A/N: This chapter doesn't have too much of Dipper and Pacifica in it, but it's incredibly important to set up the next chapter and overall next phase of this story. Thank you again for reviewing and following! I love all of your comments and ideas, so please keep them coming! Enjoy
Mabel Pines clutched the microphone close to her heart, raising a dramatic fist into the air as her chin tucked into her chest. A few stray musical notes drifted into oblivion. Silence. Then a roar of applause avalanched unto her. She smiled to herself victoriously. She had won.
There was really no contest going on since nobody else took karaoke quite as seriously as Mabel, but her dedication made for one heck of a performance. She had joined the choir as soon as she entered high school, and her interest in singing led her to take private voice lessons. Although still overly-energetic and enthusiastic, her vocal ability had increased greatly since she started training. Now, her singing was not only entertaining, but also technically good. It was a skill she had become proud of and wanted to show off as often as possible.
She bowed at her audience, trying to slow her pounding heart. After a few seconds of basking in the glory of a song well-done, she hopped off the stage and passed the microphone to Tambry, who excitedly took her place. Mabel made her way toward the punch, needing a moment to catch her breath before getting back on the dance floor. She lifted the cup to her lips, taking a small sip as her eyes wandered around the room. She didn't see Dipper anywhere but had figured the little nerd had retreated to his room since Pacifica hadn't shown up yet. Typical Dipper to avoid any normal teenage interaction. As she continued scanning the room, her eyes suddenly settled on a head of black curls leaning against the wall alone. She cocked her head, immediately recognizing the girl, but unable to place exactly who she was. Well, she couldn't just allow a stranger at her party— she would need to make friends with the beautiful mystery girl immediately! She poured a second cup of punch and sashayed over to the wall flower.
"Hi! I don't believe we've met before," she started, holding the punch out, "I'm Mabel Pines!"
The girl politely took the cup of punch before skeptically looking Mabel up and down.
"You're Mabel? Dipper's twin, Mabel?" She let out a laugh, her perfectly white teeth nearly glowing in the disco lights, "Honestly, I never would have guessed."
Mabel frowned, unsure if she was being made fun of or complimented. Either way, the mention of her brother in conjunction to her always made her a bit defensive.
"You know Dipper?" She huffed, waiting for the inevitable.
"I don't exactly know him, per say. I've only met him through Pacifica," she paused, "I'm Melissa Isringville."
A sudden wave of realization hit Mabel, "Oh my gosh! You're Pacifica's bestie! I follow you on Instagram and stuff. I swear, you could be playing parcheesi in pajamas and still look like a goddess!"
"And you could rock any Manic22 song better than the lead herself! You definitely put on quite a show. Although, I'd like to hear you put your pipes to 'Earthly Girl'. That's a pretty rad song." Missy gushed, referencing Mabel's karaoke performance.
"You know that song?! That was like one of their first hits ever!" Mabel marveled.
"I actually used to know the original drummer before he entered the monastery. So, I've kind of been a fan of theirs since the beginning." She bragged.
Mabel stared slack jawed before jokingly asking, "Can we date already?!"
Well, half joking.
Missy chuckled lightly, "You should see the old videos I have of the group. You would just die when you hear some of their unreleased songs. I-uh, could show you sometime if you're interested."
The twin felt her face flush, ready to accept the offer. But suddenly, her train of thought was disrupted when another topic burst into her mind.
"Wait. If you're here, does that mean Pacifica is, too?"
Missy shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah, she's here. We got to the party about an hour ago, though I honestly couldn't tell you where she is now..."
She watched as Mabel's face grew dark, an unmistakable anger rising beneath the surface.
"Really." She said flatly, more like a statement rather than a question.
Missy shrugged, wanting to try to diffuse the situation before Mabel could overreact, but she genuinely had zero interest in finding out where Paz and Dipper had snuck off to. They could be anywhere at this point. Plus, she wasn't sure why exactly Mabel was pissed that they were together, but she could only assume it was the same reason she had been unhappy with her friend lately— Blake.
"Listen, there's no point in being angry now. They're already gone, so why not just, like, enjoy the party or whatever," Missy offered, "Wanna go dance instead? Don't want to let a good song go to waste, right?"
Mabel sighed and agreed, following her new friend to the dance floor. Maybe a good solid dance session would help alleviate some of her frustration. She just hoped they weren't getting in too deep, wherever they were.
