~Chapter 25~

(Mabel's POV)

The rest of the day didn't really go so well.

I thought my stomach was agonizing but after I was done crying into Pacifica's shoulder like a frightened little kid—and being extremely embarrassed about it almost immediately after I was done—I tried to stand up. My ankle was downright excruciating. I once more required my maybe-former-enemy's help to get on my feet. Now that I had thawed out, yesterday seemed like such a blessing. The cold weather really numbed the pain...and now I was warm again. I could feel again. And OOOWWWWW...!

Yet another unfortunate aspect of my day was that my ankle—obviously—didn't go unnoticed by Grunkle Stan. He didn't hesitate to question it in detail about how it looked floppy and limp. Pacifica decided to stay in the attic for some reason... It was strange but if I really reminded her that much of Allie, then I could imagine this would upset her.

Dipper and Grunkle Stan, Stan thinking I'd tripped over a tree root and Dipper reluctantly backing me up on the excuse, were the ones to help me to the hospital. While Stan was driving, Dipper and I—in the back seat for this very reason—had the opportunity to privately discuss why I wasn't taken to the hospital immediately after I got home. The answer was logical but in some ways made little sense. I had been freezing so they left me in bed to warm up first. Three hours later, he and Pacifica had come up to get me to a hospital, but I wouldn't wake up. He said at first I grumbled a bit, but didn't actually wake. So, seeing as how I was just that exhausted, they decided to wait until morning...but I was still asleep. They didn't want to wake me up yet thanks to having been punched in the gut and whatever else Pacifica told my brother, so they let me sleep in. This brought into question—alongside a horrible panic inside my mind—what had been done about Josh. Dipper apparently had gone to answer the doorbell and called in a sick day for me, giving him the truth card about my ankle but leaving out how cold and tired I'd been getting home. He made sure to tell me he sounded sincere and this time, didn't glare at Josh when he left. He also told me Josh had called a couple of times afterward to check on me, but each call had only been answered with, "She's still asleep." I basically got off scot free, aside from the ankle of course.

I went in, made the tree root excuse, got confirmation that my ankle really was broken, had a cast put on my foot, got a pair of crutches, and went home. I wanted so badly to rest more, but Wendy and Soos were there waiting for me. I wanted to show them I was fine—being able to have a Josh-free day meant I was genuinely happy—so I toughed out my lingering exhaustion, smiled, and let them sign/draw on my cast. Dipper signed his name and drew a sloppy blue pine tree beside it. Soos got creative and used purple glitter glue to sign his name. Wendy drew a heart around her name. Grunkle Stan didn't even sign his name, he just drew a tall ladder with an "X" over it, probably referencing my fear of heights.

Pacifica had left by the time I got back. I didn't really know why. I'd had too rough a day to really care why. I knew it might nag at me later, but being hit that hard would take a heavy toll on anyone, no matter how much sleep they got. I was clearly not exempted from this rule.

For a while, I hung out with my family—which to me included Soos and Wendy. But as they slowly dispersed to go do their own thing, I sat in the chair snuggled in a blanket in front of the TV. Alone. The only other person there was Dipper, who had refused to leave my side this whole time. I wanted my own alone time to address my stomach. I still felt sick from that punch... And it was so painful. But, per usual, endurance was necessary. Besides, I was kind of used to the pain by now. What I wasn't used to was talking about it. I still had no idea how much Dipper knew. I did very much expect him to bring it up now that we were alone. Aaaaaand of course, he did no sooner than I thought that.

"So, Mabel, what's this I hear about a tree root again...?" he 'asked'.

I rolled my eyes. I would've huffed, pretending to be annoyed—because having an attitude was a sign I was strong enough to have an attitude—but when I tried, my breath caught in my throat. My stomach was just too sore. Breathing in itself was a bit of a challenge. There was no way I would be able to huff and puff and show that attitude that would tell Dipper I wasn't as badly hurt as I looked.

"Mabel..." he warned.

"It was just a tree root," I said firmly.

But I knew Pacifica had talked to him about this and I knew he knew what had gone down yesterday. How much of it he knew about, now that was the question.

"Pacifica already told me everything that happened." Right on cue, again. "I want to hear it from you though. Was everything she said true?"

"That depends on how much she told you," I replied.

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling as he shook his head in disappointment.

