Chapter 7
So far, the car ride had been silent, filled with nothing more than the sound of the car engine and nearly audible radio that played some song Mabel didn't recognize.
Joshua was staring ahead at the road, his dark eyes concentrated firmly at the road ahead of him, and even then she could see him tapping constantly on the steering wheel with his fingers.
She wasn't sure what to do, if she were being honest, but the silence was just too overbearing. ''So, Joshua. Where are we going?''
His shoulders relaxed almost unconsciously as he turned to look at her with a grin. ''It's a surprise, but hopefully you'll love it.''
''Oh, are we going rock climbing?'' she cried excitedly, clasping her hands together.
He chuckled, shaking his head. ''No, sorry. But had I known that's what you wanted, we would've done that.''
''Oh, don't worry about it,'' Mabel smiled, waving her hand. ''As long as the company's good, who cares where we go?''
Joshua turned to look at her once again, throwing her that same sweet smile, and she could see the small sparkle forming in his eyes. ''Remind me again why we only just met?''
She only shrugged her shoulders, to which they both laughed.
''Remind me what movie we're watching again?'' Pacifica asked, sitting down on the carpet and leaning her back against the couch behind her.
Dipper turned his head to his side, giving her a half grin before placing the DVD into his laptop. ''Well, I figured maybe you'd like to watch Night of the Living Walkers. Mabel told me she went to see a scary movie with you some time ago.''
''Yeah, it was pretty terrifying. And that's coming from someone who's watched too many scary movies,'' she flipped her hair over her shoulder, pretending she didn't notice the way she had just merely leaned against Dipper's arm. ''So are we watching the original or the remake?''
''Please, the remake was trash. Mabel and I have been obsessed with the original one since we were little kids.''
That's when the familiar and all too overused music began to play, and they were greeted with the image of a black and white zombie rising from the grave. Grabbing the bowl of popcorn they had made (''what's a movie without popcorn?'' ''Good point!''), and placing it in between them, Dipper positioned the laptop on the ground near enough so that they'd have a good view.
Pacifica was trying her best to focus on the beginning of the movie. After all, her old crush was sitting only a few inches away.
The place was stunning, absolutely lovelier than any place she'd even been at before.
Stepping out of the car with wide eyes and parted lips, she let out a loud gasp at the sight of the giant building in front of them. The sign that lit up just above the glass doors read Carpe Diem, and there were men dressed in black and white uniforms holding the doors open. It wasn't until Joshua locked arms with her politely and walked her in that she really displayed just how awe-stricken she really was, causing him to laugh. The place, although not as full as the restaurants back in Gravity Falls, was illuminated with half dim lights and filled with other costumers' laughter.
The main waiter, who stood in the front behind a small counter, didn't even ask for their names. He simply walked towards them with a perfect posture (Mabel had to remind herself not to continue to slouch). ''Ah, yes. Hello, Mr. Evans. Right this way.''
She turned to him, raising an eyebrow as they followed closely behind him. ''Wait, how does he know who you are?''
''My uncle owns the restaurant.'' Joshua shrugged with a small smirk on his lips.
''Wow, this is really fancy.'' Mabel smiled as Joshua held the seat out for her. She watched as he got around to take his own seat. ''Your uncle must be a pretty cool dude.''
He laughed, running his fingers through that blond hair of his. ''Yeah, he's alright for the most part.'' He turned his head to the waiter, who stood by his side with a straightened back. ''Tomas, do you mind handing the pretty lady and I a menu?''
The waiter, apparently called Tomas, grabbed the menus from under his arm and handed each of them one. Mabel's eyes rapidly widened as she looked through everything available. ''Everything looks really good, but…it's a little expensive. I don't want you to waste money on me.''
''Mabel,'' Joshua chuckled, in a sweet tone that made Mabel blush. ''We're on a date, please get anything you want.''
And yet still, it didn't feel right, so instead she found the cheapest thing she could. ''Can I please get some Alfredo pasta.''
Tomas nodded, and then looked at Joshua. ''Of course, ma'am. What would you like, Mr. Evans?''
''I'll have the same, along with a Dr. Pepper. Would you like anything to drink, Mabel?'
''Just some water, please.''
