“Riley,” August whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Riley?” Someone shouts my name from above. “Riley, are you okay?”
Shit. August and I pull away from each other, and I swim back to see who’s calling out. Everyone stands at the top of the cliff, their voices echoing down toward us.
“Yeah, I’m good! We were just—” I look at August, still staring at me, then back up as the sun blinds me. “Swimming.”
“Oh. Okay.” She doesn’t sound convinced. “Well, Hailey and I are going to get going to the spa. Are you coming?”
I look at August again, still swimming in the same spot. “We can get going. How are your arms?” He gestures his head toward them.
“A little tired, still. But manageable to get to shore.”
He turns away from me. “Get on my back.”
When I look back up at the cliff, noone’s there anymore. I swim over to August and wrap my legs around him once again, with my breasts pressed against his back.
“Thanks,” I whisper as he takes us back to shore.
TWELVE
RILEY
My legs are wobbly, and my body feels like it’s floating after getting the detox massage the spa offers.
The masseuse exfoliated my skin from head to toe, then applied a mud wrap, and did a lymphatic massage. Not once did I know a lymphatic massage was a thing you could get, but I’m a huge fan now.
After feeling reborn, the girls and I hit up the salon, and I’m taking full advantage of this opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do since I was sixteen.
I sit down in the chair, stare in the mirror as they wrap the salon cape around my neck—which humbles me—and know that this is the moment to start over.
No one was around to yap in my ear about how this would be a bad idea. And by ‘no one’ I mean Mom. It’s time to shake things up.
This isnotan existential crisis.
I think the resort is speaking to me. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been stressed because of everything going on right now. The good, the bad, the ugly. But I know that Ineed a change, and the biggest change I can make is with my hair.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had long hair. I wouldn’t be shocked if I found out Mom put a blonde wig on me until my hair started to grow. The way she treats my hair is the same way Mother Gothel treats Rapunzel's hair.
Like if I cut it, she’ll wither away into dust.
The girls got a hair wash and blowout since we’re celebrating Rowan’s birthday tonight, and I didn’t mention anything about cutting my hair. I didn’t say anything to anyone.
That’s because the decision was made when I sat my butt on the chair.
I enter the spa’s lobby, and the conversation stops.
“Oh… my God,” Addie says.
Ellie lets out an excited gasp while clapping her hands in a fast motion. “Holy crap, you look amazing!”
“Shit, Ry.” Hailey folds her arms across her chest. “I think this is the boldest decision you’ve made.”
I can’t believe it myself. They cut five inches from my hair—which is a lot for me—and it feels so much lighter. It’s like I’ve left the tired, overwhelmed Riley behind and a new version of me has stepped in to take over.
I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with my hair besides cut it. The stylist waited for my answer until I told her to do what she thought would be good for me. That was the first time I’ve met that woman, and I put my life in her hands.
