"So...what's the plan now?" Dipper asked. They had since sat themselves down at the table Caesar had chose for himself, having pulled a laptop from his bag.
"Break into the school, I guess," Mabel responded. "Tonight...?"
"This evening, Saturday morning, the bridge between." Caesar, not looking up from the screen, responded with confidence.
"And how are we gonna deal with the cameras?"
"See, that's just the thing." Caesar said, shuffling in his seat and looking up. "A theft is only reported if noticed by a teacher, at which point the security tapes are reviewed. However, so seldom do things escape the Box that the chances of a report are slim to none."
"and there's no...security guard watching the camera's?" Dipper asked. It all seemed too simple.
"what are you, crazy?" Caesar asked Rhetorically. "the school's not gonna pay for a superfluous employee when they need brand new football uniforms. It'll be poultry."
"Promise?" Mabel asked.
"Well, yeah. Promise." Caesar responded
Mabel, smiling like she hadn't in two days, leaped across the table and practically through Caesar's laptop (closing it), tackling him to the ground in a flying hug.
"GOOD GOD!" Caesar got out, arms splayed out in confusion.
"Thank you Thank you Thank you!" was all Mabel could say. Dipper had since stood, leaning against the table to see what was going on.
"Was that..." started Caesar, only to be cut off by Dipper.
"For Mabel, yes it was." he said with a smirk.
In an almost pone position after Mabel had tackled him, Caesar lay on the ground with an expression of fear and confusion as Mabel clambered off of him, taking time again to smile at his prone figure before rising fully.
"Well that was...an experience." Caesar remarked sarcastically before retaking his seat, opening his laptop and typing away like nothing happened.
"Hey, when's the bell ring again?" dipper asked, ironically cut off by the resounding bell, signaling class' beginning.
"Right gosh darn now." Caesar said, in constant eye contact as he folded his laptop and replaced it into his bag before zooming off to god knows where.
Subtract an easy test, the day was uneventful up to Gym.
"MOVE IT MAGGOTS!" shouted their 300 pound coach, never told his glory days were over.
Dipper could feel his legs burning, his lungs bursting for release as the coach, close behind him, blew hard his whistle to spur dipper along.
His body left a tail of sweat like oil slick, trying desperately to clear the coach from his back.
Caesar passed, a confident gait that did little to hide the exhaustion crawling over his face. Mabel passed soon after, heaving in spite of her proudly-held smirk. Dipper could only glare as he felt the pressure to collapse.
The class had been running as such for the better part of the period while some of the presumed football stars chatted with their coaches far to the left, nearest the Locker Room doors.
After what felt like an eternity of burning lungs and jeering comments, the Coach sounded his whistle to the wheezing cheers of many students.
Nothing much else interesting happened on that day.
They were walking home from school with still a light drizzle softening the mud since shed across the sidewalk in artistic layers of silt, clay, and dirt. Somewhere in the distance, the deep diesel-engine sound of someone's refurbished German Panther resounded.
"Do you really think 45 minutes of continuous track was necessary?" Dipper asked, the rattle in his through still faintly sounding with every breath.
"pfft, no," Mabel answered. "but it was fun to watch Caesar in his gym shorts."
"Oh, don't tell me." Dipper said with a totally different kind of exhaustion than gym had left him with. "I thought you'd finished your boy crazy phase."
"Ohhhh no. Not even close." Mabel responded with a giggle. "It's only just gett'n started." she bopped Dipper on the nose before sprinting off towards their house.
"COME ON!" Dipper shouted. He felt betrayed more than anything. "You know what, fine." he said under his breath before breaking into a jog. The rattle in his through only grew with the mild exertion.
Mabel stood just outside the door with a smirk, resting her backpack against her knees as she held it by the handle.
"Oh...jeez. I... meant to bring that with me..." Dipper apologized, slowing to a halt in front of the step.
"Nah... it's fine." Mabel responded dismissively. "Now come on, we gotta prepare." she ran through the front door, still slightly ajar. Looking down, Dipper saw his open backpack, sitting just inside the door.
It was a test day, wasn't it... 90% of his classes and presumably Mabel's as well had had that focus... were they really that easy?
"Whatever..." Dipper mumbled.
"What did you mean by, 'Prepare-' OW!" Dipper exclaimed. He had been closing the door when something small and stinging struck the side of his head. He quickly looked up in search of it's source.
A rubber band, shot by Mabel, sitting like a frog atop the kitchen table far to their right of the door.
"What I meant by prepare," said Mabel, strafing off the table and around the nearest wall, "Was you gotta prepare for anything! Anything and everything!"
with a smile, Dipper picked up Mabel's discarded rubber band and strafed the stairs.
In that way it continued for around half an hour before Mabel, panting from the excitement, found herself collapsing on an old couch in the den. Mabel, not far, stood with his hands on his knees with a broad smile in spite of his heavy breathing.
"Alright, I... I think that's enough for today." Dipper said, sitting himself in the armchair nearest Mabel and grabbing the conveniently placed TV remote. Uncomfortably, Mabel squirmed in her seat. Something beneath her, hard and cold.
"What in... HEY DIPPER!" Mabel called in delight, producing a pair of phones from beneath her.
"Oh, no way!" Dipper exclaimed, standing and running to Mabel who had, at the revelation of their old phones, had sat up sharply. A post-it note, stuck to the bck of Mabel's phone, explained the situation;
Dear Dipper and Mabel;
Hey. It's your dad. Just checking in because I couldn't really do that before. So...your phones! I figured you'd want them back after 3 months of disconnection. I went ahead and charged them up...did all the updated...(y'all really need to change your passwords), and tried not to vomit at the sight of Mabel's search history...you know, the usual. (at this stage I'm confident of what I'll find in Dipper's search history and shudder to go through it). So, have fun, stay safe, Don't create or destroy human life, ect ect, you get the idea. I got a new job at Corona Conglomerate, so I'll be working later. See you guys soon.
Love, Dad.
"I don't think this day could get any better." Mabel said with Glee, already swiping through old-new messages.
Dipper jumped at the sudden vibrating of his phone, it momentarily leaping from his hands as before catching it and answering.
"Hel...hello?" Dipper greeted into the receiver.
"I'll be there at 11:15 to discuss the battle plan. In the meantime, I'll need you to pick up some things."
"Who is this?" Dipper asked, somewhat frightened. "And how did you get my number?"
"It's Caesar, of course." answered Caesar. "and I got your number from one of the girls you subjected to last years prolific 'stunt.'"
"You mean the time Dipper got so desperate that he wrote his number on the insides of girls' binders?" Mabel chimed in, evidently having been eavesdropping.
"Exactly. Now about the materials." Caesar continued. "I'll need three two-way radios, a spool of copper wire, an ounce of foam, a small electronics kit, and a soldering iron. And don't tell me you don't have them because I know your dad. He's got all kinds a' shit in that basement."
Dipper was silent a moment before responding with "Okay. Will...will do. 11:30?"
"11:15." Caesar corrected before hanging up.