Evelyn looked down once her phone began to ring.
She'd been in a few neighbourhoods doing errands for Stan (i.e. putting mildly threatening letters in the mailboxes of other Tourist trap owners) for two days before she began to head home. She didn't agree with what she had been told to do, but the brunette knew that if Stan had done it, he would probably have added vandalism to the trip.
So Evelyn had found herself on an impromptu road trip, eating cheap diner food with the small amount of cash her uncle had given her, and taking short naps in the backseat of the car in Malmart parking lots.
She hadn't been alone during the drive, though; Bill was very active, commenting on everything from the diner food, to passersby and road signs. The time with him made Evelyn feel surprisingly light, her lingering fear mostly forgotten as they bantered. It had been… nice.
It was on the drive home that her phone rang. At first, Evelyn thought that it was the twins. They'd called her at least once every couple of hours for the past two days, keeping her updated on her lives. She wasn't entirely sure what was happening with her sister's obsession with the band Sev'ral Timez, and her claims that they were actually clones from a lab, but her brother's story definitely raised some alarm bells. While she at first thought that he was just jealous of Robbie once he had successfully won a hesitant Wendy with a song he'd made for her, her brother proved her wrong by finding a hidden message encoded in the lyrics. It was disgusting, manipulative, and something she had never imagined Robbie would be capable of.
Dipper had made her swear not to tell Wendy before he could talk to her himself, and Evelyn assumed her brother would call her the moment he told Wendy – she'd made him promise, after all.
Which was why she couldn't help but feel surprised when she saw that it was Wendy calling instead.
'Why would Redhead want to talk to you? I thought she'd be too busy beating down Broken Heart.' Bill commented, curious.
Evelyn rolled her eyes at him as she picked up the phone, stopping the car once she parked on the side of the road. "Hello?"
Muffled sobs met her on the other end. "L-Lynnie?"
The brunette felt a spike of alarm. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
There was the sound of a few sniffles before Wendy continued. "…Not really. Robbie's a jerk – can you come over?"
Evelyn nodded resolutely. "I'm on my way."
Ending the call, she soon sped off, turning on her indicator as she neared the Gravity Falls exit. First, she'd stop by a convenience store for chocolate and jellybeans. Then, she would go and comfort her friend.
-DaLD-
The Corduroy house was quiet when she arrived. Judging by the missing boots and the mess, the teen decided the rest of the Corduroy clan must have left for an impromptu camping session the moment Wendy came back in tears.
Climbing quickly up the staircase towards her friend's room, she knocked gently. "Wendy? It's me."
For a moment, it was silent. Then, a muffled voice called: "Come in."
Evelyn eased her way in, placing the sweets on the dresser as she moved toward the lump on the bed. She sat down beside it, putting a hand on her friend's duvet-covered shoulder. "You alright?"
"He lied to me, Lynnie." Wendy refused to move, submerged in her blankets and face buried in the pillow. "And then he hypnotised me."
Evelyn frowned, but didn't speak. Within her mind, Bill said, 'It took her long enough to realize Broken Heart was a headcase.'
"He hypnotised me," she repeated, her voice angrier, "Who the hell does that?! That's the most messed up voodoo crap I've ever heard!"
Wendy shot up, glaring at her friend. "And then Dipper comes in all 'Wendy, want to go on a date?', acting like he isn't too young for me and hasn't just ruined my relationship – does he even care about how I feel?"
The older teen spoke up. "Robbie's a piece of crap for doing that to you." She grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed. "And Dipper's never had tact – I'm not going to let him off easy for this."
Wendy squeezed back, becoming more riled up. "Like, who does Robbie think he is? You can't just control someone into liking you!"
'Why not?' Bill asked innocently. Evelyn told him mentally to hush.
"He was really crappy on the guitar too, and always whined." The redhead continued; her eyes full of angry tears that she rubbed away. "He treated you like crap, was more worried about his appearance than me, never listened when I spoke, and sometimes I wanted to strangle him!"
Evelyn stared. "Then why were you with him?" she asked gently.
Wendy froze. "I-I guess I liked him at some point."
Evelyn was dubious. From the moment they'd started dating, Wendy hadn't stopped treating Robbie like more of a friend than a partner. She'd always gotten the sense that her friend was taking a go-with-the-flow attitude and trying things out because of Robbie's desperation.
"Really? Robbie never seemed like relationship material for you to me. You didn't seem to be happy with him." Evelyn said it as softly as she could, ready to drop the subject in a moment if she seemed to overstep her bounds.
"No, he wasn't, was he?" Wendy's face crumpled, a dawning fear growing in her eyes. "Oh my god, I was totally using him too."
