~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~

Most of us were in the gift shop, all in our own worlds. I was reading my journal, like usual, when I reached a certain page that brought up a question.

"Mabel, do you believe in ghost?"

"I believe you're a big dork!!" She answered before laughing, making me press my pen against the globe she had been spinning on, forcing her to fall down.

Stan then walked inside. "Soos, Wendy!"

Wendy was already by the door as Soos ran over. "What's up, Mr. Pines?!"

"I'm heading out, you three are gonna wash the bathrooms, right?"

"Yes sir!"

"Absolutely not." Wendy saluted after Soos.

Stan let out a small laugh. "You stay out of trouble." He replied before leaving again.

I then heard other footsteps, making me turn around; (y/n) had just entered the gift shop, walking a bit slower than he used to. He had been staying with us these past few days as he recovered.

"You sure you're okay being out of bed?" I asked, unable to ignore the worry that instantly washed over me.

He simply smiled, waving a hand in dismiss. "I'm fine, I won't be able to move properly if I stay in bed all the time though."

"I guess so.."

He seemed to notice my expression, his own falling a bit before looking over at the wall, where something tall had been covered with a blanket. "Hey, wanna see something cool?"

"I like cool things!!" Mabel replied as she ran over.

Pulling off the blanket, we saw a ladder resting against the wall, with a hatch right above, and a teasing grin on (y/n)'s face. "What's this~? A secret ladder to the roof~?"

Soos walked over in concern. "Uh, I don't think Mr. Pines would like that.."

"Huh~?"

"Uh..."

"Huh~?!"

"You're freaking me out, dude!!"

(y/n) chuckled after winning ... whatever that competition was with Soos, and I looked up in curiosity. "Can we actually go up there?"

"Sure we can!" He began to climb, chanting. "Roof time! Roof time!"

"Roof time! Roof time!" Mabel and I chanted along while climbing behind.

Now on the roof, we climbed over to the other side of it. There was a ledge that stood out, and a beach chair, mini fridge, and rainbow umbrella were all neatly placed. (y/n) easily slid down, then turned to us when we were all there. "Welcome to my home away from work."

"Whoa! You put all this stuff up here?"

"I tend to sneak up here whenever I need a break." He then picked up a pine cone from a bucket, offering it to me. "Bet you ten bucks you won't hit that target in the forest~"

Smiling in determination, Mabel and I began to throw pine cones into the forest, hoping to hit one of the targets that were hidden in them. Of course, my aim is absolutely terrible, so I ended up hitting one of the cars in the parking lot....

To my surprise though, (y/n) laughed as he offered a fist bump. "Nice one!!"

I stared for a while; I didn't know why, I just froze in place, a heat spreading across my cheeks.

He was...

"You gonna leave me hanging or what?"

I quickly came back to reality, fist bumping him as Mabel continued to throw every pine cone at the forest.

The two of us sat down, watching the pine comes fly by, when I suddenly remembered a question I had. It was a question I wanted to ask yesterday, but he had falling asleep before I could.

"(y/n), shouldn't you be heading home soon? Won't your family be worried?"

For a moment, there was no expression in his face, as if he were unsure of how to answer. After a while, he rested his chin over his knees, which were pressed against his chest. "Actually, I have no family. I live on my own."

"W- what?! But you're thirteen!"

"I manage. I have my job, a home, and now you guys as my friends." He smiled once again. "I don't mind the life I have."

Before I could say anything else, there was a honk nearby, and I saw Wendy walking to a van that had just parked before waving up at us. "Hey (y/n), we're going to the mall! I heard you needed a new lens for your camera, wanna come with?!"

"Sure!" He turned to me. "I'll be back soon, make sure Stan doesn't notice I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay!"

Jumping down a few trees, he entered the van with Wendy, and we watched it drive away. I waved goodbye, smiling a bit. "Bye, (y/n)!"

Mabel let out a laugh struck sigh. "He's so dreamy.."

"He really is.."

"What?"

Wait, did I let that slip?!

"I- w-wait- I didn't mean-!"

As I tried to wave her off, she took in a deep gasp, eyes wide. "You like (y/n)!!!"

"N-no, Mabel-!!"

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!! That's why you were giving me boy advice with Gideon!!" She squealed, jumping up and down. "Finally, I get to play matchmaker!!"

"Match- what?!?"

