Timeless Legacy

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Elina stormed into the dorm, her face twisted in disgust. "I need something sweet and to brush my teeth immediately," she announced, slamming the door behind her. She scanned the room, spotting Jane with her new look. "Oh hey, sweetie! Love your new look," Elina winked at Jane, who blushed and stuttered a quick "Hey."

Mal glanced up from her sketchbook, noticing Elina's frustration. "What happened?" she asked.

Elina huffed and flopped down next to Mal. "Just had to flirt with the biggest douchebag ever," she groaned, shuddering at the memory.

Jane sat down on a free bed, sighing dramatically. "I'll never get a boyfriend."

Mal, still sketching, shrugged. "Boyfriends are overrated."

Evie looked up from her work on a dress, teasing Mal. "And how would you know, Mal? You've never had one."

Elina burst out laughing, wiping tears from her eyes. "Mal? No boyfriend? Yeah, sure," she said between laughs, until Mal playfully smacked her shoulder to shut her up.

"It's because I don't need one, E. They're a waste of time," Mal said, glaring at Elina who was still chuckling.

Evie suddenly gasped as she remembered something. "I forgot to do Chad's homework!" She stood up quickly, rummaging through her things. "He even gave me more after his own," she added, pulling out a stack of papers.

"And that is exactly what I mean," Mal said, shaking her head.

Elina, who had finally stopped laughing, walked over to Evie, peeking over her shoulder. "Since when do you talk to Chad?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Evie mumbled as she sorted through the homework. "Since today. He promised me a... date, I think."

Elina snatched her own homework back from Evie, looking at her seriously. "Give me that. Do your own homework. And don't put yourself down for a boy. Never do anything that a boy asks you to do for selfish reasons, understood?"

Evie nodded hesitantly, setting down Chad's homework.

Before they could continue, there was a knock at the door, and a girl with a short bob entered. "Hey, guys! I'm Lonnie. My mom's Mulan? No?" She shook her head when no one responded and continued. "Anyways, I love what you've done with Jane's hair. And I know you hate us, and, well, you're evil. But do you think you could do mine?"

Mal looked at her skeptically. "Why would I do that for you?"

Lonnie held up a pouch with money. "I'll pay you 50 dollars."

Evie perked up at the mention of money. "Good answer. I need to buy more material. Let's see, I'm thinking we lose the bangs, maybe some layers and some highlights," she said, taking the money eagerly.

"Yeah, yeah. I want it cool. Like Mal's," Lonnie said, pointing at Mal.

"Really? The split ends, too?" Evie quipped mockingly.

Mal shot her a deadpan look while Evie shook the money in triumph. "Okay... 'Beware, forswear, replace the old with cool hair,'" Mal chanted, waving her hand.

Lonnie's hair transformed into long, light brown locks. She stared at herself in the mirror, mesmerized. Evie tried to gauge her reaction. "I know, I know. It looks like a mop on your head. You know what? Let's cut it off, layer it..."

"No, no, no, no, no! I love it," Lonnie interrupted, shaking her head as she admired her new look.

"You do?" Evie asked, surprised.

"It's just..." Lonnie ripped the side of her skirt, grinning proudly. "Now I'm cool."

"Like ice," Mal added dryly.