Everyone knows that grade school doesn't last forever. But when it's time to move on…
Party favors went off, sending small bunches of confetti flying everywhere. Some flew up in the direction of a banner that read 'Jr. High School Acceptance Party' - the 'Jr.' part was an add-on with an index card.
…you hope you're doing so with your friends.
Below the banner, the members of Troop 46231 had envelopes in hand - well, those who were graduating in a couple months, anyway - and were preparing to open them.
"Okay, girls!" Isabella said to the group. "This is the moment we've all been waiting for! Time to open these babies up and find out which junior high schools we have to choose from!"
Those who were not participating in the festivities gathered around those who were.
"Milly!" Katie leaned over to whisper to her.
"What?" she softly asked back.
"Isn't this already all pre-determined by attendance area?
"Shhh! You're gonna jinx it!"
They all opened their envelopes simultaneously, pulling the one-page letter out from it.
"I'm going to Roger Doofenshmirtz Junior-Senior High!"
"Me too!"
"I'm in the Gifted and Talented Program… at the same school!"
"Me as well! Minus that fancy program stuff."
But sometimes fate throws you an unexpected curveball…
"Mine says… Otto H. Adjacent Jr. High?"
Everyone turned to the one girl assigned to a different middle school than the others.
Holly.
"We have a school named after Otto H. Adjacent?!" she cried out.
"Fireside Diaries"
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
So, I kinda went back on my word saying that this season only the core three - Isabella, Ginger, and Adyson - would be authoring entries. Melissa last week was a planned one-time exception; having Holly do it this week was not. But it works in the context of the story, and also succeeds in hiding the twist at the end.
You're excited to read now, aren't you?
Disclaimer: The characters of 'Phineas and Ferb' belong to Disney and not me.
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Entry #588 [FSD506] - School Board-ed (04.21.14)
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Entry #588 - Written by Holly
I couldn't believe I got assigned to a different junior high school! It's one thing to be on a different bus than everyone else, or in a different classroom. But an entirely different school?
Surely there's been some mistake.
"It's no mistake," said Gretchen, peeking out from behind one of the lodge's computer monitors.
"You're pulling my leg!" shouted Holly.
"No. No, I'm not. Here, look!"
Holly did, as well as everyone else. Well, as many people that could squeeze in around the computer to get a good look. Gretchen proceeded to explain how she got to her conclusion.
"Otto H. Adjacent, well, the school named after him, is currently in the final stages of construction. It'll be done in time for the start of the upcoming school year."
Gretchen moved the mouse, clicking on another tab, which displayed the attendance area for the new school, as well as those that were to be modified as a result, including Doofenshmirtz Junior's.
"Under the new maps, Holly's house lies in the area that will populate the new school. The rest of us, meanwhile, are still well in the Doofenshmirtz area."
"Told ya you'd jinx it!" Milly said to Katie, who was feeling guilty about her statement.
"No one jinxed anyone," Isabella stepped in. "This stuff happens, okay?"
"Wait!" Holly spoke up.
She had noticed something. The circles that represented the attendance zones for each of the schools did partially overlap in some places. And one of those spots included all of the houses on her street.
"I'm technically in the zones for BOTH schools! Why don't I get to choose which one to go to?"
"You're right!" Isabella said in confirmation, also spotting the overlap.
"I think I have a right to a choice! The fact that they're making me go to the newer school automatically is not right!"
Suddenly, the troop's lone British-born member put in her two cents.
"Not to be the Nancy of the Negative, but ye all know these changes were all voted upon and approved by ye School Board a year ago. The period for debate and sensible arguments has long passed."
"Easy for you to say, Elizabeth," Isabella countered. "You all live out near the fringes of the Greater Tri-State Area School District. There's only one junior high school and one senior high school out there. You girls don't have a choice."
"Perhaps. By my point is still be one of vast validity, dearies."
"Maybe. But we've gotta try. When there's a will, there's a way."
Isabella put an arm around Holly.
"Right?"
Holly nodded. "Right!"
Elizabeth sighed. "Well. If ye all feel that way, than allow me to provide an assist. I'm sure with my circle of acquaintances, surely I can find somebody who's close to one of the School Board members."
"Great! We'll work all the angles. Holly, we're going to get you into Doofenshmirtz Junior-Senior High. You can bet on it!"
Holly grinned from ear to ear.
See, this is why I love being a Fireside Girl! Whenever you're in trouble, everyone always has your back. They'll do anything for you, and in return, you do anything for them, no questions asked.
