Say Something to the Boy

A Gravity Falls Fanfiction

Chapter 1 – Dipping Sauce

Summer. 12:00 p.m. Another day at the Mystery Shack.

For anybody else within its residence, it would've been another weird, adventurous day. Some (ahem) mysterious thing would happen that would threaten the lives of more than half of the cheap tourist trap's employees, or Gideon would once again try to extend his sausage-like, pudgy fingers around the old dusty place. But today, it seemed, it was not one of those days.

Since she had first (somewhat reluctantly but then relaxingly when she realized how easy it was to slack off) gotten a job there, Wendy encountered very little of the bizarre or macabre. Yes, there was the incident with the ghosts at the convenience store (more like inconvenience store!), and the fact that her ex-boyfriend Robbie tried to brainwash her into forgiving him for his dumbassery, but besides that, the only weird she got was Soos' apparent obliviousness, Mabel's incessant energy, and Little Dipper's stuttered stories about all the weird stuff he would see while wandering around in the woods. At times, she felt bad she missed out on some of the fun, but she still had all her other friends, her handful of bulky, hairy, and sweaty male family members, and even that brief stint life-guarding at the local pool.

Today was irregular, but only in the sense that she had seen very little of her fellow employees. When she first signed in, three hours ago, only Soos was there sweeping in the lobby to greet her. Unless spoken to, he wasn't especially talkative, and due to their age difference, it wasn't like they had too much in common to begin with. There was a mutual respect; she appreciated the fact that he was pretty good with the kids. Wendy often observed that a lot of the wonder twins' energy bounced back onto him, which gave him all his idiosyncratic ways and bumblings, plus a lot of the younger customers liked him. All Wendy did was give a curt, but amiable "Yo," and he returned the favor. Then...near silence. She busted out a magazine, he finished sweeping, told her he had other work to do outside, said "Later," and then she was alone. That was at, like, 8:30. Soos still had not returned. There hadn't been very many customers that day, either. Only a handful. Stan hadn't put a new attraction in for a while, and a few days ago, she had heard him grumbling under his breath something about Gideon launching some sort of smear campaign on this thing called the "internet." But wasn't the little twerp still in jail? Oh, whatever.

So, where was everyone? Maybe Dipper and Mabel were sleeping in, or they were out somewhere? Maybe Stan was doing something about Gideon. She didn't know. Not like she had gone searching for Soos to ask him anything. Though she was many things, Wendy could at least hold her post, plus if Stan found out she had left the cash register for even a second (at least without someone else there), she would expect a significant pay cut. Cheap old man.

The magazine finally ran its course. She tossed it aside. It made a light thumping sound on the wood floor. She could see a small dissemination of dust bunnies arise. She yawned and stretched, resting her elbow on the counter top. It was funny; she could barely remember the article she had just read, she read it so quickly. Some laughable thing about how a new local band getting a record deal with a big-name company, how they were creating a "new grunge wave" in a town as tiny and anonymous as Gravity Falls. Yeah, and Robbie was freaking Elvis. What a joke.

So...what now?

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long for that answer. After another minute, the front door burst open. Dipper, in his usual attire of red short-sleeved t-shirt, blue shorts, blue vest, and white baseball cap with a blue pine tree adorned on it, stood flushed and sweaty. He wore a big, triumphant grin and sauntered in.

"Well, that was quite an entrance!" Wendy said, sticking her tongue out at him and forming rock horns with her hand as a greeting. "What's got you so high and mighty?"

Dipper, a bit of his confidence dissipating, remanifesting itself as awkwardness, said, "I just beat Mabel at a staring contest. And she played dirty. She tried everything. Waving her hands in my face, trying to make me laugh with her weird masculine voice, tossing glitter on me...but I had none of it. Just planted my feet straight on the ground..." He did so, his fervor slowly coming back. "Took a deep breath..." He did so. "And refused to lose!" He smirked at nothing in particular.

Wendy laughed. "Nice! So where is she now?"

"She's still out there, mumbling to Waddles. She's always been a sore loser..." He walked around the counter and sat on the stool next to hers. She grinned and rubbed his head, displacing his hat. He laughed softly, with a hint of nervousness that was completely lost on her.

"So...what have you been up to today, Wendy?"

She shrugged. "Nothing much, really. It's been a slow day. I haven't seen Soos in hours and I haven't seen Stan at all. Heck, I was wondering where you two were! It's not everyday you guys don't all immediately show your faces."

Dipper spat out an explanation a bit too quickly. "Uh...well, yeah. Gruncle Stan woke the two of us up early. Said we were 'going to war' with Gideon. Frankly, Mabel and I were having none of it, so we ditched him after an hour or so. Haven't seen him since. Soos was outside cleaning the gutters. He said he found a gold earring. And then he wore it."