For the majority of the night thus far, people had been swarming into the party, the once open area of the Mystery Shack now packed almost to its limit. It was getting increasingly more difficult to move through the throng of people. When a new attendee arrived, it wasn't something anyone noticed, the newcomers simply blending right in with the crowd.
Mabel and Missy were off dancing, laughing together like giddy little girls. Mabel had almost forgotten her anger at her brother, having too much fun to be worried about him. That is, until Grenda and Candy sprinted urgently to Mabel's side, both of their faces flushed.
"Candy? Grenda? What's up? You look like you've been running a 5k!" Mabel stopped, checking out her friends.
"We have a code orange, Mabel! A CODE ORANGE, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Grenda bellowed, shaking her friend aggressively.
"Orange...oh!" Mabel turned to Missy, "that means a hot guy has entered the building."
"Wait, but Mabel, it's not a good code orange!" Candy insisted.
"What code orange isn't good?" She questioned curiously.
Missy smirked as the friends chatted, rising to her tip toes to see if she could find the "hot guy" in question. Suddenly, her face went pale, her stomach sinking like an anchor, physically pulling her body to the ground. Mabel, reacting quickly, caught Melissa before she could hit the hard floor beneath her.
"Whoa, you ok?" Mabel stabilized her, staring toward the front door where a tall, gorgeous guy was attempting to swim through the crowd. He seemed to have made eye contact with Melissa, making a beeline to where they were standing.
"Mabel, this is not good, this is NOT GOOD at all!" She panicked, trying to see if there was a place for her to hide but knowing fully well she had already been caught.
"Don't you know who that grade A hottie is?" Candy reiterated.
Missy stared at Mabel, her eyes pleading for Mabel to be prepared for what was about to occur.
Before she could guess who he was, the young man was suddenly right in front of them, nabbing Missy's wrist so she couldn't run.
"Melissa, glad I caught you! Where's Pacifica?"
The boy was probably 6 foot with an incredibly athletic build. His hair was blonde from root to tip, his eyebrows matching in color making it clear that this pigment was natural— one most women would kill to replicate. His eyes, a vibrant shade of blue, were bright and cheery but filled with determination, veiled by his light but long lashes. Mabel moved slightly closer to get a better look at his face, noting his clear skin and distinct jaw line framed by deeply cut dimples in his cheeks. He had to have had braces for years to get teeth as straight as his.
He noticed Mabel's stare and grinned, letting go of Missy in favor of snatching Mabel's hand, shaking it roughly.
"You don't have to stare, I swear I won't bite," his toothy smile began to make her squirm with discomfort, "Yes, the Blake Green. Always a pleasure to meet new ladies."
Mabel felt her upper lip curl in disgust.
He thankfully let her go, oblivious to her distaste for him, and turned back to Melissa, "So, where is she? I heard from Sonya that she was coming here tonight. I didn't even know this tacky little shack existed. Definitely not your scene."
"You don't know what my scene is, Blake," she crossed her arms, "besides, Pacifica isn't here. She stayed at home. She is grounded, after all."
His face hardened, "Yeah, I'm sure she is grounded after her little stunt last week. Luckily for her, I've completely gotten over it. Time for me to show her just how much I have forgiven her." His filthy grin boiled Mabel's blood, using every inch of her self control to not sock him right in the face.
"You're gonna have to go be gross somewhere else, Blake. I told you, she's not here." Missy stood her ground, relaxing Mabel a bit.
"Fine. Guess I'll just go visit her at home—"
"NO," Melissa interrupted, her cool facade slipping momentarily, "Why...don't you stay here for a little? I, uh, hear there are some girls here who have been dying to meet you."
Candy sacrificed herself for the cause, walking up to Blake and acting star struck.
His interest was piqued, temporarily distracted while Missy mouthed 'GO' to Mabel and Grenda. They didn't hesitate, knowing there was a time limit. They had to deliver Paz back home as soon as possible. Grenda headed outside to start the car while Mabel went to hunt the two down. She panicked slightly, feeling almost claustrophobic as she pushed herself through the party until she could get to Wendy. The red head stared at the exasperated twin, unnerved by how anxious she looked.
"Wendy! We have to find Pacifica and Dipper, her life depends on it! Tellllll meee where they went!" She frantically spoke, her mouth moving so quickly that Wendy could barely comprehend what she was saying.
