Purple without Being Blue
A backpack laden girl with purple hair named Maurecia watched from a hilly distance, and in utter heart break, as Wayside, her once beloved school died, crumpling to the ground like a space shuttle's remaining debris. To think this place she once called home had now vanished, its existence as meaningful as the empty space in its stead.
"Goodbye, my love...goodbye..." The purple haired girl muttered to herself, making sure all was left behind.
All that remained were the painful reminiscences of the youth now dying inside of her. No more Myron, no more Dana, no more Ms. Jewls nor Jenny The biker gal, meaning no more "Wheels Extreme". They all no longer existed. In their wake was nothing more but a longing to change.
A longing to run away from the person who killed Todd.
As Maurecia turned around, she let the same thoughts puncture her with guilt. The only reason Wayside went down was due to a contract violation that condemned the building after Todd's abrupt death. However, the building had nothing to do with it, even if he did fall down the stairs. In reality, Maurecia was the real catalyst.
At least her punches were.
She eventually made it to the other side of the bank, only to have an array of woodland infested mountains await her. It took until midnight for her to reach an empty area within the trees without her roller skates or helmet to protect her, where she would have to claim her own sanctuary.
She camped out that night, holding nothing but a sleeping bag to keep her warm. Just as she tried to sleep, a couple of growls began emerging. She opened her eyes to her horror in seeing a pack of wolves surround her, ready to feast on her defenceless self.
Maurecia closed her eyes shut again, hearing nothing but the whimpers of those same animals.
She opened and saw a bulky bearded man wrestling one of the wolves. He let it go with ease, watching as it joined the rest into the trees. The man didn't know fear, he was ruthless. Despite these qualities, Maurecia was even more shocked when he spoke despite his refusal to share eye contact.
"You've got a ton of spirit camping out in these areas, kid" he said. "So you waiting for your parents or did they leave you?"
For once, Maurecia figured honesty was a virtue worth living with if she was going to start all over.
"Actually...I ran off, long story"
"Sounds like it, you can tell me on our way to the Falls"
This was interesting, Maurecia didn't know this impossibly agile muscleman yet he didn't seem like the type to take any strangers. That didn't make him any less macho, she just assumed he might not be as concerned as one might think for someone like her.
A once again former tomboy.
"...Our way?" she asked, watching the Chuck Norris look alike face her, almost menacingly.
"Those were scout wolves we just saw, even if we stay, the rest of the pack's a lot more powerful than them, so it's best you come along"
The Man stretched his hand towards Maurecia, who returned a look of complete surprise. He was a perfect role model already, tough as nails yet never refusing to lend a hand, in this case literally.
"...name's Manly Dan, you going to leave me hanging there, kid?"
Maurecia finished her glare in another second before taking the stranger's hand.
What started out as a temporary aid grew into a friendship, which would lead to the perfect follow-up: Adoption.
Manly Dan took her in as his own, giving her a fresh start, identity, and the works thanks to Toby Determined's skill with photograph manipulation. All in exchange for the daughter's love he never got.
After only a few months, Maurecia let her natural hair colour kick in to match the one restaurant mascot whose name she always envied enough to steal: Wendy.
"Hey Daddy, what's this movie about?" Wendy asked, holding "The Big Lebowski" out for him to see.
"Oh how about that? You let your hair grow red"
"I know, my natural colour suited me more"
"You look just like your...well yeah, your mother, the way she would've"
The old lumberjack snivelled a bit, successfully containing the cries of nostalgic tragedy of a time that changed him forever. Manly Dan promised he would tell his adopted daughter about it when the time was right, which Wendy still wanted to postpone.
"Oh Daddy, I'm sorry" she consoled.
"Eh, I'll save it for Sunday night" he continued "Now what is it that you wanted me to see?"
"Actually it's this movie I wanted to see" she said, holding the John Goodman vehicle out.
"Ah yes, a classic Coen...I don't think you should watch it at your age"
"No?"
"Well only if you want, then it's all yours, you could learn something from it"
"Okay, thanks!"
"Just try not to fall in love with that Dude guy, he's not a very good influence" Manly Dan joked.
