A week passed, and everyone was making preparations for their trips to Walkerville. They had even asked their employers for some extra days off to deal with the situation more. Meanwhile, back in California, Arnold had to deal with Mikey.
"What do you mean you'll be gone for a few days?" Arnold asked over the phone.
"I'm headed back to Walkerville for the funeral. I already told you." Mikey responded.
"Why would you want to go to the funeral of her?"
"Well, I feel like I should be there for Ms. Frizzle. She was my teacher, too. Plus, it will give me the opportunity to see Carlos again. I haven't really seen him since he finished law school."
"Okay, but still, why would you want to honor Ms. Frizzle. You know how I feel about her."
"Yes, I do, and I understand that you resent her for many reasons, but I had a good time with her. Unlike you, I enjoyed the class."
"Okay, fine, but we need you here. You're one of my best workers."
"You'll be fine with a few days without me. I won't be gone long. Plus, Jyoti is just as good as me. She can take over my responsibilities."
"But-"
"But nothing. I'm sorry Arn, but my mind is made up. Hate me if you will, but I am still going."
Arnold thought about this for a few moments before he finally gave in. "Fine," He sighed, "but promise me you will be back here in a few days."
"I will. Don't worry. I have to get ready now. I'll see you later, Arnold." Mikey then hung up. Arnold went into the living room where Jyoti was watching Ben.
"What did Mikey want?" Jyoti asked.
"He asked me for a few days off so he can go to Walkerville."
"Oh, well, that's nice. It's good that he wants to honor Ms. Frizzle."
"I don't think so. I think he is making a mistake by going to honor that... that... that she-devil."
"Arnold! How could you say that?"
"What's going on?" Ben asked.
"Nothing, Benny," Jyoti responded, "don't worry about us."
"Okay." Ben turned back to his toys, although he was still unsure if what was going on was really nothing.
"You know how I feel about her," Arnold responded, "everything that went on in that class affected me for life. Everyone else might be happy, but I am not. I wish I had never been in that class in the first place."
"Arnold, don't say things you might regret later. Maybe there was a reason you were in that class. Maybe there was a reason you never stayed home every day."
"If you are suggesting that I actually loved that class, you are mistaken. I hated that class, and I always will."
"But Arn-"
"No. I'm sorry, Jyoti, but I will never feel differently about that class. My mind is made up."
"Okay, Arn. I won't push you any further on this." Jyoti conceded. She still felt that maybe Arnold wasn't admitting to anyone, not even himself, about how he felt about the class, but she knew better than to continue talking about it, especially when he was already so angry about it.
Arnold couldn't believe that Jyoti would think that he actually liked the class and Ms. Frizzle. There was no way. None. He never liked the class, and he never would.
The day before the funeral, everyone had arrived to Walkerville. They decided to get their early to make sure they would be on time tomorrow. They had arranged for their parents to let them stay in their childhood homes until they returned to their regular homes. Of course, Keesha needed a place to stay since her grandmother had died a few years ago. Luckily, Phoebe allowed her to stay with her and her father. While everyone else was busy settling in for the night, Keesha and Phoebe were hanging out in Phoebe's old living room, catching up on life since high school.
"I'm so stressed out," Keesha groaned to Phoebe, "I knew that PhD programs are really hard, but it was harder than I imagined. On top of that, my work is really hard having to deal with so many clients."
"I know how you feel," Phoebe said, "I loved vet school, but it was so much work, and seeing so many sick animals everyday makes me stressed out."
"Yeah, but at least you're living your big dream. I had to give mine up in order to have better chances of getting a job. I can't tell you how many times I wished that I had tried to become a journalist instead of a psychologist. Sure, the news isn't what it used to be, but I could still be living the dream in some way."
"I get it, but it is what it is. I'm sure you can find some joy with your current career. Besides, I'm not exactly living the big dream."
"What do you mean?" Keesha asked.
"Well, can I tell you something."
"Of course."
"Well, halfway through college I started to get the feeling that the vet track just wasn't for me." Phoebe admitted.
"What? But you have always wanted to be a vet."
