Chapter 9: We've Been Frizzled!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Magic School Bus or any of the related characters. The Magic School Bus series is created by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen and owned by Nelvana. This entire story is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment purposes only. I am not making a profit from this story.
Notes: Time to touch base with the rest of the gang and see how they fared after they left The Sound Museum. R&R!
10:00am
Arnold groggily sat up in his bed when he heard his phone ding with a notification.
Wanda: How's the eye?
Arnold: Better thanks.
Wanda: You'll look so badass in our grad pics on Monday hero!
Arnold groaned when he realized that his black eye would be visible in all the graduation pictures his mother and father took at the ceremony. Oh god, his parents! How on earth was he supposed to explain the shiner that he was currently sporting?
'I knew I should have stayed home yesterday,' he fleetingly thought. Then again, if he hadn't snuck out he would have missed the opportunity to defend Wanda and have her call him a hero. He grinned down at the last text message he received from her before tucking his forearms behind his head and laying back against his pillow.
"Good morning champ! You're home early. I thought you would stay longer at Janet's," Mr. Perlstein commented from the doorway. Arnold yelped in surprise, rolled off the side of his bed and hit his bedside table.
"I'm sorry, are you okay son? Oh no! You got a bad bruise from that fall. Your mom is going to kill me! Your graduation is in two days," his father exclaimed.
Crisis averted. Arnold was grateful his clumsiness had impeccable timing today.
"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. Since you're awake now, I wanted to continue our discussion from yesterday. I'm not sure how much Janet told you when you went over last night, but Uncle Ed has already been living at another residence and Aunt Tracy isn't coming home until this afternoon. I'm glad you spent the night at Janet's place, otherwise she would have been alone," his father gravely explained.
"Totally," Arnold quickly agreed as he stood up, not quite understanding why this was such a big issue.
"How was Janet behaving yesterday?" his father asked with concern.
"Her usual self," Arnold grumbled.
"Well, at least that's good to hear. I'm glad she's taking the divorce well. It was probably a long time coming, so she was expecting it," Mr. Perlstein sadly said.
'DIVORCE?!' Arnold choked on his spit when he heard his father casually say that word.
"Harold! Come down to help with breakfast and let Arnold go brush his teeth," his mom called from downstairs.
His dad slipped out the door leaving Arnold in stunned silence. Then, Arnold chose to do something even wilder than sneaking out of his parents' house in the dead of night to go clubbing. He phoned his cousin.
"What?" Janet curtly asked after the third ring.
"I heard about your parents. I'm sorry I didn't notice that you were acting meaner than usual yesterday. How are you holding up?"
"Gee thanks cuz. They were never right for each other anyways. At least I'm already an adult so there won't be a custody battle. I'll probably just live on campus and give them their space for now," she sighed.
"Well I'm here for you if you need anything. If it makes you feel any better, I got this before we left the club." Arnold took a selfie and sent it to her.
"Thanks Wimp. That does make me feel better. Maybe you should take some self-defense classes over the summer break. Don't worry about grad, I can help you cover it up before the ceremony. My foundation should work on you too," Janet laughed in earnest.
"Thanks cuz. I'm taking you up on your offer. It would've looked way worse if Phoebe hadn't taken care of it at the club," Arnold agreed. Janet's eyebrows shot up. Plant Girl tended to Arnold's injury? Interesting...
"I'm going to head down for breakfast. I'll see you on Monday-"
"Wait Arnold! Before you go, I just wanted to say that it was sooo sweet of Plant Girl - I mean Phoebe - to help you. She's definitely a keeper!" Janet sweetly crooned.
Arnold's face flushed. Phoebe did look pretty yesterday and she was always there for him while they were growing up. He recalled how she helped to hide him from the other guests at the Rocky Awards ceremony when his skin turned orange while the rest of the class went inside his body to figure out what was wrong. He hadn't really noticed it much because all of his attention was usually on Wanda. After all, he was in love with her. She was it for him. So why was he suddenly thinking about Phoebe?
"Janet, what are you trying to say?" Arnold asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the ceiling as he waited to hear her explanation.
"Why nothing Arnold. I'm just making an observation and I wanted to let you know that if you ever need a wingwoman, I'm here for you!" Janet gleefully offered.
