The sun rose high above Gravity Falls, mercilessly blanketing the small town with a tremendous amount of heat. It had been the hottest week of the entire summer, and yet, it had little effect on the tiny blur flying through the woods at break-neck speed.

Whistling a cheerful tune, Wendy Corduroy peddled her way through the Gravity Falls Forest. Bobbing and weaving between the trees, the cool breeze shielded her from the blistering warmth. The fifteen-year-old couldn't remember the last time she was this excited to head into work.

It was only a few days since Wendy noticed the "HELP WANTED" sign on the chain-linked fence of the Gravity Falls Public Pool. At first, she thought it would be a good idea to earn some extra cash on the side. However, the promise of free snacks and drinks quickly turned this hunch of hers into a top priority. After a few "pleases, thank yous," and a demonstration of her natural athletic ability, hands were shaken, and Wendy was awarded the duty of Gravity Falls' newest lifeguard.

At first, the ginger basked in the glory of her latest occupation. She sat high on her look-out throne, hoping to slightly tan her trademark pale, freckled skin, throwing the occasionally unruly child into "pool jail," in between sneaking runs to the Snack Shop. However, as the days passed, Wendy found herself the same as she was at her post at the Mystery Shack: bored and even a bit lonely.

It would be only a short time before the cure for her blues would appear beneath her dangling feet. A smile spread across her face as she spotted her co-worker and friend, Dipper Pines, arriving at the pool with his family in tow. After taking a moment to whack her other boss, Dipper's great-uncle, with a cheap-shot water balloon, Wendy greeted "her boy" and hinted at the fact that she had to look for an assistant lifeguard.

Much to her hopes, Dipper jumped at the opportunity given. She watched from a distance as the poor boy was grilled in an interview by her slightly disturbed boss, Mr. Poolcheck. As he was spat upon and shaken wildly, Dipper would look back at her, only to be given a heartening grin and a thumbs-up for moral support.

At long last, Mr. Poolcheck gave his blessing and lowered a shiny, metal whistle onto Dipper's neck. Wendy silently cheered her buddy on, not wanting to embarrass him out loud nor reveal her true intentions to her supervisor.

After all, she knew better that once the head lifeguard was away, she and her partner in crime would be able to play!

And play they did! Over the following week, Wendy and Dipper broke nearly every rule and standard they could think of. At first, Dipper seemed hesitant to follow his crush's example, fearing the wrath of Mr. Poolcheck, but after plenty of encouragement on Wendy's part, he shortly followed suit in her mellow lookout on their new job. They chased each other around the poolside until they were short-of-breath, convinced Soos that the inflatable ducks were planning a revolution for their freedom, sent the brats and bullies (Stan included) to pool jail, and played human horseshoes with their life savers.

Wendy reflected on the day before, where she playfully elbowed her pal, making him blush, "Dude! With this job, you and me are gonna be havin' fun all summer!"

Exiting from her shortcut from the forest, Wendy slammed on the brakes as she pulled up to the entrance to the Pool. The redhead hopped off her bright-red bicycle, grabbed her supplies, and walked her bike over to a nearby tree, bolting it down tightly with a chain and pocket-sized padlock. Using her administrative set of keys, Wendy opened the front door to the main office, and swiftly relocked it behind her.

She looked around to see that the entryway was deserted. It was still early, and the Pool wouldn't be opened to the public for a few more hours. "Figures," Wendy scoffed. "The one time I actually get to work early, and no one's around to see it!"

The teen walked into the women's locker room, placed her knapsack on the nearest bunch, and threw open a locker. She placed her brown trapper hat inside, and started to unbutton her flannel shirt. Wendy kicked off her boots and socks, sliding off her tight blue jeans, revealing a standard, red lifeguard uniform beneath. Finally, she reached into her belongings and pulled out her own silver whistle, dropping it around her neck.

She scooped up her loose clothing and set it alongside her cap. Sealing the locker shut, Wendy padded down the hall, only to stop at the worn-out mirror mounted on the wall. The lanky teenager adjusted her swimsuit while pulling her long, fuzzy hair back as neatly as she could. Her reflection reminded her of how she ended up with such a generic outfit. Her old-fashioned father had forbid her from wearing a two-piece. Wendy laughed to herself as she thought of dear-old-dad beating down on any male that dared to glance at "his little girl's" bare midriff.

"Hehe…with his luck, Dipper would probably be first on his hit-list…"

Wendy hastily ran through the shower and towards the exit leading to the poolside. The bright lights momentarily blinded the girl, as her emerald-colored eyes had become well-adjusted to the dank of the locker room. As she was about to step outside, Wendy could make out the sounds of ear-deafening screaming in the distance:

"A wrecked fence! Dents in the pool mobile! And a missing megaphone?! Who is responsible for this?!"

