Gravity Falls: Battle of the Pines

~1~ Fragments of Home

I'm hunched over my desk, the dim light from my lamp casting long shadows across the clutter. My textbooks are open in front of me, but the words blur together. It's been a little over a month since we came back from Gravity Falls, and everything feels different. A lot different.

When we first got home, it was like everything was falling apart. Well, not everything—my world had already started crumbling long before. I'd sensed something was off with Mom and Dad. It was something that kept me up all summer, nightmares creeping in about what would happen once we got back. I wish I could say I was wrong, but some of those nightmares were spot on.

We walked through the front door, and they couldn't even pretend anymore. Right away, they started arguing—bickering about who would take us first, about plans that were supposedly set weeks ago. Mom accused Dad of being selfish. Mabel and I just stood there, watching everything we thought we knew about our family crack and then completely shatter.

Turns out, Mom and Dad just weren't right for each other. Maybe they never were, and it only got worse after we were born. Finally, Mom had enough. She filed for divorce a few days after we left for Gravity Falls, and by the time we came back, Dad was packing his things. He moved back in with Grandpa Shermie for a while, then found a tiny two-bedroom apartment on the east side of town.

That's where we are now, stuck in this routine of bouncing back and forth between Mom's house and Dad's apartment. The first week, we stayed with Mom, bringing over some of the "unimportant things you won't miss" to Dad's place. The next week, we helped set up our rooms there. Dad decided we were too old to share a room, so now Mabel and I each have our own. Meanwhile, Dad's sleeping on a cot in the corner of the living room.

But Dad's different now—or maybe he's just more of who he's always been, and I'm only now seeing it clearly. He's drinking more, like he's trying to drown out everything that's happened. Every time we're at his place, there's a drink in his hand, and he's usually too out of it to do much. The only time he seems remotely normal is when Grandpa Shermie visits, but those visits are getting less and less frequent.

I don't like staying at Dad's. Mabel and I mostly stick to our rooms, only coming out when we have to. Mabel's trying to keep up her usual bubbly attitude, but I can see how hard it is for her. She spends her time drawing or reading, not crafting or playing around like she used to. It's like the light's gone out of her when we're there.

Mom's house is different. Mabel's got friends at school who are just like her, and when she's with them, it's like she can forget everything. She never wants them to come around Dad's place, though, so she ends up hanging out with me. But at Mom's, she's out and about, doing whatever she can to keep her mind off things.

As for me, I don't have many friends. There are a couple of guys I talk to sometimes at school, but that's about it. Most people either ignore me or pick on me, and girls? They're pretty much all the same—like clones of each other. Besides, I'm still trying to get over my crush on Wendy, so it's not like I'm ready to start anything new.

Mom's always busy with work, just like before. We barely see her, but that's nothing new. Even before the divorce, it felt like she was more married to her job than to Dad. Dad, on the other hand, was just lazy. He'd either be lounging around the house or out with friends. When he did work, it was odd jobs that he never really talked about, and it's not like he brought home much to show for it.

That's pretty much how things are now. Not much has changed, except for Waddles. He's still with us, surprisingly. Mom was on board with Mabel keeping him, but Dad wasn't too thrilled—he made it clear he'd rather see Waddles as breakfast. Mom agreed to keep Waddles at her place, but she warned Mabel that if she started neglecting him, bacon was back on the menu. Mabel's done everything she can to keep Waddles happy. She takes him everywhere she can and cries every time we have to leave him behind at Mom's.

So yeah, things aren't great. They're just... different. And the truth is, I can't stop thinking about Gravity Falls. About how things made sense there, even when they didn't.

~Hey everyone! Just a quick note to let you know that this first chapter is a bit on the shorter side, with a little over 750 words. I'm aiming to make the next few chapters a bit longer, around 1,000 to 2,000 words. As the story progresses and things get more serious, the chapters might get more in-depth and possibly longer, but I'll do my best not to get too carried away. If enough people read this and ask for it, I'll create a special chapter where you can ask the characters questions. I've always loved that dynamic in books and shows, so I want to try it out here. Think of this book as a journal or diary in a way. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are ready for more installments. This project has taken over my other Gravity Falls project for now, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading!~