Chapter Ten
(Dipper)
I stood at my locker, checking to be sure I had everything I needed for class. Mabel stood at my side, poking me in the ribs repeatedly. I didn't mind it, though. She did that all the time. "Sooo, how have things been between you and Bill the past few weeks?" she asked, tugging at my jacket's hood. I closed my locker, turning to face her. "Fine," I said, holding back a grin. Mabel jumped up and down joyfully, hearts in her eyes. "How fine is fine? And how genius am I? Have you guys said 'I love you' yet? Oh, please tell me you've said it! And how damn good a kisser is-" she was talking way too fast for me to follow her rambling. I smacked my hand against her mouth to silence her, but she just raised an eyebrow. I felt something wet against my palm and immediately pulled it back.
"Ugh, gross..." I muttered, wiping my hand on my jeans. She giggled, looking at me for answers expectantly. I sighed, deciding to channel my inner Mabel and answer as quickly as possible. "Fine is fine. Uh, pretty genius. No we haven't. And that-" I started slyly, turning and heading off towards my next class. "Is for me to know and you to never find out." Mabel squealed, following behind me. "So he's pretty great, right? Bill seems like he'd be a really good kisser. You should totally tell me. I need to know these things, bro-bro. It isn't very nice to keep secrets from your sister! Come on! If you don't tell me then I know a certain blonde that will~" she cooed, grinning like a maniac.
I raised my hands up in defeat. I knew she was right. Bill had zero shame when it came to those kinds of things. "Alright alright! So pushy..." I muttered, crossing my arms. I stopped walking, just noticing the fact that the hallway had emptied already. We seemed to be the only people still there, besides Gorney, who was desperately trying to yank the bottom of his shirt out of his locker. Why he didn't just open it was beyond me. I looked down at the ground, then back up at my sister. I opened my mouth to tell her what she wanted to know with as few details as possible. She'd no doubt fill in the blanks for me anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if she had some kind of blog dedicated to stuff like this. Actually, I was pretty sure she did.
I was about to say something when I heard laughter coming from behind me. I was sure I knew who the voice belonged to. It was so disgustingly familiar. I began to turn around when something crashed into the side of my head. Eyes wide with horror, I crumpled to the ground. "D-Dipper?!" I heard Mabel yell. She collapsed onto her knees in front of me, reaching out her hands to inspect the damage. I sat up, grasping my head in my own hands. "What was that...?" I croaked, a throbbing pain in my temple. She looked over my shoulder, eyes narrowed contemptuously.
She scooted over to my side some, outstretching a hand to pick up whatever had hit me. "Oh, broseph... This is..." she seemed unable to say it. Her eyes flicked up towards me and she grabbed my wrist, placing the object in my palm. Confused, I held it up. A round, dusty gray stone. There was a red smudge on it where it had collided with the side of my head. It was likely a wonder I hadn't been knocked out. Still, that wasn't what left me speechless. Written in capital letters across the smooth surface was a word I never thought I'd ever be called. A word I dreaded, despised. 'FAGGOT'. My mouth hung agape, stunned and arrantly horrified.
I looked up, and my eyes met the identical ones belonging to Mabel. She wore a hurt and suddenly somber expression. "Dipper, that's harassment. We should tell the principal, a teacher, something," she said, taking the rock from my hand. I shook my head, forcing myself to stand. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mabs. All that happened was I tripped and banged my head. And now I should probably go to the nurse's office. It feels like I'm bleeding," I replied, stumbling a bit. I was suddenly really dizzy, but I did my best to keep myself steady. Mabel knew what I was doing, and she clearly didn't agree with it. Still, she pocketed the stone and rushed to my side, helping keep me upright on my wobbling legs.
The bell rang, signalling that we were late. Neither of us paid it any mind as she assisted me in hobbling painstakingly towards the nurse's office. Once I stepped through the door, the bored looking woman at her desk glanced up. She took one look at me and sprang up from her seat quickly. She darted over to me, grabbing my face and tilting my head so she could inspect the wound. "What happened?" she asked worriedly, lightly touching the spot I had been hit. I flinched, but didn't complain. "I just tripped is all..." I replied quietly, not enjoying the disapproving glare Mabel was shooting towards me.
The nurse instructed me to sit down on the bed in the corner, and I did as I was told silently. I watched her take out various supplies for treating the cut on my head. I pulled my cap off and toyed with it. "Thank you for bringing him here, but you should probably head back to class. Just tell your teacher that you were here and I'm sure they'll understand," the woman said, lightly shaking a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Mabel nodded, glimpsing over at me with her annoyingly sad eyes. Why did that make me feel bad? It was my choice. I just wanted to forget about it.