''I'll be back shortly,'' the waiter said, slightly bowing down before walking off towards the kitchen. Mabel turned her head to look at Joshua, only to find him already staring at her with a small smile. She giggled rather nervously, placing a strand of her hair behind her ear and trying her best to remain composed.
Because the truth was, for some reason she was growing more anxious by the second, and she just couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was the strange yet magical atmosphere, or maybe the fact that her last restaurant date was with Gideon over four years ago. All Mabel knew was that she was feeling uncomfortable, and she had to do something about it fast.
''So, Joshua,'' she spoke, leaning slightly against the table with her elbow. ''Tell me more about you. Any weird hobbies I should know about?''
''Weird hobbies? I don't think so. Although, I do have a cousin who likes to take the plastic number holders from Whataburger.''
''Really? I told Dipper he wasn't the only one!''
He laughed, and she could feel her body become less tense. ''What about you? You sound like a pretty interesting girl. Anything strange you like to do?''
''Are you kidding? I got lots! For starters, I like to knit sweaters on my free time.''
''What, that isn't so weird?''
''Also, when I was twelve, I liked to put glitter on everything. Clothes, blankets, toilet paper. Anything in sight, really.''
Joshua snorted, smirking and leaning closer. ''Now that is a little weird.''
Mabel chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. ''Yeah, but my grunkles didn't really mind and Dipper was used to it by then.''
''Yeah, your family seems pretty fun. You know, except when they threatened to cause me agonizing pain if I were to hurt you in any way before you came downstairs.''
Mabel rolled her eyes at that, reminding herself to have a good talk with those boys once she got back. ''Yeah, they're somewhat overprotective.''
''Oh, no, I get it,'' he said, exhaling. ''I have a little eleven year old sister named Erin, and if she was going on a date, I'd sure as hell scare the living hell out of that guy.''
She laughed, and that's when she noticed Tomas coming their way with a plate in his hand and two drinks on top. That's when he suddenly tripped on thin air, and somehow one of the drinks managed to spill all over her dress. She jumped out of her seat, letting out a slight squeal at the sensation of the freezing drink all over her.
Joshua too, arose, with wide eyes as he rushed to her side. ''Oh my gosh. Mabel, are you okay?''
She nodded, to which the boy turned to look at the waiter. ''Tomas, you idiot! How could you be so clumsy?''
The man attempted to mumble out some apologies, clearly stunned and confused at his own actions, but she simply took a deep breath and cut him off. ''No, Tomas, it's okay. Accidents happen.''
Smiling slightly at the half embarrassed, half distressed Joshua, she grinned. ''I'll just go to the restroom and clean up. I'll be right back.''
''Hold on, Mabel.'' He turned to a gulping Tomas, who stood there like a scared small child. ''How could you be so stupid? Tell me why I shouldn't have my uncle fire you right now?''
''That's enough, Joshua, just let it go,'' she cried out, to which she saw Joshua soften up. Sending a relieved Tomas off with a low murmur, Joshua sent her an ashamed look that told her just how sorry she was. She grinned again, nodding her head in understanding, before walking off towards the women's restroom (wherever the hell that was).
After all, the chill to her spine could only come from one person, and if she were right, what were the chances of the waiter tripping out of nowhere?
''Norman, please don't do it,'' an overdramatic Silvia Harper cried out, grasping onto her husband's button up white shirt. Placing a hand over her forehead, she let out a sound of distress as her lower lip trembled. ''The walkers out there will take you apart. Our unborn child and I cannot survive without you.''
''I'll make it back, Silvia,'' the tall man with the long mustache said as he pulled his wife closer to him. Staring down at her with his intense gaze, he cupped her face into his hands. ''Just know that I love you, and I will always love you no matter what.''
And with that, he leaped out the front door and closed it behind him. She yelled out his name, falling to her knees as the moaning of the walkers became louder. The camera then turned to see a running Norman, grabbing all the walkers' attention, while grasping to his wedding ring for dear life.
Pacifica turned to look at Dipper, who grabbed a handful of popcorn. ''Hey, Dipper, do you think this could happen in real life?''
''What, the walkers?'' Dipper put some popcorn into his mouth and swallowed it. ''Well, I did summon up zombies a few years ago.''