Now Arnold was definitely skeptical of her motives. His cousin never did anything without a reason and she certainly didn't go out of her way to help him for free. She was up to something. But Arnold decided to drop it for now.
"Thanks Janet. I'll consider it. See you on Monday," Arnold ended the call and threw his phone on the bed. He was done thinking about girls...for now.
"Arnold, breakfast is ready!"
"Coming mom!" Arnold shouted and bolted downstairs towards the tasty distraction.
*/*/*
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Phoebe's eyes snapped open and she shut off her blaring alarm clock. She hadn't fallen asleep until 2am after the rideshare dropped her home. She couldn't stop thinking about Arnold calling her pretty while she tended to his injury. Maybe he was just being nice, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
She got out of bed and drew open her curtains. It was a beautiful, sunny day. She really wished that she didn't have to go to work this morning. It would just ruin her otherwise good mood. Maybe she could call in sick…
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a notification come in on her phone.
Tim: Hey Phoebe, how was your first clubbing experience? Why didn't you tell me you were going? I would've tagged along!
It was Tim. The two of them had a long-standing tradition of buying ice cream on the last day of school. But this year, their final exam fell on a Friday, which was when she had her work shift. Then the girls went clubbing and she had totally forgotten to contact him to reschedule.
Phoebe: Sorry Tim! It was a last minute thing. Plus it was girls only! How did you know I went? And how is the art class going?
Tim: The kids are pretty hyper. It's hard to keep them on track. They're definitely enthusiastic about the craft though. I'm watching them work on an activity right now.
Tim: When I checked my phone this morning, I saw a bunch of missed texts from Carlos asking me if I wanted to go clubbing with you all. Since he's not picking up his phone right now, I figured I may as well get the details from you instead. You are my favorite person :)
Phoebe: Aww! But even if I had texted you about the club, you wouldn't have seen it until today :(
Tim: I might have checked my phone if it was from you Phoebe :)
Phoebe: :) So, why didn't you see Carlos' texts? Did something happen yesterday?
Tim: Nah, I was just tired after the exam. I think I managed to score at least an 80 on it.
Phoebe: That's awesome! It was great to have a class with you during the term :)
Tim: Same here. You still haven't told me how things went at the club!
Phoebe: It was fun! The club was inside The Sound Museum. Ms. Frizzle actually inherited the building. I felt a little out of place at first. But the music was good and no creepy guys hit on me.
Tim: We've been Frizzled haha! Can't quite escape her, can we? I'm glad you were safe. I'd have to find them and tell them to keep their hands off you haha
Phoebe: I don't know if that's a good idea…Arnold tried to defend Wanda and some guy punched him. He's fine though, I helped him tend to his wound.
Tim: Oh really?
Phoebe: Well you weren't answering your phone and Carlos needed a wingman, so Arnold stepped in...
Tim: Did anything happen between you two?
Phoebe hesitated before replying. Tim knew about her crush on Arnold. He was quite perceptive and he hated seeing her get hurt whenever Arnold fawned over Wanda. Tim was very protective of her because they were best friends.
Although she shared a brief moment with Arnold last night, it was still clear to her where his heart remained. It would be wise not to get her hopes up and to refrain from telling Tim anything. She'd think of an excuse if he brought it up the next time she visited. For now, she would change the subject.
Phoebe: Ugh I have a work shift soon. I might just call in sick.
Tim: I've got something that might brighten your day.
Tim sent Phoebe an attachment. She opened it and gasped when she saw that it was an ad for a part-time job at a flower shop near Walkerville U. It was even set to open in the fall when she started school. This would provide her with more hands-on experience in her field. What perfect timing!
Phoebe: Thank you Tim! You're a lifesaver, this job would be perfect for my portfolio. It's way better than food service. I'm going to tell Clara I'm sick and work on my application right now. Then, I'll come over to your place so you can proofread it.
Tim: You're very welcome. Looking forward to hearing more about the club when you come over. And don't forget to tell me what you're wearing to prom so we can coordinate for photographs! We're still going together right?
Phoebe: For sure bestie! TTYL :)
Phoebe fired off a quick text to Clara to say she couldn't make her shift as she booted her laptop to start typing her application. Maybe she could do some online shopping for a college wardrobe too.