Wendy scoffed. Dipper grinned. "Yeah, seriously. So then we both were just sort of wandering around outside. I kept wanting to go look for this really cool beast I read about in the Mystery book – I think it was called a Hidebehind – but she wanted to have the staring contest instead."

"Huh. Sounds cool."

"Yeah, well, you know..." Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, a light blush creeping onto his face. His little legs dangled a few inches off the ground.

Mentally, he was kicking himself. He knew he shouldn't be so obvious, but as everyday passed by, he could feel himself getting more and more infatuated with the teen redhead. It was inexplicable. She just seemed so relaxed about everything. The first and so far (thankfully) only time he had ever seen her raise her voice was when she told Robbie off, and then in turn told him off. It wasn't a moment he liked to dwell on, because every other time he thought about her he could only think good things. As far as he could tell, she was perfect. Gorgeous, intelligent, witty, energetic, curious, whimsical, strong-willed...

Before he knew it, he was staring at her. As she turned her head towards him, he snapped his gaze towards the ground just in time.

"So have you heard of this stupid cheesy romantic-comedy coming out? It's called 'Endless Love is Like Soaring on Eagle Wings While Eating Chocolate Strawberries and Kissing Your Girlfriend, or "Love is Like Soaring" For Short?'"

"Uh, nope. No, I haven't. That's a TERRIBLE title, though."

"Pssh. I know, right?" The two chuckled. "It looks awful and absolutely hilarious. Would you and Mabel like to go see it with me? I figure we could all make fun of all the little girls who actually take that crap seriously."

He stared at her with an open mouth. "Me..." And then the rest of her statement dawned on him. "And Mabel?"

"Yeah!"

Just then (speak of the devil), Mabel somehow burst into the room even more dramatically than her sweaty twin had a few moments ago. The sound of the wooden door slamming against the wall was quite loud. She was wearing a cobalt-blue sweater and light blue shorts. The sweater had the word "Yes" sowed on it with bits of pink and purple glitter drawing attention to it.

"Hey, Wendy!" She greeted, flashing her toothy, braces-filled smile. When she looked at Dipper, she stuck her nose up in the air and said dryly, "Dipping Sauce." Wendy covered her mouth to hide a giggle. She would never get used to that silly nickname. Dipper rolled his eyes, vaguely upset that alone time with his crush was being interrupted.

Returning her attention to Wendy, Mabel asked "So what's up?"

"How'd you like to see a movie?" Wendy asked her.

"Ooh! Sounds fuuuun," Mabel cooed. "Which one?"

"'Love is Like-"

"'SOARING ON EAGLE WINGS WHILE EATING CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRIES AND KISSING YOUR GIRLFRIEND, OR "LOVE IS LIKE SOARING" FOR SHORT?!'" She finished in a loud, silly fit.

"Uh, yeah."

"I'D LOVE TO!"

"Sweet!" She turned to Dipper. "So how 'bout it, Dips? You in, too?"

"Oh!" Mabel exclaimed. "You also invited Dipper?"

Wendy cocked her head, confused. "Of course? Why wouldn't I?"

Mabel flashed her shiny grin at Dipper. "Hold on. I need to talk to my brother alone first." Dipper gave her a questioning glance, but she winked at him.

"Uh, okay," Wendy said. With that, Mabel stretched one arm (completely engulfed in sweater) and grabbed Dipper's hand. She dragged him around the corner into the main hallway.

"Hey! What is it?" Dipper said, yanking himself out of her clutch once they turned the corner into the hallway.

"YOU HAVE A DATE!" Mabel quietly but ecstatically shouted at him. Her wide eyes shimmered with wonder.

"WHAT!" Dipper screamed. He covered his mouth, realizing Wendy must have heard. His cheeks flushed blood red. He crossed his arms. Making her volume, he said, "Why would you even say that?"

"Because she asked you to a movie! A ROMANTIC movie~!"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but it looked so ridiculous. Too ridiculous to get all emotional over."

She laughed, wavy her arms about in typical hyperactive fashion. "Ho ho ho, someone's in denial..."

"Oh, shut up. You're coming with us, so it doesn't really matter."

"Ha!" She put her hands on her hips, grinning wickedly at him. "Who says I am?"

"Huh?" Dipper said, suddenly feeling a bit panicky. "You just told Wendy you'd love to see it with us!"

"Maybe I had my fingers crossed behind my back. You don't know, and you could never convince the cops otherwise!"

Dipper could feel himself getting worked up. This happened whenever Gruncle Stan yelled at him to do some stupid chore, or Robbie made embarrassed him in front of Wendy by making fun of his height and his immaturity. "Mabel, you can't do this to me!"

"I'm not gonna be a third wheel on one of your dates, nosiree! The only wheel I'd ever be is either a wagon wheel or a cartwheel!" To demonstrate her point, she did a cartwheel right into the wall. She fell back onto the ground, but only laughed in typical silly Mabel fashion.