''No, not that,'' she looked at the computer screen, watching as Silvia ran into a random room in the house and closed the door behind her. As the woman slid down the door, tears falling down her eyes while placing her hand on her heart, Pacifica took a deep breath. ''I meant, I don't know, the whole love thing.''
''Yeah, of course,'' Dipper said, nudging her with his shoulder, causing her to smile. ''My parents were crazy in love, sometimes it drove Mabel and I crazy. You'd be surprised when it comes to those type of things.''
''Yeah, I bet,'' she agreed halfheartedly, pretending she couldn't see the small glimmer of sadness that had formed in his eyes when he'd mentioned his parents. Instead, she turned back to the movie, watching as a tattered Norman found his way to his beloved Silvia.
How was she supposed to know what love was? Her parents had never been an example of it, after all.
''-So then I pulled the fish hook out and there it was,'' Joshua smirked. ''The little clownfish that had been terrorizing everyone for weeks.''
Mabel let out a wow, grabbing her fork and picking at some pasta. ''That's so cool! What happened after?''
''Well, dad thought we should keep it. You know, as a trophy.''
''And you still have it?''
''Yup, I named that little guy Bubbles.''
Mabel's already lit up face seem to light up even more as she grinned widely. ''That's adorable! I wish my pig, Waddles, was still alive. I bet he would've liked you.''
The image of her pig came to mind, and a rush of sadness came through her just thinking about him. They had been best friends for years, in the long run, and although losing him wasn't as hurtful and heartbreaking as losing her parents, his early death had led her to become depressed for weeks. Her parents, seeing how distressed she was, had offered to buy her another pig, but nobody could replace her Waddles. At least she knew he was happy somewhere up there with her parents.
''I'm sorry, Mabel,'' Joshua frowned, and she could see the concerned lines on his forehead. ''What happened?''
''He just got sick, about a year ago, and the veterinarian didn't know what's wrong,'' she gulped, still keeping a smile on her lips even if they both knew her eyes were saying otherwise. ''He died, peacefully, though, and that's all I wanted.''
''I get it,'' he spoke, wiping his mouth all neatly with a napkin. ''My best friend growing up was my black cat, Toothless. I only had him for about six years, and then one day I came back from school to realize he had been run over while I was away. It was awful.''
Before Mabel could say anything to comfort him, however, she saw a few bugs begin to emerge from the flower vase in the center of the table. They both cried out, Mabel getting on top of her chair, and Joshua stepping farther away as the random bugs began to crawl down and find their way to other tables. Others, who were there dining, began to scream as they attempted to get as far away as they could from the bugs.
Joshua shivered as he ran towards her and helped her down. Staring at the bugs that had made their way throughout the restaurant, he grabbed onto her and looked down at the floor to see that there was nothing coming their way. Mabel wasn't necessarily scared of them exactly, but it was rather the sudden surprise of their appearance that had caused her to become startled.
''I swear this has never happened before.''
''I believe you,'' she said, squeezing his arm for reassurance. How was it possible for bugs to come out of nowhere like that?
''How do you think Mabel's doing?'' Dipper asked, yawning as Doctor Oliver began to slash the walkers with his sword.
Pacifica shrugged, pushing her hair from her face. ''She's probably having the time of her life. Joshua's a pretty fun guy.''
''Wait, did you go out with him?'' he asked, raising an eyebrow and turning to glare at her. ''You did say he was the most popular guy, and if I recall, you're the most popular girl here in Gravity Falls.''
''We only went on a date once, but we never dated again because we realized that we were only doing it because it was expected of us to do so,'' she chuckled, looking at Dipper's stunned face. ''Surprised?''
''Honestly, yeah, a little.''
''Like I said, I've changed since you were last here. Joshua's a great friend, and a sweet guy in general, but what's the point if you don't really care for that person in that way? You know?''
''Yeah, I know.''
Pacifica smiled, crossing her arms across her chest. ''But anyway, you don't have to worry about your sister. She's just fine.''
''Okay, second attempt,'' Joshua said as he handed Mabel her ice cream cone. After they had been evacuated from the restaurant due to all the bugs crawling around, Joshua had decided to take her out for ice cream. If anything, Mabel was more than relieved seeing as the restaurant seemed to bring nothing but bad luck.
