- Okay, I want to have it on tape. - Tambry pointed her phone at disgruntled Wendy sitting on her bed.
- Tam, I really don't have time for-
- We need to secure it for the future generations. - she replied, without even taking eyes from the screen. - Come on!
Wendy sighed. She rolled her eyes and reluctantly admitted the reason of her arrival at Tambry's house at that late time.
- Fine. Dipper Pines asked me for a date... - she said coldly, before words burst from her mouth - AND I AGREEDED TO IT! Like, what was I thinking?
- "Were you thinking at all?", more like it. - Tambry added - And have you been thinking about him...?
Tambry raised her head from her phone, giving her a knowing wink.
- I don't freaking know! - Wendy stretched her arms in defeat and slumped onto Tambry's bed. - I swear he was like half my height last Summer! And now he's all tall, and... I shouldn't like him that way!
Another loud groan escaped the lumberjill's mouth, and only at that point Tambry decided she had more than enough of her confession recorded, even if Wendy spoke more with her reactions instead of actual words. She put her phone away and joined Wendy on the bed, lying next to her, waiting for her to start talking. Instead, Tambry received second grunt of defeat, and that gave Tambry a signal to begin her impromptu therapy session.
- Okay, so you're definitely crushing on him now.
Wendy let out one more deep sigh and slowly nodded.
- Great. First part of dealing with any problem is accepting him. I mean "it".
She didn't quite meet Wendy's eyes when she shot her a cold stare at that slip of her tongue.
- So, let's consider the options. You guys got yourself a date tomorrow, and we need to make sure he'll fall for you at once...
- Tambry, I don't think you remember - Wendy interrupted - We're talking about Dipper. He was in love in me, until...
She swallowed loudly.
- Well, until I messed things up for him. - Wendy didn't even wait for Tambry to respond and continued - Like, he was twelve, and he thought I was gonna be his girlfriend, and then I said...
Wendy groaned again.
- Like, Tambry, do you understand? I might have broken his heart, and he was just a teenager.
- Broken hearts can be taped together, don't you worry about it.
With her phone once again in her hands, Tambry let out a triumphant cheer.
- Okay, girl. Have you checked Lee's profile recently? - she flopped onto her belly to meet Wendy's eyes.
- No, why?
- Because... He's working at a restaurant. Well, bar, really, but the point is, he can make sure you have a super romantic evening.
- Well... that might work... - Wendy stared at the ceiling, until Tambry gave her a confident smile.
- It *will work*.
Half an hour later, their classmate arrived at Tambry's house, together with his boyfriend, Nate. It turned out that Wendy had not two, but three people to help her orchestrate a perfect date, since while Lee was just helping around the kitchen, Nate was in charge of the music.
- Yeah, we have speakers inside and outside - he explained - And boss never really cares... if it's in the evening, I'd doubt he'll even be there.
- Outside?
- Yeah, for the dance-floor!
Tambry's eyes opened wide at once, and she had to grab Wendy's shoulder at that revelation.
- That's even better. Nate, you gotta pick something nice and slow for it. Can we count on you?
- Sure, it's not like there's a shortage of songs like these. - he shrugged.
- And what about you? - Wendy asked, eager to hear more of the crazy plan.
- I'll be inside. Lee, can you find me some place to bunk?
- Yeah, no prob. - he gave her a thumbs up.
- Wendy, if you'll need anything, you just say you need to go to the toilet, and we'll think of something for you to say. - Tambry continued. - Make sure to have your phone ready, we might text you some lines.
Wendy took one more look at their friends, gathered in Tambry's room, all eager and ready to help her. She nodded once more and with the ever-so-familiar fire in her eyes, she clutched her first and shouted.
- Alright, let's do this!
With a nervous grin, Wendy looked back and forth at two mirrors in Tambry's wardrobe. In her room, she only had one, and with those, she could see much more of her current attire, and all of the things she thought were wrong with it.
- You sure I can just go... like that? - she asked Tambry, doing one more twirl. - Won't he think that I only want, you know, to just hang out?
- Wendy, he loves you in this outfit. And besides, you can't go in a swimsuit.
- Yeah, but shouldn't I, you know, try something different?
- Trust me, guys like getting the same thing all over again, they're not that difficult to operate. And hey, it's your first date, we can experiment later.
Supplied with extra dose of confidence, Wendy took one more look at her clothes, and seeing Tambry's enthusiastic reflection, she was ready to stun Dipper with her usual lumberjack clothes.
- Yeah, I can see him. - Wendy whispered into her phone - And, oh god, he looks like a dork. He's got a bow-tie for crying out loud!
- Try... uh, saying it looks nice? - Tambry spoke to her phone with very little confidence in her voice
- It doesn't look good at all, but that would have to do...
Wendy ended the call, and slowly walked out of the shadow that until now concealed her figure around the corner.
- Come on, the stupid thing...
- Hey, man. - she waved at him, and giggled when Dipper flinched, flabbergasted at her sudden appearance.
The fact that her sight shocked Dipper made her heart fill with warmth she hasn't felt in a while.
As soon as Wendy entered the diner again and made sure Dipper has lost sight of her, she sprinted to the broom closet, which now operated as "command center".
- Guys, you gotta help me with something. - Wendy asked Tambry and Lee - Dipper's acting... kinda weird.
- Weird how?
- Weirder than usual? - Tambry inquired.
- Yeah...
For the first time in her life, Tambry saw Wendy nervously fixing her long hair, as if in fear that it might be some loose strand that ruined her perfect outfit.
- So what does he do?
- Well, I tried holding hands with him, that didn't work, and then he kinda... froze.