"It's not funny!" He screamed, again probably loud enough for Wendy to hear but this time he didn't care.

She frowned, getting up. "Why are you freaking out so hard about this? I'm trying to do you a favor and give you some alone time with your girl!"

"Okay, first, she's not my girl. Second..." Whatever anger he made have had suddenly disappeared. "I couldn't go out with her on my own. Like, I know we'd just be going as friends. I'm not about to misinterpret anything. It's just, it'd still sort of feel like a date, you know?" When she shook her head, not understanding, he went on. "Wendy and I have hung out a lot just by ourselves before, but this wouldn't really be the same. Not to me, at least...and I can't even really explain why. I wouldn't even know what to say! I'd be so freaked out I'd say something stupid, that...I just...I dunno. I'm just afraid, alright? Because I'm liking her a little bit more everyday, and..." He took off his baseball cap and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't meant to go on a little rant about his anxiety, but it did make him feel a little bit better about getting all that stuff out there, especially with the person he secretly trusted most in the world.

Mabel shook her head and sighed. "You're going to a movie, Dipping Sauce. It's not the end of the world. If you could be Mr. Smooth Criminal with her during the party we had a few weeks ago, then there's no reason why you can't do this. Just remember what I told you, back then. Just be yourself. Just talk to her like you normally would."

Dipper put his hat back on and sighed. "But that's just it. I'm not sure I still can for very long. It's...just getting hard to be around her. I have to force myself to stay seated and not to suddenly just lean over and..." He couldn't finish the sentence, so he made a rolling motion with his hand.

Mabel stifled a giggle. When he glared at her, she realized he was serious. So, she walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Again, it's just a movie. How much talking are you REALLY going to be doing? Just concentrate on the movie."

Dipper sighed again. "But that's just it. I couldn't just watch the movie because it looked so stupid. She wanted to go see it just to make fun of it, and everybody who actually cared to see it."

"She WHAT!" Mabel screamed, her face going red. "How dare she mock people like me! Now I'm DEFINITELY not going with you two!"

"Ugh..." Dipper moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He slid down the wall and landed in a crouch. "What am I going to do?"

Mabel rolled her eyes. She rested her elbow on his head. "I really think you're blowing this out of proportion. And if I were you, I would've already done some big romantic gesture and told her how I feel. But if you're gonna be such a big baby..."

"I'm NOT being a baby!" He grumbled into his arm. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Either go with her to the movie or don't. Your choice. But I really don't think I should go. I'll probably see it with Grenda and Candy – they wanted to see it with me anyway. And look on the bright side. You'd have Wendy to yourself for two whole hours at least, instead of just a pillow with Wendy's face on it. Even if you're afraid it's gonna be all awkward, at least you won't have to worry about any of us interrupting. If you really think it'd be too hard to be alone with her for that long, then just don't go. Make up an excuse. It's not the end of the world. But you going at all shouldn't be." She did have a point, and it was rare for her to be so astute for that many sentences in a row (minus that pillow comment, which irritated him). When it came to topics that really concerned him, Dipper could always count on Mabel to give some halfway decent advice.

He looked up into his sister's eyes. "You really think I can pull this off?"

Mabel smiled. "Of course I do. And it's like you said – you'd just be going as friends. Remember that every time you start to get nervous, and you'll go right back to talking like a normal person, instead of the guy who stays up every night for an hour thinking about her." She giggled at his frown. He sighed and stood back up.

"Alright. I guess I'll go alone."

"Hooray!" Mabel held up her hand for a high-five. Dipper smiled weakly and slapped her palm. The dynamic duo walked back into the foyer. Wendy was still sitting there, intently waiting.

"Uh...is everything okay, you two?" Dipper stared uneasily at Mabel, but she rescued him.

"I don't think I'm gonna go. I forgot that Waddles has an audition to be Ducktective's new sidekick tomorrow and I promised I'd help him prepare tonight," Mabel said. Wendy and Dipper just stared at her. It was so irreverent, so off-putting that it didn't even strike either of them as weird. Just Mabel being Mabel.

"But I'll definitely come with you," Dipper said.

"Alright, cool!" Wendy said, holding out her first for a bump. Dipper shakily bumped her fist. "Well, I think I'm gonna head out. Our little secret, remember?" She made a lock-and-key motion around her mouth with her hand. Dipper mirrored her movement. She smiled. "I'll pick you up at 8, okay? The movie's at 9."

"O-Okay, sounds good..." Dipper mumbled shyly.

"Great. See ya two later!" Wendy hopped over the counter, and exited the shack. A moment of silence followed, and then –

"Ooh, Wendy..." Mabel wrapped her arms around herself and made kissing noises.

"STOP IT!"

"Hahaha! I'll never stop!"