Echoes Of A Nearby Future
Chapter Twenty One
Dipper stirred as his alarm shattered the previously silent Monday morning. Beside the seventeen year old lay Wendy, who let out a large snore at the loud noise emanating from the table beside her. The brown haired boy stifled a laugh as he gently reached over the still resting redhead and grabbed his phone. Pressing the screen, the young man silenced the annoyance and the room once again fell still. Placing his hand on her t-shirt clad shoulder, the teen apprehensively rocked his girlfriend back and forth gently before speaking. "Hey sleepyhead… Wake up Wendy…" Dipper said in a soft and playful voice as he tried not to startle the still traumatized woman. His efforts were met with indifference as the scarlet haired twenty year old continued to rest. "Wendy… Time to wake up…" the teenager said in a slightly louder voice, causing the ginger woman to stir a bit. "Wendy… Hey… It's time to wake up… We have to get ready to say goodbye to Stan and Ford…" Dipper continued.
"Ughhh…" Wendy groaned as her eyelids opened and the bright light of the early morning sun cast into her emerald eyes. A small smile formed on her face as she realized that for the second time in a week she had woken up in Dipper Pine's bed. "Morning Dip…" the woman said as she let out a long and lazy yawn. "Morning Wen…" the teenage boy replied. Dipper pushed himself towards the end of the bed and placed his feet down on the hardwood floor beneath him. Wendy took in the sight of her boyfriend's toned body as he sat on the edge of the queen sized mattress. The young woman scooted down to the end of the bed and joined the seventeen year old. "What time is it dude?" the scarlet haired woman said as yet another yawn escaped her. "It's seven fifteen…" Dipper answered as he too yawned. "It's too damn early to be up… Especially after last night…" Wendy commented as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. "I know… If the Grunkles weren't leaving I wouldn't have even bothered to set an alarm…" the brown haired boy said as he wrapped his arm around the young woman seated next to him.
"I feel like I got hit by a truck…" the redhead said as she copied her boyfriend and wrapped a slender arm around his shoulders. "On three?" asked Dipper. "On three…" Wendy replied. "One… Two… Three!" the pair said in unison as they arose from the edge of the bed. Dipper walked over to his nightstand to retrieve his anti-anxiety medication. After placing a pill in his mouth and chasing it with a gulp of flat water, the brown haired teen turned around to catch his girlfriend stretching, with her arms raised above her head. The move caused the hemline of her shirt to playfully rise, revealing her red and black flannel patterned panties. The teen boy liked what he saw and approached the young woman as she let out a yawn. "I can't believe I'm gonna do this!" Dipper thought to himself as he raised his hand and flattened it out, before moving it towards the exposed backside of Wendy. With a light tap, his hand made contact with the soft flesh of his girlfriend's posterior, causing her to yelp a bit and jump forward.
Dipper immediately regretted the decision, as he was still unsure of what the young woman was and wasn't comfortable with. He hid the offending hand behind his back as Wendy turned around to face him. A light blush adorned the freckled cheeks of his girlfriend. "Mason Alexander Pines… Did you just smack my ass?!" the woman asked. "I-I… Uh… I… Um…" the embarrassed teen stammered as Wendy fought the urge to bust out laughing. She loved to get the brown haired teen flustered, even when they had just been friends. This would be a chance for payback after scaring her with the whole car incident yesterday, she decided. "And just what made you think that you could do that?!" the redhead said in an offended voice as she continued the ruse. "Wendy… I-I… I'm so sorry… I don't know what I was thinking… I guess…" the young man continued as a look of fear came over his face. "I'm not just something that you can do whatever you please with…" the young woman said as she stepped up to the slightly shorter teen. "I just… You were so… So…" Dipper continued as he tried to explain himself to the clearly agitated woman. "I was so what?! Hot? Cute?... I-Is that what you were going to say?" the redhead said as she placed both hands on the shoulders of the confused teen boy. "Y-Yea-" was all he was able to get out before Wendy pressed her body up against him and placed her mouth mere inches from his ear. "I know that… But if you're gonna smack my ass, put some force behind it… I can take it…" the auburn haired woman said as she removed her right hand and placed it behind her. Dipper looked on as his girlfriend proceeded to slap her backside as hard as she could, causing her to whimper a bit in pain.
"Oh… I-I thought that you didn't like it or someth-" was all he could say before being interrupted by a soft set of lips. "There… Now we're even for the whole car thing…" Wendy said as she began to laugh. A confused look formed on the face of Dipper. "I was just fuckin' with you dude… I-I actually liked it… I think it took a lot of bravery on your part to do it…" the young officer said as she slid off her t-shirt, leaving her clad in just her panties. "What time do we have to be ready by?" asked the young woman as she grabbed Dipper's hand and led him back towards the bed. "I'd say nine or so, because their bus leaves at eleven, and we only have two bathrooms in here…" Dipper explained. "Great! That gives us plenty of time!" an excited Wendy said as she crawled back onto the mattress. The pair began to make out as clothes and inhibitions were shed between the two lovers. The pair tried to remain as quiet as they could, as the last thing they wanted was to create awkwardness on the Grunkle's last day in town.
