BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Ugh, god, already?", Wendy muttered, smacking her alarm clock's off button and crawling out of bed. "I am so not ready for this."
Wendy was due at the Shack in 35 minutes – it was her first time working after the break up, and she wasn't so sure she was ready to be around the Pines men quite yet. However, her talk with Mabel the previous afternoon had made me feel as though it was time to get her act back together. Readjusting her wife beater and plaid pajama pants, she pushed the door to her room open and ventured into the kitchen. It was quiet…suspiciously quiet. "Uhhh, dad, where are the boys?", Wendy asked, scratching her bed head.
Manly Dan looked up from his paper and grinned at his daughter. "Eh, I sent 'em to the Diner. I know they've been in your hair lately and I thought you might like some peace and quiet, seein' as how you have to go back to work and all." The lumberback paused. "If you're not ready, princess, you don't have to go back. Not quite yet. I can give Stan a call and-"
He paused again, as Wendy began to shake her head vigorously. "No, no, no, I gotta go back. The boys are driving me up the wall and I'm bored. And I'm pretty sure Dipper thinks I died or something and I feel bad for the kid."
Dan rolled his eyes. "He's fine. This is his fault too. I know he's just a kid – hell, he ain't even pubescent yet-"
"Dad! Come on!"
"Lemme finish, dang it! I know he's just a kid, but he hurt you, and that's not gonna fly with me. And as for Robbie…" Dan sighed. "Well, I'm pretty pissed at him. But I know he has a lot of trouble with things. That poor kid's been hangin' round here since you two were what, 10? Now, I'm not telling you to take him back. I don't want you to think that. But don't give up on him. He's a dumb teenage boy and he doesn't know what the hell he's doin'. Hopefully the rest of the boys are taking care of him, because I'd bet my beard that he's a mess."
Wendy, despite agreeing with her dad, bristled. "God, pops, sounds a lot like you're on his side."
Dan stared at her, incredulous. "Princess, of course I'm not on his side! He was still a jerk! I'm just sayin' that he-" Wendy stood up, shoved her chair in, and stalked off to her room, blowing Dan's mind. He wasn't used to his little girl acting like such a…well…girl.
After a short walk, Wendy arrived at the door of the Shack. Although it had only been four days since she'd last been there, she realized that she had missed it. Sure, she slacked off at her job – A LOT - and spent a lot of time complaining to the gang how much of tyrant Stand could be (despite the fact that he let her get away with it all and never docked her pay), but she loved the place. She had been working for Stanford Pines since she was 12 years old herself, when her dad suggested she start saving up for college. Wendy wasn't completely sure at the time (and still wasn't) if college was in her future, but in her mind, the less time she spent with her little brothers, the better. She joked around with Stan all the time now, but when she was a kid, his gruffness terrified her. Dan had gone with her to talk to Stan about a job, and when she first caught sight of the old man, she had to fight the urge to run. He didn't act very enthused about hiring Wendy – after all, he already had one employee he was forced to pay – but agreed to let her work for a couple hours after school, four days a week. A couple weeks in to her new responsibilities as a cashier/floor sweeper, Wendy began chatting with Soos on a regular basis, and soon learned that Stan wasn't nearly as scary as he seemed. As a matter of fact, he was more lonely than anything. With Soos' encouragement, Wendy went out of her way to make conversation with Stan. He wasn't terribly responsive right off the bat, before Wendy knew it, they were joking around almost like they were family. Sighing, Wendy pushed the door to the Shack open.
Stan was waiting for her. "Hey, punk. Where ya' been?"
Wendy was filled with a mix of happiness and irritation. "Can it.", she snapped, walking past him to take her seat at the stool in front of the register.
"Aw, Wendy, I'm just messin' with ya'. You know that."
Wendy glared at him. "What do you expect me to say, Stan? You helped ruin my only meaningful relationship. I'm not exactly overjoyed to see you." She shook her bangs over her eyes and shifted her glare to the floor of the empty Shack.
Stan rubbed his eyes. "He was a jerk, kid. You may be a punk, but you're a good kid, and he wasn't treatin' you right. And y'know, Dipper and I…we're pretty similar. We had good intentions, but we're dinguses."
Wendy looked at the old man. "Stanford Pines, are you APOLOGIZING?"
Stan scoffed. "Eh, no one'll believe you if you tell. Yeah, I'm apologizing. I shoulda been looking out for you more than I was. Dipper was just real riled up about all that 'hypnosis' business and we got a little carried away. But you're like family, kiddo, and I just want you to be happy."
Wendy remained silent.
"Aw, c'mon, kid, that may be the most heartfelt thing I ever said in my li-"
Wendy sniffled. "Thanks, Stan."
Stan walked around the counter and put an arm around the teen's shoulders. "Don't mention it. You're good people. I love ya."
Wendy threw her arms around the old man and squeezed him a hug. "Love you too." Blinking her tears away, she pulled back from the hug and started tapping at the keys of the register.
Stan cleared his throat. "Well, alright. Time is money, and the tourists should be rolling in any minute, so let's get this place opened up, shall we?" He went to flip the sign to OPEN, but was interrupted by shouting from inside the house.
"GRUNKLE STAN, WHERE ARE THE BAND-AIDS? MABEL FELL AGAIN AND-" Dipper poked his head through the door separating the house and the Shack, spotted Wendy, and bolted. Wendy and Stan followed his footsteps with their eyes up to the ceiling – he was going so fast he was shaking the stairs.
"Eesh.", Stan grimaced. "Think you're up for talking to him? He's been pretty sullen lately."
Wendy sighed, but knew Dipper would never feel better without her talking to him. "Yeah, I've been pouting for long enough myself. I'll be back." She stood up and pushed through the "Employees Only" door. This should be fun, she thought, dreading yet another heart to heart. Feelings suck.