But even the power of long-lasting friendship has difficulty matching up against fate.
It was Monday, and many of the other students in the girls' class at school appeared more than eager to announce where they were going next year.
"You got into RDJHS? So did I!"
"As did I!"
"I, too, will be at RDJHS!"
As Holly made her way to her seat, she passed numerous kids. All of them were proud to be going to Roger Doofenshmirtz Junior High next year. And it was not just classmates that she saw making their so-called announcements. It was close friends, too.
"Oh, boy!" Phineas exclaimed. "Roger Doofenshmirtz Junior High! There's no better place to further our education than at one named after the mayor of our fair city."
"Just 'cause it's an election year doesn't mean you have to schmooze," Ferb noted aloud.
"It's not schmoozing if he's running unopposed, bro."
"I cannot wait to see the state-of-the-art library they have!" proclaimed Baljeet, giddy.
"You would be into that, hippie," scolded Baljeet.
"I am starting to believe you do not know what that is."
"Yep."
Holly kept her head down as she completed the trek to her desk. She sighed with sadness, resting her chin on the palms of her hands.
"Don't worry!" Ginger reassured her. "You'll be fine! We'll figure out a way!"
"I know. But I can't help but worry about getting stuck with a ton of people I don't know!"
"You won't! I can feel it!"
"Well, I wish I could feel as confident as you, Ginger."
Ginger smiled in approval, but the second Holly looked away, she glanced down at her cell phone, where a text message from her mom was waiting to be read.
At lunch, everyone else was just like Ginger, prepared to do whatever it took to help me.
Sure enough, the entire group was doing their research, either reading up on Tri-State Area school system regulations or searching out information on the Internet, all during their lunch break. But Holly noticed that a couple members of the group appeared to be distracted.
"All of this talk about moving on has me thinking, Katie."
"It does, Milly? About what?"
"With everyone else moving on, you realize it'll just be the two of us here next year."
"You know, I just realized that!"
"What will we do? Do you think we'll be okay by ourselves?"
"Well, yeah. We're gonna be sixth graders next year! We'll be the big cats around these parts. Or however that saying goes."
"I see."
"But, say, Milly. Aren't there sixth graders that go to that school?"
Milly thought for a second. "I… I think so."
"Why don't we try to get in there early, as sixth graders? Then we'll all truly be together!"
"I believe there's an elementary school a block away from there that only goes to grade five. Those are the only sixth graders that are allowed to go to Doofenshmirtz Junior High."
It's a noble idea, but unlike my situation, there was absolutely NO wiggle room on that one. But if there was…
"Holly?" Milly looked her way. "Are you… are you really that afraid of going to a different school, away from everyone else?"
"Well, yes. I'll feel completely out of the loop! All of you will get to see each other every day. Even you and Katie! But me… the only time I'll end up seeing any of you will be outside of school. To do Fireside Girl stuff. And maybe that sounds selfish of me… but I really don't think I'd be able to get through junior high all by myself."
Everyone stopped what they were doing upon hearing that and they glanced over at Holly.
"It's hard to admit it, but… I need you girls."
"Awww…" cooed some of the girls.
"And we need you just as much, Holly," Isabella admitted. "That's why we're doing this! We're all Fireside Girls, and we never leave anyone behind! We're going to get you into RDJHS, no matter what! Right, girls?"
"RIGHT!" the others agreed.
That made me feel happy inside. I was glad everyone was supporting me on this.
Everyone.
Suddenly, Isabella heard a buzzing noise. She pulled out her phone and saw that Elizabeth had sent her a text.
"Hey, girls! Elizabeth pulled through! She got in touch with someone who knows someone who knows another person who knows a different person who is friends with the Secretary of the School Board! According to her text, Elizabeth says there may be an exemption Holly can apply for. She'll give us details at the Board meeting tonight! She says it might be a long shot, but she was assured there's a good chance it might get approved!"
Holly's eyes lit up. "You mean…"
"We got Holly's foot in the door, girls! Now we just have to close the deal and get the rest of her in! Are you with me, girls?"
"YES!"
Everything was supposed to be all hunky-dory, but for some reason, somebody was suddenly all quiet and unsupportive.
"Ahem. Ginger?"
Ginger's head snapped up. She had been looking at her phone.
"Huh? Oh, right… YES! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE, HOLLY!"
Satisfied with that response, Isabella turned the troop's attention to preparing a platform to make a great case for Holly to get the exception.
