Disclaimer: Piedmont Middle School and Piedmont High School are part of the Piedmont Unified School District. For disclaimer on The Guardians of Childhood, Rise of the Guardians, and Gravity Falls, and information on Cover Art, please refer to chapter one.
Testimonials for Chapter Three:
Thank you to koryandrs and JoinTheDarkSide for the reviews! Thank you to Wooster for adding to your Story Alert! I genuinely appreciate everyone's support.
Warning: This chapter contains mentions of blood. Please reconsider reading this chapter if you are sensitive to these types of content.
Chapter Four: Someone Worth Meeting
"Jamie!" his mother called. "Are you up? I heard you awake earlier... Did you get enough sleep?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he stared blankly out the window as he laid sideways on his bed. His knees were bent, but not completely drawn up to his chest. He was still dressed in his hoodie and defiled pajama pants, but his shoes were missing. He couldn't remember taking his sneakers off at all, but he must have, because his feet were bare and his high tops were tossed onto the floor. He never bothered to get back underneath the covers.
She mistaken his silence as slumber, and continued to call through the door. "Jamie, it's time to get up!"
Jamie blinked dazedly, and shifted his eyes towards the voice. He swallowed, trying to get the dryness out of his mouth. It was hard to speak. "But, Mom, I don't feel well!" he croaked. Unused to complaining to his mother that way, his mother undoubtedly became suspicious. Opening the door, she strode over to his crumpled form on the bed and placed a cool hand on his forehead.
"No fever," she analyzed after a few moments of observation. "What is it, honey? Is it your head, stomach?"
"I-I just... don't..." The words got lost in his throat.
"Try to get some rest," his mother advised, running her hand through his soft, chestnut-colored hair. "You had a long day yesterday..." Jamie flinched at her words, but luckily his mother didn't seem to notice. "And I'd like you to feel your best when you start school on Monday." He felt her tug his bedspread over him, up to his shoulders. Then, without looking, he heard her walk back towards the room's entrance. The footsteps stopped for a moment, as she spoke softly over her shoulder, "I'll check up on you later. Let me know if you need anything."
"O-okay..." he responded in a quiet, shaky voice.
It was past noon when Jamie heard the pattering of his little sister's feet across the hallway floor. He finally fell asleep not long after he spoken with his mother, getting at least a good two- or three-hour nap. That, however, didn't account for the hour worth of time he laid in bed awake in between the hours. The sound gradually became louder, stomps nearing his bedroom. Still, Jamie easily tuned out the noise. That was, until an energetic, forty-six pound of annoyance sprang on top of him.
"Soph-i-i-ie!" Jamie whined, shrugging her tiny body off of him. His sister simply giggled, like he was playing a little game with her.
"C'mon, Jamie, get up!" she cheered, crawling back on him.
"Don't touch me!" he snapped, recoiling from his sister's form of a hug.
"Fine!" she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Since Jamie's back was towards her, he couldn't see the bratty gesture, so Sophie made a noise that told him that she had done so. The springs in his mattress told him that she had shifted herself into a standing position on her knees. Sophie probably also had her arms folded over her chest, but Jamie didn't even need to look to know she was doing it. "But Mom said that the pipe guy fixed the water, so you can take a bath now." She leaned over him and sniffed. "You should. You smell really bad!"
"Go away, Sophie!" Jamie yelled tiredly, attempting to throw a spare pillow at her. She giggled at his actions, and promptly slid off the bed and scurried out of his room. He breathed heavily into his pillow, waiting several minutes for his respiration to slow. After a considerable amount of time, Jamie found the strength to push himself off the bed, and wander into the newly-fixed bathroom.
The spoiled pajamas were stripped and disposed to a corner of the room. Jamie turned on the tap, letting the shower head spout a steaming hot waterfall. He curled himself up against the tub, his knees drawn to his chest. His arms wrapped around his legs protectively, and his head rested against the cold, white tiles of the shower wall. Water swirling down the drain was tinted red with blood, his blood. It became too sickening to watch, and Jamie screwed his eyes shut to block it out of his mind.
