Chapter 10

Jealousy

Of course, I had to include Poppy in this. She may only appear in one chapter, but I hope it was enough! I do love writing makeovers of any sort.

Yay! Finally a chapter that targets Briar and Ashlynn's true friendship. I love those two!

Cupid arrived at Poppy's Hair Tower in the afternoon. The busy shop was full of assistants, customers, and people rushing around with trays of hair curlers, dye, shampoo, and hairbrushes. The atmosphere was lively and happy, with pop music playing from speakers.

She strode up to the reception. "I'd like to see Miss Poppy O'Hair, please," she announced. The assistant nodded and disappeared among the shops. A few minutes later, a familiar face came into view, as well as a head of ginger and purple hair. Poppy stepped up to Cupid.

"Good to see you, C.A," she greeted, crossing her arms. "How can I help you?"

Cupid decided to play the innocent, nice girl. Poppy was soft-hearted and would fall for that.

"Well, Poppy, I've got my eye on someone, and I want to fancy myself up a bit," she began, twirling some pink hair around one finger. "I want to look refreshed and a little badass."

Poppy brightened up immediately. "Well, why didn't you say so?" she cried. "Frieda! Go set up my private salon. Jo and Becca, get all my equipment. Yes, all of it. Samantha and Kahla, you're helping me."

Cupid followed Poppy as they weaved through the customers. Poppy led her into a small and secluded room with mirrors lining all four walls, a hair dryer, and a single plushy chair.

Cupid sat down and Poppy started examining her hair. "Hmm. So what look are you exactly looking for?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," she answered. "Something trendy and darker. I want to add some purple and black. I'm sure you'll think of something." She smiled sweetly, and Poppy nodded. And then, as her equipment arrved, she took out a straightener and some scissors, and, wielding them jauntily, set to work.

—

Ashlynn sat on Briar's velvet armchair and watched her friend change. She wasn't about to be left alone for a second. Luckily, Briar didn't mind. Ashlynn was dressed in a cute spaghetti-strap teal summer dress lined with coral beads. She had put on Hunter's green hoodie as well, to feel more stable. She watched as Briar pulled on a flowery skirt and plain white t-shirt and belted it with a black sash.

"So, Hunter called me last night," Briar said. Ashlynn immediately perked up. "Really? Will he be coming back soon?"

Briar paused. "Well, he's very healthy and so are all the animals he's helping. But I don't think he'll be back until Wednesday."

Ashlynn's hope dropped right down. She deflated slightly. Briar went over and gave her a hug. "It will be alright, okay? Hunter will always be here for you, and he'll be back before you know it."

Ashlynn gave a weak smile and nodded. The two walked out of Briar's room and into their kitchen. Ashlynn started to make milkless porridge with blueberries. She always made it for Hunter, and she was stuck in the pattern now. Briar made herself some rose tea and toast. The two sat there, eating their respective food.

"So," Briar began after another sip of her tea. "I was thinking, do you just want to do some girly stuff today?"

Ashlynn would rather go woodchopping like Hunter did, but she pushed it out of her mind. And a day with Briar always turned out to be really great.

"Sure," she answered quietly as she rinsed her bowl in the sink.

"So I was thinking we could go shopping first at Faerie Mall, and then we could swing by Poppy's to get our hair and nails done," Briar explained as Ashlynn listened patiently. "Then we'll go to the haberdashery, and then the rose gardens and get some coffee, and then we'll come back and watch some movies. What do you think?"

Ashlynn admitted that it sounded really fun. After they had made their beds, brushed her hair and their teeth, Briar and Ashlynn headed downstairs again.

"Wait," Ashlynn said as Briar opened the front door. She ran upstairs and took off Hunter's hoodie. She put on a cream shawl and headed back.

As long she had Briar, she'd be okay without Hunter.

—

Cerise smiled as she looked at her hands. Then she started laughing.

Dexter and Reece turned to her, surprised. They stared as she started laughing even harder. When her giggles had died down, Dter asked why she was laughing.

"Oh, I just thought about that time when Raven and I were playing on her Samsung's Bixby. It's like Siri, but you can tell your Bixby what to say. So we changed it to this man's voice and made it say-" Cerise cleared her throat and continued in a deep man's voice. "I'm a smexy smexy beast and you should go eat your mum!"

Reece started laughing as well, and Dexter too.

"I miss her already," Cerise said, eyes shining. "But we still have hope."

"I remember the time where I had this backup plan for our first date," Dexter smiled. "I brought along a box of Kisses and I would ask her 'want a kiss?' And if she was all grossed out and stuff, I'd pull out the box of Kisses.

Cerise laughed. "That is a good backup plan," she agreed. "So did she kiss you?"

"Yeah," Dexter answered dreamily.

"Loverboy…" Reece teased. The three laughed.

As Cerise watched Reece, she wondered how she never noticed how nice his laugh sounded.

—

"Oh, this one would look good, right?" Briar asked. She showed the dress to Ashlynn. It was a black sleeveless with a flouncy tulle skirt and a white sash. Ashlynn, who was looking through some clothes, only nodded. She took out a baby blue bateau-necklined dress with an a-line skirt and faux diamonds scattered across the bodice.

"Gorgeous!" Briar squealed. She handed Ashlynn another dress. This one was a white bodice and a coral skirt, trimmed in lace. Ashlynn smiled. "Let's go try them on," she suggested.

The two girls descended into the dressing room. First Ashlynn tried on her coral-skirted dress and gave it an experimental twirl. She stepped out to see Briar in her black strapless.

