the proceedings were going smoothly.
Adyson.
As Ginger made her way closer, she could hear her friend - and fellow Fireside Girl and former rival-in-love - address the younger kids.
"…and that's why I think we need to rise up, and motivate the rest of the school to go out there and sell, sell, SELL!"
Focusing her gaze on Adyson, Ginger saw that she was holding up a brochure with Easter-themed candies for sale. She got close enough that Adyson spotted her, but the brunette continued her pitch, confident Ginger would wait for her to finish.
"We all know the computer lab is severely outdated! If we want to ensure our future success, not to mention the future of the kids to come after us, don't we owe it to ourselves, as student leaders, to push our fellow classmates to sell a ton of chocolates so we can finally bring our lab into the 21st Century? I say yes!"
The other presidents applauded in agreement.
"So, before I pass out brochures and grade-specific goals, any questions?"
The first-grade president raised his hand. Or, rather, his plastic-wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"I don't like crusts!"
Adyson blinked. "That's not a question."
He thought for a second and then spoke up again.
"Could you please cut off the crusts? I don't like crusts!"
Adyson groaned, but she complied with the request. In taking the sandwich to slice off the crusts, he gave him the materials to pass out as a trade. Adyson made her way over to a nearby bench, reaching into the picnic basket she had brought and pulling out a plastic knife. Ginger decided this was the time to cut in.
"Hi, Adyson!"
"Oh! Hi, Ginger! Have a seat!"
Ginger complied, as Adyson unwrapped the sandwich and began cutting off the edges.
"So, what's on your mind?"
Adyson had a smile on her face, so I thought it was okay to cut right to the chase.
"Baljeet."
Considering how quickly that smile became a frown, though… not so sure now.
"Ginger. I don't know how many times you want me to say it. We're. Not. Together. Any. More."
Ginger started twiddling her thumbs, still not quite convinced. "You really, really, really, REALLY…"
"GINGER!"
Adyson snapped for a second, throwing off her concentration and making her accidentally cut off an entire corner of the sandwich rather than just the bread crust. Her outburst also got the attention of the other presidents, who looked over to see if she was okay. Adyson took a deep breath, grabbed a napkin to wipe her hands with, and then pulled Ginger away, out of hearing reach of the others.
"Ginger? What's this really about?"
"Well… I'm thinking about asking Baljeet. To go steady. You know… like the first time? With him and me and you…"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember."
"I just wanna make sure. This isn't a stunt… you're not doing all this 'save the computers' stuff to impress Baljeet. Are you?"
"This isn't for Baljeet, Ginger, although it could benefit him. It's for the entire school! You've seen those ancient artifacts the school calls computers! They need to be replaced."
Adyson smiled once more.
"Besides, the break-up between me and Baljeet was mutual. We were just too busy for each other. And it's not like anything's changed since then in terms of our schedules. And even it something had, I have no intention of getting back together with him. And I'm sure he feels the same way."
Ginger's eyes lit up. "So you mean…"
"Yeah. I give you my blessing… or whatever people do when they say it's okay…"
"EEE! THANKS, ADYSON!"
Ginger embraced Adyson with a big hug, and then ran off with a spring in her step. Adyson shook her head, giggling.
"Heh. Finally she gets it. But… why does it feel like I'm the big sister letting a friend date my brother?"
Suddenly, Adyson felt a tug at her shirt. She turned and saw the first-grade president holding his sandwich with the now cut-off corner. Again, Adyson frowned.
"And now I feel like the about-to-lose-her-job babysitter."
With Adyson giving me the okay, that only left one other person between me and the cutie of my dreams!
Ginger watched through a pair of binoculars as that other person popped somebody's bubble. Bubble gum, that is, with a toothpick, sending the poor victim running away and crying for mommy. The husky troublemaker snickered with glee.
Buford.
Ginger put the item away and crossed the street to meet up with the bully, who decided to take a break from his so-called day job to lick a lollipop. Which, knowing him, he probably took from a smaller kid earlier in the day.
I saved Buford for last because, deep inside, I knew he'd be the tougher one to let go. Don't ask me why, but Buford and Baljeet has this bond that appears unbreakable. Symbiotic, even.
"Whatcha want?" he asked as Ginger approached.
Ginger gulped, but stood her ground as she gave him an answer.
"I want you to go away!"
Buford could not believe she was threatening him. It was so unbelievable that he started laughing.
"This… this is about poindexter, isn't it? Oh, the same song and dance with you and 'Jeet…"
"You spend too much time with Baljeet! You… you should let other people be around him too, you know?"
"And why's that, girl?"
Ginger came out and said it. "BECAUSE YOU DON'T LOVE HIM LIKE I LOVE HIM!"
Buford stopped sucking on his lollipop, sticking it back in his pocket minus the wrapper.
"Look here! I don't know what you've heard, but love is blind! Blind as one of them winged thingies they call bats! Why would I ruin my street cred getting involved in icky gooey mushy romance?"
Ginger was baffled. "What are you talking about?"
Buford threw his arms up in frustration. "Fine. You throw a hard bargain! Gimme five bucks and I'll blow off the rest of my plans with Baljeet for the weekend! So you can do that looking into each other's eyes or whatever junk!"
Wait! I thought this would be a challenge! Could it… could it really be this easy to get Buford to back off?
Ginger did not waste a second more, pulling out a five dollar bill and handing it to Buford. He snatched it and started laughing at her.