She sighed, turning away and leaving. I hoped to god she didn't decide to tell Bill or Pacifica about the entire situation. The nurse pivoted on her heels to face me, supplies in hand. She sat them down on the bed beside me, leaning down to press a small wet cloth against my head. I hissed in pain. There must've been alcohol on it, because it stung like hell. I hated going to doctor's offices and hospitals. It was always the worst experience for me, even when it was something as small as this. "Do you feel nauseous or dizzy at all, like you might be sick?" the woman asked, pulling the cloth off the throbbing wound. I shook my head, watching her as she reached over and grabbed at a square bandage and started unwrapping it.
"I did feel wobbly earlier, but that's it," I said honestly. She hummed, lifting up my bangs and gently pushing the bandage against my head. "Then you don't have a concussion, but you still shouldn't push yourself too much the rest of the day. You should go straight home and rest," she advised, pulling one of her hands away from me. Her other one stayed where it was, thumb tracing the mark on my forehead lightly. "What a strange pattern..." she said softly, brows creased together. I looked away, blushing in embarrassment. "People tend to think so," I replied, running my fingers along the rim of my hat awkwardly.
The nurse laughed, smoothing my hair back down and standing up. "Strange is a good thing. Keeps people on their toes; keeps them guessing," she said, leaning over and picking up her supplies. She stepped over to the very organized white shelves to put them back where they belonged. I watched her in slight amazement, caught off guard by the compliment. People usually made the same joke regarding my name every time they saw it. She turned her head back to look at me from the shelves across the room. Her expression was suddenly not quite so cheerful. "And speaking of strange occurrences, what really happened to your head?" she asked, a worried edge to her tone.
I shook my head, a nervous smile plucking at my lips. "I already told you what happ-" but her knowing stare cut me off. I sighed, a hand over the bandage. "How'd you know?" I asked, eyes low to the ground. The woman smiled, her long obsidian hair swaying behind her as she stepped towards me. "I have this thing called 'a woman's intuition', and it sounds like I was right on the mark with it. Really, you men should listen to us more often. We know what we're talking about," she teased, sitting down in a blue swivel chair. She let it glide over to be directly in front of me. I chuckled at the comment she'd made, although I still wasn't sure about telling her what really happened.
She pressed a finger to her lips. "I swear secrecy, if that makes you feel any better. And hey, I'll tell you a few embarrassing things about me if that helps!" she said all too quickly, reminding me a bit of my insane sister. "Let's see.. My last name is Donovan now but my maiden name is actually Nympho! Just imagine all of the attention I got when my email address was quite aptly Nymphomaniac22. When I was little, I wanted to be a crazy cat lady because boys are icky and cats make better snugglers anyway. Oh, and I actually do have a cat. His name is Pootwad because my husband insisted upon it," she went on and on, laughing at her own stories. I joined her, finding her energy and lack of shame amusing. "See, kid! Strange is a wonderful thing. Makes people a little more colorful, don'cha think?" she asked, leaning back in her chair.
I found myself more relaxed around her. She was fun and out there, but also seemed really laid back. I liked that. "Yeah," I replied, putting my cap back on. She grinned, an expectant look in her russet eyes. I sighed. "You promise this stays between us?" I asked, reluctant. Mrs. Donovan nodded, crossing her heart. I glanced down at the ground, then back up at her. I recounted the entire story. I told her about the stone, what it said, the laughter. I even went out of my way some to tell her about dating Bill and the high level of confusion that came with that. I finished, watching her for a few moments.
She had a hand on her chin, thinking very deeply. Her eyes were narrowed at nothing in particular, and she had crossed her legs. "Young love is a very dangerous thing," she eventually said. I blinked, unsure what I was supposed to say to that. Her eyes flicked towards me, cheerful but still somewhat serious. "I'm sure you've heard of the caste system in India. Social status in high school is a lot like that. There are the nobles and priests, which are high on the ladder. The popular kids fall somewhere along those lines. And I'm guessing this boy you've been dating is up there with them. But the lowest rung of the ladder, the dorky kids that don't really follow the crowd. They are a lot like the untouchables, and you have the displeasure of being one of them," she explained, but I still found myself confused.
