Warnings: yelling and arguing
Word count: 1357
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I must find out what it says. I burst into the gift shop, only seeing Wendy at the counter. It must be a slow day and I trust she won't say anything to Stan so I walk up to the secret entrance. I input the code into the vending machine and it swings open.
"Vickie, stop. We should wait until he comes out on his own!" Dipper gasped, grasping my arm. I yank away, seizing the journal from him.
"This was your idea," I retort, trying to help him realize that he literally told me to do it. Wendy looks up from her magazine for a second to chuckle before going back to reading it.
"Yeah, but-" he sighs, complying, undoubtedly opposed to my ideas. Satisfied with his submission, I race down the stairs into Ford's basement laboratory, Dipper following reluctantly behind. We find the elevator and head down, sensing a loss of gravity for a second as it glides down the shaft.
We reach the bottom floor, hearing the sounds of tinkering and construction of some sort. A looming sense of trepidation overcomes me as I glance around. A chittering sound comes from the corner, snagging my attention. I crouch to see what it is, noticing a creature that almost looks like a squid but not at the same time. It writhes around, encircled by fragments of shattered glass and spilled fluid.
"What is that?" I question, reaching out to it, a bit tentative because it could be dangerous. It snaps its beak at me and I recoil, the critter just scarcely missing my fingers. Curious and intrigued at the same time while still terrified, I watch it slither around, enthralled by the way it moves.
"Victoria, Dipper. You shouldn't be down here," Ford's deep voice rumbles behind us. Goosebumps crawl up my back like spiders; I jump up with the journal, remembering what we're here for. Dipper apologizes many times, saying how we'll leave but I stand my ground, knowing we need answers from him.
Holding up the journal, pointing the black light at it, I maintain, "Where did the rest of the sentence go?" I point to the part I mean so he won't get confused. I lower my eyebrows to seem more serious because I mean business.
He sighed, taking it from me, contemplating it for a moment. Then his face softens a little. "I can't remember," he voices, "It was such a long time ago... and my memory isn't what it used to be." I pretend to not be dispirited or devastated at the outcome. My fate is unwritten. "Why do you want to know?" he asked me, a knowing look in his eyes.
I panic for a second, trying to figure out how to answer. "No reason," I mutter as if I didn't just burst down here in crusade. Ford nods, then he ushers us out. I sigh, disappointed we didn't find anything. Heading back up the stairs, we're greeted by an angry Stan.
"Stay away from my brother. He's dangerous," he glares at us, arms crossed. Dipper nods, splurting out an apology in his normal, sweaty manner but I just glare back at him.
"I don't need you to look after me," I tell him, leaving the gift shop and sitting outside on the porch. I hear him yell after me but I don't care. I glance at my phone, seeing it's 9:22 am, remembering I had plans at 10:00 with Robbie. I hop up, knowing I can bike to Greasy's in 15 minutes.
I pedal down the dirt road, wondering when the city will care enough to pave it. The trees pass me by, ignoring me as they dance in the wind. The birds sing tunes for the trees to dance to and I almost forget about Bill in the peacefulness of the road that cuts through the forest.
Reaching the town, I slow my pace slightly, turning onto the sidewalk. I brake at the diner, leaning my bike against the building. Stan never bought me a bike chain, saying they were too expensive. He told me he'd just steal me another bike if someone takes mine.
I check my phone again, seeing I have about 13 minutes, give or take until I have to be there. Glancing up from my phone for a second, I spot Robbie, feeling my face flush when I see him. "Vickie, hi," he waves, familiar fingerless gloves and black nail polish.
I wave back, smiling, "Hi Robbie." My face must be so red, it would make a tomato jealous. We walk inside, side by side, and I can't help but grin just a little. Sitting down in a booth, I ask him, "How are you?"
"Good," he said, blowing a bit of hair out of his face. "What about you?" he asked me, a glint behind his eyes.
"Meh," I shrug, unsure of how to respond. There's an awkward silence for a moment as the hustle and bustle of the small diner go on around us.
"You know," Robbie spoke up, "I..." He sighs, then shakes his head before looking at me. "Nevermind, it isn't important," he tells me, a sad glint in his eyes as he flags down the waitress. The cheerful woman takes our orders as Robbie nervously fidgets in his seat.
When she leaves, I ask him, "What's wrong?" I do worry about him sometimes.
"Nothing," he huffs.
"Robbie," I tilt my head, smiling just a little. I can feel my cheeks flush, and I notice his face is red. I just got it. I understand. Finally. "Do... do you like me?" I asked him, hoping I was reading the room right, hoping the answer is yes.
"What do you mean? Of course, I like you," he states but I fear he's either dodging it or doesn't understand the question.
"No, like um. Like-like me... uh... I don't know," I ramble awkwardly, noticing realization light up on his face and I almost pump my arms in celebration.
"Oh- I. Yeah," his face turns even redder, "Yeah, I do... Heh, why do you ask?" He fumbles nervously with the strings of his hoodie and I sheepishly smile up at him.
"Cuz, you know. I like you too," I express, admitting to myself what this means. Robbie smiles back, leaning across the table to kiss me. I can feel myself melting as his warmth envelopes me. Then he pulls away. "Wow," I mumble, almost speechless.
"I've been waiting to do that for a while now," he tells me. All of a sudden, we're startled by a banging on the window next to us. Pressed up against the glass is a pissed-off Stan in his underwear, clearly yelling at me to get out of the diner.
Embarrassed by the scene he is causing, I take one more glance at Robbie, telling him, "Hey, I'll call you." Then, angrily, I stormed outside of the diner to go chew him out. "Stan! What the hell?" I exclaim, still uneasy about calling him by his first name.
"You ran away and started smooching boys! I don't want you hanging out with that Robbie kid anymore!" he glared at me. I rolled my eyes and hopped back on my bike, which miraculously, is still there.
"You don't control me. This isn't the 60s. I have rights now," I tell him, hoping he'd leave me alone. He just grabs my arm and stops me from taking off.
"If you live under my roof, you live under my rules kiddo," he tells me, gently pushing me off my bike and picking it up. He shoves it in the bed of Soos' truck and glares at me one more time.
Very very upset, I huff and open the passenger side, slamming it closed in anger once I sit down and buckle up. "You didn't need to embarrass me. I can take care of myself," I sigh, looking out at the window as trees pass us by.
"If you can take care of yourself, you're paying rent to live in my house," he says nonchalantly.
I clench my fists. "I'm not paying shit," I tell him, side-eyeing him.
"Then you won't live there," he states, "You can get your stuff and leave."
"Maybe I will," I cross my arms. "Maybe I will..."
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A/N: ah, yes. konflict
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We'll Meet Again...
Fanfiction"You don't deserve love". That's all Victoria Pines knew when she was six. Then she made a stupid deal with a triangle... and now she has the family she always dreamed of. But at what cost? He could take it away at any minute. He's keeping something...
