A/N: Hey everyone sorry for the gap in updating. I've been procrastinating lately and having a bit of computer trouble. But I soon should be getting into a more normal updating schedule perhaps once or twice a week.(updating everyday is not at all feasible especially since I am going back to school soon.) Any how another flashback chapter and next chapter will be skipping ahead and that is where the good stuff starts. Well, that's all for now, please enjoy and feel free to rate and review. TTFN(ta-ta for now, for you non-Winnie the pooh fans)
Dipper and Mabel where sitting in the back seat of Kat's black four door car with all the windows open BABA playing on her Mp3. Kat was driving and looking at the scenery. Whenever she did get the chance to visit Gravity Falls it always seemed like it was raining, snowing or dried up and dead. Summer was a completely different, because you couldn't go anywhere without seeing life. As they got into town Dipper looked around.
"Where are we going?" he asked
Kat took a handed and pointed out the windshield.
"TO THE ICE CREAM SHOP!" she said loudly
They then burst into a round of 'I-scream-you-scream'. They pulled into the parking lot then went inside to order. As they waited for their ice-cream Pacifica Northwest came in.
"Oh look it's Mabel." she said to her posse.
"Pacifica." Mabel groaned.
As Pacifica made some snarky remarks to Mabel, Kat half eavesdropped half continued her conversation with the cashier. After their order came in Kat walked over to a saddened Mabel who was being comforted by Dipper and handed them their cones.
"Don't pay her any attention Mabel, she isn't worth the breath it take to say her name." She said kneeling to her height.
"But she is so popular." Mabel said sadly taking the cone staring at it sadly.
"So, the people of Gravity Falls can be put into three camps, the wonderful friendly people who can be your best friends, the jerkish air wasters who aren't worth your spit, and the floaters who are great friends until an air waster appears to suit their interests better. Anyone who sides with that little brat isn't worth your time, right?" She said smiling at her.
Mabel grinned back.
"Yeah your right!" She said.
"Aren't I always? Now come little Pineses to the Kat mobile !" she said pointing to the door.
As Mabel and Dipper ran out the door to her car, Kat quietly loosened the lid of her milk shake, tripped and sloshed a large amount of it on top of Pacifica's head. She quickly said a sincerish apologize and then got into the car with a mischievous smirk stretching across her face.
"Hey Kat," Dipper said looking up from his ice cream cone "What group do you sort Soos into?"
"Huh, oh, you mean good guy, air waster, or floater? He's a good guy. Why do you ask?" She said
" He acted all weird when he saw you yesterday." he said
"We get along really well, but we have an awkward relationship." She laughed.
She was unsure how to explain the fact that when she was younger she used to have a huge crush on Soos without putting them both in a uncomfortable situation. He had let her down as gently as he could and their friendship went back to normal till she hit puberty. She had made it clear that she had lost any feelings for him other than friendship in a surprisingly hostile way. He still had some residual attraction to her and the weird reaction was due to that and her anger.
"How do you put people into those categories?" Dipper asked
"Trial and error and personal experience." She said solemnly.
***(15 years ago)***
"Hello Mystery Shack, Stan Pines speaking!" Stan said picking up the phone behind the counter of the gift shop.
"Hello Mister Pines, this is Jeffreson Thorton, I am the principal at your daughter, Katarina's school, I would appreciate it if you would come in at 4:30 to discuss with you and her mother some of her behavior."
"Oh..Uhmm, ok then I'll see you then at 4:30, I suppose." Stan said uncomfortably.
After closing the Shack for the evening Stan drove into town in no great mood figuring that because Kat hadn't come back on the bus that she had detention. When he walked into the office of the local elementary school Kat's mother, Annabelle, was sitting in a chair facing the door of the principal's office.
"Do you know about this?" Stan said sounding angrier than he intended.
"No, " She said calmly "But you can ask Kat now." she gestured to the door into the hallway.
Coming into the office was Kat being walked in by her fourth grade teacher. Her hair was messy and her jeans were scuffed up she was not making eye contact with either of her parents.
