Monday, March 21, 2022

"Outatime" - Chapter Three

            The Hill Valley skate park was one of few places Marty could drown out her sorrows. Watching other skaters perform sick tricks on the ramps would put anyone in a good mood. Even Zeke Falcone and Luther Waffles, two other friends of Marty, were there. So why did Marty still feel so low?

            “There you are,” she heard Phineas’s voice, turning to see him roll up to her with Ferb, Kick, and Gunther. The brothers’ own friends, Isabella and Buford, accompanied them.

            “Phineas told us about what happened at the audition,” Isabella told Marty. “I’m really sorry.”

            “Yeah…me, too,” Marty lamented. Noticing Buford, she recalled how he was a blood relative of Coach Tannen; that being so, she harshly requested, “Hey, Buford. Next time you see your aunt, could you tell her to lay off my butt?”

            “You want it in that specific context or…?” Buford asked.

            “Just tell her that I’ve had enough of her crap, O.K.?” Marty demanded.

            “‘Fraid I can’t,” Buford denied. “Once Auntie Tiff’s mind put to somethin’, she’s dead-set on accomplishin’ it.”

            “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Marty cited.

            Seeing how hurt she still was about Coach Tannen and the audition, Phineas gave her some words of encouragement: “Don’t sweat it, Marty. There’s plenty of time to still have your moment, especially while you’re young.”

            And these words of encouragement segued into an impromptu song…

PHINEAS:
Do you remember when, not so long ago
all we had was time?
And the future was the last thing on our minds.
What a time.

ISABELLA:
Now here we are, getting older,
wondering what will be.
Life is short,
let’s take advantage of every opportunity.

PHINEAS & ISABELLA:
While we’re young,
let’s go out and have some fun!
Ooh, baby, while we’re young,
let’s go back and give it some!

BACKGROUND SKATERS:
We better do it while we’re young!

            Marty almost couldn’t believe how impromptu this song was, with all the skaters in the park – including Zeke and Luther – joining in singing and dancing. Rather than question it, she just rolled with it…

MARTY:
I’ll take a nap in the afternoon.
That’s just part of the fun.

PHINEAS:
So much of youth is wasted on the young.

MARTY:
Hey, watch your tongue.

PHINEAS & MARTY:
We’re not as good as we once were,
but we’re as good once as we ever were.
We’re still kids, it’s not too late.
So let’s take time to recuperate.

ALL:
While we’re young,
let’s go out and have some fun!
Mmm, baby, while we’re young,
let’s go out and get us some!

(We better do it while we’re young! Whoo!)

            Taking out her guitar, Marty stepped in with a sweet solo to the cheers of Phineas, Ferb, and the other kids in the skate park. She played along the park bench and jumped off to land on her knees with an epic slide.

ALL:
Ooh! While we’re young!
Let’s go out and have some fun!
Ooh, baby, while we’re young,
Let’s not wait ‘til we’re 91!

(We better do it while we’re young! Ooh!)

Ooh-ooh! While we’re young (While we’re young)!
Ooh-ooh! While we’re young (While we’re young)!
Ooh-ooh! We better do it while we’re young!
Ooh-ooh! While we’re young (While we’re young)!

            “SAVE THE CLOCK TOWER!!!”

            The impromptu song and on-point street choreography performed along the skate park was interrupted with the emergence of Baljeet Tjinder, who dashed between person-to-person, waving around flyers in one hand and shaking a donation can in the other, all while shouting, “Save the clock tower!”

            No one seemed willing to offer him any patronage for his cause.

            Especially not Buford, who griped to him, “Hey, dweeb! We were in the middle of a song ‘til ya rudely interrupted us!”

            “I apologize,” Baljeet said. “I hope it was a good song.”

            Buford gave a passive shrug. “Meh. Sounds better in the soundtrack.”

            “What are you collecting for, Baljeet?” Phineas asked, indicating the donation can.

            “I am so glad you asked,” Baljeet expressed. “The Mayor of Hill Valley is going to replace the clock on the courthouse. But it is a historical landmark of the Hill Valley side of the Hill Valley-Danville community!”

            “What’s historical about it?” Marty inquired. “It’s just a broken old clock.”

            “Just a broken old clock?!” Baljeet repeated her words in stunned context. “Forty years ago, lightning struck that clock, and it has not run since! It should be preserved exactly the way it is, as a part of our history and heritage!”

            “The only thing you should be worried about preservin’ are yer undahpants, dweeb!” Buford said before he accordingly gave a wedgie and cackled thereafter.

            “I should have seen that one coming,” Baljeet whimpered as he dangled.

            Marty shook her head at the display. She saw herself in Baljeet’s predicament – another member of the Tannen bloodline abusing someone who was only looking out for the future. As such, she took out a $20 bill from out of her back jeans pocket and slid it into Baljeet’s donation can.

            “There you go, Baljeet,” she said. “Hope that helps.”

            The gesture brought a smile to Baljeet’s face. “Thank you, Marty. Your kind gesture is a nice distraction from the discomfort I am feeling in my backside.”

--------------------

            At 12:40 that night, Marty was awakened by jingle of her phone. She fell asleep while watching Hulu. The “Are you still watching?” prompt was onscreen at the time her phone woke her. She switched it off and answered the call. “Hello?”

            “Are they with you right now?!”

            She recognized the frantic, high-strung voice on the other end and rubbed her tired, bloodshot eyes in aggravation. “Candace, do you realize what time it is?”

            “Yeah, I do, that’s why I’m calling,” Candace said. “Are Phineas and Ferb with you right now?”

            Marty groaned. “No. They’re not.”

            “Ooooh! They are so busted!”

            “Yes…Yes, they are,” Marty drowsily acknowledged. “Goodnight, Candace.”

            “No, wait! They’ve gotta be with that Doctor Emma Brown right now. I only know ‘cause I was eavesdropping on a conversation they had earlier about meeting her at the Twin Pines Mall tonight.”

            “And yet you still called me, knowing all of that? I’m hanging up now, Candace.”

            “But wait! Look, I can’t risk sneaking out of the house and getting busted myself, and Mom never believes me when I tell her what the boys are up to. So…could you do me a solid and go to Twin Pines Mall and record what the boys and Doc Brown are doing?”

            Marty could barely keep her eyes open. “You want me to help you bust Phineas and Ferb?”

            “Yes! That’s exactly what I want you to do!”

            McFly still couldn’t believe this conversation was actually happening close to one o’clock in the evening. It was the curse to being friends with Phineas and Ferb – she had to endure the insanity of their big sister. She wondered how even Linda and Lawrence endured it every day at the Flynn-Fletcher household.

            She ultimately decided to humor herself.

            Plus, she was just as curious to know why Phineas and Ferb were out so late at night with Doc Brown.

            “Sure, Candace,” she agreed. “I’m on my way there right now.”

            “Great!” Candace cheered. “And don’t forget to record everything with your phone for evidence!”



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"Outatime" - Chapter Fourteen

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