"Ya see, dating outside of your circle is like a taboo. And you, my friend-" she pointed towards me. "have committed one. It doesn't help that you're dating another boy, either. Teenagers are vicious, and they're always on the prowl for flaws or abnormalities. It's a shame, but no matter where you go, people are going to judge you. They're going to continue doing things like this, kicking you while you're down and pouring salt on your wounds," she said, the playful glint in her eye disappearing to reveal the truth behind her words. I looked down, scratching at my fingernails. "But guess what, kid," she went on, standing up. I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the ground.
"It's going to get better. Social status never really goes away, but people stop caring so much once you get older. Unless you magically become a celebrity, then you should really kiss your privacy goodbye," she said with a laugh, pushing her chair back towards her desk. "My point here is you're going to wade through a lot of shit before you reach your goals. The same can be said about a lot of things. If anything, you should thank the guys being jerks to you now, because you'll be a lot better for it later." I thought about her words for a bit. Once they fully sunk in, I grinned and stood up from where I'd been on the bed. "I appreciate it, Mrs. Donovan," I said thankfully, turning towards her.
She waved a hand dismissively, leaning over a small green slip of paper. "Oh, nobody calls me that. It's Penelope. And your name is...?" she asked, holding her pen over a line on the slip. "Dipper Pines," I responded. She printed my name down on the paper with a faint giggle. "Of course it is," she cooed, standing up straight and holding the slip out towards me. "Weird. I like it." I took the paper with a nod, turning towards the door. I don't know what it was about her that I'd liked so much, but something told me I'd see a lot more of her after this first encounter. "Thanks, uh... Penelope," I said, opening the door. She waved, sitting back down in her chair and resuming whatever she'd been doing before I came in. I headed off towards class yet again, a new feeling of positivity making itself evident in my expression.
I stood at the front of the class. It was my turn to present the project Bill and I had been working on for the past month. I had insisted upon being the one to do so because despite what some might believe based on my appearance, I was actually pretty good at speaking in public. Maybe it was because once I get invested in something, I become extremely passionate about it. So I went through my entire speech, adding bits and pieces here and there, and pointing towards the display whenever I needed to make a point or simplify details. I knew I was in my element, and if we didn't pass with flying colors, then I'd probably flip a table. I mean, I had been more than a little bit thorough in my research. I had practically learned the entire history of a country in one month just for a project.
Once I finished, I stared out at the class. Pacifica had a grin on her face. It looked like she was about to laugh at my nerdiness, which I had pretty much come to expect from her. Other kids seemed uninterested, but also grateful I had taken my time so they could sit and finish whatever they hadn't already. Gideon was just staring at me with cold hatred, but I wrote it off as him just being the annoying little gremlin he was. Bill's jaw was slightly ajar, and he was clearly amazed by my performance. I beamed, stepping over to my desk and sitting down. The teacher moved my display out of the way to make room for the next student's presentation.
"Damn, Pine Tree. I didn't know you had that in you," Bill whispered, turning his head to face me. I scoffed, keeping my eyes on the nervous wreck of a girl at the front of the class. "One thing I will never understand is the fear of public speaking," I said quietly, chin resting on my hand. I glanced over at Bill. He had this starstruck look of admiration. Like it was some sort of impossible feat to be so laid back in front of people. "That was seriously awesome. You sold that whole thing up there, man. I guess living with a guy that swindles people for a career has its perks, huh?" he pointed out teasingly.
I chuckled softly, glancing over at Bill's face. He had a small smile playing on his lips that sent a bit of a current down my spine. "Yeah," I agreed, letting my eyes fall back towards the front of the room. The short, red headed girl stood beside her display, stuttering like she had no idea what she was talking about. I sincerely doubted she did. I huffed from my nose, bored and finding it difficult to follow the girl's ramblings. "You know, you still haven't told me what happened," Bill said after a moment. I blinked in confusion. "What?" I questioned almost inaudibly, but he seemed to hear me just fine.
"Your head, Pine Tree," he responded in a whisper. I turned my head to look at him, eyes expressing my slight horror. This time it was him that wasn't facing me. "O-oh. It's nothing really. I just bumped it, that's all," I said in a hushed voice, feeling the tips of my ears begin to burn. I knew I didn't sound all that convincing, but it was all I could think to say right then. Bill's eyes flicked towards the clock in the opposite corner. He didn't respond. I felt dread welling up inside me. I knew he didn't believe me, but I chose not to push it. With a blank stare, I watched the girl dart towards her seat and sit down, looking pale and even a bit nauseous.