Wendy peeked out from the corner to see Mr. Poolcheck bent down on one knee, tightly gripping her miniscule buddy. Dipper lowered his head and sighed, "It's my fault, sir." He looked his boss in the face, "I'm sorry. I got in too deep…"

Filled with rage, Mr. Poolcheck rose up and extended his muscular arm outwards. "HAND! OVER! THE! WHISTLE! BOY!"

With a slight hesitation, Dipper lifted his whistle up from around his neck and placed it in his former employer's open palm. Mr. Poolcheck tossed the one-time source of Dipper's pride into his mouth as if it was a simple candy and loudly crushed the metallic object between his teeth.

Freaked out by the display before his eyes, Dipper held out his arms in defense as he slowly backed away. Once he maintained enough distance, the tween spun around on his heels, his "Night Patrol" cap covering his hung head as he sadly made his way back towards the Boys' changing room.

Wendy hid back against the wall to keep out of sight. She figured that it would have hurt Dipper even more if he realized that she had witnessed the entire scene firsthand. After her friend had passed, Wendy stepped out of the shadows and back into the bright and sunny world. She hopped from foot to foot, letting out a series of winces as her soles were singed by the hot cement. Taking a moment to get used to the heat, Wendy looked around at the extreme amount of damage before her.

"WHOA!"

There were two gigantic holes on right side of the fence surrounding the complex. The storage closet had been left wide open; its supplies were spread out all over the floor, even going as far as falling into the pool's cool waters. On the side of the cabinet, the Pool Mobile was crookedly parked and covered with filth, dirt, and mud. Wendy could have sworn that she had seen some scrapes on the driver's seat's door, as if it had skidded sideways.

The girl shook her head, "There's no way that little guy did this. But why would he admit to doing it?" She rubbed her chin trying to figure things out, "Something doesn't add up here. Maybe he was just scared and confessed?"

Having a sense of duty come over her, Wendy headed towards the scene of the crime. She figured that perhaps she could smooth things over for Dipper. After all, the last thing that she wanted was to have things return to the way they were before; the gingered female couldn't stomach sitting alone day after boring day.

As Wendy walked along the edge of the pool, something reached out and seized her big toe. She gasped and tried to kick herself free, until she realized the truth a split second later. The redhead peered over the side and let out a groan:

"Oh…it's you…"

The pie-faced child had reached out from his makeshift cell in the Pool's venting system to plead his case, "C'mon, Lifeguard Wendy! I've been good! Can I come out of pool solitary, please?"

Somewhat annoyed, Wendy pulled her foot loose, "Not now, short stuff. I've got people to see…"

"But I've been here for…I…don't even remember how long!"

She turned around and shouted over her shoulder, "Well, maybe you'll think twice about pretending to drown, so you can cop-a-feel to someone's giving you CPR!" She had never been so embarrassed in her entire life…

Wendy didn't want to sound mean, but she had only one (non-perverted) adolescent on her mind. She knew she had to hurry to help reverse her friend's fate. Waiting for her manager by the supply closet, Wendy decided to play dumb in order to better Dipper's chances. Mr. Poolcheck had walked back to the poolside from one of the holes in the broken fences. With a smug, irritated look on his face, he carried two armfuls of purple, inflatable ducks back inside of the enclosure.

"Hey-ya, Mr. Poolcheck!" Wendy greeted with a small wave, "How's it hanging?"

Her boss threw all of the ducks into the cramped room and turned around to face her, "What does it look like, Corduroy?" He extended his arm to highlight the ruined areas, "My precious pool is in shambles – and it's all thanks to your little friend!"

"You're kidding?!" Wendy continued to feign ignorance, "Dipper did all of this?!"

"Believe it, little missy!" he resumed shouting. "I left him here overnight to catch whoever was breaking into the Pool after hours, and what does he do? He wrecks nearly everything he could get his grubby little hands on!"

The adolescent threw out her hand, "Come on, boss! The little dork's not so bad once you get to know him." She flashed a sweetened, tooth-filled smile to try to charm the grumpy adult, "Tell you what: I'll help you clean up this mess, and maybe you might reconsider –"

"NOT A CHANCE!" Poolcheck interrupted. "And the way I see it, you're not in any position to be making deals."

"Huh? What's that suppose to mean?"

The unhinged man pointed in Wendy's face, "Don't think for a second that I didn't know who was encouraging that boy to misbehave in the first place!"

Wendy shrunk back. She instantly felt pressure against her collar, despite not wearing a shirt at all.

"That's right! Keeping acting all innocent, but I know the truth! That kid tagged around like a lost puppy, following your every rotten example: abusing your power, stealing extra snacks from the shop…" He pointed down at the pool vent, "…forgetting to let kids who've served their time out of pool solitary!"

