I do not own Gravity Falls.
To: Wendy Corduroy (Lumberchick); Soos Ramirez (QuestionMarkDude); Grunkle Stan (StantheMan); Grunkle Ford (Highsixer); Dipper Pines (GhostHarasserfan)
From: Mabel Pines (ShootingStarRainbowUnicorn)
Subject: WE'RE GRADUATING
We did it, my people!
Dipper and I will be graduating from Piedmont Middle School. Our ceremony takes place on June twenty-third and then we're gonna blow this popsicle stand! We'll film it so everyone can see it!
Much love,
Mabel
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Dipper Pines: We still have two days before we get our final report cards.
Mabel Pines: Not this again.
Wendy Corduroy: Dude, you have nothing to worry about. Well, not about passing the eighth grade, at least. You should totally be freaking out about high school.
Dipper Pines: Thank you for your poor attempt at making me feel better.
Mabel Pines: It's no use. He won't stop panicking until he has his report card in his hands that tells him that he's once again an honour student.
Dipper Pines: It's irrational, I know. But I'm mostly made up of irrational fears.
Soos Ramirez: Congrats, hambones! I wish I could be there to see you dudes graduate.
Dipper Pines: Us too. But two days after our ceremony we're getting on a bus to Gravity Falls, so we'll be there before you know it!
Mabel Pines: WOO-HOO!
Grunkle Ford: And we'll be there to meet you.
Grunkle Stan: Geez, I can't believe it's been a year already.
Wendy Corduroy: Speak for yourself. It felt like summer would never get here.
Grunkle Stan: That's high school for you. Sorry we won't be there to see your graduation, kiddos. A freak storm got in our way. Darn nature.
Mabel Pines: Don't worry, it's fine! We'll show you the video.
Grunkle Ford: Don't miss a second.
Dipper Pines: She won't. Pretty sure she's going to attach a Go-Pro to her head.
Mabel Pines: Thinking about it.
Dipper Pines: But it's only middle school graduation. It's really not that big of a deal.
Grunkle Stan: We'll be the judge of that. And we say it's a very big deal.
Grunkle Ford: You've successfully finished one stage of your life and are ready for the next. That's a great accomplishment. You should be proud.
Wendy Corduroy: Dominate that stage, dudes. Who's your valedictorian?
Mabel Pines: We actually don't have one at our school.
Soos Ramirez: Boo! You would have made a great valedictorian, hambone.
Mabel Pines: Aw, thanks!
Grunkle Stan: Are your parents going?
Dipper Pines: Yup! They promised they'd be there, and they never make promises they can't keep.
Grunkle Ford: I'm glad they'll be there to see you cross the stage. We'll be with you in spirit.
Grunkle Stan: In the not-dead way.
Wendy Corduroy: I'd be with you physically if I could but my dad would kill me if I skipped my last exam.
Soos Ramirez: Have fun, dudes!
Dipper Pines: We will! Thanks everyone!
Mabel Pines: Class of 2013, we're out! Peace!
White-sandaled feet moving against the scuffed tiles of the mall, Mabel darted her eyes back and forth across the corridor. Pastel sun dresses, flowery shirts and faded shorts lined the store windows, sprucing up mannequins in full summer outfits. Dipper trailed after her, hands shoved into the pockets of his dark blue vest.
"See anything you like?" he asked, trying not to let his boredom show in his voice.
"No. It's not as easy as finding a tie to match a suit," she answered knowingly.
"You could wear a suit, if you wanted," replied Dipper.
"I could," Mabel agreed. "But I'd rather wear a dress. I know I'll find one, I just have to find one that speaks to me."
"It's been two hours," said Dipper with a slight groan. "If nothing is speaking to you yet it's probably because they're not feeling chatty."
"Boo," said Mabel, failing to hold back a laugh. "That was terrible."
"Of course it was. That's the kind of joke Grunkle Stan would make."
It took another hour of searching, but Mabel finally found her graduation dress in the sixth clothing store they visited. It was hanging in the back, among a collection of other prom and graduation dresses of varying styles and colours. It immediately stood out to her and she walked towards it, like a moth attracted to a flame.
The colouring was lilac and it was an A-line sweetheart style. The length was on the shorter side, looking as if it might reach her knees. There was a darker purple bow tied neatly just above the torso, the entire upper part covered in silver rhinestones. With a wide grin on her features, she eased it down from the rack and rushed off to the change room. Dipper sat down on one of the wooden benches to wait, and a couple of minutes later she swept back out, the ruffled layers swishing around her legs.
"What do you think?" she asked, looking at her reflection. The stones glimmered under the fluorescent lighting.
"It's perfect," said Dipper sincerely, who had spent most of the day watching his sister model different dresses.
"I think so too. It's even on sale! Talk about fate." Mabel did a little twirl, watching her movement in the vertical mirror mounted to the wall. "Good news, bro. We are officially done shopping."
"Good, because I'm starved. Want to get something from the food court?"
"Cheap, greasy, low-quality fast-food? Of course."
Mabel changed back into her magenta sweater and white skirt and paid for her dress. She linked arms with her brother and they started for the mall's food court. Dipper glanced at Mabel and remarked, "You know that my dress shirt and tie are also purple, right?"
