Mabel and Dipper both grinned as they pulled into Piedmonts bus station.
Their dad, Victor Pines, had balloons for them.
"and how are my trouble makers?" He beamed as they ran off the bus and gave him a hug.
"Making more trouble!" Mabel beamed back.
"I can see that," Their mom said pointing to the almost gone scab on Mabels forehead, "what happened there?"
"Ran into a tree!" Mabel laughed.
"Plenty of trees in Oregon," Dipper nodded.
Their mother sighed and kissed the scrape, "well, let's get home. Want to stop and get a burger or pizza?"
"Burger," the twins said together.
Victor took Mabels case and they walked over to the car. The twins chatted and explained a few of the things they did that summer.
"So Dipper spent most of it playing video games and not inviting me!"
"I invited you…once."
"And Grunkle Ford took us to a gun range!"
"that doesn't sound very safe," Cassy Pines replied, "did he at least teach you safety?"
"…yes, pish, of course!"
"Well, next time, I wish he'd call me and ask permission for that kind of stuff," she said. The twins eyed each other, silently agreeing to not mention guns again to their mother.
They climbed into the car and Mabel continued.
"Grunkle Stan's been showing Grunkle Ford all these movies! We had a Star Battle marathon and a Lady of the Anklet Marathon and a Larry Pratter marathon! I went swimming with Candy and her family. I also was able to spend a lot of time with Grenda. Those girls will always be the best!"
"What did you like about summer, Mason?"
"Hm? Oh, Grunkle Stan and I did some bonding…but I wanted to ask you guys if you could call the school and see if I can't get one of my electives changed?"
"Why? When school ended last year you were really excited about your classes."
"Yeah, well, I just thought I should, probably, perhaps, expand my horizons a little. I don't need to take the Forensics class, they have a club I can join instead."
"Sooo, what is it you want to take instead?"
"Weight lifting."
The car was silent. Mabel slapped her palm to her head.
"Weight lifting?"
"You?"
"Well," Dipper took a deep breath, he had prepared the story before hand, "This summer Grunkle Stan taught me how to box and I just want to do a little strengthening…and conditioning…something like that…"
"Boxing?"
"But…Weight lifting?"
Now Mabel was in silent stiches. Dipper rolled his eyes. Was it really that hard for them to imagine him working out?
"What brought this on?" Mr. Pines glanced up in the rearview mirror, "is there a girl you want to impress or something?"
"NO! Just thought I needed a change," Dipper shrugged, "gee, I didn't think my own parents would give me such a herd time about it!"
"No, no, you had to have known we'd ridicule you," he said and his wife smacked his arm, "but if you're sure, then we can call the school district tomorrow and get your schedule changed."
"I'm sure."
Mabel picked up the conversation from there and Dipper looked out the window. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. For a moment, he thought he'd seen a fairy.
()
"That was smooth," Mabel said walking into Dippers room and flopping down on his bed, "I think you just caused mom and dad to think they entered the twilight zone."
Dipper looked up from his journal, "I had to do it. I can't keep up with my work out if its not a designated time. Between school and keeping up with training, this is going to be a nightmare."
"Hey," Mabel scowled at him, "you promised no secrets, right? If Kristian bothers you this year, you tell me, got it?"
"I think I can take care of myself this year," Dipper grinned, "but thanks."
Mabel again saw Dipper take out two full grown adults in only a few hits, "yeah, I know. But I still want a piece of him."
()
Kristians whole motive for being was perfection. His father was one of the top lawyers in the state and his mother was a highly sought after nutritionist. When he was eight he was enrolled in a fencing class. He won state three years in a row and only quit competition when he entered highschool so he could focus on getting the best grades. He was highly intelligent and figured out at a very young age that if adults favored you, you could literally get away with anything. So long as he pulled straight A's, was kind, witty, sociable, and did everything that was expected of him, the adults around him practically fell at his feet. Everyone, adults and his peers, were so easy to manipulate.
The only problem in his life became apparent in sixth grade. Mason Pines had scored the highest in the grade that year and had been praised. He had taken Kristians spot.