He was unsure how long he had been sitting on the cold, hard ground outside the convenience store, but he was convinced it had been at least an hour or two. Walking back home took twice as long as it normally would have. Everything now felt like an eternity.
When the water ran clear, Jamie turned the tap off and forced himself out of the tub. After toweling himself off, the thirteen-year-old pulled a clean, dry shirt over his head, then stepped into a fresh pair of pajama pants.
He glanced at himself in the mirror, noticing the bruising indent left on the center of his neck. It would be difficult to cover up that abrasion, but maybe it only felt obvious. Maybe it didn't look more noticeable than it actually was. Maybe he could get away with no one noticing if he acted like it was no big deal.
Jamie picked up the discarded pajama pants and underwear and stuffed them in the sink filled with soapy, warm water. He examined the splotches of blood on the fabric for a minute, then started scrubbing furiously at the stains. Hopefully he could get it all soaked out before his mother did the laundry tomorrow, and no concerning questions would be asked.
Jamie walked back into his room, and his focus instantly went to his cell phone left abandon on his night stand. He glared at it, thinking of his mother's words from the previous afternoon. Do you have your phone with you?
And his stupid, foolish answer to her. Always.
Always? Yeah, right. Not that he would be able to use it even if he did have it. It would have been stolen too if he had brought it with him last night. Would a midnight call really have saved him from his attack? Probably not.
Jamie threw himself on his bed, curled up on his side, and buried his face in his hands. He was in denial of everything. What happened to him? Why? Why him? Why did he leave the house? Why did he disobey his mother? Was his transgression worth the price? What happened to him? What happened to him? With so many questions and no answers, Jamie silently cried himself to sleep.
When Jamie woke up, it took him several minutes to take in his surroundings. In his foggy mind, he expected it to be dark when he woke up, but it was still bright and sunny outside. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was almost four o'clock in the afternoon.
Sensing something, Jamie rolled slightly on his back to look over his shoulder. His mother was peering in the room to check on him. Using his arms for support, Jamie sat up in bed, huddled against all of his pillows propped up on the headboard. Meanwhile, his mother stepped through the entrance, and sat next to him on the edge of the mattress.
Jamie listened to the silence of his room, and of the house. Something was different. He waited, observing calming atmosphere, as if he was anticipating some sort of disturbance. "Where's Sophie?" She hadn't bugged him for hours.
"I told her to leave you alone, especially since you weren't feeling well," his mother explained. No wonder it was strangely quiet.
Jamie gave his mother a look of utter disbelief. "And she actually listened?"
"I let her watch a movie," she confessed, giving him a subtle, yet sly smile. "I doubt she'll be coming in here anytime soon."
So that was the catch. He managed to get some sleep because his little sister was bribed with television. Jamie fell silent again. His attention strayed to other thoughts, staring off into this distance of his room. He could feel his mother's affectionate gaze on him.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, running a hand through his hair.
Jamie kept his focus on the nothing particular. He hadn't thought about food all day, and wondered why he didn't feel hungry at all if he never eaten once for that entire Saturday. To answer his mother's question, he shook his head.
"I'll fix a plate for you in case you change your mind," she informed. He silently thanked his mother, but doubted he would. "It will be in the kitchen for you."
The food stayed on the counter overnight, getting icy cold from the cool, summer night. Sunday had been no different from the previous day, except Jamie spent most of it on the floor, leaning against the footboard, rather than lying in the bed. He saw no point in changing out of the clean pajamas he put on yesterday afternoon.
Abbey came in later and curled herself beside him, sleeping soundlessly on his rug. He pet her in a slow, rhythmic pattern. His mind was shut off from everything around him, except perhaps for the greyhound next to him. Words from his past echoed in his head.
All this fuss over one little boy. And still he refuses to stop believing. Very well. There are other ways to snuff out a light.
Legendary childhood heroes surrounding him, concerned about being unable to protect the young boy. The lights in the alleyway were shattered by a shadowy hand to accompany the voice's metaphor. It was the uncertainty that terrified him. What did he want with him? Him, an ordinary human child. Just because he was, what the Guardians called, the last light? Was he that important?
