Thank you to Butt-toucher 3000, GLaHeRa, Smiles1998, Christina730, Zebragirl, and BakuganNerd52 for your reviews on chapter thirteen.
In this chapter there will be some tension between Dipper and Cornelius, a bit of Dipcifica, and Stan will have an important announcement for everyone.
Pacifica stared wide eyed at the boy before her. He had been one of the few not to shun her after the news of her father reached the public's ears. Although most of their previous encounters included polite conversation, and one shared dance during the Spring Formal.
Mabel found it hard to look away. Everything about him was physically pleasing. She held her breath as Cornelius ran a hand through his chestnut waves. Dipper on the other hand looked upon him with a wrinkled nose.
"Who is this?" Dipper finally asked.
Pacifica started. She looked back at her boyfriend and his sister who nearly drooled over the sight of her classmate.
"Cornelius Grand, a friend from school," Pacifica introduced. She then held her hand out towards her boyfriend. "Dipper Pines my-"
"Her boyfriend," Dipper blurted as he took hold of Cornelius' hand.
The two shook with firm grips, all the while Cornelius grinned. Cornelius stood a head taller than Dipper, but the latter didn't let the height difference intimidate him. Pacifica felt bile rising up her throat.
"Don't let Pinetree fool ya, he's got a powerful punch," Bill whispered to Wendy.
The redhead glanced over her shoulder and whispered back, "I love Dipper, but this boy would flatten him."
"Want to place a wager?" Bill asked.
"Guys, that's enough," Soos said and stepped between the two. He put a hand on both Wendy and Bill's shoulder then looked over at the two adolescent boys. In the back of his mind he feared for his friend's safety.
Cornelius released his hold on Dipper and threw his arm around Pacifica's shoulder.
"So how about it?" Cornelius asked. "Do you want to accompany me?"
Pacifica pushed her elbow in a vain attempt to rid herself of Cornelius' hold. "I'm here with Dipper," she answered.
"And other friends," Cornelius said with a laugh. He put his hand under her chin. "What's one more?"
"Did you not just hear her?" Dipper interrupted. The older boy locked eyes with the fuming Pines boy. "I'm her boyfriend and she's hanging out with me." Dipper then pushed Cornelius off of Pacifica.
Cornelius slammed his forearm against Dipper's throat and pinned him against the cinder block wall. Pacifica gasped and Wendy held her arm out in front of the blonde.
Dipper struggled against Cornelius' hold all while the latter glared at the former.
"Do yourself a favor and keep your hands off of me," Cornelius warned. He leaned closer and warned, "I'm not one to be messed with."
Dipper grabbed Cornelius' arm that held onto him with one hand and pushed the other hand up under the larger boy's armpit. Dipper then shifted his weight downwards forcing Cornelius to stumble. Dipper then used his knee to push Cornelius against the very same wall he held him against a moment before, then he pinned Cornelius' arm against his back.
"I should give you the same warning," Dipper spat.
"Ooh, to bad we didn't make that bet," Bill said.
Wendy chuckled, though glad she didn't have to fork up of a few dollars, or whatever her friend wanted to wager. Soos let out a breath he didn't know he held.
Cornelius dark eyes glared at the smaller boy. Dipper released and Cornelius hurried to his feet. He rubbed at his sore shoulder and rotated his arm. Pacifica's heart raced at the glare the other boy set on her boyfriend. Dipper noticed her discomfort and stepped in front of her.
"You will regret this, Pines," Cornelius warned.
"Oh, just leave him alone," came a high pitched voice from behind.
The group turned to see a petite girl with a cute face. She wore a pink bikini and her blonde curls were tied up into side pigtails. The girl rushed at Pacifica and engulfed her in an embrace.
"I thought I wouldn't see you all summer!" Crystal exclaimed. She clapped her hands while hopping.
Pacifica introduced all her friends to Crystal. Soos and Bill exchanged glances having met her once before. Mabel shook her hand and complimented her hair which made the curly-haired girl gush.
"This must be your handsome boyfriend you've told me all about," Crystal said and took both of Dipper's hands in hers.
Dipper smiled. He then noticed Pacifica standing behind her and his smile relaxed just a bit. He pulled away from Crystal's hold and coughed into his hand which made the girl giggle.
"Well, we were just passing through," Pacifica said.
Crystal nodded. "I'm so happy I got to see you today." She then put her hands on either side of her face and shook her head. "Especially if you won't be coming back to the academy this year."
"You're not?" Mabel asked.
Pacifica shrugged. "I haven't heard yet," she confessed. "My mom is trying her best to keep me enrolled, but with my dad locked up and our funds on hold, I might have to go to public school instead."
"Senior year too," Crystal said with a pout. "It's supposed to be the best time of your life and you'll be surrounded by people you don't know."
Or who don't like me, Pacifica added in her head.
Dipper put his hand atop Pacifica's. "School is a couple months away." He smiled at his girlfriend. "I want to spend my time away from that place with her." He leaned in and kissed Pacifica on the mouth which made Cornelius grit his teeth. The two parted and Pacifica decided to forgive her boyfriend for his momentary slip of intrigue towards Crystal.
Dipper led the way and the two walked on up the stairs that led to the desired waterslide. Cornelius clenched his fists by his side as he watched the blonde drift farther away her hand tucked into the sweaty boy's palm. A finger tapped him on the shoulder and he looked to his right to see Mabel smiling up at him with her hands folded.
"If you want, I can ride with you," Mabel offered.
Cornelius scoffed. "What are you, twelve?" he asked.
Mabel frowned. "I'm sixteen," she said and pointed to herself. "Me and Dipper are twins."
