Disclaimer: The views and opinions in this story are not intended to be viewed as those of the author. The following is a fan-written fiction. Gravity Falls, Star vs. The Forces of Evil, Kim Possible, and Big Bad Beetleborgs are property of their respective owners, creators, and publishers. Please support the official releases.

TW: This story will contain references to physical and psychological abuse, murder, and torture.

|Our Turmoil|

In the parking lot in front of Britta's Tacos, Heather's Audi Convertible sat in a spot with its top raised and its windows rolled up. Its engine was running with a gentle hum barely noticed to the customers in line to the shop, providing ample air conditioning inside for Drew and Heather as they sat with comic books spread out between them. They had pulled up almost ten minutes ago, and with the line to the windows long and the sun beating down, they were talking comics to wait out the height of the rush before they'd brave the queue.

"… You like The Tick?"

"The Tick is awesome."

A few weeks ago, Drew would've been unable to function being so close with someone he crushed on so hard. But as he rationalized before and repeatedly since–hanging out with Heather was the easiest thing in his life now.

"Dude, The Tick? Seriously?" A baffled Heather asked with her head tilted slightly.

"Yes, The Tick. I think he had the best crossover out of all of them," Drew defended.

Heather gestured with the comic in her right hand. "And not Spider-Man? Really?"

Drew stood his ground. "I'll die on this hill, The Tick is hilarious, and Blue Beet trying to make sense of how his world even worked had me rolling on the floor."

Heather stared at him almost like she was rethinking letting him in her car, before she broke into a chuckle. "Respect, dude. I can't hate you for admitting that."

Drew sighed. "Great, because it's hot out today and I don't wanna walk back."

Heather laughed again, then looked out her driver-side window out in the direction of Echo Creek Academy a few blocks away. "Do you even wanna go back? I don't, with the place looking like that–Brittney's lost her mind."

He agreed with her, as he set aside the book he was reading. "Right? She's all 'Rargh, it's my school for the week so I'm gonna act like I'm an anime student council president!'"

That brought a giggle from Heather. "Yeah, it's so stupid."

"Between her and the Vanderhoffs, how did our school end up with the worst rich kids?" He asked.

Heather agreed with an eager nod. "I know! I saw Van freaking out in the parking lot this morning. He was kicking Skeeves' car door so hard he was leaving dents, and Skeeves was sitting in it!"

Drew gaped at her in stunned confusion. "Really?"

"No lie, he just sat there watching him while he ate a breakfast burrito. It actually took Miss Skullnick roaring at Van to go to class to make him stop."

That had Drew shaking his head. "Thank goodness he and his brother haven't been on my case lately."

"They're still beefing with Dipper, I think. That's probably why."

Drew sighed. Whatever had Van that angry was probably going to come back at Dipper later. He hoped he was able to warn him before that. Still…

"I can't say I miss the attention," he admitted.

Heather nodded. "Mmhm! Trip doesn't bother me, either. Hasn't tried to talk when we pass in the halls, he just turns his nose up at me like I'm missing out."

Drew let out a short laugh. "It's better than him trying to ask you out."

"Yep! I will take being his sour grapes any day."

The two share a gentle laugh, then Heather leaned forward on her steering wheel, still smiling at him.

"But yeah… forget the Super Rich Kids and their crazy school, do you wanna just skip the rest of class today? We can go back to Zoom, eat our lunch, and read our books there."

Drew let out a somewhat more bitter laugh. "I want to, but my dad's grounded me for the last two times I dipped out."

And as much as he wanted to go read comics all day with Heather… he really had to make the next time he cut class count. Nothing less than a Magnavore attack so he could make it to the weekend without trouble.

Heather did a double-take. "The last two times…? When you were out helping Nano and Mr. Pines?"

She sat up, with open concern all over her face. "Why would your dad ground you for being excused from school to do community service? That doesn't make any sense."

Drew hesitated for a moment, wondering if Heather found it too unbelievable or too strange, but more importantly he wondered if he'd said too much. In the same moment he chose to forge ahead, knowing that it'd do no good to try to walk it back.

Talking to her was so easy.

"Yeah, my dad's kind of an asshole," he began, before he amended it. "No, an asshole wouldn't want to be compared to my dad."

He'd never seen Heather go so pale before, or her voice tremble with worry as she spoke. "Please tell me you're joking."

Drew sat back in his seat and sighed. "I wish I could explain it easily, I don't know how to put this… but my Dad hates me."

At her uncomprehending expression, he elaborates. "When he talks to me, it's always down to me. He doesn't have any particular nice things to say about my reading comics or spending time at Zoom. He criticizes everything I do, even when I do something right. And when bad things happen to me, like when Trip and Van bully me… he blames me for it."

He felt really self-conscious all of sudden. "Look, I'm sorry I dropped that–that was way too heavy..."

"Does he hit you? My God, does he hit Jo?" Heather asked, not even flinching.

Drew shook his head. "I don't think Nano would let him live if he so much as thought about hitting any of us."

The bitterness came back. "And actually, he treats Jo very differently from me. She likes everything I do, you know that, but he doesn't treat her like she's an embarrassment. It's always standards and double standards… I'm never good enough at something, and if I am, then Jo's better."

Heather thought about that. "Whoa… is that why she's in the same grade as us?"

He sighed through his nose and nodded. "Yeah… he doesn't hesitate to remind me that, either. Heck, part of why I'm grounded is because Jo went with me to do Community Service."

