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Buford leaned against Baljeet’s locker. “Hey Baljeet, you’re goin’ to prom with me.”
“But I am already going with Ginger,” Baljeet protested.
“Fine, you can bring her too.” Buford rolled his eyes.
“That is not how that…” Baljeet kneaded his forehead as he tried to figure out how to explain this to Buford. “You are supposed to take someone to prom as your date.”
“So?”
“So?! We are not romantically involved, Buford!”
“What, ya never been on a friend date before?” Buford rolled his eyes. “People go to prom together as friends all the time. You really need to get out more, nerd.”
Phineas had had a lot of fun on the prom committee. If you’d asked him his favorite part, he probably would have said the open dome projection system. He and Ferb had rigged the ceiling to pull away and reveal a huge curved display screen with a view of the cosmos. It was even better than a disco ball. He couldn’t wait to unveil it.
That would be what he told you was his favorite part of being on the prom committee. But that wasn’t strictly the truth.
“Hey Phineas!” his favorite part of being on the prom committee waved to him.
Phineas waved back. Isabella cleared her throat. “So… prom’s tomorrow. Are you, um, planning to take anyone?”
Phineas gulped, face reddening. He’d actually had an answer in mind for several years now. Ever since he and Ferb had invented a fast forward remote for time itself and he’d found himself in a moment very much like this one, he’d known it was his destiny to take Isabella to prom. Or at least, he thought it had been.
When Phineas was in middle school and saw that older version of Isabella flirting with him, it had made him realize he’d always had a thing for her ever since they were little. From that day onward, he’d been waiting for the moment Isabella would fall for him too. But that moment… never really came. Isabella’s behavior never really changed. If anything, she’d actually gotten a little more distant. It didn’t seem like she’d ever have an epiphany like the one Phineas had had all those years ago. And now…
Phineas had always wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have seen that moment. If simply knowing about the future had changed its outcome. Maybe in another timeline where he hadn’t invented that remote, he would be Isabella’s boyfriend by now. But he just had to go and realize his feelings in middle school, and worse, plan around them. And now… well, now their relationship just wasn’t organic. It couldn’t be, with that knowledge. Phineas missed the days when he didn’t even think about impressing Isabella or making her smile, he just did it.
The whole time they’d been working together on the prom committee, Phineas had been searching desperately for signs. Something, anything, to indicate that destiny had finally arrived and Isabella had developed feelings for him like the future had said she would. But there was nothing. No attempts at flirtation whatsoever. Phineas would have noticed. Ever since that day in sixth grade he’d paid very close attention.
So… maybe it wasn’t meant to be, after all.
“Phineas?”
“Oh!” Phineas blushed, snapping out of his contemplation. “Sorry, I spaced out for a second. I, um… I’m not sure yet.”
“Oh. Okay.” Isabella nodded. “Figured.”
“Are, um…” Phineas swallowed. “Are you?”
“I will if someone asks me.”
“Right.” Phineas scratched the back of his neck. “Anyone in particular you’re hoping for, or…?”
“Oh, just anyone, really.” Isabella chewed her lip. “Maybe even… um… you know, um… I don’t know.”
“Cool beans.” Phineas winced at his own finger guns. “Anyway… see you in class?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Bye, Phineas.”
Phineas waved goodbye, heart sinking as she walked away.
“Ask her.”
“It’s not that simple, Ferb.”
“You have nothing to lose,” Ferb insisted. “You want to ask her, so ask her.”
“But what if she doesn’t want to go with me?” Phineas fretted. “And then she’ll know I feel that way about her and it’ll be awkward between us forever! I can’t take that risk!”
“Listen,” Ferb said, putting a hand on Phineas’ shoulder. “You want to go to prom. Isabella wants to go to prom. At this point, you go with each other or nobody.”
“Well, yeah, but what if she’d rather go with nobody?”
Ferb rolled his eyes. “I’m serious!” Phineas insisted.
