prettier

“C’mon Dottie, you know it ain’t anyone else’s fault but mine. There wasn’t anythin’ you could’ve done.” He took a more serious tone, shrugging his shoulders lightly. He had multiple opportunities to get out of the mess he caused, he just never took them. “Are you tryin’ to say I’m one of your girls? I needed someone to talk to? Aldrich’s aren’t big talkers.” Letting out a humorless laugh, he shook his head. Talking wouldn’t have helped him in this situation. “Oh, it’s worse. I didn’t care before all you girls started yellin’ at me about how I was gonna end up ruinin’ her life. I’m serious. I was happy doin’ my thing, being a jerk, then y’all got in my head and made me have to think about the consequences of my actions. I’m not used to that. Now I gotta worry about her gettin’ hurt and how bein’ with me is gonna impact her life. I don’t think it will, not as bad as y’all think it will, but who can tell.” Maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part. “I appreciate you not thinkin’ I’m all bad. Your eyes still look a little red staring back at me, feels like I got lasers pointed at me, but you’re talkin’ to me at least, so that’s something.”

Suddenly the parking lot outside of Bushel’s didn’t feel like the right place to be having this conversation. Dottie hated that she had to have this conversation in the first place. “See I don’t think like that, I think there’s always somethin’ someone could’ve done in any given situation. And it ain’t all your fault, you said she had some family issues. She’s usin’ you as much as you’re usin’ her, the problem is you shoulda known better than to get in as deep as you have, shoulda known better period. And as much as I appreciate that you’re able to care about what you’ve done to her, you’re forgettin’ what you’ve done to yourself. Frostford’s a small town, you know that. And judgin’ by the way everyone’s talkin’ about your little rendezvous it ain’t somethin’ they’re gonna stop talkin’ about for a long time. I hate to say it Christopher but this is gonna follow you to your grave, you know that, right? Bein’ Sadie Lockhart’s ex ain’t nothin’ compared to the new title you’ve given yourself. How’re you gonna recover from that? There’s not gonna be a single day that goes by without someone lookin’ at you and thinkin’ that you’re a creep. What’re you gonna do when you start losin’ business ‘cause everyone’s scared to have you around their daughters? You’re never gonna escape this girl,” she sighed. ”And the people who you are friends with? We’re never gonna be able to escape her either.”

“Are you blaming – yourself? Cause if you wanna do all that, I ain’t gonna stop you. I’ve been lookin’ for someone else to blame, honestly.” He knew it was on him, completely, he wasn’t even really looking to give himself an out. But pretending he did kept the conversation from getting too heavy. “I took what you said to heart, Dottie. The crimsonette stuff, barely legal outfits, older men leering. I listened. I’m breaking up with her, I swear. I’m just tryin’ to be careful about it, careful with her, cause I wasn’t before. Gettin’ her involved in my mess. – You ever go through this, datin’ a guy my age when you were that young?”

Dottie paused before answering his question. Was she blaming herself? A part of her couldn’t help but think if someone, anyone had been there for Christopher then all of this mess could have been avoided. “I don’t know if I am or not, but I do feel like I could’ve done somethin’ more, maybe,” she admitted. “I know you get tired of hearin’ ‘bout me bein’ a coach and everythin’ but I’m not just that - I’m a friend and mentor too. A lot of girls ‘round here need someone who will listen to them and encourage them, and just havin’ a single person to talk to can make all the difference.” She didn’t want to do this, she didn’t want to feel pity for him, and yet here she was, ready to give him some sort of pep talk that he really didn’t deserve. “For the record - I don’t think you’re like any of those men I talked about. Look at you, talkin’ ‘bout bein’ all careful with her. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing Christopher and frankly, that’s the part that scares me the most. You shouldn’t be worried about a girl her age and what she’s goin’ through at home. Wantin’ to be there for her? You can’t do that, not now. You have to cut ties. And no, I never did. Saw what happened to too many girls in the pageants so trust me when I say I’m speakin’ from experience.”

“Just trying to be nice.” Maybe this was a bad idea after all. He should’ve ran in the other direction when he saw her, not approach her. It was like walking into a lion’s den, he was likely to lose an arm. “When are you gonna let that go?” Christopher sighed, this was going to follow him around for a long time, wasn’t it? He hadn’t gone a day without someone implying he was a creep in weeks. “If you didn’t care to know why did you bring it up at all? Does every conversation we have gotta be about that? We can’t just be friends?”

“I’m sorry, did you just expect me to be okay with it all ‘cause we’re friends? Am I supposed to go on double dates with you and think nothin’ of it? ‘Cause that’s not how it’s gonna work. And what is there even to talk about, Christopher? It’s not like we do much of it anyway when we’re together. Maybe that’s the problem, maybe that’s where I messed up. Maybe I should have been there for you more, someone you could open up to and you wouldn’t find yourself in this situation.”

