Cheerful Clips: The Return

Welcome to a new series about a group of short-haired college cheerleaders who run an on-campus barbershop.  For those who have been around for a while, these cheerleaders may seem familiar.  To those that are new, I hope you enjoy.

 

I tried to design these stories, so that they are easy to follow without any prior knowledge, some work better than others.  If you’d like some background, please feel free to read past entries, which can be found here:

 

https://www.hairstorynetwork.com/stories/the-start-of-something-new-volume-ii-chapter-20-epilogue/

 

For everyone else, I bring you THE RETURN:

 

 

 

A FRESH START

Heather dragged her suitcase into the house and set it aside.  She paused for a moment as she surveyed her surroundings.

 

“Thank God!  You’re finally home!”

 

Heather looked up and smiled at Emma, who was standing at the top of the stairs looking down at her.  Emma made her way down the stairs with a giant packing box, dressed in a purple sports bra and matching gym shorts with a red bandana tied around her head.

 

“Hi, Emma.  Nice to see you, too.”  Heather chuckled, as Emma approached her.

 

Emma put the box she was carrying down on the floor and let out a deep breath, reached out to Heather as they exchanged hugs.  “I don’t know if I’m happier to have you back to help with this,” she nodded towards the box she just put down. “Or this.” Nodding her head.

 

“Oh, I see how it is.  You didn’t miss me; you just want my help.”  Heather playfully taunted her new coach.

 

“No, I definitely missed the company, too.”  Emma admitted.  “I got used to having you around.  And there’s just a lot to get done before everyone gets back next week.”  She paused for a minute then grinned. “The barbershop is done, by the way.”

 

“That’s great!” Heather replied.  “Right on time.”

 

“Yeah, I was getting a bit worried.  I need to move all my stuff.”  Emma looked at Heather, “Plus I’m sure all the girls will be lining up for your services as soon as they get back.”

 

“Well, I’m here now and ready to go to work.”  Heather reached down and picked up the box Emma had put down moments earlier.  “I was hoping to veg out for a bit, but I can see I have more important things to take care of.”  She looked at the top of Emma’s head.

 

Emma reached up and pulled the bandana off her head to reveal a short stubbly mess that looked to be about a day or two worth of growth.  “I’ve been using the shaver you got me, but it just doesn’t compare to you.”

 

Heather blushed.  “Well, thanks.  You know I’ll be happy to take care of that for you.”

 

Emma turned around and ran back upstairs.  “I was hoping you’d say that!”  Emma shouted down as she grabbed another box and came back down.  “Let’s bring these boxes over to the cottage and I’ll give you the tour.”

 

Emma and Heather headed out of the house and down the steps.  They started the walk down the path towards the coach’s cottage/barbershop.

 

“So, how was your vacation?”  Emma inquired.

 

“Amazing!” Heather gushed.  “Betty was great, and we had so much fun together.  She looks so different now.  You’ll all be shocked when you see her.”

 

Emma stopped and looked at Heather.  “Different?  Different how?  This team should certainly be used to changes in appearance by now.  Speaking of which…” she looked over Heather.  “You look fantastic.  That hair is fire.”

 

“This?” Heather giggled nervously.  Her hair was about a half inch in length on top and gradually got shorter as it tapered down to the skin.  While the top was a bit longer than it had been since her initial cut, what really made it stand out was the bright lime green color.  “It was actually Betty’s idea.  I’ll probably end up shaving it smooth before everyone gets back.”  She stopped and looked at Emma with purpose, “Gotta start the school year off right and set the example.  But I like messing around with color, and I don’t get to do much of that, myself.”  She turned back and continued towards the cottage.  “So, it’s unlikely you’ll ever be seeing much of my natural hair color again.”

 

Emma grinned.  “I fully support all you got going on.”  She winked at Heather.  “So, what happened with Betty?”  Emma reminded the diminutive cheerleader.

 

“She finally got LASIK.”  Heather stated, “And she’s lost a ton of weight.  I was shocked when I saw her, and I knew it was coming.  She looks soooo good though.”  Heather looked back at Emma.  “I can tell it’s really had an impact on her in other ways as well.  Her confidence is at an all-time high.  She’s got so much energy and positivity about everything.”

 

“Wow.  That’s so great.”  Emma nodded in approval.  “Betty deserves it.  She’s such a great person.”