“If you’re that worried about it, you could always ask her as a friend,” Ferb pointed out. “It’s not that unusual. Buford and Baljeet are going as friends.”
“Wait, I thought Baljeet was going with Ginger,” Phineas frowned. “She asked him and everything.”
“Baljeet and Ginger are going as boyfriend and girlfriend. Baljeet and Buford are going as friends.”
“Huh.” Phineas considered this. “I guess since you’re going with Gretchen, it wouldn’t be that weird for me to ask Isabella.”
Ferb gave him a thumbs up.
Phineas grew determined. “Okay. I need to figure out the most epic friend promposal ever.”
“Or you could just ask her,” Ferb suggested. “You don’t exactly have a lot of—”
“This is Isabella we’re talking about,” Phineas insisted firmly. “She deserves the best, even for a last-minute friend promposal.”
Ferb checked his watch and showed Phineas the time. Phineas nodded resolutely.
Isabella blinked blearily awake at the sound of tapping on her bedroom window. Flicking on the light, she approached the window and opened it. “Ferb?” She rubbed her eyes. “It’s 2 in the morning. What are you doing?”
Ferb pointed to the backyard.
Isabella stepped into her slippers and threw a robe over her tank top for warmth. Why on Earth would Ferb be waking her up at this hour?
She didn’t see anything in her backyard until Ferb pointed up.
In the sky was a message written in stars.
Well, they weren’t actually stars, they were very clearly drones, but the effect was still incredible. She gasped silently. The message read:
HEY SO SINCE NEITHER OF US HAVE A PROM DATE
I WAS THINKING MAYBE YOU COULD GO WITH ME
YOU KNOW SINCE WE’RE FRIENDS AND STUFF
LIKE WE COULD GO AS FRIENDS MAYBE
DO YOU WANNA DO THAT?
THIS IS PHINEAS BTW
“Yes!” Isabella squealed. Quickly composing herself, she glanced wildly around the yard. “Where is he? Is he here?”
“Did she see it yet?” Phineas poked his head through the back gate.
Ferb gave Phineas a thumbs up. Phineas scurried over to Isabella like a nervous little crab. “Sorry, I know the drone thing is kinda lame. I wanted to do something more exciting, I just totally ran out of time. Anyway, d’you wanna maybe… go to prom with me? As friends?”
“Yes,” Isabella beamed, rocking back and forth on her heels. “Yes I do.”
“Yes! I mean, um, great!” Phineas cleared his throat. “So, um… pick you up at 7, then?”
She smiled. “Can’t wait.”
“Yeah, me neither!” Phineas grinned. “Um, you know, ‘cause we worked really hard. It’s gonna be so cool. Anyway I’m gonna let you go back to sleep now bye!”
He was out her back gate like a shot. Isabella pumped her fist and gave it to Ferb to pound. Ferb bumped her fist and followed Phineas back across the street. The drones zipped across the sky to land in the boys’ backyard; it was like a little meteor shower.
Isabella returned to bed, unable to stop grinning. She had to be careful to temper her expectations. She knew Phineas had only asked her as a friend. Still, hanging out with him was going to be so much fun.
Phineas collapsed on his bed, still in his dayclothes. “I did it, Ferb,” he exclaimed breathlessly. “I asked her to prom and she said yes.”
Ferb gave him a congratulatory thumbs up and flopped down onto his own bed. Piles of crumpled schematics littered the room.
Phineas rolled over, laying his arms across his stomach and chest as he stared blissfully at the ceiling. “She said yes…”
He shot bolt upright. “I forgot to ask what color dress she’s wearing!”
“Sleep,” Ferb ordered. “You can ask her in the morning. Prom’s not for another seventeen hours.”
“Right.” Phineas fell back on his pillow, blushing. He pulled it out from under his head and hugged it giddily. “She said yes… I can’t believe she said yes…”
He knew he was making a bigger deal out of this than he should have. But he just couldn’t help it.