Mabel and Dipper finish their eighth grade year of school, and a few weeks into the summer they come to Gravity Falls, the same way that they have for a few years now. Mabel wastes no time in planning a sleepover with Candy. Grenda is still in Austria visiting Marius, and though Candy’s sad that she won’t be there, she isn’t about to put off seeing Mabel until she gets there. Mabel comes over to her house the day that they get back. They pop some popcorn, gather up large quantities of candy and pop, and make a pile of blankets and snacks on the floor of Candy’s living room.
They talk about the best movies that came out this year, and about the newest teen fad, Vampire/Werewolf Prep School. Candy talks about how music camp went, and Mabel tells her all about the great art classes she’s going to take next year when she gets up to high school. The conversation lulls after a while, and Candy thinks about Rachel. She wants to tell Mabel, she really does, she just doesn’t know how. She’s barely been able to confront the fact that she isn’t straight.
“Can I tell you something?” Mabel asks.
“Um, yeah,” Candy says, “of course.” The other girl lights up immediately, like she’s been waiting to tell them this for ages.
“Well,” Mabel says taking a deep breath, “I’m pansexual.”
“What?” Candy asks. She’s certainly never heard of that.
“It means my attraction to people isn’t defined my gender,” she says. The words hit her straight in the gut.
“I like girls too,” Mabel clarifies, “that’s alright, right?” Candy just feels a wave of relief pass over her.
“I think that I’m that too,” Candy says.
“Really?” Mabel asks, sounding very excited.
“There was this girl at music camp,” Candy says, “she plays the trumpet and-“ Candy can feel her face turn red, and clamps down her mouth. She doesn’t really want to talk about her crush anymore.
“Wait,” Mabel asks, “did you asks her out?”
“No!” Candy says. She couldn’t. She could barely even process the fact that she liked a girl.
“It’s alright,” Mabel says, “I didn’t ask the girl I liked out either.”
“I don’t know why,” Candy says, “I- I can flirt with boys just fine, but I just froze up around her.” She was afraid of how people would react, afraid that Rachel wouldn’t like her, and even more afraid that she would.
“Same,” Mabel admits.
“Why can’t it be like with guys?” Candy asks. She might not actually be all that smooth with guys, but she can always talk to them. Some of them even like her blatant, cheesy attempts at flirting.
“Guys are easy peasy,” Mabel says, “but girls. Girls are on a whole different level. They think you’re just being nice when you’re flirting, and it’s super-duper hard to find out if they might like you back.”
“I wish there was a way we could practice,” Candy says. Mabel gets a wicked glint in her eyes, the sort she gets whenever she has a terrible idea.
“We could date each other,” Mabel suggests with a smirk, "or at least, you know, kiss."
“Mabel,” Candy says, “this does not sound like a good idea.”
“Why?” Mabel asks.
“I like you,” she says, “but I don’t like you like you.” She bites her lip nervously.
“It could be like an experiment,” Mabel says, clearly completely confident in her idea. Candy isn't nearly as positive as Mabel, but she's a fairly open person. She likes trying new things, and she likes Mabel. Maybe it's not an awful idea.
“Alright, Mabel,” Candy says, “so how are we going to do this?”
Mabel slides a little closer to her on the blankets, and says, “Well, we could kiss. If that’s alright with you.” In lieu of an answer, Candy closes the gap between them. Their lips meet, and Candy has to admit that it feels good. It feels really good. She’s kissed a few boys before, but those were quick pecks on the lips. This is sort of like electricity, brought upon by a soft, soothing feeling. The other girl’s lips are soft, and as Candy nips at them she can faintly taste her peppermint chap stick. She gently licks at it, and then her tongue cautiously enters the other girl’s mouth. Candy feels long, nimble fingers settle in her hair.
“God,” Mabel says, leaning further into the kiss. Candy realizes in that moment, that this isn’t just anyone she’s kissing. This is Mabel, and suddenly it’s a lot less alluring, and a lot more hilarious. Candy can’t do this, and she breaks away from the kiss, laughing.
“Candy,” Mabel says, sounding a little bit insulted.
“Sorry,” Candy says, trying to stifle her giggles, “it’s just- we were making out, you and me.” Mabel mulls it over for a moment, and then she starts laughing too.
“Okay,” Mabel decides good-naturedly, “so this experiment was a failure. ”
“Well,” Candy says, “it wasn’t a complete failure.”
“Really?” Mabel asks.
“If I can do that and still feel comfortable with you,” she says, “then I can talk to a girl that I like.”
“So we got like a sixty percent on the experiment,” Mabel suggests.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Candy says, “a sixty is still a D. A passing grade. We got like a forty seven-“ Candy’s words are interrupted by a pillow flying, and hitting her in the face. Candy grabs the pillow, and holds it tightly in her hands.
“This means war,” Candy says, sounding deadly serious.
“Bring it on, Chiu,” Mabel says. They laugh while they beat each other with pillows, and Candy wonders why people think that something like this is lesser than romance. There’s nothing like a friend that you can make out with one moment, and then pelt with pillows the next.