Under Pressure: A Gravity Falls Story

A Dangerous Love Triangle

"HE'S COMING THIS WAY!!!" Candy panicked in her mind. Her heart was beating twice as fast as it should be and Candy was wondering if she would use hey inhaler but decided it was no big deal. She sat down on a nearby bench and tried to not be too inconspicuous. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, it was a text from Mabel. 'Try to be relaxed and disinterested, boys go crazy for a curvy girl that doesn't give them attention.' the text read with a winky face at the end.

Candy looked down at herself and wasn't sure if she was as "curvy" as Mabel mentioned. "No time for a body check-up, HERE HE COMES!" Candy pulled out a piece of gum and started chewing it while she stared at her phone with a bored expression. She also leaned back a little so Dipper had a better chance at seeing her.

Dipper and Wendy were walking towards the center of the mall to get to the boys clothing store. Wendy had decided that Dipper's usual outfit would not be acceptable on a first date. Dipper tried to argue but soon stopped, realizing it would be easier to change the weather than to argue with Wendy.

They were passing by the information kiosk at the center with some benches laid out around it. On one of the benches Dipper noticed a girl sitting there with bored look on her face, lazily sitting back looking at her phone. Dipper couldn't help but think the girl looked way too familiar but couldn't place the name or the face.

"Hey dude, why'd you stop?" Wendy asked when she saw that Dipper hadn't been next to her. She saw him get a puzzled look on his face, then he furrowed his brow in concentration. Wendy followed his gaze to a girl in a red striped shirt who seemed to not be paying any mind to the world around her, she seemed awfully familiar though. "Don't tell me you're giving up on Pacifica already!" Wendy said incredulously. "No it's just that, does that girl look familiar to you?"

Wendy looked again. She had to admit that something about the girl seemed familiar but she couldn't place it from where. "I have to look at dozens of tourists everyday but I can't be expected to remember them." Wendy said, shrugging in a comedic fashion. "Still, she does look like someone I should know." she said with an obvious puzzled expression on her face. Dipper began to get frustrated and started to walk over. Wendy noticed and caught his arm. "Where are you going, she probably thinks we're psychos for staring at her for so long!" Wendy whisper-shouted at Dipper. "I've had it up to here," Dipper gestured by raising his hand above his head, "With puzzles that I can't answer, I'm going over to say hi." Dipper stated firmly, yanking his arm out of Wendy's grip.

"HE'S WALKING TOWARDS ME!!!" Candy screamed in her mind. She was having trouble maintaining the disinterested facade she had because her eyes kept go glancing over at Dipper. Her cheeks were starting to turn red and she was squirming in her seat. She then got another text from Mabel, it read "Keep your cool, I think he likes what he sees." the text read with another winky face at the end. Candy gulped nervously, she glanced up again and saw Dipper standing right in front of her. She then did the first and only thing that came to mind. She screamed and kicked Dipper in the stomach.

"Oof!" Dipper doubled over. He had meant to gently tap on the girl's shoulder to get her attention but hesitated, questioning whether he should just go back and not bother her. Before he could think of what to do he heard a piercing scream followed by what he assumed to be a solid kick to his stomach. He then sat there groaning while the girl kept apologizing. "I am so sorry, are you alright Dipper?!?" the girl asked. Dipper took a second to catch his breath, then realized the girl already knew his name. "So I do know this girl, or at least she knows me." Dipper thought once he could think of anything else but pain.

"WHY DID I DO THAT, HAVE I GONE INSANE?!?!" Candy wondered after she saw Dipper sprawled on the floor. There were some people watching and Candy had no doubt that they Mabel and Grenda were watching, wincing at her epic failure. Candy knelt down to Dipper, saying over and over how sorry she was. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, you're trying to make him like you not want to wear body armor around you!" Candy mentally chastised herself. After a bit of groaning and coughing Dipper sat up. The first words out of his mouth were, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Dipper struggled to get the words out but still thought the girl heard him. She blushed, then said, "Yes I believe you do. Do I look that different to you?" the girl asked in a lighthearted tone. Dipper looked up into her eyes and noticed a familiar set of shimmering green irises. Up close he noticed a sort of shy demeanor about her, the way she pulled her lips into a small smile, the way her eyes kept glancing at him then looking down, and how she kept her head partially down to avoid direct eye contact. "Wait a minute, now I know why she's so familiar. But it can't be her can it, she looks so different." Dipper thought after a good five minutes of just staring at this once unnoticeable face in the crowd. "Candy, is that really you?" Dipper asked hesitantly. She nodded and Dipper was completely stunned.