"HA! Joke's on you! I'm going out of town the rest of the weekend! I would've let you make mush with Baljeet for free! Later, chump!"
With that, Buford headed off, five dollars richer.
I have no idea what just happened…
Ginger started grinning from ear to ear.
…but just like that, the road was clear! With no one else in my way, I could finally, for the second time, achieve my lifetime - as of this moment - goal.
Ask Baljeet to go steady.
Ginger rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. The door opened soon thereafter, and she was let in by Baljeet's mom.
"Let me just let Baljeet know you're here."
With that, she went upstairs. As Ginger waited, she started to get nervous.
"Just be cool. Baljeet'll be happy to see me. No wait, Baljeet will be happy to see me. Remember, he convulses at the sound of contractions. What else… maybe I should compliment him on his attentiveness to detail? No, that might be a bit much. Speaking of much… or not enough… why did I come here in my Fireside uniform? You went clothes shopping two weeks ago for a reason, duh!"
Ginger continued to wait, unsure of what was taking so long. More thoughts began to race through her mind.
"Am I being too forward by asking him to go steady at his house? After all, we were here the first time. Maybe I should've had him come to mine? No, that's even more forward! Did I even prepare what words I'm, ahem, I am going to tell him? I should have brought him a gift! A calculator! No, he probably has a bunch of those. Protractor? Compass? Some other math-related tool? Is my hair alright? Maybe I should have worn make-up. No, wait, 11 year olds are too young for that. Or are they? This was a mistake. I can't take rejection a second time. I should go. No, I should stay! You worked so hard for this moment!"
"Go ahead, Ginger."
She snapped back to reality upon hearing Mrs. Tjinder's voice.
At that very moment, all my thoughts were replaced by four simple letters.
W.W.S.D.
What would Stacy do?
"Excuse me," Ginger said, ducking around a corner.
Once out of view, she dialed her sister's number. Stacy answered after only one ring.
"Can't talk, Ging. Perry's here."
"Wait! I need some dating advi-Perry? I thought you were still dating…"
"No time. Gotta go! Bye!"
And Stacy hung up just like that.
Act like a flake, that's what. Also, I should probably ask her about whom that Perry is. Do I know him?
Whatever. If my own sis can't help me, then it's up to me to wing it!
Heading upstairs, Ginger pushed the ajar door into Baljeet's room open.
"Ginger! What a pleasant surprise! Please, come in. And put those goggles on."
He pointed to a pair sitting on the shelf of a nearby bookshelf. Ginger did as she was told.
"Are we not a little old to play pretend? Or… or is it a little young?"
A bit befuddled, she shook off the thought as her eyes gazed upon a little project Baljeet was working on. It involved a number of potatoes hooked up together with an assortment of wires. About two five-pound bags worth.
"Keep those spectacles on those reticles! One wire planted in the wrong place and this room will be planted in the salad of the state of Idaho!"
"You mean potato salad?"
"That is exactly what I said. Why are you… WAIT! DO NOT TOUCH THAT!"
Ginger saw a wire out of place and decided to plug it in. Suddenly, everything became white. But not because all of the potatoes had exploded, but because all the potatoes were now generating enough power to light a couple dozen 60 watt light bulbs, in parallel, all at once. Both Baljeet and Ginger shielded their eyes until they were used to the brightness, and even then they dared not to look directly at the bulbs.
"Ha ha!" Baljeet shouted triumphantly. "I am now one step closer to generating enough power to run City Hall for a year! Think of how much money the Mayor will save in energy costs!"
"Wow." Ginger gasped, amazed. "That is incredible."
"Oh? Is it? Well… it… it is nothing for someone of my high intellect."
"Oh."
"Also, I know what has happened to Buford for the next 48 hours of non-educational time. Besides, the only thing more embarrassing than getting bullied is getting bullied by a girl."
"Oh." This time, Ginger sound disappointed. Not in the being turned down to bully, but… "I will just let myself out."
She turned to leave, but she felt Baljeet tap on her shoulder. She turned back around and was shocked to see him offering her an unused potato.
"My apologies. Would you take this in lieu of a flower as thanks?"
Ginger did not know how to respond. "Um…"
"Or you can stay over for lunch! We are having curry!"
Ginger giggled. "I'd… I mean, I would love that."
The two left the room hand-in-hand, leaving Baljeet's heavy-duty potato-powered generator running.
"Wait!" Milly shouted, cutting into the story. "Katie, Abigail, and I come up with this great plan to get him to notice you that involves cake, fireworks, and an elephant, and all you do is plug in a potato and you two are a couple?"
Ginger sighed with happiness.
"Well," Abigail spoke up, "they do say love works in mysterious ways."
Katie, though, was not as sold as the other two. "Pardon me for being doubtful, but there's no way…"
She was interrupted by the ringing of Ginger's phone.
"IT'S BALJEET!"
That was all the convincing Katie needed, as Ginger started chatting with her new boyfriend on the phone.
"They really are a couple! He gave her his cell number!"
The trio gathered around Ginger, silently yet visibly eavesdropping as the Japanese girl had her first phone conversation as a girlfriend.
Huh. So I guess the lesson here is if you can't think of the perfect way to ask a boy to go steady, just wing it!
End Entry
Next Week: When the eggs for an Easter Day hunt go missing, the girls - with the help of Lil' Spark Melissa - must find out where they disappeared to and who's responsible for taking them… on the next episode of "Fireside Diaries."