"You hold your chopsticks like this." Dollface instructed Princess. She flicked them open, Princess gasping when she managed to mirror the motion and successfully snag a hunk of vegan tofu from her takeout box.
Finish your lunch quickly and take a nap here while you still can.
I will, don't worry. Tonight's gonna be crazy so thanks for th'reminder.
Michael shifted uncomfortably from where he stood in the Liminal Shine behind her eyes, I'm glad ya went with Henry and yer sister.
It's fine.
Dollface got a mouthful of noodles in, suddenly feeling nervous.
Just another hour or so and they'd be getting set up.
"Hey, pass th'Epi'ady." Izzy asked, snapping Dollface out of her conversation with Michael. Dollface gave a sharp nod and handed it over.
Izzy stretched out a bare leg and began doing some touch-ups, Reggie turning and giving her a disapproving look.
Izzy was wearing hot pink, high-waisted polyester shorts, and bright orange converse with Princess's discarded lemon yellow leg warmers. She giggled and stuck out her tongue.
Reggie blinked and turned red.
Someone has a crush. Michael casually waved away the brief, almost unnoticeable interaction.
Do you think..? Dollface started, then shook her head, discarding the thought.
Dollface took a bite of noodles as Princess gabbed with Izzy, Regina glaring at the road, arms crossed.
The morning had started like it had every morning, with Dollface waking up early.
Well, actually, she'd woken up at around four, an extra two hours early so she could prepare for the day.
Reggie, of course, slept in until after seven.
Past.
Seven.
Regina jumped out of her bed, very much awake when Eustace put the bugle he used for his boy scout troop's camp-outs to his lips.
He laughed at the half-deafened grandchild, "Ya ready girlie?"
Scowling, Regina had begun arguing with Grampa.
Dollface was in the bathroom, taking an Epilady to her legs.
Shaving wasn't good enough for today, and she couldn't let people down.
It was just a touch-up, she'd found a few patches she'd missed.
William already had so much expected of her, and she couldn't fail him now.
She cringed when a metal coil caught her skin, turning it bright red.
"Ah, shit." Dollface had pulled up the waistband of her polyester shorts and grumbled, slapping some toilet paper to her shin.
Now she remembered why she only used this on her knuckles.
After having her head reshaved for today's big performance, Dollface had gone to bed, grounded again after returning in Montoya's truck.
She'd never been grounded before, but now that Regina had shown up, it was almost a constant cycle.
Work at Daisy's, work at Freddy's, rehearse, perform, get grounded, then go to bed, only to wake up the next day and start all over.
Then she had to skip a week, letting down everyone around her, because stupid Reggie had taken all the hot water.
AGAIN!
Do you think you should take a break from Freddy's, Dollie-gurl?
I'm fine, I'll ask for a vacation after tonight's lock-in.
Michael stayed quiet as she started again.
It had to be Regina's fault, no way around it.
She'd start arguments, make enemies, even insult FAMILY! And every time, she'd drag Dollface down with her.
Finally finished, Dollface slapped some Baby Magic lotion onto her legs and grabbed the stuff she'd packed for today's show.
Her dress, her hat, shoes, pantyhose, fishnets, and her overnight bags for tonight's lock-in at Freddy's.
A dream come true.
She loaded up on her bike and began pedaling to Freddy's, Regina chasing after.
"Dollface!" Regina kept shouting after her.
Dollface finally stopped.
"What?"
"I need new pantyhose."
Dollface blinked slowly, then groaned. "Since when?"
"Since last night." Regina said, bashful, "There's a run in them."
Dollface rolled her eyes, "Why didn't ya tell us?"
"I thought we'd have time."
"I've been up since four." Dollface hissed, "Y'all woke up less than an hour ago at nearly seven."
Calm down Dollie, we got some extra time. Jeremy usually opens Dairy Park 'round this time.
Only twenty minutes! What if they take off early without us?
That's not very likely. Yer th'centerpiece, afterall.
Dollface calmed herself, still not convinced.
"Okay, I'll take ya t'Dairy Park. Just keep yer mouth shut this time."
The last time Regina was with Dollface at Dairy Park, she'd mouthed off at Wolfie, Thorne, and String Bean and made everything sooooooo embarrassing!
Dollface ended up having to give up a bag of pretzels too, 'cause Reggie hadn't brought any money and barely worked.
"Climb on."
"That's not very safe," Regina said.
"Fine, we'll walk."
Dollface dropped her scratched-up bike and grabbed Regina's hand in her clammy one as they bickered their way to the gas station.
"Here." Dollface said, pulling her beaten wallet from her bag, "Find what you want, and let's go."
"These?" Regina asked, disgusted as she pointed at the L'Egg's stand.
"Yes, let's go." Dollface said, "They're the best we can get in this town."
"That's-That's-That's… GAUCHE!"
"We don't have time t'stop at a K-Mart."
"K-Mart?!" Regina stared at her, goggle-eyed, and snapped, "My last pair was Givenchy!"
Dollface's eye twitched and the shine behind her eyes grew brighter in an attempt to calm her. "Just buy a damn pair, r'I'll do it for ya!"
