Wendip: What You Mean to Me

What You Mean to Me

Dipper's POV

Summer break was coming to an end, and it was time for me and Mabel to pack our bags and prepare to go back home to California. I was going through the things under my bed and discovering just how much of a mess I had made this summer. An apple core here, some glitter pizza over there, a scrap piece of notebook pap-

I pick up the sheet as a flood of memories instantly return to my head. The bunker, the chat on the log, the way the sun was rising, the way her red hair flowed behind her as she rode her bike through the fireflies and out of my sight. All in these words:

Dear Wendy,

I've always wanted to

tell        I feel

Today's the day I've got to tell you

I LIKE YOU.

is that crazy?

I look up from the paper, lost in thought. How could I have been so... so stupid? Liking a girl that's three years older than me that I knew didn't feel the same way?

But I can't help but wonder what is wrong with me? Why doesn't she like me? It can't just be our slight age difference, can it? Our heights being so dramatically different? Or was it because I didn't wear eyeliner or wasn't the lead guitarist in a band? Why doesn't she like me...

I crumple up the notebook paper and toss it in the trash before continuing to clean my room with Wendy on my mind as I pack my things.

The next morning, Mabel and I find ourselves at the bus stop bidding farewell to our friends, grunkles, and summer. While Mabel says goodbye to Candy and Grenda, I feel a hand on my shoulder. When I turn around, I am shocked to see Wendy crouched down behind me. I stare at her for a second, blushing slightly while having the conflicting thoughts from yesterday bouncing around my head before she finally breaks the silence.

"Hey," she begins, "you- you mean a lot to me, man"

I begin to get excited about where this may go, what she will say next... what we may do next...

"Y-you too" I stutter out. I see her begin to shift and a smile begins to form on my face. Okay Dipper, I tell myself, this is the moment you've been waiting for all summer... She then holds out her knuckles as my hopes for a kiss fade into a fist pump which I return half-heartedly. She then reaches for my head as I prepare to be pulled to her body in a tight embrace, but instead she takes my hat and replaces it with her own. Honestly, I kinda liked that pinetree hat....

She then puts my cap on and says "something to remember me by" and I fake a smile. "Oh, and this" she hands it to me, a letter saying To: Dipper. My heart begins to pick up its pace again. "Read it the next time you miss Gravity Falls" she finishes

I hear the bus pull up behind me, and say one last goodbye to everyone before boarding with Mabel. As soon as we take our seats, I begin thinking about the note and its possible contents. Maybe a bus ticket for me to come back during fall break? Maybe a picture of Wendy and myself at one of our movie nights? But I can't shake the hope of it being something more; like a letter confessing Wendy's true feelings for me.

My curiosity gets the best of me, and I tear open the envelope within 3 minutes of the bus ride. I pull out a folded piece of paper and begin to open it. I can tell there's writing on the back, and my heart begins to race as I flip it over to see... signatures. Signatures of the towns folk which Mabel had already received in her scrapbook. I search frantically for Wendy's, and my heart drops when it only says "Wendy- stay cool!". I look up from the page, never being so disappointed in my life. That's it? That's all I get for a summer full of memories? A fist pump, an old hat and... and this?