Nothing in Between

02

There has always been something that Clyde knows she never wants to do on impulse, and it's cutting her hair. Yet, she still gave in to her impulses last night. Clyde somehow found an electric razor and immediately shaved her entire head of hair off.

And so, she is left with nothing but a thin layer of hair covering her scalp. Does she think it's a dumb decision? Absolutely not. Clyde doesn't regret any of her decisions, especially ones she makes at night, where she finds it the most peaceful and relaxing.

But, the longer Clyde stares into the mirror, the more she realizes how bad she looks with practically no hair. She guesses it could be the glasses on her face, which actually seems too nerdy for the style of her outfit today. Still, Clyde doesn't want to take them off.

Why should she take them off? Clyde needs to read whatever the teachers are writing on the board, or she is literally going to fail her classes, even more than she currently is, and she really needs to pass or she is going to bury herself in a hole and never leave.

Granted, Clyde isn't really failing. Well, she considers an eighty-eight in calculus a failure, but many of her classmates received even lower grades, so she definitely doesn't want to complain much. But her grade just feels too low, considering her track record.

But, still, her glasses are incredibly important. And if Clyde is choosing whether to look cool or pass her classes, she will simply choose to pass. Which is why she left the nerd glasses on and quickly began heading to school, walking with her head hung low.

The headphones resting on Clyde's head are blasting her rock playlist, and she nervously hums along, her footsteps almost following the beat. Her hands are anxiously shoved into her pockets, and her fingers are picking at the loose skin on the sides of her nails.

Clyde looks up when she recognizes the familiar change in ground material, and a feeling of absolute dread washes over her. She is finally here, at school, where she literally never wants to be. She much prefers to choke on a gummy bear than stay here for hours.

But, she definitely has no choice but to walk inside. So, inconspicuously decreasing the volume of her music, she drags her feet along the school floor. Clyde nervously glances around, looking to see if people are staring and silently judging her appearance.

Like always, nobody cares. She prefers to stay unnoticed in this place, though people in her classes know her as one of the so-called smart people in class. And, honestly, Clyde isn't going to complain about having that title. She is definitely proud of it.

Outside of the classroom, though, nobody knows Clyde. Which is great and annoying at the same time. That means that literally nobody cares enough to bully her, but that also means that she practically has zero friends. She does have some, though.

"Nice haircut, loser," is what Clyde hears when she arrives at her locker.

She looks up, finding the person she expected to be there. "Thanks. I did it myself."

Mia, her closest friend, raises a questioning eyebrow, watching as Clyde opens the metal door of her locker and takes out a single notebook. Clyde holds it in one hand and shoves the door closed, causing an embarrassingly loud bang to sound throughout the hallway.

"I don't think it matches my glasses, though," Clyde mumbles.

"Well, you are wearing gigantic nerd glasses."

"I am a nerd." Clyde shrugs, and Mia shakes her head in response.

"I'm not saying you aren't. I'm saying it doesn't match."

Clyde has just parted her mouth to speak, when she is somehow cut off by another loud bang. She raises an eyebrow in confusion, turning around to find where that sound came from. At least, she isn't the only person at school making loud noises this early.