Obviously not the longest chapter, but I definitely wanted to get part of it out before the finale (WHOOT!)
It was chilly out that night, but neither the boys nor the girls were cold. The boys were in the R.V camp's hot tub, and the girls were sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows. Which was a completely new experience for Pacifica. As soon as Mabel had handed her a stick with a marshmallow already on, Pacifica had plucked the marshmallow off and ate it.
"That's not how you roast marshmallows, you silly goose!" Mabel said.
"You roast them?" Pacifica asked.
"Why do you think we stick them in the fire?"
Pacifica had taken that quite literally, as she had extended her stick so that the marshmallow was directly in the center of the fire, burning it within seconds.
"This is gonna take a while," Mabel said.
Soos had been listening to the back and forth conversation between Stan and Dipper in the hot tub.
"Grunkle Stan, I gotta say, this was one of the best days ever! Look!" Dipper exclaimed, showing him the numbers written on his arm.
"That's the Stan Pines method, kid," Grunkle Stan said, "Works every time."
"I'm just a little worried, though. I mean, is it bad to flirt with this many girls at once? I'm just trying to get over Wendy. I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings."
"Please, that's the best part of road tripping!" Stan exclaimed, "You're not gonna see any of these gals again!"
As Dipper and Stan toasted to moving on, Soos looked back and forth between them, wondering how to change the subject in the direction that would guide Dipper towards Pacifica. He said the first thing that came to his mind.
"So how about that Pacifica?" asked Soos.
Both turned to him with confused expressions.
"Soos, you been drinkin' something in the water?" asked Stan.
"It's complicated," replied Soos, "But sooooooo what about Pacifica?"
"Um...what about her, Soos?" asked Dipper.
"Well, just that you two seem to be getting along pretty well, and since you're hitting it up with the girls lately..."
"Wha...no, no," Dipper blushed, "We're just friends! I don't see her like that!"
"Friends is too generous," Stan remarked, "No Pines should ever have to stoop as low as a Northwest."
"That's a little harsh," Dipper said, "She's really not that bad. But we're still not an item or anything."
Soos mentally groaned to himself.
This is gonna be harder than I thought.
"Truth or dare or don't!"
"I choose...don't," Candy answered, receiving annoyed groans from Mabel and Grenda.
"You always choose don't!" Grenda whined.
Pacifica hadn't entirely grasped the smores thing, but at least she was able to roast her own marshmallows. She had been chewing on two of them as Candy conceded into answering with 'truth'.
"Do you...like someone?" Mabel asked.
Pacifica knew Mabel would always have that boy crush subject ready for any game. She ignored it and roasted another marshmallow...until Candy gave an unexpected answer.
"It starts with a 'D'...and ends in an 'ipper'."'
Pacifica broke her stick when she heard that. She looked up at Candy blushing as both Mabel and herself, for different reasons, looked at her in surprise.
"No!" they both exclaimed.
"Yes!" Candy replied.
Pacifica had to plug her ears when Mabel and Grenda squealed like schoolgirls. She also could have sworn she heard Stan shouting at 'those frigging coyotes'.
"Candy! Candy! All my life dreams are coming true right now! My brother! My best friend!"
"I can't breathe! I'm so excited I can't breathe!"
"I never really noticed him before," Candy said, "but he seems different lately. Less sweaty and more charming. But how do I approach him?"
Pacifica desperately wanted to interject and discourage her. She didn't know why, but she wanted to. But that would put her back at odds with Mabel, who was clearly aboard the Candip bandwagon, and it would probably increase the subtle hostility she knew was coming from Candy and Grenda. She just sat as Mabel encouraged her friend.
"Don't even worry about that, Can-Can, Mabel's got a plan," Mabel said, before stuffing marshmallows into her mouth and repeating, "Mabel's got a plan."
Pacifica's fist clenched, breaking yet another marshmallow stick. Here she thought she had finally pushed past her differences with Mabel. But she just got so irked by Mabel's excessive eagerness to pair Dipper up with Candy. She must not have hidden it on her face very well because Mabel soon turned her head and looked at her inquisitively.
"What's eating you, Paz?" asked Mabel, "Too many smores?"
"No Mabel," Pacifica replied bitterly, "I'm just...never mind, I'm going back to the R.V."
"Aw, c'mon! Don't be like that!" Mabel pouted.
"Mabel, I'm TIRED," Pacifica stressed, "And I'm STILL not feeling good from that Upside-Down town."
Not entirely true. She was able to stomach a strawberry milkshake with Dipper.
"So thanks, but no thanks," she said, "Good NIGHT."
She stressed the last word as she stormed off back to the R.V.
"Why she ackin' so cray-cray?" asked Mabel.
"Forget her, Mabel," Grenda said, "We've had fun before her, we can have fun without her!"
"Yeah," Candy said, "Besides, you haven't told us your plan yet."
Mabel shared her plan with Candy and Grenda, while still worried about Pacifica in the back of her mind.
She wasn't the only one. Soos had been laughing with Dipper and Stan about everything from toilet humor to poorly-done imitations. And while Dipper and Stan had continued their laughter, Soos noticed Pacifica pouting to herself as she walked back to the R.V. Until she glanced over at Dipper. Then she just looked sad, as if she were about to lose him. Soos, for all his childlike qualities, had a sneaky suspicion that she might.
Soos twisted his cap to the side of his head (why he was wearing it in the hot tub, no one will ever know) and further his resolve. It was time to make his move.
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