Who did this kid think he was?
In seventh grade Kristian made life as difficult as he could for his rival. He discovered his insecurities and poked fun at them. Kristian had heard that those being bullied often did poorly in school. If he could break this kid, then he could stand on top.
But it didn't work.
The more Kristian alienated Mason, the higher his scores were. The midterm before Christmas break showed that Mason was three points above him.
So Kristian decided that drastic measures should be taken. The next half of the year he made sure Mason Pines knew who was really in charge. When the kid fought back, he only did so once, near the end of the year.
"Just leave me alone!"
Kristian, angry that this brat dare yell at him, grabbed him and threw him against the school building. He also, for good measure, landed a well placed kick to his gut.
Mason had doubled over, and when he looked up, Kristian saw fear in the other boys face. It was just a little bit of fear, but…
Kristian had smiled and aimed another kick. Being feared had given him a taste of power. A small taste, but enough to wet the pallet. It was almost euphoric to be given that much control over another person.
When school was over he checked the charts. He and Mason were tied for first place.
Not good enough.
He wouldn't be satisfied till Mason Pines was crushed under foot. So all summer, when he wasn't in fencing, he was studying the next years curriculum. His mother had told him that the Pines twins had gone somewhere or other, apparently she was in the same book club as their mother, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that he stood at the top and that Mason continued to fear him.
At the end of summer Kritsian was more than ready to go back to school. Eighth grade, he was at the top of the school! He could do anything! This was going to be his year!
But when he got to school and confronted Mason, the other boy looked at him, in the eye, and had laughed. Mason Pines, the boy who had feared him before, now laughed in his face.
What was going on?
Kristian was furious. Mason continued to do well, if not even better, in his studies. He had spent his summer studying, and Mason was keeping up with almost no effort.
So, Kristian tried a new tactic. He spun lies and half truths around the school till no one would even look at Mason. He carefully kept Mabel out of it, because she was somewhat popular, and he was able to turn the entire school against her brother. Even the teachers were swayed whenever an incident would happen, everyone would say it was Masons fault, even if it wasn't. No one liked him, so no one felt bad about getting him into trouble. The school as a whole would support anyone other than him. That year Kristian was able to frame Mason for six offences and got him suspended twice.
With that much time away from school, his grades had no chance to keep up!
But he was wrong.
Somehow Mason had managed to tie him again, in first place.
Again, Kristian spent his summer studying. He planned Masons demise in more ways than one. How dare he laugh at him. How dare he not take this seriously. How dare he assume that HE would just let the matter drop!
The next year, the first year of high school, Kristian enacted his plan. Since they were freshman, they all had basically the same classes, just at different times. Over the summer Kristian had pulled some strings so that the twins never had the same class at the same time. This gave him the freedom to do what he wanted without Mabel and her friends finding out.
Isolate the target and that's half of the battle.
Mason still looked him in the eye. He wasn't laughing any more, but he was still obstinate. Kristian networked with the teachers and even the administrators. Mason only went to them once, and they didn't believe him.
Now for a 'long-reach'. Kristian made friends with many upperclassmen. And just as easily as anyone else, he turned them against Mason as well. Soon tales were spreading about an upstart freshman who thought he was better than everyone else. And soon the upperclassmen started to go after Mason.
All Kristian had to do was watch the show. He watched as the other boy was crushed little by little. Bit by bit. Until Mason hardly ever lifted his head in the hallway and he avoided eye contact with others.
He confronted Mason after school one day. But the other boy had the gal to lift his head and glare at him and tell him to back off. Without thinking, Kristian reached out and shoved him off the top of the stair case.
Surely, this would hamper his studies. His right arm was broken, so he couldn't take notes!
Mason was ambidextrous.
At the end of freshman year, Mason had beat him by two points.
How?! How, when he can barely function in school, could he pull this off?!
But he was warring down…Kristian had seen it that year. So he just had to repeat the process until there was nothing left.
Isolate the target. He separated Mason and Mabel again.
