Endless (Reckless #2)

Endless - Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Adelaide - March

Walking down the hall, I bypass my father.

“Good morning, Adelaide,” he says, a light smile on his face.

Ever since I forgave him, my father has been ten times happier - I never see him without a smile gracing his lips. The tension between us is gone; happiness has finally come to stay. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Hi Dad.”

“Where are you headed?” he asks.

I pick a lock of my blonde hair and run it through my fingers. “I’m going to get my hair trimmed.”

It’s been nearly two months since my last cut, and my hair has grown past my collar bones. For some reason, I can’t stand the idea of it being long. I loved the short hair.

My father frowns, “Didn’t you just get it cut?”

“Yes… but I want it short again,” I say, meeting his eyes.

“But… your hair…” his eyes start to cloud over and I know what he’s thinking. His eyes only ever cloud like that when he thinks about her.

When my mother was alive, she had the same long blonde hair as me - or rather, the hair I used to have. She never dared to cut it - only a short trim every now and then. Her hair was a feature that everyone loved - especially my father.

And when I still had that long hair, it was a way to keep my mother’s memory alive.

“... Was like hers,” I finish for him. “I know, Dad.”

He looks at me sadly and sighs, “It’s your hair, Adelaide. You can do whatever you want with it.”

A cloud looms over us. So much for no more tension.

My father gives one last look before he continues down the hall. His pace is slow - almost lethargy and melancholy. I let out a breath before I turn around.

“You know, Dad,” I start, and he stops walking. “It’s okay to miss her.”

When he doesn’t say anything else, I turn back and walk towards the front door. Just as I am about to open it, my father starts to say something. He calls out my name and I turn back around, waiting for whatever he has to say.

Looking right into my eyes, he says, “I miss her all the time.”

All I can do is nod. And then I rush out the door.

***

Opening the door, I wait for the aerosol fumes to hit me.

And they do.

I manage not to choke this time and actually walk up to the front desk, unlike like time. Last time, I simply stood at the front door like an idiot. I remember feeling so lost and confused. That moment feels like it’s been years, when in reality, it has only been a few months.

“May I help you?” asks the woman at the front desk.

With her asymmetrical blue bob, I can’t help but feel pressured. “Uh… yes, I have an appointment with-”

“It’s Adelaide, right?”

Looking up, a head of fuchsia pink hair slips into my line of vision.

“Cassie,” I say with a sigh of relief.

When I scheduled the hair appointment last week, I was sure that I requested Cassie. But at the same time, the fear of not having her - the only hairstylist I really trusted - kept plaguing my mind.