I woke. "Phineas! It is the first day of school! I don't want you to miss the bus!" she shouted. I scrambled up quickly, got dressed, grabbed my backpack, and rushed to the door. I saw the bus was there, and Ferb was getting on. I had come not a moment too soon. I boarded the bus, and looked for an empty seat. I found one next to Isabella. She looked over at me. "Hi, Isabella," I started. I felt like I shouldn't have sat there. "Isabella, I'm sorry," Phineas muttered. "For what? Sitting on the bus next to me?" Isabella responded. "No, I'm sorry I ever came into your life," I muttered. Did I really have to gouge myself again? I covered my face. This was embarrassing. "Well, I have mixed feelings about it," she responded. "Why?" I asked. I felt like my open wound was being hurt by the air.
"Well, it is better to try and fail than never try at all, right?" she muttered.
"How did you fail?" I asked her.
"Why I failed, I-" she started.
"How, not why," I corrected.
Isabella grew quiet.
"And what did you try for? Us?" I continued. "You don't have to fail." I felt in my heart otherwise, but I knew I needed to put on a fake smile for everyone else.
"I didn't fail," Isabella stated. "You failed." Ouch.
"Forgive me," I repented. I felt like something was really lacking here.
"For sitting next to me?" Isabella inquired.
"Yes, but I was not talking about that," I stated. Then I paused. "Forgive me for whatever you left me for."
"No," Isabella denied. Well, that was just a great deadpan.
"Why?" I countered.
"Figure it out yourself," she enunciated curtly.
"Isabella, we've been down this road before," I responded. I realized just how foreign my tone was. I decided to ignore my own verbal mistake. But I knew I had heard that tone before.
"Yep, the bus always goes down this one," she stated.
"You know, that's not what I meant," I stated back.
Then the bus unloaded. All of the students went in to the cafeteria, where they would wait to be led to the corresponding classroom. "Isabella," I muttered. She ignored me. I glimpsed Ferb talking and laughing with some unfamiliar kids. I idled for what felt like a second. They were lining up now. Before I knew it, we were in our homeroom. My teacher was named Heinz Doofenshmirtz. "Welcome to Evil- I mean perfectly good Science!" Heinz sputtered. He seemed a little weird. "Take a seat anywhere. These seating positions aren't set in stone, so bear with me."
I sat to the right of Isabella.
"I have a really cool way to learn all of your names," Heinz started.
"To start, boy in the blue striped shirt, hand out these popsicle sticks. Each person gets one. You write your full name on it, and no funny business, or else. I am pairing you with a random classmate for our first science project."
Soon, all of the popsicle sticks were filled out and in the can.
"Froyo Davis, please stand," Heinz instructed. "Wow, Froyo is your real name? Your parents must have hated you."
Froyo looked unsettled, to say the least.
"Ignacio Fernando, please stand," Heinz requested. "You two will be lab partners for our first project."
I noticed that Heinz had written their names next to their faces.
"Baljeet Tjinder, please stand," Heinz requested. "Okay, you don't have to give me the zombie look."
"Ferb Fletcher, please stand," Heinz instructed. "You and Baljeet will be lab partners for our first project."
"Gretchen Brown, please stand," Heinz requested.
"Hans Chapman, please stand," Heinz instructed. "You two will be lab partners for our first project."
"Ginger Hirano, please stand," Heinz requested.
"Fiona Helen Gruber, please stand," Heinz requested. "You two will be lab partners for our first project as well."
"Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, please stand," Heinz continued.
"Phineas Flynn, please stand," Heinz requested. "You two will be lab partners for our first project too. Blah, I have said that too many times." Now that is a funny coincidence.
Muwahaha. :-þ
Heinz Doofenshmirtz continued to pair people up. "Okay, now that everyone is paired up, let's get started. People who don't finish this in class will have to contact their classmate and do it for homework," Heinz stated. "I have a questionnaire for all of you to fill out," Heinz explained. Ten minutes passed, until everyone had finished filling out the questionnaire. "Come get your instructions for our Bunsen burner activity. I have just enough to give out one per pair of you and have a spare. You know my e-mail is on the board: hdoofenshmirtz . I can send you a virtual copy if you lose yours. All right, does every pair have a set of instructions? Good. You may now start. The equipment is set up on the tables thanks to Mr. Schlapp. If you can't finish this in class, I hope you have a Bunsen burner at home," Heinz stated. The class got to work immediately. Then Ferb spoke up. "Um, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, where is the fuel?" Ferb inquired. I had been wondering the same thing. "Mr. Schlapp!" Heinz called. Then Norm appeared with a magnetic pin on which was written "Mr. Schlapp". "Please, put the fuel in each of these. I thought you had already done this," Heinz instructed. Norm Schlapp proceeded to put the fuel into each of the Bunsen burners. "Not too much! Goodness, Norm, I thought you were going to pour that stuff everywhere!" Heinz shouted. "Here, just let me do it! Wouldn't want to burn down the place, now would we?" So Heinz proceeded to do this himself. By the time he finished, it was the end of the period. "Yeah, sorry guys; we'll do this tomorrow. Remember your partners, and I'll give you extra credit if you fill out the worksheet with your partner before tomorrow morning. Just use your own Bunsen burners. Take a vial of each of the two unknown substances, and see if you can identify them. For your exit ticket, I am going to ask you all a question. Off the top of your heads, what do you think these substances are?" Heinz asked. Silence ensued. "Speak up!" Heinz beckoned impatiently. "Water?" Buford guessed. "Does water produce an odor when you heat it?" Heinz asked back. "You can leave now. Stop! Just the kid in the black skull shirt can leave. The rest of you have not answered my question yet. That is how an exit ticket works." "Is one hydrogen peroxide and the other isopropyl alcohol?" Ferb asked. "The other kid was closer," Heinz responded. Then Ferb left to go to break as Buford did. Soon, it was just me and Isabella, again. I gestured for her to go, but she was apparently in another world. She totally heard none of the conversation between Heinz and I. "The solutions, I could only guess to be pure elements heavily diluted in water," I guessed.