I know Ginger wants me to keep being at the same school as her just as much as the rest of the gang. But obviously, she had someone else more important on her mind.
And I'm not talking about Baljeet.
Not that we'd know.
At least at the time, anyway.
There were only a couple dozen people at the School Board meeting. Almost everyone there was either a member of the Board or of Isabella's troop. The meeting was more than half an hour in by this point, though, and still one member of the latter group was still a no show.
Yet it was someone important enough that it kept her away…
"And?" Isabella asked Adyson.
"Same as the others," she replied, cocking her head towards both Gretchen and Katie. "She's not coming."
"She DOES realize how important this is to Holly, right? To all of us?"
With that, Isabella got up to give Ginger a call. Adyson retook her seat, next to Holly.
"Don't worry. Ginger or no Ginger, we've got this!"
Holly nodded. In spite of Ginger's absence, she felt confident that their efforts would still be successful. By this point of the meeting, though, even if Ginger had a change of heart, she would not be able to get here before its conclusion.
"With all of the scheduled items on the agenda resolved," the stuffy, high-class gentleman who was the current School Board President stated aloud, "we will now open the floor to anyone who has something they'd like to bring to the Board's attention."
The room went silent as they waited for someone… anyone… to approach the microphone standing in the middle of the room. A panic started to spread amongst the Fireside Girls, as no one was sure of what to do.
"Where's Isabella?"
"She stepped outside!"
"Well, someone needs to get up there."
"Sweetwater is second-in-command. Ye should be the one to speak in the chief's absence!"
"You know I'm not good with public speaking! You do it!"
"I'm sure Holly's chances would be greater if one who knows her well speaks."
"Holly, just go up!"
"What do I say? Let me go to school with you guys, and wait for a yes or no answer?"
"I don't hear anyone coming up with a better idea!"
Again, the President spoke up.
"If there is no one who wishes to speak, then we will move on to adjourn-"
"WAIT!"
All eyes turned to the entrance of the room, where Isabella was just closing the door after having just got off the phone. She appeared upset at first, but she took a deep breath and calmed herself, straightening her hair and flattening a slight curl in her skirt as she made her way up to the microphone. By the time she reached it, she was calm, composed, and ready to address the Board.
"Well, you have the floor, young lady."
"Thank you, sir!"
Isabella curtsied, and then began to address the School Board.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the School Board! My name is Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, and I've come here tonight to right a wrong that has been imposed on one of my dearest and closest friends."
Holly smiled.
"As you are well aware, this is the time of year that kids my age are finding out what choices they have as to what junior high school they will attend. Or, rather, choice as in singular, because most of us are bound to one school due to attendance zones, established by the School Board every few years to ensure the proper use of school facilities and to alleviate overcrowding. The latter is part of the reasoning of why me… and my troop…"
The other girls waved from their seats.
"…are here. You see, there will be a new junior high school that opens this fall: Otto H. Adjacent. And because of that, the attendance zones had to be modified so that the new school has students to select from…"
The Board President coughed, interrupting Isabella.
"Young lady, all you are doing is stating facts. Facts that not only we already know, but we ourselves established! Some of us have other places to be tonight."
He then mumbled, in addition.
"Like tend to my night garden."
Isabella did not take kindly to the older man's rudeness, but she knew this was not the time or place to take offense.
"Get to the point, post-haste."
"Yes, sir."
And Isabella's non-reaction is exactly why she is the leader of the troop. Some of us would have blown up at the President for being impolite. But Isabella always knows the proper reaction for any situation.
Isabella gave the signal, and Gretchen and Adyson brought up an easel and a large poster board, respectively. They quickly set up the display next to their leader and then retook their seats. Glued to the board was a map of the city of Danville, blown up to three times its size for easier viewing.
"You see, sir, all of my friends attend Danville Elementary. We're also all part of the same Fireside Girl troop. We love spending time together; we're all very, very good friends. Naturally, we'd like to continue all going to the same school. My friend, Holly, is in the attendance area for Otto H. Adjacent Junior High."
She pointed out that fact on the map, in the form of a star sticker which represented the location of Holly's house.
"BUT… she is also in the attendance area for Roger Doofenshmirtz Junior-Senior High."
She drew attention to the circles, and the fact that Holly's house was in a small section where they overlapped.
"Now, the rest of the girls and I are firmly in the attendance zone for Doofenshmirtz; that's not up for debate. But given Holly's address, she SHOULD have been given a choice between the two schools."