"I know, but I started to doubt if it was for me. I still don't know what it was, but I didn't feel like becoming a vet. I guess it was because medical programs are a lot of work, or it could have been that I wanted to do something that could benefit people are well as animals. Either way, I was taking some environmental studies classes, and I fell in love with them. I learned a lot about environmental issues and solutions, and I started thinking that I could help way more people and animals if I became an environmental scientist. I thought about switching to research-oriented work and studying for a PhD in environmental science, but I ultimately decided to continue studying to be a vet. I am happy being a vet, but I keep thinking about what life could have been like had I decided to study the environment."
Keesha placed her hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "I understand that you want to help people and animals as much as you can, but you can still do so as a vet. You help so many animals every day, and the people are really happy when their animals are okay."
"I know. I just keep thinking about life as an environmental scientist. Like, I could be studying areas that are going to be converted into building complexes or something. Then, I could bring my results to the government and petition them to preserve the areas as national monuments. That way, I could protect the environment in a huge way, as well as make sure hundreds of animals have a place to call home, and people can learn valuable lessons about the environment. I could be helping as many animals and people as possible."
"That would be impressive, but take it from me, getting a PhD is really hard. I can't tell you how many headaches I suffered through every day. I barely had any time to eat in my first year. On top of that, you already spent so much energy becoming a vet. You should be proud of that."
"I guess. Thanks, Keesh." Phoebe leaned in and hugged Keesha. Keesha hugged back.
"What are friends for?"
"Right. Well, we should probably turn in. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Oh right. I almost forgot why I came here. I still can't believe this is happening."
"I know. I can't either. It's the end of an era."
"You took the words out of my mouth. I guess we will have no more magic in our lives."
"I guess. With the Frizz gone, we lost the most magical thing of our lives."
"I suppose, but only time will tell if our lives will change forever."
"Right. Now, let's get to bed."
"I hear you. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Phoebe went upstairs to her room while Keesha went to the guest bedroom. Neither of them could sleep for a little while, their minds busy contemplating how life would be for them afterwards.
The next day, the group made it to the funeral at roughly the same time. Mikey had arrived just in time for the funeral. He and Carlos agreed to catch up later, now not seeming like an appropriate time to talk. The group almost immediately noticed that Arnold wasn't there, but since they didn't have much time to talk, it wasn't brought up. Not that anyone felt the need to, as it was kind of expected. Unlike everyone else, Ralphie was a little surprised that Arnold wasn't there. He had hoped that Arnold would have some incentive to come, but he got his hopes up too high. He would discuss Arnold's absence later. Now was the time to think of Ms. Frizzle.
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."
The wind blew cold and harsh across the grounds of Walkerville Cemetery. Nine solemn adults stood at the front of the crowd, each sobbing, some silently, some as loud as the wind.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil..."
Alexis leaned on Ralphie, listening to his loud sobs. Keesha and Phoebe stood next to each other, both girls silently crying. Mikey sat beside his brother, a hand on his arm. Tim hung his head low from where he stood between Dorothy Ann and Wanda, both girls weeping loudly.
"For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..."
An eerie silence hung over them as the preacher spoke his last words, seeming to look at each person's soul and heal their wounds, if only a little. "And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
Once the preacher was done, Ralphie went up to speak a few words that he wanted to say.
"Thank you everyone for coming. We are here to honor Valerie Frizzle, a great woman who taught me and my friends the joy of science. We will always remember Valerie as a kind, loving person. She always looked out for me and my friends when we were in her class. She always did everything she could to make her class fun and, uh, magical for everyone. I know for a fact that me and my friends will never forget the third grade, and we have Valerie to thank for that." Ralphie couldn't help but shed a tear as he said his last few words. "Though she's no longer with us, she will live in our hearts forever. Thank you."
Long after the funeral was over, the group remained, each reminiscing their time in the third grade.
After a while, the group decided to head home. Ralphie went over to Wanda deciding that now was the time to discuss Arnold. He knew that Wanda would most likely have an answer, knowing that she was the only one who kept in touch with Arnold for many years.
"Hey, Wanda."
"Oh, hey Ralphie. Your little speech was beautiful."
"Thanks, but I need to ask you something."
"What's up?"
"Where the hell is Arnold, Wanda?"
Well, I guess you could say..." Wanda sighed, "He decided to stay home today."
"I guess that makes sense, but why would he? Doesn't he have enough sympathy for Ms. Frizzle to at least say goodbye?"
"I guess not, but there's nothing that can be done about him now. You take care, Ralphie." With that, Wanda left the cemetery.
