Izzy circled her new dress in her bedroom above her mother's hair salon. It was bright yellow with a crisp white apron. Izzy adjusted the frilly bib front and the colored glass set over the painted confetti pieces. She tugged at the matching ruffled apron tied around the waist in a big, hot pink bow.

Dollface had obviously not approved of Maggie's work and placed beads all over the bib, sleeves, and even the top part of the skirt everywhere it had been painted. She must've stayed up every night for a week just to bead Izzy's costume.

That couldn't be healthy.

"Whaddya think?" Dollface asked. "I finished beadin' it last night."

There we go, she admitted how long it took without even using numbers.

Izzy liked numbers. They sang to her.

Every iron plate she'd put on a bar at the gym, the way they danced on snow white sheets of mimeographed homework paper, on Dollie Mae Track and Field uniform, how they would even appear as dots on Dollface and Princess's music.

Izzy couldn't read sheet music, but she could count and keep time, easily.

"It's nice." Izzy awkwardly looked at the tiny confetti dots painted then beaded over. Dollface had put so much time into this dress, even tacking yellow feathers onto the hem by hand and making a matching scrunchy, "What d'ya need me t'do?"

"You're really good at embroidery, an' I was hopin' you could help me with th'words on yer new apron."

Izzy's thick eyebrows knitted themselves together, thinking as Dollface brushed off the bib piece with pride, beads glittering in the June morning light. The way the dress was designed was reminiscent to a Daisy Kingdom apron pattern, but with a scandalously short underskirt and hot pink petticoats. Her shoulders drooped.

She'd look like a questionable Playboy cover, even if Dollface had made sure to keep the skirt knee-length.

Dollface explained. "I already marked it out fer ya. I even kept th'spot empty."

"Yeah, okay." Izzy nodded, glancing at the dress boxes set neatly by the door. She gulped down her discomfort at the thought of wearing this dress on stage, or what her work would look like on stage. She'd just die if she messed up a detail on Dolli Mae's coat or added an extra letter on a skirt panel.

Dollface wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "We got this."

She quickly unlaced herself, pen in hand. "It's just a bodice pice, don't worry." She placed a hoop on the apron's bib and situated the fabric. She neatly printed in block letters, 'Let's EAT!'.

"Start with this. It's yellow with a purple border. Like Chica's." Dollface pushed Izzy's precious box of thread and needles to her feet. "I can't thank y'all enough fer doin' this."

Izzy selected a needle, then lifted a neon cord of yellow against the darker, more muted shade of the dress. She smiled in satisfaction, already seeing this fall into place. A simple silk stitch for the yellow would do nicely, and maybe chain stitch for the border.

Dollface stepped to the window, seeing that Izzy was already threading a needle with yellow. "Aw, bitchin'! You'll do it?"

Izzy nodded, already thinking about the different stitches she could do once given access to other costumes.

A little alligator on Dolli Mae's collar would be adorable!

No, wait, ribbon flowers would be better! She loved doing ribbon flowers.

Forgetting her yellow dress and stabbing the sewing tomato she kept on her dresser with the threaded needle, Izzy hurried to where she kept her box of brightly colored ribbon.

"Boy, it's stuffy in here." She opened the window with a clatter. "Hey, where's your screen?"

"Broke off. Dad can't fix it yet, he's gone t'Michigan deliverin' fer WalMart." Izzy always got worried when Dad climbed into his truck and traveled across the country to deliver during the summer, taking her older brother with him. Most of all, she missed them, and her brother would be graduating this school year, meaning she only had so much time left before he went to college out of state. She was always told that she was irrational, but she couldn't help it; she was worried for the people she loved, but didn't know how to help them.

When she and her friends were little, Izzy always played a shy princess locked in a tower with Dollie Mae, a-la Rupunzel, and Princess, or Dollface, would save them. Izzy now would sit by the classroom window and wistfully sigh, wanting to save someone for once, even if it was over a silly, little thing, like homework or pocket change.

Maybe that's why she was such a loser whenever Missy came around for another one of her stupid 'favors'?

"Hey Ben!" Izzy jumped at Dollface suddenly shouting in the calm silence. She nearly tripped, running to get next to Dollface and see what she saw.

Could it really be?

Yep, it was!

Coming out of Custer Accounting and Law on the building across the narrow street, was Ben and his dad. Dollface waved. Jim waved back, and Izzy felt Ben's gaze on her.

She hoped she didn't blush!

"Hey Ben did ya get a new haircut?" Dollface asked.

"No!" He shouted from across the street. Jim strolled to them leisurely. Ben followed behind.

"Coulda sworn he didn't have a mullet last Saturday..." Dollface muttered under her breath. Izzy rolled her eyes. As good as Dollface was at remembering silly little details like what someone was wearing or what brand of breath mint someone liked, she tended to miss major ones like hair style or names.

"What're you two girls doin' here?" Jim chuckled, now below them.

"Well, fer one, I live here." Izzy shrugged, not sure what else to say. "What're you doin' here in town?"

"Accountin'."

"Hah, yeah, shoulda known." You idiot Izzy! Get it together! She tucked a brown curl behind her ear. Dollface nudged her and winked.

"Want us t'come down, or should we let ya continue on yer merry way?" Dollface asked as Izzy turned red. It was very apparent that Dollface was enjoying Izzy's flustered expression.

"Well, I guess before we leave, th'wife asked if y'all could come over for dinner. Is tonight good?"

"What?" Izzy knew the question was aimed at her without a doubt, but she needed to know for sure if they were even asking.

"Y'all wanna come over fer dinner this ev'nin'?" Jim repeated.

Izzy shifted, then replied, "I'll come down an' ask Ma."

The girls had barreled downstairs into the hair salon to meet Ben and his father, practically tripping over each other

"Play it cool!" Dollface whisper-shouted at Izzy. Izzy nodded stoically. She had to!

Once downstairs, Izzy crossed her arms over her chest, and tried to keep her eyes from wandering to Ben's oversized belt buckle. She didn't want to seem like some desperate pervert!

Dollface, having grabbed a hoop and Princess's sweater, now stood and embroidered a blue diamond on the purple Jersey Knit. Izzy watched her closely, not sure where else to look.

Izzy's mother, a heavy set woman with natural curls and an apron covered in hair trimmings, stood by the storefront window talking to Jim. Apparently, they knew each other.

He'd come into town with his wife once or twice a month for his book keeping, then waltz straight over to get his hair done by the barber next door to them. Since Ma was Ben's mother's stylist, they'd never put it together.

"Didn't realize th'daughter ya sometimes told Jen 'bout was the lil lady that came runnin' to our stall last week." Jim chuckled. "Didn't even realize she was th'girl with th'fancy chickens, either!"

"Well, yeah, Izzalia's like that." Ma said with a grin, eyeing Ben. "M'brother Louie did a good job on you two." She looked over her shoulder. "Izzy!"

Izzy snapped her head towards her mother. Dollface continued to ignore her friend's inspective lean.

"Yeah Ma?"

"Y'all have my permission t'supper with th'Drowlines' tonight. How about y'all go down t'Dairy Park an'getta soda while Jim an'I talk news."