Hair Part

Prologue

PROLOGUE

The young man's tuft of hair on top of his forehead got slightly disturbed as the chilly November winds blew. He grunted at the movement, remembering how much effort he spent on perfecting his hairdo, only to be messed up by the breeze. Good thing the upward-gelled hair only danced faintly. He sighed, and then peeked at his wristwatch.

A sudden vibration from his pocket made the guy flinch. He immediately fished out what's inside his pocket, and pulled out an iPhone 6 smartphone with a basketball keychain. When his eyes landed onto the phone's screen, his eyes sparkled, and a sweet smile was quickly sewn on his lips. His right thumb fidgeted on his phone in a swift manner, the keychain dancing along his finger's movement, and after a few seconds, he buried the gadget back to his pocket.

He stood up from the bench of the waiting shed, and then began walking a few steps. His head was searching for something, with his eyes constantly travelling to and fro. His left hand was above his eyes, protecting the latter from the already harsh morning light of six forty-five.

Unexpectedly, however, a peculiar movement near his thigh caught his attention and lifted up his skin hairs. He shrieked at the sign of danger, and then turned to the back, with fists clenched and eyes like of a tiger.

"Hey, you!"

As he saw the thing that evoked caution to him, he suddenly froze.

"Good morning!"

An average-height girl of her mid-teens giggled while waving an iPhone 6 with a basketball keychain on her left hand. She was donned in a school uniform, with its design complementary to the one worn by the guy with her. She continued chuckling, and the boy's cheeks flushed red as he watched her laugh at his awkward response. Finally, she handed the phone back to him, and the boy, with his left hand scratching his nape and his right hand extended forward, took the phone shyly.

"Next time, don't place your valuables everywhere, okay? Especially your new iPhone! You know that thieves can be everywhere, especially here in Philippines. From officials to traysikad drivers, we have to be—"

"Okay, okay. I get it," he cut her statement, "I'm keeping my phone safe from now on. Happy?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but as he held her shoulders and smirked at her, a smile instantly registered on her glossed lips. The two then laughed together, occasionally stealing glances at each other. Soon, awkwardness hovered between them, with the boy scratching his nape and the girl tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

Eventually, they hugged each other, whispering "I missed you" to their ears while giving and taking warmth from one another's arms. The girl then tiptoed and pecked the rather tall boy's left cheek, albeit bashfully, and he couldn't help but smirk. However, they quickly let go of each other, fearing to be caught by others, especially schoolmates, while displaying affection at a place used by the public.

After calming down, the two then observed each other from head to toe. After spending the whole Semester Break not seeing each other, as he spent his vacation with his family at Baguio City while she stayed at their place for the whole break, the two anticipated physical changes from one another. They ran their gazes at each other from toe to head, excited of what to discover—whether changes in height, skin color or build. When their eyes eventually met, and they saw each other's heads, both of their mouths opened wide.

"Wow! You—"

"Lily, why did you have some bangs?! It looks so ... horrible! What did you eat last Sem Break for you to decide on wearing bangs?! Seriously, it's—"