Chapter 5
Pacifica smiled as Dipper continued their conversation; explaining how difficult it was balancing his college-level coursework with playing the tuba in the school marching band, listing the various clubs he joined during the school year, and describing how difficult it was being the head of his school's debate team.
"It's so cute the way he tries to show off." Pacifica thought to herself. "I wonder if he realizes just how nerdy he really is?"
Pacifica couldn't really focus on Dipper, however. Her mind was somewhere else, constantly eyeing the clock on her wall, waiting for just the right time to excuse herself.
Finally, during a break in the conversation, Pacifica stood up.
"Hey, why don't I get us all something to drink. Pitt Cola okay?"
"Sure. I could go for a soda." replied Dipper.
"Make mine diet, please." said Mabel.
As Pacifica turned to leave, Dipper stood and began to follow. "Need some help?" he asked, "I could come with you."
"NO!" Pacifica shouted. "No, that's fine. I can get it myself. You two just wait here. I'll be right back."
Before Dipper could respond, Pacifica turned and dashed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Her heart was beating like a jack-hammer as she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Calm down, Northwest." Pacifica said to herself, "You need to act casual or they're going to know something's wrong."
Pacifica tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen. There, three glasses were waiting on a serving tray, prepared hours beforehand in anticipation of this moment. Pacifica walked to the freezer, pulled out an ice tray, and filled each glass halfway with ice. Then, hands trembling, Pacifica removed the two liter bottles of cola from the fridge, and, trying her hardest not to spill them, poured two glasses of cola for her and Dipper and a diet cola for Mabel. Finally, the moment of truth, Pacifica reached down into the cupboard, far in the back, to the long, clear bottle she had hidden underneath the sink. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the bottle out from its hiding place, staring at the clear liquid inside. She must have stared for almost a full minute, all the while thinking about her plan, and the potential mistake that she was making.
"You don't have to do this." a voice in her head started. "Just put the bottle down and take the sodas upstairs. You could have a fun evening with your friends. Everything can go back to the way it was, and no one will ever have to know you tried to-"
Before she could even think the words, Pacifica unscrewed the cap and poured the contents of the bottle into two of the glasses. She wasn't sure how much to use, but she figured about two fingers worth would be enough to do the job. When she was done, Pacifica hid the bottle, her shame, back underneath the cupboard. She then took three straws, one pink, one blue and one white, out of a box on the counter, and used them to stir the drinks.
"Pink for Mabel, Blue for Dipper, the white one is clean. Pink for Mabel, Blue for Dipper, the white one is clean." Pacifica repeated in her head.
Pacifica picked up the tray and put on her best fake smile. Inside, her mind was racing with thoughts of how terribly this night could go. She could end up branded as a total freak for the rest of her life, and, even worse, lose the only two people she truly considered friends. Could she really risk it?
She took a deep breath, and, with all her mental fortitude, she buried those thoughts as far down inside herself as she could.
"This is it." She thought, "There is no going back now."
"Whatever happens, happens."