But what Manly Dan didn't know was that the movie did exactly that. Jeffrey Lebowski had completely adopted itself into Wendy's new person, along with a trapper hat and combat boots.
Wendy saw her new self in the mirror. She was a completely different person, even the opposite if she was to remember who she originally was well enough.
It was at that instant that a familiar ghost appeared to remind her.
"You really have them fooled, Maurecia" said the orange haired boy from the other side. "But since when are you a ginger?"
"WHO SAID THAT?!" she yelled.
Shocked, Wendy inspected her surroundings rabidly, hoping she was just hearing things. Then she looked into the mirror and saw him again.
"It's me, Todd, remember? Aka, your first crush"
"This...this isn't real; you're supposed to be dead!"
"I know, I didn't believe in ghosts either before you introduced me to Ms. Gorf" he added. "But I can see Gravity Falls is stranger than Wayside, isn't it?"
"NO! Enough with the fun! I mean, the memories! I'm not going back to that life. Wayside, Maurecia and you are all dead! Do you understand? Dead!"
"Then how come "Wendy" is still trying so hard to leave Todd?" he asked, hinting a stern whisper "You can relax, Maurecia, I'll go for now"
The young girl watch as her long dead friend faded, albeit not without his voice giving him a few remaining words of advice.
"But remember, you can try and replace me as many times as you want, and each time you fail, I'll be dropping by"
He vanished, leaving Wendy exasperated of her effort.
Throughout the course of two years, Wendy's boyfriends all came and went. The time she occupied forced her into forgetting the most trivial of details even as he reminded her of it: Todd was roughly 12 when he died.
The closest boy she would ever fall for was someone three quarters her age. She soon realized this when she came to meet Dipper, especially during her secret candidature test she allowed him to pass during the Dusk 2 Dawn episode.
Even as the proof was undeniable that he was the one, she didn't want to risk tarnishing her friendship with him too. She loved him as a little brother, for that moment. It was the safest kind of love she would test out first before truly hoping he wasn't another anti-miracle.
Wendy was 15 before the day she was destined to start dating Robbie when Todd paid an unexpected visit within the Mystery Shack. The twins decided to go off exploring together, into the enigmatic woods, leaving Wendy to chill on her own.
Despite this unforeseen presence, Wendy had finally gotten used to his extemporaneous soul as less of a scary apparition and more of a childhood conscience.
"Maurecia"
The past was only alive when Todd uttered that phrase.
"Either drop the act or the visits, Todd, I'm Wendy now" she said in a laid back course. Her confidence seemed to startle him, even though it wasn't.
There was another reason.
"Don't do anything other than listen to me, that Robbie guy is really bad news, okay? Ignore me all you want, but do me a favour and avoid him at all costs!"
"Why? It's not like he's a zombie or something that bizarre, that's what they all say" she replied, never once directing her attention towards the floating embodiment of her now forgotten crush "And really, that's what makes him all the more attractive than you"
"This isn't about me anymore, Maurecia, I'm trying to stop you from what could be your worst memory yet if you're not careful"
"Worse than you, Todd? Is that even scientifically possible by now?" she had enough of this and decided to cruise towards the lady's room in hopes he would give her some privacy there by default.
"Sigh...if you only knew my real name..." he revealed.
She stopped midway. It was when he finally met his maker that Todd spilled these rotten beans.
"...Huh?" she asked.
Todd noticed Wendy finally stared him down with potential curiosity. He took advantage of this and made sure that his words got to her enough if not sway her.
"I don't want you to make the same mistake I did after moving to Wayside, so just forget about him. You can't impersonate Jeff Bridges forever, Wendy"
For the first time since they met in this new situation, Todd called her by her new name. She felt more real thanks to that, giving her one chance to reconcile something with this ghost.
"Fine, I won't! If I break up with him, I'll lose my cool just that once, but JUST THAT ONCE! I'm sure my new friend Dipper will understand"
Todd's eye contact broke when he closed his own. Wendy felt mortified: she could tell he was prepared to bring the closest to an innocent friend into this ordeal if it meant proving her wrong. Todd never wanted this to happen, but she had to know that this new world of hers was much more appalling than the afterlife.