Gain support from other students and teachers. Because they were Sophomores now, they had more options for classes. Mason was mostly on the other side of the building, but their lockers were near each other.
Kristian counted himself lucky to be able to witness a moment where an upperclassman put his foot out, and Mason, with his arms full of books and a box of pencils, didn't see. He went down in a spectacular fashion and his books flew. The box opened and out flew the pencils as well in a wave of glory.
They laughed and watched as Mason crawled on the ground to pick his things up.
Kristian was able to get Mason suspended once in February. It was a fight, and Mason had tried to fight back but a teacher had come at just the right time to see Mason, but not the other student. Mason had been the only one punished.
He stopped fighting back after that.
At the end of the year Kristian confronted Mason and let him know who was in charge of his personal Hell. He expected to see the fear. He NEEDED to see the fear. But Mason just shook his head and glared at the opposite wall.
Kristian lost it. It was the last day of school and he had hit and kicked as much as could without leaving any visible marks. He kicked Mason in the gut, grabbed his hair and pulled while digging his heal into the boys foot. He shoved him down, picked him up, and shoved him down again. When he was down Mason curled into a ball, but Kristian just kicked his back and every other part he could.
"Next year, you will break," Kristian promised, "You are a freak and a waste of space."
But as he backed away, Mason lifted his head and glared, taking the challenge.
()
This year he isolated his target again. As Juniors they had even more freedom than before. They could now take AP classes. Kristian had signed up for AP history and AP calc. He had it on good notice that Mason was also taking those classes PLUS AP English and AP Physics. That was a lot to take on and if he could break him, then his grades would plummet faster than a rock off a cliff.
He expected resistance at first. Apparently the twins had left to someplace or other again and the last time that had happened, Mason had laughed at him. So Kristian expected to have to work harder this year to crush his rival.
If, of course, he could find him.
Half the day was gone and he hadn't seen Mason once. He was supposed to be in AP history in the morning, but he never showed.
The school did block scheduling. So it was four classes one day and four different classes the next and then they would alternate. They were split by Blue days and Orange days, the school colors.
So he waited for AP calc, the third class of the day.
When he showed up, he was late! The only seat left open was the one right in front of him. Mason looked at the seat, eyed Kristian, and then sighed, resigned to his fate.
But…Mason looked different…Kristian couldn't put his finger on it, but the other kid didn't look the same.
"Finally deciding to take this seriously?" Kristian asked as Mason got his things out of his bag. He didn't respond.
"Are you prepared for this?"
Still nothing. Mason kept his eyes forward and by all accounts, he hadn't even heard him.
"You really are filth," Kristian began to flick pieces of paper at the back of his head, "have some trash."
"Ms. Grace," Mason raised his hand, interrupting the teacher, "Kristian keeps trying to flirt with me, can you make him stop?"
A few students snickered and Kristians eyes widened in shock.
"Its only the first day you two!" the teacher sighed, "you should be listening. This class is going to be harder if you don't know what we're doing."
She went back to talking about the syllabus. Mason continued to pay attention and ignore him.
If Kristian was angry before, he was seeing red now.
He had publicly made a fool of him.
When class was over, Mason left the room in a hurry. Kristian followed. In the hallway, he called out to Mason and made him stop.
"What do you want?" he asked turning around. his bag was slung over one shoulder and he stood with a confidence that Kristian wasn't prepared for.
No, this wasn't the Mason he wanted!
"What was that back there?" Kristian walked up to him, "were you voicing a wish? I don't normally speak to trash, you should feel special."
"oh…so special," Mason rolled his eyes, "is this all you wanted to say?"
Kristain shoved Mason and stepped forward, but instead of Mason falling back, Kristian found himself nose to nose with the other boy. Mason had not moved.
"I'm really not interested," Mason said, not moving back, but taking a step to the side, "you really should leave me alone from now on. I don't have the patience for your crap."
Mason left, leaving Kristian perplexed.
It was then that Kristian had realized what was different. Mason had muscle. He had felt it when he had tried to shove him.
It wasn't possible for someone to build that much muscle over one summer.
…what was going on?