Chapter 6
Dipper turned to his sister. "Even you have to admit, she's acting suspicious."
"Okay, I admit that she's been acting a little . . . odd," Mabel started, "but she's probably just nervous. It's the first time the three of us have hung out in a while. I'm sure she just wants to make a good impression."
"When has Pacifica ever cared about making a good impression to anyone?" Dipper stood up and began pacing the room. "Do you think she cared when she ignored us for the better part of a year? Then, she just calls us out of nowhere and expects us to come running. We're not her servants, Mabel. We don't just come at her beckoned call."
"Fine, it was super lame of her to just avoid us all year, but Pacifica's our friend, can't you just-"
"And what about this house? Where is everyone? You've heard what people have been saying about her? She become a total-"
"Enough!" Mabel shouted, hoping Pacifica couldn't hear. "I'm not about to listen to a bunch of stupid gossip. Pacifica is my- OUR friend, and even if she's acting strange, we shouldn't be trying to avoid her. Whatever is going on, we need to be there to help, and not let our . . . feelings get in the way."
Dipper turned on a dime. "Wh-What do you mean by that?"
Mabel sighed. "Come on, Dipper. It's obvious how you feel about her. The way you look at her, how you're always muttering things under your breath." Mabel placed her hand on Dipper's shoulder. "You got the same way around Wendy back in the day."
Dipper's face turned red with embarrassment. He couldn't say a word. He turned and looked to the floor, to his shoes, a spot on the wall, anywhere but into his sister's eyes.
"It doesn't matter how I feel." Dipper said, finally working up the will to speak. "She made herself very clear when she decided to shut me out of her life. She didn't bother to care about me then. Why should I bother to care about her now?"
Mabel paused. She didn't really know what to say next. Dipper wasn't the only one who felt shut out and abandoned by Pacifica. He wasn't the only one with feelings for her. She thought about how badly it hurt to have Pacifica ignore her all year. She had felt angry, too. There were even times when she wished she could just forget ever knowing her, but then she remembered the simple things: her smile, her laugh, those little feelings of joy that came from just being around her. Besides her brother, Pacifica was the most important thing in her life, and right now, she needed her help.
"Sometimes it doesn't matter how badly someone has hurt you." Mabel said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "If someone needs help, and you . . . love them, more than anything else in the world, you can't just sit by and do nothing while they're in trouble."
Dipper turned and saw as the tears formed trails down his sister's cheeks. He had been so wrapped up with his own thoughts, he didn't even bother to think how Mabel might be feeling. Mabel was one of Pacifica's oldest friends. They had spent the last five summers together, becoming closer and closer in the process. There were moments when the two girls seemed inseparable. The way Mabel looked at Pacifica sometimes, it was almost as if . . . as if . . . Oh!
"Mabel, Do you . . . " Dipper spoke with a sudden clarity, "Do you . . . have feelings for-"
The doorknob began to turn. Quickly, the Pines girl wiped away her tears. The two siblings return to their seats with a thud, pretending the last few minutes never happened as Pacifica turned and entered the room carrying a tray of sodas.
"Okay, who's thirsty?"