The Greatest Show

Chapter 7

(Dipper pov)

I flip off the trapezee, grabbing another rope and slide down it a decent way towards the ground. I'm a few feet off the ground when I flip off the rope into a back handspring, landing on my feet facing the crowd, a wide fake smile on my face. Most of them applaud but there are quite a few who boo and shout names at me. I just keep on my fake smile as I do a bow. I straighten up again when one of the haters throws his drink at me. I throw my hands up in time to shield my face from it, the glass shattering once it hits my arms and the liquid spills all over me. It reeks.

Bill comes out trying to calm the haters down as I just walk back into the backstage area, trying to wipe this stuff off of me. I can feel the pitiful looks everyone is giving me. It's the same looks they've all been giving me since I chose to come back to work the day after Mabel's funeral. I don't need anyone's fucking pity.

"Dipper." I turn around seeing Bill there. He's the only one who doesn't look at me with pity. "Are you okay."

"Yeah, just gotta get myself cleaned up a bit."

"If you need any help-"

"Don't worry, I can handle this mess myself."

I walk into my dressing room, taking a seat in front of the huge mirror as I put my head in my hands with a loud sigh. It still hurts to be around Bill, knowing that I can't truly be with him because of our different social standings. Just because we both want something, doesn't mean that it can happen.

I look over as the door opens and see it's Lettie. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Just need to get cleaned up and I'll be right as rain."

"Just yell for one of us if you need anything."

"You got it."

She walks out of the room leaving me alone with my thoughts. I take the shirt off seeing that the glass cut my arms a bit when it shattered. I sigh again as I bandage my arms and start trying to get the alcohol smell out of the shirt. I glance at a photo of Bill on the table, feeling a longing pain in my chest.

"Some people long for a life that is simple and planned
Tied with a ribbon
Some people won't sail the sea 'cause they're safer on land
To follow what's written
But I'd follow you to the great unknown
Off to a world we call our own

Hand in my hand
And we promised to never let go
We're walking a tightrope
High in the sky
We can see the whole world down below
We're walking a tightrope
Never sure, never know how far we could fall
But it's all an adventure
That comes with a breathtaking view
Walking a tightrope

With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
With you"

I get most of the smell out as I pull the shirt back on, buttoning it up. I look at myself in the reflection as I make sure the sleeves cover the bandages on my arms.

"Mountains and valleys, and all that will come in between
Desert and ocean
You pulled me in and together we're lost in a dream
Always in motion
So I risk it all just to be with you
And I risk it all for this life we choose

Hand in my hand
And you promised to never let go
We're walking a tightrope
High in the sky
We can see the whole world down below
We're walking a tightrope
Never sure, will you catch me if I should fall?

Well, it's all an adventure
That comes with a breathtaking view
Walking a tightrope

With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
With you
With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
With you, ooh, ooh, ooh
With you"

I sigh running my hands through my hair to get it out of my face. Everything just keeps spiraling out of control. I just need to get a hold on things and keep going. Just do what I've always done to keep surviving.

I look towards the door as I hear what sounds like screaming, and not the good kind. What the hell is going on. I go to the door but find it strangely locked. What the hell? I keep trying to open it, hitting my hand against the door.

"Hey, what's going on out there? I think I'm stuck in here."

I turn hearing a window breaking and see a moltov sail through the window and hit the ground, the entire room quickly catching fire.

"Oh fuck...." I try to get the door open but it still won't budge. "Someone help!" I throw my shoulder against the door several times before it finally swings open and I stumble out into the hall, fire and smoke everywhere. The heat is so intense and it feels like the smoke is burning my lungs.

I run for where I know the nearest exit will be but I stop as flames cover the entire exit. Fucking hell! How the hell did the fire even get this bad?! There is no way that any of this was simply accident.

I run back down the hall heading for any other exit that I can possibly find but everytime I get close to an exit, flames block the way. The heat is getting so intense that I can barely breathe. I run towards the main exit, collapsing as I fall into a coughing fit, trying to get any clean breatheable air into my lungs instead of this smoke.

"Dipper!" Faintly hearing my name I look up and see Bill holding the main doors open, wilding gesturing for me. "Come on!"

I struggle up to my feet, but have barely taken two steps when the entire firey ceiling comes crashing down towards me and everything goes dark.