"Don't you worry, broseph!! I'm gonna make sure you two get together before the summer!! Just you-!!"

"NO!!!" I raised my voice, which made her jump a bit. Still, I let out a heavy sigh. "Mabel, please don't meddle with this.."

"But- it's love!!"

"You don't know that! W-what if he doesn't like boys?!"

She grumbled at that, cheeks puffed in frustration. Then she crossed her arms, standing straight. "We don't know if he does or doesn't yet, which means there's a 50% chance he does! So I will make it happen!! That's the Mabel magic!!"

Realizing there was no arguing, I gave a shrug. "Okay, you can try. Besides, I just think he's cool to be with, it's not like I lay up at night thinking about him."

Late that night, that same night, I was awake on my bed thinking about him.

... oh boy.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

"RANDOM DANCE PARTY FOR NO REASON!!!" Mabel yelled in the gift shop, (y/n) and Wendy laughing as they followed her lead. It had been a full day since our conversation yesterday, and I could only pray that she had forgotten all about it.

Having too much pride to join the dance, I just pretended to write something in a clipboard, nodding at the paper.

Until I heard (y/n). "Hey Dipper!"

Nearly dropping the clipboard, I looked over with an awkward smile. "W- w-wha- Y-yes?"

"Are you gonna get in on this?!"

"I uh.. don't really dance..."

"Yeah you do!!" Mabel hoped over to be beside me. "Mom used to dress him up in a lamb costume and make him do.. The Lamby Dance..!!"

"Now is not the time to talk about the Lamby Dance....!" I forced out through gritted teeth.

Unfortunately, it seemed to catch (y/n)'s attention. "Lamb custom? Like with ears and a tail or-?"

"Well uh-huh..." I tried to protest, but Mabel had already taking out a picture of it.

"Dipper would prance around and sing a song about grazing!"

As soon as his eyes landed on the picture, I heard him let out a snicker, and my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "M-Mabel, give that back!!"

"No way, this is blackmail!!"

"No no no, I'm sorry!" (y/n) wipes off a tear from his face as a small laugh escaped him. "You just look adorable in the picture."

Before the argument could continue, the cucho clock began to ring, when Wendy looked over. "Hey, look at that! Quit'n time!" She took off her name tag, placing it down. "The gang's waiting for me."

She then turned to (y/n). "Wanna come with? We're heading to that creepy store in Ditch Street."

"Sure, that place has loads of cool stuff." He walked around the counter, then pointed at us. "Can the twins come too?"

I smiled at that, it was nice to know he did think about m- u-us. Wendy seemed skeptical though, eyes narrowed in thought. "Mm, I dunno, my friends are pretty intense.. How old did you say you were?"

"We're thirteen!!" I blurted out instantly. "So technically a teen!"

"Alright, I like your moxie, kid! Let me get my stuff." Wendy replied before leaving the gift shop.

(y/n) then turned to me, an eyebrow raised. "I thought you guys turned thirteen at the end of the summer."

Mabel raised her head from the counter. "So did I! Is this a leap year?"

Feeling a blush creeping onto my cheeks, I tried to explain myself. As I did, I noticed he was staring at my face quite intensely, and when his gaze finally relaxed, his expression seemed a bit.. disappointment? "Ohh.."

"O-oh what? What oh?"

"Don't worry, Dip, my lips are sealed." He then left the gift shop.

I was confused, what did he think I meant? With the way he reacted, I assume he didn't know it was about him.

Mabel then ran to my side with a grin. "Let's go! We shouldn't keep your crush waiting~!"

"M-Mabel!" I scolded as I grew hotter in the face, following as the two headed outside. There was a group of teenagers next to the van from yesterday, Wendy in front and (y/n) a bit farther behind her.

Two of them stood right beside each other; one had long blonde hair, straight yet tangled, with light skin. He wore some laid back clothing, like a surfer dude's style. The other had dark brown hair, very very short, and dark skin with a cap along with kind of edgy clothing. Those two held another guy upside down, light skin, brunette, chubby, and shirtless.

On the other end was some guy who could easily be mistaken for a vampire. He had pale skin, contrasted by his shirt pitch black hair, the bangs longer than the back, and his simple and black attire. Beside him was a girl who texted nonstop of her phone, with tanned skin and a simple top and skirt; he hair was mostly burgundy, with a more pinkish highlight on the side.

