The Things We Leave Behind (Gravity Falls Fic)

Chapter 27: Newcomer

Saige's POV:

I was standing at the cash register in the Shack, watching Dipper and Mabel take turns with the mop. Today was on the busier side. Tourists were flowing in and out steadily. We weren't swamped, but I wasn't idle, either. A mother and her toddler came up to pay and I smiled, cheerfully, "That will be sixteen sixty-four! Thank you, have a nice day." They handed me their money and shuffled out the door. There was one more person currently in line, and I collected her payment before sending her on.

I watched the tourists rotate from exhibit to exhibit, display to display, cheap souveneir to cheap souveneir. I noticed Marcy and Angel trying to hide behind a clothing rack, talking in hushed tones and kissing. The rack wasn't doing much to cover them, but I admired the effort to avoid bothering the customers. They'd better be careful, or Stan might put them in a glass case and display them. Ever since the date, they've been doing this kind of stuff more and more often.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a family of three, dressed in matching Hawaiian shirts, waiting to pay for their items. I smiled, doing my job. They passed through and out of the shop.

I sigh, already bored. I run my fingers through my hair and sit on the stool, picking up one of Wendy's magazines and flipping through it. Nothing interesting in there, but at least I could pass the time.

A couple minutes went by, and I was reading about what lipsticks go with which eyeshadows, when a young man's voice sounds in front of me.

"Excuse me."

I move the magazine out of the way to reveal a handsome brunett with green eyes smiling at me kindly, "Can you tell me how much this is? I can't find the price tag."

He slides a little quadricorn figurine over to me. I chuckle, "Ten seventy. You sure though? I'm thinking you might not be hardcore enough for a quadricorn, you might wanna try sticking with the classic unicorn."

He laughs with me, "You'd be right. It's not for me, it's for my little sister. She's totally hardcore."

I smile and nod, finding that to be pretty sweet of him, still laughing a little, "Yeah, I bet. Little sisters are really tough."

I start checking out the figurine and readying a box for it while he responds, "You sound like you have one."

I purse my lips as I line the box with tissue paper, trying to subtly redirect, "Yeah, um, well, I am one."

"Oh, really?" He says, seeming interested, "Older brother or older sister?"

I gently place the quadricorn in the box, "Brother."

He shoots me a half-smile, placing his card on the counter, "Cool. I'm Riley, by the way. Riley Curtis."

I swipe the card and hand it back to him, letting him put it away before sticking out my hand, "Saige McBlaire, it's nice to meet you."

He takes my hand, saying, "The pleasure is all mine. Well, I'd better get this home so I can wrap it. Thank you, Saige McBlaire."

And just like that, he was walking out the door. I felt something in my hand and find a little torn piece of notebook paper in my grip. I unravel it to see a 10-digit number and the name "Riley Curtis" scrawled on it in purple ink.

I sigh and slip the paper into my back pocket, feeling that it would be rude to just throw it away. I handle the next few customers like normal, once in a while turning back to the magazine. Just another day, right?

---

"Bye, Saige, see you tomorrow!" Mabel said, waving.

I smiled, waving back before turning around and heading down the dirt path to my cabin. I had left about 30 minutes late since Wendy wasn't there to help close up. Angel and Marcy were probably enjoying dinner with Asha, who was supposed to be cooking tonight.

I broke past the tree line, adjusting the strap over my shoulder. It didn't take long before I wasn't alone anymore.

"Somebody had a busy day," Bill says, a strange chipper-ness to his voice that seemed to be masking something darker.

I sigh, "What is it, Bill?"

He shrugs, his hands in his pockets, looking straight ahead, "Nothing."

"Come on, Bill, I know you well enough to tell when something's bothering you."

That brought a slight blush to his cheeks, and he looks at me out of the corner of his eye before turning away so I couldn't see his face, "It's... nothing. It's nothing, okay?"

I roll my eyes, "Okay, now you're just trying to intrigue me."

"Is it working?"

"Yes. Now, c'mon, whats wrong?"

He releases a sigh of resignation, "That guy that was in the Mystery Shack earlier. Riley Curtis."

It literally took me no time at all to figure it out, "You're mad that he hit on me."

"I'm not... mad that he... hit on you. I mean, it's inevitable. I'm not the only man in the world, and you... you've got something special. You're the first girl I've fallen for in my entire life, and that's really, really saying something. Of course I'm not going to be the only guy that likes you."

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "So, you're not jealous."

He was quiet for a moment.

"He gave you his number."

I broke into a grin, "You are jealous!"

The red in his cheeks deepened, "Yeah, okay, maybe a little."

I huffed, "You're jealous of a boy I spent 5 minutes with today. Just because he slipped me his phone number. And I'm not even your girlfriend. You, sir, have a problem."

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes (of course I could only see one), "Don't you think I know that? It's just... that Riley guy, he was... just a little too nice to you for my taste."

I shake my head, looking at my feet.

We walked in silence for a while.

"You aren't going to call him, right?"

I look at him, "Why does that matter? If I did, you'd find out and incinerate him."

His face was stern, "Just answer the question."

I stared at him, but then gave in, "No, I'm not going to call him."

"Promise me."

I sigh, "I promise I won't call him."

He was instantly and very visibly relieved, "Thank you."

He scanned my face and I turned away, seeing that I was back at the cabin. I glanced back at him, but he was already gone.