Sometimes the truth isn't good enough...
Sometimes people deserve more…
Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded...
-The Dark Knight, 2008
Written in honor of the (un)official Wendip Week (April 4th-April 10th, 2016). If anyone wishes to repost this story for said purpose, please include the original link from this site. Thanks in advance!
A warm, spring breeze flowed through the dusk as bright lights shone from a small school in the Californian town of Piedmont. A grand, yet somewhat humble commemoration was taking place inside. It was a few weeks before the two dozen students would graduate and leave behind middle school forever.
In honor of this tremendous occasion, the faculty threw their class a dance, as they did with every passing year; a final chance to celebrate the memories they had made together at their school, and look onwards to their bright and promising futures.
The teens, dressed in their most impressive clothing, danced the night away without a care in the world in their hastily-transformed gymnasium. They had finished all of the hard-work that was asked of them, and now was the sweet rewards of their efforts. The group moved in mindless conjunction to the latest dance fad under the glow of multi-colored translucent lights hanging overhead…
…save for one depressed wallflower sitting against the furthest wall. All by his lonesome, he leaned back in his cheap plastic chair and rested his heavy head against the cold bricks. The boy took care not to mess up his dark, well-coif-hair, before asking himself why he should bother. With a heavy sigh, he sat forward with both hands filled. He looked at his right, into the half-empty glass of watered-down pink punch, spotting a half-frozen piece of pineapple floating freely within the beverage.
"Eww…"
He carefully picked it out of his cup with his free fingers and flicked it into the tiled ground. The starchy collar of his dress shirt felt like it was tightening around his neck. He adjusted his black tie to allow for better circulation. Tapping his rigid, shined shoe against the floor, the teen glanced to his left, where he tightly clutched a thin plastic case in his palm. He studied the details of the red and green corsage lying within, surrounded by traces of pure-white baby's breath. The lonely child heaved again, lamenting on how the prize remained unclaimed by a special someone.
His brown eyes rose as a girl with neck-length strawberry-blonde hair walked up to him. With her short pink dress glimmering in the light, she opened her mouth, parting her lips smeared with way too much red lipstick.
"Hey, listen. Would you mind – "
Before she could finish her sentence, the ostracized eighth grader leapt to his feet, "I'd love to!"
"Great!" The young lady shoved her purse into his chest. She spun around on her black high heels and fled back into the crowd as she waved, "Thanks!" The clicking sounds of her shoes faded away the farther she went into the group.
Defeated yet again, the boy sunk back into his seat, as he tossed the bag onto the chair next to him. He lowered his chin into his balled-up fists as hope melted away from his being.
"Why did I even bother?"
A shadow soon blanketed his face. A bouncy, little brunette bobbled up to him as her fluffy yellow gown flowed with her every movement. Her metal-braced mouth gave off an encouraging grin. "Come on, Dipper! Are you just going to sit there and mope all night?"
He glanced up as he began to argue, "I'm not moping, Mabel!" Dipper shrunk back as his nerves settled, "It's…just that…" The detective itched his unusually bare head, "It's just that I don't feel like I belong here…"
"How can you say that?!" Mabel threw her arms in outrage, "You deserve to be here more than anyone else here! You made Valedictorian after all."
"No, not like that." Dipper motioned towards the shifting mob. "I meant with them."
His sibling was well aware of all of the teasing that her twin was forced to endure, but remained persistent in her efforts, "Never mind those guys! You should get out there and enjoy yourself."
"How can I, Mabel? They all stare at me like I'm a freak. And anytime I open my mouth in front of a girl, they give me a disgusted look, like I shouldn't in the same room; the same Earth as them!"
Mabel shooed away his over-exaggeration with a wave, "It's not that bad, bro-bro."
"Says you…" Dipper drooped back into his hands as he resumed his gloom, "At least someone asked you to dance tonight…"
"Mabel!" A voice from the crowd called out, "Hurry! The next song's starting!"
She turned towards the voice, only to return her sights back her depressed brother.