Evelyn was confused. "What? Why?"
Wendy pulled her hand out of Evelyn's immediately, her complexion paler than she'd ever seen. "I-I didn't want to think about it…"
"About what?" Evelyn asked. She didn't want to pry, but her friend's distress was beginning to scare her.
Wendy refused to look the older teen in the eyes, pulling her knees to her chest. "I mean, a part of me cared about him…" she trailed off. "But I just… I didn't know how to handle what I was thinking about."
Evelyn leaned forward, putting a hand on her friend's arm. "Wendy, you can tell me if you want to. I want to help."
Wendy nodded hesitantly, her eyes distant. "I-I've always felt different, y'know? The only girl in a house of guys, freakishly tall while growing up…" she shrugged. "I've never been ashamed of the way I grew up, but… sometimes I just wanted to feel like a normal girl, and… my feelings don't really make me feel like I fit that kind of mold."
Evelyn stayed silent. She was confused about what the redhead was trying to confess, but she didn't want to interrupt.
"I've noticed something different these past two summers," Wendy continued her voice faint. She curled in on herself more. "I'd look at some girls and think they were cute, but like, in the same way I'd look at a guy. I," Wendy shrugged, but her eyes were red. "I didn't get why I felt that way. Were my brothers rubbing off on me or something? I thought it was just something stupid that I'd ignore until it went away, but… but then weird alien said she cou-could see into my mind, and laughed about me being repressed-"
Something clicked in the brunette's head. Wendy's awkward behaviour around the girl at the carnival, her shocked face as she fought with the female alien on the ship…
"Wendy, are you saying that you're…bi?" Evelyn began softly.
Wendy sniffled, rubbing her eyes. "M-maybe? I-I don't know how to tell. I just – sometimes I see a girl that I'm interested in, y'know? I haven't thought about a label for it. It felt like if I named how I felt, I'd like, make it real."
Evelyn nodded. She had never imagined that this was what the evening would end up being – she hadn't really thought of Wendy's sexuality at all, outside of disagreeing with who she had been dating.
The brunette mentally shook her head. This wasn't a time to think about herself; Wendy needed her support.
Evelyn reached out, gently grabbing one of Wendy's hands and squeezing. "How do you feel?"
Wendy scooted closer to Evelyn, and the older teen let the redhead slip underneath her arm and nestle into her side. Most of the time, she forgot that Wendy was only fifteen. The redhead always acted older than her years, and it made the brunette forget sometimes that she was still figuring herself out.
She felt grateful that she could be there to support her friend; there was a warmth that came from being there when a friend needed her most.
"I've been bottling it up for what feels like forever," Wendy continued, wiping her nose. "Like when I saw that girl at the carnival, I kept thinking that she was cute, but then I realized that I was looking at her in the same way I looked at cute guys… I didn't really want to think about the implications, so I tried to avoid it. But it seems like I keep running into situations that would remind me of those feelings, even if I wanted to act like everything was normal and I wasn't confused."
The redhead shrugged one shoulder half-heartedly. "I just didn't want to think about it, or think about how my family would handle it…"
Wendy paused for a moment, and Evelyn nudged her with her shoulder gently. "But?"
"But," the redhead stared ahead, her eyes beginning to dry. "Now that I've actually talked about it aloud a bit, it's not as scary anymore. I think, maybe, if I'm cool with it, then I'll be fine. My opinion should be the only one that matters. It'll just take some getting used to, y'know? This shouldn't change who I am as a person."
The brunette grinned lightly. "You're still the butt-kicking teen I met this summer."
"Yeah." Wendy gave the older teen a small smile. "I feel a bit better now that I'm actually talking about it with someone."
Evelyn smiled back. "Thanks for trusting me with this, Wendy."
Wendy snorted. "As if I'd keep you in the dark, Lynnie."
The two sat in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company as they thought over everything. Bill began to complain a minute in.
'This is boring, Little Bird, do something! First you and Redhead talk about something as mundane as what kind of flesh bags you like. Now you're going to, what, sit inside doing nothing? Why not get revenge on Broken Heart! Wreak his guitar – it's the last thing that holds emotional value in his life.'
'Bill,' Evelyn scolded, 'we're giving Wendy time to process everything. It may seem pointless to you, but this is a big deal for most humans. I'll sit here and support her for as long as she wants me to, and if you're antsy you can find some other way to occupy your time.
'Besides,' she added, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. 'I'll leave it up to Wendy to decide if we'll go key his bike or something. The poor guy's probably crying his eyes out at home.'
Wendy nudged Evelyn from her place under the older girl's arm. "Thanks for being there, man. It feels better to have someone here while I try to figure myself out."
