Blandview High Musical

70. Metamorphosis

"I don't care what you do to it. Just make it blonde." Jade said to the hairdresser. Tommy was sitting outside the hair salon that was located inside the mall. He was thumbing through a magazine. It had been 3 days since the funeral. Jade had dragged him out of the house because she wanted to make some changes. She hadn't seen Javier since then. She felt like he was purposely avoiding her. They didn't speak about the miscarriage. It was a filthy word. One that sent vomit bubbling up in one's throat. The taste of acid and last night's hamburger helper was something she could deal without. They weren't even talking on the phone anymore.

            "It's gonna take a while to get the perm out of it." The woman said. "I don't care. I just want it blonde." Jade said. Tommy sighed. He knew they'd be here a while, so he went down to the food court to get himself something to drink. Gill had been oddly distant since the last time they had sex. Tommy didn't know was it the kissing or was it his unusual demand to hear the L-word from her. He knew she was thinking of Shayne, why else would she have invited him up there? She just wanted to forget. He didn't blame her. Spring Break was coming soon. It would probably be as gloomy as all the other days had been. Tommy wanted to go back to the beach. He stood in line behind several young girls. They batted their eyes at him, making flirty comments about the way he looked. They ordered their food and walked away. Tommy would hang out down here for a little bit. "Just a soda." He said to the girl behind the counter.

            She gave him the drink and he paid for it. He found an empty table and sat down. The girls made it very obvious they were still talking about him. He sat there drinking the soda and fumbling with his rings, a nervous tick he had developed over the past couple of weeks. One of the girls came over to his table, sitting down. "Hey." She said. "Hi." "So...my friends were wondering if maybe you'd like to come sit with us." He smiled. "I don't know..." "Come on, they're all dying to get a better look at you." She said, moving her eyes up and down his torso. He sighed. "Alright. Just for a bit because I'm waiting for a friend." He said.

            Jade kept her eyes closed for the duration of the hair appointment. She only had them open when the hairdresser was cutting her hair. She was deep breathing during it, like she was about to lose her composure. "Okay, all finished." She said, turning off the hair dryer. "You can open your eyes." She prompted. Jade took another deep breath and opened her eyes. She stared at herself in the reflection. Her hair was completely blonde. There was not a strand of pink or brown and it was crimped. "I think the crimping makes it look a little better, don't you?" The hairdresser asked. She nodded her head. Her hair was about shoulder length now versus how long it was when she walked in. Since it was permed, it didn't seem that long. The woman lowered the chair and pulled the apron from around her.

            Jade didn't say anything more, but got out of the chair, paid the woman and left. When she walked out, Tommy was no longer sitting there. She pulled her phone out, sending him a text message. Tommy was sitting in the food court, eating up all the attention from the girls. "You poor baby...that must've been so hard." One of them said. Her hand fell to his thigh. "You have no idea.." He said, heaviness carrying in his voice. "Am I interrupting something?" Jade's voice sounded off. "Yeah, we're in the middle of a conversation." The girl bit back. Tommy looked over at her. "Like I said, ladies, I was waiting for a friend. Who also happens to be my sister, who gets very cranky when I wander off." He said, standing up. "Well, who knows, you might wander too far and stumble into a pile of herpes." Jade said. He chuckled. "Play nice." He encouraged, offering a little pinch to her chin. "Ladies, this was a nice conversation." He said. He draped his arm over Jade's shoulders as they started to walk off.

            "You don't have to be so mean, y'know." He muttered. "You don't have to be such a slut!" She hissed. "And take your arm off me." "Just sell it until we get out of sight." He growled through his teeth. "Fine." They walked around the corner, and he removed his arm from her shoulders. "A pile of herpes? Were you implying those girls were diseased?" He asked. "Oh please, you'd screw anything." She snapped. "Sounds like someone's jealous they haven't gotten a turn in my saddle yet." He said. She rolled her eyes. "You feed off jealousy. You just wish someone would get jealous over you. Be it me, Gill, those girls, or any other ones." They walked into the bottom level of the Macy's.