Infinite questions raced through his head. As a boy at the age of ten, he could only imagine what this dark force meant. Him dying was something he never had to think through at such a young age, and the thought of it happening to him at any given moment was overwhelming. He backed away from the shadows as it spead towards his bare feet.
Jack... I'm scared. That was the first time he whispered those words.
Abbey twitched in her sleep, and Jamie snapped out of his memories.
Maybe Pitch was right. Maybe he had unknowingly summoned him. The new moon would appear tomorrow, the height of Pitch's monthly reign. That had made it easy for him to manifest himself to Jamie's distress during the previous witching hour. Pitch was no longer a threat to him. He was just trying to get a rise out of the boy. That's all he ever wanted. It was like his day job, or rather, night job.
He had to keep this a secret. No one could ever know. He'll have to pretend it never happened and move on.
There was a knock on the door. Abbey woke up and ran out of the room once his mother opened the entrance.
"Jamie?" his mother said softly, as not to startle him. "You've got everything ready for tomorrow?"
"A-almost..." he answered feebly, glancing at his mostly-packed school bag underneath his desk. His mother had walked over to the foot of the bed and kneeled beside him.
"How are you feeling?" He shrugged. "Well enough to go to school?" Reluctantly, he nodded. His mother leaned over and kissed his forehead. "It's going to be okay..."
Monday arrived whether he was ready for it or not. His backpack was finally packed. Jamie looked in the mirror. The bruise on his neck served as a temporary reminder of the hideous attack. It would soon fade away, but the memory would always be burned in his brain.
Don't yeh go say nothin' to nobody...
"Don't worry," he muttered to his reflection. "I won't."
Slipping on a hunter green polo shirt over his head, Jamie experimented with the collar. Turning it up did nothing to cover his neck; it only made him look like one of those dumb pop singers in those stupid boy bands. Starting eighth grade was bad enough, but to do it at a brand new school without any of his friends? No, he'd rather not get beat up today. Or any day, for that matter. He folded the collar over in its proper position.
Jamie walked back to his room, and glanced at the time on his open laptop. He had about twenty minutes before his mom took him to school. She told him yesterday that she got the house's Wi-Fi running properly. Maybe he could take the chance to finally hear back from his friends... He sat down at his desk to compose an e-mail.
To: Cupcake, From: Jamie Bennett
Hey Cupcake,
Looks like we got internet service again. School starts today. I miss you.
Jamie's fingers hovered over the keyboard, reading the last three words of his message. Then... Delete, delete, delete. He tried typing again.
Hey Cupcake,
Internet is working. School starts today. Did you get the letter I sent you? I miss you.
He stopped typing. Delete, delete, delete.
Hey Cupcake,
I hope you got my letter. Knew I should've sent it earlier. I miss you.
Delete, delete, delete.
"Jamie, let's go-o-o! It's time for school!" Sophie called from the front door.
Jamie's typing halted for the final time, only now noticing the time. Already, he used up his twenty minutes. He sighed and clicked on the draft button. He'll have to finish his message to Cupcake later. He really wanted to hear from her.
Draft Saved: Aug 25, 2014
Jamie quickly shrugged on his jean jacket and swung his backpack over his shoulder, and hurried to the front of the house. He slammed the car door shut as his mother started the engine. The ride was silent for the first half minute, until they reached the end of the street.
"I won't be able to pick you up after school," his mother explained. "Will you be okay walking back home?"
He swallowed. He didn't want to be outside alone, even if it was still daylight out. "What-what about Sophie?" he asked, diverting his mother's question.
"Today I've got some paperwork to fill out for Sophie, so she will be coming with me to the hospital after she gets out," she clarified.
"More paperwork?" he blurted out. "Didn't they make you fill enough out on Friday?" His eyebrows furrowed, feeling cross with the whole situation. After all that had happened that weekend, it felt completely worthless.
"Apparently not, but we're talking about Sophie right now," she said without taking her eyes off the road, retaining a calm, impassive composure. It was a clear contrast to Jamie's reaction. "I might need to enroll her in the after school care program."
"How come they didn't ask for any paperwork on me?" he questioned. He wasn't sure why this bothered him so much. His mother went through all that paperwork, and it still wasn't done.