About an hour later, Dipper rolled over in the bed and kissed the still glowing Wendy. "That was great…" the teenager said in a worn out voice. "I know, right?" the redhead replied. "I'll let you grab a shower first… I only take a few minutes and the hot water tends to run out pretty fast…" the young man said to his girlfriend. "Thanks man… I've gotta say… If I knew how much cutting my hair would speed up my whole bathroom routine in the morning, I would have done it a while ago…" the scarlet haired woman said with a laugh. "Not to mention how great it looks!" the brown haired teen added. "Okay, now you're just kissing my ass…" Wendy teased as she stood up from the bed. Dipper couldn't resist and pecked his lips on the porcelain backside of his girlfriend. "Nah… Now I'm kissing your ass!" the teen teased as they both let out a laugh. "On that note… I'm gonna go jump in the shower…" Wendy said she threw on the bright pink robe she borrowed from Mabel the last time she spent the night in the Mystery Shack.
About fifteen minutes later, the redhead returned and removed her robe, revealing her freshly cleaned body to Dipper. "Your turn…" the young woman said as she gathered her clothes off of the hardwood floor. Dipper, who was in just his sleep pants, opened the door and walked down to the bathroom at the end of the hall. After taking a shower, the teenager returned to the room, where he found Wendy already dressed. "Geez… And I was afraid I'd take long in the shower…" the redhead teased. "Hey… I happen to find showers very relaxing" the teen retorted. After throwing on a pair of slim blue jeans, an orange t-shirt and a black zip up hoodie, he was ready to grab some breakfast. The couple walked hand in hand to the kitchen, where much to their surprise, no meal awaited them. Soos emerged from the living room to greet the couple. "Morning dawgs! We're gonna go out for breakfast today, so get ready to head out in a few" Mr. Mystery informed the couple before leaving the room. "I bet we're going to Greasy's… I hope it isn't too awkward after what happened…" Wendy apprehensively said as she looked to her boyfriend. "It'll be alright… We're with family…" Dipper reassured the nervous woman. After having a short family meeting in the living room about who would ride with whom, the group exited the Mystery Shack and made their way to the parking lot. Soos, Melody, Stan and Ford loaded up into a dark blue Nassin TerraX sport utility that Melody bought after permanently moving to Gravity Falls nearly five years ago. Dipper and Wendy got into the seventeen year old's black 1968 Fjord Stallion Fastback. Melody's car led the way as the rumbling muscle car followed closely behind. After about a twenty minute ride, the two vehicles arrived at Greasy's Diner, just as Wendy anticipated.
After stretching a bit, the group made their way into the restaurant that resided on the edge of town near the bus station. "Morning guys!" a peppy voice shouted. "Yeesh… Somebody should switch to decaf…" Stan muttered under his breath. A bubbly blonde appeared from behind the counter, clad in her sky blue and white uniform. "Hey Alexa!" Wendy cheerfully greeted the petite woman. "Hey! How are you doing today hun?" the waitress asked as she looked at the deep purple bruise that adorned the otherwise pale and freckled skin of the taller redhead's face. "I'm doing a lot better… Thanks again for being so awesome yesterday" Wendy said. "No problem! Glad I could help!... You guys follow me!" the energetic young woman said as she grabbed six menus and led the group to a large round booth at the end of the diner. After taking their seats, the waitress asked what drinks they would like. A round of coffee was ordered and Alexa soon disappeared behind the counter.
The rest of the breakfast was relatively uneventful, as the hungry congregation of friends and family dug into the final meal they would share together for a long time. Alexa would occasionally come by to ask if anyone needed a refill on their coffee, but for the most part it was a rather peaceful dining experience for the soon to be separated group. They took breaks from the meal to share stories from years gone by, as well as observations about other patrons. The end of the meal fast approached as Melody began to feel anxious. The Grunkle's bus was scheduled to leave in twenty minutes, and yet their check had yet to arrive. She flagged down Alexa, in hopes of leaving the diner in short order.
"Excuse me! Miss!" Melody shouted to the young waitress who was a few booths away collecting a tip. The blue dress clad woman sprinted over to the rather large round table to see what was the matter. "Yes Ma'am, what can I help you with?" the blonde asked. "I was just wondering if we can get the check… I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but we really have to be on our way…" Melody informed the bubbly young woman. "Oh… Don't worry about that… It's been taken care of, so you can leave whenever you want…" Alexa replied. "Oh… Well… Thanks!" Melody said in a grateful matter. "Alexa… You really didn't have to… I mean, I know I can't expect you pay for my meal every time I come in here…" Wendy said to the waitress. "Oh… I think you're mistaken… This time it wasn't me… It was my grandma!" the blonde replied. "Well… Tell her thanks! It means a lot!" Wendy instructed the young woman. "I'll let you tell her yourselves… Hey Grandma Susan! They're ready to go!" the petite employee shouted across the crowded restaurant.