"Go ahead…" Dipper offered. "Don't let me keep you…"
Mabel backed away into the mass without taking her eyes off Dipper. A sense of regret overcame her.
"I hope you change your mind, Dip. I promise you, if you actually try, who knows what'll happen? You might end up having a lot of fun…"
She soon disappeared back into the group; a yellow ball in the ever moving mass.
"I promise…" Dipper scoffed as he stared at the unclaimed flowers in his hands. "Stupid promise is how I ended up here in the first place…"
It had been a few weeks before as he narrated the upcoming events to his computer screen.
"Yeah, it's this big thing that they're throwing at the end of the month, but I don't think it's right for me…"
"And why not?" The voice on the other end of the connection grew curious.
Never expecting to be challenged, Dipper moved forward, being careful to stay in the pathway of his webcam. "You know why – people like me just don't belong at those kinda places…"
"People like you – what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'm a dork, dweeb, pointdexter, nerd, major bring-down, etc, etc!"
His correspondent simply giggled at his worry. Despite his original intention, Dipper started to slightly smile. Even when he didn't mean to, being able to make her laugh made him feel like a million dollars.
"Okay," she confessed. "So, you're right. You are a dork – 100% guilty. But remember one thing…"
The shape leaned forward, revealing the static-filled, somewhat jumpy-glitchy electronic image of Wendy Corduroy pointing at him.
"…you're my dork, kiddo! And I expect you to wear that like a badge of honor! You got that?"
Dipper chucked, "Yes, ma'am…"
Ever since he had departed his summer home of Gravity Falls, Oregon, Dipper had made it a priority to keep in touch with his lumberjack crush as much as possible. With a little bit of coaxing and technical guidance, Dipper had helped Wendy in setting up this method of long-distance correspondence. It was far from perfect, especially when bad weather would strike down their connection, but it definitely made the miles-apart separation feel like anything but. Luckily, California and Oregon shared the same time zones.
The teenage boy would never admit it out loud, but sometimes, he would wait on edge for his friend to log online. Especially during the more depressing days when the world would heavily weigh down on him, merely hearing Wendy's voice would raise Dipper's spirits from the dumps. Even if they were to talk about nonsensical topics for hours on end, just having someone who would listen to his victories and failures made everything all better.
Dipper only hoped that Wendy felt the same way. After all, there had never been an occasion when she seemed annoyed or impatient by his online presence; if anything, the older teenager seemed to look forward to their cyber-vists. Perhaps there was a part of Wendy that needed this as much as he did.
The lanky cashier fell back into her seat and placed her legs comfortably upon her desk, crossing her bare feet at the ankles. His former possession, the white and blue pine-tree cap rested safely on one of the corners of her rolling office chair. Her trademark green-flannel shirt hung on the opposite end.
"But with that being said," Wendy continued. "I still think you should go to this shindig…"
"But, Wendy," Dipper began to protest. "You already know what will happen if I go. It'll be no different from any other time at school. I'll be made fun of. No one will want me there in the first place, except for Mabel, and I'll end up sitting by myself for the whole night!" He shrugged his shoulders, "Why should I bother in the first place?"
Wendy's tone changed to a more concerned one, "Then, what's the plan, brainiac? Are you gonna hide away in your room until you guys come back here in the summer?"
Once more, the ginger caught Dipper off-guard, "No, but…"
"But nothing!"
As Wendy thought of another way to convince her pal, a smirk spread across her freckled face.
"Well, what if…I was there?"
"WHAT?!" Dipper almost leapt through the LCD monitor in astonishment.
"Just like that…" Wendy highlighted. "That's the kind of attitude you need to have with these things, Dipper. I know more than anyone that you can be majorly fun when you relax and go with the flow. Just act like I'm there with you."
"A –"
"And before you start…" In the short time they bonded, Wendy grew to understand and recognize the boy's mannerisms like a second nature; it was almost to the point she knew Dipper better than he knew himself. "Everything you're feeling right now, I've been through as well. Remember, no one likes the super-tall girl in middle school either. It isn't just limited to little nerds…"
"Don't say that, Wendy! Everyone loves – "
"And if it helps…" She reached behind her neck and reclaimed Dipper's summertime cap, placing it on top of her crown of thick red hair. "…I'll admit it – I think about you and all the trouble we used to get into when I get a case of the lonelies..."
