I grab my phone and give Alex a call. “Hey, are you busy? Do you want to help me do something drastic?”
It’slike my scalp is being prodded with needles as Alex pours cold water over my head. She drags her nails through my hair, making sure the creamy pink dye is all washed out.
Alex says, “Okay, I think the water torture is over.”
I flip my head, deep pink hair wet and flat against my head. A wave of dread should hit me any second now, my gold medal dreams washed down the drain like the hair dye. My head swivels from side to side, noticing the tips of my ears are a bit pinker than usual and there is a pink splotch on my neck.
The longer I look, the less I worry, and the more I remember why I wanted to do this in the first place. Pink is fun. It’s striking, so much more striking than my natural brunette or even the blond. It’s the kind of attention I do want. The sort of statement that tells people I’m flashy, comfortable, and fem. “I look good.”
Alex puts a triumphant hand on her hip.
“Yeah, you do.”
There’s a squeak in the next room. “Yo!” Terrence announces. “You uh… busy?”
I poke my head out from the bathroom. His brows raise.
“What’s with the pink?”
Alex steps out of the bathroom. “He looks good, right?” She ruffles my hair.
“Uh, sure?” He twirls his lanyard around his finger. “Hey, some of the guys were going to come over to pregame, you cool with that?”
It should be easy to tell him no, I have to work on an essay—or say, sure, I’ll go do work at the library. Things between us are still weird with Terrence really only talking to me to ask for stuff: drives to the grocery store or if he can use our dorm room for a hang session. I’ve been going along with it because I miss my friend, but my amenable condition doesn’t seem to be moving him.
Alex crosses her arms. “Can’t you get drunk literally anywhere else?”
“I was asking Rod.”
Her response is like the crack of a whip. “And I’m asking you.”
Terrence ignores her and peaks into the bathroom. “How bad did you fuck up the shower?”
“Didn’t you piss your bed?”
Terrence’s neck turns so fast I’m surprised it doesn’t snap, his face already turning a bright red. “Dude, what the fuck, why’d you tell her that?”
“That was years ago!” I say, hoping that will get them to both knock this off.
“Yeah!” Terrence face isnow the shade of a strawberry. “I got drunk, it's not like I wet the bed or anything.”
Alex titters, a smirk on her lips. “Sure.”
“Would you both stop!” I face Alex, who, while I love her, is the problem. “You don’t have to argue on my behalf.”
“Yeah,” Terrence shrugs. “Rod is the one who was being shady all last semester.”
I snap at Terrence. “Not helping! And giving me the silent treatment then only talking to me when you want something is way more immature than wetting the bed.”
He grimaces. “If we’re talking about being immature, lying is like,soimmature.”
“Wow,” Alex does a little golf clap. “So persuasive.”
“Do you really want to know what was going on last semester?”
“Yes!” Terrence opens his arms. “Yes, dude, I would love it if you could just admit you were lying so we can move on.”
Alex steps to him, shoving a finger into his sternum. “You’re the one who won’t move on. You're prodding him like a cheap tampon.”