"Katarina Harriet Pines-Lake what did you do?" Stan said.
"You'll see." Kat said.
"I'd prefer to know what sort of trouble we are dealing with." Annabelle said.
Kat looked away and Stan could understand why. Annabelle was using her controlling her anger voice and that was one of the more scary things about this short, usually calm woman. After that the principal opened the door and let them into his office.
"Mr. Pines, Mrs. Pi..." He started then noticed Annabelle's raised eyebrows "excuse me Ms. Lakes, Today Katarina started a fight with another student today."
"Verbal or Physical?" Annabelle said.
"It was a physical altercation." Mr. Thorton said.
Stan raised an eyebrow. Kat was sassy and was a big fan of horsing around but she never was violent.
"Really?" he said.
"Yes, she got into an argument with another student, and then pushed her on the ground and punched her in the face, Now we want to know what could have caused this." he said steeping his fingers.
Stan and Annabelle turned and looked at Kat. Stan in astonishment and Annabelle more in disappointment.
"Tanya, was being mean to me and was making fun of me." Kat muttered kicking her feet and brushing her the dirt off her jeans.
"She was making fun of you? Really, that's your excuse for getting into a fist fight?" Stan said
Kat whipped her head towards him in anger.
"It's not my fault she's such a bi...such a brat!" She shouted, wavering in the middle remembering that her mother was in a crappy mood.
"You had better have meant brat." she murmured quietly
"I see, well we have a strict policy here on violence but seeing as this is her first offence it is only a two-day in school suspension."
"In school suspension." her mother said slowly.
Kat had pulled her knees to her chest and was looking at her feet avoiding her father's look of disapproval. After being dismissed all three left for the shack to have a family discussion.
"So, what on earth made you think that it was ok to get in a fist fight." Annabelle said seething sitting across from her daughter in Stan's kitchen.
"I dunno." Annabelle said kicking her feet.
"Seriously? Katarina, that is a piss-poor excuse and any way I thought you and Tanya where friends." Stan said frustrated
"Not anymore." she grumbled kicking her legs faster.
"What did she do to make you beat her up and stop being friends with her?" Annabelle said
"She called me..." she looked at her mother and father gauging their level of tolerance then went on " she called me what uncle Corny calls me, I told her to stop and she didn't and then I got mad and I'm sorry."
At this point she had made the effort to make eye contact. Stan still looked angry but it wasn't directed at her and her mom was biting her lower lip, a clear sign she was anxious.
"I see," her mom said slowly "well, as mean as it was for her to call you that name you still shouldn't have hit her and you are definitely still in trouble."
She then turned to look at Stan.
'Your week, your decision." she said calmly.
Stan paused in thought for a while.
"You're grounded for the week no T.v. or phone." he said
Kat let out a moan going limp in her chair.
"Hey, you did this to yourself kiddo," he said just as she was about to start arguing "now go wash up or something, I'm going to make dinner soon."
He made a shooing motion with his hand and Kat proceeded to stomp to the stairs with a face like she ate a whole lemon. Half way up the steps the stomping stopped and then became the sound of running feet. Kat ran back into the kitchen and hugged her parents.
"Love you Mom, love you Dad." she said sweetly
"Love you too, but this doesn't make you ungrounded." Stan said ruffling her hair
She stomped her foot.
"Darn it!" she said angrily.
Annabelle raised an eyebrow at Stan.
"You and I are both seeing this face and we both know what it means." he said turning Annabelle's face toward Kat and pointing at it "If you are not careful this face is going to force me to add more time to your sentence."
"Ughh, fine I'm going." She moaned.
She then began to slowly stomp up the stairs. Stan followed her and called up to her.
"Quit stomping!"
Kat turned and put her hands on her hips.
"GEEZ LOUISE, I WILL! " she said turning and walking up the stairs.
After he heard the inevitable door slam Stan turned back into the kitchen. Looking back at Annabelle he started smiling and then despite everything they burst out laughing.