The Good Hair Family Sitcom

S2 E13.3: The E in Hazel

Brayden's POV

"Wonderful!" shouts the drama teacher at the actors on stage. "And spotlight!"

I flip the switch, making light flood down on the girl in the middle in a single beam. As she begins her monologue, I glance back at Deion who remains enticed by his phone. When the actress finishes speaking, I turn the spotlight off, and the teacher tells everyone to take five. Feeling the silence caving in, my instinct to end it ignites.

"My friends don't think I should be friends with you,"I state.

"They're probably right," Deion mumbles.

I spin around in my seat, asking, "Why is that?"

"Because I'm just a jerk who's gonna put you down all the time." He sounds angry but in a melancholy way.

"Recognizing the mistake is the first step to changing it."

Deion's eyes remain downward as he says, "I can't change. I'm a bully. Always have been. Always will be. Just some screw-up who gets detention all the time."

"Interesting, because I don't think many screw-ups go home and do puppet shows for their little brother because he can't go to sleep without one."

He still doesn't look up, but his eyes are motionless. He's listening, pondering.

"I don't think screw-ups will help do every chore for their mom to make life just a bit easier for her."

"Yeah, well," he mutters, "this screw-up does."

Up until now, I never realized just how deep Deion was cut. I don't know what from, and I don't think I could ever understand it entirely. That's probably why I speak in metaphors a lot: because it gets close to describing the indescribable, so I never have to actually explain what I can't comprehend.

"You don't have to give me a reason why you acted the way you did," I tell him. "Whatever it is, it's yours to know, not mine."

When he still doesn't speak, I take that as my cue to turn back to the controls and give up.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Deion suddenly says.

I smile to myself. Deion's not beyond emotions. He just feels them too hard. But he's sorry. That makes me a lot more relieved to know.

"So this button starts the music," I begin as I point to the controls, and Deion rolls his chair back in to listen, giving me a smile.

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Andi's POV

After some problem-solving and reviewing of the instructions, Hazel finally managed to get the estrogen in the needle.

"Okay," she says, holding the tool up. "All I have to do is put this in my leg."

She's doing surprisingly well at controlling her hand, although her nerves are trying to make it shake. For another moment, she stares at the sharp tip of the needle, preparing herself.

"Do you want us to do it?" Amber asks.

Hazel shakes her head. "No. I'm independent and capable. I can do this." She closes her eyes to calm herself, but then she opens them again, saying in a shaky tone, "Ahhh. Why is this so terrifying?"

"It's normal to be scared," Amber replies. "Most people don't give themselves needles."

"There's a whole group of angsty kids at Grant who give themselves needles all the time," Hazel says. "If they can do it, I can do it."