Getting Over You

the start of something new

The next day, I woke up at 9:15am and jumped out of bed to get ready. I took a quick shower and put on a pink top and a white skirt with my silver sandals. Then, I went downstairs to find my mom to ask her about my plan for the day.

"Hey mom, can I ask you something?" I said once I found her in the kitchen drinking coffee. 

"Sure honey, what's up?" She asked.

"Can we go into town today? I want to change up my look a little bit," I said as my mom practically squealed. 

"Oh yes honey, of course!" She exclaimed. "I'm so happy that you're starting to feel better. What are we thinking in terms of changes?"

"Well I think I want to change up my hair a little bit," I said. "I want to get highlights and get some layers to lighten up my hair, but I don't want to get it cut until the end of the summer."

"Okay, I know of the perfect place. Let me just make some calls and we'll be all set," mom said. "Do you want to get your eyebrows done and nails painted while we're in town?"

"Sure," I said. I was really happy that my mom was on board with this idea. I really needed a change and I knew she would understand. 

My mom stepped out of the room to make some calls while I made some breakfast. I put some fruit into a bowl with yogurt and poured myself a glass of orange juice. By the time I finished eating, my mom was rushing in with her purse and phone. 

"If you're ready, we should leave now, your appointment's in 20 minutes," my mom said before putting her mug in the sink and heading for the door to the garage. I cleaned up my mess and followed her into the garage and got into the passenger seat of her car. 

We headed into town and headed for the salon first. My mom parked the car out front and we walked in. 

"Amelia! We were so happy to hear from you! How have you been, dear?" The woman at the counter asked. 

"I've been doing lovely. I was planning to come in soon for a touch-up but I didn't anticipate coming in sooner for my daughter," she said with a chuckle. My mother, similar to my twin, was a very sociable and outgoing person, so she made friends everywhere she went. 

"Well, I'll take your daughter to the back to check out her hair. In the mean time, do you want to get your roots touched up? We have someone available if you're interested," the lady offered.

"That would be lovely, thank you so much!" My mom exclaimed. I left to follow the woman to the back and she guided me to a styling chair. 

"So, what are we thinking?" She asked.

"Well, I'm looking for a change. I want to go lighter and I was thinking of doing highlights, but I also want to try some layers to lighten up my hair," I explained. 

"How light are we thinking of going with the highlights?" She asked.

"I don't want to go platinum blonde but I want it to be noticeably lighter," I said. 

"Ok I know exactly what you're thinking," she said before getting to work.

An hour and a half later, my hair had layers and was very blonde. The lady blew it out so my hair had big curls, which highlighted the blonde pieces of my hair. I looked in the mirror when she finished and I was in awe. She had exceeded all expectations that I had and honestly, I felt good. 

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"I love it!" I exclaimed. I turned to find my mom and she squealed with delight.

"I love it, Rose! You did an amazing job!" She said. I stood up from the chair and we headed to the front to pay before leaving. 

Then, we headed across the street to the nail salon. We walked in and I decided to go with a light pink on my fingers and toes. It felt amazing to get my nails done and just feel pampered. It was very relaxing and I realized why my mother was always going to get her nails done. 

When we finished, we got our eyebrows waxed and by the time I got back to the car, I felt like a new and improved version of myself, and I loved it. 

My mom drove us back to the house and when we got there, I looked at the clock. 6:15pm. Wow, we had been out for a very long time. My mom pulled into the garage and we both got out. I knew I couldn't go into the water so I decided to just hangout on the beach. 

I went into the kitchen and grabbed a few snacks before heading out to the porch. I sat on one of the lounge chairs facing the ocean and I relaxed. I ate my snacks and drank some water and before I knew it, the sun was setting. I walked down the path to the beach and sat on the sand, staring out into the water where the sunset was reflecting, it looked beautiful. 

I felt someone's presence and turned my head. I saw Dean walking over from a distance and I smiled. We locked eyes and for a moment, he looked confused, like he couldn't recognize me. I smiled: mission complete. 

"Hey," I said. "Remember me?"

"Lainey? Wow you look different," he said. I couldn't tell if he meant that in a good way or a bad way and I started to get nervous that I looked worse than I thought. 

"Good different or bad different?" I asked wearily. 

"Good different," he said. "Obviously."

I chuckled. "Well I'm glad it looks good," I said.

"Of course it does. You look beautiful," Dean said, causing me to blush but I hid my face to hide it. "If you don't mind me asking, why the change?"

I paused for a while, looking out to the ocean. I was trying to look for the right words, if they even existed. 

"Once upon a time, not very long ago, I had my heart broken. I didn't feel like myself for a while and I realized that I needed a change. I finally started to feel better recently and I want my appearance to reflect on that," I said. I looked over to him and noticed he was staring at me intently, unsure of how to respond. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I just told you that," I said, laughing nervously.

"Lainey," Dean said.

"Yes?" I said, nervously.

"I'm happy for you."

"Thank you."