•What Should've Been•

5. Stepped Over The Line

My eyes ached from sleep depravation. My head was pounding, but I didn't care. I would take an Advil and feel fine around 50 minutes or so. I sat up and flipped my body out of the bed, setting one foot down after the other. I was a bit wobbly on the ground, which caught me off guard.
No wonder Bill prefers flying over walking.
I made my way over to the doorknob and unlocked it. Opening it, I found Mabel curled up, fast asleep.
My eyes widened at first, then narrowed, focusing on her.
Seriously?
She thought she would win some sympathy by camping it out right outside our door? I stepped over her and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth, which apparently woke her up. Before I knew it, she was glued to my side.
"Um... Hey, bro bro." She tried. Oh, and the pet name, too? It took some control to not let her have it just then and there. But I didn't bother to look at her. I simply grabbed my toothbrush and began running the sink water, sticking the bristle under the faucet.
"Sleep well, last night? Have good dreams? Bad dreams?..."
I ran the brush across my teeth, seeing from the corner of my eye as she watched patiently for me to be finished with my two minutes. I groaned, internally.
I finally spit and began rinsing my mouth with the water.
"Um, listen... I just wanted to say that... Well.." She was twiddling her thumbs, playing with her bubblegum colored nails that were already chopping as I wiped my mouth off with a nearby towel.
"I'm sorry, Dipper!" Mabel blurted out. I guess at that point she was expecting a resolution, but I simply gave her a glance and then began to head downstairs. That struck a nerve.
"Talk to me, Dipper! At least say something!" She pleaded. I frowned as I reached the bottom of the staircase. She was starting to get on my nerves...
Suddenly, we both found ourselves in the kitchen. Our Grunkel Stanley was lounging on the chair watching TV and our other great uncle was asleep on the couch.
I began to pour myself a bowl of cereal when Mabel stepped over the line.
"You're so selfish! I can't believe you. I saved the entire day, I'm a hero, I'm a-"
Slap.
My hand came in contact with her left cheek, before I had time to process my actions. It was loud, too. Loud enough that i was sure it left a mark. I was scowling at her, my brows furrowed and my face red with anger.
"A hero?!" I demanded. Mabel turned to look at me, a red wound fresh on her cheek. There were no tears, no anger, just shock. Grunkel Stanley was over to us within a matter of seconds.
"Whoa, whoa! Hey! What's going on here?" He wondered, his eyes darting to Mabel and then to me.
"You consider yourself a hero?!" I began. "How... How could you possibly think that, Mabel? Why would you believe that?!"
Stanford woke up in the process and came over to our quarrel.
"What us it now, Stanley-" He asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, it's not me! I'm trying to see what's wrong with the kids." Grunkel Stanley interrupted. "Dipper, what's wrong-"
I chose to ignore my grunkels for now, but I pointed a finger at them, continuing to glare at my twin sister.
"You think they're happy? You think that Stanford is glad to see his brother?!"
"But, they are happy, Di-" Mabel began, before I stopped her in her tracks.
"Oh, yeah? Well evidence from yesterday proves otherwise!" I looked up at Stanford. "You!"
The man blinked, still not fully awake. "Who? Me?"
"Are you happy that you have to be with your brother again?" I asked.
We waited for a few moments, before Stanford shook his head. "I can't say I am, son."
"Gee, thanks, point-Dexter!" Grunkel Stanley chimed in.
Mabel stood in silence, rubbing her cheek. Then, the waterworks started up.
Suddenly, Grunkel Stanley gasped, taking notice just now. I forced myself not to roll my eyes in annoyance. "Mabel, what happened to your cheek?"
I began to storm out of the kitchen, hearing Mabel explain her version of the story.
When she mentioned that I took a blow to her face, Grunkel Stanley called out:
"DIPPER PINES!"
I ran to my room and slammed the door shut, making sure to lock it this time. Perhaps what I did was wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have slapped her. But she should've been there for me! That's what twins are all about. We're supposed to have each other's backs. I guess that doesn't matter to her. And it's only getting worse.
Screw it all to hell.