Ah, college. Time for studying, having fun and owing a huge debt. Dipper Pines had arrived at the bus station earlier this afternoon, and the heavy city atmosphere was already weighing on him. He had dragged his suitcase around until he caught the first glimpse of the prestigious buildings where he was going to spend the new few years. He was now gazing, mouth agape with wonder, slowly shifting his view from left to right; trying to take it all in. This was his first time away from home without Mabel, he better not screw that up.

Continuing his path, he found a tent for newcomers installed on the lawn.

"Hi!" enthusiastically shouted a brunet. "How can we help you?" He looked a few years older than Dipper and looked happy to see all the new faces.

"Hi, I was just looking around campus before moving in." said Dipper.

"Cool. How do you like it?" said the guy.

"It's nice I guess. And I'm not saying that because my dad made a huge donation to the main building, I genuinely find it pretty cool."

"Wait, so you're one of those kids that gets in easy because your dad's got 'connections'?" asked another brunette who was previously handing out maps to newcomers.

"I wouldn't say I got in easy, but it sure made a difference in the bill I have to pay." Said Dipper.Great, now they all think I'm some kind of rich kid.

"You lucky bastard! If you want some advice, don't go shouting it around, it won't make you many friends." Said the brunette.

"Will do." Replied Dipper.

"So do need any help ?" asked the brunet.

"Not really. I guess I'm just going to walk around a bit. Thanks anyway." He said awkwardly, before walking away. That was a wrong step in the whole 'new place, new me' kind of deal.

Dipper then wandered off to get a good mental map of the campus. Light was beginning to drop and he figured he might as well go home. Since he didn't pay nearly as much in tuition as other students, his father had invested in a nice little apartment not far from campus, with Dipper's advice of course. It took him 15 minutes of dragging his overweight suitcase through the streets to get to it. The building was rather bland, with no real feeling attached to it. He took the elevator to his place, and opened the door to the musty dark apartment. The sunset light filtering through the blinds painted the walls a bloodied red.

Dipper stepped in and breathed his first gulp of freedom. He was finally alone with no one to dictate his movements. And it already felt overwhelming, like the first day of summer vacation where the endless possibilities of what could happen hit you and you are lost in a sea of ideas. Dipper pushed his suitcase into his room and opened the blinds. His father and himself had installed the furniture just a few days after visiting the place. They had only bothered with the bare minimum, but even with just a couch, a table, a bed and a few chairs; Dipper felt at home. He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge out of habit. It was empty, of course, and this sent a reminder to his hungry stomach. Dipper closed the fridge and decided to look for a place to eat.

He traced back his footsteps towards the campus. The city lights were faintly glowing in the dusk. A Subway insignia caught his eyes and he crossed the road over to it. He could find a finer restaurant later on. Entering the fast food, he noticed it was nearly empty save for the big group of young adults (probably students) chatting rapidly in a corner. He ordered a sandwich and took this opportunity to ask the young man on the other side of the counter why the place was deserted.

"Ah, you must be a newbie here. We don't get many costumers before school starts. Most people who live around here are students and they don't come here in the summer. Looks like we're soon going to be back in business though." He added, pointing to the group that was now chanting something.

He handed Dipper his sandwich, and the brunet paid. He took a seat not too far from the group and tried to listen to what they were saying. They seemed to be cheering some guy that was eating one of the biggest sandwiches Dipper had ever seen. Maybe this was some kind of stupid contest. Though he was not really interested in what they were doing, the gleeful vibe that emanated from the group was still influencing him enough to get a small smile out of him. He knew none of those people and was at least two states away from anyone he knew; but Dipper felt like he belonged.

He was finishing his pizza when the group left. One of the girls was a bit behind, fumbling through her purse as if looking for something. She yelled for her friends to wait for her and only got laughter in return. She finally rose from her seat and seemed to rush to the group that was waiting outside, probably deciding where to go next. As she passed Dipper, she glanced at him and said "Hi, are you new here?"

Caught off guard, Dipper replied with a "yes" before swallowing his food as fast and as graciously as he could.

"I hope you like it here! You'll see it's a lot of fun." She said as someone outside shouted at her to 'hurry the fuck up'. "I'll see you around I guess." Added the girl, before joining her group outside and leaving with them. Well that was a bit unexpected.

Dipper finished his diner and decided to head up home. Home, what a strange thing to call this place I still haven't slept in. He unpacked the bare necessities from his suitcase and changed into his pajamas. He didn't feel tired so he turned on his computer and played some video games. The sky was a deep blue outside his window, stars outshone by the bright city lights. A few car honks and noisy accelerations disturbed the otherwise rather silent night. Around midnight, Dipper decided it was time to hit the hay, and he turned off his computer in order to get to bed.

After one last visit to the bathroom, he was laying eyes open beneath the brand new sheets of his bed. Everything felt so surreal and yet was part of a routine he had executed for years now. He thought about his family for a short second, before realizing that it was still too soon to think about the warmth of people who loved him. He didn't regret his decision, not one bit; but after living with a twin for eighteen years, being alone felt like a shock to him.

Curling into a more fetal position, Dipper closed his eyes and imagined what would happen in the next few years. All the new experiences he would have. Soon, sleepiness overcame him slowly as he thought about the adventure he was going to have.

That looks like fun. Dipper opened his eyes for a short second, trying to figure out who had just spoken. The words still rang inside his head, but he wasn't sure if he was the one who thought it. Calming down and closing his eyes once more, he decided to dismiss it as one of those thoughts you don't control and drifted into sleep.