"Do you like my new look?" Candy asked, eager to hear Dipper's reaction. When she heard that he didn't recognize her she guessed that a little work done to her appearance really changes a lot. "You look...amazing. I couldn't even recognize you!" Dipper exclaimed in his sincerest voice. "Wow she looks great, I wonder if Mabel is helping her get a date with some guy?" Dipper wondered, he looked around until he noticed a plant on the second floor shift rapidly, he chuckled to himself. "Dipper...?" Candy asked trying to refocus his attention. Dipper turned back to her, still stunned that he was still seeing the same girl that usually wore no make-up, jeans, or had her hair in any other style except straight (Not including the party at Northwest Manor).

"So...uh...what are you doing here?" Dipper asked awkwardly. He had nothing else planned to talk about other than finding out hey identity. Candy blushed a bit and starting rocking back and forth on her heels. "Oh...I...uh...was just on a little shopping trip for myself." Candy stammered out. "Why do I have to be so damn nervous around him, I just want to have a decent conversation without me tripping over every other word!" Candy thought.

Wendy, after watching the two kids stand awkwardly looking at the ground for many five minutes, went over to introduce, it reintroduce, herself. "Hi," Wendy said, startling the girl and Dipper, "I couldn't help but notice the awkward silence developing and decided you two might need another conversation topic." Wendy said, winking in a comedic relief effort. The girl giggled slightly and went red from embarrassment. "Sorry, Wendy this is Candy, I believe you already know her." Dipper said. "Is that really Candy, the same Candy who wears the long sleeve shirt, skirt, large oval glasses, and is Mabel's best friend?!?" Wendy asked in shock. "The very same," came the response from the now completely identifiable Candy.

"Wow, that's quite an image overhaul. You should probably help me with fashion one of these days," Wendy joked. Candy blushed again and looked down at the ground. Wendy then turned back to Dipper. "Let's go Dipper, don't want you to look too nerdy for your little date." Wendy said, trying to usher Dipper along. Candy looked up when she heard "Dipper" and "date" used in the same sentence. "What, he didn't ask me out yet, or has he found another girl?" Candy wondered, her thoughts soon getting darker, "When I find the bitch that stole Dipper away from me, I'll rip her hair out!" Candy began fuming, her fists slightly clenching from anger, although Dipper and Wendy never noticed.

"See ya later Candy!" Dipper yelled back as he was dragged along to the clothing outlet. Candy plopped down in frustration, her one chance at impressing her dream boy gone. She didn't know whether to scream in anger or cry in pain. Before she got a chance to decide Mabel and Grenda came bounding down the stairs and plopped right down next to her on both sides. "What happened Candy?!?" Mabel asked, worried after seeing her best friend on the verge of tears. "Dipper has a date, and it's not with me." Candy said dejectedly, now fully crying.

WHAT?!?!" Grenda yelled out loud enough so that almost the entire mall heard her, "He rejected you for some other chick, I think I should go over there and teach him some manners!" Grenda got up but Mabel got in front of her. "No, for better or worse he's still my bro and I can't have you wrecking his face, then what would there be for Candy to adore? Mabel asked amusingly. "Why don't I just speak to him, I have a natural affinity for making couples, it shouldn't be too hard break one." Mabel said reassuringly. Candy began to perk up a bit but was hesitant, "Do you really think you can do it Mabel?" To which Mabel replied with reassuring hug and said "Don't worry Candy, everything will be as its meant to.

"This will work better than we expected." an ominous voice said from the shadows, snickering at the foolishness of these humans.