Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok.
The clock broke through the silence of the house as Angel stared at the paper in front of her with large eyes, lips parted in shock.
This... I..."
The document hadn't been meant to come out to the daylight for quite some more time but here it was - mocking not only the eleven-year-old girl but her two "parents" as well.
"A-Angel, we can-"
Her lips turned down into a sneer, pure disgust seeping into her tone as she flung the adoption paper over to them. "No need to explain," she hissed, narrowing her blue eyes, "after all, I finally realized why Pacifica always called us a 'fake family.'"
"We still care about you even though you aren't ours, Angel," her "father" protested causing a scoff to worm its way out of her mouth, "and we can't allow you to talk to us like that!"
"Well," she pushed her chair out, stand up and walking over to the door before turning and shooting then a dirty look, "I don't really care your opinion anymore, Charles and Casey."
Her hand grasped at the doorknob, spotting her reflection and was shocked to see tears running down her cheeks and leaving tracks of mascara stained on her skin. She frowned.
Opening the door, she walked out briskly, trying to fix the issue of her appearance before anyone saw her in such a degraded state - Pacifica would not be very happy if someone did - and leaving her "fake family" to wallow in their regret and grief for lying to her.
After all, there was nothing more she hated than liars.
"Gravity Falls' Queen contest?..." Angel shuffled over to Table Three, a tray of two steaming Sue's Lucky Pie in her hand. "I don't know..."
Tessa, the all-too-energetic tall blonde, shook her head, her wild stands flying everywhere. "Come on, Angelic," she pleaded, grabbing her friend's free hand and getting on her knees, "you're the only person I know who can show Pacifica that she's not the prettiest person in Gravity Falls."
"Tess," she whispered, trying to ignore the eyes peering at the two girls, "I don't know." The brunette snatched her hand back, turning back to the customers and delivering their food.
Now, Tessa was never one to give up on anything, no matter how unbelievable it was. So, she does what any other best friend does and...
Started to fake cry, grabbing onto Angel's leg.
"P-P-Please Angel!" She screamed, disturbing the whole restaurant with her volume, "Just try it!"
"The last time you told me to 'just try it'," she bit out to the green-eyed girl, trying top keep her voice low compared to her loud wailing, "I ended up getting rejected and sharing a pity kiss with Dipper."
"B-But, Angelic," Tessa cried, "he just doesn't what he's missing out on! You can prove that your worth his every effort by winning the contest!"
She bit her lip, looking away from the blonde and Tessa knew that she had caught Angel in with that one simple comment about the elder Pine twin. "So, will you do it?" She asked carefully.
Angel frowned, glancing back down at her friend. "Have I ever told you how much I hate you?"
Tessa jumped up, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl, "You really are a gift from God, Angel!"
"Yeah, yeah," Angel waved off, "now either buy something or leave."
"Arg!"
The noise left Angel's mouth as Mabel - along with Candy and Grenda - pulled her forward, tearing her away from Dipper and Tessa. They both stood at the edge of the town square, watching as the trio forced the brunette to sign the sign-up sheet.
"You do know," the blonde started before glancing at him through the corner of her eyes, "you really hurt her."
He stiffened, gulping as he tugged at his collar, starting to resemble a fish out of water. "I - Ah - She-"
"Save it," Tessa cut off, turning her head so that he could be pierced by her green glare, "I'm just simply providing you... Background information."
"A-About what?"
She watched him for a moment, soaking up his trembling appearance to his curious eyes that he tried to hide from her. "About the fact that she was a mess last year. About the fact that she had finally got her life together and she doesn't need some boy ruining it."
Another knot formed in his throat, forcing him to try in swallow it down in his fear as he tried to gather the courage to ask the simple question. To gather this simple information about the kind, optimistic brunette.
"W-What?" The words tremor from Angel's lipgloss stained lips as Pacifica stood in front of her, her grey eyes narrowing.
"You heard me," the blonde snapped at the flick of girls behind her started to giggle, saying things such as "deaf fake child" and "loser", "I'm not willing to be friends with trash."
Angel felt burning in her eyes, tears blurring her vision as she tried to hold in the sniffles that threatened to fall. Of all the people she expected to leave her, she didn't expect her childhood best friend to be one of them.
"I-If that's what you want..." Her lips shook as a few traitorous teardrops fell down her face, staining her cheeks with mascara - just like a few days ago when she found out that she was adopted. The blonde sneered.
"That is what I want."
Then, turning on her heels, she pushed through the group of girls - all of which jeered at her - and strolled forward, leaving her in the dust.
As soon as she was gone, the brunette crumbled, slipping down to the ground and cradling her head in her bare arms.
She heard footsteps, approaching footsteps, and picked her head up quickly, rubbing her face and trying to clean it. She stopped once she realized that she probably made it worse.
"Hey," she peered up at Tessa, who twirled a strand of hair around her finger, "mind if I sit with you?"
"Why?" She asked, even through she shuffled to the side, making room for the lanky girl, "Are you going to make fun of me too?"
She chewed on her lip, glancing away the brunette. "Actually," she said in a small voice, "I think what the other girls did was wrong."
Angel's eyes widen as a blush grew on her face, looking away from her. "... I'm sorry."
