CANDY

Mabel can you hang out tonight?

DIPPER

You missed duck-tective…again

GRUNKLE FORD

Mabel, I thought you were going to accompany me to the fairy village today. Is everything alright?

SOOS

Dipper seems really bummed lately I think its cause you dont hang out with him anymore

GRENDA

I cant believe u bailed again if u only care about your boyfriend now just say so

GRUNKLE STAN

where are you mabel? this is the third time u broke curfew u better not be with that boy

WENDY

Dipper said u weren't coming. y not? I told you glenn can come too

Guilt bubbled in the pit of Mabel's stomach as she deleted her loved ones concerned messages. She deleted conversations from everyone.

Except for Glenn's.

He had been so sweet at the beginning.

GLENN 3

Hey its me glenn the guy you gave your number

I had so much fun last nite can we do it again?

Goodnite new girlfriend 3

I don't think your uncle likes me he doesn't understand us

Where were you? I was waiting for you. do u like ur friends better than me?

You have a boyfriend you don't need to talk to other guys

Ur lucky u have me because you act so weird sometimes no other boy would like u

MABEL PLEASE PICK UP THE PHONE IM SO SORRY! :*(

It wont happen again I swear

I know I have problems but ur luv can fix me and I can fix you too

Your not gonna tell anyone right? I'll be in so much trouble if you do

Im sorry about last night but its kinda your fault too I mean you know how I get when I'm mad

I would kill myself if you ever left me mabel I luv you 3

Mabel's remembered how her heart fluttered the first time Glenn told her he loved her. Now it weighed heavily on her heart. Because despite everything, she loved him too.

It wasn't like Gideon where she had no romantic interest and simply felt bad about hurting his feelings (before she found out he was a psycho). She had fallen for Glenn. He was so good to her, except when she made him mad.

Glenn loved her weird quirks. Well, most of them…some of them. The ones he didn't like he made her change. But he still loved her despite how weird she was. How can she ever find someone else like that? They needed each other. They both just had to learn to be better.

Mabel promptly put her phone away when Dipper entered their bedroom. She hated having to hide from Dipper. She never had to before. But like Glenn said, he wouldn't understand.

"Oh," Dipper looked surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here, dummy."

"Oh, you still live here?" Dipper snapped at her. "Ugh, I'm sorry, it's just…nothing."

Dipper sat on his bed and opened a book. Mabel hoped he wouldn't follow up his snippy comment, but she could tell when Dipper was fake reading. He wasn't done yet.

"I just figured you'd be with Glenn."

Mabel's throat constricted like it always did when people questioned her relationship with Glenn. "I'm not with him every second of the day."

Dipper snorted. "Seriously? You pretty much are."

"Well, he's my boyfriend. I have to spend time with him." Or he'll get mad.

"Yeah, but I'm your brother. You never spend any time with me. You never spend time with anyone but Glenn anymore." Dipper snapped his book shut.

Mabel knew he was right, but she didn't back down. She approached him with a confrontational demeanor. "Why can't you just be happy for me? Because no one loves you?"

Crap. She hadn't meant to say that. She didn't mean to say that. She was surprised how quickly Dipper's expression went from shock to hurt to anger.

"Whatever, Mabel, I don't care."

"Dipper, I didn't mean…"

"I don't care! Just leave me alone!"

Dipper shoved Mabel away from him and she fell back on the edge of her bed. She let out of cry of pain.

"Oh my gosh, Mabel, I'm so sorry!" Dipper hadn't meant to hurt her. He didn't even push her that hard. She was clutching her back in pain. Her eyes were watering too. There was no way his light shove could have caused this big of a reaction. Maybe she fell on a loose nail or something.

"Here, let me see." Dipper lifted her sweater to inspect her back for injuries. She smacked him away more vicious than he's ever seen her. "Mabel, I'm sorry I pushed you. I need to make sure you're okay. Let me check your back."

"No!" Mabel wrapped her arms around her sweater to preemptively stop any attempt to remove it.

"Fine." Dipper figured she wasn't cooperating because she was mad at him. "I'll find Stan or Ford. They can check."

"NO!" Mabel bolted up and put herself in between Dipper and the door. She threw her arms out so he couldn't pass. "I'm fine, Dipper. Really, I am. Don't tell them about this."

Now Dipper knew something was wrong. "What are you hiding from me, Mabel?"

"Nothing," Mabel said a little too quickly.

"Mabel, either you show me your back or I'm gonna get Stan and Ford to make you show it."

She didn't want to show Dipper, but if she didn't, he'll tell on her to their uncles. And then she'll have to show all three of them. Reluctantly, Mabel turned around and lifted her sweater so Dipper could see her back.

"Oh my god. Mabel, what…" Whatever Dipper was expecting, it wasn't this. Mabel's back was covered in bruises. There was no way he caused that. He grabbed Mabel's sweater and took it off her. It revealed more bruises on her arms and torso. "Who did this to you?"

"Just drop it, Dipper, please."

"Drop it? Somebody hurts my sister and you want me to drop it? Look at you! What kind of monster would do this?"

"Glenn's not a…" Mabel put her hands over her mouth. She said too much.

"Glenn? Glenn did this to you?" The way her eyes dropped the floor told Dipper everything. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Dipper, don't overreact."

"Overreact? Your ex-boyfriend beats you up and…"

"First of all, he's not my ex, second-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, you're still seeing him? Are you crazy?"

"You don't understand, he's trying to get better. He's always sorry after he-"

"He's done this before? And you're still in love with him?"

"Yes…no…I don't know." Mabel put her hands over her face.

"I'm sorry, Mabel, but I can't let him get away with this." Dipper went around Mabel to get to the door.

"No, Dipper, please don't go!" Mabel grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I'm not gonna stand by and let him keep hurting you! What if he hurts you worse next time, Mabel?"

"I don't care."

"YOU DON'T CARE? HOW COULD YOU NOT CARE? WHY ARE YOU STAYING WITH HIM?"

"BECAUSE HE SCARES ME, DIPPER!" Mabel sobbed still clinging desperately to Dipper's arms. "Please don't make him mad, Dipper. I don't want him to hurt you too. Please, Dipper."

Dipper watched in shock and pity as Mabel broke down in his arms. He's seen Mabel cry plenty of times. She was a sensitive girl. But he had never seen her like this before; just completely broken. What had this creep done to his sister? How could he not have seen it?

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Mabel. I just got scared seeing you hurt like that." Dipper wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "You can't keep seeing him, Mabel. You know that, right?"

"I know, I know. I just…I don't know what to do."

"It's okay, Mabel. You don't have to do it alone."

"You can't break up with him for me."

"Don't worry, I've learned my lesson about breaking up with my sister's crazy boyfriends."

Mabel chuckled. She wished she could go back to a time when Gideon being too much of a nice guy was her biggest problem in her life.

"This is something you have to do, but you don't have to do it alone." Dipper pulled away so they could face each other while keeping his hands on her shoulders. "I've got a plan. Ask Glenn to come see you in a public place, maybe Greasy's Diner. You can break up with him there. He can't hurt you if there are people around. And I'll be with you too."

"I don't know, Dipper."

"Trust me, Mabel. We'll get this jerk out of your life forever." She still looked uncertain. Dipper figured she was probably just worried he'll turn violent. "You have nothing to worry about. Everything's gonna be okay."

Dipper hugged her certain that his plan was foolproof. Mabel wasn't so sure. Uncertainty still lingered in her heart. But her brother was right, this needed to end. She knew that.

But knowing that won't make doing it any easier.