Chapter 3

Dipper froze at Wendy's glare. In just one moment, all of his insecurities, shames, and regrets unleashed themselves inside, tearing at his soul. He crumpled under humiliation, and lost the will to speak, as all confidence and joy inverted and destroyed itself. He looked away in dejection, but only saw the red of his fingernails, becoming even more aware of what had gone so wrong. The regret ripped at his skin, as he asked himself just what on Earth he had done. He blamed only himself for this fiasco, and this unleashed a torrent of self-loathing, which crept into every crevice of his body.

"D-Dipper?" asked Wendy with blank confusion.

He had no response, but to hear Wendy's reaction to his state was so devastating, he couldn't even try. The waterworks began, as he began to shake under his anxiety and self-hatred. Mabel attempted to put her hand over his shoulder to calm him down, as she had done before, but Dipper flung it off venomously. He lifted himself up, and ran past Wendy, out the door. He hadn't the strength to look at her as he left, covering his eyes so no one could see the tears, though the sobbing could still be heard. Racing down the stairs, and nearly tripping over in his rush, he finally reached the Break Room. He grabbed his headband and threw it hard against the door, leaving a noticeable dent. Dipper flung the door open, and shut it again with the same overwhelming force. He sat down in the cramped space, and began to weep uncontrollably in disgrace.

He didn't blame Mabel for getting him in this situation; he blamed himself for liking what he did. He did like the makeover, he did like karaoke, he did like Spin the Bottle, and Wendy saw it and was disgusted by it. It wasn't that Wendy saw him doing something embarrassing that he didn't like, she saw him doing something embarrassing he did like; now she'd think the less of him because of it. The thing that hurt the most was that he knew this wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last time. He was always so weird, and he never got anything but pain because of it. The flashbacks gashed their way into his mind:

"Oh my Gosh! You actually believe in Bigfoot? What are you, three?"

"Probably one!"

"If he's wasting his money buying those stupid books, he's probably still zero!"

"I bet he believes in the Loch Ness Monster too…no! You do?! You're even stupider than I thought!"

"Wow! Great to know that someone can do Maths so well! So what are you going to do? Use an equation to make you not totally suck? Or get a girlfriend? That isn't in Canada?"

"Hey! He reads a lot of books guys! I guess that makes him the President of the school or something!"

"Well, if he was so smart, why does he dress like he pulled his clothes out of a toilet?"

"Look at that stupid birthmark! Do you have any idea how ugly it makes you? Now I'm not saying that you aren't ugly without it, because you are, but dang, were you born this much of a loser, or did you have to work on it?"

"Dang! Has any one kid been as pathetic as Dipstick has his whole life? I swear, you'll win awards! It's the only thing you'll ever amount to. Every single thing about you is ugly."

Fifteen minutes had gone by since he fled. His sobs had made his presence obvious to everyone in the Shack, though only Mabel, Wendy, and Stan stood outside the door. Wendy looked anxiously in the direction of the sobbing, while Mabel looked down in pain and regret at what she did. Stan, having abandoned his more suspicious attire to his normal Mr. Mystery get-up, seemed the least concerned, but still was unquestionably worried.

Stan knocked. "Uh, kid? You probably shouldn't stay in there. The rats have been gettin' pretty hungry lately."

Wendy raised her hands in confusion and dismay. "Why do we have man-eating rats in the Shack?"

"Well, how else were we supposed to get rid of the roaches?" Stan asked, rolling his eyes that she could ask something so stupid.

"Then how are we gonna get rid of the rats?" Wendy growled.

Stan gave a smug smile. "Don't worry, I've got a shipment of poisonous snakes coming in tomorrow. That'll take care of it."

Before Wendy could explode, Mabel sighed. "This is all my fault, isn't it?"

Stan walked over and put a comforting arm over her shoulders. "Hey, there, there sweetie, don't say things like that!...But the answer's yes."

"Mr Pines!" snarled Wendy incredulously.

"Go away…" came the despondent voice from behind the door.

"I'll handle this," said Wendy, as she leaned against the wood to listen to him. "Dipper, please, come out. We're worried about you."

"…D-do you promise not to laugh?"

Wendy was taken aback. "Dipper, the last thing I want to do in this situation is laugh."