"...Sigh...you know I cared about you long before I died, Wendy. But you never cared about me enough to control that fist of yours" he admitted, before backing up, ready to let Wendy mind her own.
"I agree, that Dipper kid is a better friend than I ever tried…but that's what my advice is for: once Maurecia gives The Dude a break, no other guy, not even he, will care anymore"
He vanished. Wendy almost felt like gasping at the idea of Dipper doing something just as mean as forcing her strict ego to break up with another guy.
"Dipper would never hurt me, he knows better!" she yelled at the empty space, showcasing that side of her she'd hope wouldn't be too necessary, along with doubt.
"He should"
"Mabel! I've got it!" said Dipper, entering the room where Mabel was playing with a dirty Ouija board.
"Watcha got there, Broski?" she asked lightheartedly.
"That's The Big Lebroski to you, Mabelo, and I finally found a way to land a date with Wendy"
Mabel could not let the awkward moment slide, at least not without a giggle.
"...Lebroski Mabelo? What?"
"Nevermind, bad pun. So I talked with her family and they told me her favourite movie, "The Big Lebowski", has a character she probably really likes called "The Dude" because she seems to act like him a lot. And do you know what The Dude likes doing with his friends more than anything?" he added excitedly.
Mabel, whilst willing to join in her brother's ecstatic state, decided to put her foot down for the moment. She wanted to make sure he knew Wendy was more interested in other boys her age than Dipper, who was better off in his own mysterious world.
"Oh no wait, let me guess! Is it something other than trying to meddle in someone else's affairs?" she asked rhetorically, angering Dipper by a bit.
"I am NOT meddling! It's not like I'm planning to split them apart any time soon" he said, irritated enough to wonder if Mabel was doing anything better "By the way, what's with the Ouija board?"
Mabel exploded into Dipper's face as she grasped the same uncanny panel.
"NO! I'M NOT LETTING RON TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME!"
Dipper quivered at her sister's abrupt state. Mabel stepped back once her panting was done.
"Uh...I mean, just recreating a scene from a horror movie...you were saying?"
Dipper shot her an unevenly annoyed glaze before continuing with fewer details than planned.
"What? Oh yeah, I'm inviting Wendy somewhere special once she breaks up with Robbie" he said, turning around so as to avoid any more unusual outbursts "Later, weird sis"
He exited the room, leaving a quick blush on his sister.
"You mean IF she breaks up with Robbie!" she replied in aggravation.
On the moment of the day Wendy tried to escape the ghastly situation, her mind was full of undirected anger she could only try to let go of as she calmly yet quickly walked off. This was not something worth sharing, especially not with the kid who saved her from what really could've been a nasty memory. He did not need to be a part of this and she knew it.
Unfortunately, Dipper managed to catch up to her.
Oh no! Dipper's about to invite me somewhere. Don't lose your cool, Wendy. He's just a kid, remember? He has to know I'm not okay and it'll be all fine, okay? What does Todd know anyhow?
"Um...HEY! Now that your night is free..."
Just play it, cool. You're Wendy, now. Not that passive aggressive Maurecia who killed Todd. Everything will be fine, so long as you're Wendy. You can still do this; you don't need The Dude or Maurecia.
"…Me and Grunkle Stand were thinking-"
Just say "No, man" or "I'm good, Dip" or flat out "forget it, I'm not in the mood", don't turn around! Don't even look at him! He's not that mature for his age if he's asking me out like this. I bet he isn't! He probably doesn't even know who The Big Lebowski i-
"…maybe…bowling, or something?"
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...Never...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
... again!
That was the final straw: Maurecia forced Wendy out of her element.
Once Wendy phased out of the autopilot of her uncontrolled rage, she ran off, making it to a cliff like area where she sat down, bawling her eyes out. She couldn't believe there wasn't anyone else who loved her that wasn't her own family.
This life was too full of temptation, one where she was but another pretty face to make the opposite gender look beyond her apparent exterior. Guys would never change, no matter how wrapped up she remained in that fairy tale.
