HAT: I think I'm overcoming my writer's block for this story is disappearing! Enjoy, everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own the show or it's characters- just the OCs and the plot.
Pacifica sees Dan for the third time this week and he has the same sadistic smile on his face every single time and- as he's been doing- he mouths "McGucket" and then disappears. She's truly worried for McGucket- Dan's been making appearances more frequently and there's a cloud looming overhead and a weight on Pacifica's shoulders. If it weren't for her, McGucket wouldn't be in danger. Maybe she should have stayed with-
No. You made the right choice, Pacifica thinks fiercely. She couldn't take one more second of being in that mansion with those people. Who knows where'd she be now if she hadn't ran away?
"Pacifica, let's go," Dipper says, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You just got done with track practice, right?"
"Yeah," she replies absentmindedly and follows him out to the car where Stanford's waiting.
"What took you guys so long?" Mabel asks as her brother and cousin climb into the back seat with her.
"Got distracted," Pacifica mutters vaguely as she buckles up.
Mabel looks ready to ask questions, but Dipper shakes his head in a silent way of saying, "She'll tell us when she's ready."
Pacifica decidedly ignores her cousins and contemplates what she's going to do. Dan's become a problem and she definitely doesn't want to deal with him anymore. She's got a few scars to remind her of him and even that's too much of him for her to be comfortable with.
Why her? Why did he decide to pick on her and her family? Because she snapped at him the one time? Because he just got bored? Because he's always held a particular grudge against her? WHY?!
"Pacifica, are you okay?" Dipper asks quietly.
She snaps her attention back to him. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine... why?"
"You seemed... a little angry," he replies hesitantly.
Pacifica quickly dismisses that with a wave of her hand. "It's nothing- just people being stupid as usual."
Dipper doesn't seem to believe her, but she can't tell him about how Dan's begun to intimidate her because if she does then he'll try to help and will end up getting hurt because of that. She doesn't want anyone else hurt by him which is why she's gotta keep him and his sister out of the Dan situation entirely. They know the basics and that's all that they need to know as far as she's concerned. The less they know, the better.
Expers beastia... what are you? Pacifica thinks irritably as she exits the car and enters the house.
"Hey, guys, how was school?" Soos asks as the three enter the door.
"Good," the three students chorus.
Pacifica goes straight to the kitchen to get some food- she's really hungry after track practice so she's definitely gotta get something on her stomach.
It's been a few weeks since after spring break and only a few days after it ended did Dan start to show up again. McGucket's been staying at their place for a long while now and she doesn't think he's that happy about it and wants to go back to the junkyard. The only reason he's still hear is because of her insistence and she feels incredibly guilty, but she can't take a chance and have him out of the protection of the Shack- especially with all the wards and charms in place to keep things like that out that Stanford placed after she'd gotten hurt.
"You should eat something more filling," Stanford says as he enters and he reaches into the fridge and gets himself a Pitt Cola.
She has an entire bag of chips in her hand at the moment, but she doesn't see anything in the fridge that she wants. "I will when I find something."
The man opens the can and takes a slow sip before he asks, "What's bothering you?"
She swallows the chip in her mouth with her mind racing. "What makes you say that?"
"Tense shoulder, small frown, distant look in your eyes... the usual," he responds. "Why are you so defensive?"
"Teenager, hormones, being a girl in general," she defends and raises an eyebrow at him. "Your move."
"181-24," Stanford praises and then pulls out a yogurt and licks the top. "You know, you can talk to us about anything- right? After all, we are family."
Family... since when have I started thinking of them like that? How did I get so lucky as to get these people in my life? She wonders for a moment before she nods. "Yes, I do... and I will if there's something that I feel I need to talk about, but until then I've really got nothing."
Stanford observes her for several seconds before turning away and walking out of the kitchen. "Alright then, go do your homework."
"Yes, Uncle 'F-Stan," she says and then quickly flees the room.
Even the twins' habits are rubbing off on me, Pacifica thinks, though she's not upset- not really- just a little caught off guard. She's about that close to calling him "Uncle 'Ford" instead of "Uncle Stan" like she's been doing since before the twins showed up.
She discards all of that and decides to go upstairs and get a little bit of reading done so she can be ahead of the class- she can't stand having to read with the class, it doesn't give her the same thrill as with reading the books on her own. As soon as she settles down in front of the window at the desk she sees someone standing in the distance. She narrows her eyes and looks closer- expecting it to be Dan- but instead she finds that it's Travis.
I wonder what's going on, Pacifica thinks just before she gets a text form him.
Need to talk, I'm outside.
~Travis~
Pacifica goes downstairs and walks out the door and towards the forest where Travis is. As she walks closer she sees that he looks... well, like crap. His hair's more messy than usual, his clothes look thrown on, his eyes are red and puffy, and his shoulders look slumped.
"Hey, Travis, what's up," Pacifica asks.
He gulps and takes a few heartbeats to answer, but when he does, her heart sinks at his voice cracking as he says the words, "My brother died today."
Travis' big brother had been in the hospital the ever since the accident and was looking like he was making a full recovery for the past three weeks, but apparently that isn't the case.
Pacifica hugs her friend sympathetically and he rests his forehead on her shoulder while he cries. She has no idea what it feels like to lose a brother, but she does know what it feels like to lose a loved one. She just wants to be there for him like her parents weren't there for her when her grandfather died. Her mother was a little emotional, but both were only interested in the inheritance that they'd get with his death, which really did a number on her.
She can't rightly say that everything's alright because- for him- nothing's okay. He just lost his brother so of course nothing's okay. All she can really do is hug him and try to make him feel better that way in all actuality. She can't tell how long they've stood there, but she knows it's a long time before he stops crying.
"I'm sorry," she murmurs as he trembles in her arms.
"I-I don't know... I don't know how to... to stop crying," he murmurs with tears in his voice.
She shrugs. "Just let yourself cry until you can't cry anymore- it helps a ton."
He curses quietly. "I feel so weak... I feel weak for crying so much."
She pulls away, but keeps hold of his shoulders and glares into his eyes. "It's not weak if your emotions are too much- they've gotta get out somehow and tears are the best way... you shouldn't feel weak for crying after something like this."
"Thank you," he murmurs while wiping his eyes. "You really helped."
Pacifica smiles sadly. "You're gonna be alright. I promise."
Travis gives a watery smile. "Yeah... thanks Pacifica." He seems ready to say more, but his phone rings and he makes affirmative noises and then hangs up. "Mom wants me back- I kinda snuck out..."
"Go on, I'll see you at school," she says.
Dan did this.
She remembers all too well the smug look on his face when she looked at him- like he was glad that she knew who was responsible for landing her friend's brother in the hospital.
Dan did this to her friend.
And he was going to pay.
Grenda: Oh, man! Things are getting intense! Oh, yeah! HAT's in a black hole again so we're taking over for now! All of you review!