Isabella paused for a second, and then continued.
"She wasn't."
Milly and Katie gasped loudly, putting extra, albeit unneeded, emphasis on that fact.
"She was only given one choice: Otto H. Adjacent. The girls and I are here to petition, on Holly's behalf, for an exemption. One on the grounds that she was rightfully denied the opportunity to choose, and therefore by Tri-State Area School Board regulation 32-09-02.2a, you must allow her to have that option of selecting which junior high she wants to attend for the next two years. In short, sir… we all want to go to Doofenshmirtz. You wouldn't break up a dynamic group of friends like ours, would you? It's in our best interests, as well as yours, that you allow Holly to attend the same school as her friends, instead of being in a school 20 minutes away, where she doesn't know anyone and would have to spend a good portion of seventh grade making new friends. Us preteens have enough to worry about as we move on to the next stage of our life. Why would you make it more difficult for one of my friends when she doesn't have to be put in this situation?
"So, please… would you please make an exception? For Holly?"
With that, Isabella stepped back from the microphone.
I knew Isabella nailed that speech! The tone of her voice, her compassion, her ability to tug at her audience's heart strings? Surely, there was no way our - well, technically my - request would be denied.
The five members that made up the officers on the School Board had a brief discussion.
"We should allow it," one of the two women said. "they're Fireside Girls. All model citizens. There's no issue with granting this particular exception."
She looked out at the crowd, specifically Elizabeth, and gave her a wink. Elizabeth gave her an approving nod back.
"Looks like Elizabeth pulled through," Gretchen said to Holly, seeing the gesture exchange.
"I, too, see no reason to say no," declared one of the men. "I also vote yay."
So far, so good…
"We had numerous discussion on this topic last year," the President reminded them, "and we got a ton of input as to what the borders of the various school attendance zones should be. Also, despite the overlap of zones, schools are in their right to claim all prospective students in a certain neighborhood or on a particular street for their own. And choice is only given to one who is claimed by more than one school. By that reasoning, I vote nay on allowing the exception."
He was very firm on his stance. So were the remaining two officers, who shook their heads, signifying nay votes from them as well.
"By a vote of three to two, motion has been denied."
He banged his gavel, making it official. The girls were in total shock.
And some of them still were the next day at school.
"I feel so bad for Holly," Adyson said, in sadness. "After all that… she's going to have to go to a different school than the rest of us. Poor Holly."
Isabella sighed. "It'll be tough, but I'm sure she can manage it."
Gretchen tapped Isabella on the shoulder, seeing Holly… running up to them excitedly, with a smile on her face?
"Girls! GIRLS! I'M GOING TO DOOFENSHMIRTZ!"
"WHAT?"
"F-F-Funny story… the Holly in the letter I got last Friday is for a different Holly. At another address in another part of Danville. I found out one had came in the mail yesterday when I got home after that debacle last night."
"So you have a choice?"
"Mm-hmm! And I'm going to Doofenshmirtz with you girls!"
They all squealed with happiness.
Like I said at the beginning, fate likes to throw those wild curveballs! Despite what appeared to be a wasted three days of a journey, it turned out that we were all going to be together in the end after all.
They jumped back and forth in celebration… perhaps a bit too much, as they bounced into Ginger, who had her head down and certainly was not expecting to be bumped. Not by her friends, much less.
"Ginger?" Holly quickly bowed her head, apologizing. "Sorry! Sorry!"
"Did you hear the good news?" Gretchen proclaimed. "Holly's going to the same school as us after all!"
"Really?" Ginger responded, albeit unenthusiastically. "Yeah. Great."
"So," Isabella spoke up, "care to explain why you decided not to come support Holly at the School Board meeting last night?"
Ginger was unwilling to answer that question.
"Why the long face? You should be happy. We're ALL going to Doofenshmirtz next fall!"
Unable to keep it in, Ginger spurted out what she was hiding.
"Mom! She… she got a new job!"
At first, the girls were stunned. And then cheerful for her.
"Th-that's great, Ginger…"
"NO, IT'S NOT!"
Now they were confused.
"The day after graduation…"
She tried to hold back tears as she finished her sentence.
…WE'RE MOVING OUT OF THE TRI-STATE AREA!"
End Entry
Next Week: Phineas and Isabella have been hanging out a lot, but they haven't taken the next step and officially declared themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. Ferb and Adyson have a plan to change that. Or, rather, several plans. Romantic hyjinks are aplenty in the next episode of the "Fireside Diaries."