Dipper knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of a rejection. It's just as horrible as it sounds.
But what he never knew, was that the other end of the action, hurt just as bad.
No one tells that someone liking you can give you so much anxiety people will start to think you actually have the disorder. Nobody tells you that rejecting a good person, a person who could end up being your best friend, hurts you just as much as it hurts them.
Now Dipper had a little sympathy for Wendy.
She had asked him in chemistry. They were partners in almost everything and she was Dipper's closest friend next to Mabel. Ninth grade is hard and having someone other than your sister there can be a little helpful.
Dipper was minding his own business, trying to figure out how to work chemical reactions with math because, truthfully, Dipper sucked at math.
And then she asked him.
"Can we, like, go out…sometime?"
Dipper had just stared blankly, because, what did she mean?
"Yeah…? We go out all the time, what do you mean?" Dipper was genuinely confused he wasn't trying to torture her.
But he was.
"Yes, that's true. But I mean go out, go out."
He was lost, and she could tell, and he knew something was wrong because she had that face on where he knew something wasn't going the way she wanted it too.
"Umm…"
She finally sighed in frustration and ripped a piece of paper from her notebook writing three words.
I
Like
You
And she didn't have to write double likes' because Dipper understood what she meant. And it didn't make him happy, or relieved, or touched. It made him feel like a hand was ripping his heart out of his chest and shoving it down his throat.
The bell then rang. Signaling the end of class.
Dipper finally breathed and rushed and collected his books.
She looked…crushed.
Dipper was feeling incredibly guilty by the end of the day, so, he asked Mabel to comfort him.
Mabel was…Mabel, and ended up making Dipper regret his choice in confiding in her.
"She's totally crushing on you, aren't you happy?!"
"No, Mabel! I don't like her like that! I-I want her as my friend."
"You're such a jerk Dipper, and a hypocrite."
"How?!"
"You hated Wendy because she didn't give you a chance, and now you're doing the same thing to her!"
"Well, I'm sorry not everyone can live in your love fantasy world because not everyone is a horny teenager trying to grow up too fast."
"That's crossing a line and you know it, you arse."
"Mabel, you just don't get it! If I said yes, I'd be leading her on just to break up with her because I'd be giving her a false relationship with false affection and we'd just be hurting each other more."
"That's an excuse Dipper. Why can't you ever own your own crap?"
"Really!? What does that have to do with this?!"
"EVERYTHING!"
…
They weren't talking at the moment.
And he was avoiding her.
So, Dipper was a little lonely.
No one ever tells you this. They all have sympathy for the broken-hearted one, well, he hurts too. And it's not fair because he didn't ask for her to like him and he didn't ask to hurt her.
It's not fair.
They didn't talk for at least a week and a half, and then he approached her because he was tired of the tension everywhere he went.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah. Sure."
"I really want you in my life, just, not the way you want to be."
"And that is what ends us."
"What?"
"Dipper I can't live the rest of high school loving you and it not being returned. I won't torture myself."
"But, please. You're my best friend."
"But not your girlfriend."
"Wait!"
"I'm sorry, but this is goodbye."
"Just stop and listen." Dipper was beginning to become desperate.
"Don't speak to me in the hallways, move seats in class, don't think of my name, and if we see each other out of school don't call me out."
She was cutting him off.
"Don't do this."
Dipper didn't like to beg.
"Have a good life, Dipper."
And she reached out to him but took three steps back and just stared into his eyes with her sad ones and Dipper didn't even realize that after five minutes she was gone.
He couldn't see her in the crowd of students and he would probably never be that close to her again.
They call it puppy love.
It was just a crush.
She'll get over it.
But no one ever tells you this kind of love was much more damaging than many other kinds, and no one ever tells you that it's not fair.
And no one ever tells you that you never truly get over it, and no one ever tells you that the love doesn't stop, no matter how different that love is.
No one ever tells you how much it hurts for you too.
This was actually a bit of a challenge for me to write, but, isn't that the point of this?
To all of you who don't know what the ALS challenge is, just go to my profile and it'll explain everything. You can join in if you want to. This drabble is the second installment.
Would say R&R but I'm guessing y'all already know so...
Love, R.A.
