snatcher
I live in a rather small town, or you may call it a city. With only 50 thousands residents, it sure doesn’t really feel like a city. Everyone around my age know each other, at the very least by their faces of even just from Instagram.
Anyway, we have this annual cancer festival thing. Youth from all over town sell stuff to raise money for cancer research and treatment. Some girls donate their hair. To be honest, the two friends I have who’d donated their hair had it terrible. The barbers are unprofessional and either cut the ponytail too short or leave the sides uneven. I don’t think any of the girls who donated there kept their hair short just because of all the trauma.
As for me, I’ve never had my hair long enough to begin with. I mean, it would make enough to donate, as it reaches just past my bra strap, but that would just mean I’d be left with pretty much nothing, and I’ve actually never had my hair shorter than that. My mom just cuts it for me a little bit every time it gets a bit too long. So, no hair donations from me, anytime.
It is now my senior year. In my country, you have to go to the army after graduating high school, so that means it’s the last time selling awful cakes in this festival with those poor girls for me.
As I’m trying to explain to some stupid kid that 2$ for a brownie is not overpriced, and no it doesn’t contain any weed, the point is to donate. Where was I? Anyway, as I am wasting my time, I see a familiar figure with a familiar posture but I can’t quite recognize that face. Near that figure, I can see a guy I’d always recognize – Tobby. He and I started going to science class together late last year, and I very quickly fell in… caught a crush on him. I’m not the type of girl to have crushes, and I’ve actually turnt down a few guys over the years, but he was different. Something about him caught me. I don’t know what or why.
As those two were approaching, I came to a realization. That other figure was my best friend since middle school – Rabbeca. She’d always worn her hair super long, and now, she had it. Completely. Bobbed. Like, just below her ear. It used to almost reach her butt, and she’s a rather tall girl. People often joked that she looked like my bigger sister. Tobby always said I was the worse and cuter version of her. But we don’t really look alike, although with how much time we spent together we became similar. Kind of like how a dog is similar to its owner. Except I wasn’t like a dog and she definitely wasn’t like a dog. You know what, not like a dog and its owner, scratch that.
They reached my counter, and I thought it’d be funny to pretend not to know her. As it was really fucking rude of her not to tell me she planned this. Let alone spend time with Tobby and not tell me either.
“Hello miss, are you a friend of Tobby’s? May I offer you some fine over-priced cookies along with some disgusting chocolate milk?”
“No thanks, I prefer my bathroom stays diarrhea-free” she answered, to which I replied with slapping her on her neck. Which apparently really hurt her? She said something about a shaved nape? But why should a woman’s neck be shaved? Apparently an aesthetic thing.
“Why did you cut it so short without telling me?”
“Oh come on, I told you I planned to donate it.” Now thinking about it, she did say something about that. So I replied “that still doesn’t explain the fact that you are literally bold!”
“Not bold! Just a little bit bold in the back! And if it weren’t for little mister “you’ll look great” here and his fucking brother my hair would still reach my back!” She looked at Tobby, visibly angry.
“What the hell are you talking about?”, I asked.
To which Tobby replied “Raul, my brother-in-law, my brother’s husband is actually a hair stylist, he volunteered here this year. He mainly works with the TV industry, hence he knows his way around a short bob that would look good on screen.”
As Tobby was speaking I was smiling. But still very much confused. “But wait Tobby, what about the hair reaching her back thing? She barely has any on her neck.”
“It’s actually called a shav-“
“His brother in law put shave cream on the back of my head and I didn’t even noticed!”
I just burst out laughing. That’s so Rabbeca.
“Wait, let me explain,” Rabbeca continued. “We finished with the donation, and my hair was a bit beyond my mid back. Raul said that it’s still quite long and we could totally go for another donation. To which I declined. But Tobby agreed with Raul and they both said it was a good idea. It wasn’t. He had to cut the ponytail way too short, resulting in this. My mom is going to either cry or kill me.”
It did look kinda good though. That’s an industry stylist after all. “Looks good on you. Kinda wish I was a lesbian so I could fuck the shit out of you now.”
“Oh c’mon, I feel like I’ve lost every last ounce of femininity I had in me. I really hope my boyfriend would approved of this. Most guys don’t like short hair.”
“That’s not true,” Tobby swiftly objected. “Girls look far more feminine with shorter hair, really makes the best parts of their body pop out.”
“Tobby, what are you talking about?” I had to ask.
“When a girl has her hair under her- uh, umm, cover her b-breasts? It just feels like she’s hiding cause they’re either small or she’s just not comfortable with them.”