Evelyn smiled. "I'll always come when you call, Wendy. And I want you to know that I'm here for you." She paused, knowing that she was treading into unfamiliar territory for both of them. It was nerve-wracking, but she felt that she had to say something before they changed the topic. "I don't know what you're going through so I can't offer any real advice. But I know you, Wendy, and I know that you can make things work out through snark alone."
Wendy snickered, her eyes lightening. "Dang right I will; I'll kick life in its stupid face!"
The two laughed as Wendy kicked the air, some of the lingering tension drifting away.
After a moment of silence, Evelyn asked hesitantly. "So… what's next?"
Wendy scrunched her nose. "I… don't know? I don't think I want to come out to my other friends just yet – the guys can be dumb, and once I tell Tambry, the whole town will know.
"I'm not going to just go find some random person to date, either," Wendy continued, "I am not ready to get back into a relationship."
"Smart." Evelyn gave a small grin. "Might be best to spend time with yourself for a bit."
'As long as she stays far away from you, Little Bird, I don't care what flesh bag she decides to be in a relationship with.' Bill cut in. He sounded cheerful, but the brunette could sense that it was a bit forced.
'Why would you even think that?' the teen thought, bewildered. 'Why would she need to stay away from me? I'm not ditching her in the middle of a crisis.'
Bill sighed. 'Sometimes I forget how oblivious you are.' Before Evelyn could feel offended at his remark, he continued. 'I'm not saying to abandon her, Little Bird; I'm saying that if she decides that you'd be a good partner I'll come after her myself.'
'But why would she want me as a partner? She's my friend.'
'Just because you're friends doesn't mean she can't want more.' He reminded. 'Just let her know you're not interested in her like that, Little Bird. Redhead's a good ally to have, not a romantic interest.'
Evelyn flushed. That had not occurred to her until Bill uttered it; Wendy wouldn't have an interest in her, right? If their talk today proved anything, it was that they were honest with each other. She would have been able to tell if Wendy felt that way…
Now that Bill had opened the metaphorical Pandora's box for the teen, she couldn't help but run over all of her and Wendy's interactions in her mind. If Wendy had felt that way, she would tell her, wouldn't she? She wasn't accidentally hurting her friend by ignoring her feelings, was she? She wanted to ask, but felt as though now wasn't the time. Her friend was already going through an emotional ordeal, and the red-eyed teen worried that if she asked, the redhead would think she was being ignorant or conceited.
Wendy nudged her shoulder in agreement, shaking Evelyn from her train of thought. The brunette mentally brushed off Bill's jealousy, a new concern rising in her mind for her friend.
"What about your family?" Evelyn broached carefully.
The redhead winced. "Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon. My dad loves me, but he's terrified by feelings. I'm not sure he'll be able to handle this right now…" Wendy hugged her knees to her chest. "I'mnot sure I'm ready to tell him."
Evelyn nodded. "Don't do it if you're not comfortable; it's your life first."
Wendy nodded, and they lapsed into silence once more. It took a moment for Evelyn to get the feeling that Wendy needed a change in topic, but once she did, her eyes brightened. Crossing the room quickly, the brunette came back with her sweets, forgotten on the dresser.
Turning around, she launched the jellybeans at the redhead, who caught them easily. Wendy smiled once she realized what she was holding. "Dude, you got jellybeans?!"
Evelyn shrugged. "I also got chocolate, but I know that you like them."
Wendy nodded approvingly. "They're the only kind of legumes I want going in my body."
The brunette turned on Wendy's small television before going back to join her friend on the bed. The younger teen obligingly opened her comforter, letting Evelyn huddle beside her.
"Lynnie?" The red-eyed teen looked at her friend quizzically. "Thanks… for being here, y'know? I appreciate it."
Evelyn smiled warmly, wrapping an arm around the other girl's shoulder. "That's what friends do, right?"
Wendy snorted. "You dork." Popping a jellybean into her mouth, she grinned. "What would you say if I hypothetically asked for your help with a small case of arson against a crappy guitar?"
Evelyn laughed. "I'd say that you're asking too little of me."
The two teens sat up until the early hours of the morning, scheming -with Bill's input – and laughing. By the time they fell asleep, curled up at each other's side, Evelyn couldn't imagine a place she'd rather be than right there.
-DaLD-
Hey guys! I am really sorry about the long delay between updates. Life has been a bit of a roller coaster of ups and downs lately, and I've been pretty busy because of it. The good news is that I was crowned queen of the Irish society/St. Patty's Day parade in my area! It means I needed to be a lot more engaged, but it was an honour to be crowned. I have also been dealing with loss this winter; one of my childhood friends (we went to the same high school too) passed away recently from cancer. He was too young, and his loss has affected everyone he met in his short time with us. It's been hard to process his death, and it's been horrible to watch his family have to deal with this. He leaves behind a younger brother and wonderful family, and I just want all of you to let the ones you love know how important they are to you; whether it's a grandparent, parent, uncle, cousin, or friend, please cherish the ones who are close to you, and enjoy every moment you share.