Ralphie went over to the tombstone that read "In Loving Memory of Valerie Frizzle. Jan 27, 1958 – Jun 25, 2016. Beloved Teacher." He placed a bouquet of pink roses on top as a final goodbye.
Ralphie was about to leave when he was approached by a tall man in his late 30s. "Excuse me, are you Ralphie Tennelli."
"Um, yes. And you are?"
"I'm Malcolm Rhule, the son of your former principal, Mr. Rhule. I sent the letters that informed you about this terrible tragedy. My father used to talk a lot about your class and how you were Valerie's favorite class."
"Oh, well, nice to meet you. How's your father."
"He's doing fine. He retired a few years ago and I replaced him. Anyway, I need a favor."
"What's up?"
"I am in the process of removing what used to belong to Valerie from the classroom, and to be frank, I could use some help. Would you be interested."
"Oh, well... sure, I'd be glad to help."
"Awesome. Please come to the school tomorrow in the morning. Thank you." Malcolm then left to his car.
Meanwhile, Carlos approached DA. "Hey DA."
"Oh, hey Carlos. What's up."
"Well, long time no see." Carlos said sheepishly.
"Yeah, it has been. How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been great. I love my job as a lawyer. You?"
"Well, I've barely started working as a doctor, and it's already stressing me out."
"Alright, well I wanted to know if you would like to hang out tomorrow and catch up or something."
"Oh, um... sure, I'd love to hang out."
"Great. Can you meet me at that burger place that we used to hang out at, say, 3 o'clock."
"Sure, sounds like a plan. Well, I need to go. I'll see you later."
"See you."
Ralphie then went over to Alexis and explained that he would be busy tomorrow helping Malcolm clear out Ms. Frizzles things. Alexis understood and said that she would head back to Alexandria tomorrow as she needed to work. It was a good thing they came in separate cars. Both of them then drove over to Ralphie's childhood house to spend the night.
Later on in the evening, Carlos and Mikey were in their old home, catching up on life.
"I can't believe that Arnold would try to stop me from coming!"
"I know. It was expected though. We know how Arnold has felt about the Frizz since the third grade. What I can't believe is that you would work for him."
"Well, his plan for creating a large tech corporation sounded like a sweet deal to me. I liked the idea of helping with the creating of a famous tech company in Silicon Valley. Besides, he never really talked about the Frizz, so I figured it was best to never mention her to keep him calm and happy.
"I get that," Carlos sighed, "but you know how we fell about him. If you want to keep working for him, I'll understand. Just don't become like him and hate the Frizz."
"I won't. You don't have to worry about that."
"Good."
"So, how have you been?"
"I've been good. I mean, I love my job as a lawyer, but I need a break every now and then. Plus, I get kind of lonely sometimes. I kind of wish that I had a special someone with me at home."
"Uh-huh. Is that why you were hooking up with DA at the cemetery." Mikey asked slyly.
"What?! No! I wasn't hooking up with her! I just asked her if she wanted to hang out tomorrow."
"Right. Because you have missed her a lot."
"I mean, I have missed her as a friend, but nothing more. Besides, why would I want to be with her. We fought all the time in high school. We got on each other's nerves all the time. Plus, she's a total goody-two shoes who has something up her ass, and I'm supposed to like her?"
"Well, sure she may be a bit uptight sometimes and is kind of a nerd, but she has a little something-something. I mean, she reminds me a lot of Evan, which makes me like her more."
"Hold on, you like Evan?"
"Yeah, I've been talking to her a lot recently. We are not official, but something tells me we will be more than friends sooner or later."
"Well, I'm happy for you, bro, but this doesn't mean I have a thing for DA."
"Oh please, you need to quit lying to yourself. She's your best friend who is a girl, the girl you've been in love with since third grade. Come on man, it's me. You don't need to hide your feeling from me."
"I still have no idea what you are talking about. I'm going to my room. I'll see you later."
Carlos went up to his room and shut the door behind him. Now that Mikey was out of sight, he could begin to think about what Mikey had said. Maybe what he said was true, or maybe not. Whatever the case, Carlos couldn't sleep for a while since he was busy thinking about DA and whether he had feelings for her or not.
A/N: Sorry for the wait. I got caught up in some important things that I had to do. I will try to be more frequent in posting new chapters, but I won't make any promises.
Stay tuned for more!