The portly, imprisoned child sighed to himself, "At least someone remembers me…"

"Instead of worrying about Pines, you should be more concerned about your own job!" Poolcheck used his thumb and index finger to illustrate a short distance, "You are this far from being tossed out on your keister!" The rigid man stood back upright, "Luckily for you, I'm in a desperate situation, and beggars can't be choosers!"

Wendy crossed her arms, her shock turning into slight anger, "Is that a fact?"

Poolcheck looked out over the warm, crystal clear waters, "The pool is a harsh mistress, Corduroy, and one man isn't enough to tend to her many whelms." He turned back in Wendy's direction, "So, if that means I have to put up with the laziest, most pathetic lifeguard I have ever laid eyes on, then so be it!"

The freckled-faced teen decided she had heard enough. Wendy couldn't decide if she felt more slighted over the comments about Dipper or the insults geared towards herself. Either way, she had already made her decision: this guy wasn't going to get away with it!

"You know what, chief?" Wendy asked, fidgeting with the whistle around her neck, "I think I'll make things a lot easier and make the choice for both of us…"

Wendy carefully walked past the already-steamed instructor, who instantly turned another shade of bright red. "Corduroy," he warned. "If you walk out that door, there will be no turning back!"

In spite of his petty threat, Wendy headed back towards the ladies' locker room.

"WELL, FINE!" Mr. Poolcheck screamed. "If you rather spend the rest of your life hanging out with a bunch of losers in some dump in the middle of the woods, then be my guest!"

Wendy stopped in mid-step as she reflected on his words. After a moment or two, the ginger decided that her ex-boss was right: there was one "loser" that she would rather spend the rest of her life hanging out with.

"Here ya go, Poolcheck!" Wendy removed her whistle and tossed it at the ranting adult, "It looks like you already had Dipper's for breakfast. You can save mine for lunch!" She went back on her way.

"You think you can up and quit like that, kid?! YOU CAN'T BECAUSE YOU'RE FIRED!"

She chuckled at the announcement, "Good to hear. Hope you remember to say that when the unemployment office calls ya!"

Mr. Poolcheck went into a furious rage, throwing Wendy's whistle to the ground, and stomping on it until it shattered into a thousand pieces. Wendy ignored the tantrum, offering a simple wave as she walked away, "Good luck with that "harsh mistress" of yours. I'll leave my keys on the desk before I go."

As she passed by the pool's edge, a voice cried out yet again for her assistance, "Hey, what about me?"

"Sorry, kiddo. You're not my problem anymore…"

After changing into her street clothes, Wendy gathered her belongings, and walked towards the front of the Gravity Falls Pool. She passed the unattended Snack Shop; a fact that made the girl halt in her tracks.

"Hmm…" she pondered, jiggling the lifeguard keys in her hand. After everything that had happened, Wendy figured that she could use a treat or two (or three). Her thoughts changed to that of her heartbroken friend, making her consider taking a few on his behalf.

"The way I see it," Wendy convinced herself as she undid the padlock securing the shop's wares, "..They can consider this our severance pay…"

Once she finished raiding the pantry, Wendy headed outside. In the distance, she spotted an extremely depressed Dipper Pines, dressed in his usual clothes with his hands in his pockets, walking by himself towards the open gate leading back into the woods. As she went to call out for him, an idea popped into her head. Her green eyes had spotted the rusted bucket by her lifeguard chair where the duo had kept their secret stash of water balloons.

She peeped over the top to see that one last balloon remained. A devious smirk spread from dimpled cheek to cheek as Wendy picked it up, and with careful, pin-point precision, nailed her saddened companion, making him cry out in surprise.

Dipper looked around as the water dripped messily from his clothes. His frown morphed into a astonished smile as his secret crush walked over.

"Hey, doofus!" Wendy greeted. "You'll never guess what happened. I just got fired!"

"What?" he asked completely shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah…" Wendy decided to fib a bit of the details, "I guess Poolcheck found out I was taking too many snacks."

"How many?"

His towering friend lifted her trademark brown trapper hat to reveal a stack of various bags of Corncorno chips placed neatly upon her crown of red hair. As Wendy flashed a guiltless, mischievous beam, Dipper let out a series of laughs. Seeing "her boy" react like this only reassured her that she was doing the right thing; in her eyes, she would have missed such reactions from her naïve cohort way too much.

"Hey," Wendy offered, readjusting her cap, "Wanna go break rules somewhere else?"

Dipper threw out his stubby arms, "Of course!"

The rulebreakers walked out of the gate, side by side, giggling and playfully shoving each other, in search of new adventures and other types of trouble they could get into…