Dipper's heart sunk into his stomach as a feeling of guilt grew.
"You – You really mean that?"
Wendy set her feet on the floor and moved her chair closer to her screen, "Of course I do! But you – we have to do more than wait around until we can get together again." She folded her arms as she narrowed her green eyes at the webcam. "And if you don't have a better answer than "Oh, nothing," when I ask whatcha been up to all this time away…"
Dipper broke eye-contact, "…you really think I should go to this thing?"
"Absolutely!" Wendy nodded along, seeing that she was making headway. "And besides, what happens if there's someone that really wants to dance with you, and you're not there?"
"Yeah, right!" The sudden wave of bravery quickly faded from Dipper's essence as he grew serious, "What if – what if I get scared again? You know, like what happened last summer with you and me?"
Dipper had accidentally let his experience with clones and Wendy-plans slip during one of their nighttime chats, only to be met with hearty laughter rather than harsh judgment. "You poor dweeb. Now things make some sense…"
"But that's the thing, Dipper." Wendy implored. "Are you going to let something like that happen again?"
The diminutive sleuth immediately went silent. His partner in crime had him dead to rights.
"Dipper, you trust me, right?"
The question broke him out of his self-imposed stun. "Huh?"
"I said, you trust me, right?"
He raised his head, "You know I do…"
She placed her hand against the screen, "Then, believe me, okay? Give this a try, and I promise you won't regret it. Maybe there'll be something that will even surprise a know-it-all like you!"
As always, his ambitious main squeeze had won him over for the umpteenth time.
He met the hand waiting for him on the other side of the internet and beamed.
"Okay, Wendy. I'll go…"
Dipper sighed aloud as he looked over his classmates yet again as his mind wandered. Buddies and best friends mingled alongside the countless couples. All these people shared some sort of connection in some way or other, and yet, nothing seemingly traced back to the singled-out thirteen-year-old sitting alone in the dark. He was certain that his presence there had no impact on any of the souls out on the dance floor.
He reflected on Wendy's words. He didn't blame her for this uncomfortable predicament he found himself in. In spite of what others accused him of doing, Dipper tried not to place Wendy on a pedestal. He knew better than most that the sixteen-year-old was nothing close to infallible. To him, her heart was in the right place when she was giving him advice. She only wished him better than her own childhood traumas.
At the same time, he had more than enough. How long was he going to sit here for?
With a defeated "BAH!" Dipper left his corsage behind on his seat, hoping that whoever came across it would put it to better use than he ever could. He stuck his hands in his dress pants' pockets and started to slink out towards the side exit to avoid being seen.
All of a sudden, a growing clamor began to rise within the cluster of adolescents. At first, Dipper ignored it and went on his way, but as he went further, the noise grew louder, his ears perking up as the conversations became clearer:
"Wow! Who is that?"
"Never seen that girl before. Does she even go to this school?"
"Check out the legs on that one! She's taller than anyone here!"
"Ew! Look at the way she's dressed! Poor thing couldn't afford designer or what…?"
Dipper peered over his shoulder to see a new figure moving amongst the masses. A tall, slender girl donning a simple, yet elegant green and black gown walked back and forth, as if she was searching for someone. Her long, straighten copper hair draped down her back followed her every movement.
"No…way…" Dipper rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He recalled what Wendy had suggested; that he pretend that she was with him, but seeing things that weren't there was a different story altogether.
Fantasy was instantly proven to reality as Mabel spotted the "illusion" from the other side of the room. She grasped her rouge-smeared cheeks with her hands, "OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH! What in the hey-hey are you doing here?!"
The mysterious teenager spun around on her heels and looked towards the back wall. Dipper's brown eyes met her emerald ones. It was then he realized that Wendy Corduroy – his Wendy – was really there!
