Always (2/3)

58: could be a whole lot more romantic if you'd let me

58
Dipper

   After discovering the fact that I may or may not have had my magical abilities regardless of how I had destroyed my amulet, things really went back to normal.

It was splendid that my parents left when they did, because I was growing weary of their continuous antics. Before I had joined the rest of my friends(?) in the library, I had gone to speak with my parents.

It was mainly my father who did the speaking, telling me that despite everything, I was growing into a fine young man (his words exactly) and that if I had plans for my senior year to cancel them to study abroad in Paris.

Studying abroad in Paris, the entire notion sounded utterly ridiculous. Yes, while my French was impeccable, I didn't see much of a reason to study there. Until I realized my father's ulterior motives.

He, most likely, was hoping I would meet some fancy French woman and drop Pacifica for said Fancy-French-Female. Like that would ever happen.

After that lovely discussion, they bid me farewell all the while demanding that I at least think it over and think of the business opportunities it would present.

It took everything I had not to explain to them that I didn't truly desire to follow in my father's footsteps. In fact, I wanted to work in the law department. Prosecuting attorney, to be precise. And with my parents's connections, especially in Western European countries, it would be easier and easier for me to practice that profession.

   It was something I wanted to put on the back burner for the time being, I wanted to spend as much time with Pacifica as I could before the end of the summer.

   Over the next several weeks, I had managed to forget a lot of the more intense feelings I was dealing with. Or at least pretend not to care about them. I spent more time with Paz, Mabel, and Gideon. The 'RevFalls Gang' as Gideon so eloquently called us.

   All the while making sure the magic was still temporary. Nothing had happened since the Glass-Breaking-Incident of '85 as Gideon also (unhelpfully) called it, but I wasn't ready to brush it aside as a one-time-thing.

   Near the middle of August, I had come down from my bedroom to find Mabel sitting in the darkness of the sitting room. Carefully perched on the settee, her eyes stared blankly at her phone.

"Hey, what's going on? Is there something wrong?" I hated the fact that I was more in touch with emotions than I used to be. It was a blessing and curse at times.

She startled when I placed a hand on her shoulder, and blinked furiously, hiding the screen of her phone. "Oh, Dipper! Don't scare me like that!"

"You're not so easily frightened, Mabel." I murmured. "Might you be hiding something?"

Mabel frowned, eyes all in a glare that would stop everyone except the one person who could mirror it; myself. "Why would that be any of your business?"

"As your brother, it seems right for me to check up on you." I explained, taking up the empty space next to her. "I can always tell when something is wrong."

"And you'll make a wonderful therapist." Mabel rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I'm not used to this."

"What's the issue?" I checked the clock on the wall. I was meeting my beloved Pazzie for dinner at six, so I had less than a half hour to spare. But I'd still do it.

"I dunno if you're the person I could talk to about this particular piece of information." Mabel mused, switching the ringer on her phone on and off.