Looking down at their pile of comics, the Beetleborgs #1 safely wrapped up on the top, he continued. "I'm actually not supposed to go to the dance Saturday after being grounded, but I'm going anyway. Because I want to go, to help Roland with his prank, but mainly because he doesn't want me to go–and doesn't think I would go."

Heather twisted her tightened grip on her steering wheel, after hearing that. She looked away from Drew, out the front of her car and just sat there in quiet deliberation. He watched her seethe quietly for a moment, maybe a little more, before she closed her eyes and let out a breath that she started holding in that time.

"You should tell Nano or Mr. Pines about this, you know they'd never let him get away with this crap," she finally said.

Drew had thought about that plenty of times. "Man… I really should, but if there's one thing that still bothers me after everything else, it's Dad convincing them that I'm just lying and being a punk because he's just being strict."

He shook his head. "I mean, shoot. Even telling you this, I feel like I'm coming off as some entitled loser who's mad because his dad thinks he wastes his time on comic books and his little sister's in the same grade as him."

Heather whirled on him. "Don't ever think that! I believe what you're saying!"

Drew fell quiet, as Heather continued. "I think this is the first time we've talked about something other than comic books. But don't think I've never paid attention. You're always at Zoom, you don't talk about yourself at all unless it's to Roland or Jo, and when we talk there's always something going on in your head–like you're overthinking or doubting every word before you say it."

"… Am I that easy to read?" He asked, feeling almost sick that he was this visible.

He wondered further, if this was why Trip and Van went after him so hard. After a moment, he decided they were both too up their own butts to notice anything but their small intestines.

"It's more like," Heather began hesitantly, before just saying it, "I like you enough to notice these things… so I worry."

She smiled again and placed her hand over his. "And I'm actually really happy that you trust me enough with something this heavy."

The smile was gone just as quick, but only long enough for her to add: "Well, I'm also really angry at your dad and I wish I could make him disappear."

She patted his hand. "But that'd be too good for him. If you ever need backup standing up to him? Let me know, I'll be there with a baseball bat."

Drew was touched by her reassurance, and he smiled back. "Well, except for this weekend, at least."

She laughed. "Yeah, but it's just a few days. And besides, I'm not the only one who has your back."

Heather was right, Drew had Roland, Jo, Nano, and his new friends, too. He nodded in agreement to her, and both shared warm smiles once more–her hand not leaving his–before she blinked once, looked past him, and jumped in surprise.

"Jeez!" She yelped.

Drew looked back and jumped himself. "What the-?!"

Janna was leaning against his window, her face almost right up against the glass, staring wide-eyed at both of them with one hand on the glass and the other holding a taco she was taking a bite out of with the corner of her mouth.

Drew hit the window controls and rolled it down. "Janna, what are you doing?!"

"You can't ditch school on an empty stomach, Sad Kid," she replied. "Bold choice of a makeout spot, by the way. Didn't think you'd be into that kind of thing."

Heather leaned over to address her. "We weren't making out…"

She stopped and realized that all their conversation in a buttoned-up car with the AC going had fogged up her windows. "… Oh my God…"

Drew stared at Janna blankly. "Janna."

"Sad Kid," Janna responded, and Heather perked up at the nickname, arching an eyebrow.

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" He reiterated.

Janna dug into the pocket of her jacket after having another bite of taco. "Word on the street is that you got your phone taken by your dad."

She then produced a glossy, dark blue smartphone that looked way more expensive and advanced than the one he owned. She stuck it in the window to offer it to him, seemingly oblivious to Heather watching this entire exchange with increasing surprise and confusion.

"Consider this a solution to your problem."

Drew was just as confused as he took it from her and started it up. A gray startup screen came on, displaying a logo for the OS and provider of the phone, dubbed Hyuuga Light Umbra.

He realized that this was an encrypted phone.

"… Why are you giving this to me…?"

Janna looked him straight in the eye. "Would you believe that it's because I have a crush on you?"

"No," both he and Heather replied.

Janna Ordonia's reputation preceded her… and she liked that.

"Okay, full disclosure. Roland told me about your dad taking your phone for BS reasons and asked me to hook you up, so I used my myriad of ways to get you one. Don't worry about paying for it, he owes me a favor now and that's good enough for me."

Seeing that Drew was getting a phone out of this strange encounter, Heather smiled and asked with a teasing tone. "So how'd you get it?"

"What are you implying, that I used some magical means to sneak into the back of an Electronics store and make off with some unsold product?" She asked.

Drew did a double-take between Janna and his phone.

Janna leaned down onto the car door to stick her head into the car, her laid back smile holding a sinister undertone. "No, this phone's legit."

With her taco-less hand, she patted Drew atop his head while looking at Heather, gauging her reaction. "I'm not going to get your man here in trouble."

She looked at him, her hand still atop his head, then back at her. "He's too cute for juvie, right?"

Drew finally flinched away from her head-patting and gave her a wary look. Heather, on the other hand, burst into a gentle laugh. "He totally is!"

His face colored as he looked back and forth to their smiling faces, and he sank into his seat. Heaven forbid he complained, though, being teased by pretty girls was better than dealing with the usual bullies in his life.

"Thank you," he said to Janna, for the phone and for brightening the mood.

Her smile became more of a smirk at his reaction. "Think everything of it."

She polished off her taco then brushed her hand off on her jacket. "Anyway, that's my deed of the day."

"So where are you headed from here?" Heather asked.

Janna responded with a slight shrug. "Dunno, but I know I'd rather be anywhere but at school right now."

A boom echoed through the air, and Janna looked up over the roof of the car. Her eyes widened in surprise. "… Man, don't make me take that back…"

A/N: I messed up. This was supposed to be posted here a long time ago.