Getting It Straight

Chapter 3

Unreal.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, it hit me I now had, without a doubt, a shoulder length hair. It was in the shade of black, like those of ravens.

I kind of liked the color. But this was the first time, in almost a decade, that I had a hair this short. Long, flowing auburn hair had always been my signature look.

"Do you like it?" Megan, the hairstylist, asked.

I took a deep breath. "Maybe?"

"Is this the style you're aiming for?" she asked again.

No, it wasn't, but I didn't want to tell her that. I didn't want to admit it to myself, either. "Is it manly enough?"

"Honestly, I don't think it is. You look cute in a bob. If you want to look like a boy, this won't do," Megan replied.

I sighed.

Yeah, I looked cute. That was the last impression I wanted to have right now. I didn't want an ensemble of guy radars to pick up the fact that I was one cute human being who could be a girl.

"Really?" I was holding on to that slight chance of suddenly looking manly out of nowhere. This style wouldn't force me to wear a wig after busting Finn's newly found fake identity.

I would recognize Finn in just a matter of days, or a week or two at the most. I only needed to be given the proper exposure, leading me to point no. 1, which was me proposing that I should transfer there for a short while. How many times had I repeated those magic words to my dad before he had given me his permission?

Thousands.

Short while. It would only be for a short while. I'd recognize Finn and say, 'Gotcha!' After that, I'd go back to my old school and make some last-minute transfer. I would act like nothing happened. It would solve all our problems. Finn wouldn't be able to make any more alterations to his documents, or even his looks, to hide himself again. We would talk it out, sort it over. End of the day, we'd all be happy.

Simple.

"Shall we go on?" I felt like crying.

"It's up to you, hon," Megan answered, unsure. She was probably wondering what I was thinking. And yes, she wasn't the only one.

One Sunday afternoon, a girl, who was wearing a cutesy skirt and a red tank top, had pushed the door of the salon open and asked for her long hair to be cut. When the hair stylist asked what style, the girl showed her a picture of the newest male star making a buzz in show business, one with hair trimmed on sides with only the top portion keeping some length.

Nobody in the entire hair salon could say anything for a while.

I couldn't help it.

If I ever wanted to look like a boy, I'd go for some looks that I'd somewhat, though hard, enjoy, too. Lucas Hughes' latest haircut had to be the one, even if I had to be miserable after.

"Okay, let's do it," I said, holding my breath as I stared at the clippers. I should pull this stunt flawlessly, or I'd risk my father's position as headmaster of Corner Stone High School and lose Finn altogether. After all, if anyone would ask, I was supposed to be Dad's distant, very distant, nephew.

Not niece.

There was no turning back option for me. This was the last stage that I had to go through before I'd move into the dormitory. For clarification, it was an all-boys' dormitory. I finished my papers, made the transfer, and I was an official student of Corner Stone High School. It was an all-boys school, with testosterone filling the corners of each room.