The boy raised an eyebrow and scrutinized the Pines girl. "Maybe when you grow up some," he said and walked away with a hand in the air.
Crystal gasped and gave a quick apology to Mabel then ran after the retreating boy. From what she could see it appeared that Crystal scolded Cornelius for his words.
"Want me to grind him up?" Wendy asked with a fist pumped.
"Nah, that buttface isn't worth it," Mabel said unable to hide the hurt in her voice. Wendy tried to reason with her, but Mabel only shook her head. She gave the other three her best smile.
"How 'bout some ice cream?" Soos offered. "Double scoop."
Mabel smiled and quickly nodded. "But first!" she exclaimed and grabbed hold of Bill's wrist. She pointed to the path that Pacifica and Dipper recently walked. "Waterslide!"
At the top of the slide Pacifica sat in front of the raft with Dipper behind her. The two grabbed onto the rubber handles while the ride conductor pushed them down the slide. Pacifica screamed when gravity pulled at her stomach. The two plummeted down the twisting yellow slide as water splashed them in the face.
The raft flipped over when they landed in the water. The two heads popped through the surface, both laughing. Pacifica pushed a few stray blonde strands from her face. The wet hair stuck up which only made Dipper laugh harder. He took hold of her hand with his left and pulled the empty raft with his right. The float was handed off to a worker who tossed it on a conveyor belt.
The two helped each other out of the water and stood over to the side to wait for their friends. As they stood beneath the shade Pacifica leaned her head on Dipper's shoulder. He then pressed his head against hers and slipped his arm around her waist.
Both looked up when they heard the yell that was obviously Mabel's. Her arms were in the air as her and Bill's float splashed into the water. Mabel fell forward in the water then jumped back up with the announcement she was okay. Bill pointed at the brunette and laughed. Mabel splashed him in the face. Bill jolted and spit out the dirty water then sent a glare in Mabel's direction.
At noon the six met back up with the Pines brothers back at the pool. Stan waved as they approached. From the looks of his damp clothes he had taken a round in the pool sometime before their arrival. Ford however had not looked up from his book until Stan threw a towel at his face.
Ford sat up, dropping the science fiction novel on the ground. He gripped at his falling glasses then glared at his laughing brother as he secured them back on his face.
Dipper caught sight of the book's title and his face lit up. Before anyone could take a breath the two nerds were in deep conversation of the book's plot, nuances, and themes. Ford however was more concerned on how accurate the author was on multi dimensional travel.
Mabel rolled her eyes. She looked over at the other members of their party. "Okay, so while they're in dork world, can we go get something to eat?"
"Yeah, before my stomach starts to communicate with whales," Soos added.
"Sounds like a plan," Stan said and stood. He cracked his back then walked over and smacked Ford over the head. "We're gonna get some lunch."
Ford closed the book and inserted it into his bag. He and Dipper promised they would make time to discuss the novel later in the week after Ford finished the last five chapters.
The eight sat at the table enjoying burgers and fries (except for Bill who ordered chicken tenders as one experience with Stan's cooking ruined hamburgers for him forever). Stan looked around at the group. All of them had finished the majority of their meals. It was finally time.
"Hey, look, everyone," Stan began. He waited until all eyes were on him. "You're probably all wonderin' why I decided to let us take off and come here today."
He received nods from all of his employees. Ford took a sip from his soda also intrigued to Stan's sudden spark of generosity.
"The truth is I got an important announcement to make," Stan said.
Mabel and Dipper exchanged glances. For a moment they wondered that their beloved great-uncle had been diagnosed with some inoperable illness. Mabel bit down on her lip to keep herself from crying.
"As much as I hate to admit, I'm gettin' older," Stan said.
"Grunkle Stan," Mabel cried.
Soos held his hands against his mouth and tears welled up in his eyes. Wendy reached over and patted him on the back.
"Oh, save your waterworks, Soos, I ain't dyin'," Stan spat. A collective laugh erupted from the group. Stan leaned back in his chair with his near empty cup in hand. "Look, the point is it's my golden years. I want to enjoy the benefits."
"You're retiring?" Dipper asked.
Stan grinned. "I say I earned it," he boasted with a proud smile.
Ford rolled his eyes and muttered something about it being the opposite. Stan sent him a dirty look then smiled at the rest of the company.
"Point is I wanna spend more time with my wife, maybe do some travelin', spend some days at the beach, y'know, not havin' to worry 'bout the business," Stan said. The other seven ears listened intently. "I've given it a lot of thought, and I've come to a decision."
The younger twins looked at each other. Dipper glanced over at Ford who looked just as clueless as the rest of the people at the table.
Stan clapped the man to his left on the shoulder. Soos looked up at Stan with watery eyes.
"Soos, you're the best employee I've ever had," Stan said. The others at the table voiced their agreement. Stan patted the younger man on the shoulder twice. "At the end of the summer, the Mystery Shack passes to you."
Soos went silent. Everyone else applauded. Wendy put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Mabel shook Soos' hand and offered him congratulations.
Once Soos realized he wasn't asleep a huge grin spread over his face. His lip quivered and he tried his best to hold back the tears but a few slipped through.
"Thank you, Mr. Pines," Soos said and pulled his boss into a hug.
After the shock wore off Stan patted him on the back. "Don't make a fool of yourself, Soos," Stan said. "I still got a reputation to uphold."
"Will you be leaving the shack?" Mabel asked.
Stan shook his head. "Me and Sue might not be there as much, but it'll still be our residence."
The twins looked at each other. Dipper then turned towards his girlfriend who smiled. The news was good, but the three teens couldn't shake the feeling of sudden sorrow.