Day 1 – Sweaters

My contribution to the first day of Mabel Pines Appreciation Week, a little thing I wrote in like two hours. Hope you enjoy!

The twins would never forget the first time Mabel went to Sweatertown.



They were six years old and it was getting close to Christmas, and as such it was getting colder out. For school, Mabel had picked out a pretty little dress to wear to the kindergarten class holiday party. That was quickly ruined when she spilled chocolate milk all down her front during breakfast, which made Dipper snort so hard that chocolate milk came out of his nose. After their mother reprimanded them for being such messy eaters, she simultaneously fretted over what last minute outfit she could throw her daughter into before the bus arrived–something she wouldn’t freeze to death in. Spying an ugly reindeer sweater with a light-up nose one of the girls at the office had given her as a joke, she snatched it up, yanked the brown-stained dress over Mabel’s head and threw the sweater over her just as the school bus horn honked outside.

The sweater was huge on her, as Dipper was quick to point out when his sister tripped three times running out to the bus, but Mabel didn’t care. When the fabric first wrapped itself around her little body, it was love at first sight. Plus it lit up–what could be better than a sweater that glowed? Everyone was going to love it. Aside from the baked goods that the PTA had made for the class, the school day was pretty normal. While Dipper went to build a block city with another boy, Mabel tried to go play dressup with a group of girls. Today’s the day they’re gonna wanna play with me…

The girls inched away from her the closer Mabel got to them, and her heart sank. Maybe this wasn’t going to work. But then her eyes traveled to the reindeer print on her sweater and she brightened up. If the reindeer from the song could make friends even though he looked a little weird, she could too. Straightening up and with nothing to lose, Mabel marched over in large strides to where the girls stood.

“Hiya!”

“Oh, hi Mabel,” the tallest girl with dark skin and tight pretty black curls eyed her over her shoulder. She was flanked by a pale skinny blonde and a short brunette with glasses. Mabel beamed at them but they only halfheartedly returned the smile. Hmm, these girls aren’t in the holiday spirit. Gotta change that. Without missing a beat, she tapped the reindeer’s nose on her sweater and it glowed bright red, playing the song through a tinny speaker sewn on the inside. The girls laughed, and Mabel smiled so wide she showed off her gapped crooked teeth. I did it. They like me. And now they’re gonna wanna play with me!

“So, how about playing dressup?” Mabel suggested cheerfully, and the brunette snickered.

“I think you already are playing dressup. What is that thing?”

“A…sweater?” Mabel replied quizzically. “My mommy gave it to me.”

“You’re, like, swimming in it,” the blonde added.

“Silly, you can’t swim in a sweater!” Mabel laughed. The girls laughed again too. And this time Mabel heard it. It wasn’t a laugh like she’d just done, it was the other kind of laughing. The mean kind. Any shred of confidence Mabel had gained was violently ripped from her. Since the beginning of the year, she had tried so hard to make these girls like her, but every day she always wound up playing by herself–until Dipper would eventually come over and play with her, probably because he felt bad. She liked everyone in her class and wanted to be friends with all of them. But why didn’t they like her? “So…princess dressup? Or warrior? How ‘bout ninja?”

“We’re not feeling like it anymore,” the tallest girl announced. “Let’s go get some punch.”

“Me too!”

“No, we’re going. We didn’t invite you.”

“Oh…” Her eyes were downcast now. “How come?”

“None of your business.”

Now Mabel’s little heart was beating fast, her face heating up and getting redder. “You always say that!” she cried out just as the girls turned away from her. “I just wanna hang out with you, that’s all I want!” Her hands balled into fists, and now a bunch of kids were looking at her. Including Dipper. “It’s Christmas. You should tell the truth on Christmas. And all I want is–is for you to tell me why you don’t like me! What do you want me to do to make you like me?!”

“Nothing,” the tallest girl finally turned around, folding her arms across her chest. “We don’t wanna like you, Mabel. You’re loud, you talk funny, you’re super annoying and you won’t leave us alone even when we’re ignoring you. You’re just too silly, and that stupid sweater just proves it. Now I’m gonna tell you one more time.” She leaned in close to her and Mabel slowly looked up, tears ready to overflow down her little round cheeks. “We don’t wanna play with you. Now leave us alone.”

And with that, the final bell rang, freeing them for Christmas vacation. As kids filed out the door to find their parents, Mabel trudged slowly behind them, keeping her head bowed. Dipper watched her go sadly–he knew she was crying but trying to hide it.

“Wow,” the tanned boy beside Dipper whistled low as he got up to put the blocks away. “You gonna let them talk to your sister like that?” Dipper’s gaze slowly traveled over to the girls, who waved at the blonde girl’s mother who had come to pick the three of them up. His eyes narrowed and he bit his lip hard.

“No…”

“Mabel.”

“No!”

“Mabel, we want to help you.”

“I don’t wanna!”

“Sweetie, just tell us what happened–”

“Go away! Everybody just go away!” Mabel finally screamed, covering her ears as she ran up the stairs to her and Dipper’s bedroom. Slamming the door behind her, she breathed hard as she sunk to her knees, trying to find somewhere to go, anywhere where she could be alone. Just her. No one asking her questions, no one wanting to make her talk about the worst day of her young life, and no more hearing that horrible laughter of the girls from school in her head anymore. All she wanted was to be friends with them. All she wanted was a real best friend. Just one. Not someone to play with until they got tired of her and went to find someone else like usual–someone better than her. She wanted a real true friend. But now, Mabel just wanted to go far away.