Upon spotting her bewildered companion, Wendy gave off a huge toothy smile. She waved to him for a moment before heading deeper into the crowd. Without wasting another second, Dipper rushed towards her, bumping into several of his classmates.
"Excuse me…"
"Pardon me…"
"Gangway!"
"Just passing through…"
At long last, the two met in the middle of the dance floor. Within a few moments, the world had turned topsy-turvy. Dipper had spent the entire night on the outskirts looking in on a faction that could care less about him. In an ironic twist of fate, the same group was now on the outside, watching for any detail that could explain how this beautiful stranger was linked to their resident geek.
"H-Hi…" Dipper shyly greeted his not-so-secret love, still in a state of doubt.
"Hey, yourself…"
"What are you doing all the way out here?" Dipper asked.
"Oh, you know…" Wendy shifted her shoulders, "Driver's license been burning a hole in my pocket, and I felt the need to take a little ride around the neighborhood."
Dipper snickered, "Around the neighborhood? You're a long way from Gravity Falls…"
She joined in the laughter as she shook her head, "There's no fooling you, is there, genius? Why do you think I'm here?"
He didn't answer.
"For you, dummy!" Wendy poked his pink nose. "You sounded so down the other day, so I figured a visit would cheer you up. Besides, you're here – so it looks like you kept your promise, so the least I can do is keep mine."
"Your promise?" Dipper became confused. The final thing Wendy had said that night played back in his mind, "Give this a try, and I promise you won't regret it. Maybe there'll be something that will even surprise a know-it-all like you!"
Wendy could see that Dipper was starting to understand. "Well…" she highlighted her lean body with her arms, "Surprise!"
"Heh-heh!" Dipper scratched the side of his head. "You're telling me…"
"And now," Wendy placed a hand on her hip, "There's one last matter of business to attend to…"
Dipper stared up at her with a perplexed expression.
She presented him an opened hand, "I believe you still owe me a dance…"
Almost-star struck, Dipper carefully slipped his hand into hers. Wendy tightened her grip and pulled the boy forwards, nearly yanking him out of his loafers.
"WHOA!"
The lights above them changed colors as a new song started to play out through the rented speaker system. The pack circled around the couple as they slow-danced in a stiff-fashion.
"Dip, you have to relax…" Wendy squeezed his shoulders.
"I know, I know…" He hung his head, ashamed to meet her eye-to-eye, "It's just…I don't…really know how to…"
"Dude, it's okay! Just follow my lead…step forward, step back, right foot, left foot…"
After a few tries (in which he had narrowly missed squishing Wendy's toes), Dipper was getting in the rhythm of things, finding himself able to match his partner step-for-step.
"There you go! Who'd thunk it? Dipper Pines, a wonderful dancer…" Wendy leaned in and whispered into his ear, "…and without the aid of a Lamby-Lamb costume?"
"Shh!" Dipper gave a knee-jerk reaction before seeing Wendy's sly grin. She got him again.
They enjoyed the shared silence as the entire eighth grade class watched on. Numerous murmurs spread though the groups analyzed the two buddies that only wished to enjoy each other's company.
"Man, how lucky could one egghead be?" A gathering of boys conspired in a jealous rage.
"No way Dipstick knows her! Little creep probably paid her to be here. Y'know; to try to make himself look good."
"Yeah! What kind of justice is it that a hot babe like that would want to spend her time with a freak like him?"
"Wrong, wrong, and double wrong!" Mabel jumped to the defense. "They're best friends! Two of a kind! And believe me, fellas, Dipper's closer to her than you creepers will ever be with a girl!"
She pranced away as the remnants "Ooh'ed!" and jeered the bullies. On the other end of the spectrum, the girls shared their thoughts about their unannounced rival.
"Just who does that broad think she is?"
"They let anyone crash the party these days!"
"Did you see how big she is? No wonder her gown is so gauche. It was probably the only thing that could fit her! It looks like she tied a bunch of drapes together!"