- That's good! - Lee responded at once.
- Is it? - Wendy raised her brow.
- Sure. It means he's so stunned by you, girl.
Wendy shifted her eyes at Tambry, who judged her friend's opinion for a moment.
- Hm... Maybe. You know, we better advance the music. Go, Wendy, he's probably impatient already, guys are freaking worst at it. - she rolled her eyes and gave her friend an encouraging pat on the back.
As quickly as possible, Tambry and Mabel recalled the events of the previous day to the each other. They both could practically see cogs turning in their heads, as suddenly pieces of puzzle begun to fit.
- So wait, does Dipper want to be with her, or not? - Tambry asked, completely dumbfounded.
- Of course he does! - Pacifica groaned from the back.
- But I thought he doesn't. - Mabel scratched her head.
- Why would you think so? - Tambry continued - The guy had major crush on her from minute one he saw her.
- But the way she asked him...
- Trust me, she was dying inside. - Tambry reassured her.
But then, Wendy's shriek brought attention of all five of them, and they flocked to the net separating them from the dance-floor to see what happened, though Mabel, with her short-circuiting bow-tie thought she might know an answer already.
Tired by getting conflicting signals, Dipper's body moved in almost spastic-like fashion, dragging Wendy around the whole dance-floor, miraculously missing the poles or tables. Dipper was no less horrified than she was, being able to correct only some of his moves.
Mabel tried taking her bow-tie off, but even with the piece disconnected from her, it was still malfunctioning, sending wrong signals everywhere.
- Come on! My brother is turning into a tornado!
- Mabel, here!
Mabel turned to Tambry, only to see her holding a pack of chewing gum.
- Uh, Tambry, we have a bit of situation here I don't think snacks will help...
- No, use it to shield the board from static! It's your damn sweater.
Without questioning Tambry's knowledge, Mabel took three long pieces of gum and wrapped them around the still buzzing and frying back of her bow-tie. At once, all five pairs of eyes turned to see if it had the effect they desired.
The supposedly slow piece ended, and with it, Dipper and Wendy stopped spinning, one clutching the other two afraid they would collapse on to the floor soon if not for each other's support.
- Tambry, I have an idea. - Mabel suddenly snapped her fingers - Give me your phone!
Tambry obliged, seeing determination in Mabel's eyes. A split of second later she was already talking with Nate.
- Nate? Tell me you've got "Disco Girl" by BABBA.
Her eyes flickered and a devilishly sly grin appeared on her face.
- Oh, trust me, it WILL work.
The familiar notes of the Icelandic song from 80s filled the air, and before she could fully prepare for it, Mabel pressed the button on her bow-tie and took Pacifica's hands, pulling her close to herself.
- What the heck? - Pacifica's eyes turned wide when she saw Mabel's face inches from hers.
- Dipper knows the words, but can't dance for life. Come on!
At the same time, two couples on opposite sides of the fence performed the same moves, though only one of them was fully aware of it. As the time went by, Pacifica's initial astonishment of the situation she's been dragged into turned into confidence, and just like the lumberjill on the dance-floor, she begun responding to Mabel's leading rhythm.
After the physical torture of unpredictability that Dipper has put Wendy through, she was more than surprised to see him pulling some actual, proper dance moves, making their performance a heated and unforgettable experience. Especially since he was doing all the singing, in a voice that despite his age still sounded as if hasn't properly cracked yet.
Wendy had to cling onto her hat when Dipper spun her around, this time with no worries of either of them hitting the ground, and the very next moment, she felt his deep breathing on her face, when he pulled her as close to her as possible, whispering slowly the final words of the chorus.
Disco girl,
that girl is you,
disco girl,
I love you.
If Wendy found this moment surprising and enchanting, for Mabel and Pacifica it was almost blood-freezing, if not for the fact that both had beads of sweat on their foreheads after dancing for two. What's worse, the words Mabel spoke to Pacifica wasn't hers, indicating that she clearly only fixed half of the device, allowing the communication signal to bleed both ways.
With trembling hands and legs, slightly sweaty palms and beating heart, Mabel did one more move, forcing Dipper to do it as well.
A moment later, the few bystanders still present outside the diner roared with cheers, applauding the young couple kissing passionately on the stage, completely unaware that their clapping celebrated a birth of more than one relationship.
- Please tell me you have this on tape... - Grenda spoke, still gawking at Mabel and Pacifica locked in a long, heated kiss neither of them seemed to want to get out of too soon.
- Way ahead of you - Tambry spoke, watching the scene continue on her screen.
It was past midnight, when Dipper Pines opened the door to the Shack, and singing under his breath, he waltzed up the stair to his room. Though he had not drank a single drop of alcohol, he felt so light-headed he might as well become a helium balloon. He wasn't surprised at all to see his sister already in her bed - after all, with her plan failing monumentally she had nothing else to do supervising him.
- Mabel, I'm so glad your plan backfired! Can you believe it? Wendy likes me! Actually, "likes" likes me. - he slumped onto the bed - And have you seen how I danced? I never thought I could do that! It's a good thing Wendy undid this bow-tie! And the kiss? Have you seen how she kissed me afterwards?
Only now Dipper realised his sister hasn't said a single word and lay on her bed like a log, her eyes affixed at unspecified point on the slanted roof.
- Mabel...? Is everything alright?
He turned on the light, and when Mabel met his eyes, Dipper screamed once he saw red marks covering all of Mabel's face, so red and deep he initially mistook them for bites of some rabid animal.
- Oh yeah, Dipper. I know you guys kissed. I even know how many times... - she said dreamily, careful not to smear Pacifica's lipstick.