"Mabel, please tell me you got a good shot-"

CLICK! The video paused.

"I never did find that creature," he said, "but looking back, it honestly doesn't matter to me anymore. Mabel and I made so many good friends, did so many fun things, found man-made horrors beyond our comprehension... It was perfect."

He paused in thought for a moment.

"But to get back to the War of 1812... and nobodies paying attention." he said as he noticed everyone else in the room.

The classroom was filled with other Juniors, each engaged in some activity that wasn't watching his presentation. Kids turned their chairs around to form groups of four or five, conversing in hushed whispers. Some had slumped down in their seats and caught up on their sleep. Even the teacher, Mr. Benjamin, was playing BubblePals on his tablet, a game that he had already reached Level 937 on.

He sighed, turned off his slides, and walked up to the teachers desk.

"Nice presentation, Pines." Mr. Benjamin replied, still playing on his tablet.

"I literally stopped right in the middle to show some vacation videos." He replied dryly, but his teacher didn't notice.

"...really well done." Mr. Benjamin repeated, and with that he walked back to his desk. Slumping down in his seat, he decided to not let this bother him. After all, at least there were no hecklers this time.

"Dipper?"

"Mmm?" he replied, turning to his classmate Carol who sat right next to him. "Oh yeah... that's a nickname I had when I was a kid."

"Really?" she chuckled. "Why?"

"You know that foundation I keep with me?"

Before she could reply, a voice behind her interrupted.

"Hey Mason! I want you to see this!"

"Uh, Matthew..." he replied, but then got cut off.

"Now remember back when I couldn't figure out how they were able to fake the gravity in the moon landing footage?"

"Uh, I guess."

Mat brought out a diorama. "Well, I realized that the only way Kubrick could have pulled it off was with miniatures. It makes so much sense, it's the only way they could've pulled off those proportions!"

Both Carol and Mason, who was adjusting his glasses, leaned forward in their seats to look at it.

"Miniatures?" asked Carol.

"You know, stop motion?" said Mat as he brought out several small, clay figures.

"Pfft," replied Carol. "OK, that's probably the most absurd thing you've ever said."

"What, fake footage?"

"No, stop motion. I mean, who would really waste their time doing that?"

"That's a real thing!"

Carol turned back to him. "Back me up Mason."

"Wish I could."

Mat contested. "Come on guys! It totally makes- wait..." Something had just occurred to him, and with that he started taking out a notebook from his backpack, opened it and started to rapidly scribble.

"And then this goes here, and this here, and..."

"Next!" yelled Mr. Benjamin.

"Oh, that's me!" said Mat as he took his mess of papers and figures to the front of the class. After prepping all his figures on a table, he addressed the entire class.

"Now, how many of you have seen The Shining?"

...

"So, what are you guys doing for spring break?" Rebecca asked the three of them, as Mat continued his presentation.

"Nothing special," replied Joey. "Only going to Dunge-Con as a finalist for the annual DD&MD tournament."

"You've only reminded us ten times today..." Rebecca said under her breath, and then turned to her other classmates. "What about you, Mason?"

"Me and Mabel are going to meet some friends up in Vancouver and stay there till school starts again."

Carol snorted. "That's it?"

Mason chuckled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Joey interjected. "She means if you're going to meet anyone that we would know? Like Nessie? Or the Abdominal Snowman?"

Mason frowned. "Do you want to try saying that last part again?"

"What? Why?" asked Joey, confused.

"Ha ha ha." Mason laughed dryly. "Guys, I've shown you everything-"

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"

"Well, OK," he relented. "Some videos and pictures of questionable quality-"

Then he turned to Carol. "But as an advocate of science, can't you accept that some things we don't understand could exist, things that could exist right out in your backyard?"

"I don't like going outside." Carol replied lightheartedly. But when she saw that Mason still seemed perturbed, she turned away from the other two, and addressed him directly.

"Listen Dude, I understand." she said. "I've studied Tardigrades since I was five and my family still thinks I'm making them up! 'You can look at regular bears at the zoo, honey!' my mom said."

"But you don't deny it's possible."

"Sure, but you can't really expect me to believe something that sounds so unbelievable. And frankly, I don't know if you can expect anyone too."

Then the bell rang.

"Did you guys catch that last part?" said Mat as he came back to his seat holding his miscellaneous parts in his arms. "Do you think everyone understood where I was going with it?"

"I think that... yours was the most interesting. " replied Rebecca, as she and Joey started grabbing their stuff to leave.

Carol stood up and grabbed her backpack and looked at Mason. "Dude, all I'm saying is that I really wish you wouldn't waste your time with this crap. Because without evidence, it doesn't matter."

After she left, so did the other three, who all said bye to Mason as they passed by.

"Have a good break or whatever." said Mr. Benjamin, still on his tablet, to the students leaving his classroom.

Still sitting in his desk, Mason was thinking to himself. He wasn't concerned about trying to prove himself. After all, he thought it was kind of special to have memories of a place that most people would never experience. But in that way, he felt sorry for Carol, Mat, Joey, Rebecca; friends that he had had since he was eight. Memories like that come around once in a lifetime and he wanted to share that.

And besides, it would be nice to rub it in their faces.