Starfall

Chapter 2 - The Nines

Dipper continued to eat his meal in peace while he pondered hearing Pacifica's voice at the stadium park.  His mind wandered as he reminisced. Now that Dipper thought about it he remembered the last time he had seen Pacifica; not including the surprise birthday party he and Mabel had thrown for her or the few other times he had seen her in passing. It had been years ago. Mabel had invited Pacifica over for a sleepover and she was happy to see Mabel but a little nervous about how the Stans' would feel about her. As it was Stanley had won her over with ice cream bars for everyone. Ford however just nodded curtly but politely at her when she entered. Not much else was said. Dipper reflected now that Ford had not meant to be stand-offish, but rather had very little experience with girls let alone teen girls, and probably just felt unsure of how to relate. He had no problem with Pacifica. Not that Dipper knew of.

As it was Pacifica and Mabel had gone upstairs and started blaring karaoke till the foundations of the house shook. Ford just kept shaking his head like he wanted to say something while Stanley just chuckled watching Ford with amusement as his brother tried to solder the wiring to a fuel pump while the din from upstairs shook the house.

Later in the evening, the girls retired to their bed and quietly watched teen vampire movies till they fell asleep. Dipper had woken up early that morning to work on his journal sketches. His hand was getting better at drawing these days, but it was still a far cry from Ford's level of detail. He started brewing some dark roast coffee and plopped down in the armchair with his journal while the coffee percolated and the fragrant aroma filled the house. Dipper heard faint footsteps alight the stairs. No one in the house had feet that light. As he turned around he saw Pacifica in her flannel teal pajama bottoms and a pink Hollister T-shirt. Her voluminous golden hair perched behind her Pacifica yawned loudly as she stretched out her lean muscles and asked if there was coffee.

Dipper had always liked Pacifica as a friend and ever since the night at the mansion with the Courderoy ghost she had remained a special friend. But something had begun to feel different lately. The easy conversation they had once shared was now thwarted as he felt progressively more and more tongue-tied each day. At first, he couldn't say why. Something about her just made him anxious, and sometimes sweaty. Pacifica was cool and chill and they had got along well the last few years so this new development both confused and frustrated Dipper greatly. But now that they were getting older Dipper was almost certain what was causing his awkwardness. The problem was knowing didn't help at all. Pacifica was beautiful and he was a dork. He found himself longing for the casual conversation they had shared in the past when they had laughed and conversed unhindered. And now with her in front of him, he felt his pulse quickly rising.

Clearing his throat quickly Dipper said, "Good morning Pacifica. I made some coffee for everyone. I was just going to pour myself some coffee and sit in the armchair. You are welcome to join me. Pacific grinned mischievously and said, "Really?" Her eyes watched his intently. Then Dipper realized his mistake. "W-what I m-meant to say was you're welcome to join me for some coffee and you can s-sit in your own chair." Dipper's face palmed as his cheeks grew cherry red with embarrassment. Pacifica chuckled and elbowed his shoulder. "Loosen up dork, it's me. We defeated a bloodthirsty ghost together, remember?" Then Dipper relaxed. He smirked and said, "Yeah, but compared to your mom and dad the ghost must have been a walk in the park." Dipper and Pacifica laughed until Pacifica snorted and her cheeks blushed pink with embarrassment.

The two teens continued to chat and eventually, they agreed to play chess. Pacifica set up her white pieces while Dipper navigated the black pieces to the board for himself. The game then progressed calmly. Dipper was more methodical, biding his time strategically while Pacifica was more cutthroat with unexpected and savage guerilla tactics. In the end, Mabel chased Waddles into the room, and the board was knocked over, so the two would never know whose strategy would have panned out better in the end.

Dipper now reflected Pacifica wasn't the only one who had undergone drastic changes in the last couple of years. So had his sister. She was still the lovable Mabel he knew and cared for, but nowadays she seemed more reserved, and dare he say it...mature? Mabel had taken a trip overseas to South Africa. She went with some friends to visit Cape Town. She had told stories of the poachers she learned were hunting the native sea turtles there to extinction. Ever since then her resolve and passion for marine wildlife had redoubled. That's when the change started. She would spend time pouring over books and researching articles on the internet. All quietly and to herself. Every once in a while she would tell everyone what she thought about how cruel certain animals were treated from time to time, but for the most part, she kept to herself. Dipper had thought it was a phase, but the change had stayed. While Dipper was empathetic to her cause it was not his passion. He was just glad that she had found something to be passionate about.

Dipper certainly was a creature of habit, and change oftentimes scared him. But he had learned from nature and science that change is part of life. The key was to adapt to stay relevant. Could he and Mabel stay relevant? Or was he becoming obsolete in her life as she grew more self-sustainable? On one side he was very proud of her for how far she had come. But on the other side of the equation, he sometimes missed the simplicity of him and Mabel conquering the world together one mystery at a time. If he was honest with himself she meant a great deal to him. He wasn't ready to lose her to the forward motion of life. Not without a fight.

Dipper finished his dinner and resolved to talk to Mabel. Perhaps he just needed to listen...and maybe she just needed to be heard. It had been a while since the twins had a heart-to-heart.

Unbeknownst to him a figure watched him from across the room with piercing eyes.