"They did," she affirmed. "I just need to figure out when I can bring you in to do that."
Jamie didn't say anything else for the rest of the ride. He slumped in his seat a bit. School was only a five-minute drive, anyway. His mother pulled up to the curb, and Jamie promptly got out of the car.
"Have a good first day of school, sweetie," his mother encouraged.
"I'll try..." he mumbled, loud enough for only himself to hear.
"Make good choices!" Sophie sang from the back of the car, straining against her booster seat to stick her head out of the open window. "Be safe!"
Be safe... yeah, right. Because that worked out so well for him before. He felt bitter. All of that trouble, and what was it worth? Nothing. It angered him. He should've known better. Jamie turned towards the pathway leading to the school's entrance before he could see his mother's car drive away.
His expectancy of school was one for the worst, fearing he wouldn't be able to function after the weekend's incident. It surprisingly had been normal and ordinary, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Jamie was fortunate to have an average middle school experience by evading the difficulties of intermediate education, such as bullying. But without his friends, school was a dull existence full of juvenile individuals, and Jamie blended in the vanilla sea of students.
Weren't everyone in California suppose to be stereotypically cool? It was like any other boring place to live. Well, at least the schools were. Maybe things got exciting once he ventured into the city. Until then, he was stuck here in middle school.
Math was his first class of the day, which didn't bother him too much. He was good at math. He finished all the problems written on the board, plus the textbook questions for his homework in about the first twenty minutes of class. His teacher didn't seem to care about what he did for the rest of the period, and left him to do whatever he wanted, so Jamie pulled out his sketchbook and started drawing.
The following class he had was his foreign language class. The school offered three languages, including Spanish and Mandarin, though he selected French since he started studying it in seventh grade. On the plus side, this friendly French teacher seemed that she would most likely not cause him the agonizing stress his other French teacher put on him last year.
Looking over the course guide he was given in his orientation packet, Jamie noticed that American Sign Language was offered during the summer, which he found use in learning so he could more efficiently speak to Sandy. If only he was staying in the area for the summer, then he would sign up for the course... he was really counting on visiting his friends in Burgess for the summer.
In his third-period english class, his teacher put on a movie for the class to watch. Talk about being lazy. His teacher didn't even seem to like the subject very much at all. Then why be an english teacher? Jamie sarcastically asked himself. It was during this period, while he was actually paying attention to the movie, that Jamie got a sharp jab in his shoulder. He flinched at the form of contact. Personal space, much? Still, Jamie turned over his shoulder to see what the person wanted.
"Psst! Hey," his classmate whispered. "Do you have any gum?"
"It's against school rules to chew gum in class," Jamie reminded, a little annoyed.
"I know, but..." he persisted, a look of desperation in his blood-shot eyes. "Do you have any?"
Jamie sighed, digging through the front pocket of his jeans. "You didn't get it from me," he muttered, handing a stick over his shoulder.
"Got it!" his classmate whispered. "Thanks, man!"
Jamie said nothing, only burying his face in his hand in exasperation. He tuned out the rest of his juvenile classmates throwing paper balls at each other, and focused on the movie on the TV monitor. The school day was only a quarter over, and he already hated it. Two more periods, then he would at least have a break from these delinquents.
Next was his social studies class, which was neither good nor bad, except his teacher seemed rather strict. He didn't dare bring his sketchbook out. The teacher would most likely confiscate it on sight, and Jamie would never see it again for the rest of the school year, if ever again.
Physical education was the class right before lunch, which seemed to be a saving grace to have extra time to change and pack up afterwards. Though being the first day of the new school year, none of the students had to change out of their street clothes. Instead they sat on the bleachers, discussing the importance of gym safety rules.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Jamie was so grateful to get out of that stuffy gym. He nearly got lost trying to find the cafeteria. The cafeteria served pizza, one of his favorite meals until a few weeks ago, having to eat so much of it during their move. However, at this point, he was starving enough to eat mostly anything.
With his lunch served neatly on the tray he carried, the eighth grader scoped for a decent, semi-secluded place to eat his lunch. Jamie saw a good spot to sit down when suddenly, and without warning, someone collided right into Jamie, causing his tray to crash right into his front. Jamie cringed at the feel and sight of his lunch spilling all over himself. A stream of milk trickled to the ground, splattering against the toe of his high tops. He barely paid attention to the other teenager freaking out beside him.