"Whoa, what? Her life? What's going on?"
"There's no time to explain! We have to get her out of this party and back home immediately or she could be in serious trouble!" She insisted.
"Uhoh. Ok, I think I saw them sneak away upstairs. Your room would be your best bet." Wendy offered as Mabel grimaced at the thought of what she might walk into.
She exhaled deeply, "I'm going in. Wish me luck."
"Wait!" Wendy stopped her, "take this with you. It's a go-phone. We gotta make Pacifica mobile again, right?"
Mabel nodded before sprinting toward the stairs, stealing one last glance behind her to see Grunkle Stan talking to Blake. Thank god, she thought. Stan could distract a person for hours with his stories— they had a little more time.
She braved the staircase two steps at a time, launching herself onto the landing and stopping right in front of their shared door. Her stomach was in tight knots, part of her furious at Dipper for getting himself into this mess. That small part of her almost wanted them to get caught, but she would never wish that on anyone. She didn't want to hurt them, just to teach them a lesson about commitment and communication and taking your goddamn sister's advice!
She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry but I'm coming inside in ten seconds, it's an emergency so please be clothed." She yelled, pounding on the bedroom door for a few seconds before barging in, praying she wouldn't see anything that could scar her for life.
She all but flung the door off it's hinges, shielding her eyes as she stepped into the room. She heard Pacifica squeal followed by the squeaking of the rusty bed.
"Mabel, what on earth are you doin—"
"It's not what you think!" Pacifica blurted. Mabel finally got up the courage to look at the scene before her.
Pacifica was cowering on the corner of the bed, hiding her upper body behind a pillow. She was mostly clothed, her top being the only piece on the floor. Dipper was missing his tropical button-up but otherwise looked fairly put together minus his hair being a sloppy mess. They were decent enough, she supposed.
"Pacifica, Blake is here and is getting ready to leave to go visit you at your house! Missy and I are doing all we can to keep him distracted but you need to get home now!" Mabel reached for her shirt and tossed it to her.
"Blake?! Shit!" Paz cried between gulps of air, her breath uneven. She jolted from her spot on the bed, catching her shirt in her hand and tossing it over her head. She began frantically looking around the room, ensuring no evidence was left behind. The pressure in the room rose higher and higher as the panic set in.
Dipper stayed seated, watching as Pacifica feebly attempted to put herself together. His brow was furrowed, reality settling in his gut.
"Take this with you, too. It's from Wendy. Grenda is waiting for you outside but you gotta go now! Grunkle Stan can't keep him distracted forever!" Mabel handed her the phone.
"How am I supposed to get out of here if he's downstairs?" Paz felt her heart accelerate, her head dizzy from the adrenaline.
Mabel looked around the room until her eyes spotted something under her bed. She spun around, a grin on her face, "Grappling hook, girlfriend."
Pacifica snatched it from her hand without hesitation, shooting it to the bottom of the totem pole in the front yard. She handed the base of the weapon back to Mabel for security, nabbing a pillow case from off the floor and preparing to glide down the hook. She put a foot out the window, but before she jumped, she turned back to Dipper and mouthed the words "I'm sorry". And with that, she was out of the building. Mabel watched her land safely, retracting the grappling hook once Paz had jumped into Grenda's car. The old Honda sped off into the night, only the dust from the road left behind.
"That was a close one," Mabel breathed a sigh of relief, taking a seat on her bed. She looked over to her brother, noticing his eyes were hollow, his posture slumped.
"He is still in the picture..." he managed to say, his eyes burning with tears that he would not let fall.
"Ya and you lied to me!" Mabel accused, her voice shaking, "You have never lied to me in our lives. You told me nothing was going on, that you were smarter than that. You hid that she had even been grounded! And now you're probably gonna sit here and feel sorry for yourself when you're the one who got into this mess to begin with. This is your own fault and I'm honestly so hurt and betrayed, Dipper."
Her words that would normally tear up his conscience were muted, unable to break through the barrier that was his utter disbelief that Pacifica was still involved with Blake. Hope nagged at the back of his mind that there was an explanation, that she only ran from him so she didn't get in more trouble with her parents. But he was also paranoid, fear seeping into his bones that this was all fake, that she had planned on using him as some cheap summer entertainment. He buried his face in his hands, his body trembling. Mabel softened at his misery, getting up from her spot to sit next to her twin, wrapping an arm around him.