To which Rabbeca replied “But my boobs are small.”
I had to reply “bitch please your the hottest girl I know.”
That one part really made me think. My boobs are kinda big, so I always cover them with my hair. Force of habit I guess, I was a late bloomer. Also, my hair has always covered exactly enough of them.
“Oh god, what the hell have I gotten myself into”, Tobby said. “You girls have your fun, imma go home and grab some food for Raul. Poor guy couldn’t even get free brownies.” And so he left.
“It really looks good on you, Rabbeca. Don’t be ashamed or anything.”
“Yeah, thanks. You’re a good friend. It’ll just take some time getting used to. I just feel like a different girl.”
“A beautiful girl. You’ll always look good, sis.”
“Thanks sis. I think I’ll just go home and take a shower. Probably won’t take long because… yeah. See ya tonight?”
“Actually not, we’re probably here till at least 11 PM. A lot of girls signed up apparently. Guess that Raul dude has something to do with it.”
“Good luck with that I guess. I’m off byeee.”
And so she left. Turning away, where there used to be long luscious locks flowing, was now just a neck with a bit of hair going. Looks kinda badass.
Huh. Maybe I should cut my hair.
A few hours passed by, and we were just a bit after 10:30 PM. All the brownies were sold out and the leftovers hairs were being swept away. Tobby took the lead and held up the microphone, asking “yo are there any girls here that accidentally still have long hair? That’s like sooo 90s. You’ve got 2 minutes to submit yourselves!”
Looking around, I was the only long-haired girl around. Every had either a fresh (albeit mostly terrible) cut, or had their hair too short to donate this year.
I had to think about what Tobby said. I did kinda like him after all. Maybe if I’d just cut my hair he’d finally notice me? I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who realized there aren’t any long-haired girls around except me. He probably did that on purpose, that bastard. Such a great fucking guy.
Fuck. Another minute passed. If I wanna do it, I have to decide right now. It can’t be cut that short, right? my hair’s long enough for that. I should probably call my mom. Where the hell is my phone?
“So no one still had long hair here? You girls really have the spirit! See ya next year!”
“Wait!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. What was probably just a head or two felt like the entire personnel who was there turned to look at me. “I still have long hair, could you help me fix that?”
That Raul guy raised his hand and said loudly “I’d be glad to! Come here take a seat!”
What the hell did I just do?
“You coming of not?”
I froze in place without even noticing.
“He-llo??”
“Yes yes, I’m sorry, I’ll be right there!” I said apologetically and started walking. My hear bumping like I’m a soldier who’s walking up to a battlefield they might not return from but in a casket.
I reached the chair. With a tiny bit of hesitation, I sat down. He put the weird dining map looking thing on me and took out his ruler. A blue one.
“Well looks like you have just enough hair! Won’t be left with much though.”
“Wait what do you mean-“
“Oh my god I can’t believe my eyes!” Tobby said excitedly.
“Yeah, did you see what the power of a great stylist can achieve?” Raul said while parting my hair in ponytails. Way. Too. Close. To. My. Head.
“Now this is what I like to call a commitment cut.”
“What are you-“
SNAP
The first ponytail is off. What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Raul holds it out, looking like a proud father. “Say goodbye to that for at least another four years! Or maybe even forever if you’d like it.”
“Woo hoo!” Said Tobby.
I kinda want to cry? But I shouldn’t look like a weak girl near Tobby. I don’t like to seem weak around anyone, actually.
Another loud snap. And then another one. I stopped counting here, but a few moments later Raul shows me all of them and said “look! Those are around 8 inches! There is a bit less than one inch left on your head!”
I just couldn’t lift my eyes up and look in the mirror. Not now. Thinking about this, when was the last time I even saw myself with long hair? Didn’t even notice a mirror at first.
“Are you going to style it now?” I asked quietly. “That’s what I do, darling.”
He pulled out a hair machine. That name sounds stupid, it probably has a fancier name. That thing that barely leaves any hair behind.
Starting at the back, and then the sides. I could feel bits of hair on my ears. Oh my god, you can see my ears?
After a few minutes he stopped and retired the machine in favor for the good old scissors who took everything away. Actually, that’s too dramatic. The ones he used to cut the tails. Those.
He just styled the top for a bit. I didn’t even noticed that he finished. He asked “so? What do you think, my little soldier?”
I looked up, and saw a completely different person. She kind of looked like old me. But not quiet. I could understand what Rabbeca was talking about. All of a sudden, I didn’t care about what Tobby thought or my mom’s reaction. I was just fascinated and felt like my days of youth are finally over. Been a good run.
