sixteen → jade west

green hair extensions

Jade had had enough. By the end of the first semester, she was exhausted. Exhausted from the constant mockery, the taunts, the jeers. She decided to take back control. No more would she be the punchline of a school-wide joke.

On the morning of the first day back to school after the Christmas break, she found herself sitting in the chair of a 24-hour hair salon, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The stylist, a woman with purple streaks in her hair and a nose ring, looked at Jade critically.

"Your hair could do with a trim," she commented. "You've got quite a few split ends here."

Jade nodded, giving the stylist the go-ahead. She watched as the woman snipped away, her black hair falling to the floor. By the time she was done, her hair was a rich dark brown and cut a little past bra strap length, keeping the layers in it. The stylist then expertly added in the new green extensions, giving Jade's look a fresh and edgy twist.

Her eyebrows, which she had stopped over plucking a few weeks back, had grown back to their normal shape, framing her face nicely. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, the bright lights of the salon illuminating her new look.

She felt like herself again, not the caricature her classmates had made her out to be. With her new look and restored confidence, Jade was ready to start the new semester on her terms. The joke was over, and she was going to make sure everyone knew it.

Walking into Hollywood Arts, Jade's stride was filled with newfound confidence. Heads turned as she passed by. The word spread like wildfire, igniting whispers and pointed fingers throughout the halls.

"Is that...Jade West?"

"No way, she's changed her look!"

"Wow, she looks so different!"

Not everyone took it well, however. A group of students, the same ones who had started the Amy Lee joke, tried to get a rise out of her.

"Hey, Amy Lee, where's your band?" one of them shouted with a smirk.

Jade shot him a glare, her icy blue eyes piercing into his. "Shut the fuck up," she retorted, her voice carrying an air of finality. The boy's grin faltered, and the surrounding students burst into surprised laughter.

Jade smirked as she continued her walk down the hall, the sounds of chattering and laughter following her. The narrative had changed; Jade was no longer the butt of the joke, but the one calling the shots.

As Jade entered the classroom, she caught the eye of her friends. Beck, Cat, Andre, Robbie and even Tori turned to look at her. For a moment, there was complete silence, their surprise apparent in their wide-eyed stares.

"Whoa, Jade," Andre said, the first to break the silence, "you look... different."

"Different good or different bad?" Jade asked, an edge of defensiveness in her voice.

"Different good," Tori quickly assured her, offering a smile. "You look really good, Jade."

Cat, who had been silently examining Jade's new look, nodded enthusiastically. "I love your hair, Jade! The green is so cool!"

Jade allowed a smile at that, her posture relaxing slightly. Robbie just gave her a thumbs up, not trusting himself to say the right thing.

Beck, who had been silent till now, finally spoke up. "You've always been beautiful, Jade," he said softly. His eyes held a sadness that others might not have noticed, but Jade did.

"Yeah, well..." she said, trailing off, not knowing how to respond. Jade looked down, her hand instinctively reaching for her newly cut hair. Beck's comment had touched a raw nerve. He, of all people, knew the insecurities that had led to this change. Jade shook her head slightly, her eyes meeting Beck's. A silent understanding passed between them.

She had changed her appearance, not for others, but for herself. To feel more confident, to regain the control she felt she had lost, to reclaim her self-image from the mockery of her classmates. And her friends, especially Beck, understood that. Even if they didn't agree with the reasons, they supported her in her decision. Because at the end of the day, they cared about Jade, and all they wanted was to see her happy and confident.