Christopher was used to half the women in town being disgusted by his existence, that was practically the norm for him. But they were worse than usual lately. He considered sleeping with one eye open or getting a guard dog. When he saw the contents of Dottie Sue’s bags falling all over the place, he figured helping her was an easy way to try and sneak back into her good graces. “Missed the push-mowin bit, but you’re lookin’ a hot mess today.” He laughed, grabbing a can of soup before it rolled too far away. It was an attempt at being friendly. Despite the fact they were not friends, at least not currently. “Is that for your – I’ll pretend I didn’t see it, for both our sakes.”

“Oh you gotta be shittin’ me,” Dottie Sue muttered when she heard Christopher attempt to make conversation. “Give me that, thank you,” she quickly snatched the soup can from his hand and stuffed it down into her purse along with whatever else she could fit, including the item that shall not be named. “Yeah, it’s for that. I know you ain’t dumb - correction, knew. I knew you weren’t dumb, but that was before you started datin’ a girl barely older than the ones I coach,” she blinked. “I’d ask how it’s goin’ but I don’t really care to know.”

christopher: get used to that feeling

christopher: honestly i wish i was, i think i have more issues now after this. she's not obsessed, she's just spoiled and likes attention and i gave her a little too much of it

christopher: her sister already threatened to kill me. do you want me to die? i figured i could just fake it for a little, she'd see how horrible i was or decide to get back with her boyfriend, and she'd be the one to end things. then she thinks i had feelings and i cared, and i don't have to be murdered. it's a good plan

christopher: i got myself into this mess because i didn't consider her feelings and now that i am, i'm doing the wrong thing? wtf

Dottie: You honestly think her sister is gonna kill you for telling the girl the truth and ending it and not for continuing it?

Dottie: Whatever works for you, Christopher

Dottie: Let me know how it turns out

christopher: it's not like this is a habit for me. contrary to popular belief i don't spend all my time creeping on younger women. this is the first time i slept with a girl this much younger than me and it's going to be the last

christopher: this wasn't me trying to work through my issues, i'm not using her for that. i can afford therapy if i want to, and it'd be less of a headache

christopher: i tried to put an end to it and explain to her it was wrong and why it was wrong, and she doesn't believe there's any issue with it. and i know that's just because she's 21 years old and she doesn't know any better and i'm supposed to be the responsible adult between us...

christopher: but she's got this real fucked up family who makes her feel worthless all the time. she doesn't think anyone cares about her. so when she looked like she was about to burst into tears, i felt bad. i don't want to hurt her or make her feel like the things shes insecure about are true. i've already done enough damage

Dottie: Don't get smart with me Christopher, I never said you did, and that's why I'm surprised/disappointed

Dottie: The fact that you're describing her as some obsessed young adult from a Lifetime movie tells me the opposite - you ARE working through your issues by using her

Dottie: You don't need to explain to her why it's wrong - you need to tell her the truth, okay? We aren't living in Willy Wonka's factory so you ain't gotta sugar coat anything for her. I know you think you're helping her, but lying to her is gonna hurt her worse because now she thinks you have actual feelings for her

christopher: i had a hot 21 year old over my place and we played a rousing game of monopoly

christopher: no i'm serious, i'm kind of an idiot. business wise, sure i'm fine

christopher: and you know i'm good with my hands ;)

christopher: sorry, force of habit

christopher: but for real, i didn't think about it. i'm a GUY. you know we're disgusting

Dottie: Did you just not care about her age? As long as she was hot and willing?

Dottie: Christopher, I had to deal with men your age and older leering at me constantly when I was a teenager going through pageants AND as a Crimonsette at the age of 21 - the same age as this girl

Dottie: You think my uniform was comfy? It sure as hell wasn't. It was designed to be eye candy for men like you and it was the closest thing to lingerie they could get for us to dance in without it being illegal

Dottie: I just- I didn't think you would stoop that low

Dottie: I didn't think you would use a person to get over your issues, much less someone who still doesn't know what the real world is like

christopher: ...she's been to my house before

christopher: what possesses me to do anything i do? do you think i thought this through at all???

christopher: i thought it'd be fun, the fun has stopped. i'm no longer having a good time

Dottie: Please tell me you didn't sleep with her

Dottie: Actually, I know you didn't - why? Because you're a smart man. You're smart enough to have your own business and put shit together, so I know you're smart enough to think something like this through

christopher: yeah, something like that

christopher: and she's kinda intense

christopher: i'm scared i'm gonna go home one day and she'll have like moved herself in or something

Dottie: Okay first, you need to relax

Dottie: If anything she just knows you live in Frostford so she's not gonna find your house and move in

Dottie: Second, that drama only happens in movies

“You know those minimalistic hand-poked ones, of the flowers? Here, let me show you,” she took her phone out of her pocket to browse for a reference, handing it to the other woman for her to see. As she carefully watched the other’s expression in anticipation of a positive response, Adeline continued to ramble on, “I find them really pretty, like it’s not a very in your face kind of tattoo? But it’s bold enough for people to see that you actually have one, and I reckon it’s not something I’ll regret getting once I’m in my sixties.” Taking a deep breath to prevent more words from falling out of her mouth, she directed the conversation towards the stranger, “Alright, enough about me. What about you? What would you get?”

