Dream a Little Dream of Me- Jimmy Darling and Bette/Dot Tattler Fanfic

Dot- September 21

I opened my eyes slowly and groggily without moving my head that morning. Slowly I raised my hand to rub my eyes and in the corners of them I saw Bette, grinning for ear to ear as de doodled in her notebook. "What are fyou smiling about?" I ask in a drowsy voice. "Oh, nothin..." She responds, giggling to herself. I roll my eyes and wait for her to finish before pulling up "both out of bed.

From here we make our way to the trunk of clothes in the corner of the tent, today pulling out a green dress with white pinstripes. Then we sit in front of our vanity and begin our routine: I run a brush through my hair as Bette puts on blush. When we're done we trade. Once I'm through with the blush I pull out a small tube of mascara and sweep it onto my lashes ever so slightly. As Bette applies her mascara, I pull out a box of ribbons we've had since we were small. I open it and let her choose one as she closes the tube and puts all of the products back into the drawer. "I'll wear the sage colored one." I pull it out for her along with an off-white one for myself. With that we tuck them under our hair, tie them on top of our heads, then slide the knots under our hair, in a manner that's almost ceremonious.
Standing up from the small bench we hear the radio buzz and stir, searching for a channel before stopping on one- it was a Frank Sinatra song. Ethel squeals excitedly. "Dance with me Jimmy!" "Ma..." With that she presumably yanks him to her side and starts dancing anyway. We chuckle as we leave our tent and make our way to the picnic benches.

Sure enough, there was Jimmy, swaying along side his mother. He spins her out and chuckle as he sees us before pulling her back in. When the song's over Ethel kisses him on the cheek. "I love my son." She says patting his shoulder as she walks back to the group.

"And I thought you said you couldn't dance." I say with a giggle. He blushes slightly. "I can't, but it was enough to appease Ma." He says looking over at her lovingly- I shoot him the same gaze, but turn away when he looks back at us.

"Okay, so the act." Bette starts, ruining the moment. "There are a couple of specifics to go over but I think we need to start rehearsing a song." Jimmy nods and asks "So are we doing a song by someone else or are we making one up?" Bette flips to a page before saying "I thought we'd sing-" "Why don't you make one up for us, Jimmy?" I ask, cutting her off. She doesn't say anything but shoots me a look.

"Right now? On the spot?" He asks somewhat panicked. He thinks for a second then smiles "Okay, here goes..."
"The two loveliest girls you've ever seen
All decked out in white and green,
Put them at a mic and they're all set
Who's it? Dot and Bette!" He does weak jazz hands as if to say "I tried." We clap. "Oh, that was wonderful Jimmy!" Bette says. I don't shush her because I agree completely, but only smile at him. "In all seriousness, what are we singing?" He asks us with a smile.

After a while of deliberation we decide on Wheel of Fortune by Kay Starr. "So see, Jimmy you'll be Prince Charming, and Dot will be Cinderella before she got pretty." Jimmy's eyes get big as I say "Does that make you an ugly step sister?" She gasps, taking offense. "No, sister- I'm Cinderella after the transformation." She says, straightening our skirt. "We look exactly the same." I say flatly. "Not for long." She says with a smile. "And what's that supposed to mean?" "Elsa's getting her hair stylist to come over and make me beautiful!" She says excitedly. Jimmy sighs and tries to be the voice of reason. "Bette, you know you don't have to get your hair bleached to-" "Don't forget who you are." I say in a serious tone. Her smile fades a little before she adds. "She'll be here any minute, so we'd best head back to the tent. See you later, Jimmy." She says, dragging me back to the tent.

In what seems like days upon days, the hairdresser finally finishes up on her. "What do you think?" She asks Bette as she hands her a mirror. "Why, I can't believe it! I look like a million bucks! Oh, thank you so much!" She says as she hands the mirror back. "You've finally unleashed your true self." I say as I look at her. "How's that?" She asks as she bounces her curls with the palm of her hand. "Now everyone can see you for the dumb blonde you are." She gasps with offense again. "Don't be jealous, dear. I can do the same for you." The hairdresser chimes in. "I'll pass." I snap.

The hairdresser leaves and we don't say another word of it. In fact, we don't say anything for hours. Night falls soon thereafter and Bette pulls out the notebook, continuing to plan our bit. I open a book and start to read it. Just then we hear footsteps trudging through the grass. The person whistles a familiar tune for a while before spilling into the lyrics as he passes our tent. "...Who's it? Dot and Bette!"

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AN: So... Here's the thing. I basically have no concept of time. And I thought that yesterday was Wednesday. But even if yesterday were Wednesday, I forgot to save my work and planned on having it out Thursday morning. It's Friday morning, and I'm an abomination.

Sorry that this is a sort of short chapter, but I think it's one of my favorites so far..? Sort of? Maybe? I dunno. I'm excited to really get into the nuts and bolts of the story here soon, and I'll try to start working more often.

Love you all so so SO much!
-Madi