(Mabel’s P.O.V.)

 (Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015)(Lake Gravity Falls, Gravity Falls, Oregon)

 I stayed underwater for a few moments when we finally got to the dock. I guess I just didn’t know how to approach Grunkle Stan. What to say to him.

 I mean, yes, I knew very well that we were defying his orders, and yes, I still thought he could have been overreacting a teensy little bit…

 But something felt wrong. He cared, and that wasn’t a bad thing. I couldn’t blame him. I couldn’t say the same about Dipper, though. He seemed almost...angry with Grunkle Stan.

 When we left Mermando’s cave, he was definitely scared of him, but as we swam to the dock, the water melted away his fear and brought along a feeling of pride for him. My brother had no shame in what he had done.

Reluctantly, I lifted my head above the surface of the water and we took in a long-awaited breath. Drops of rain immediately began pelting us in the face. Grunkle Stan’s eyes grew wide the second he saw us.

 “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!?!”

 Dipper wiped the water off of his cheeks and laughed quietly to himself.

 “Well-”

 “Don’t you even think about giving me a smart-ass answer, young man. This isn’t a joke.”

 He stopped laughing.

 “I had to leave in the middle of a tour to come and get you guys,” Stan continued. “I left Robbie in charge of the Shack.”

 Dipper bit his lip, and Grunkle Stan began waving his arms around for emphasis.

 “Now, Robbie’s a nice boy, and he makes a fantastic pie. Really, they are delicious. Warm, and flaky, and the filling had just the right amount of cinnamon. Not too much, not too little…”

 He trailed off, as if he had forgotten what he was about to say.

 “What was my point?” He whispered.

 I reminded him, “You left Robbie in charge of the shack…”

 “Yes! As I said before, Robbie is a nice boy, but he has no idea what he’s doing. Yesterday, he asked me how much the crystal balls were, so I sarcastically told him they cost ‘an arm and a leg’. I left, then came back an hour later and he was asking a woman to pay for the crystal ball with her literal arm and leg.”

 He sighed with pity and disapproval.

 “I only keep him around because the customers like him and he gives me food.”

 “I’m still confused as to what the point of this is,” Dipper admitted.

 “The point,” Grunkle Stan explained, “is that I had to leave Robbie in charge because you two decided to disobey me and come out to the lake when it’s down-pouring! What were you thinking?!”

 “I was thinking that I had more important things to do than prance around in a wolf costume and embarrass myself just so you can make money!”

 They were beginning to yell at each other. I started rubbing the skin in between my thumb and pointer finger on my right hand with my left thumb, which was a nervous habit I’ve had for years.

 “I don’t have to keep you here! You could’ve been spending your summer back in California where it’s 90º and boring as hell. The least you could do is help out every once in a while!”

 Does that require me to make an ass of myself?!”

 Grunkle Stan groaned and threw his hands up into the air.

 “God, were you always this difficult?! What is your problem?!”

 “My problem is that ever since I got here,” Dipper explained, “you and everyone else has been overreacting about every single little thing I do. I can’t do anything without someone lashing out at me for it.”

 “If you would just listen to me, I wouldn’t have to lash out at you.”

 “If you weren’t so overprotective and unreasonable, maybe I would listen.”

 “Get out of the lake,” Grunkle Stan demanded.

 “No.”

 Oh dear lord, I thought to myself.

 “What did you just say to me?”

 Dipper laughed.

 “Oh, I’m sorry, is your hearing aid broken?” He sassed. “I said no.”

 Grunkle Stan seemed stunned.

 “Dipper Pines, do not make me use your full name.”

 Dipper swam up close to the dock and rested his hand on one of the posts.

 “Do it.”

 “Excuse m-”

 “Do it. I fucking dare you.”

 The vein on Grunkle Stan’s neck was beginning to throb.

 “DIPPER PINES, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SWE-”

 “If you’re so angry with me, then use my full name,” He insisted. “My. Full. Fucking. Name.”

 The three of us all knew very well why Grunkle Stan wouldn’t use Dipper’s full name. Honestly, I was surprised Dipper would ever stoop that low.

 We were quiet for a long time. It was only minutes but it felt like years. Centuries, even. My uncle and my brother just sat there, glaring at each other. I kept looking back and forth between the two of them, but neither one would break eye contact.

 We all knew Dipper had won, but in the worst of ways.

 “Mabel, get out of the lake.”

 I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at Grunkle Stan.

 “What?”

 “Get out of the lake.”

 I glanced over at Dipper, who had been intensely staring at me.

 “Mabel, I need you to stay with me.”

 I couldn’t leave my brother. His punishment would be ten times more brutal if I got out of the water. But…

 “Mabel.”

 I looked back at Grunkle Stan.

 “If you do not get out of the lake this instant I am canceling the plans you made.”

 The plans I made? What was he talking about-

 The dinner with Pacifica’s family tomorrow night.

 I reluctantly swam over to the dock and began hoisting myself up. Grunkle Stan too me by the hand and helped me stand.

 “MABEL!”

 I turned back to face Dipper. The rain was still coming down hard. I couldn’t tell if the droplets of water running down his cheeks were raindrops or tears.

 “I’m sorry.”

 “What’s so important that you would betray me?!”

 “I’m not betr-”

 “Your sister’s out,” Grunkle Stan interrupted.

 He glared down at Dipper.

 “Now you get out.”

 Dipper grudgingly lifted his arms up and pulled himself onto the dock. I held out my hand to help him get on his feet, but he wouldn’t take it.

 “Both of you, in the car, now,” Grunkle Stan demanded.

 We put our clothes, which were now soaked from sitting out in the rain, back on and began walking towards the car.

 I turned back to look at Grunkle Stan for a moment. He was facing away from me, staring off at the lake with a blank expression. He seemed to still be shaken up from what Dipper had said.

 “Are you coming, Grunkle Stan?” I asked politely.

 “Yeah,” he answered. “Give me a minute.”

 I nodded, then ran to catch up with Dipper.

 “Hey, Dipper…”

 I reached my hand out to touch his shoulder. He quickly backed away and gave me a dirty look.

 “Don’t fucking touch me.”

 I stopped walking.

 “Oh Dipper, come on!”

 He continued on towards the car, not pausing to look back at me or anything.

 “Leave me alone.”