I apologize for the darker tone this author's note took. On a lighter-ish note, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and what it means for Wendy. This has been in the cards since I first started writing this story, and I've been trying to build up to her realization. I tried to write a coming-out scene that would be true to as many real-world experiences as I could (I asked some friends who are bi, and had the amazing help of – thank you again for going over the chapter, and giving your opinion! – silhouette amongst stars, and Fantasy Fan 223). I also wanted Evie's reaction to fit her personality; she'll accept Wendy no matter what, but Bill's jealousy has put questions in her head that and I agreed are thoughts that might occur to a girl whose friend comes out to her. It won't be a question for long: I plan on resolving this in the next chapter! I understand that this is a sensitive topic, so I hope I was able to give it justice, and wasn't insensitive.
Onto reviews! I know I said that I would respond to the past chapter's reviews as well, but I am working on two essays at the moment, and I was finding it hard to finish all of the past reviews. Please know that I read and appreciated them all, and if you have any questions within those reviews that you would really like me to respond to, let me know! For now, I'll only answer reviews from chapter XLVII.
starrat: Thank you!
Angelwings2002: Thank you! And you as well. I'm glad you enjoyed Bill's reactions.
Lord Demolitions: Thank you for understanding! And that's a great song!
Kyross: Awww, thank you! Your comment is incredibly sweet, and I really appreciate it!
Moon ninja Luna: Yeah, I knew that something would have to happen if Evie was forced to swap bodies – Bill's presence is too strong in her mind to be ignored. I just feel bad McGucket had to go through that again…
Guest: Thank you! And yeah, I may have burnt out a bit, but I'm back!
Pecan Divinity: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the reactions of everyone; and yes, there will be a definite fallout, but we'll all have to wait and see what that'll mean…
lolistarkiller: I'm so sorry to hear about your loss! Losing an animal leaves a big hole, but I hope you are feeling better. I'm glad you were able to enjoy this chapter.
legion29: Thanks! I'm happy that you're enjoying the story.
: Thank you again for your help! I'm glad you liked how Carpet Diem went; it took me a bit longer than usual to get into the episode, so I had a few concerns with how it would play out. Evie will definitely not be able to ignore Bill's advances much longer .
Guadadominguez4: No problem! I hope you enjoyed this one too.
Soundy24601: Aw, thanks! And I like the way you think – Evie and Bill will definitely appreciate the privacy in the future.
KDBloomfield: Here you go!
Mew mew 124: Thank you for reviewing despite how busy you are! Evie's connection has been getting stronger the longer she engages with him, and it will become even stronger in the future… I look forward to showing you all what will come from it. I'm glad you liked the reactions from Mabel, Candy and McGucket! Evie getting Ford's room is going to be important in the future, and it will definitely complicate some things between her and Ford…
Seneffp08: Knowing that you've read this story twice makes me really happy! I'm so glad that you are enjoying the plot and characters, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as we move close to the end of season 1!
Hues: I'm glad that you stumbled onto this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it going forward!
CamiStark13: I hope you liked this chapter!
ladyofanime1102: I completely understand! I wish I could just snap my fingers and get to all the good bits, but for now we'll have to wait in anticipation! Evelyn's role on the wheel will be revealed eventually, don't worry! I'm excited for Evie to interact with the spider lady too – I have some ideas for where that will go…
Vixen of Mischief: I'm glad you enjoy Evie's character and can see yourself in her. I used some of my own experiences and feelings as the eldest sister in my family to channel into Evie's own thoughts and feelings. Otherwise, her personality developed in completely different ways than I had first planned. I hope you continue to like Evie, and her relationship with Bill!
The world has been going crazy, and I know a lot of us are now under quarantine, or at least have restricted our movements in public. I hope that all of you stay safe! Please remember that, while this crisis can be frightening and should be taken seriously, let's take this time to appreciate the people around us, and to share our love with everyone, even if it's only by sending an encouraging post on social media. We're all connected in this.
I am currently finishing up the rough draft for the next episode, so you guys should expect it within the next two weeks (it's not like I have anything other that work and school to do while being cooped up ). I am sorry once again for the long delay! And after this next chapter, we're on to DREAMSCAPERERS!
Please excuse any grammatical errors I may have missed! And please favourite, follow, and/or review. Stay healthy, guys! - Aria