Mabel stared at the bag he carried, which contained his newly bought clothing items. "I totally forgot," she exclaimed. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Well, it's not quite matchy-matchy. And I don't mind wearing coordinated colours if you don't mind."
Smiling warmly, Mabel said brightly, "Not in the slightest."
To: Pacifica Northwest (GravityFallsPrincess); Wendy Corduroy (Lumberchick); Candy Chiu (SweetasSugar88); Grenda Gosling (Hugsx0x0)
From: Mabel Pines (ShootingStarRainbowUnicorn)
Subject: My graduation dress
1 Picture Attachment
Hey, girls!
I found my graduation dress and thought you might like to see it. What do you think?
Much love,
Mabel
See all messages in this thread (Expand)
Candy Chiu: It's beautiful, Mabel!
Grenda Gosling: I love it! It's perfect!
Wendy Corduroy: It definitely suits you, babe. You'll rock it.
Pacifica Northwest: You've got better taste than I thought.
Wendy Corduroy: Would it kill you to give a direct compliment?
Pacifica Northwest: It might. I don't want to risk it.
Mabel Pines: Thank you! I love it, and I'm super happy I found it.
Pacifica Northwest: I'm surprised you didn't make your dress.
Mabel Pines: I thought about it. I don't really buy fancy dresses all that often, so I decided to treat myself. I added all the glitter to the bottom part of the dress, though.
Wendy Corduroy: It looks amazing. You better take pictures.
Candy Chiu: And send us them!
Mabel Pines: Will do!
The morning sun shone brightly, bathing the rolling grass field in a golden glow. Dozens and dozens of folding chairs were neatly lined in rows, a wide gap between the two sections to allow for the student procession. Families of the graduating students were already seated, chatting amongst themselves. Silver of flashes of light occurred at random intervals as pictures were taken, from digital cameras and cell phones. The staff of Piedmont Middle School were gathered on the platform set up near the back of the soccer field, seated behind the oak podium. A red banner was hung from the two supporting metal pillars of the platform, and in bold yellow letters it read, 'Piedmont Middle School Class of 2013'.
The school band was situated directly in front of the platform, comprised of the seventh-grade members in full band uniform. The music teacher led her students into Pomp and Circumstance, and soon the graduating students were filing out of the school's side entrance and onto the field. They followed the red carpet that stretched from the entrance all the way to the platform.
Mabel's lilac dress glimmered in the sunlight, but her smile was much brighter. Her long brunette hair was tied into a high ponytail, held in place by a butterfly pin. Her white flats moved in rhythm with her peers. She spotted her parents amongst the crowd, sitting close to the front. Mrs. Pines was in a burgundy dress, her short hair just reaching her chin and framing her face. Mr. Pines wore a dark grey suit with a red tie, the sun casting a glare on the blue frames of his glasses. Mabel waved wildly at them and they beamed back, Mrs. Pines raising her camera to snap a picture.
"Dipper, look, it's Mom and Dad! Hi Mom! Hi Dad!"
"Yes, I can see them. Stop waving your arm like that, you're going to hit me in the face. I'd rather not walk up the stage with a black eye."
Mabel stuck her tongue out playfully at him but lowered her arm. They made their way down the aisle and took their seats. Dipper adjusted his tie and glanced around, taking in the scenery. It seemed a bit surreal that he was really graduating middle school. It did not seem like long ago when he was attending his first day of classes.
"What are you looking at?" asked Mabel, leaning over and resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Nothing. Sorry. Just thinking."
"It's officially summer and in about an hour we're going to be officially finished with middle school. The time for thinking is over!"
Dipper was about to retort, but refrained when he saw their principal, Mr. Han, get up from his seat and walk up to the microphone. The audience fell silent and he cleared his throat before speaking.
"Before we get started, I ask you all to please stand for the National Anthem."
There was a slight commotion as everyone got to their feet and then the band struck up the beginning notes of Star-Spangled Banner. When the anthem was finished, everyone took their seats and Mr. Han delivered his opening monologue. When he finished, the presentation of diplomas and subject awards began. It took a bit to reach the twins, and Mabel felt her heart beat with anticipation when her row stood and began towards the stage.
"Here we go, bro."
"Please don't let me fall down the stairs," whispered Dipper.
"Mabel Pines; receiver of the art award."
Mabel let a whoop as she charged onto stage. She shook Mr. Han's hand and accepted her diploma and award with a wide grin. As she started for the other side of the stage, she turned toward her peers and called, "See you on the flip side! Mabel Pines is out!"
"Oh geez," muttered Dipper as their peers and most of the audience dissolved into laughter.
"Mason Pines; receiver of the history award, science award, math award and English award."
After initially flinching at the use of his real name, Dipper crossed the stage with more reservation than his sister. He could help but smile when he heard Mabel's chant of "Dip-per, Dip-per," rise above the applause of the audience. He returned to his seat with his awards, glossy wooden plaques that bore the school's logo and his name engraved below the subject heading.
