Staring down at her plate, Dollface couldn't help but wonder why that shape appeared so much in nature.
The small pile of broccoli, all but used as a basketball, was now nothing more than a few limp branches and a smattering of florets.
She picked at it, finding it strangely bitter.
Just like the bland baked chicken she'd picked at minutes before. The breast was now reduced to a few random hunks and flavorless strings, all strewn about her plate. She picked at it with her fingers, putting a few of the strigier bits into her mouth at Michael's command.
Today, he'd let her paint his nails after getting another set of photos taken.
They were black, matching hers.
Once again, she stared at the little bits of broccoli, hesitant, not sure how to feel about the recruitment posters she and her friends took in costume.
Everything on her plate had tasted bitter.
"Are ya gonna finish that?" Grandpa asked, pointing at the last hunk of meat.
"It's too hot t'eat." Dollface mumbled, not rising in her stomach at the thought of wearing a skimpy parody of Uncle Mike's security uniform.
"Strange, that's never stopped ya b'fore." Gramma mused, dumping more cheese on her second helping of broccoli.
Dollface wished she could grab a handful of shredded cheddar right off of Regina's plate.
She envied Regina.
Regina could eat dairy.
Regina looked good for the photos, dressed in the uniform Dollface made her.
But that didn't stop Afton from screaming about wastes of money or giving Dollface a lingering hug without asking.
Restraining her from escaping the unwanted show of affection.
Dollface numbly put a pretzel in her mouth, remembering how Michael had howled and clawed at his skin when Afton insisted on the unexpected hug.
The hug, while seemingly innocent and something her friends had laughed at, left her feeling dirty.
"You'll get fat if you eat those!" Regina snarked, having refused to eat bread, potatoes, rolls or anything she deemed 'Fattening'. "You're already pushing it with the potatoes."
Like she's any better.
Dollface continued to stare at the little pieces of broccoli.
She couldn't help but wonder why that shape, of all shapes, surrounded her.
The green sprouts looked like the fat Spring tadpoles she and Michael liked to watch in the Liminal, or maybe like the bulbous baby bullfrogs of Summer. The unnaturally green remains of dinner were reminiscent of the funny white dots that shone in her eyes if she stood too fast or rubbed her eyes too hard.
She had asked Grampa one night while riding home in the big red truck why once.
He had no satisfactory answer.
Grampa was the smartest person she and Michael knew.
"Hold it!" Gramma stopped her before she could dump her picked-at plate, "It's too hot to waste this week's meat."
Dollface nodded, thinking of other times Grampa didn't have a satisfying answer to something.
She remembered that in seventh grade, the school had a mandatory class on certain needs.
Something Dollface had found strange was that Marnie Schuster hadn't been there, but her parents still had the principal censor all the pages of women's anatomy. The Schuster family was weird like that.
They liked watching the PTL Club and reruns of The Lawrence Welk Show.
Dollface had seen them before on one of the three channels available on their black and white set, and decided that it wasn't for her.
Another thing she found strange was the stickers put over the words deemed 'Too Vile', and a page completely covered over by notebook paper.
Being overly curious, Dollface had picked at one of the stickers with her thumbnail, carefully peeling it back to reveal a funny word.
It was two syllables and started with a 'C'.
"Principal Lickskillet, what's a 'condom'?"
Dollface turned red, remembering that teachers who said they'd answer any question didn't really mean it.
Dollface stared into the pool of piss-yellow juices left in the pan and plopped the remains of her chicken into it.
Right after answering her question, the principal stuttered. Before he could finally give an answer, Cousin Missy squeaked out, "It's like, what yer Ma shoulda, like, used!"
Dollface had melted into her chair, trying not to cry for the rest of the day as boys would point and laugh.
Even Princess and Izzy and all her other friends didn't seem able to talk to her for a while after that. Grandpa had to pick her up from school early, and he gave what answers he could.
She'd also asked why she couldn't join the school's wrestling team on the first day of ninth grade.
Grandpa had said something about her being too small.
She asked a follow up question.
He answered with, "Ya don't know how."
"But you do, an'that's what th'coaches are for. 'Sides, ya always let me tag along with th'troop!"
Grampa had ended the conversation.
Still staring at the pan of chickens sold to them by Izzy's family, Michael prodded her away.
Dollface sat back down and watched the plates be emptied. "Okay, game time."
"Oh no ya don't!" Gramma snapped, ripping the black box from Dollface's hands.
"Hey!" Dollface said, grabbing it back, "I did all m'chores like ya asked me to, now lemme play!"
"Y'all ain't playin' that game in here!" Gramma put her hands on her hips, yellow apron covered in sink water.
Regina stepped in, brow furrowed.
"See?" Dollface said, "We finally have enough players!"
"Players?" Regina asked, looking around the tiny kitchen.
"Yeah, I haven't had time fer a sleepover wit'Dolli an'Wolfie recently, so why not get Reggie in on it?"
"My name's not-"
"Are we gonna?" Grampa prairie dogged from the doorway behind Regina, grinning.
He looked almost like a kid.
"Haven't played that since th'last scout meetin'."
Dollface rubbed her hands together, grinning even meaner than Grampa, "I think it's time t'welcome Reggie into th'family."
"For the millionth time, bumpkin, my name is Reg-"
"Regina!" Gramma snapped, "I hear that kinda talk again and I'll have ya over th'fireplace!"
Regina burned holes in Gramma's apron.