Once Wendy noticed us walk out, she smiled and gestured to us. "Hey guys, I wanna introduce you to someone. These are our pals from work, Mabel and Dipper."

"I chewed my gum so it looks like a brain!!" Mabel stuck her tongue out, showing the piece of gum.

Already embarrassed, I tried to make things better for myself. "She's not much for first impressions, unlike this guy!" When nobody replied, I instantly started to sweat. "This guy...."

The guy with the pitch black hair looked at Wendy with an eyebrow raised, his tone bored. "So are you like babysitting or..?"

"Pfft, c'mon, Robbie." Wendy walked to our side, pointing at the two guys who I noticed first. "Guys, this is Lee and Nate,"

Nate lunched Lee's stomach, who grunted in pain before laughing about it.

"Tambry,"

"Hey." The girl on the phone replied without looking up.

"Thompson, who once ate a run over waffle for fifty cents,"

The brunette one shrunk in embarrassment. "Don't tell them that..!"

"And Robbie, you can probably figure him out."

Robbie turned to us with a smirk. "Yeah, I'm the guy who spray painted the water tower."

"Oh you mean the big muffin!" I replied, hoping to be accepted for knowing his work.

He almost seemed offended. "Um, it's a giant explosion."

Everyone looked at the water tower, when Lee let out a snicker. "Kinda does look like a muffin."

Everyone started to laugh, though it wasn't mocking or anything, but Robbie ended up shooting a death glare at me, to which I returned an awkward smile.

I was screwing this up more and more!

Luckily Wendy headed to the van and moved the conversation on. "Let's hurry it up, guys, I've got big plans for tonight, huh~?"

We all got in the van, with (y/n), Mabel, and I in the back. As we did, Thompson turned his head back. "Okay, just before we go, my mom said you guys aren't allowed to punch the roof anymore.."

"... Thompson!! Thompson!! Thompson!!" Everyone changed while punching the roof, Thompson letting out a heavy sigh.

I wonder where we're off to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There it is, fellas.." Wendy announced as he peeked through a fence. "The condemned Dust to Dawn.."

All her friends stared in awe, Mabel smiling at it. "Neto!"

But I had my concerns. "But why did they shut it down, it's like a health code violation or..?"

"Try murder!" Nate yelled, making me jump as Lee continued.

"Some folks died in there, the place has been haunted ever since!"

Mabel kept on smiling. "This town has such a colorful history!"

But that was enough to freak me out.. "What? Are you guys serious..?"

"Yeah, we're all gonna die!" Wendy yelled in a bit of a mocking tone, then laughed a little. "Chill out, man, it's not as bad as it looks!"

We all then heard the fence moving, followed by (y/n) landing on the other side of it. "You guys coming or what?"

Nate let out a laugh and began to climb, the others following behind. "This kid never fails to surprise me."

Once most people had jumped across, I was still on top of the fence. Listen, I had no athletic skills whatsoever, gym was my worst subject back in school, but I wasn't gonna chicken out in front of everyone, especially not (y/n)!

"C'mon, Dipper!" Wendy yelled out, making me chuckle awkwardly.

"Okay okay, just- just- just uh- gotta get a foothold!"

Robbie yelled after. "Dude, your sister did it!"

I looked down at Mabel, who was doing some weird loops on the ground. "Woop woop woop woop woop!!"

(y/n) then stepped forward. "Don't worry, Dip! Just jump, I'll catch you!"

I felt my cheeks heat up. "C-catch me?!"

"Hey, you know what, just-" Lee then climbed up to be beside me, picking me up and dropping me down. I screamed at the action, but as (y/n) said, I ended up falling into his arms.

"Gotcha!"

Quickly patting my cheeks so the blush would go away, I cleared my throat. "Th-Thank you."

Once he placed me down, everyone started heading to the store and I heard Nate's voice behind us. "Good job throwing the kid off the fence, genius."

"Your mom's a genius." Lee replied.

Trying not to bury myself in complete shame, I noticed Robbie trying to open the front doors as Wendy peeked inside. "Woahohoho, this place is amazing!"

"Think it's stuck." Robbie replied as he pulled away.

Finally, a chance to prove I'm useful!

With a smile, I walked over. "Let me take a crack at it!"

"Oh yeah, I can't get it, but I'm sure junior here is gonna break it down like Hercules."

