Finding Dad (Chapter 2)



~Isabella~

After a little while, I wake up because I hear the bus driver say, "Last stop, Charlotte, North Carolina." I turn to Phineas and shake him awake because he has fallen asleep too. "Phin, wake up! We're here!" He always was a light sleeper, so he wakes up immediately and we head out of the bus. I don't know what I was expecting, but Charlotte is a beautiful city. Wherever you look, there are thirty story buildings; every street corner contains a restaurant I've never heard of. Phineas says, "Sure is bigger than Danville, isn't it?" "I'll say," I respond. "Where to next?" I ask him. "Well first, we should probably find a hotel. In case you forgot, it's 12:15 in the morning." Since he's right, we find a decent looking Marriott hotel. "How much for a room?" I ask. "Aren't you kids a little young to be staying at hotels by yourselves?" he asks me. "No, no we're not. Could you please just tell us how much?" "$70. You paying in cash?" "Yes, yes we are," says Phineas. We hand the man his money and head up to the twenty-first floor. "I love the rooms all the way up top. We sure got lucky!" says Phineas. We open the door and the room is awesome. Two beds, a huge window with a view of the whole city. Paradise. "You know, I just realized we forgot to bring clothes." "It's okay," Phineas says, "we never really change clothes anyways when you think about it." I consider his point, and then laugh because he's right. I think to myself, you are very lucky, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. You have a best friend who will do anything for you, even take you on this immensely dangerous journey just to make you happy. And even if he doesn't see you THAT way yet, the time will come if it is meant to be. Plus, you are his best friend, and for now, that's enough. I notice that Phineas is staring at me quizzically. "What?" I ask. "Nothing. It's just you've been staring at me." I feel myself blush. "Gosh, I'm s-sorry. I didn't realize; I-I kinda sp-spaced out." I stammer. "What were you thinking about? It seemed intense from where I'm standing," he asks. "Just about how lucky I am to have you." He blushes. "Uh- thanks," he says, "and I couldn't ask for a better best friend." He moves towards the light switch. "We should probably get to sleep," he says as he flicks it off. "We'll wake up whenever. Good night, Izzy." "Sweet dreams, Phin," I say. As easy as it should be, I can't get to sleep. I mean, I'm at peace and all with Phineas beside me, but I'm still worried about how exactly we're going to find our dads. So I lie there awake, and suddenly it hits me. Planes. We should take a plane to New Orleans. But, should I tell Phineas about it now or should I wait until tomorrow morning? To answer my question, I sit up and look over to see if Phineas is still awake. He is. "Pssst, Phin! I have something to tell you!" "What is it, Isabella?" "Well, I couldn't sleep because I was wondering how exactly we're going to get the rest of the way. After some thinking, I came up with an idea!" I say. "Don't leave me hanging! What is it?" he eagerly questions. "We fly." I can see the idea go through his head, and then he slaps his forehead. "Of course! I feel so stupid for not thinking of that before!" he says. "Don't feel stupid… we just never considered it. We were thinking of less expensive ways. But, we have the money, and it's a domestic flight. I'm pretty sure unaccompanied minors are allowed on domestic flights. So why not?" "That's such a good idea! We'll go to the airport when we wake up! I have to say, Izzy, you are smarter than I thought." "Hey! Did you think I was stupid before?" I say, kidding really. But Phineas seems to take me seriously. "No, no, no! That's not what I meant. I just meant that you continue to amaze me, that's all." "You're so sweet, Phineas. I'm gonna try to go to sleep again. Night!" I say. I turn so I'm not facing him anymore and I smile like an idiot.

~Phineas~

I woke up at eight… no surprise. I typically wake up before my alarm anyways. It also doesn't surprise me that Isabella is still sleeping. I'm looking at her, and notice how cute she is when she sleeps. She's so peaceful. And then my normal self kicks in. Whoa, whoa, whoa. WHAT? Flynn, what is wrong with you? Seriously though, what is wrong with me? Lately, I've been thinking about Isabella a lot; how pretty she is, how much happier she makes me feel, how much I love having her around me, even if it's only for a minute or two. I don't quite understand what it is. She's always been my best friend, but…. I don't really know. Ferb was always better with these things than I was. Oh crap, FERB! I decide to talk to him. I've been ignoring all texts from my mom, because I will explain everything when I get home. I get on IM on my phone and see that he's online.

KeepMovingForward: What is wrong with me?

ManOfAction: What do u mean?

KeepMovingForward: I can't stop thinking about Isabella and how pretty and smart she is. I don't get it.

ManOfAction: LOL!!!! XD

KeepMovingForward: What is so funny?

ManOfAction: U don't no what love is!

Love? Is Ferb crazy? I'm too young to love, I think.

KeepMovingForward: You're crazy.

ManOfAction: No, I'm just rite.

KeepMovingForward: So, ur saying u think I like Izzy as more than a friend?

ManOfAction: Yes.

KeepMovingForward: Idk. Maybe.

ManOfAction: Alright, I'm gonna get back to talking to Emily. But you think about what I said. U no I'm rite.

KeepMovingForward is offline.

Is Ferb right? Do I like Izzy as more than a friend? I'm really confused right now. I look over and see the sun is in her face, so I get up to close the curtain so it doesn't wake her up. But it's too late, she's already awake. "Oh, it was the sun," she says. "I was wondering what was in my face." "Yeah, I was gonna close the curtain so you could keep sleeping, but I guess I was too late. Did you sleep well?" I say. "Yeah, but now I'm starving! Give me five minutes, and let's go get some food!" she says energetically. "I'm so glad you're one of those people who can just get up and be energetic. It's really nice that you don't have an attitude in the morning, like Candace," I tell her. She smiles and goes into the bathroom and closes the door. Which leaves me alone with my thoughts again. She really is special, I think, where would I be without her? I think about it. Without her, I'd probably be miserable. I wouldn't have the motivation to build even half of my wild projects. She comes out of the bathroom, looking even more beautiful than when she went in, if that is at all possible. "Let's go!" she says, and we leave the room. I make sure I have the room key in my pocket, just in case we need to get back. We get into the elevator and she presses the G button. "Phineas, this is gonna sound like a dumb question," she starts. "Don't say that, Izzy, nothing you say is dumb. What's the question?" "What day is today?" As stupid as this sounds, it actually takes me until we hit the ground floor to remember. "Today is Saturday. And it's July 24th," I say. "Really? Are you sure it's Saturday?" "Yes, I'm positive. I wouldn't lie to you," I assure her.