It was time to turn over a new leaf.
*/*/*
Keesha groaned when she heard her phone vibrating. Her hand automatically shot out to blindly search for it on top of her bedsheets.
"I'm up," she yawned, waving to Ralphie on the video chat.
"Good morning, beautiful. Hope the kids didn't drive you too crazy last night," Ralphie smiled.
"How you can call me that first thing in the morning is beyond me," Keesha laughed, gesturing towards her bedhead. Ralphie begged to differ, but didn't voice it. Even with her bedhead, his girlfriend was clearly gorgeous with her high cheekbones, full lips and long legs. He was a lucky guy.
"Things went about as expected. The girls had a good, safe time and that's all that matters to me. I made sure everyone got home, except for Carlos and DA," Keesha sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Did Carlos send you any updates on their whereabouts?"
"No, but I'm sure he took care of DA. He was crazy jealous last night when he heard she was going to that club. Did any weirdos hit on her?" Ralphie asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. But thankfully Carlos addressed the issue without violence. I wish I could say the same for Arnold," Keesha sighed.
"Arnold got into a fight?!" Ralphie exclaimed.
"Yup. Slight shiner above his right eye. Phoebe fixed him up," Keesha confirmed.
"You're slipping class mom," Ralphie teased.
"The girls are my responsibility and the boys are yours, babe," Keesha quipped.
"Fair enough. Wanda herself is already a handful. At least DA and Phoebe are less unpredictable," Ralphie sighed.
"I dunno about that. Phoebe did a shot during Truth or Drink at Wanda's house and DA probably banged Carlos last night," Keesha chuckled.
"They grow up so fast. But like I said, I gave Carlos a condom. He won't do anything stupid. We've gotta trust them," Ralphie gently reassured her.
"I know, I know. But I'm always gonna worry. If they're already like this in high school, what will college bring?" Keesha gnawed at her lower lip.
"A whole different set of challenges for them - and for us. We all make mistakes. It's part of the learning process and it's part of life babe."
"You're right, Ralphie. Wait, why did you call me again?" Keesha asked, remembering he had phoned her.
"To remind you that Wanda and Phoebe might need a wake up call for their work shift this morning. School's out, so no Saturday tutoring sessions for DA. As for the guys, Carlos and Arnold already told me they don't start their summer gigs until next week. Tim is supposed to have his first art class today. I'll give him a call at lunchtime to ask how it's going so far. I think the bio exam yesterday took a lot out of him. I can tell it isn't his strong suit," Ralphie noted.
"Thanks for the reminder. Are you free for dinner this evening?"
"Yup. My mom is working late at the clinic tonight. Netflix and chill at my place?" he suggested, wagging his eyebrows. Keesha instantly felt her heart hammer in anticipation. Having a hunky boyfriend like Ralphie made it easy for her to get riled up. She bit her lower lip flirtatiously and daringly looked into his twinkling dark eyes.
"Sounds good. There's no doubt that my Meteorology course load will be heavy in the fall, but at least I have dorm life to look forward to. Then I can just have you over whenever. I've heard the RAs are pretty chill at Walkerville U," Keesha smirked.
"It'll be even better in our second year when we start renting our own place," Ralphie mused.
"HUH?!" Keesha dropped her phone in shock and it bounced off the mattress and onto the floor. She bent down to scoop it up. Great, another crack. Good thing she was due for an upgrade this summer.
"The dorms are for the first years, so the rest of the students usually rent accommodation near campus," Ralphie explained.
"Yeah, they mentioned that during the university fair," Keesha slowly said.
"So what's wrong? We've been a couple for over four years now. Isn't it about time for us to consider moving in together?" Ralphie asked with hurt evident in his voice.
"Of course I want to live with you Ralphie. I love you so much. I just thought we'd discuss it first," Keesha softly replied.
"You're right. Sorry I sprung it on you like that. I just kinda assumed it would be a good time to take things to the next level. And I love you too Keesh," he grinned.
"Well I can't see any reason not to. Consider it done future roomie," Keesha declared. "But you had better learn to clean up after yourself mister!"
Notes: Ralphie and Keesha both show an interest in Meteorology in the episode, "Kicks Up a Storm", but Keesha demonstrates a better understanding of it. One chapter left! :)