"Her taste in boys is just as bad. Just look at them! It's like a living train wreck! I'd be so embarrassed if it was me in her ugly shoes. Then again, some people have no self-respect…"
"Ouch!" Mabel snuck up on the congregation, ready again to play the defensive. "I wouldn't say those things aloud. I personally know Wendy, and believe me, I've seen her mop the floor with people for saying less…"
As she twisted around with her admirer, the freckled-face splendor shot an icy glare towards the flock; the simple gesture made each girl shiver in fright, giving them rashes of goose-flesh.
She returned her attention to her personal little aficionado, whom persisted on gawking at her in amazement, rarely taking the time to even as much as blink.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh?" He jerked like she had awakened him from a deep slumber. "Sorry," Dipper said. "I was…distracted…"
"Distracted?"
His voice grew lower, "Well, to be honest, it's just that…I've never seen you like this before…"
The girl wore a thin layer of darker makeup upon her usually pale flesh. Her eyelids were painted a light-pinkish-purple with lashes freshly coated as well. Wendy's lips were covered in a light pink shade; a vast contrast to any of the other ladies' choice in vibrant colors. The plain grey studs in her ears had been replaced with shiny decorative patterns.
The woman standing before Dipper Pines was even better than any fantasy he could ever dream of.
"…I mean, you look amazing!"
"Thanks, dweeb! You don't look half-bad yourself…"
Wendy took a double take over her dance partner. She didn't realize it at first, but it had been nearly a year since they had seen one another face-to-face. Online chatting left out several key details of how her little Dipper was growing into a young adult. His messy brown hair has grown even longer and shaggier. A pencil-thin mustache and goatee had begun to set in on his still-baby face.
Most surprising of all, her pipsqueak had grown taller on her! The top of Dipper's head now reached pass her chest; set on level with her shoulder blades.
"…you're sprouting like a weed on me. I knew it would happen one day, but I didn't expect you to be above "boob-level" by now!"
"Wendy…" Her risqué comment instantaneously turned Dipper an embarrassed beet-red. "But, now that you mention it, I thought you might have shrunk or something…"
"Nope!" Wendy lifted the side of her dress with her left hand. She raised a foot and tapped the sole of the black shoe with her free fist. "Flats…" the redhead explained. "I wanted to give you a bit of an advantage, height-wise, but I didn't think you'd grow this much…"
"Appreciate it…maybe one day, I'll be able to tease you about being too short…"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, junior!"
Suddenly, a new figure pushed past the assembly watching the touching reunion unfold. The aggressor stood to their side, within striking distance, and called out to Wendy, severing the essence between them.
"Hey, baby! How'd you like to dance with a real man?"
Wendy and Dipper spotted an overweight boy with spiked blond buzzed-cut hair to their right. Wearing an undersized tuxedo-T-shirt, he flashed the older high-schooler a cheesy smile above his two chins.
Dipper's heart stopped. He recognized the intruder as one of his worst bullies. He couldn't believe his luck; of all the times for the menace to strike.
Wendy, seeing the panic and worry in Dipper's eyes, looked back and forth between him and the newcomer. She replied to his proposal, "Sure I would…"
The detective's mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe what he had heard. Could this really be happening?
His date turned back towards him; her lips slowly curling into a devious beam.
"…just let me know when you find one!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" The surrounding students exploded into ferocious laughter. Set in his place, the bully allowed himself to be swallowed by the still-mocking pack, which followed even closer behind their newly elected hero.
"That – That – " Dipper found himself stuttering. "That was incredible!"
"I try…" Wendy nodded with a wink. She griped him tighter, "Just remember one thing – I'm here to tango with one guy and one guy only!"
His eyes growing glassy, Dipper rushed in and wrapped his arms around Wendy. Although unprepared at first, she followed suit and placed her hands against the back of his head as they continued to sway together in conjunction.
"You – " Dipper tried his best to explain. "You don't know how much I needed – I wanted – I just – "
"I know, buddy…" Wendy lovingly caressed his hair as her smile melted away. Part of her was glad that he couldn't see her expression change as well. "I really, really missed you, too." She bit her lip to stop herself from getting too emotional. "I can't always make it right, but I promise I'll always try. Just like you'd would for me…"
"Mmm-Hmm…" Dipper mumbled in his relaxed state. He couldn't recall the last time he felt so relieved and comforted.
