Scars Out Of Love

Fresh Reality(4)

I dozed off on the patio and my dad carried me into my bed. I was half awake when he kissed my head and whispered, "Good Night."

The next morning my mom rushed into my room, "Good news, the school accepted your registration early, so you can start today if you want!" I truly didn't want to go, yet at the same time I knew I had to. My excitement from the day before had worn off as I started to realize that there was a high possibility that this school could just be a rerun of the last. "Ok." I had nothing else to say. Since I had fallen asleep outside, I still had an acceptable outfit on, so I decided to just wear that. I brushed my teeth and combed my shoulder length blonde hair, taking a moment to really look at myself in the mirror. I felt disappointment as I saw how truly pathetic I looked, I just looked like someone who would never speak up. I grabbed my wallet and walked out the door, jogging down the steps, and then slowly drifted in the direction of the school. As the school started to come into view, I could also start to see a busy street that had lots of stores and people. I looked back at the school and now I could start to see the kinds of kids that were buzzing around it; All of the girls had mini shorts on with laced t-shirts, most of them depicting a sweet phrases surrounded by flowers. Most of the guys had cutoffs and tanks on. I looked down at what I was wearing, bell bottoms and a purple long sleeve shirt, there was noway I could go there looking like I did, I had to fit in, I had to. I gazed back over at the bustling street, I had money, I could just go pick up clothes, there was nothing stopping me, it was my choice anyways if I wanted to start today, and I really didn't. I turned towards the street and picked up my gait.

The street was insanely busy with high school students getting coffee and food before their classes. I paced in front of a clothes shop, waiting for it to be less busy. It cleared out when a bell rang in the distance, signaling the start of school. As all the people walked out if the shop one by one, my confidence rose, allowing me to go in and browse the clothes. Everything was insanely expensive, yet that didn't phase me; I had managed to save up around $1,500 dollars from chores over the past few years, I just never had any reason to buy anything, I never even wanted a phone. I grabbed several shirts and a few pairs of shorts and made my way to the dressing room. I tried them all on in different combinations and decided to get most of them, the grand total was $340. I walked out of the store and contemplated what to do next. I decided I needed new hair to go with my new style. I walked into a hair salon that had neon decals in the windows. A lady sat behind that desk, "What do you want?"

I spoke up timidly, "I want a haircut."

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

I looked at her annoyed, "Do you really care?"

She grunted and stood up, walking through a arch in the wall and coming back with a fluffy haired guy. He looked towards me then motioned towards a seat. I strolled over and slid into the chair.

"What do you want done today?"

I honestly didn't know, I looked around the shop looking for styles. My eyes locked onto a picture of a Vogue model with short, spiked hair.

"Uh, I want that cut." I said pointing to the image on the wall. He agreed and turned the chair around and leaned it backwards so my hair fell into the sink an began shampooing. After he was done drying, he played with my hair and nodded. Shuffling through his tools, he grabbed a pair of silver scissors and lines them up near the top of my ears. My heart beat faster as the scissors cut sharply into my hair with a swift snip. The lock of pale hair fell slowly to the floor.

"So what brings you in today?"

"I uh..." I contemplated whether or not to tell him, "I'm starting at the high school tomorrow and I thought I should get a new look." I left out the fact that as my hai fell, so did all the awful memories of Tennessee. He smiled and continued slicing at my hair. By the time he got out his razor, I was struggling to stay awake. The buzzing sound relaxed me, causing me to fall asleep. I woke up when he shook my shoulder, "Do you like it?" I looked at the mirror and saw a girl with a pixie cut staring back, it held my gaze for a moment before I responded, "Yes."

"Any color or highlights?"

I contemplated and decided that what the hell, "Sure, I want uh green tips."

He walked across the salon and came back with a cup of dark green dye. He applied it to the ends of my freshly cut hair and then wrapped them in tinfoil. He walked away and went to talk to the lady at the desk. As I waiting for the green to set in, the quiet background music flowed around me, lifting my mood once again. I grinned to myself and looked out the partially decorated window. Outside I saw a girl with short, black hair jetting up, quite obviously with the help of gel. She looked high school age and I questioned why she wasn't in school. On her back there was a gray bag that she slung off her shoulder and rummaged through, pulling out a penny board. She tossed it on the ground and then looked up, locking gazes with mine through the window. I felt immediate chills as she stepped on her board and pushed off, gliding down the road and out of view. The stylist walked back over and removed the malleable metal off my head. He washed my hair again then turned me towards the mirror, "Is it to your liking?" I was shocked by the drastic change to my appearance. I grinned and thanked him as I headed towards the front desk. "That'll be $80 dollars." The woman spoke in an annoyed tone. I handed her my money and walked out, the little bell in the door signaling my departure. I stopped at a few more stores and started towards my home with a haul of stuff including a new phone and some sunglasses. As I started towards home, someone flew past me and took a quick right, crossing the street and heading towards what looked like a grungy skate park. In their hand they were carrying a familiar looking board, a penny board. It was the black haired girl. She had a strange sense surrounding her, one that made me equally terrified of her and deeply intrigued.