Feeling the tears stream in thick rivulets down her face again, Mabel grabbed the turtleneck part of the reindeer sweater and covered her whole face with it, her head sinking down into the itchy thick wool, further and further. It was dark, the light from her ceiling hardly poking through the fabric, and her breathing seemed louder in her ears. Only now could she hear how rapid it was, so she tried to take a deep breath and steady herself. Her knees involuntarily curled up to her chest as she tightened her body even more into a ball, grabbing the hem of the sweater and pulling it over her knees down around her ankles.

Now she was completely covered. Now not one part of her was exposed to the outside. She was invisible, no one could try and talk to her in here. Her own little world. A world where she didn’t need to be ashamed. Where she could just let the sweater envelope her like a big hug while she sobbed as if her heart was breaking, not caring that the tears were so copious they soaked the t-shirt underneath right through. Maybe she could just stay here forever, never go to school, never see those girls again. Just Mabel in Sweatertown. Where she could be herself. Where she didn’t have to hide stuff like crying and loud noises and burps because they were embarrassing. Everything was okay here.

“Mabel?”

She didn’t respond. Her brother’s voice sounded so far away.

“Why’re you on the floor? Inside your sweater?”

“‘Cause I’m in Sweatertown,” Mabel muttered, as if it were the most normal reply ever.

“Um…why?” Dipper asked cautiously and she felt him sit down on the floor near her.

“‘Cause…’cause no one wants to be my friend. No one.”

“I do.” Dipper said without hesitation, cracking a smile.

Mabel’s shoulders shuddered with a fresh wave of sobs, tears splashing onto her knees. “You’re my twin brother, you don’t count!”

“Oh…okay.”

“No, I’m sorry Dipper. I–I didn’t m-mean that.” It wasn’t fair to make Dipper sad just because she was. “I wanted to go somewhere where I could just be alone with myself. So…I went to Sweatertown.”

“Oh,” Dipper tried to understand, but Mabel could tell in his voice he didn’t really. He inched closer to her. “Are you gonna come out of Sweatertown?” She only whimpered in response, and Dipper went to put his arm around her. “C’mon please–?”

“No!” Mabel shouted, jerking away from him as if his touch was scalding. “It’s my place! You can’t come here!”

“Okay sorry!” Dipper jumped back. “D’you…want me to leave?”

Mabel thought for a minute, then silently shook her head. Sweatertown did feel a little warmer and cozier with Dipper right next door.

“Okay.” Silence. “I…I heard what those girls said.”

“Everybody did,” Mabel sniffled.

“That was really mean. I woulda punched them if they were boys.”

“No, I wanted them to tell me the truth and they did.”

“But they made you cry! And they didn’t say anything that was the truth!” Dipper looked down at where Mabel’s face would be if it wasn’t covered. “I told them–I told them all that stuff was what made you Mabel.”

She raised her head just a little so the top of her forehead was visible. “Like Mommy and Daddy say all the time?”

“Uh-huh,” Dipper nodded. “You like that sweater, right?”

“Yeah,” Mabel cracked her first real smile in hours.

“So if you like it, who cares what those girls think? It’s like what you said to me at the beginning of the year when the kids were picking on me about my birthmark.”

“But you hate your birthmark.”

“Yeah, but you said I’m stuck with it whether I like it or not.” Dipper had inched close enough that he was almost making physical contact again, but Mabel didn’t flinch away this time. “You said it makes me Dipper. It’s a part of me. So…wearing that sweater is a part of you. And Dad said if it’s a part of you and people don’t like it, then you don’t wanna be friends with them.”

“But what if I never find friends?”

“You have to someday, you’re too cool and nice and funny not to. And until you do…you always got me.” And at long last, Mabel’s head peaked out the top of the turtleneck, her red wet puffy eyes meeting Dipper’s, and his grin got bigger. “‘Cause you’re my sister and I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you.”

The wind was nearly knocked out of him as Mabel tackled him to the floor, engulfing him in the strongest hug she could muster. “You’re the bestest bro-bro in the whole world–no, the whole universe, no the…what’s bigger than the universe?”

“Multiverse.”

“Yeah, that!” And she planted a big slobbery kiss on his cheek.

“Eww, seriously Mabel?!” Dipper pushed her face away from his as he disgustedly wiped his cheek off.

“You’re such a boy,” Mabel giggled. “I’m just saying ‘I love you’!”

“Well say it, don’t spray it,” Dipper mumbled and Mabel rolled her eyes. “So you should probably give Mom back her sweater.”

“No way, I’m gonna keep it! I’m gonna wear it all Christmas break!”

“Umm…I think you’re gonna need more sweaters.”

Mabel gasped, reaching out to slap his arm as a brilliant idea came to her. “You’re right! Mommy sews, right?”

“Knits.”

“Whatever–maybe she can show me how to make more!” She jumped up and grabbed Dipper’s hand. “C’mon let’s go ask!”

“So you’re okay now?” Dipper asked, puzzled by how quick Mabel had bounced back after being more sad than he’d ever seen her before. But aside from her face being blotchy and traces of tears still on her face, she looked the same as she normally did. Goofy, loud, and lovable.

“Duh! As long as I got my sweaters, I’m on top of the world!”