The music stopped and the class applauded the couple in the spotlight. Dipper and Wendy stepped away while still holding each other's hands.
As Dipper's right hand slid down Wendy's left arm, he noticed something unusual. He glanced down at his friend's wrist to find out what felt off. He had seen it out of the corner of his eye earlier in the evening, but examining it up-close sent him into alarm.
Originally mistaking it as a bracelet, Dipper discovered that a stainless-steel handcuff was locked around Wendy's hand. A series of broken chain links trailed off from the tip, leaving the location of the missing manacle a mystery.
"Oh…" Wendy tugged her arm back and hid it behind her back. She forced a chuckle as she grew nervous, "…that…"
Dipper gazed up with concern, "Wendy, what happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but…" Wendy gave a sheepish look, "It's kind of a funny story..."
"Funny story?"
"It's not my fault, Dip! Seriously! It's actually why I was late getting here." Wendy started to tell her tale, "Like I said before, I just got my license and on the way here, some pig-headed cop pulled me over and said I was speeding. I tried to apologize and tell him I was in a hurry to get to you, but the geezer wouldn't hear it! He said I was giving him an attitude, and wanted to "drag me downtown" to teach me a lesson…"
Dipper was speechless. "Do I want to hear how the story ends?"
"Mmm…probably not…"
She raised her sights, "I know it sounds really bad, Dipper, but like I told that guy, "My boy needed me tonight, and nothing was gonna stop me from getting to him!"
The severely-moved pre-graduate wanted nothing more than to tightly embrace his lumberjack princess for everything she had done for him, but time was of the essence. While the other students would be naïve enough to believe Wendy wore the shackle as some ironic, decorative piece, as soon as an adult spotted her plight, they would start asking questions, leading to her being thrown out of the dance, if not worse!
Dipper scanned the room for an solution. There had to be some way to rescue Wendy – the same way she rescued him moments before. Plying the cuff off was out of the question; it would be impossible to do so without being noticed.
"If only I could find a way to get rid of that thing – even if it was temporary…"
*SNAP!*
Lightning struck Dipper's mind as he snapped his fingers. He spun back towards the wall where he spent the majority of the dance. The key to their salvation lied unattended on one of the empty chairs. He now had to figure out how to get it without alerting the crowd.
"MABEL!"
Dipper waved down his twin sibling and pointed into the distance. She swiftly understood his intentions and sped towards the goal, "On it!"
A second later, the yellow-dressed pixie slithered pass the mainstream and handed her brother his prize. He rotated around to see the now-distraught Wendy and extended his hand towards her.
"What is that - ?" Her eyes grew larger, "Dipper…Dip, it's – "
A thin plastic container sat in his palm. Inside the box, the red and green corsage still waited for someone to claim it as their very own.
Dipper opened the top and carefully held the flower in his left hand. Setting the package on the floor, he gently took Wendy's arm and placed it past the strap of the corsage. He pushed it up until it completely covered the handcuff.
Wendy twisted her wrist to examine her cover. All sense of joking and kidding around faded from her persona.
"It's beautiful…"
"It's yours…" Dipper rocked back on his heels anxiously, "In a way, I always hoped it would be yours…"
"Dude…I don't know what to say…" Much to her dismay, Wendy was starting to get teary-eyed again, "I – it's silly, but I never got one of these things before…ever!"
"It's the least I can do – especially after everything tonight. It's kinda like you said – I'm your boy, so I guess what makes you my girl – and she needed me the same way I needed her…"
Wendy grasped him closer as a new song played through the night air. She reflected on the modest words said for a moment before answering:
"You got that right, Dip. You got that right…"
As they danced, the ginger leaned down and whispered in Dipper's ear, "But seriously though; if we see flashing lights, we have to book! Like pronto!"
Dipper chortled in response, never wishing for more than the feelings of warmth and homecoming that currently blanketed him:
"I promise…"