"What?" Dollface blinked, "That's not really a question."
"I know." Anit leaned forward, head laid to rest in a manicured hand. Dollface looked at her hands. At all the scabs and stabs and peeling skin.
They'd always looked like that.
Why did she feel ashamed about them now?
Dollface looked at Anit, feeling up to the challenge.
She'll call the bluff.
She wouldn't be ashamed to admit her feelings.
She wouldn't let Anit win.
And besides, these girls would probably end up knowing anyway, why not now?
"The first time I realized it I was in seventh grade and saw the pretty new girl in the gym locker room changing and saw she was in Victoria's Secret." Dollface said, adding ratgerf matter of factly, "She moved away 'boutta year later."
Anit blinked her almond eyes a little too quickly, startled. She brushed it off and smiled, a new, fake one plastered on olive skin. "Well, fair is fair. My turn. I take truth as well."
Dollface smiled, no harsh feelings, "You're wearing Fenty xSavage lingerie right now, aren't you?"
"Yes. How'd you figure that out?"
"My sister wears it. I recognize the lines anywhere." Dollface was bullshitting, obviously, trying to call a bluff. Of course she wouldn't know, Anit wore appropriate clothing. She refused to let her poker face down though.
"Frankie, truth or dare?"
"Truth!"
Laura smiled, rubbing her porcelain hands together, "What's your favorite Gaga song?"
"I can't choose!" Frankie said, "They're all so good!"
The two girls giggled, diffusing the moments of tension.
"Claudine!" Frankie squealed, "Truth or dare?"
"Unlike you pussies, I'm up fo'a real challenge!" Claudine honked, "Dare!"
...Eustace sat on the roof, nursing his Hamm's beer and bundled in Carhart's and featherdowns.
He and Mike used to really enjoy days off on the porch, that hot summer sizzling around them, a cold can in hand.
He looked at the moon rising above the tiny town he desperately wanted to leave when he was a kid, then looked down at the little trees on the can.
The National Guard had been the extension of the excuse after the Korean War and the Vietnam War, Dollface having just been born. Puck had been born when Eustace was twenty five.
He'd been so proud that day, carrying pictures of his sweet baby girl in his wallet with him always, when he was out and about, fulfilling a Sergeant's duties.
Of course, Puck, Marion, Mamie, whatever she went by now, was always closer to Muriel.
He could never quite make the right connection with that girl. She was always in her head, not that Eustace thought there was anything wrong with that.
But turns out his wife had decided to shelter Mamie a little too much.
He's spent most of Mamie's life fighting a futile fight in another country to ultimately gain nothing but the inability to watch firework shows and a strange new baby in his house where his teen daughter should've been.
The Guard was probably planning on kicking him out soon, he was hurtling towards his sixties and an honorable discharge was waiting for him at the finish line in the next few years.
Eustace knew he would never be able to retire as health inspector though, and Muriel seemed happy working her tailor shop.
It was the only one in town, and the best in the county.
And Dollface had been pulled from his hands like an unpolished hunk of rock he wasn't finished smoothing down.
Precious, but only to the small town of Elmore.
He should have gone with Dollface to every performance.
Should've gotten them all rides home immediately afterwards instead of trusting smiling faces and stiff suits with a group of little girls.
Too late though, and dwelling on the past was silly now.
Eustace still loathed the existence of Ciel. He sipped his Hamm's.
Ciel was a little brat who needed to learn manners.
Ciel needed to keep it in his pants and his hands off of Mamie at the time.
Ciel needed to let Eustace and Muriel, the people who raised his bastard daughter from birth to make decisions instead of some kid who locked himself in a room all day and didn't talk to Dollface unless he really had to.
And he should've let Eustace keep the custody handed to them as promised.
Regina was suffering under whatever Ciel was doing.
And Mamie?
Eustace now had a hard time forgiving her.
What was once a sheltered girl was now a neglectful and stupid mother, vain as a rose.
Eustace looked away from the milk pool moon. He sighed.
No use getting angry over what's been done.
The boys in his troop were doing pretty good, even a new one joining.
He was a little skeptical of Axel at first, remembering when he was a toddler stumbling around his parent's ankles in a pink dress, but the boys didn't seem to mind, and he integrated well.
Thanksgiving break was coming up. That was the annual bonfire and camping trip. Eustace enjoyed that, but advised Axel to get his own personal tent and set up farther from the boys' tent.
Eustace had his own tent as well.
And a portable space heater.
"Honey, come down to bed,"
"Yes Muriel!" Eustace took one last look at the starry sky and sighed once more, sliding on his ass to the ladder to join his plump wife, last sip down.
She'd come home soon.
And maybe the little girl he remembered would come home too.
He was disappointed that Dollface and Regina weren't allowed to come home for this upcoming break.
But what's been done has been done.