 

“That’s true.  And she likes her hair now.  Or lack of hair.”  Heather continued.  “She doesn’t want it long anymore and now feels it would overpower her.  She let it grow since she left but had gotten it trimmed.  It was in a cute little pixie when I got there.”  Heather paused before continuing.  “We had agreed she wouldn’t do anything with her hair when I wasn’t around, so she apologized but really wanted it cleaned up.  I told her it was okay and mostly my fault.  I was supposed to visit earlier, and I’m the one who let the entire summer go by without seeing her.  So, the first thing she did was sit down in a chair and had me shave her.”

 

“You must have loved that.”  Emma interjected as they reached the cottage door.

 

“Yeah, but she looked super cute with the pixie, too.  I actually told her she didn’t have to shave it off, but she insisted and said she’s been waiting for me to do it.  After that, I continued to shave it every day I was there.”  Heather smiled as Emma opened the door and they walked in.

 

Emma set her box down and indicated to Heather to do the same as she turned on the light switch.  “I don’t know how often you were here before, but this used to be the living room.”

 

Heather looked around in awe.  There was a table in front of her, which would serve as the reception area for clients to check in.  Then there was a wall covered in mirrors with two barber chairs and styling stations.  On the opposite wall, next to the door was a couch and a row of chairs for waiting clients.  “No, I don’t think I ever was.  This is amazing.”

 

“Follow me,” Emma waved her hand as she started to walk towards an open archway at the far end of the room.  “I know you wanted a special suite.  It’s not quite as good as your old set up, but hopefully, it will suffice.”

 

Heather followed Emma into the room.  Off to her right, on the back wall was a mirror with a curtain hanging next to it on a rod across the top.  Next to the mirror, against the other wall was a counter and cabinet.  A bit further down that wall was a sink.  In the middle of the room, facing the mirror, was another barber chair.  Heather looked to her left, in the corner was a pull up bar and a few other fitness items off to the side.  She couldn’t help but smile.  “Oh, I think this will do just fine.”  She walked around the room, exploring every area and getting excited.  After another minute she looked at Emma and giggled.

 

“I’m glad you approve.”  Emma smiled back.  “So, this will be your own private space.  The rest of the girls will occupy the front area.  The kitchen and the bathroom are on the other end of the floor.  I know you have a lot of clients already and you’re used to your own private space.  Hopefully this makes things a bit easier.”  Emma headed over to the chair and sat down and looked innocently at Heather.

 

“I suppose you’d like me to christen the room with a head shave?”  Heather smirked as she headed over to the counter.

 

“If you don’t mind.  Then I have to get back and continue packing.”  Emma answered.

 

“I don’t, but I don’t have a lot of supplies over here yet.”

 

“There should be a box in the other room.  Just the basics.  Whatever you can do, I’ll take.  I know you have a lot to take care of as well.”  Emma informed Heather, as Heather made her way back into the main room.  After a minute there was a squeal of delight.  A few seconds later Heather came racing back into the room, holding something.

 

“They came!”  Heather held up what she was holding in front of her.  “It’s even better then I imagined!  Do you mind?”  Heather didn’t wait for an answer as she raced back out of the room and into the bathroom.

 

“I couldn’t wait for you to see the uniforms!” Emma shouted out as she chuckled.

 

A few minutes later, Heather skipped back into the room.  “This is so comfortable!  These are even better than I thought.”  Heather was in a teal bikini top with white trim.  The front consisted of two triangles connected by a white string that tied in the back behind the neck.  The bottom had a thin white strip that clipped in the back.  Across the left breast was a caricature of a smiling bald cheerleader holding clippers in each hand like they were pom poms.  Encircled across the bottom were the words CHEERFUL CLIPS.  The white mini skirt was short and covered in fringe.  It captured even the slightest movement.

.

“Do you remember when we went on that girl’s trip last year, and we had to pull all kinds of shenanigans just to get you comfortable in twice that much clothing?”  Emma mused.

 

“How could I forget?  Although, I’m not sure I was ever really comfortable.”  Heather approached Emma with the shaving cream can in her hand.  She squirted it on top of Emma’s head.  “I’d say that weekend worked out pretty well for you, though.”  She began spreading the cream all over Emma’s head.

 

“You mean this?” Emma smiled, as she reflected back on the first time she shaved her head.  “I guess it worked out pretty well for both of us.”

 

“I bet back then you never imagined the entire team would copy you.”  Heather declared as she rinsed her hands and then walked back towards Emma with a razor in hand.

 

“I was hoping.”  Emma admitted with a sly smile.

 

“Even Melissa?”  Heather inquired as she started to scrape at Emma’s head.

 

“I wouldn’t say I expected it, but…”  Her voice trailed off.

 

Heather grinned.  “I don’t know who’s more into this look, now.  You or her.”

 

“ME!”  Emma insisted, then paused for a moment.  “Although, it is close.”  She laughed at the thought.

