The first time Dollface's life philosophy of enemies and strangers were potential new friends was questioned when she first met Regina.

Regina was a cousin from her father's side of the family, brought over, unannounced, by uncle Sebbie.

Dollface had rushed to the door at exactly nine o'clock when she'd heard Sebbie's knock and happily opened the door only to find…..

….A thirteen year old with a bad attitude and too much hairspray.

Dollface had cocked her head, restraining Courage, the cowardly family dog, who for once, decided not to hide from guests but to instead, eat them.

That always happened when Uncle Sebbie came over.

"You have dirt on your face."

Dollface blinked, confused as to why the stranger made the smear of paint a point of contention. She also immediately noticed that her cousin had an accent, much like Sebbie's.

"It's paint."

"Sloppy." On this girl, Sebbie's familiar accent was like eating sandy peanut butter sandwiches, and Dollface didn't like that.

She hated sand.

Dollface stepped back, holding Courage up by the back of the collar as he growled.

"A mutt?" the strange girl asked, "What an ugly thing!"

"He's not a thing!" Thirteen year old Dollface insisted, carrying the gassy little dog in her arms like a babydoll to get him to calm down. "His name's Courage!"

"Where I live, we only have thorobred Irish Setters!"

"Regina!" Uncle Sebbie shouted from the car, her cue to shut her mouth. He was talking to someone, but who or why, Dollface couldn't tell.

He muttered to them, then ordered Dollface to meet him at Mr. Tanaka's.

Dollface walked through the kitchen and let Courage run wild in the backyard. After several wild circles and a piddle against Gramma's favorite wisteria bush, Courage settled down and began snoring.

Dollface passed the kitchen table, current art project spread all over, and then realized she was still in Grampa's old button-up. She entered her small bedroom only to find Regina glaring and inspecting her decor.

"Oh, sorry, thought this was a guest bedroom."

Dollface grit back a mouthful of venom, remembering the bible verse Gramma had cross-stitched and hung in the kitchen over the guest chair.

Something about how family always had to be loved. Dollface was now cursing it out.

"Please get outta m'room!"

"Not before you explain this!" Regina pointed at the KISS poster blue-tacked next to a Jimmi Hendrix poster. "Let me guess, this one's your favorite?"

She gestured to Gene Simmons, stage name Demon, sticking his concerningly long pink tongue out, and raised an eyebrow at her.

A perfectly plucked and groomed eyebrow. This was before Dollface was properly introduced to makeup, and only served to infuriate her further.

"Yeah, what about it. He's a bass god."

"Oh really now?"

Dollface felt a surge of rage at the question. She felt like she was the one being attacked, not Gene.

"Yeah, he's why I got into the school orchestra in the first place." Dollface said. Her electric bass was in its stand, right next to the beaten pawn shop amp.

"How gauche." Regina sighed, seeing the milk crates full of albums, many including the KISS discography, all of which, the crates and contents, had been found by Grampa at yard sales and the recycling center. They'd spent an afternoon when she was eleven spray painting the crates gold and pink to match the rest of her room.

"Hey!"

Before Dollface could stop her, Regina was on her knees and fingering through her collection of vinyls and grunting in disapproval at each one.

Blondie, Hendrix, KISS, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Lauper, and even Def Leppard, were all scrutinized, with poor Aerosmith and the Scorpions tossed to the side. On the desk next to it, Regina picked at a shiny new SandyLion sticker, a teddy bear, and grimaced.

"Don't you have real music?" Regina said, shoving a crate back against the wall, "Or should I be asking, good taste?"

"I'm guessing you prefer Cher and Madonna?" Dollface asked, grinning.

One taunt was okay, it made up for Regina's nosiness. She picked up her copy of Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic record and inspected it for damage. Her eyes stung, seeing that Regina's careless toss had shattered the paper envelope's precious contents on impact. Her face immediately fell.

"What th'hell!" Dollface snapped, grabbing Regina and turning her around, "Ya broke it!"

"So? You can just buy a new one." She pouted.

"No, ya broke it," Dollface said, dropping the already shattered record and picking up the Scorpions' Black Out album. She scowled, one of her personal favorites and one of the few new ones she'd received that had been expensive was now in three pieces, "And this one?! Don't ya have any manners?"

Regina turned red and her dark blue eyes twitched as she rose in her kitten heels, as tall as Dollface but taller when in them, and tried to intimidate her.

Dollface couldn't help but smile incredulously and let out a snort.

Dolli Mae, who stopped growing at ten, was more intimidating than cousin Regina.

Regina turned redder, not being taken seriously.

"Lil missy, I gotta get dressed so if ya'd kindly leave and pay fer th'damages, I-"

"No, listen to me!"

"Okay, that's it." Dollface said, smile dropping and voice deepening. She rolled up her sleeves and cocked her head, leaning into Regina's face, "Listen here, lil lady, I ain't in the mood t'fuck 'round. So git yer ass outta m'room before I paint my walls with ya!"

Regina stood her ground.

Pissed, Dollface grabbed Regina's blue-black hair and dragged her all the way out of the room and into the hallway, promptly slamming the door in her face.

The rest of the day was rough, but Uncle Sebbie managed Regina's behavior for Dollface.

Grampa had looked very tired when they came home, and Dollface could smell a cologne in the air she didn't recognize.

She didn't think too long about it though.

She had other things to worry about instead, like her art project or Regina.