Regina recoiled, "You wouldn't!"
"Bitch, I will. It's a fucking pair of hose."
Regina gasped and stepped away. "What did you say?"
"We have less than fifteen minutes, either go bare r'buy an egg."
Regina turned red, just like when they were at the family sow pen arguing about who did what chores and who took all the hot water and smacked Dollface across the cheek.
The cashier that very much wasn't Jeremy boredly looked up from his magazine, "Hey, store policy you two."
"Then I'll make that decision for ya." Dollface said flatly and only loud enough to be heard by Regina.
Regina began stepping to the door, making the mistake of turning her back to Dollface.
Seething, Dollface grabbed a fistful of blue-black hair, fingers purposely tangling, and steered Regina out the store, a handful of L'Egg's stuffed in her bag at the last minute. Dragging her by the hair, Dollface sprinted down the street and back to her.
"Outta time, Reggie, we gotta go, NOW."
"My name isn't Reggie!"
They'd hurried to her abandoned bike, and Dollface forced Reggie on, pedaling to Freddy's, practically sweating through her jeans.
Abandoning the bike, Dollface grabbed her stuff and Reggie's, piling into the nearest open trunk and reporting for duty. After several hours and a drive-thru order at PF Chang's later, the girls spread across two different vehicles nearing Branson.
Thirty minutes left before they would enter the venue and begin the afternoon performance.
Dollface looked around the quieting car as a bag was passed around to put trash n.
"Reggie, did you even eat breakfast?"
Regina grumbled something.
"What?"
Another grumble.
"Reggie, speak up already," Dollface ordered.
Regina snapped, "My name's not 'Reggie'!"
"Girls!" Henry tried to interject, "I can't have another argument!"
"Fine! I didn't. But I refuse to eat that slop."
The three girls in the backseat glared.
"I'm so glad Charlie's with a sitter…." Henry mumbled.
Dollie-gurl, leave it be. Ya need t'rest now.
"Dooooollllfaaaaaaaaccccce!" Regina whined from the passenger seat just as Dollface began dozing. Michael began mumbling swears and Dollface rolled her eyes, annoyed at forcibly being conscious.
"Dollface," Regina snapped, turning in her seat.
"Regina, keep your seatbelt on." Henry griped, not even looking at her.
Regina stuck her tongue out, then looked back at Dollface, "Dollface, I need help with my hair. Thorne's been doing it for me, and I don't know how she does it."
"Can't ya do it yerself?"
"No, I told you, I don't know how Thorne did it."
Dollface rolled her eyes and unbuckled.
"Dollface, not you too."
Henry was ignored as Dollface barked to Princess for a comb and some spare scrunchies, red and blue respectively.
Dollface sectioned off and pinned the two mini buns in place. She put the scrunchies over the buns and fluffed out the remaining loose hair.
"That was fast," Regina said.
"Hold still," Dollface ordered.
Regina closed her eyes as Dollface spritzed Aquanet through. She fluffed the spiral perm further and dropped the propeller beanie between the buns.
"Okay, just don't fuck it up." Dollface said, "I'm takin' a nap. Don't bother me."
"Look Dollface!"
Dollface crabbily looked up from where she was attempting to doze to see what Izzy wanted to show her. She was tired and just wanted to sit quietly so she could get ready for tonight's performance.
"I know ya wanna sleep, but no one's lettin' me show them my new present! It's great, isn't it great?" Izzy shoved a plushie into Dollface's face, close enough to sniff.
"It's great, Izzy." Dollface complimented, not wanting to be rude but also tired beyond kindness. It was a Funtom plush toy of a cow.
"Ben bought it for me the other day. He'd seen Moo-Moo." Izzy looked so happy as she stuffed it into her overnight bag next to Moo-Moo. Moo-Moo was floppy and limp, plush fur felted from nearly sixteen years of unconditional love. Moo-Moo flopped against the new toy as if welcoming an old friend.
Dollface smiled as she closed her eyes, glad Izzy was happy and getting an idea for a drawing. She decided to put off Michael's suggestion of sleeping for a few more stolen moments and pulled a sketchbook out of her activity bag.
"Oooh, that would be cute!" Izzy climbed over Princess to see Dollface flip to a fresh page in her book. She began sketching fast and loose, with no plans of cleaning it up or even finishing it.
"Aaaw, you're right, Dolly!" Izzy exclaimed over Dollface's shoulder. She grabbed her sketchbook and started drawing. Dollface closed her eyes and breathed in, Michael deciding for her that Izzy should best be distracted for now.
Last night's visit with Michael, what she remembered of it, had been soothing when she finally came home from uncle Barney's a day early.
The plan had been to drive up to the venue and wait for her friends to drop off her stuff.
Michael had on overalls and a plaid shirt, meaning they were going out on that particular night. They walked together, hand in large, calloused through a land between destinations, like stop signs and hallways.
She always dreamed about flying and hallways and endless stairs and they filled her with a certain level of contentment found nowhere else.
Maybe one day she would fly like he sometimes would.
Feeling safe where she was at the moment, she allowed herself to fall asleep against the car's window.