"Sorry!" the girl blurted out. She apologetically looked at the mess she caused, mimicking the motion of biting her own nails. "Oh, it's all over your polo..."
"It's okay," Jamie said neutrally, wiping the pizza sauce from his shirt with an extra napkin.
"No hard feelings, right?" she asked, eyeing him precariously.
"Of course not!" Jamie convinced, faking a smile. It wasn't like she meant to crash into him, and she was at least sorry about it.
She gave a sympathetic smile. "That polo kind of made you look like a dork, anyway," she commented before walking away. He stared after her, raising an eyebrow at the scene that just played out. Well, that was... straightforward. Were all the students at this school so blunt about what they wanted or what they thought?
Jamie hurried to the bathroom to shed the ruined article of clothing, leaving him in his plain tee shirt he wore underneath as an undershirt. Luckily, the sauce hadn't seeped through to the white tee shirt. He stuck the polo shirt underneath the running tap, washing the sauce off the fabric until it ran clear. Did the shirt he wore really make him look like a dork?
The warning bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. He hurried to his second-to-last class of the day, which was the mandatory art class. He spent the majority of his classes sketching in his notebook. Each page started with the same phrase: I believe, I believe, I believe. He lived by the incantation more than ever now. It was the only reliance he had in his life anymore.
His last class was science. It was his favorite subject ever since he was young. He was even looking forward to it on the drive to California, but now he was in a rush to get home. He wanted out of this school. He didn't like to be out on his own. Not after what happened. It was his fault. The day couldn't possibly get worse, but Jamie wasn't holding his breath. Jamie foreboded what came at the end of the hour.
"Good afternoon, class," the science teacher greeted. "I'm Mr. Ramsey. If this is your first year at this school, welcome. If you're returning here from last year, welcome back."
"Over here is Dipper Pines," Mr. Ramsey said of the boy sitting behind a table to the side of where the teacher would be lecturing. He had soft brown curls hidden underneath a blue and white trucker hat. The symbol on the hat was ironically a pine tree, painted blue to match the rest of the hat. The boy, Dipper, gave a friendly wave to the entire class. Jamie stared at him closely, eyes narrowed in thought. He seemed vaguely familiar... Probably reminded him of one of his classmates back home, but he couldn't quite think of who.
"He was a student in my class last year," the teacher explained. "And now, he'll be coming over from the high school to aid in our classroom this year." After some thought, Jamie concluded that the older boy didn't look like anyone he knew before. Then what was it? He couldn't figure it out.
The aide continued to survey the room, drumming his fingers on the table top. The aide's vision landed on Jamie, face serious as he looked at him curiously before breaking out a bigger smile than he had a few minutes ago. He offered another friendly wave, specifically for Jamie. It was probably rude of him not to have waved back, or even given him a smile, but he was so caught off-guard that he wasn't sure how to react.
Mr. Ramsey started speaking again, "As a warm-up exercise to both the course curriculum and getting to know our classmates, I'd like everyone to pair up with the person next to you." Jamie glanced to the empty stool to his left, noticing that he was sitting alone at the table. Mr. Ramsey took notice of the number of students. "Looks like we've got an odd-number of students here today," the teacher observed. "Dipper? Would you mind pairing yourself with someone?"
The aide nodded to the teacher, getting off of the stool he was sitting on. Walking around the counter, he surveyed the room. "Partner, partner, partner..." he said aloud to himself, pointing to the students who have already paired themselves off. His eyes landed on Jamie. "You need a partner?"
Jamie nodded, and shifted his stool in to allow more room for the aide to slide in and sit in the empty seat next to him.
"We will be doing a little experiment. I'll explain the rest in a moment," the teacher instructed. "Meanwhile, go ahead and get to know your peers."
The aide smiled at him. It was a tired yet friendly expression. "So... what's your name?"