Lazy Susan made her way over to the round booth at the far end of the restaurant. "Thanks Alexa! Table nine needs some ketchup…" the owner of the diner informed her granddaughter. "On it!" she shouted before taking off as if she were in a race of some sort. "Alexa's such a sweetheart, isn't she?" the older woman asked her friends. The group nodded in agreement. "It'll be a shame when she leaves at the end of the summer… But she's working here to save up some money to go to the Olympics for gymnastics, so I'll have plenty of time to spend with her until then… Speaking of which… I understand that you guys are leaving today…" the grey haired woman said as she pointed to Stan and Ford. "Well… I just wanted to say once again that I'm sorry for your loss… And also that I wish you safe travels to wherever it is you're going after this…" she continued. "Thanks Susan…" Ford said he shot her a smile. "Yeah… Thanks for the free grub… I-I get that anytime I happen to drop by… Right?" Stan asked before being elbowed in the ribs by Wendy. "I-I mean… Thank you for the well wishes and the great gift of this meal…" the older man quickly corrected himself. "You're welcome!" Susan said before walking away to attend to a quickly growing fire in the kitchen.
The group left the diner and headed across the street to the bus station. Ford and Stan each carried their single suitcases, which they had packed in a hurry when the news of their great-niece's passing reached them nearly three weeks ago. The bus rumbled up to the platform as the group shared one final hug. "We'll call you when we get to New Jersey!" Ford reassured everyone before stepping onto the bus. "One second!" Stan shouted up the staircase towards the driver. The older man walked over to Dipper and Wendy, bringing them aside from the rest of the gathering. "I love you guys… I'm going to miss the heck outta ya, but I know that you guys have this…" the grey haired man said with misty eyes as he wrapped both young people into a tight embrace. After breaking the embrace Dipper extended his hand. Stan quickly took it and firmly shook. After the reassuring handshake, the grizzled old man leaned in and kissed the cheek of Wendy, much to her surprise. "You kids take care..." Stan said as he entered the doorframe of the bus. The motor coach began to move with Stanley still hanging onto the doorframe; waving goodbye to the ones he loved most as if he were some sort of presidential candidate departing a campaign rally. Tears formed in the eyes of Melody, Soos, Dipper and Wendy as the bus drove further and further away towards the horizon.
After taking a minute to collect themselves, the two remaining couples crossed the street and got back into their cars. The ride back was silent in both vehicles, as the occupants wondered what lay ahead for the rest of the summer. Dipper would soon move out of the Mystery Shack to join Wendy in her apartment downtown. While Soos and Melody were a bit saddened at the fact that they would spend the summer by themselves, Dipper and Wendy reassured them that they would be frequent guests of the home and would even have a few sleepovers. The third week of the fateful summer drew to a close as uncertainty loomed over the quartet of friends, as well as the entire town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Author's note: Well… Here it is. What a ride. Thank you for all the views, reviews and follows. This was a fun story to write and your encouragement helped me immensely. I'm going to miss telling this particular story, but it had to end sometime. I may take a little time off to figure out where I want the story to go next, but rest assured that I will return soon to continue the "Shooting Star Falls" universe. My first story after this will be the party Tambry promised to hold once Dipper and Wendy were in better places. She decides to throw it on the Fourth of July… What could go wrong with some underage drinking, raging hormones and fireworks? Most of what I'll be doing will be one-shots in this universe while I flesh out my next story, which will take place fifteen years in the future from the end of this story. Any guesses on what may be in store for our beloved heroes?
Once again, my soundtrack while writing this chapter. I'm going to try to explain where certain songs inspired me to write a certain way, as well as where I'd have them play if this were a TV show or movie.
Weezer – "Feels Like Summer" I would have this playing at the beginning of the chapter. Look up the lyrics… I promise that you'll be as amazed as I was with how well it syncs up to the story. Even the melody in parts seems to flow with the original Gravity Falls Theme.
The Naked And Famous – "Higher"
–"High Enough"
888 – "Older Now"
Mona – "In the Middle"
alt-J " - In Cold Blood"
Best Coast – "Something In The Way"
Bastille – "Blame"
Beck – "Wow"
Lorde – "Green Light"
Angel Olsen – "Give It Up"
Royal Blood – "Lights Out"
CHVRCHES/Hayley Williams – "Bury It"
Joywave – "Now"
All That Remains – "The Waiting One"
Pop Evil – "Deal With The Devil" (Just something I thought fit Bill Cipher)
Blink 182 – "Home Is Such A Lonely Place" I imagine this playing at the end of the chapter as a shot starts out at the shade covered tombstones of Mabel and Pacifica, before panning further and further out from Gravity Falls; a pair of shooting stars streaking across an otherwise blue sky.