"Come on, leave him alone." Wendy replied to Robbie's mocking. "He's just a little kid."

Little kid..?! I'm not-! (y/n)'s just a year older, how's he any different?!

Fine! Actions speak louder than words anyway!

Fixing my hat a bit, I turned the corner to the store, hopping onto a dumpster and climbing onto the roof. As I attempted to open the vent that led inside, I could hear the group yelling from below, most telling me I was crazy and to get down.

That is, until I heard (y/n)'s voice. "C'mon, Dipstick, you can do it!!"

"Go, Dipper!! Punch that metal thing!!" Mabel yelled after.

Once I went inside, the voices all grew muted, and it didn't take me long to go through the vents into the store, find the keys on the counter, and open the door for all.

They all smiled, minus Robbie, each saying a like before walking in.

"Good call inviting this little maniac!"

"Your new name is Dr. Fun Times!"

"Alright!"

"Nice work!"

(y/n) was the last in line, gently punching my shoulder as he smiled. "You were awesome up there."

Feeling a blush creep onto my cheeks, I didn't hide the smile that grew on my face, following him inside. The place was dark, every isle still holding things like any normal market, even though it's apparently been closed for a while now.

Thompson looked around. "Do you guys really think it's haunted..?"

"Psh, nah, Thomps, are you kidding me?"

"C'mon, shut up, man." Lee and Nate quickly said.

Everyone began to separate at that, and I heard Wendy chuckle as she walked around. "Man, it's even creepier than I imagined!"

Mabel passed her finger over the counter, licking the substance it gathered, then smiled. "Yep, it's dust!"

I took a newspaper, blowing the dust off before I could read it, only to hear Lee's question. "Hey dude, where do you think they keep the dead bodies?"

Nate laughed in return. "Shut up, man!"

All the lights in the store then turned on, and we all jumped in surprise, seeing (y/n) walking back over, who looked around in confusion. "... Why do you all seem so stiff?"

"How'd you know where the lights were?!" Wendy asked, to which (y/n) shrugged.

"I already knew, I've come here a few times on my own."

"No kidding?!" Lee ran over. "That's so awesome!"

"Meh, I just come back whenever I need something specific, as long as I don't set the store on fire, it's fine."

"So then.. what are we gonna do now?" I asked.

Wendy smiled down at me. "Anything we want."

It didn't take long for us to invade the store. We made a soda fountain, market cart races, are all sorts of snacks and sweets, it was such a blast!

But as time went on and I sat on the top of one of the shelves, I noticed (y/n) and Mabel had left the group. I hadn't seen them in quite a while, so I leaned up and looked around the store.

"Hey Dipper, you okay?" asked Wendy who was beside me.

I quickly smiled nervously. "Huh? I- yeah, I was just looking for Mabel and (y/n).."

She ruffled by hat a bit. "Oh I'm sure they're fine, probably making out in the corner or something."

"W-what?!" I hated to admit, but that line made me both angry and afraid. I knew Mabel still liked him, though it was mostly her liking every single boy, and she did say she'd help me instead, but..

Crap, what if they are?!

"I-I gotta go!" Without waiting for a reply, I hoped pff the shelf, nearly breaking my legs in the landing, and ran in search for the missing people.