A few minutes passed and the bell finally rang. With no need to pick up any of my things, I simply grabbed my bag and stood up. I glanced over at Bill, who was typing away on his phone. "You coming?" I asked, choosing to forget our previous conversation. I smiled weakly when his gaze flitted towards me. My expression then fell flat when he looked back at his phone. "You can go on without me," he replied blankly, pressing a button on the screen of what appeared to be an iPhone... 6 maybe? I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. He was mad at me for lying. He knew something was up. But was I not entitled to my privacy? "Okay," I said somberly, turning and heading off in the opposite direction.
I knew I was sulking over nothing. It really was my business alone, but I understood his worry. I probably would have been angry at him or Mabel for being secretive, especially if I believed someone had harmed them. And clearly that's what he thought. Or rather, knew. I sighed heavily, making my way towards the main entrance. I took my time, purposely keeping up a slow pace in hopes of running into Mrs. Donovan. I really needed some feminine advice right then, and was far too prideful to seek her out or speak to Mabel about it. I just wanted her to tell me to man up and tell Bill what happened. But he seemed like he had an easy to set off temper, at least based on what I'd seen of him. I didn't want him to find whoever threw the rock and hurt them. I just wanted to be done with it, because as much as I hated the word and the person who threw it and the situation, I was over it all.
But unfortunately, I never came into contact with the eccentric school nurse. Stepping outside, I saw Mabel waiting for me. She pocketed her phone and looked up at me with a friendly grin. "Hey bro. What's up? Headache?" she asked, still smiling, although it had taken on a tentative look. I shook my head, shoving my hands into the pockets of my sweatshirt blandly. "If you say so. Hey, where's..." her voice cut off. I thought for a moment that something was bothering her, but she started beaming incredibly. I always marveled at how adorable her smile was, especially after her braces had been removed. We were twins, but Mabel was no doubt the better looking of the both of us.
"You okay there, dumb dumb?" I asked teasingly, dropping my somber attitude and letting myself get infected with her peppy one. She nodded her head happily, eyes not quite on me. I raised an eyebrow, spinning on my heel to face whatever it was she was looking at. But before I even had any idea as to what was going on, I had been swept up into what was probably the greatest hug of my life. I staggered backwards some, but being held the way I was, there was no possible way for me to fall. "B-Bill?" I questioned in shock, eyes going wide. His head was buried into my neck, arms wound tightly around my body. I wondered briefly how he had gotten to me so fast, and how he had done so in complete silence. The most important question was, however, "Why?" I asked the question innocently, curiously.
Bill held me tighter, almost uncomfortably so. Still, I had no complaint. I felt Mabel's excited and fulfilled grin burning into the back of my head. "Shooting Star told me," Bill murmured, his breath against my neck. I tried to ignore that, however, and focus solely on what was being said. Of course she had. That's why he had been on his phone, and why Mabel had been as well. I hummed, bringing my own arms up to return the embrace. I readjusted myself so my forehead was pressed against his shoulder. I breathed in, Bill's cologne tickling my nose. It was somewhat bitter, yet still sweet enough to not be choking or overwhelming. Needless to say, I liked it a lot. It was simple and extravagant all at once. It was totally Bill.
He pulled back some, hands coming up to rest on each of my shoulders. There was a worried and yet furious look on his face, his lips forming a thin line. "I am going to find whoever threw that damned rock and I'm going to-" but my hands pressed against either side of his face stopped him in his tracks. I crashed my lips against his to shut him up completely, not minding the fact that we stood on school grounds right next to my sister and whoever else had seen. It didn't matter. Whatever I had to do to express the fact that I didn't care who liked us dating or not. I heard the click of Mabel's phone capturing the moment and smirked into the kiss. She just didn't know how to mind her own business, did she?
Breaking the contact, I leaned back to look up at Bill. He had this dumbfounded look on his face that I rolled my eyes at. "No. You're going to let it go like I am, and we're going to pretend nothing happened. You know how teachers always tell you to ignore these things because they'll go away that way? Yeah, we're going to start functioning under that mentality, got it?" I said firmly, eyes matching my tone. Bill blinked, staring at me blankly for a few moments. Then, his goofy, lopsided grin spread across his face. He chuckled. "Pine Tree, you are an enigma," he said playfully, eyes lit up with amusement. He seemed to have moved past the entire situation, which I thanked god for. I could only imagine the horror of what an angry Bill Cipher must have looked like.
"And don't you forget it," I responded with a smile.