"Wow, you actually guessed it! But what elements? That is the question," Heinz responded. What else would I have expected?
"I have no idea; well, probably not technetium..." I answered. They we both burst into laughter. "So this one's your girlfriend?" Heinz asked. "I wish," I answered. But for some reason, that seemed false. But I did! I just...
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Heinz exclaimed. "This is awkward."
"It isn't really a secret," I responded. "You are supposed to be in your next class in two minutes; I advise you make a good impression on your next teacher," Heinz advised. "Isabella!" I called. "Woah!" Isabella exclaimed. "What are these two solutions?" Heinz asked. "Sugar water and antifreeze?" Isabella guessed. "No, but your next class starts in T-1 minute, so I suggest you get a move on," Heinz stated. "Oh!" Isabella exclaimed. She darted off and I power walked close behind her. We got into the line just in time. Soon we were led off to Mrs. Weaver's class. This was English Language Arts class. "All right, class, come here to get your essay prompt!" Mrs. Weaver exclaimed. "Sit somewhere, and there will be no food in this classroom! You have until the end of class to get this and one other thing done. Come see me when you have finished writing your essay." We all wrote our essays in silence. How did my summer go? "It sucked," I wrote. I continued to write. Soon we were on to the next class. This was Mr. Francis Monogram's classroom. "Welcome to history class! I am Mr. Monogram," Francis greeted. "We will be starting with ancient texts, like Hammurabi's code, Gilgamesh, and, of course, the Bible. Open your history books up to page twelve," Monogram instructed. And as Monogram blabbed on about the importance of these ancient texts, each student opened the textbooks set out for them. That class was like thick syrup, but it was better than the one just before it. After that class passed, it was time for lunch.
We all went out to the cafeteria to eat. Those who brought home lunches sat down at a table and the others waited in line; I and Isabella both fit into the former group. Isabella glared at me when I sat next to her. "Why?" she interrogated. "Because we need to talk," I answered.
"What do you want?!" Isabella asked in an annoyed tone.
"I think I just told you," I responded.
"I don't want to talk to you! Go away!" she shouted. Then she moved away. I should have seen that coming, but I totally didn't.
The rest of school wasn't even noteworthy. At the end of the day, I got in the bus and headed home. I went in and got a Bunsen burner and fuel from the house and took the two vials, not to mention a cart to carry it all on. "Mom, I am going to Isabella's for a science project," I explained.
"Okay," Linda accepted; she was very focused on her knitting stuff.
Then I went outside, across the street, and knocked on Isabella's door. "Hello," I greeted.
"Phineas, why are- Oh, that's right," Isabella responded. "That stupid science teacher!"
"You want to come to my house and-" I started.
"Let's just get this over with," Isabella responded as she rushed past me and went to the sidewalk. Time stopped again, but for a very different reason. I ran after her and grabbed her arm forcefully as a car sped by at over ninety miles per hour, in their neighborhood. Isabella's started almost hyperventilating.
"Please, don't ever do that again," I scolded.
"Let's go," Isabella prompted. I followed her across the street, still alarmed. Soon, we had set up the Bunsen burner in the basement, with ample space, and had put the first vial in. "Should I take the cork out?" Isabella asked.
"I think so," I responded. So she did so. I put my nose up to the top of the vial and Isabella did the same, not realizing I was right there. The awkwardness escalated when our noses touched. I felt like had to kill the weirdness. "It's chlorine," I stated in a mutter. "What? WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Oh, my, oh," l thought. Why were Isabella's lips on mine? I thought she hated me. This was so amazing. I felt woozy and dizzy. Eventually we had to break apart, gasping for air. "Isabella!" I blabbed. My heart was pounding in my chest like a metronome or a jackhammer. "Could we, could we, could we do that again?" I begged. To my delight, she did not hesitate. I noticed that she had lip gloss on. It tasted like that one fruit I never remember. I hadn't been that content since that summer long ago. "Isabella, why did you kiss me?" I blabbed.
"Because I love you, Phineas, even if you hurt me on accident," Isabella comforted.
"I am truly sorry. Can I make it up to you?" I responded. But something didn't seem right. It was like I was reading from a script.
"What?" Isabella responded. "What did you say?" She seemed really embarrassed and, scared?
"Can I make it up to you?" I repeated.
"Oh," Isabella responded in relief.
"What else would I have said?" I wondered confusedly.
"Never mind," Isabella peeped.
"What was this element, again?" I inquired. "Why is my memory so bad all of a sudden?" Truth be told, I could only focus on three things: The first kiss, the second kiss, and why I still felt like I had a void to fill.
What do you think of this POV? I'm switching back to third-person next chapter, and will probably stick with it for at least a little while. Tell me, what do you think? The review box is below. ( :-þ )