“Oh no, feel free to keep going. You’re actually pretty interestin’, and that tattoo is actually kinda cute,” Dottie Sue smiled. “Way more unique than me sayin’ I want a crown on the back of my neck, that’s for sure.”

christopher: so

christopher: we're friends, right?

christopher: i ask cause...uh, i realize i only have like three friends

christopher: and all of them would kill me for this

christopher: i think i...accidentally started dating a 21 year old

Dottie: ...

Dottie: Christopher how do you accidentally start dating a 21-year-old?

“My heart’s made of stone, unfortunately. Blame it on my mother. But I am a lovable scamp, that part’s accurate. Thank you for noticin’, really put a lot into my image.” Dottie Sue being nice to him was…new. He wanted to question it, but he knew better than to push it with her. “You’d love it if I were jealous, wouldn’t you?” He smirked, locking eyes with her as he took a sip of his drink. “Damn, can I get this version of you all the time? You’re downright pleasant. Are you the real Dottie, or is this an evil twin situation? You bein’ the nice one, of course.” He shook his head, laughing lightly at her next words. “Was that a dig at my career? I make good money and don’t have to work all day on a farm, I consider it a good thing. I worked at River and Peak for a year or two, never again. You still got your old uniform?”

Christopher had too much of a wandering eye for him to get jealous, she knew that, but boy was it sure fun to flirt with him. Maybe she’d let him think that she would indeed love if he were, so she decided to keep sipping on her drink instead of giving him a straight answer. “I’m always like this,” she replied. “You’re just usually too busy gettin’ on my nerves,” she smiled smugly. “Oh no, not a dig. You make an honest livin’ doin’ what you do and I know a lot of folks rely on you in the summertime, me included. Bein’ a repairman is a respectable thing. I just know it can’t always be a rewardin’ experience.” She was being genuine. A lot of people looked down on that kind of work but she knew if it weren’t for people like Christopher they’d all be up shit creek without a paddle. “That ol’ thing? If I do it’s packed away in a closet somewhere. Just didn’t deem it good enough to show off like the rest of my crowns and sashes.”

Dakota had gone to the mixer solely to survey what was going on in town. Some may have considered it curiosity, others probably just figured he was annoying. Either way, like a dog, he was just happy to be there. As someone hopped up into the stool opposite him, he turned around and was faced with Dottie Sue reading off one of the ice-breakers. “I’d say that I’d get somethin’ nice and meaningful,” he began, “But I’d probably get something stupid, now. Like Patrick Star with a cowboy hat.” 

Dottie laughed at the image of a Patrick Star tattoo. “Why now? What makes you wanna get somethin’ silly?”

Noah looked up from his phone to see Dottie. He smiled thinking about her question. “I’d want to probably get my dog’s paw print somewhere.” He winced at how lame that sounded. “He’s just been a really great dog.” Noah took a drink. “What about you?”

Dottie Sue couldn’t help but smile when he answered. “That’s one of the most wholesome things I’ve ever heard. That’s adorable - makes me wanna get a dog now, maybe I should. As for me? I’d probably get a pageant crown on the back of my neck.”

Jo looked at Dottie Sue and  tilted her head as she thought on the answer. “I’m very picky wtith graphics, I don’t get them often and honestly, can’t think on something now. But if it’s some writing, probably lyrics. I can’t be precise because I only really think about those things when I’ll actually get a tat. What would you get?”

“So you’re one of those people who’d get one on a whim then? Come up with it on the spot? I’d probably get a crown on the back of my neck. Borin’, right?”

he does not know why he is even there and he certainly doesn’t know why he’s fucking participating. truthfully, it’s unclear if he even realizes he is, until he hears the voice across the table. he glances up from the label of the water bottle in his hands, which he had been picking and peeling, and he glances to her with some doubt tainting his expression. “i wouldn’t.” he comments then leans back in his seat. “or just fuck you on my forehead. save me from a lot of unnecessary conversations.”

“Damn,” Dottie Sue blinked before taking another sip of her beer. “What crawled up your ass and died?”