"Time to get up, Alex!" he heard softly as he began to wake up.
"Hmm... five more minutes," he muttered. Ember had known Alex long enough to realize that if she left him alone, he'd fall back asleep. Deciding not to let that happen, she pulled off his blanket and turned on the lights.
"No, Ember, please," Alex groaned, reaching for the blanket.
"Nope, you can't be late," she replied firmly. Alex wanted to protest again, but he gave in, slowly getting up, rubbing his eyes. He shuffled off to eat breakfast with Ember. Gave her a hug and sat down.
"So, you have to help at Amy's salon today?" she asked while pouring him a drink.
"Unfortunately, yeah. I'm curious about what awkward tasks she has in store for me. I'm sure it's going to be another embarrassing day," he said, shaking his head.
"Let's hope it's not too bad," Ember replied, trying to be optimistic.
After breakfast, Alex headed over to Amy's salon. "Good morning, Alex! Ready for your final touches?" Amy greeted him with a grin.
"I guess," he replied, sitting down in the chair Amy gestured to. Her smile made Alex uneasy.
"I'm going to make your hair longer today!" she exclaimed, holding up hair extensions from behind her back.
"Alright, let me brush your hair first," she said, starting to work. "And now these here, and those there... perfect!"
Alex couldn't see the result as he faced away from the mirror, but he could feel the difference. His hair was definitely longer.
"Time to style!" Amy said. After a while, she was done and turned him around to face the mirror. Alex stared at his reflection in shock. His hair was much longer, styled in pigtails that sat high on his head, with two pink ribbons keeping them in place. The pigtails twisted down to his shoulders, and pink glittery clips held the rest of his hair.
Amy was thrilled. "Doesn't it look cute?" she beamed.
"Okay, let me get to the final touch," she said, grabbing two small blocks—one pink, the other purple. She opened the pink one like a book, grabbed a lock of Alex's hair, and closed the block tightly around it, running it down the length of the strand. She repeated the process with the purple block on a different lock of hair.
"These are special hair chalks. They're amazing for adding color just for a day!" Amy said enthusiastically.
Alex looked in the mirror in disbelief. Did she really just dye my hair again? he thought. Two brightly colored locks—pink and purple—now framed his face. The whole look was horrifying, almost as bad as the last time she did his hair.
"Don't you look like a gorgeous girl?" she asked with a smile.
Alex remained silent. He didn't want to call himself a girl.
"Well?" she pressed, her tone more serious.
"I look pretty," he muttered.
"Come on, Alex! I didn't put in all this effort just to hear you mumble. Be confident in your speech—you're a gorgeous girl after all," she insisted.
Alex cringed. He hated being called a girl, and he definitely didn't want to be one.
"I look pretty," he repeated, louder this time.
"Fine, that'll have to do," Amy said. "How about we boost your confidence a bit more?"
"What do you mean?" Alex asked warily.
"It seems you don't feel like a real girl yet, so why not help you with that?" Amy suggested.
"No, it's really not necessary," Alex replied quickly, panic rising in his chest. The last thing he wanted was to look even more girly. This was already humiliating enough.
"Oh, you didn't sound so sure. But I got you something anyway. After all, you're working for me today," she said, walking off. When she returned, she held a white blouse and a pink balloon skirt.
"These are your work clothes," she said with a smile.
"Great, but I'm not wearing them. They're not part of my punishment," Alex argued, trying to avoid the outfit.
"Actually, they are part of your punishment. Since it's Saturday, and the punishment involves working, these are your work clothes," Amy said smugly.
Alex was quiet. He had nothing to say to that.
"Unless, of course, you'd rather work in your underwear," she laughed. "Do you?" she teased with a grin.
"No," Alex muttered, taking the clothes.
"Go change, girl," she said.
Alex reluctantly put on the blouse and skirt, then looked in the mirror. He felt even more ridiculous now.
"You look just like me! I love it! We match!" Amy said, bouncing with excitement.
"Come on, it's almost time. One last thing!" Alex braced himself for whatever was coming next.
"I almost forgot your mascara," Amy said, grabbing a tube.
Alex rolled his eyes. He still wasn't used to how makeup was becoming part of his daily routine.
"Alex! Oh my gosh, I just had the best idea! You're gonna love this!" Amy said enthusiastically. She ran off and returned with two more tubes.
"Okay! So, you know how I made a pink and a purple lock in your hair?"
"Yeah?" Alex said nervously.
"Well, nothing screams fashion like matching your lashes! So, I'm going to do your left eye in pink and your right eye in purple!" she announced proudly.
She immediately went to work, applying the colorful mascara to his lashes. When she was done, Alex looked in the mirror again. He thought the hair and outfit were bad, but this new addition made it even worse.
"You're ready! And just in time. Let's go!" Amy said as they both headed out to her salon outside the facility.
The ride felt shorter than Alex expected, but that didn't ease his nerves. When they arrived, Amy opened the door, and Alex walked in, wearing his pink moccasins as part of the work outfit. Inside, three other girls were already there.
"Hello, girls! Meet Alex. She'll be helping us today," Amy introduced him.
The girls waved and said hello, but Alex felt utterly embarrassed. They all stared at him, making him feel even more out of place in his clothes which matched theirs.
"Hi Alex, you'll be at the washing station today," one of the girls said. "By the way, I love your hair. Pigtails look really cute on you."
Another girl chimed in. "Omg, yes! And the mascara totally highlights the pink and purple in your hair. You're such a fashion girl."
Alex didn't want to hear any of it. Forced to say "thank you" as if he liked the compliments, as if he did the make-over voluntarily or worse himself. It all felt like another piece of his masculinity died that day—and the day was only just beginning.
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(It's supposed to have pink and purple lashes instead of eyeshadow, but the image creator could not make it happen)
