Huey Freeman's Guide to Dating

Chapter Three: Make It, Don't Fake It

Step Three:
When you look good, you feel good. 
Don't go back because you feel better. 
And whatever you do, do NOT date anyone yet.

Brandy had been pressing her for years, begging her to take some length off her hair.

Before, Jazmine had always turned her down, asking for a wash and go or a silk press, instead.

"Girl, I can't wait til' you stop running scared!" Brandy would suck her teeth when Jazmine refused.

As part of the act, Brandy would place her hands on the shampoo bowl, tap her red nails on the edge, and grab what she needed before getting right to work.

Jazmine always laughed, relishing in the feel of the woman's hands raking through her hair. "I'm not scared, Brandy! You'll see! One day, I'll come in here and do something different!"

It was a fun lie to tell, a force of habit, if you will.

Because the truth was, she was terrified to switch things up. Vince never wanted her to change her hair. He'd been insistent, saying he liked her the way she was, and since he'd met her with long, waist-length hair, Jazmine always worried they wouldn't last if she switched things up.

It wasn't like he'd said he would leave her if something was different about her, but Jazmine had noticed how distant he got whenever something was out of the ordinary with her look. He'd touch her less, be more abrupt, and act disinterested until the rest of the school got on board, which annoyed her a lot less than it probably should have.

After all, Jazmine could relate to hating change.

Her stylist, for example, had opened a new location in the mall, and just looking at the new lime green walls made her uneasy. There were people walking past, doing their daily shopping as they glanced inside with curious eyes, as if she were on display for a moment, like a show pony.

She shook her initial jitters away, choosing to admire the calming stone waterfall near the back of the salon. She wasn't old enough to enjoy the alcoholic beverages at the bar, but her stylist had been nice enough to make her a mocktail that didn't taste too shabby.

After browsing through several photos on Pinterest, she'd finally found the perfect photo to give Brandy an idea of what she wanted, a voluminous, bra strap length cut with face-framing layers and copper highlights.

"Thanks for squeezing me in." Her shoulders were noticeably tense in Brandy's chair. "I'm ready to cut it off this time."

Brandy smiled down at her, nodding.

"A woman who changes her hair is ready to change her life." Brandy ran her fingers through Jazmine's blow-dried hair, staring at her in the mirror. "I know I've been pushing you to do this for a while, but once I grab those shears, there's no turning back. Are you sure you're ready to do this, Jazmine?"

The thought of cutting it troubled her much more than it should have, and something about that bothered her. Her waist length hair had become a security blanket for her, something that was holding her down. She needed to do this. No matter how much it scared her.

"Grab the scissors, Brandy." The strength in Jazmine's voice amazed her. She refused to back out, now. "Let's do this."
....................................

Lori Jones hadn't meant to turn Huey into a dumbass; her extreme attractiveness just had that effect on him.

It had been a long time since he'd been this excited for a date, and with the soft, romantic ambiance of the restaurant, paired with the scent of her amber-vanilla perfume, plus, the soft chatter of the other diners in the background, he was on cloud-nine.