CHERILICIOUS SWEET

18. NEXT STEPS

Over the next two weeks, I had several dates with each of the five boys. Mostly individually, but a couple times Scott and Ricardo would double date with me at the gazebo. I also had a half dozen or so dates each with four other boys I met; two outside the mall entrance, one who got my number from one of the other boys, but I'm not sure who, and one from a princess party. Cheyenne also came over a several times and introduced me to a friend of hers, Crystil. Crystil was pretty and thin and had breasts that really weren't much larger than mine, which were a solid A-Cup by now. She had much longer nails than either of us, for which I was quite honestly a little envious. The two ladies weren't afraid to give tips and hints to pleasing them. Something the boys never would do. It was a good lesson in how much better females communicate their feelings and in this case, desires.

The princess parties I had all went well. Various dads, mom's, and aunts of the little girls picked me up and dropped me off, but no one had quite the intrigue and alure as Mr. Ryan, whom I still thought about a lot, especially on the nights I would date Hunter and he would show up in his dad's SUV. I still fantasized that one day they'd show up together. The parties themselves had become somewhat routine for me. My quality of appearance, performance, and interaction with the kids and the guests made me very popular for parties in the area. On some weekends I was performing four or five shows! In fact, sometimes I would have to look down at my dress to remember which princess I was, but I never faltered. I always sought out guests to please, and there was often some very heavy flirting and a ton of dance partners, but nothing really came of them, other than a boy, who's name I never knew. He came into my changing room when I was gathering my things and had me please him. Strangely, it was the only time I did that in costume.

I barely saw my mother before she had to ship out. In fact, I was entertaining as Belle at a party when she left, so I didn't even get to see her off. When I did see her over those last couple weeks, it was usually while I was coming or going, she would always comment, Another date Cheri? Aren't you exhausted? I was pretty tired sometimes, especially after the nights Cheyenne came over, and with Crystil now joining us, I would be up most of the night, pleasuring them both. A couple times I would come home from a date with a boy and expect to be going to sleep, then walk into my room and smell the cigarette smoke and see two burning embers over by my bed, in the otherwise dark room. Ms. Peterson would tell me that I cannot have expectations of anything, and to always be flexible for the pleasure of others.

My mother and Ms. Peterson went through the legal process for my guardianship and sat me down to go over some expectations. My mother had set up a direct deposit to Ms. Peterson of a couple thousand dollars a month for my care, which was to include clothing, food, living expenses, and incidentals. I was particularly excited about the clothing part, and to kick things off, she gave me a debit card to build up my wardrobe, which I wasted no time spending. I met Cheyenne and Crystil at the mall after Cheyenne got off from an early shift and we blew through the entire debit card on cute dresses, short skirts and tops, jewelry, shoes, lingerie, hosiery, and makeup.

The expectations for Ms. Peterson were pretty straightforward. I was to regard her as my primary authority figure, like the mother she has been for you recently, my mother would say with sadness.

Once my mother left, nothing really changed in my routine and habits, even as Ms. Peterson was concerned. I was still staying in my house, and still up and ready to go by 9 AM, and still waiting for her text. She subscribed me to a few fashion magazines, which I would look through, but not read, while awaiting her text. "You shouldn't be reading the articles dear. You will get everything you need by looking at the pictures and the models." She had instructed me. I didn't have the attention span for all those words anyway, as my mind would drift off to the models on the page, focusing on their hair and makeup, outfits and shoes, and their bodies, mostly in an instructive way, but increasingly in an envious way. I wanted to BE those models.