An uncomfortable amount of time passed before the handle turned, so much so that Mabel ran back upstairs, still too ashamed to confront her brother. Eventually, the door opened, and Dipper reluctantly shuffled out. Though looking down, they could still see what had become of his face. It was all red, not just from the sobbing, but the relentless rubbing to remove the make up. His fingers were smeared red from the paint being rubbed away, and the insides full of varnish he scratched off from his toes. Despite the rubbing, the mascara streaks were still obvious, as were the smudges everywhere. He felt even more conscious about his appearance than before, and considered himself painfully ugly. The sweater fabric felt like it burned into his skin, as did the skirt. He expected them to break into uproar at any point, but he could tell from the sound, or lack thereof, that they were genuinely distressed about his behaviour.

Wendy broke the ice. "Look, you don't have to explain anything Dipper. Mabel told me everything, so chill, I understand."

"But you don't," Dipper whimpered. "I liked doing those things. I liked acting like that, and I only got embarrassed when you saw me do them. It's just that…I'm so weird. I don't want to be weird, but I just am, and I'm never going to be happy. I was just so scared you'd stop liking me."

Wendy simultaneously felt somewhat worse, and somewhat better. On the one hand, she was hurt to see how deep-seated the problem was. The good news was that she knew how to comfort him.

"Dude," she smiled, sitting beside him on the floor, taking out her wallet, and putting an arm over Dipper's shoulders, a thrill that instantly made him feel better. "Look at these photos," she smiled, as it showed a Wendy at various ages, camping, woodcutting, and hunting cute animals.

"When I was young..." she began, before Stan's derisory snort cut her short. "Okay! When I was younger, I always preferred to do guy stuff. It was way more exciting than playing with some stupid dolls all day. I didn't want to see a guy punch someone in the face to save me; I wanted to punch guys in the face! Look, so what if you like doing things that people say girls like to do? Who cares? They're not your friends. We're your friends. And if you think that we're gonna stop liking you because you like dresses once in a while, ha, you're just being crazy!"

Dipper gave a reassured smile, and sighed in relief; Wendy hadn't rejected him after all. Stan then moved to the other side, and sat beside him there.

"Kid, I'm wanted in over thirty-nine countries, forty to be exact! I've mixed with the Mob, Communists, Illuminati, and if you think having fun with your sister on your downtime is gonna make me think less of you, then…uh…what Wendy said."

"Look Dipper," said Wendy, "I know you had a hard time back in Piedmont, Mabel told me all about it. I want you to know that not one thing they bullied you about is true. You and your sis are literally the best thing that happened to Gravity Falls this summer! Your birthmark is great, you are ridiculously smart, and, for your age, you are extremely handsome. Weird? Trust me, the last thing you ever want to be is boring, and the last thing you are is boring. So 'weird away', and never change!"

Dipper blushed and stammered bashfully at the compliment.

"Now, go up and have some fun with your sister and her friends! Look, I talk to them when you aren't around, and let me tell you, they all love you to death, dude! Weirdness and all! Tell your sister how much you loved Girls' Night, and how don't give a heck what other people think about that."

Dipper nodded thankfully, wiping away his new, bittersweet tears, as he ran to the stairs to catch up with Mabel.

"And Dipper!" Wendy called out, just before she left sight.

"Yeah?"

"Stay weird!" she preached, a fist outstretched in defiance of the monotony of life. Stan gave the thumbs up to show his approval.

Content with their support, Dipper gave a thankful wave in return, as he ran back upstairs to the bedroom.

Mabel was sitting on her bed, dejected, Candy and Grenda trying to comfort her. At the opening of the door, her friends looked to Dipper, and waved their heads for him to come over and help his sister. Dipper was more than up to the challenge, as he darted towards her in rapture.

"Mabel!" he proclaimed, as he jumped on top of her into a hug, a move that Mabel did not anticipate. He jumped with so much force that they rolled over on top of each other, leaving Mabel on top. Her hair all messed up, a confused, but sincere smile began to gnaw at her frown, as Dipper continued to explode with energy. Candy and Grenda were touched at the duo's infectious bond, and stood back to let the two work it out together.

"Hi Dip," she replied, still awkward and regretful. "Look, about what happened, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you do this, that was wrong of me."

