Chapter 4
1130 Words
Chapter Four
I stood up straight, now acutely aware of how tangled my hair must be, how the clothes I slept in must be so rumpled, how my eyes must look bloodshot.
"Jesus, Jane, you look like a racoon."
I huffed as he pushed his way into the room. He was right, of course, I did but he just yanked me from sleep. How else was I supposed to look? I was pretty sure he didn't wake up that perfect.
What time was it anyway?
Yet, I bounced on my feet. The room must be from one of his nightmares. Darrex was a neat freak. I picked up a pillow I must have kicked down in my sleep.
My things were messily piled on one side of the room because I hadn't had time to unpack. He stood in front of the pile, twin looks of resignation as though he expected it of me and superiority that it could never be him. It made me decide that as soon as I came home, I'd tidy it up.
He moved to the study table at the other end of the room where I was standing, trying to tidy up the papers. He picked up a piece, looked at it and said, "wrong."
"What?"
He ducked into the bathroom, not answering my question. Was one thing wrong? Some? All?
At least he wouldn't have anything to turn his nose up to in there. It was clean, I'd met it and I'd kept it that way.
He didn't look at me as he walked out. But he did throw a remark over his shoulder. "You should really clean this room. And maybe wash that hair sometime soon."
I stood for a moment offended until I began to be angry. Maybe I would claw all the head off his head and see how he gets his hair to frame his face then!
I just got here! Like literally just got here. And even more recently, I had just woken up.
Besides, it's not like I was planning on turning the room into a swamp. I was going to clean, I wasn't a slob. I might not have been as good as he was but I still did a good job. . . I think.
I forced myself to sit, and breathe.. I wouldn't let Darrex get to me. The time he spent being so obsessively neat and telling people how dirty they are could be spent on other things like a hobby or happiness.
I giggled. I had school to go and I wouldn't let Darrex occupy any more of my mind. I had a test after all.
I picked up my phone on the way to the bathroom. The time made me want to go ask him what the hell was wrong with him. The heathen, it was 5:30!
I would not let him get to me. Besides, I was kidding myself if I thought I could sleep and be up in twenty minutes and now I could enjoy a refreshing soak and really take my time getting ready. So, thanks we're in order even.
I stepped out of the bathroom an hour later, with a towel wrapped around my body and another one around my hair. I decided I would just scroll on my phone for a bit. After what felt like an hour but was actually a whole one, I sprung up to get dressed.
I hurried to the mirror, plugged in my hair straightener and yanked the towel off my hair and immediately leaned down to get my heat protectant.
I paused. What the f**k was that?
A bright lock of hair fell into my vision. Over my left shoulder. I looked at it as if it was an alien. Because it must be, I had black hair.
I straightened, looking at my surprised face in the mirror. Then I screamed.
My hair was at least three shades of blonde with little patches of black. It had no pattern and the strands lay limp against my head.
My mom came up the stairs a few minutes later, bursting into the room as if it was on fire. I guess, with that scream, I implied it was.
She found me exactly as I had been, staring at my reflection. She stopped short when she saw me, staring horrified at my reflection too.
"Oh honey! What happened?" She whispered, gently picking up a strand of hair.
"I don't know, mom. I didn't use anything different," I said after trying to swallow the weight in my throat.
"So what happened?"
"I don't know, mom!" I yelled. "And I have a test today. I can't be seen looking like this. But I can't miss the test, mom!"
I began to panic and pace. I put my hands in my hair to cradle my head, which suddenly seemed so damn heavy.
But when I took my hand out of the mass of hair and a whole bunch of strands came off my scalp, I made a sound I'd only ever heard from an injured dog.
My mom turned to see my multi-coloured hair in my palm. I was holding my hair in my hands!
"Hey, hey, it's ok. After you test, I'll take you to the salon. They'll fix it, I promise."
If I could miss the test, I would. First I didn't know if hair counted as an emergency so I didn't know if I'd be given a make up test. And I wasn't smart enough to be missing tests. I was almost failing, something Mom didn't know.
"Ok." I said, swallowing my tears. It was just hair. People wouldn't even notice. But just in case, I'd wear a hat.
And they didn't. At least not until lunch time.
Even though it was irrational and I knew people didn't have x-ray vision, I still didn't want to eat in the cafeteria.
So I got my food and walked out, almost bumping into Darrex. Why wasn't he in there? Everybody else was.
I really didn't care either way. I was about to side step him and go eat in peace when he yanked off my hat and my hair fell around me.
What was he doing?! I didn't get a word out before he grabbed the tray out of my hands.
Then he pushed me.
Darrex had done this. Somehow he had caused this. That was the only way he would have known about my hair.
I fell through the doors and landed on my ass. There was a moment of silence, because a whole person had just fallen through the doors, but they quickly got over that. Then the laughter, pointing and pictures began.
And they didn't stop for the rest of the day.
- Writer
