Starting Over
Chapter 9: "Couples" Quarrel
Dipper woke up one morning to the sound of someone puking. He sighed and walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Pacifica?"
It was a moment before the puking stopped. "No," Pacifica said.
"Sure," Dipper said. "I'll make you some chicken noodle soup."
Pacifica flushed the toilet and walked out of the bathroom. "I'm fine," she said. "I don't need you to make me chicken noodle soup."
"But, the thing is, I want to make you chicken noodle soup," Dipper said. "And, since I'm an adult, I can usually do what I want."
Pacifica rolled her eyes. "You can't even drink."
"Not in the United States," Dipper said. "But where we're going, I can. And so can you, since we're the same age."
"For now," Pacifica said. "Just wait. One day, France will say, oh, you can't-" She covered her mouth, her eyes went wide, and she ran back into the bathroom and puked again.
"Will you be liking that chicken noodle soup now?" Dipper asked.
Pacifica put up her hand and made a gesture Dipper was thankful no one else had seen.
"I'll take that as a yes," Dipper said, and ran upstairs before Pacifica could make another crude gesture.
It had been a few weeks, they had officially welcomed the new year, and Pacifica was getting very, very seasick. So seasick that Ford was working on a new scientific discovery to help her. Stan tried to slip Dramamine into every single one of Pacifica's meals, and Mabel made it ten times worse by yelling "ROOMIES" every chance she got, even if Pacifica was puking in the bathroom, which seemed to happen all the time. Dipper was the only one who knew what to do to make her feel better. Let her puke, make her some soup, and let her rest. Ford wasn't too keen on this plan, as they had come to help with paranormal activities, and with Mabel yelling "ROOMIES" every two seconds, Dipper taking care of Pacifica, and Pacifica being sick, they weren't being much help.
Dipper was in the kitchen, making Pacifica some soup when she came up, clutching her stomach. She looked at Dipper putting a bowl into the microwave and sighed. "I told you I would be fine," Pacifica said.
"Well, that's what you said yesterday, and here you are," Dipper said and smiled. "Seriously, just let me help."
"Dipper, I don't need you to help," Pacifica said. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."
"I'm not doubting that. I'm just realizing that you're sick and you probably don't wanna deal with it yourself, so I'm helping."
"I don't need you to!"
"Well I want to!"
"Well stop wanting to take care of me! I'm a big girl, I can do all of this by myself!"
"Did I say I didn't think that you could?!"
"Well it feels like it! You're always making me soup and coming to the rescue!"
Meanwhile, Mable, Stan, and Ford were listening to the argument in the stairwell.
"Ah, their first fight!" Mabel said.
"So adorable," Stan said.
"This is stupid," Ford said. "They're not even a couple-Stan stop recording!"
"All that I'm saying is that you're sick and I know when I'm sick, I'd like it if someone made some soup for me!" Dipper yelled.
"You've been doing it for two weeks, though! No one would make soup for someone for two weeks unless they were, I don't know, in love or something!" Pacifica said.
Dipper's face turned red. "Well I'm not!"
"Then stop acting like it!" Pacifica said. "You're not my boy-"
The microwave started beeping. Pacifica and Dipper turned to look at it. Dipper grabbed a towel, pulled the bowl out, and set it on the counter. "There. That's the last soup I'll ever make for you, buddy," Dipper said, and walked towards the staircase. Mabel, Ford, and Stan quickly moved out of the way, but Dipper didn't notice them in his anger. He walked to his room and slammed the door.
Meanwhile, Pacifica stared at the bowl on the counter. She didn't want to eat it for her pride, but deep down she knew that it would make her feel better. She grabbed a spoon, pulled up a chair, and started eating, making sure to slam the door with the silverware and move the chair very loudly.
Dipper, hearing the noise Pacifica was making, opened his door very loudly. "BEING LOUD ISN'T GOING TO FIX ANYTHING!" Dipper yelled.
"SO THEN STOP SLAMMING YOUR DOOR!" Pacifica yelled back.
Dipper slammed his door again. Pacifica got up and dragged the chair back and forth on the floor.
"OH MY GOD!" Pacifica heard Dipper yell from his room. "YOU DO REALIZE HOW IMMATURE YOU'RE BEING RIGHT NOW RIGHT?!"
"YES, I DO! I HOPE YOU DO TOO, MR. PERFECT!" Pacifica yelled.
Ford rolled his eyes. He had enough of this. He walked to Dipper's room, forced it open, and started dragging him up up the stairs.
"YOU DO REALIZE YOU'RE BEING VERY LOUD RIGHT NOW, RIGHT?!" Pacifica yelled.
Ford and Dipper reached the stairs, and Ford released Dipper. "Counter, now," he said.
Dipper rolled his eyes and sat next to Pacifica. They both crossed their arms and looked everywhere but each other and Ford.
"Stanley and Mabel, you can just come up here right now, because I know that you will be listening," Ford said.
Stan and Mabel walked up the stairs quickly and sat down on the floor criss-cross-applesauce.
"Now, Pacifica, you are being an idiot," Ford said.
Pacifica gasped.
"Thank you," Dipper said.
"So are you, Dipper," Ford said.
Pacifica laughed as Dipper deflated.
"Both of you are being absolutely ridiculous. You guys are either staring at each other like there's nothing else to look at, or pretending you guys don't exist. And usually when one stares, the other looks away. It's been two weeks of this. Get it together!" Ford said. "Either start dating or stop doing this because it's awkward!"
Dipper and Pacifica looked at each other, both of them wondering if the other felt the same way.
But what if he doesn't feel the same way? Pacifica thought.
What if she thinks we're going too fast? Dipper thought.
They both decided that the best thing to do was to lie.
"No," they both said at the same time and laughed awkwardly. Mabel, Ford, and Stan both rolled their eyes.
"Seriously?" Mabel whispered to Stan.
"I know, right?" Stan asked.
"I, uh, don't feel that way," Pacifica said.
"Yep," Dipper said.
Pacifica finished eating her soup, cleaned her dish, walked downstairs, and into her room. She sighed.
So Dipper doesn't feel the same way, she thought. Well, at least now I know that I need to get over my feelings.
And as Dipper thought the same thing, still at the kitchen counter, Mabel, Ford, and Stan knew that they were in for a long ride with those two.