Gramma cocked her head, looking over her round glasses at Regina.
Her look was pure, cold steel.
She turned, mind focused on the dishes. "Y'all ain't playin' that damn thing here."
"Fine, we'll go on th'back porch!" Dollface whined and stood up. She tucked the box under her arm, marching to the folding door that separated the kitchen from the porch.
"Y'all comin' Reggie?"
Reggie scowled, "I admit that I am curious."
Dollface flopped down n the plastic lawn chair, thumping the box long ways up on the flimsy folding table.
Regina hopped, disgusted by the neon green astroturf that scratched at her feet.
Grampa laughed and sat at his usual place. "Care t'give th'rules?"
"Only if ya shuffle'em."
Grampa grinned and opened the box, pulling out a thick stack of white cards.
"Reggie, c'mon."
"Stop callin' me that!" Regina squeaked, surrendering to her curiosity once and for all. She sat in a chair, then cringed as it sank into the astroturf.
"Simple game, simple rules," Dollface began as Grampa set a small stack of white cards in front of Dollface. Dollface set a much more substantial stack of black cards face down in the center of the table.
"Everyone gets seven cards. The card czar gets a black card on their turn and everyone has to finish the sentence. Funniest one wins the round."
"Oh, a word game. I can do that." Regina said, struggling to scoot her chair in. She managed anyway and flipped over the top card.
Dollface la"Okay, game time."
"Oh no ya don't!" Gramma snapped, ripping the black box from Dollface's hands.
"Hey!" Dollface said, grabbing it back, "I did all m'chores like ya asked me to, now lemme play!"
"Y'all ain't playin' that game in here!" Gramma put her hands on her hips, yellow apron covered in sink water.
Regina stepped in, brow furrowed.
"See?" Dollface said, "We finally have enough players!"
"Players?" Regina asked, looking around the tiny kitchen.
"Yeah, I haven't had time fer a sleepover wit'Dolli an'Wolfie recently, so why not get Reggie in on it?"
"My name's not-"
"Are we gonna?" Grampa prariedogged from the doorway behind Regina, grinning.
He looked almost like a kid.
"Haven't played that since th'last scout meetin'."
Dollface rubbed her hands together, grinning even meaner than Grampa, "I think it's time t'welcome Reggie into th'family."
"For the millionth time, bumpkin, my name is Reg-"
"Regina!" Gramma snapped, "I hear that kinda talk again and I'll have ya over th'fireplace!"
Regina burned holes in Gramma's apron.
Gramma cocked her head, looking over her round glasses at Regina.
Her look was pure, cold steel.
She turned, mind focused on the dishes. "Y'all ain't playin' that damn thing here."
"Fine, we'll go on th'back porch!" Dollface whined and stood up. She tucked the box under her arm, marching to the folding door that separated the kitchen from the porch.
"Y'all comin' Reggie?"
Reggie scowled, "I admit that I am curious."
Dollface flopped down on the plastic lawn chair, thumping the box long ways up on the flimsy folding table.
Regina hopped, disgusted by the neon green astroturf that scratched at her feet.
Grampa laughed and sat at his usual place. "Care t'give th'rules?"
"Only if ya shuffle'em."
Grampa grinned and opened the box, pulling out a thick stack of white cards.
"Reggie, c'mon."
"Stop callin' me that!" Regina squeaked, surrendering to her curiosity once and for all. She sat in a chair, then cringed as it sank into the astroturf.
"Simple game, simple rules," Dollface began as Grampa set a small stack of white cards in front of Dollface. Dollface set a much more substantial stack of black cards face down in the center of the table.
"Everyone gets seven cards. The card czar gets a black card on their turn and everyone has to finish the sentence. Funniest one wins the round."
"Oh, a word game. I can do that." Regina said, struggling to scoot her chair in. She managed anyway and flipped over the top card.
Dollface laughed as she stared at her card, cross eyed and beyond horrified.
"This card!" Regina panicked, tossing it down, "It says-it says-"
Dollface slid the shiny card across the table's rough surface, and giggled, reading it aloud, plain and clear; "Anal beads."
Michael let out a chortle in the back of her mind, a rare thing to hear from him.
She managed to hold back her laughter and smiled.
"Let's see, I choose this top card." She grabbed a black card, "'What is Batman's guilty pleasure?'"
"What kind of game is this?"
Grampa grinned, "Cards Against Humanity. Lighten up, ya might like it."
"Grampa, you need t'add a card."
"Oh, you're right, Dollie-Gurl." He dropped one, face down, and Dollface licked her lips, reading it aloud.
It said, simply; "Danny DeVito."
Grampa and Dollface laughed as she stared at her card, cross eyed and beyond horrified.
"This card!" Regina panicked, tossing it down, "It says-it says-"
Dollface slid the shiny card across the table's rough surface, and giggled, reading it aloud, plain and clear; "Anal beads."
Michael let out a chortle in the back of her mind, a rare thing to hear from him.
She managed to hold back her laughter and smiled.
"Let's see, I choose this top card." She grabbed a black card, "'What is Batman's guilty pleasure?'"
"What kind of game is this?"
Grampa grinned, "Cards Against Humanity. Lighten up, ya might like it."
"Grampa, you need t'add a card."
"Oh, you're right, Dollie-Gurl." He dropped one, face down, and Dollface licked her lips, reading it aloud, "'Shoving a mason jar up his ass'."