TICK TOCK TICK TOCK
My blood is running off the clock
Happiness. He didn't find that in Piedmont, California. The days were drooling, mundane, routine, and repetitive. No longer did he wake up with excitement, eager to adventure and discover the earth's endless mystery. Now, he sat mindlessly and dull of life, his eyes dim and heavy; as he sat in his uncomfortable chair absently listening to his professor ramble about a matter that didn't pertain to his Quantum Physics. The chocolate haired adolescent held in a groan and inner urge to snap, 'No one cares about your failing marriage, teach us already!' However, he bit his tongue, and felt relieved when he saw the clock, which finally struck 3:00. Dipper's professor, Professor Winston, dismissed the class with an exasperated, "See you tomorrow." Muttering under his breath, Dipper reached down besides him and grabbed his backpack, throwing it over one shoulder with irritation as he thudded down the lecture hall's stairs and exited the grand prison with a gruff 'thank you' to his awaiting instructor.
When fresh air filled his lungs, Dipper couldn't get enough, deeply breathing in and out. As if he was about to have an anxious breakdown in the middle of the quad. His thoughts raced as he subconsciously began to pace around, despite the fact many of his peers glared at him with disapproval and annoyance for being an obstruction in the bustling area, students desperately racing to their next class. He frantically thought to himself, 'I can't do this anymore, this is too much, I hate this school, I hate these people, I can't do this!' His inner panic was disturbed when he heard a familiar voice greet him, "Dipper!" A young lady called jubilantly, shouting once more, "Dipper!" Managing to pull himself together, he turned around, blinded by a radiant smile. "Mable? What are you doing? You need to-" He choked on his words as his sister wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him off, despite his clear protest. "Nope, you're not going to your next class! You're coming with me, sad clown!"
"I'm not upset!" Dipper feebly responded, already sounding defeated. She rolled her eyes knowingly. Mable forcefully sat him down after migrating them outside the college campus, she knew him better than anyone, and from his irrational body language in the quad, she knew something was mentally, and physically, beginning to consume him. Her eyes, filled with genuine compassion, gazed down upon the melancholy twin, "Dipper..." She sat down next to him and pulled him into an awkward side hug, "What's the matter? You're acting like a sad sap and it's breaking my heart. Talk to me." Dipper remained silent, coldly sitting there with hunched shoulders. Narrowing her melted caramel eyes at him, she strictly approached, "Mason. Talk to me. How can I help you if you don't tell me?" Her childish grin returned as she tacked on lightheartedly, "I can't read minds here!" Slightly amused, the young man let out a faint chuckle, a small smile breaking out across his face as he wittily responded, "You should go to Gideon then." Faking offense, she pulled away and gasped, punching his arm, causing Dipper to burst out into laughter, "I rather throw myself into the Nightmare Realm!"
The laughter began to fade as Dipper became solemn, narrating quietly, "I miss it all..." Cocking her head, his sister raised an eyebrow and inquired, "What do you miss?" He cut himself off and sputtered harshly, "We need to go, we're missing class." Attempting to get up, he was pulled straight back down by his sister's oddly strong grip. Huffing with frustration at his counterpart, "Let me go! We need to go! We should have never come here!" It was if shame and embarrassment hung over him, his face was flustered and hot, his body movement spastic and uncoordinated. "Enough!" Mable shouted, causing him to shut his mouth, "you have been acting weird lately! Weirder than weird! What is going on with you? You've been mopey all year, and I'm tired of seeing you so sad. You barely come out of your room- which by the way- can you shower more? You're killing my plants- but that's not the point!" She continued, "You need to stop being in that shell of yours and spill it, I feel bad that I can't help you-"
"I want to go back!" Dipper screamed painfully, like a caged animal wailing for its freedom. Stupefied, Mable couldn't think quick enough before he interrupted, "I can't do this anymore, Mabel." Shakily, the sympathetic brunette tried to delve into her brother's psyche, "Do what?"
"This!"
He stood up and angrily gestured around him, "This school, these... people! This is mind numbing, absolutely mind numbing! I don't want to wake up in the mornings anymore, because now, all I have to look forward to is- somehow- managing to scrape by without being assaulted in the halls, brutalized by peers and teachers, and our parents shoving their wants down my throat! I'm tired, Mable, I'm so tired..." Mable blinked back tears, horrified to see her brother in such a sorrowful condition, she didn't think he was so unhappy, he never showed it. Or at least, his introverted personality disguised his discontent well. He whispered softly, "You're even doing better than me in school... I've fallen so much, what am I anymore?" Mable hastily blurted out, "The best brother in the world!" He hung his head lower. "Dipper I," she glanced over to the side while making her confession, "I've always envied your intelligence... who cares if I have better marks right now? We all know- mom, dad, Ford, Grunkle Stan- that you're way smarter than me. That's why Ford wanted you as his apprentice! You have a rare gift, Dipper, and you shouldn't forget that. You're Dipper! The boy with so much brain you needed a bowl to hold some!" Somehow, despite his current mood, Mable pulled him out of the gutters just enough for him to regain a spark of hope- and even ambition. "Mable," he breathed, "I have a question." Mable edged him on impatiently, "Yes?"
"Why don't we go back to Gravity Falls?"