"Jamie Bennett," he answered, trying to tide his nervousness. With the upturn inflection of his voice, his response almost sounded like a question. Hopefully he wouldn't be made fun of him for that. Jamie would have started blushing over his stupid anxiety, if it weren't for the soft smile he was given by the other boy.
"Dipper Pines," he introduced himself, in case Jamie had forgotten his name already. The sunlight streaming through the small window hit his red tee shirt, causing the wall near them to glow crimson.
Jamie saw Dipper's eyes flicker over his wounded neck, and his friendly expression changed to one of concern. His eyebrows furrowed, and his cheeks puffed out modestly. He stared hard at Jamie for a minute, as if debating with himself whether or not he should say something to the eighth grader. Dipper must have thought that he did that to himself.
Jamie turned away in embarrassment, flipping the collar of his jean jacket up in attempt to shield his injury. He really wished it was winter, cold enough to wear a scarf. It would've been much easier to conceal the mark. Luckily for his sake, the high school freshman never commented on it.
"May I have your attention?" the teacher announced. It took a few minutes to get the entire group to calm down. "Class, please?"
The students finally settled down, ready to listen for further instructions. "You will be working with your partner..." Every group was handed a half-sheet with a bunch of equations printed in black ink. "... on these basic formulas. We will be using these all year long, so if you know how to solve these, then you can easily pass this class. Be sure to write your individual names on this sheet of paper, or you won't get class credit for the day."
The sound of furious pencils scribbling on paper echoed in the classroom. Jamie blindly reached for the piece of paper, but when he pulled it close to him, he already saw in the corner, "Jamie Bennett & Dipper Pines". Jamie looked up at the ninth grader, a little perplexed. A sheepish smile was given to him, and Dipper asked, "Did I spell it right?" Jamie nodded.
"You'll have about ten minutes to work on the assignment," Mr. Ramsey announced, turning the dial on the timer that was left on the corner.
Jamie glanced nervously at the clock, almost missing Dipper's side glance at him. He must have mistaken his uneasiness for the assignment, because he offered him a soft, encouraging smile.
"Hey, don't worry about it," the former student reassured. "I took this class last year, remember?"
Jamie answered silently with an anxious smile, trying to ignore the heavy feeling at the pit of his stomach.
"Here," Dipper started, handing him the half-sheet of equations. "Do you know how to solve these?" Jamie took the piece of paper and read over the text. The first question was basically looking for density. Density equals mass over volume. This was easy. He knew this stuff.
"Well, we know that the mass is one-hundred twenty grams, and volume is forty centimeters cubed..." The equation was written down in his notebook. "And so you would..." Jamie's voice trailed as he wrote out the solution on the notebook page.
Dipper glanced over the formula, double-checking all the variables. "Right," he said finally. Dipper seemed astonished that the younger teen solved the problem pretty quickly. Most of the other pairs were arguing how to start the problem. He looked up at Jamie, and smiled. Nudging Jamie's arm with his elbow, Dipper said, "See? You've got this!"
After the timer went off, Mr. Ramsey called time and instructed the class to collect all of the assignment papers to the front of the room. For the remainder of the period, Mr. Ramsey passed out the course syllabus and explained what his expectations were for his students. Towards the end of the hour, he allowed them five extra minutes to pack up.
Dipper stood up, but didn't move away from the table. It was as if he was waiting for Jamie. The thirteen-year-old ignored the high schooler at first, pretending to mind his own business with packing his own belongings, but then he couldn't help himself from engaging with him somehow. He was just standing there.
"Headed home?" Jamie conversed politely.
"Yeah, but I've gotta meet up with my sister first," Dipper explained as he tugged on his cobalt hooded jacket. Scrunching the sleeves up to his elbows, he asked, "You wanna come?"
Jamie hesitated. He didn't expect the offer. Why would he bother? Dipper was in high school, and he was stuck in middle school. Jamie was about to decline the older boy's extension, but he didn't want to walk home alone. He nodded in response to Dipper's invitation.
"Great!" Dipper acclaimed with an encouraging smile. He tugged on his hoodie a few times, adjusting the fit until he was satisfied. Then he dropped the material, letting the front hang open. "The high school is just a two-minute walk down the street."