"Good job, you didn't fall," said Mabel cheerfully, clapping her brother on the shoulder. "Probably because you looked down at each step before you took it."
Dipper sent her a look. "If I hadn't I would have tripped over my own feet. I'm surprised you didn't do a cartwheel across the stage."
"I thought about. But I figured it probably wouldn't go so well considering I'm wearing a dress. Hey, do you have your phone on you?"
Managing not to drop his awards, Dipper removed his phone from his pants pocket. Mabel snatched it from him and held it out, grinning widely. "Graduation selfie!"
She took the picture and studied it. She and Dipper had their heads close together, teeth flashing in large smiles, their diplomas resting on their laps. Mabel happily attached it to an e-mail and typed out a quick message before sending it off.
"I wish Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford could have been here."
"Me too," said Dipper feelingly. "But I think that require a very long explanation, considering Mom and Dad think only one of them is still alive. And I think that's a sit-down, in-person kind of explanation."
"Good point. But hey, we did it. We're middle school graduates."
Dipper glanced around. "I think I might miss it, even though it hasn't always been the greatest. Is that weird?"
"No," answered Mabel honestly. "It's familiar. We always miss what's familiar when it's taken from us."
Dipper stared at her, eyes slightly wide. "Wow. That's deep."
"Thanks! You know, I'm going to miss this place too. There may have been some bad times, but there were good times, too." Mabel closed her eyes, feeling the sun against her neck and listening to the humming chatter of her peers. "That's the great thing about memories. No matter where you go or how much time has gone by, you always carry parts of the past with you."
Dipper went quiet for a moment, knowing just how powerful one's memories could be. "Yeah," he agreed with a smile. "High school might be scary and unfamiliar, but we'll get through it. We have each other."
"Always," said Mabel, reaching and giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.
It took another hour or so for the ceremony to completely finish, and once Mr. Han gave his closing remarks everyone stood up and started to mingle. Mabel went over to speak with her art club friends and Dipper said goodbye Diego, Justin and Len, promising to keep in touch. After a while, Mr. and Mrs. Pines came over to give their children hugs.
"Good job, kids," praised Mr. Pines, ruffling Dipper's hair. "We're very proud of you."
"You look beautiful, the both of you." Mrs. Pines smoothed down a few loose strands of Mabel's hair. "I know there are refreshments in the cafeteria, but how would you like to go out for brunch instead?"
"Yes!" said Mabel instantly. "All the maple syrup!"
"No drinking it from the bottle!" called Mrs. Pines as Mabel raced off towards the parking lot. She let a fond sigh and started after her.
"Make sure she doesn't drink maple syrup from the bottle," muttered Mr. Pines, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders.
"On it," promised Dipper.
They went out for brunch and when they returned home, it was to see two items on their doorstep. One was a massive flower bouquet, so large that it took up most of the porch space. The petals were of varying shades of pinks, blues, yellows, oranges, reds and greens. They were tied together with a glittery silver bow.
Mabel squealed and rushed over to it. She removed the attached card and opened it, where she found the signatures of everyone from Gravity Falls. "Aw, I love them!"
"How sweet," said Mrs. Pines, gently touching the petals. "You must have made quite an impression on your friends in Gravity Falls."
"I think you could say Gravity Falls made an impression on us," replied Dipper, sharing a secret smile with his sister. "Maybe you could come visit this summer?"
"I don't know, we'd have to see," said Mr. Pines, though he sounded doubtful. "But you kids have a great time. Here, I'll bring this in for you."
He hefted up the flower arrangement and brought it into the house, Mrs. Pines following after him. Dipper and Mabel picked up the package that remained and tore upon the brown paper. Inside were two black jewelry cases. In the one addressed to Dipper was a silver pocket watch, his name engraved on the inside along with the date of his middle school graduation. Mabel received a matching wristwatch, tiny diamonds surrounding the face of the watch, with her name engraved on the strap.
Dipper held the pocket watch against his chest, feeling his heart pound with excitement. "A few more days. Then we'll be there."
Mabel held up the card that came with the watches, which was signed Grunkle Stan Ford, a space between their names so if their parents happened to open the package, they would assume it simply read as Stanford.
"Another summer, another new beginning," she said. "I can't wait."
To: Grunkle Stan (StantheMan); Grunkle Ford (Highsixer); Wendy Corduroy (Lumberchick); Soos Ramirez (QuestionMarkDude); Dipper Pines (GhostHarasserfan)
From: Mabel Pines (ShootingStarRainbowUnicorn)
Subject: We did it!
1 Picture Attachment
We just got our diplomas, which means we are officially done middle school! I'll send other pictures and the video of our ceremony when we get home!
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Soos Ramirez: You guys look great! Congratulations!
Wendy Corduroy: That was the easy part. Wait until high school.
Wendy Corduroy: Just kidding! Sort of. But seriously, you dudes rock and you should be super proud of yourselves.
Grunkle Ford: Congratulations, kids. I know it hasn't always been easy, but you always came through. We're proud of you.
Grunkle Stan: Yeah, those jerks who made fun of you aren't going to be laughing when you become their bosses. Great job, runts. We'll see you in a few days!
