In the Scheme of Things (Discontinued)

Chapter 11

As the week continued, Bill and Dipper were finding it harder to ignore the snide remarks that people were making. Dipper reacted to it more than Bill, though Bill was mostly reacting to how Dipper reacted to the comment. He had tried to help but soon realized that he was just making the issue worse.

By Friday afternoon, the two were glad to be able to just get away from everything and have some much-needed quality time. Dipper still needed to make it through history class, however. And though he loved the class, it was often hard to concentrate due to some of the people around him.

Dipper was just sitting down when Matt walked over, sitting on the corner of his desk. "Hey, Freak. Mind helping me with something?" Dipper raised his brow. "Why?" He just smirked. "Well, I'm just wondering, do you prefer Sapling or Pine Tree?" The smirk on Matt's face made Dipper's blood run cold.

Dipper just stared at Matt. He knew Bill was careful when calling his Sapling and Pine Tree, so when did he hear those nicknames? Had Bill let the name slip at school in front of Matt? He couldn't remember. "Where... Where did you hear those...?" Matt just laughed. "Why so scared, Pine Tree?"

Dipper stood, only for a voice to make him freeze. "Mr. Romero. I'm glad to see you speaking with our top student." Alexander had walked over, a pile of papers in his hands. "Your grades are less than satisfactory. And I do believe that you need to maintain a certain grade point average to keep that scholarship of yours."

Matt just glared at the teacher. "That's not possible. I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding." Dipper figured he knew what this 'misunderstanding' was. Jocks got special treatment. Even more so in smaller towns. "Your grades speak for themselves. You have five missing assignments, and you've performed poorly on all of your tests." Dipper just stared at Alexander. That was not what he was expecting.

Matt also stared at their teacher before getting up and leaving. He joined his friends at their desks, clearly in a bad mood. "Are you alright, Dipper? I didn't catch what he was talking to you about but I could tell it was upsetting you." Dipper nodded, sitting back down.

Alexander put his papers down. "Dipper, I know I'm just a substitute teacher but if you need an adult to speak with, I'm here." The teen looked up at this comment. He had gotten used to jocks bullying him and his teachers not caring. This was the first time anyone had offered a helping hand. Apart from his sister and now Bill. "Thanks... I'll keep that in mind..."

Alexander walked off just as Bill came over, sitting next to the brunet. He gave their teacher a disapproving look before turning to Dipper. "What was that about?" Dipper shook his head. "Matt was bothering me. He was just stepping in." Bill glared back at Matt before turning back to Dipper. "Are you okay?" Dipper nodded, turning his attention to the front of the class as it began.

The class went by like normal, with Dipper makings notes on the topic. They were finishing up about the Mayan civilization and Dipper knew that meant there would be a test or quiz on it soon. He knew that Bill didn't need to take notes but got a laugh out of it when the demon did. Today, he wasn't, and that made the teen worry.

When the class finally ended, Bill stood to pack his bag. Dipper took notice of this, as Bill normally stayed seated until Dipper was ready to leave. Dipper packed slowly, wanting to give them time to speak. He knew Bill didn't like Alexander, he had made that point clear earlier in the week. Yet this seemed different.

Once he was done, Dipper stood up, looking at Bill with a frown. "Are you upset with me again?" Bill shook his head, looking down before giving a sigh. "I should've been here for you..." Dipper sat his bag down, leaning against the desk. "I'm fine, Bill. Matt was just being Matt..." Though the teen didn't want to, he knew he'd have to tell Bill about what Matt had said.