"She told me everything. She said she found you outside Josh's house. She told me all about how you kept her from harm by shoving her back. She pretended to storm off but snuck back and hid behind some bushes to see why you were acting the way you were—she already had her suspicions." Just like he'd had his own suspicions when he found out, I supposed. "She told me about what she saw, how Josh..." He inhaled sharply but continued anyway. "How Josh beat you down. She said you'd been hit so hard that you wouldn't get up." Well that part wasn't exactly accurate. It was more like I couldn't get up. The pain had been too great and my body had been overwhelmed. Still I was willing to lay there and let the snow swallow me up. Alas, Pacifica hadn't allowed that to happen. "She had to pull you to your feet and somewhere along the way you couldn't even hold down your food. She said you were freezing and without her, couldn't walk. So she helped you back here."

I assumed, as he ended his story, that Pacifica hadn't told him about Allie—about the only reason she was so distraught over me. Then again, something that awful wasn't meant for just anybody to know. She probably told me that story so I would trust her more, so I would understand that her intentions weren't bad and so that I would understand why she would want to help me so much. That and maybe by protecting her and showing her what Josh did to me, I'd gain her trust as well—I wasn't seeking attention or drama by sneaking off, I really did have a serious problem on my hands. And yes, I would admit it was a problem. I was dealing with it the only way I knew how right now—I just endured it all until he said I could go home.

But with these circumstances, I could now officially put it past Pacifica to tell anyone. Dipper probably told her he already knew about this whole situation with Josh, and he probably told her why he hadn't called the police—or done anything to 'help' me. Pacifica saw what happened when Allie stood up to her boyfriend. She ought to know better than to tell me to do the same, or to call someone just in time for Josh to find out and kill me.

"I'm fine," I muttered.

He blinked in disbelief not just at my words, but almost as if he was questioning my logic in continuously lying when he knew exactly what had happened—down to every last detail.

"I'm fine," I repeated.

"Yeah? Lift up your shirt and prove it," he challenged.

"That's completely uncalled for—"

"Uncalled for?!" he hissed. "Really! After you yanked off your shirt entirely just to show me how he tore up your whole midsection!"

Well...he made a valid point but...

"If you won't lift up your shirt then laugh."

"Laugh...?"

"Laugh," he finished sternly.

"And laughing will do what, exactly?"

"If for once you're telling me the truth, then Pacifica just exaggerated her story and your stomach wouldn't be sore enough to keep you from laughing. And while we're at it, show me a little energy, show me you're fine! Can you do that, Mabel? Can you show me you're not lying to my face again?"

I took as deep a breath as a I could, not to try to fool him again, but to see for myself how far I could go and if in fact I really could manage just one little laugh. I barely drew in any air before the sharp pain hit my stomach again. There was no way I could manage laughter.

Dipper sighed. "Mabel...I already know what's going on. Why do you keep lying anyway?"

I was tempted to shrug and smile—another façade by force of habit alone—but refrained. I knew he wanted an honest answer and yes he deserved one. But...I didn't have an answer for him. I didn't even know why I kept lying. There was a difference between telling him every little detail and giving him just enough truth to satisfy him. But for some reason all I ever seemed to do was make excuses and tell him I was fine when he knew I wasn't. I couldn't explain why I kept doing that.

"I don't know, Dipper," I told him. "I guess...maybe the truth will hurt you, and I don't want to hurt you."

"But you're not the one hurting me, it's all Josh. He does this to you. And when he messes with my sister, yeah, it hurts. But I'd still like to know what happens just so I can know how bad it was."

"You'll just be angrier at Josh and you know it."

"Fair point, yes, but what do you want me to do? I'm sitting back helplessly as my sister is away all day being tortured so you think maybe I have the right to be mad at him? BECAUSE I SURE DO!"

I jumped at the sudden rise in his tone.

"SHHH!" I hissed. "Dipper, keep your voice down. People will hear you."

I heard footsteps pat the carpet behind me...and stop right behind the chair.

"I've heard plenty," a voice said.

A/N

Uh-oohhhhhh... Who could that be...?

...I'm really tired...

I'm aware the update was slower than a snail trying to carry a turtle trying to carry a sloth trying to carry a dying elephant. Sorry about that. So much life, you know?

Next updates should be Nova and Whispering Lies. I'm not sure which will come first, so keep an eye out for both.

...I'm tired, gotta sleep. If the last part of this chapter seems rushed, that's because it is. *yawwwwnnnnn* You know how late it is? I wanted to get an update in for you because things are about to get even busier for me... T-T Anyway, night guys! I really hope you like the update. And I really hope it broke your heart and made your gut twist around inside you. Angsty feelings and...blah blah blah...stuff...things...zzzzzzzz...