“That makes sense.”
“How are you feeling, anyway?”
“Hard pass.” I massage my temples.
“I don’t know how you kept your cool last night. I would’ve been ripping the place up.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“True… Okay!” She claps her hands. “Ready for your new vibe? What are you thinking?”
She leads me over to the full-length mirror and stands behind me, chin resting on my shoulder. I take in the loser reflected back at me and sigh.
“I feel like getting tattoos, dyeing my hair blue, and having my nose pierced.” The words come streaming out of me.
“Right… Let’s start with a decent haircut, okay?” Becca tussles my hair and then looks over her shoulder.
“Carrie! Get up!” Becca shrieks, and I pull a face.
The hangover is still pounding in my eardrums, the image of Kirk and Juliet still floating before my eyes.
“What?” a voice groans from the bed.
“I need your hairdresser skills for my friend Lois here.”
I watch in the mirror as a sheet flutters, and a blond head peeks out from under the covers.
“When was your last cut?” She peers at me, yawning.
“Let’s just say it’s been a while…”
“I’m warning you, I don’t do trims. I’m an all-or-nothing kinda girl.”
“Be my guest,” I say, twirling a lock around my finger.
She heaves herself out of bed and goes into the bathroom, reemerging with a pair of scissors, a comb, and a bowl of water.
“Once she’s done, I’ll tackle your skin,” Becca adds. “It’s gross.”
“I’d throw in a little brow shaping, too,” says Carrie as she leans over my shoulder. “I don’t even want to imagine what’s going on with your bikini line.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“One look at the brows, and I know the lawn ain’t mowed! If you get me.”
“She knows her stuff, she waxes half the vajayjays on campus. You can trust her.”
My eyes dart down to my lower belly, and I scrunch up my nose.
“I guessed as much.” Carrie laughs, dipping her comb in the water. “Don’t worry! One step at a time, okay? Let’s start with this haystack you’ve got going on here.”
Nerves shoot through me as I watch her play with the scissors right near my ear. “Have you done this before?”
“Only about a thousand times.”
She rolls her desk chair over to me, and gets me to sit down. I might not cross myself, but in my head, I’m rattling off every prayer I know.
When I hear the first snip, I stiffen and do my best to ignore the long strand of hair that has just floated to the ground. I dig my nails into the armrests and let my eyes fall shut for a few minutes.
