WARPED
Chapter 33
"Look alive, people! This is gym class! Show some pep! You want your captains to pick you! Nobody wants to be picked last!"
Hazelle rolled her eyes. Mr. McTrizi was way too enthusiastic about gym.
She stood with Jocelyn against the wall of their high school gym, waiting to be the last ones picked (as always) for yet another useless gym class game. This week's torture was softball, which, in reality, was better than they could've hoped for. All you had to do was stand in the outfield and make a small effort to hit the ball when up to bat. After all Hazelle and Jocelyn had been through this week, they lucked out.
"Matt, Will, captains!"
"Joy," Jocelyn muttered to Hazelle as the two biggest try-hards stepped out to pick their victims/teammates.
"So, how did you sleep last night?" Hazelle asked, as the two boys continued to pick. She knew that Jocelyn hadn't been sleeping well since their return. Jocelyn wasn't one to share her inner emotions, but even a bottle of concealer and her biggest grin couldn't cover up the dark circles that ringed her eyes.
"Okay, I guess," Jocelyn replied, watching as her classmates were picked.
The ones with lesser abilities were now left. Will seemed to be deciding which of the several girls left in the class would be the least hindering to his team.
"Lucy," he said, taking a chance on the "new" girl.
Hazelle winced. She'd forgotten Lucy was in their gym class. The strange part was, Lucy the transfer student had all the same classes during the same periods the old Lucy had had—including Hazelle and Jocelyn's gym class. She watched as Lucy made her way over to Will's team, happy to be included.
After a few more rounds, Jocelyn and Hazelle were the last students remaining. It was Matt's turn to pick, and he took his time, scrutinizing the pair. Jocelyn, who absolutely could not stand Matt, shot him a death glare. Much to Hazelle's amusement, he flinched. The dark circles under her eyes, combined with Jocelyn's bad attitude, must have been quite intimidating.
"Hazelle."
Hazelle stepped forward to join her team.
"Looks like you're with Will, Swanson," remarked Mr. McTrizi.
Jocelyn rolled her eyes and shuffled forward, picking at her nails.
"Alright, let's go outside!" Mr. McTrizi yelled. "Remember your teams when you get out there! And Matt's batting first!"
The students stayed with their respective teams and made their way out to the baseball fields. All, of course, except Jocelyn, who immediately ignored her team and joined Hazelle in the dugout.
"This is bull shit," she mumbled, picking at a scab on her hand.
Hazelle slapped Jocelyn's hand away. "Don't pick at that, it'll get infected."
Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Doctor Mom," she said, returning to her hand.
"We need a pitcher!" shouted McTrizi.
"Why does he always yell? Jesus!" Jocelyn muttered to Hazelle, who suppressed a smile. Grouchy Jocelyn could be cranky, but at the same time, her sarcasm become much more prevalent.
"I can do it, if you want," came a voice that sent shivers down Hazelle's spine. Lucy stepped forward and took a ball from the eager Mr. McTrizi.
"All right, Glint! Way to show some initiative!" He blew his whistle, making Jocelyn jump and send more daggers his way. "Batter up!"
Matt confidently stepped up to the plate, smirking back to his friends. No way was a girl anything to worry about. But Hazelle and Jocelyn watched through the fence as Lucy wound up and pitched, the ball practically sizzling as it sailed past Matt and into the catcher's glove.
"STRIKE ONE!" McTrizi yelled. "Wow, Matt, better wake up!"
Lucy smiled and wound up for a second pitch. Matt narrowed his eyes, ego wounded. He would be ready this time for sure.
"STRIKE TWO!" McTrizi's voice rang out.
Matt was angry now. His face was red, and he took a step out of the batter's box to violently swing the bat. Returning to the box, he gestured for Lucy to pitch, face set and determined. Lucy wound up a third time.
"STRIKE THREE! YEEEEEEEOU'RE OUT!"
Matt angrily threw the bat at the ground and stalked back to the dugout, ignoring the jeers of his friends.
"That was amazing, Glint!" McTrizi cried. "You should really consider joining our softball team in the spring!"
As Lucy smiled at his praise, Jocelyn turned to Hazelle. "Daaaaamn. That was impressive."
"Well, she always did have a good arm," Hazelle mused weakly. "She could toss as high as you, or anyone."
"I guess." Jocelyn didn't elaborate, moving from her scab back to picking at her nails. Hazelle was a tad concerned at her friend's lack of chatter, but didn't push it, knowing talking would come if something was truly wrong.
Lucy quickly struck out the next two batters, and the teams switched places. Hazelle pushed her way through the crowd of people fighting for right-handed gloves, and followed the skulking Jocelyn way out into left field.
The two were quiet for a time watching Matt angrily pitch. His anger had put him off his game, and Will's team hit several pitches, but mercifully, none of them reached the outfield.
