Darker Perspective

Chapter 2

Trust No One

Dipper stared at his hand blankly for a few minutes, the red ink printing in his mind. He swore he could hear Bill's cackle still in his ears, making him shiver.

Mabel was still asleep, blissfully unaware of the events that had just unfolded. Dipper desperately wanted to tell her what had happened, where he was – but the thought died as quickly as it had came like a tug of the wind. Instead, he threw his sheets off himself and stood up angrily.

"Fuck this." He muttered. He uncurled the hand again and glared at the letters. "I can't believe I even listened to that guy. He's a dick."

In one exaggerated movement, Dipper flung himself out of his room and to the bathroom. The wooden door slammed with a loud bang and he cringed at the sudden noise.

"Dipper? Was that you?"

Dipper sighed, muttering a curse. Out of all the people that he could've woken up, his sister was his last choice. The small, bitter feeling that had ran through his heart yesterday resurfaced. He found himself not answering her call.

Dipper turned the tap on violently, the cold water jetting out and into his waiting hand. To his displeasure, the ink stubbornly stayed on his skin.

"Dipper? I'm going to open up if you don't answer me..." Mabel giggled at the other side of the door. Even now, she found everything a joke; a flare of anger caused Dipper to slam his fists against the porcelain sink.

"I'm fine, Mabel!" He spat. He dunked his hand under the water again, scrubbing his skin harder.

"You don't sound fine. Has someone got the morning grumps?" Mabel continued to tease. The water sprayed all over the bathroom floor, drenching the tiles.

"Yeah Mabel. Sure. The "Morning Grumps"" Dipper said through clenched teeth. The sarcasm was lost on his sister. He heard her giggle again, running back to their room.

Dipper turned the water off, breathing deeply. His aggression ebbed away and he rubbed his temples.

"Stupid Bill making me loose sleep...like I had enough in the first place." He muttered, looking up at the mirror. He had dark circles under his eyes. He could already hear Mabel calling him a panda. Sighing, he turned his hand over, staring at the red ink.

"I can't let them see this." He thought of Ford in particular, who would know where exactly he got the words from – even if he didn't write them on his hand himself.

Some of the dead weight in his chest (it had been there ever since Mabel said those words) seemed to lessen at the thought of his new grunkle. A smile broke from his lips as he thought of the range of questions that he could ask the author. Even if they weren't all answered, just meeting the guy properly was enough to make his chest flip.

"This is going to be so cool..." Dipper looked at his reflection in the mirror, pointing at it. "Don't mess this up Dipper."

He opened the bathroom cabinet, pulling out the tattered bandages Grunkle Stan had stored. He wrapped the marked hand in one, figuring it was a good solution until he thought of a way to get the pen off. Again, he cursed Bill for his strange sense of humour.

Dipper left the bathroom a few minutes after, and after pulling on his clothes, he headed downstairs to the dining area.

Mabel was already at the table, pouring dangerous levels of sugar onto her cereal. Usually, Dipper would be amused by her antics but her carefree attitude only dug the knife deeper into his chest. Sighing, he grabbed a slice of toast and shuffled into his chair.

"Geez kid, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Stan commented through a mouthful of breakfast. Dipper rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer.

It was strange – he really didn't agree with what Bill had been trying to tell him last night, but his words were making him see his family in a different light.

Dipper immediately discarded the thought, disgusted at himself. He really needed to find a way to get Bill out of his hair.

"Hey Dipping Sauce, what's with the panda eyes?" Mabel asked. She leaned over the table, braces glinting in the sunlight. Dipper scowled, annoyance bubbling to the surface.

Did she really not know what she had done to him?

To be fair, it wasn't the first time Mabel had been unaware of any feelings but her own – but this was different. She chose Stan, the one she had only known for a summer. Dipper had been with Mabel for fifteen years.

But Mabel either didn't care or didn't realise. Her finger poked his cheek, making him flinch.

"Whoa Dipper...what's gotten into you this morning?" His twin asked curiously.

"Do you not know?!" Dipper finally burst out. He stood up suddenly, knocking his chair back and jostling the table. His yell was more of a snarl, and Mabel jumped. For once, Dipper didn't feel the crushing guilt as he saw hurt reflect in her brown eyes.

"Know what?" His sisters eyes were sparkling with tears of shock at the sudden outburst. Dipper found that he didn't care as much as he usually would.

"You say those words and you don't even realise how big they are?! What they meant to me?!" Dipper yelled louder, breathing heavily. Grunkle Stan paused from his eating, watching them carefully.

"What words Dipper? What did I do?" Mabel was close to tears, shaking her head. Grunkle Stan stood up.

"Dipper, that enough –"

"No!" Dipper slammed his fists down on the table with a shout. The drinks rocked and spilt over the wood. "You make me fucking sick Mabel!"

"Dipper –" Stan warmed him but he was ignored. Trust him to take Mabel's side.

"You don't give a shit about anyone do you?! Are you going to keep doing this, keep fucking me over and not even apologising?!" Dipper dug his nails into the wood, fighting back his own tears. "Well who needs trust, right? Why don't you throw some other people under the bus while your at it, it's never stopped you before!"

"Dipper –"

"Fuck you Mabel! You make me fucking sick!"

"Dipper Pines stop this right now!" Stan yelled. Dipper looked over at his tense grunkle, who only had eyes for his tearful sister.

Mabel was crying, hands trembling on her lap. Her face reflected shock and hurt, staring up at him with wide eyes. Dipper felt a twinge of guilt, but pushed it away.

The vending machine door suddenly opened, and Grunkle Ford came out of the entrance. His face was gruff and serious, but it quickly changed to confusion after seeing the scene in front of him.

"Dipper, get to your room." Grunkle Stan growled out. Dipper glared at him. Of course, it was all Dipper's fault. There was never any reasoning behind his anger, was there?

Angrily, he stomped back upstairs, slamming the door behind him.

Dipper sat on his bed, running a hand down his face. His anger ebbed away, leaving the burning feeling of sadness in its wake. He sighed, lying down on the soft covers and staring up at the ceiling.

Maybe he had been too harsh with Mabel – he knew better than anyone that she acted on instinct and not logic – but he felt like part of him was missing after those words. The betray was more of a catalyst for his anger. It was like Bill had told him – after everything he'd sacrificed for her, she would never do the same.

"Why am I taking anything that Bill says seriously?" Dipper muttered, shaking his head. Still, his mind drifted back to the offer.

"Dipper, you know what will happen. He wants you to feel like this." Dipper told himself. Still, it wasn't Bill that had made him feel so lost.

For the first time, he briefly wondered whether Bill was right.