"I'm sorry, Mabel. This is all my fault. I should have listened to you." He choked back tears.
"I'm still mad at you for lying to me," she spoke into his shoulder, "but you don't deserve to hurt like this, even if you are playing with fire. And who knows, maybe she rushed home to break up with him or because she didn't want her folks to kill her."
"Mabel, you don't understand, she isn't afraid of her parents anymore. She left tonight because she's afraid of him...or what he could do to their relationship." Dipper rubbed his temples, only the worst implications implanted in his brain.
"If you two had just had a conversation about this... ugh I'm going back to the party, I just can't right now," she got to her feet, her anger at him welling back up as she exited silently.
He ignored her scathing tone, choosing to curl up in the fetal position and try to quiet his racing thoughts.
Mabel walked back down the stairs to see Melissa and Stan trying to distract Blake further. Missy noticed Mabel had returned and completely stopped talking to Blake, turning on her heels to walk to the twin.
"Is everything ok? Did she leave?" She panted, "I don't think your uncle can distract him for much longer."
"She made it out," Mabel affirmed, still feeling woozy from what had just occurred.
Missy turned around, catching Stan's eye and throwing an "ok" sign up in the air. He stopped mid-conversation and wandered away from Blake without any hesitation. Missy couldn't help but snicker at the Pines family's blatant disregard for "who Blake is"— it was refreshing, to say the least.
She looked to Mabel, hoping to see a similar reaction, but all she found was dark eyes staring back at her.
"What?" Missy shrunk under her scrutiny.
"How exactly did Blake find out where she was tonight?" Mabel's voice rang with a certain accusation that Melissa found offensive.
"What are you trying to say?" Missy grumbled, her jaw clenched.
"I'm saying last time I met one of Pacifica's 'friends', she sold her out to her parents and slandered her name on social media. Pacifica is my friend and anyone who tries to sabotage her is not welcome in my house." She clarified, a threatening tone in her voice.
Melissa backed down, a look of guilt shadowing her face, "I didn't set her up, I got her out of here, didn't I?"
Mabel stared at her hard.
"Ok, I made a mistake. I thought Sonya was our friend! I only told her in case there was drinking and someone couldn't drive and things got out of hand! I just wanted to make sure I had a back up plan. I didn't think Sonya would tell Blake, of all people" she confessed, hanging her head low, "I feel like I can trust people and then I'm reminded why Pacifica and I have to stick together. We're the only loyal ones left. I'm just so..."
"Apology accepted," Mabel acknowledged, "I forgive you, anyway. You'll have to see what Pacifica thinks obviously."
"You're very forgiving. Dipper is lucky to have you as a sister."
Mabel glowered, looking away from her new friend.
"I better go," Missy changed the topic, pulling a pen from her purse and grabbing Mabel's palm, "here's my number in case you can't get ahold of Pacifica."
"Great, I'll text you for sure!" She smiled, waving as Melissa disappeared into the crowd.
Mabel's buzz was now completely killed, her body finally cooling down after she had been running around in a tizzy for so long. She found an empty chair next to Grunkle Stan and folded into it promptly, resting her chin on her hands.
"Who was the douchey looking kid I had to pretend to be interested in?" Stan started, not taking his eyes off the dance floor.
"Pacifica's boyfriend."
"Yikes, that sounds like trouble."
"Yep, and Dipper lied to me all about it, too." She grumbled, frustration building her anxiety back up.
"No offense, sweetheart, but if Pacifica has a boyfriend, Dipper probably needs a little more comforting than you do. Sounds like he might need a good talkin to from his uncle..."
Mabel looked at Stan, astonished that he was offering to comfort her brother.
"Oh, no, not me! God no. We'll leave that conversation to Ford. I think I've hit my quota of teenage drama for the summer, thank you very much" he kicked his feet out, leaning back in his chair.
Mabel snorted, mimicking his stance and watching the party-goers enjoy their evening. She decided she'd had enough drama, too. She'd rather sit back with Stan then go back out into that shark tank of a dance floor. At least here she had a moment to relax.
"And Mabel?"
"Yeah, Grunkle Stan?"
"Don't be too hard on him."
"I'll try."