The peace gave Hazelle some time to think. She was still reeling from what their adventure to Gravity Falls had done to their reality. Lucy was back, but she wasn't. Not the Lucy they'd grown up with and befriended and fought with. Not the Lucy that had sacrificed herself for them to take out a dream demon.
The nonsensical aftershock of their adventure was drilling a hole through Hazelle's chest. She had a horrible feeling their Lucy was still out there somewhere. Was she floating around in some dark oblivion? Fighting off Bill, who was surely furious after her meddling? Or had their Lucy been reborn in some way, and now she had no memories of her friendship with Hazelle and Jocelyn? The what ifs were driving her crazy.
After a while, Jocelyn spoke up.
"Haze," she began tentatively, "there's something I need to show you."
"Hmm?" Hazelle perked. She had been focused on watching the game: every time she stopped paying attention in gym, she always ended up getting smacked in the nose. "What's up?"
"Um." Jocelyn was, to Hazelle's shock, nervous. "Just, uh, watch." She yanked her left hand out of her glove and raised it in front of her face. Before Hazelle could recognize the look of concentration on her face, a tiny portal was popping open before them, rustling the grass and crackling with energy.
"What the hell?" Hazelle blanched, shooting a panicked glance at Mr. McTrizi, but he was too preoccupied arguing with Will over a called strike three. "Joss, holy—put that away!"
Jocelyn complied, narrowing her eyes and causing the portal to shut.
After shaking off the shock, Hazelle stated, "You can still make portals!"
"Apparently." Jocelyn clenched her fist. "I, uh, dropped my good cake of rosin last night and it shattered, and, I've been pretty stressed lately so I kinda…freaked out a little. And then a portal opened in my room, so my first instinct was to close it, and it actually worked. So I got to thinking, and I tried making some, and now I can control the size and power and all that. I mean, I guess it makes sense. I opened one to Gravity Falls while in this reality in the first place. But now I don't make a huge thunderstorm when I open one, which is nice. Much more incognito."
Hazelle didn't reply at first, deep in thought. "I don't think you're going to like what I'm about to suggest very much."
"Oh, God." Jocelyn massaged her temples. "Just hit me with it."
"Joss," Hazelle said, firm, "we have to go back."
"Go back?" Jocelyn made it sound like Hazelle had suggested they go atom smashing. "Are you serious? I mean...don't get me wrong," she added quickly. "I'd like to go back. Honest, I would. I miss everyone and watching the show isn't the same anymore. But...Stan just sent us back."
"He sent us back through his portal." Hazelle started to pace, her P.E. paranoia forgotten. "Which, if my calculations are correct, he had just fixed up like two weeks ago. I don't think it's his portal's fault that things are different here, but that portal is old and rickety. Your portals could probably get us exactly where we wanna be."
"What are you suggesting, Haze? Cut to it," Jocelyn snapped.
Hazelle took a deep breath. She knew she was beating around the bush with her idea, trying to formulate how it would even work before she said it out loud. But time wasn't something they could afford to lose. The thought of Lucy, unconscious and floating around in some far off deep space, made her spit her idea straight through her teeth: "We need Stan, Joss. We can't just live the rest of our lives knowing Lucy is still out there, somewhere. He'll know what we can do to find her."
"How are we even supposed to go back?" Jocelyn hissed, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. "You can't seriously think I can open a portal back to Gravity Falls—or anywhere else, for that matter—on purpose."
"Yes, I think you can. You did before. You can do it again!"
"I wasn't even thinking about it! That was a fluke. That's what this whole thing is, Haze! Losing Lucy, messing everything up, Bill, us..." Jocelyn swallowed, her angry exterior shaking. "A...fluke."
Hazelle considered. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. But it's a fluke we can fix, Joss. There's a little smidgen of hope. We owe it to Lucy. She saved us. She saved all of Gravity Falls! We have to at least try."
Jocelyn opened her mouth to continue arguing, but a cry interrupted her: "Hey, heads up!"
She and Hazelle looked up in surprise. A softball was whizzing through the air, heading right for them like a bullet. Jocelyn caught it, and then hotly chucked it back at Matt. "Keep your balls to yourself!"
"We're playing a game," Matt shot back.
"And I'm having a conversation. By the way, you're welcome for the catch, asshole!"
Hazelle realized with a start that it had been Lucy's hit that Jocelyn had caught. Lucy, who had been rounding second base, gave the two of them a thumbs up, grinning. "Nice catch, Jocelyn!"
Jocelyn remained rigid, but then her shoulders sagged. She nodded hollowly, but her eyes took on a new slowly blazing quality as she faced Hazelle.
"My house. Midnight. We'll leave from there."