Runaway

Chapter 3

(Dipper pov)

After breakfast the next morning, me and Bill walk to this thrift store that Bill knows that he says sells good clothes for really cheap and he insists on paying for anything I want from the store. During the whole walk I keep looking over my shoulder like I keep expecting Mark to be there, following me and waiting until I'm alone before he tries to force me back home with him. I know that Bill sees me constantly looking over my shoulder but he doesn't say anything.

"So what family do you have that might be in Piedmont?" Bill asks, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over us.

"Me and my sister were born here and lived here for about 12 years. But our parents got a divorce and then we moved to Oregon with our mom. We lived there for the rest of our childhood, last I heard from my sister was that she moved back up here but I don't really know if that's true. It was a long time ago. Why do you help out of Daughters & Sisters? Like, why you specifically?"

"My dad died when I was a baby and when I was 11 my mom got remarried. The guy she remarried was an asshole to her, and he would be an asshole to me whenever I stuck up for my mom. He ended up killing my mom during one argument. I got passed around a few foster families after that happened. Met Amber from high school and when her folks passed away leaving her to run Daughters & Sisters, I jumped at the chance to help preventing other people dying like my mother had."

"......I'm sorry about your mother...."

He just shrugs it off. "It's fine. It was a long time ago and I've had plenty of time to deal with it." We enter the store and he leads me over to the male section of clothes. "Pick out whatever you want." I look at all the different types of clothes, not really sure what I even wanted. "......have you ever been shopping for yourself before?"

"No. I never liked it and always just wore what other people picked out for me. It was like that even before Mark was a part of my life. I really am useless in life, huh......"

"No you're not. What about that hat? Where did you get it?"

"My great uncle let me and my sister each get one thing from his gift shop. She picked out a grappling hook and I got this hat."

"Wait, a grappling hook?"

"Yeah....don't ask."

"Okay, back to the subject at hand. Why did you pick out that hat?"

"I don't really know. I felt kind of drawn to it I guess, and it helps hide this stupid birthmark on my forehead."

"What birhmark?"

"It's nothing, it's this thing that looks like the big dipper is all, hence why everyone calls me that."

"No way, you have to show me it."

"No. I don't show it to anyone."

"Why not?"

"When I was a kid, people would always make fun of me for it. So I started styling my bangs to hide it and wearing hats. For a while I wore this green camo hat my dad gave me but then I picked this one from Stan's gift shop and have worn it ever since."

"Shopping for yourself doesn't have to feel like you're making a life or death choice. If you buy something, and then feel like you don't like it, then we can always come back and return the item for a refund."

"Okay." I look through the different clothes, thinking what I would like to wear but I honestly never bothered to care what I wore. I then thought of what others might think of me wearing things, and my mind thought of what Mark would say if he saw me in any of these clothes.

I know that he would say I looked like trash before he brought me somewhere else and told me exactly what clothes to get. I shake my head trying to get that thought out of my mind. Looking at the clothes again, this time I think of what Bill might like to see me wearing. I don't know why, but thinking of what he would like me to wear helps me pick out some shirts, jeans, and a few hoodies.

"You all set?"

"Yeah, I think so." We go to the counter and the lady scans the tags on the items putting them in a bag. Bill pays for the items in cash before we leave the store.

He holds my bags as he next head to a pawn shop and go up to the old man working the cash register. He looks up from the newspaper he had just been reading.

"Can I help you two?"

I take off my wedding ring, it having different jewels in it. Mark told me that the jewels were real diamonds and that this thing was worth top dollar. I don't actually know how much of that is true but if it's worth as much as he said it is, then I can be set for good with the money.

"How much is this worth?"

I hand him the ring and he uses and eye piece to look at the jewels, holding the ring up to the light as well.

"Hm.....I'd say the best I can offer you is $500 dollars for it."

"Only $500? I was told that it was worth at least $5,000."

"Look, kid, I see this kind of thing all the time. Someone comes in wanting to sell their wedding or engagement ring being told the thing is nearly priceless. In truth, the rings those people have are cheap knock offs. Did he tell you that these were real diamonds?"

"Yes.....what are they actually?"

"I would guess just shiny glass or plastic. Either way, this thing is far from real. Any other pawn dealer will probably only give you $150 for it at the most but I'm feeling generous and will instead give you a full $500 for it."

"....um....okay, I'll take it."

He opens his cash register and hands me the money. Bill puts his arm around my shoulders leading me out of there as I put the money in my poket.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I just feel like a huge idiot for thinking that ring would be worth anything."

"Even if today didn't go exactly like you had hoped, I think it still went pretty well. Especially for your first day as a single man again."

Bill's optimism makes me smile slightly as we head back to Daughters & Sisters.