Heartless, right?

Chapter Six

Mabel, Candy, and Grenda open the door of the Mystery Shack to hear Stan and Ford arguing.

"Where did you even get the time to make these?" Ford asks his brother, holding a pair of driver's licenses.

"I'm not always watching TV, you know. I have a life."

Mabel sneaks into the kitchen, finding Dipper pouring himself a cup of coffee. She can tell he's trying not to laugh at their Grunkles.

"What's going on?" She asks.

"Grunkle Stan made some fake IDs for us so he could take us to the bar tonight." He smiles, shaking his head.

"Seriously? He's insane." Mabel giggles, looking at the older Pines twins. "Hey, the girls and I are going to Greasy's Diner. You should come. Lazy Susan meantioned a new omlete she's been working on."

"Great, I'll take Grunkle Stan's car and meet you there."

Mabel watches as her brother pours another cup of coffee and grabs the spare car keys. She's been trying to convince him to find a psychiatrist to help him with his inomnia and anxiety for years, but he refuses, claiming that he's managed perfectly fine. She knows part of it is because he's afraid of being medicated, and with good reason. Their entire lives, they had to deal with their father's pill addiction.

The young twins wave their Grunkles goodbye and leave the Shack. Candy and Grenda sing along with the radio, but Mabel can't help but worry. Ever since she caught Dipper and Ford arguing about the meteor shower, Dipper has been acting strange. What do the two have planned that Mabel had to promise to potentially stay away from Gravity Falls? What is Dipper hiding? And why did he feel the need to tell Candy to host a weeklong sleepover last night? Of course, Candy doesn't mind, but she lives on the other side of town. Wouldn't it be easier for Candy and Grenda to stay at the Shack?

"Mabel? Are you okay?" Grenda asks, pulling the girl out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, oh, we're here!" Mabel smiles.

"That's what we were trying to tell you. Are you sure you're okay?" Candy presses.

"I'm just a bit nervous about college." She lies.

"Aw, Mabel, don't worry. You'll do great!"

"Yeah, with your natural fashion sense, college will be a breeze."

Mabel smiles at her friends, "You're right."

The three girls jump out of the car just as Dipper pulls into the parking lot. The group heads inside and finds an empty booth.

After ordering their food, the girls begin discussing their plans for the week. Mabel turns to ask Dipper if he wants to go mystery hunting, but her brother is staring out the window, face pale, and hands shaking. She looks out to see a blonde man waving and disappearing into the trees.

"Do you know him?" She asks, elbowing her twin.

"Who?"

"The blue-eyed hottie waving at you."

"Oh, I didn't even notice him." Dipper lets out a shaky laugh.

"O-kay? Why don't you drink some water?" Mabel suggests, grabbing is empty coffee mug.

She studies Dipper, his eyes still distant, but returns the small smile he gives her. She decides that she'll ask him what's bothering him later tonight.

"We're gonna go shopping. You wanna come with us?" She asks.

"I told Grunkle Stan I'd help him restock the gift shop today." Dipper replies.

"Good luck with that." She laughs.

AN: I can't wait to publish the later chapters I've been writing on. My obsessive ass can't just wait for y'all to catch up. Chapter thirty will soon be in the makings 🫣