"What?! No! That was amazing! I never had more fun in the Shack than I did with you three! I was so tensed up after going on all these crazy adventures, I realized I just needed some time to kick back! Now, I have actual friends the same age as me! I can actually talk about stuff I like, and adults don't just laugh! I was only scared because I thought Wendy would stop liking me, but then she started talking about how friends always support you, no matter how bizarre they appear to others. You all just accepted me, and I'm, like, the king of being weird and awkward! Thanks, Mabel! This was the best night ever!"

Mabel started to laugh in relief, even as her eyes watered from the compliment.

"Oh," added Dipper, "And one more thing. Do you think, maybe, I could, you know, come back next week?"

Mabel's former frown was destroyed under the blast of her smile, even as the tears began to flow, and she ensnared her brother in a warm, unyielding hug. "Dipper," she sniffled, "You're always welcome here…with us weirdos."

Dipper chuckled. "Thanks, Mabel."

"Oh!" she remembered, leaping off the bed, before kneeling down and clawing beneath it for something. Dipper stared in anticipation, waiting for whatever came out, before a shallow, rectangular box, a present, was held aloft in his sister's hands, Mabel holding a triumphant look on her face.

"This is for you!" she said, as she presented him with his gift.

Dipper looked in thankful astonishment at his sister and her offering, then to her friends, as if they had anything to do with this, though they seemed just as clueless as to what the box contained as he was. Dipper cautiously opened the package by peeling the top off, peeking slowly, so as not to let it all come too fast. He could see a further layer of paper on top of whatever present it was, and a note resting above.

As was good etiquette, or rather, as his parents beat into him, he read the note first. He picked it up, and read:

Dear Bro-Bro,

I want you to know that I didn't like forcing you into this, so I'm sorry, but you were just so down and stressed recently. I just wanted you to relax a bit, because you deserve it after all you've done. Cheer up, bro! You have way more going for you than I do! You're so much smarter and braver than me, and you're going to be so successful when you're grown up! If anything's the matter, just call my name, and I'll be there for you. You're the best brother in the whole world, and I love you. Never forget that, because I'll never forget you.

-Mabel

Dipper barely contained his tears at this announcement, but when he lifted the paper, and looked at the present, he couldn't stop crying. It was a white woollen sweater with blue frills and a blue Pinetree in the middle, to go with his hat, stitched his arms would fit, just as he'd have liked it. Candy and Grenda were likewise touched, but the only reaction Mabel cared about was her brother's.

"I, uh," she stammered, "I've been working on it for a few weeks. I was gonna use it for your birthday, but-"

Before she could say another word, Dipper said the only two she needed to hear: "It's perfect."

Mabel didn't say anything else; she just stopped and blushed happily.

"So what do we do now? asked Dipper excitedly.

"I don't know, what does everyone else think?" asked Mabel.

"Let's watch a movie! Movie! Movie!" Grenda chanted.

"What is Dipper's favourite movie?" asked Candy.

"Uh…" Mabel stalled, not wanting to embarrass her brother any more tonight.

"The Little Mermaid," said Dipper unapologetically, to Mabel's surprise, considering he never confessed that to anyone but her.

"YES!" roared Grenda like a possessed gorilla. "I'll set it up!"

"Me too!" cheered Candy, both leaving the Twins to stare back at each other, warmly and affectionately.

"Is Ariel the reason you like Redheads?" Mabel asked wickedly.

"Maybe. It's just a good thing Wendy doesn't know, huh?" Dipper smiled.

Mabel gritted her teeth. "Yeah…about that. I was kinda bluffing earlier. She already knows."

"What?"

"You talk when you…you know…"

Dipper slinked back to the bed in exhaustion. He had already been too embarrassed on the night to get embarrassed again.

"On the bright side, she does find it kinda cute!" Mabel reassured him.

It did reassure him; Wendy was one of the most accepting people he'd ever known. Maybe it was something about people from Oregon. People. Dipper understood everything at school apart from that. He wasn't hurting anyone, and yet people were always complaining about how he looked, and how he acted, as if he had to listen; he believed he did. Now, after he met Wendy, and snuggled into the love his sister had for him, he started to see that it was nonsense. He was going to enjoy himself, and do what he wanted to do, and to heck if anyone tells him how to live his life. 'After all,' he thought to himself, 'what's so bad about being weird anyways?'

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THE END