Please oh please let Wendy be wrong..!!"

~~~~~~~~~Your POV~~~~~~~~~

Gripping my throat, I began to cough roughly, holding the now pink empty packet of candy. This store had a lot of peculiar things, and among them were these candies that were banned from the US called Smile Dip.

I won't explain why, but these helped me a lot, as awful as they tasted, and I was running low. It's why I decided to come along.

But Jesus did they taste horrible!! I pray to see the day I don't have to taste these stupid sugar packets again!

"What are you doing?" I turned to see Mabel standing a few feet away, head tilted in confusion.

"O-oh, I uh.." I crumbled up the wrapper in my hands. "I just got curious and decided to try one of these."

"Are they any good?"

"Not by a long shot."

"I wanna try it!" Ignoring my denies, she snatched a new packet from the shelf, opened it, and instead of using the little stick to scoop some candy dust up, she just threw the whole thing into her mouth.

That can't be healthy for her species, can it?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spoiler alert: it was NOT!!!

Fifteen packets in, her pupils were as wide as her eyes, her whole body twitching like some desperate drug addict! I tried to tell her to stop, but Mabel never listens to reason! Actually, she never listens at all!!

"I need to find Dipper now..!"

"Find me for what?" His voice spoke from behind me, making me turn around and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, you're here!" I walked over, gesturing back at Mabel. "You're sister's uh.... on a trip."

"Eh?"

"Yeah."

"Context?!"

"Well, uh-"

"Hey, guys, we need more ice!!" yelled Nate from afar, Dipper quickly yelling back.

"I'm on it!!" He then turned to me. "Keep an eye on her."

As he ran away, I muttered after a sigh. "That's what I've been doing.."

Not even two minutes later, a loud scream was heard from Dipper's direction, making me grow pale as I ran over, the other's following behind.

Lee was the first to speak. "What was that? I thought I heard some lady screaming back here."

"You freaking out, kid?" Nate added as he waved his arms around.

"Eh- no!! No, I'm cool! Everything's cool!" Dipper replied with a sheepish smile.

Robbie then pointed at the ice bag, which the ice had spilled on the floor. "Then what's all this about?"

"Oh! That's uh- uh..." He gasped, pointing at the other end of the room. "Hey look! Dancy Pants Revolution!! The game that tricks people into exercising!!"

Wendy and her crew instantly left, but I stayed behind, crossing my arms. "Okay, Dip, what happened?"

"Nothing, honest! Just slipped, that's all."

"Dipper-"

"Let's go join the others, okay?" He didn't wait for a reply, running off to join the group. I noticed him let out a heavy sigh, standing beside Wendy as he smiles awkwardly.

Wait.. Wendy..?

I lightly hit my head; of course! I thought about this earlier! Why he lied about his age, why he wanted to hang out with her friends so badly, Dipper likes Wendy!

He.. likes Wendy. That's.. okay, she's a cool girl, I guess..

A-anyway, I should go check on Mabel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Guys!!" I heard Dipper as he ran back over about ten minutes later. "I need your advice! We're hanging out at a haunted convenience store, I can't get a hold of Grunkle Stan, and if I try to say anything about it to any of these guys they'll just think I'm a scared little kid or something!!"

Mabel simply groaned in reply, still in a weird Candy state, to which Dipper stopped pacing and asked. "How many of those candy packs has she had?"

"Bleven.. teen...."

"Fifteen." I answered. "I had left her for a few minutes after she ate the first one and somehow she ate the whole box."

He gripped his hat, face pale. "Oh man, oh man oh man oh man..!!"

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dipper, why do you care so much about what they think of you?"

"Because- w-well, they're older, we gotta make a good impression!"

His answer was obviously not convincing, so and a thought then came to mind. "Are you.. trying to impress someone?"

I noticed his cheeks grew a little pink as he thought about it. That was clearly a yes, and Wendy was most likely who he was trying to impress..

Before I could say anything else, Robbie's voice was heard from the register counter. "Whoa,
guys, you might want to see this!"

We all gathered around Robbie, only to see the lining of two corpses drawn on the floor.

Lee's eyes widened. "Whoa, then the rumors are true!"

Robbie then turned to the group. "Dude, I dare you to lie down in it!"

"Good idea!" Lee nudged Nate. "Go lie down in it!"

Letting out a laugh, Nate walked over, speaking in a dumb-sounding voice. "I'm a dead body, look!"

And just as his foot was about to touch the lining, Dipper stepped forward. "Wait!! Maybe let's not do that!"

Lee gave a teasing grin. "This guy's scared~!"

"All I'm saying is why attempt the fate? I mean, what if this place really is... haunted....?"

