Pointdexter: A Swooning Over Stan-fiction

Chapter Fifty-Four: Ford and the Prodigy

"I need you to watch her," Alice said as she opened the apartment door, her hand on her hip.

Ella scoffed, settling into the couch and glaring at Ford from the door. She kicked her feet onto the coffee table, her nose twisting in annoyance as the nerd stepped into the apartment, meeting her mother's gaze with an almost knowing look.

"Watch her," He echoed with a nod. "While you?"

"Get groceries, stop by the mall," Alice replied, shoving her hands in her pocket. "I forgot my keys and when I came back for them, I found her rifling through the safe."

"There was nothing good in there anyway," Ella grumbled, shooting a glare at her mother.

"Resourceful," He commented dryly, his eyes flickering toward Ella. "And impulsive."

Ella scoffed, leaning forward on the couch, "I don't need a babysitter."

"You do if you're going to continuously prove you can't be trusted," Alice responded, turning back toward her daughter and crossing her arms over her chest. "If you can't be trusted to be alone for an hour, you're going to be watched."

"This is so stupid," Ella growled, standing and throwing her hands in the air. "There wasn't anything there!"

"Stupid or not, your mother has a point," Ford said, crossing his arms over his chest as he met her gaze. "Trust is earned, not given. If you keep making decisions that need to be monitored, you'll continue to be monitored."

"Way to sound like a fortune cookie," Ella growled, flopping back on the couch, and pulling a pillow on her face.

Alice sighed, "I won't be more than an hour."

"I'll keep an eye on her," He assured her. "Go. We'll be fine."

"You're a lifesaver, bee," Alice said before the door shut and silence fell over the room. Ella hugged the pillow to her face, practicing the perfect scowl she was going to shoot at the old man when she sat up again. Her feet hung over the arm on the couch, and for a moment, she realized how much Gravity Falls actually sucked.

"Having fun?" He suddenly asked.

Ella smoothed her expression, and removed the pillow from her face, glaring at the upside-down face of the man. She tossed the pillow over her head and glared, a well-practiced look, if she said so herself.

"I don't like you," She stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "So we don't have to do the whole 'bonding thing'."

He was shockingly unphased by her glare, and if Ella had to pinpoint it, he looked almost amused. Ford settled in an armchair, the sound of leather and wood creaking as he sat.

"Well, I don't 'like' you either," He replied, his voice matching hers. "But Alice asked me to watch over you, so here we are."

"Here we are," Ella agreed, turning her glare to the ceiling and scowling up.

"You know," Ford began, his voice calm. "Instead of glaring at every surface you can, we could attempt to have a conversation."

"Like what?" Ella scoffed, pushing herself off the couch to find him casually lounging in the chair. "Talk about whatever bird crap my mom is studying? Or whatever stupid thing you study?"

"We could start with ornithology," He suggested, leaning forward in his chair and resting his forearms on his knees. "Then perhaps move on to some of the things scientists study that don't require a sarcastic preteen critiquing."

"Leave it to Mom to find some nerd to neck," Ella sneered, tipping her head to him.

More than anything, she wanted to strike a nerve in this guy. After he'd cut her down at the Shack, Ella had no reason to want to like this guy, no matter how much Alice praised him or trusted him. Ella didn't.