Tessa blinked owlishly, letting a small snicker at her before covering at the glare that the girl sent her. "What are you laughing at?!" She barked, causing the blonde to laugh harder.
"You really are a roasted marshmallow, aren't you?"
"What is that?" She growled out as Tessa calmed down, patting her head.
"Nothing you need to worry about..." At least not yet...
"... You're weird."
"Thank you."
"That was not a compliment!"
"Oh, look what we have here," Pacifica stood daintily with her hands on her hips, her face was twisted in a sneer, "some dorks and trash."
"Pacifica," Mabel hissed out, although she tried to keep her voice somewhat neutral, "what are you doing here?"
"Obviously," the blonde stressed out the single word, "I am here to enter the Gravity Falls' Queen contest. Isn't that right?" She snapped her fingers, causing the two girls flocked on her side to chorus agreements.
"Well, isn't that interesting," Mabel responded, "because..."
"We're entering Angel in the contest!" Grenda basically shouted, pushing the brunette forward in front of the rich girl.
"Guys..."
Pacifica cocked a perfectly arched brow up, her face showing disbelief. "Are you really going fake trash into the Gravity Falls' Queen contest? Why didn't you try someone who at least had a shot like Lanky Lewis?" Angel's fist clenched at the mention of her friend's loathed nickname.
"Or... Maybe she doesn't stand a chance either... I mean, come on," Pacifica rolled her grey orbs like it was obvious, "why would Gravity Falls' Queen be someone who talks to herself?"
Now, that made Angel snap.
Pacifica could send as many insults as she wanted to about Angel but once she brung up Tessa's habit of blurting out ideas to herself (she wanted to be an inventor and often thought about inventions that she is making or could make), then all self restraint she had went out the door.
"Let me tell you something, valley girl," the words slipped out of her mouth like a venomous snake, "I'm going to enter the Gravity Falls' Queen beauty contest and I will win."
"Are you so sure about that?" The blonde mocked, flipping her long hair over her shoulder before putting a hand on her hip. "Because of so, I hope you don't mind putting a little deal to it."
"Hm," Angel copied her actions, cockiness shining on her face, "if I win... You have to show everyone that embarrassing second grade photo. And you have to publicly apologize to anyone you have ever offended."
She scowled at the waitress, narrowing her eyes. "Fine," she bit out, "but if I win... You have to kiss my boot and admit how big of a piece of garbage you are to everyone."
Angel thought over what was at stack: her pride over a silly picture that actually showed how human Pacifica as well as a few apologizes. The choice was obvious.
"Deal," she said, shaking Pacifica's outstretched hand, "I hope you can keep your end."
"Only if you can," she snarled, slipping her hand from Angel's and pulling out hand sanitizer, squirting out a little over a quarter of the bottle in her hand and lathering it over. Rolling her eyes at the pure brat Pacifica was being, she turned, meeting the angry face of Tessa.
"Angel!" She hissed at her, strolling forward and wrapping her hands around her should. "What did you just do?!"
"I... I'm not sure," Angel tried to process what was happening, her brain off of the adrenaline rush that she had been on, "what did just happen?"
"You just stood up to Pacifica!" The four kids exclaimed, causing the duo to turn.
"Ah," Angel raised a hand up to her face, doing a simple facepalm, "that's what just happened."
"Your Highness!" A high-pitched voice exclaimed, stopping in front of a throne of pants ripped from the frog-like creatures throat. "This year's Gravity Falls' Queens are very delicious-looking!"
A burp rumbled from the amphibian's throat, the one perched on the throne, as the plate in front of him shook. "... Really?" He blinked lazily, glancing at his right-hand man, who nodded furiously. "Good, good..."
"Uh, your highness," the frog squeak out, noticing his king asleep, "your highness!"
"Yes... Yes, I am awake," the King mumbled as the frog in front of him shifted, "what do you want?"
"Uh, um, with all the likely candidates we have this year, we think that we might end up having two winners," the frog spoke, stammering, "we need your permission to do so..."
Snoring caught his attention and he sighed irritably. "Y-Your highness!"
"Yes, yes," the king waved off, "we can have two winners." The frog furrowed what could be considered eyebrows.
"Are you sure about this, my kingship?" He was nervous about what the state of the kingdom would be with two women - one female had already reduced the kingdom to nothing but ruins and water splashed through the castle when it rained.
"I am sure... I am sure..." The King reassured, his beady eyes looking at him with a slight perk of energy, "I can handle two women."
It was silent between the two before the smaller frog shifted nervously, trying to force the words out of his mouth - the question that he needed and wanted to be answered.
"Um, your lordship, what exactly will you do with both women?"
It was quiet again before the King burst out into childish giggles, literally reducing himself to tears at the supposedly "absolutely ridiculous" question.
"Oh... Oh, my dear man," the king spoke as he wiped tears from his cheeks, "what I am going to do with the two women is..."
"... Eat one of the winners and have the other become the Queen of Amphibian Nation!"
So chapters like these, the ones not based on real episodes, will be more about Angel and her past (which in this chapter, you found out that she is adopted, acts like a brat on occasion, and is a "roasted marshmallow" [meaning she's tough on the outside but gooey and sweet on the inside]) and may some Dipper X Angel moments.
