French Teacher

Chapter 17

Throughout the years I've known Kim, I've always thought that she never really liked her hair. She had natural straight black hair, but since a year ago, she began dying it to all kinds of colors. From brown, to ash brown, to pink, to lime green, red, you name it. I think it had something to do with her self-esteem, or more so—the damage on what her ex did to her.

But surprisingly, today, her hair was black again.

At first I had to rethink whether I was dreaming or not, but then she gave me this look of concern, almost as if she wasn't doing anything unusual.

I was never really a fan of the hair coloring thing. I've always told her to stop but I guess I didn't really had the position to tell her what to do cu'z she never really listened. But then again, this does make it even for us. Kim, aside from telling me off to where more girly clothes, had always nagged me to grow my hair longer, which was almost impossible since I've always preferred shorter hair.

I realized, it was an equal nagging thing for our friendship.

"What?" Kim said, almost as if she had been keeping it in for too long.

"Your hair." I answered. "It's black."

"Yeah." Kim raised a brow. "And?"

"It's just—it's not dark purple, pink orange, purple blue, indigo black--"

Kim raised her hand. "Okay. I get it. I get it."

"What's with the sudden raven hair?" I asked. I sounded more investigating than I originally intended.

"There's nothing wrong getting back with my old color hair."

"I didn't say there was. I was just asking why."

Kim shrugged. "I guess I just missed it."

"You said you hate your black hair." I pointed out. "You said it's too boring for your style."

"Well I'm wrong." Kim said. "I miss my natural black hair."

I paused, then I studied her movements and eye rotation. And in that moment, I knew something was wrong.

I looked at her doubtfully as I planned to make her spill the beans if there were any. "Did something happened?"

Kim pulled her head back as she glued her brows together. "No."

I wasn't not convinced.

"Kim." I said with a sigh. "You're not telling me something."

Kim made a defensive look. "Yeah cu'z there's nothing to tell."

"Kim."

"Honest, there isn't anything wrong!" she declared. "Penny, I swear, everything's fine."

I still squinted my eyes at her ever so motherly; as though she was daughter who were on drugs or something. I smelled something fishy and I didn't like it. And she knew how I was on to her; I made sure of it. I was making this look that she was definitely familiar of. I made sure she'd remember how I get overprotective sometimes, how I didn't like her keeping any secrets from me.

"Kim." I said again, warningly.

Kim raised her right hand at me. "I swear."

My tongue touched the tip of my teeth and I intended to blink my eyes once just to show her I was dead serious about this.

It wasn't easy believing Kim, especially when it comes to an okay state. She had never been genuinely okay since Matthew. I knew it, and so does she. I mean, it'd only take a complete idiot to not know that.