Dorado rolled over in bed, something wedged under him like a bigass doorstop.

He wanted to push it out from under him, but he had five more minutes before jogging over to the gym with Marco.

Dorado begrudgingly opened his eyes, too uncomfortable to stay asleep.

He yelped, falling out of bed and onto the hardwood floor on his ass.

"What the fuck?" He muttered, calming down.

A teddy bear.

Just a stupid, oversized teddy bear.

Wait, he didn't have a giant yellow teddy bear.

Did he?

Marco hung over the edge of his bunk, "Whaddup?"

"T-teddy bear?" Dorado said, voice cracking.

"Awwww, you got scared by the teddy bear your Mommy sent ya?"

"Oh shuddup," Dorado snapped, standing.

"Whatever." Marco beamed, knowing he'd won, but not sure why exactly.

"My only question is how da hell did it get here?" Dorado said, grabbing the bear by the head. He stopped, shifted it, and held it by the yellow cylinder that was the paw.

"Why so gentle?" Marco asked, noticing the change of actions as he climbed from the top bunk, "Just a toy."

"I dunno, man." Dorado said, "It's like it's watching me."

"Dorado Diaz, you are nuts." Marco teased, grabbing the bear away from Dorado. "Ya know where it came from?"

"Nah man," Dorado said, "I think I know who it belongs to 'doh."

"Who?"

"Some girl I know."

"Wait," Marco leaned forward, "You did it didn'cha?"

Dorado leaned back, "No, what da fuck?"

"You actually did it!" Marco laughed loudly in the early morning light, "You got a girl in here!"

"Oh my God." Dorado moaned, "No."

Marco kept laughing, enjoying Dorado's darkening face.

"We goin' to the gym or not?"

"Okay, okay." Marco said, winding down but grin never fading on his dark face...

"Stupid bear!" Dollface mumbled, "I should'a made you a handbag when I had the chance."

Don't be silly. We're way too big to be a handbag! But a backpack might be helpful….

Dollface growled, point not taken by her toy, "Of all places in the world, why did you have to go there!?"

I was cold and wanted my nightly cuddles.

"You could've been helpful!" Dollface insisted, "You could've found Laura! Would've given us something to talk about."

You barely know her- and besides, I like Diaz.

"I barely know Diaz!" Dollface humphed, "That's the point of you finding Laura, so I could get to know her better!"

We've read your thoughts. You want to impress her. To make her think you're something better.

"No I don't!"

It's only Thursday of week one! You should-

Dollface slammed the giant prize bear on the counter and shoved it into her bag.

"They're actually gonna think I'm crazy."

…"And how was your day, sister?"

Dollface looked up from her lap and at Regina.

"I already know how it went, I just wanted to hear about it."

Dollface thought and watched Regina carefully eat her spaghetti.

Dollface thought carefully, watching Regina incorrectly eat it.

You're supposed to stuff your mouth and slurp it down.

"Sat with Tina." Dollface said, thinking, "She never has much to say."

"Oh well, we aren't all wordsmiths and poets."

"Yeah, I guess."

"How are your new friends?" Regina asked, genuinely sounding curious.

"Oh wonderful!" Dollface brightened, beaming widely, "Laura invited me on a sleepover this weekend at their dorm!"

"Oh, I hope we have time!"

"Time for what?" Dollface dropped her fork, not a lick of red sauce in her mouth.

"Well, since we are in Southern California, I was hoping to see some sights." Reggie said, fork on her plate next to the pile of sauce and noodles, garlic bread untouched, "Maybe go to a beach. You went to Rodeo Drive the other day, and I haven't been in years, maybe you can show me where you got that amazing dress."

Dollface stared at Reggie.

"Is something wrong?"

Her smile grew widely, square white teeth with pointed incisors clenched in a sign of unabashed happiness as she stood and ran to Reggie, still bewildered in her chair. Dollface bearhugged, suddenly happy at being given an invitation with the sister she didn't know she had until this year.

"Calm down!"

Dollface let go, smile dropping.

Did this mean Reggie changed her mind?

"It's my turn!"

"...The fire will doubtlessly cost the pizza-slinging corporation millions, as the location was stuffed with prototype and discontinued models. This will be yet another blow to the Fazbear Empire, alongside the scandals with Funtum Toys and Novelties and several dozen angry parents claiming they were targeted, stalked, then victims of a kidnapping. In other news, LA homelessness only increases and 'Will there be an end to this Cold War?' More at ten…"

"Doll-ieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!"

"Whaaaaaat?!" Dollface yelled back to her roommate Theresa.

"Have you seen my Teddy?"

"Teddy Ruxpin?" Dollface asked, eyebrows furrowing in genuine concern. She didn't want to get on Theresa's bad side yet.

"Yeah, I just got it last month for my birthday." Mary said, leaning on the dorm house's communal couch. Dollface looked up at the rounded twelve-year-old's rounded face from where she sat in front of the television on the carpeted floor.

Hey, color teevee! Cool!

"Haven't seen it." Dollface said, squeezing her own teddy. She wouldn't know what she'd do without her teddy. Dollface looked at Theresa's face. It always drooped like a dog's, atleast to Dollface.

Maybe that's why Theresa pulled one-eighties around the other girls. It was easier to slog attention on the new girl than her.

That's what Gramma would've said.

Dollface turned back to the television set and muted the usual footage of some disaster and thought about how creepy Teddy Ruxpins were, hands fumbling with her sewing basket.

Two years ago, she'd've been delighted to just dream of owning one.

Now she could barely look at her Mortimer Snerd doll.

Dollface shrugged, not really caring.

There were more channels on this thing than at home, which meant real cartoons.

And she had a project and a mission to complete.

And as for her sister, she could come downstairs and be civil like the rest of the girls if she wanted to.

Dollface squeezed her teddy to her chest and yawned.

Tomorrow is another day.

Theresa stomped off, ten pounds too heavy.

Dollface actually found herself fond of Theresa, even feeling pity when she woke up yesterday crying because her sheets were red and stinky and she didn't understand why.

Dollie?

"That's not m'name."

Sorry.

"Is fine."

Can… Can I have one?

Dollface put her head on the golden bear in her lap. She felt her thumb get stabbed with the needle in her hand. Her hands were covered in bruisey stabs and scratches.

"I'm almost done with the toy."

We know, but can we have one?

"I…" Dollface looked at the heart. It was cut from the last pretty red satin scrap from Gramma's stash. She didn't have anymore for the gift. She did have a button box, maybe there was something heart-shaped in there? "Okay."Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!

"It's gonna hurt t'get it in though…"