Three minutes came and went before the uncomfortable pitch scratched her ears.
"Not even after death does "I told you so" sound nice" Todd said.
Wendy didn't even bother looking up. He wasn't real, she knew it. He just existed to have her endure this regret until she would also be forced to join him. The hallucination of a time that no longer existed. A time when boys and friends were two separate words.
"Didn't you hear me back there?! I don't want to talk to anyone, least of all you!" she wailed between her ankles in that fetal position she hid behind.
"Cut me some slack, Wendy, you're trying to move on because at least you can" Todd said, firmly without sounding as rough as he ever did.
Wendy really couldn't do anything against it. She made the most earnest attempts to break away from her oldest side regardless of how fruitless it was. All she was doing by now was driving herself into a dead end of insanity; of complete isolation from any world that did damage do her recently.
She yielded to the pain.
"Fine! Haunt me all you want if that'll help you reach your stupid purgatory!" she yelled, looking straight into Todd's face to make him see the devastation she had just recently endured. "I hate my life!"
Todd frowned as she kept looking at her with those eyes. They were angry eyes, but not the same eyes of the girl who would punch him for anything.
"Actually...Wendy, I know this is the worst timing..." he began, looking away in fear of his next words "...but I'm here because it's time for me to leave"
Wendy stood up. She thought this would be good news, she really did. In spite of all those hurtful instances that forced her to leave each guy, she didn't think it would be the other way around.
"...But you just said you can't move on!" she yelled, surprising Todd enough to make him redirect his view on her.
"And it wasn't until now that you believed me, was it?" he replied thinking of the right words but failing when he realized it was only best to say what he meant.
"It's not death if you refuse it, Maur, but I never saw you this miserable since the day of my passing."
Wendy saw Todd already growing more transparent by the second. It was finally obvious, Todd was the real one who wouldn't leave Maurecia until she really did wish for a better future.
"I'm ready to let you go"
New tears emerged from her eyes as she saw Todd flicker. Hope for the future meant death to the past, but how could she let go of someone that was dead before?
She should've known, he was part of a generation she no longer needed to belong to, no matter how much she believed it still existed.
"You..." she said, her arm trembling as she tried reaching a hand out towards the ghostly presence. "...You do love me"
Todd was seventy-five percent gone by now, but Wendy could still see the smile that inspired her to return one of her own. His body resembled the moonlight he so clearly floated behind.
"I always loved you, Maurecia...But I guess Maurecia's the one who really died after you took over" he said, giving his oldest living friend an imaginary peck.
"Wendy Corduroy"
Wendy wiped her face. Just that once did she feel a combination of closure and forgiveness wrap her up as Todd slowly became permanently invisible. She would miss that gap within his rarely seen smile the most, representing a side of her that indeed died along with him.
"Oh Todd, I'll never forget you"
"You can, Wendy. You don't have to run away this time; you just have to move on"
"But...how many guys will it take? How long until I find my perfect match and how will I know it's really him?"
"You have your whole life for that, but if I had to guess...he already exists...as a friend..." he added, knowing Wendy might not be impressed by the truth.
"...like I said before, a far better friend than I ever tried"
Wendy scowled a little, remembering how right Todd was the first time about the aforementioned two. But if it meant trusting him one last time, she at least had something to look forward to.
"*Sigh* I'll also try...for you, Todd" she replied, following a shocked expression. "Before you go, you never told me your real name"
Todd took a hesitant pause, knowing Wendy wasn't going to find much benefit in a distant mystery.
"Eddward Johnson, I used to wear a hat too before I moved out of my old neighbourhood after a tragedy involving my friend's older brother changed my life" he said, letting that mystery go once and for all.
"Farewell, Wendy"
Todd was once again part of Wendy's memory, nothing more nor less. A great weight had finally lifted itself away, regardless of the space it left behind.
"Farewell, Todd"
With that said, she rested on a tree trunk, waiting for the sunrise to give her a chance.
A new chance.
A/N: I never got to write the sequel to "The Final Blow" on my former account. Consider this it. :)