how are you?
27th of June, ABC
Today I came to lawn bowls as a changed woman.
Not changed as in I found inner peace at the highest point of Mount Kosciuszko and I see the world in a completely different light.
But changed, as in my hair kind of looks different.
There is a long and convoluted story that led up to this current moment.
You see, on friday last week Alice came up to me in complete disarray. Her pixie cut looked like a bird had started raising their spawn in it, her usually crisp cateye was drooping and her shoulders were caved in like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Obviously, something was wrong.
Before I got a chance to question her, she began to ramble through her tears.
"JASPIE HAS TO GO ON A HOLIDAY AND HE WON'T HAVE ANY WIFI RECEPTION WHEN HE'S THERE."
I looked at her sad, defeated face as she let out a wail and crumbled into my arms.
"I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO HIM!"
She smudged her completely liquified makeup onto my white school uniform polo and grasped onto me desperately as a waterfall erupted from her eyes.
"How long is he gone for?" I asked.
"THREE DAYS!"
I patted her head in an attempt to try and console her.
I secretly celebrated Alice's short separation from Jasper, it meant I could maybe start talking to my best friend again.
But in the meantime, I had to somehow gather up the sad puddle of Alice that was clutching onto my neck like I was her life support. And the least agonising way I knew to cheer her up was retail therapy.
"Do you want to go somewhere on the weekend? Maybe shop-"
"I NEED TO DYE YOUR HAIR BELLA!"
Alice straightened up slightly and held my face in her hands. I looked back at her with complete and utter fear.
"Canipleasedyeyourhairbellabecauseicantdoitonmyselfanditwillmakemefeelsomuchbetter"
She looked at me like a puppy that had just been abandoned on the side of the road, pleading for me to rescue her.
I knew that I either accepted her plea or be tortured by alice's deep depression for the next three days. I had no choice but to admit defeat.
With great reluctance, I nodded my head in agreement.
"YAY! I'll see you at my house on saturday!"
She then frolicked away, beaming with glee, leaving me completely terrified of what I would have to endure the next day.
Saturday then came and I found myself in Alice's ensuite wearing a showercap that was protecting my marinating hair. As Alice was fetching herself a refreshment, her mum Esme walked past the doorway and looked at me in sympathy.
At least someone understands.
Alice then, rinsed, washed, conditioned and dried the mop on my head, making me wear a blindfold throughout the whole ordeal. She said that she wanted the final product to be a surprise.
Finally, Alice deemed my hair perfect and positioned me in front of a mirror.
"Ta da!" she exclaimed while yanking my blindfold off.
I looked at my reflection in… confusion. Not disgust, not shock, not anger. Almost… bewilderment.
Because my hair didn't look that bad.
I had completely expected Alice to project all her hair fantasies onto me and make me look like Lil Pump on acid. But instead, I was pleasantly surprised. My hair was now a dark purple or marone, not much further from my original shit brown.
I looked over to Alice with wide eyes and my mouth hanging open.
She looked at me, waiting for my disappointment, "Do you like it?"
"Alice, holy shit, I like it." It was true, I actually liked that my hair was no longer the colour of human discard.
She then erupted into a jumping ball of complete bliss, clapping and screaming and hugging me.
This brings us back to the present, Monday mandated misery. I sit on my beloved bench with new-ish hair and an ever so slightly inflated self image.
Because I'm a completely self absorbed teenage girl, the only thing I've been thinking about all day is the general public's reception of my hair.
Everywhere that I walk I look at people and wonder what judgement they're making on my new look.
Despite my fantasies, nobody gives a shit about what I look like. And I'm not saying that in a "feel sorry for me no one notices me" kind of way, but in a "people have better things to do than criticise a random 17 year old girl" way.
I mean, Eric noticed that I looked slightly different.
During the walk over he expressed his recognition or… appreciation by stroking my head like I was a cat.
Any publicity is good publicity.
Although, there is… a certain someone that I wouldn't mind hearing some approval from.
That certain someone is also so conveniently sharing his earbuds with me right now.
Ever since my musical analysis those weeks ago, it's become a bit of an unspoken rule that Edward gives me his right earbud to listen to.
It's definitely been an informative experience, I've been psychoanalysing every song that he's played so far.
So far I've gathered that he's a male manipulator, just like I predicted the first time. Yes listening to Radiohead is a massive red flag, but blow out is a good song.
There are still a few other tracks that leave me scrambling for more information, but this adds to his mystique so I don't mind.
Though, I do notice that Edward is an avid Mazzy Star listener, playing their songs multiple times throughout the afternoons. A small part of me likes to think that he's playing them because of me, but that's probably my self-involved teenage brain taking over again.
Edward's comfortable 'routine' has managed to get me to look forward to Monday mandated misery.
His stupid pretty hair and annoying dazzling eyes have manipulated me into being slightly grateful for Mrs Haine's child abuse.
I even manage to ignore Abe's indecent "repositionings" because pretty boy makes it all worthwhile.
I'm pulled out of my reverie by a gentle tap on my right shoulder. I turn my head to the motion and find Edward looking to talk to me.
"I like your hair." He says while pulling a strand out and watching the colour alter in the sunlight.
"I like yours." I reply, watching him fiddle with the strand and scoot slightly closer on the bench.
He casts a crooked grin at me and I think I lose consciousness for a second.
notes: i am going to formally apologise for those last two chapters, they were a bloodbath. i hope that this one makes up for them.
thankyou for reviewing, every single one seriously makes my day c:
thankyou for reading c:
