Sarah's house, where our suspect claimed to have been the night of the shoplifting. I hoped for Gumball's sake that we wouldn't have to stay for too long. There's only so much time in one day, and I was eager to solve this case as soon as possible.
The two approached the door and Anais raised her arm to ring the doorbell before hesitating as it began to shake nervously. She slowly lowered It and looked down, holding one arm with the other.
"What's wrong Anais?" Darwin asked concerned.
Anais rubbed her arm awkwardly. "I uh...I barely know Sarah and, well... you know how I am with new people. I'm really scared I'll embarrass myself and mess this whole thing up." She looked up at him sheepishly, "Could....could you maybe do the talking for me this time round...?"
He thought for a moment before smiling. "Aww, come on sis, you don't need me to do it for you! You're the fearless Detective Watterson, I know that you can do this, you just need a little confidence, that's all!"
She began to tremble lightly. "But...b-but I'm terrible with new people, and I'm just gonna end up humiliating myself in front of her and ruin any chance of us getting her to confirm Gumball's alibi, and then we'll never be able to prove Gumball is innocent! Oh, Darwin, please, please, talk to her for me! I can't do it, I just can't! " She teared up slightly as she continued to shake.
Darwin watched, his stomach in knots and his heartstrings being tugged at as he debated what to do. On one hand, he knew she needed to do this herself to help her feel more confident talking with people, and hopefully make new friends in the future, but on the other hand, she seemed so scared, so desperate for his help. Could he really make her go through with this? Sure it would be justified, but it was still so mean of him, and he hated being mean, especially to his own siblings.
After much back and forth he finally made his decision. He sighed, genuine remorse filling his voice. "I'm sorry Anais, I know it'll be difficult, but you have to do this yourself. You need to learn to be more confident, and you'll never do that unless you practice, and this is the perfect opportunity for you to do so.." He felt really bad about making her go through with this, especially seeing how scared and nervous she was, but he knew it was for her own good, and that she would thank him in the end.
"B-But, I can't! I'm too nervous! I-I-I'm gonna mess it up, I know I am!" She panicked.
He smiled reassuringly as he placed his fin on her shoulder. "You won't, I promise. I believe in you, I know you can do this, and I'm gonna be right here with you so you have nothing to worry about. And hey, if it gets really bad I promise I'll step in, alright?"
She looked up at Darwin with a sniff and, realizing that he really wasn't going to do it for her, let out a sigh. "Alright..."
She took a deep breath and gulped. Here goes nothing...She slowly raised her arm and rang the doorbell.
"Coming!" She heard Sarah call out almost instantly, almost as if she had been waiting for the doorbell to ring.
As she heard Sarah's footsteps get nearer Anais felt his stomach begin to knot.
The door opened and Sarah smiled as she saw that Anais, and more importantly, Darwin, was at her doorstep. "Oh, hey guys! What's up?" She asked.
Anais began to rub her arm nervously, trying to find the words. "Uh, h-hi Sarah, I, we, um..."
She looked to Darwin for help and he gave her a reassuring smile. "You can do this!" He whispered encouragement to her.
YOU ARE READING
The Detective Returns
FanfictionGumball's life is completely turned around when he is accused of shoplifting, and despite adamantly insisting upon his innocence his mother refuses to believe him. Anais, however, does and after Gumball is harshly punished she, along with Darwin, is...