Dipper led the way to the front of the school, right by the curb where Jamie's mother dropped him off that morning. Jamie looked up and down the street, looking a bit lost. He felt afraid to be alone. It made his stomach clench with fear. The thought of being alone left him feeling vulnerable, the tingling sensation of being watched crept up the back of his neck, like someone was coming to get him. He could still feel the strain of his arm being twisted behind his back.
"Jamie?" he heard his name called from a few feet away. He snapped his head towards Dipper, who twisted the upper half of his body around to check on him. Dipper had already started walking down the street, Jamie realized. "High school's this way."
"Sorry, I don't really know my way around yet," he half-lied. Sure, he didn't know his way around the city yet, but he did catch a glimpse of the high school that morning. Both schools were practically next to each other, how could anyone not notice it? Jamie groaned internally at his own terrible explanation. That was the best he could come up with? Though fortunately, to save him from his embarrassment, his feeble excuse seem to work, based on what Dipper inquisitively asked him next.
Dipper waited for Jamie to stand beside him before he resumed walking. His hands were casually tucked into the pockets of his jacket. Then he asked, "So, you're new here?"
Jamie nodded. "I just moved here about a month ago," he explained.
"Really?" the older boy asked, adjusting the cap on his head. "Where from?"
"Burgess," Jamie answered. Dipper gave him an odd look before he added, "It's an old college town in Pennsylvania. It's been there forever."
"Haven't heard of it," Dipper admitted.
"It's okay," the thirteen-year-old reassured. "A lot of people out of state doesn't know where it is. Who would?"
Dipper looked at him curiously and almost suspiciously. He put a forefinger on his chin in thought. "Nah... I've seen you before, haven't I?"
"I don't think so..." Jamie rejected.
Dipper continued to stare at Jamie inquisitively, but eventually let the subject drop. Jamie got the strange sense of safety with the other boy.
Dipper wasn't lying when he said that the high school was only a two-minute walk from where they had started. Now they were walking along a long hallway lined with lockers. A good handful of students streamed through the passage, hurrying to their destination. Others were grouped together, standing to the side as they conversed. The two boys made it to a clearing, and Jamie saw that they were walking towards a girl about their age. She waved eagerly to Dipper.
"Dipper! Where've you been?" the exuberant young teenager called, with her long brunette tresses swaying across her shoulders each time she bounced in delight. "This has got to be the best first day of high school ever!"
"Whoa! Somebody got into the Smile Dip again," Dipper sarcastically commented on the other high schooler's enthusiasm.
"You wish!" the girl countered, along with a wink and tongue sticking out, though she was still amused by her brother's antics. Her eyes, as brown as Dipper's, turned onto Jamie. Her large smile grew even wider, showing off a set of stunning teeth. Even the tooth fairy would go crazy for those perfectly straight pearly whites. "Hey, who's your friend?"
"Mabel, this is Jamie," Dipper introduced, hand gesturing between the two teenagers as he spoke each name. "Jamie? My sister, Mabel."
The girl was exceptionally... colorful. There was no better term to describe her. Her clothing and accessories seemed to match her vibrant personality quite perfectly. The violet sweater she wore looked handmade, with the neckline swooping down in a large v-shape and meet at the very end of her shoulders. She wore a heather grey tank top underneath her sweater, and her navy skirt reached down to her mid-thighs. The satin ribbon matching the color of her sweater was tied around her head like a headband, and the studded earrings she had on were shaped like chubby unicorns. Jamie could only imagine how she and Cupcake would interact with each other.
Mabel blew her nose into a handkerchief. Sniffling, she withdrew the cloth away from her face with the delicate flick of her wrist. Keeping her tone cheerful, she apologized, "Sorry, just getting over a little cold."
A cold... Jamie thought. Somehow her little illness struck a chord with him, though he couldn't think of a reason why it was a significant fact.
"Yeah, little," Dipper said sarcastically while rolling his eyes. "So little that you woke up crying in the middle of the night, begging me to take care of you."
Mabel reached over and pinched his cheek. "And that's what makes you the bestest brother in the whole world!"
"Hey, cut it out, Mabel," Dipper chuckled, cheeks flushing slightly pink from embarrassment. He swatted her hand away, but his soft smile persisted.