"Ashlynn, you look so beautiful," Briar praised. Ashlynn told Briar she looked just as nice. "But it seems too…"

"Black swan?" Briar suggested. Ashlynn nodded. Briar paused and thought. "I think I have another one."

The two returned to their dressing rooms. Ashlynn tried on her baby-blue dress. It fit perfectly. She looked at herself in front of the mirror and gave a radiant smile. She really did look beautiful.

She came out of the dressing room and waited patiently for Briar to come out. And when she did, she looked amazing.

Briar was decked out in a sweetheart-necklined black wrap dress. There was a chain of fabric roses that wrapped around one shoulder, with tiny leaves peeking out and a black translucent elbow-length sleeve. She had pulled her hair onto the other shoulder. She looked absolutely stunning.

Ashlynn's look must've said it all. Briar sassily flicked her hair and struck and ridiculous pose, making Ashlynn laugh. Then Bruar went back to her changeroom and re-emerged in a pretty spaghetti-strap dress that reached to her knees. It was a metallic pink and was cinched at the waist. Ashlynn smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

They changed back to their normal clothes and paid at the counter.

"Now let's go back down Memory Lane!" Briar announced. Ashlynn raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Briar smiled and pulled out a $200 giftcard for Glass Slipper Shoe Store.

Ashlynn only responded by staring for two minutes before dragging Briar towards the shoe shop as the brunette laughed.

They entered inside and were both pleasantly surprised to see that most of the shoes were on Clearance Sale. Ashlynn immediately picked up a pair of black peep-toe stilettos with a strap around the ankle that was decorated by a large pink rose. She handed it to Briar, who quickly tried it on. Ashlynn wasn't sure how Briar did some crazy happy dance in such tottery shoes, but she did.

Next, Ashlynn selected a pair of white strappy wedged sandals for herself with tiny fake diamontes along the side of the sole. She also found coral kitten heels and cream slip-ons with tiny bows.

Briar bought a pair of hot-pink pumps, brown ankle boots, and silver stilettoed gladiator sandals. They paid quickly and made their way to the tea shoppe and haberdashery, where they ordered rose-tea with milk for Briar and some herbal tea for Ashlynn, as well as a plate of delicious pastries.

Next, Briar found a photo booth. The first photo was normal one of them smiling. The second was one of Briar pretending to strangle Ashlynn while she fake-screamed. The last was a funny faced one, with Ashlynn sticking oht her tongue and going cross-eyed, and Briar scrunching up her face like she was in excrutiating pain.

They couldn't stop laughing, though, so the last one was even worse then they had intended.

—

The ginger hairdresser had dyed, cut, washed, curled, and straightened Cupid's hair into oblivion.

Poppy spun Cupid around so she could see herself in the mirror. Cupid was gobsmacked. Poppy had dyed her hair a dark mauve, streaked with black and purple. She had straightened the waist-length strands and snipped her fringe to the side, making her look radiantly stylish and badass.

Cupid's lips were now coated in purple gloss. Her eyeshadow was a silvery-lavender. Poppy had darkened her eyebrows and painted her nails to match her eyeshadow. Cupid paid Poppy and added a tip, before heading out. She felt different.

Cupid froze as she saw Ashlynn and Briar. Poppy led Ashlynn to a room while Briar was fixing her hair. The brunette turned and stared at Cupid.

"Do I know you?" she asked. Cupid shook her head.

"Looking badass," Briar winked, before following Ash and Poppy back. Cupid smiled to herself. Briar, the queen of fashion, had complimented her. That meant Dexter would be amazed.

She entered a small shop and asked for whatever clothes went well with her hair. The shop assistant showed her plenty of shirts, shorts, dresses and tops. She bought the lot, alomg with some shoes.

When she came back to her house, Cupid braided her hair and slipped on some clothing - a tight tank top that was purple with dark pink straps, and a pair of black shorts that showed off her long legs. She put on some silver stilettos, purple bangles, and a nightingale necklace. She re-applied a layer of thick glossy lipstick and then left for White Rabbit Hospital, smiling almost maliciously.

—

Briar was having her highlights dyed black and white except for two, and then the top of her hair would be straightened, so it be be half-straight half-curly. Ashlynn just wanted to refresh her strawberry-blonde tendrils, but decided to get a teal highlight. Poppy straightened her hair and braided two small braids on either side, and then joined them up behind Ashlynn's head.

The three chatted endlessly about fashion, hair, and shoes. Briar had her nails done black with white patterns. Polka dots for her thumbs, zigzags for her pointers, zebra stripes for her ring fingers, and a single love heart for her pinkies. Her middle finger would be hot pink. Ashlynn was getting a glittery teal-coral ombre on each fingernail except for her left ring finger, which was painted rose-gold with a costume gem of aquamarine to match her wedding ring.

Ashlynn felt happy. She didn't need to lean on Hunter so heavily now, not when she was here. With her best friends.

—

Hunter smiled. The day's work was done. He returned to his cabin and pulled out his phone, smiling when he saw pictures from Ashlynn. It was of her hair and nails, with Briar and Poppy. Her text read:

Miss u sweetie XXX but i feel so happy

He texted back:

I'm so glad u feel happy i'll be back in a couple of days

Ashlynn:

I'll be waiting

Yay! Hope you guys enjoyed! I thought it would be nice to see some true friendship between Ashlynn and Briar, and I love describing makeovers.

So, you think the problem's resolved? NOPE!

There's still Cupid's scheme, Raven's operation, and Briar's still considering divorce. And there's more problems to come! If you haven't, please vote in my poll.

Thanks!

Reade :D