Everyone began to boo him, Robbie crossing his arms. "Oh yeah, just take it down a notch, Captain Buzzkill."

"But.. I thought I was Dr. Fun Times..!"

"Well, you're acting like Captain Buzzkill, right?"

The others in the group nodded in agreement, and although Wendy hesitated, she rubbed her arm in embarrassment. "... yeah, maybe a little.."

Tambry began to text. "Status update: trapped with insane nine year old."

Seriously? That's who Dipper likes? Someone who'd just stab him in the back because he's trying to keep things safe? Of course this place is haunting, this is Gravity Falls! Name one building that isn't haunted!!

I was going to argue back and defend Dipper, when I noticed the glare on his face as he walked over. "I'm not a nine year old!! I'm thirteen, technically a teen!!"

As he lied inside the lining, I grew afraid as it slowly began to glow.

Oh no.. Dipper, what have you done?!

~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~

As I stood back up, Tambry suddenly dissolved into nothing, dropping the phone which I managed to catch, reading the latest update.

"Statues update: Ahhhhhhh."

"AHHHHH!!!" Growing pale at the scream, we all looked up to see Tambry trapped inside the security monitor, the rest of us screaming as a reaction.

"Tambry?!? Tambry!!!" Wendy called, Dipper following.

"Can you hear us?!?"

She looked around for a bit, an expression of horror in her face, to which (y/n) replied. "I don't think she can!"

"What are we supposed to do?!?"

"I don't know, man, I don't know!!!"
Lee yelled back to Nate's question, both panicking really bad.

Robbie simply glared at them. "Let's just go already!!"

"Thompson!!!" Wendy yelled at the other guy, who was still dancing in that machine, clearly exhausted.

"Wait!! Almost got the high score!!" And just like that, he dissolved as well, appearing inside the machine's screen. "Huh? What?"

"Time to shake what your momma gave you!"

"Oh no!!!" He began to avoid all the arrows that began to fall down, many stabbing into his sides. "So many arrows!!!"

"You're a dance machine!"

"No, you're a dance machine!!!" Curled up in a ball, Thompson began to cry.

Wendy called his name again, to which Robbie replied, "Forget him!!! Let's go!!!" before running to the doors, which closed as soon as he was in front of them.

Wendy ran over as well, attempting to open the doors, then turned to us. "What the-?! Guys, it's locked!!"

"Out of my way!!!" Robbie yelled as he ran over once again, this time carrying the cash register, which dissolved into nothing as he threw it to the doors, the rest of us screaming.

"Everybody, wait!!! Whatever is doing this has to have some kind of reason!!" I quickly yelled, pulling out my journal. "Maybe if we can just figure out what it is then they'll let us out of here!"

"Uh, they'll let us out of here!!!" Robbie mocked. "Yeah that makes a lot of sense!!"

(y/n) glared at him. "You got any better ideas?! Feel free to share!!"

Wendy walked over. "Guys, maybe he has a point!"

Lee rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, I'm sure the ghost just wants to talk about his feelings!!" He then began to float, dissolving into nothing before appearing as the logo in a cereal box.

"I'm bonkers for eating you!" spoke the toucan in the box, Lee letting out a yell before we all turned around, hearing the noise of the spoon stabbing him, my blood running cold.

"Lee!!!" Nate walked over to us, using his hat as a fan. "Okay okay, I'm with you, kid..!! One hundred percent, man..!!"

"Welcome!!!"

We let out a scream at the new voice, turning to see a floating Mabel, eyes completely white as they flowed in the dark. I pointed over, yelling at the sight. "They got Mabel!!"

"Welcome to your graves, young trespassers!!!"

Wendy placed her hands together. "W-w-we're super sorry for hanging out in your store!!"

"Yeah, can we just go now and leave forever?!?" I added.

"Well, okay. You're free to go." The doors opened at that, making me let out a sigh of relief. "But before you leave, hotdogs are now half off. I know it might be crazy, but you gotta try these dogs!"

After a second of silence, Robbie and Nate screamed in reaction before making a run to the doors.

The ghost, possessing Mabel's body, gave a deadly glare as the doors closed again. "Just kidding about the hotdog sale!!!"

Nate glared back, attempting to attack the ghost as Robbie pulled him back. "Just let us out of here already!!!"

"I don't like your tone!!!" The ghost yelled back, making Nate dissolve like the others, appearing inside the hotdog machine as a much smaller being.

"What?!? No!!! I'm a hotdog!!!"

"It begins..!!!"

Growing even paler, I realized my feet weren't touching the ground anymore, none of us were, nothing was!! We all landed on the ceiling, gravity inside had been completely reversed!

"Welcome to your home for all eternity!!!"

(y/n) had landed beside me, turning to me in fear. "What to we do?!"

"DUCK!!!" I yelled, pushing us both down before a microwave could hit his head.

He then looked around in a panic, eyes landing on an empty cabinet. "Quick, in there!!"

Managing to crawl over, we hid inside the cabinet, (y/n) asking. "What do they want from us?!?"

"Revenge, I guess?!?"

"For invading the store?! I've been coming here for years, this never happened before!!"

"Okay, let's try to figure out the pattern here! Why was each person taken?!? Tambry was texting, Thompson was playing a videogame, Lee was being sarcastic, it doesn't make any sense!!"

"Yeah, I mean, those are all just-!"

We both paused for a few seconds, eyes widening in realization as we spoke in synch. "Normal teenage things!!"

"That has to be it!!" (y/n) added, the two of us looking over at the ghost.

"Wait here!" I crawled out of our hiding spot, ignoring as (y/n) yelled for me to return, eventually reaching the ghost. "Hey, ghost!!!"

"Yes?" She turned her head to 180, then the rest of the body to face me.

"I've got something to tell you!!" I tended up a bit as I began to float once more, but the glare never left my face. "I'm not a teenager!!!"

And then, everything went back to peaceful, my feet back on the ground as two old folks appeared floating behind Mabel, holding her. The man chuckled a bit, dropping her. "Well, why didn't you say so?! How old did you say you were?"

"I'm- ... I'm twelve... technically not a teen..."

The lady ghost glared as she spoke. "When we were alive, teenagers were a scourge on our store!"

"Always sassafrassin customers with their boomie boxes and disrespectful short pants. So we decided to up and ban, but they retaliated with this new flanged rap music!"

"The lyrics, they were so... hateful! Oh my, so shocking! We were stricken down with double heart attacks. That's why we hate teenagers so much! Isn't that right, honey?"

The two nuzzles each other's noises, but I rubbed my arm in discomfort. "But they're my friends..! Isn't there anything I can do to help them..?"

"Well, there is one thing." The man said. "Do you know any funny little dances?"

"Uh.... Is there anything else I can do?"

"NOOOO!!!" He yelled as flames engulfed him.

I grew pale. "Okay okay okay!! Um, well, I do know the Lamby Lamby dance.... but uh, I can't really do it without a lamb costume!"

He snapped his fingers, and I was now wearing a lamb costume. "Oh, well, there it is..."

I took a deep breath, ready for my death of embarrassment.

Here we go..

"Welllllllllllll~
Who wants the lamby lamby lamby?
I do, I do!
So go up and greet your mamy mamy mamy!
Hi there, hi there!
So march march march around the daisies!
Don't don't don't you forget about the babyyyyy!!"

The applaud for me, though it was not nearly enough as I deserved for killing my pride like that. "That was some fine girly dancin', boy! Your friends are free."

The doors opened, and my normal clothes were back on me as I placed my hands on my hips. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about us coming back so..."

I realized the ghosts had disappeared, and a few objects began to fall. Letting out a scream as I feel down, I hissed at the pain as I landed on my side, but was able to ignore it as I saw everyone crawling out of where they had been place.

Everyone was okay..!

Rushing over to Mabel, I helped her up as she gripped her head. "I'm never gonna eat or do anything ever again...."

I picked up one bag that was beside us. "Hey, there's still some left!"

"EVIL!!!" She slapped it out of my hand.

Lee was the first to stand up from the friend group. "Wha... what happened after everything went crazy?"

"You are not going to believe it!" (y/n) ran over to them with a bright smile. "The ghost appeared in front of us, and Dipper is so badass that he just grabbed a bat and started beating the ghost down left and right!! And then the ghost got all scared and ran away like a couple of little girls!! It was awesome!!!"

Everyone began to cheer for me, and as my cheeks heated up at the praise and embarrassment from all the attention, (y/n) glanced at me with a smile.

I was grateful he didn't mention the dance thing, but why would he do that?

Once outside and everyone was in the van, I ran over to (y/n). "Hey, uh.. why'd you lie back there..?"

"Well, I figured you wouldn't want people to know about that, I can imagine how embarrassed they'd make you feel." He then shrugged. "Besides, anyone who believes a lie like that is a moron, everyone knows ghosts are feel-through."

I chuckled. "True."

"I guess we're 2 out of 4, huh?"

"I'm catching up to you!"

"Don't get your hope's up~!" He stuck his tongue out in a teasing manner before climbing onto the van, making me puff my cheeks as I followed.

Maybe I was trying to impress (y/n).. I liked him, and I felt awful having him do so much for me, and saving me so many times..

I wanted to prove I could save him too, and I think I did..!

I... I liked him.. a lot..

And although I highly doubt the possibility, part of me hopes that someday he'll feel the same way..

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

❤️❤️❤️