While the siblings continued on with their antics (with Dipper mentioning to the girl, "You know, 'bestest' isn't even a word..."), Jamie heard something echo in his head, Sister sick again? He didn't really get to think it over for very much longer, when his name being mentioned snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Jamie is in Mr. Ramsey's science class," Dipper provided.
"That's great!" Mabel cheered. "Isn't Mr. Ramsey the best?"
"You know when Dipper mentioned you earlier, I didn't realize you were his twin," Jamie divulged.
"I know!" Mabel exclaimed excitedly. Her eyes spaced apart as she increasingly became silly. "We're kind of a special breed! Bet you've never met a set of twins before, have you, Jamie?"
"Actually, a couple of my friends from my hometown are twins," the younger teenager revealed.
"Ooh... You think it might our doppelgängers, Dipper?" Mabel suggested, eyes brightening over the possibility.
"Definitely not," Dipper stated firmly. Jamie laughed.
"Dipper, I'm hu-u-u-ngry," Mabel humorously whined, lifting her sweater as if she were holding her stomach. "Let's go get some pancakes!"
Dipper let out a funny-sounding sigh. "Yeah, okay."
"No, wait! I want corn on the cob! Or caramel apples!" Mabel cheered excitedly.
"Mabel, you've had your braces off for, like, six months now. Don't you think the novelty has worn off by now?"
"Uh, uh!" Mabel said, not once losing her enthusiasm. Choosing to ignore his sister's antics, the male twin turned his head to the youngest group member.
"So, Jamie..." Dipper asked. "You doing anything right now?"
His smile wavered. "Just going home."
"Why don't you hang out with us?" Mabel suggested cheerfully.
"Really?" Jamie's spirit perked up a little.
"Why not? We could show you around!" Mabel suggested. Jamie's mood was struck down.
"I should be getting home," Jamie insisted.
"Then..." Dipper put on a smile. "We could walk you, if you want." he offered.
"Really? You'd do that?" That feel of safety surfaced within Jamie again, and in fear of losing the comforting sensation, he graciously he accepted their offer.
"Sure!" Mabel piped. "Where do you live?"
"Mountain Avenue," he answered.
"Easy peasy," Mabel declared. "Just a ten minute walk this way!" She pointed down the street, to the direction they would be walking in. Then the girl began to lead the way with a bounce in her step. Dipper was the next to step forward, nudging Jamie along. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled at the younger boy.
Mabel chatted along the whole way about how her "best first day of high school" went, and how she had to repeat the whole story to Candy and Grenda over video chat later in the week. Hearing the older girl talk about her friends made Jamie think of his own, wondering if they were doing all right. He thought about his unfinished e-mail to Cupcake. His homework was light, so he'd be able to send it tonight.
Jamie was so into Mabel's conversation that he didn't notice when they were right out front of his house.
"Are you sure you don't want to grab a bite with us?" Dipper offered.
"C'mon, it's pa-a-a-ncakes!" Mabel encouraged, lifting her "bulging" stomach again.
"Thought you wanted corn on the cob," Dipper muttered to her.
Mabel shrugged her shoulders. "I really got a craving for pancakes," she justified.
"I'm sure," Jamie insisted. "Thanks, though. And thanks again for walking me home."
"Uh, yeah, sure," Dipper called after him, sounding slightly discouraged. Mabel playfully jabbed him in the ribs, which distracted him from showing his dejection. "I'll... see you tomorrow..."
"Nice meeting you!" Mabel sang, waving her hand frantically at Jamie.
Jamie couldn't help but let a small smile show through before he disappeared behind the front door. Today hadn't turned out as horrible as he originally thought.
End of Chapter Four
Author's Note: Happy New Year! I'm making 2014 the year of Pinennett! I'm hosting on my Tumblr (jakenickleby) a whole month-worth of headcannons for the entire month of January. Every day there will be a new post about Jamie, Dipper, or any of the other characters from Gravity Falls and Rise of the Guardians. Be sure to check my blog or the Pinennett tag daily for updates on this crossover ship. Let's blow up the Pinennett fandom!
2 January 2014
