A New Friendship: Chapter 1

Robbie was walking along with his hood up keeping his head down. Mabel was running outside, chasing a butterfly and grinning. Robbie walked over to a nearby tree, unaware of Mabel in the flowery field nearby, as he slumped down on the ground beneath the tree with a heavy sigh. Above his head was a heart carved with his initials and Wendy's.

Mabel saw the butterfly fly away to where she couldn't see or reach it. She then looked down and saw Robbie sitting against the tree with him and his ex-girlfriend's initials on it. Robbie removed his hood and rested his face in his hands and began to shudder a bit.

"What are you doing here?" Mabel asked with a confused look on her face.

Robbie looked up a bit, startled by Mabel's presence, and she could clearly see that he had a black eye. It looked as if he had been hit in his mouth and nose.

"Uh…" he started. "You're that idiot's sister, right?"

"You mean Dipper?" Mabel replied. "He's not an idiot. And whoa, what happened to your face?" Mabel wrinkled up her nose.

Robbie was quiet for a moment, but then said, "None of your business, kid. Why don't you just get lost, okay? Like you care anyway…you're just like the rest of them."

Mabel sat down next to him. "No," she said. "I care. I care about everyone. Even if their attitude isn't the best."

Robbie stared at the ground silently and now being near him, she could see he wasn't very healthy looking at all. He was thin and pale and he smelled like sweat and dirty clothes. He looked as if he had not eaten in a while, and he shook faintly.

"You think I'm a jerk and a loser," Robbie muttered. "Just like everyone else."

"Well yeah," Mabel started. "You can act mean sometimes, but that's because your background story is probably really bad."

"I don't mean to be the way I am," Robbie said.

"I know you don't" Mabel said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "No one does."

Robbie looked at the ground, and then at Mabel. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked.

Mabel nodded, looking intrigued.

Robbie sighed, and then said, "My dad did this to me…he always does this to me…he goes to work, gets drunk, comes home, and…if anything isn't the way he likes it…"

Mabel put her hands over her mouth. "That's terrible…" she said, looking upset.

"It's been this way since…" Robbie mumbled. "Since…"

"Since what?" Mabel asked.

Robbie's lower lip trembled and his eyes watered as he shook slightly. "Since Mom died…" he replied.

Mabel looked almost as upset as Robbie did. "I…" she mumbled. "I'm…so sorry…."

Robbie continued, "He never liked me even when she was alive, but she never let him hurt me… when she was gone, it started. He locks up the fridge, and the last time I took some crackers from the closet…"

Robbie pulled off his left glove, and Mabel could see his palm had a red welt mark on it that looked like a burn.

Mabel looked like she was about to cry. She had never seen anyone quite this sad and depressed before in her life. She knew she had to do something to at least life Robbie's spirits just a little. Robbie leaned against the tree again with another sad sigh.

Mabel turned over to Robbie, and said, "Look, I will find a way to fix this, I promise." She heard Grunkle Stan call her name from the Shack. Mabel stood up and said to Robbie, "I have to go. We'll talk later!" She started running towards the Shack. Robbie watched the girl run off but said nothing nor waved goodbye. He looked a bit stunned and speechless.

Mabel had gotten to the Shack, but looked back towards where she had just come from. She started to think about Robbie, and how she could help him with his issues with his father. When Mabel arrived to the Shack, there was an expensive looking Sedan parked outside and a tall middle aged man in a gray suit talking to Stan. He had slicked back hair that was black and looked like an older version of Robbie.

Mabel looked curious. She wondered who the tall man could be. Could it perhaps be Robbie's father, she wondered? She wasn't quite sure. She could plainly hear the conversation. Mabel eavesdropped a little on Stan and the man's conversation.

"So Mr. Pines…" the man said. "If you see that damn brat around here, call me…God, that little loser is driving me nuts…he can't do a damn thing right, fucking retarded little makeup wearing emo queer!"

Stan looked shocked. "Whoa whoa, hey there, padre," he said. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

"Oh please…" the man said. "You try living with it.."

Mabel gasps, discovering that the man is indeed Robbie's father. She looked sad and felt disappointed that Robbie's father disapproves of him greatly. The older man stepped off of the porch and stopped when he saw Robbie in the distance sitting under the tree by the field.

"That little shit…" Robbie's father grumbled.

Mabel looked at the man and then at Robbie. She ran back towards Robbie, trying to save him from being insulted and hurt. Robbie looked up at Mabel and smiled a little at first.

"Back so soon, squirt?" he asked. His face turned to a look of horror when he saw his father coming.

"Your dad's coming!" Mabel exclaimed. "What are we going to do?"

Robbie made a scream similar to the one when Rumble McSkirmish had come after him and when Waddles attacked him.

Mabel looked at Robbie's father in horror. She had no idea what to do. Robbie took Mabel's hand and ran off into the woods with her.

Mabel was slightly confused. "How deep into the woods are we going?" she huffed.

"I-"Robbie stuttered. "I dunno! I can't let him get me!"

Mabel let go of Robbie's hand and said, "You go on, I'll distract him!"

Robbie was hesitant, but said, "O-okay…" Robbie hid behind a large tree nearby.

Mabel planted her feet on the ground, looking determined. She knew that it probably wasn't going to work, but she would do anything to keep Robbie from having to be tortured by his overly abusive father. As Robbie's father came closer and closer, Mabel did the first thing that came to her mind. She formed her hand into a fist and brought it back. She was going to regret this.