Now they were at Sally's ice cream factory, much closer to Gravity Falls, and the atmosphere wasn't as uncomfortable as before. Grabbing her cone, and thanking him, they both walked over to a small table and took a seat across each other. ''Man, I've never had a date as eventful as this.''
''Yeah. I'm really sorry, Mabel,'' Joshua sighed, scratching the back of his neck. ''I didn't think so many things were going to happen.''
''Hey, I didn't say it was necessarily bad,'' she laughed, and Joshua's face broke out into a smile. ''My dress got washed for free, and those bugs were pretty cool to look at.''
''We just went through all that, and you're still optimistic?'' Joshua chuckled, licking his cone. ''Teach me your ways, Mabel Pines.''
They laughed, and the sudden sound of screaming came from the back of the counter only a few feet away. A small fire began to ignite from the vanilla flavor of ice cream only a few feet away, and before anyone knew it, the entire ice cream and front counter was on fire. Needless to say, thirty minutes later, they stood outside of the half burned ice cream factory while the firefighters continued to put out the flames.
The car ride back to her house was anything but chatty, and this time Mabel found comfort in the silence that surrounded the car. She was afraid that if they were to speak something completely unexplainable would happen again.
''Well, here we are,'' Joshua said, walking her to her front door with his hands in his pockets and an unrecognizable look on his face.
Mabel nodded tiredly, turning to see that the lights in the house were still on. ''Yup, thanks for everything, Joshua. I really appreciate it.''
''Listen, Mabel,'' he said, staring down at his feet, and then back up at her. ''I know that our date has been nothing but bad coincidences, but talking to you today made me realize that I want to get to know you better. Do you think maybe we could try this again? I promise I won't do anything to bring us bad luck.''
She wanted to say yes. Of course she wanted to, which is why what she said made her heart sink. ''I'm sorry, Joshua, but I don't think I can.''
He was stunned, blinking a few times and watching her closely. ''Why? Was it something I did? Did I offend you?''
''No, no!'' she screamed out quickly, shaking her hands in front of her. ''Not at all, I just…''
She glanced around, nervously.
''I just need to adjust better. I mean I just got here, and it think it's better if I just got to know everyone around town better before I start dating. You understand, right?''
Joshua nodded, but she could see a little confusion in his eyes.
''Well, thank you for everything. I really am sorry,'' she pecked his cheek swiftly, opening the door to the house and waving at him one last time before closing the door. Breathing out in relief, and leaning her head against the door, she yelped hearing Dipper's voice from the living room.
''Hey, Mabel. How was your date?''
She caught a glimpse of Pacifica too, along with ending credits to the movie she had seen far too many times. Mabel rapidly pulled up her lips into a smile, giving them a thumbs up. ''It was great, awesome, fascinating. I'm tired, so I'm going to go upstairs. Goodnight Dipper, goodnight Pacifica!''
And with that she rushed up the stairs, before either one of them could say anything. Once she reached the attic however, the smile quickly fell as she glanced around the empty room. ''Bill, I know you're here!''
There was nothing.
''Come on, you dorito, don't pretend you haven't been around all along! I know you were the one who caused everything tonight!''
''It's not very polite to call someone a dorito, Shooting Star,'' she heard his voice say, and she snapped her head to find him lazily laying on her bed. His one eyes that wasn't covered with the eye patch was shut, and his arms were crossed behind his head.
She growled, clutching her fists. ''Why would you ruin my date? You had no right to do that!''
''Oh please,'' he said, floating up with his eyes still closed. ''It's not my fault that the waiter was a clumsy imbecile, or that the bugs decided to come out to play. Although I do find it ironic how a fire could start from ice cream.''
''Bill, I won't say this again. Leave me alone!''
Within a blink he was right in front of her, his face towering down to look at her with that cold glare of his. ''I told you to not go on that date, and you didn't listen. Everything that happened today was on you, not me.''
Mabel suddenly felt guilty, thinking back to the saddened Joshua she had left behind just a few minutes ago. Bill smirked, grabbing a strand of her hair and twirling it in his fingers. ''Although I am honored, Shooting Star, that you'd deny going on another date with him because of me.''
''Just go,'' she mumbled, too tired to even fight with him any longer.
Bill, surprisingly, did as told, and for the rest of the night Mabel had to wonder: Why her?