 

“Mmhmm.”  Heather nodded as she finished up her first pass over Emma’s head.

 

Emma sank into the chair and let out a deep sigh.  “I’ve missed this so much.”

 

TIME OF TRANSITION

The next day Emma and Heather both woke early for their daily run.

 

“You’ve definitely created a lasting impact.”  Heather began, as they headed towards the front door.  “Do you know I got myself up early and went out every day I was away?  I went on my own and kinda had to figure out a route.  My day doesn’t feel complete without a run.”

 

“That’s amazing, Heather.  I’m so happy for you.”  Emma responded as they made their way down the steps.  “I remember how much trouble you had when we first started.  Now I really have to push myself just to keep up.  I think you may be faster than me!”  Emma shouted as she took off, trying to get a head start, knowing it would not be long before Heather was right by her side.

 

Upon returning to the house, they both resumed their routine of going to Emma’s room for a shave.

 

“We’re going to need to work out the details of this routine.  Either we start doing shaves in your room, or we head to the barbershop.”  Emma declared as she sat down in her chair.  “We may need to rethink our run route, if we keep with our daily run.  But I’m so happy to know that you’ll keep it up whether we run together or not.”

 

“I would definitely miss the companionship, but don’t worry about that.  Maybe I can recruit someone to join me.” Heather admitted.  “I almost got Betty to join me one day, but she has her own routine that she started.  You know she has a personal trainer and nutritionist?”

 

“Wow, she’s really serious, huh?”

 

“Yup, it’s one of the reasons she didn’t come back with me.  She has this program she’s on and needed a few more days to finish it up.”

 

“So, is this going to affect her cheering at all?”

 

“It shouldn’t.  I know how important it is to her and she’s accommodating it into whatever her plan is moving forward.  I wasn’t sure at first, but I must admit this new program she’s on has been amazing for her.”

 

“You two are so good for each other.  I’m happy for you both.”

 

“Thanks, I’m really happy as well.  I promised Betty I would prioritize our relationship going forward.  This past year I’ve gone through so much.  I’m a totally different person than I was, but I’ve never been happier, and I’m determined to make it all work.”  Heather beamed, as she continued to pass the razor over Emma’s head.

 

As Heather finished with Emma’s head, they parted ways.  They both had a busy day ahead.  Heather headed to her room to get cleaned up and prepare for her day.  Nikki would pick her up soon, and she had a full day at the salon.  Between seeing clients and packing up, she expected to be quite busy.  Meanwhile, Emma continued to pack up her room and transport her belongings across the way to her new home on the second floor of what was now the campus barbershop.

 

A short time later, as Nikki pulled up to the house, Heather ran out to greet her.  They exchanged greetings and Heather hopped in the passenger seat as Nikki drove off.

 

“I love it!”

 

Heather smiled.  “I hoped you would.”

 

“Of course!  I’m so happy to have you back.  Just so you know, I’ll be your first client.”  Nikki smiled.  “This needs some serious Heather care.”

 

“I figured as much.”  Heather grinned at her friend.  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

 

“You’d better.  I never thought I’d say this, but my hair is getting way too long.”  Nikki rubbed her barely covered scalp.  Nikki’s rainbow mohawk continued to grow all summer.  With each strand of hair now approaching more than three inches in length, it was longer than it had been since it was first chopped off months ago.  Her previously bare scalp now sported a bit of blonde hair.

 

“Just to be clear though, that mohawk isn’t going anywhere.”  Heather smirked.  “Not yet anyway.  I’ll give you a fresh shave and redo the color, but that’s it for now.  I also have to start packing things up, since the barbershop is ready.”

 

“That’s great!” Nikki replied as they pulled up to the salon.  “I’ll start to direct everybody that way.  I guess this will serve as my notice.”

 

“Notice?  What do you mean by that?  What notice?”  Heather questioned as she hurried behind Nikki on the way to the door.

 

“Well, I was helping you out HERE.  Filling in for Lacey.  I figured that once you move over to the barbershop, you will have the rest of the team.  So, you won’t need me anymore.”  Nikki fumbled the keys as she opened the door and they both made their way inside.

 

“Oh… I hadn’t thought about that.”  Heather said softly.

 

“I suppose you won’t need me to take you to the gym every day, either.”  Nikki pointed out as she made her way over to the reception desk.”

 

“I suppose not, since there is a gym on campus…”  Heather was coming to a horrible realization.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll still be a client.”  Nikki started back towards the private room.  “Aren’t you coming?”

 

Heather snapped out of her trance and hurried behind Nikki.

 

“So, how long are we letting this grow?”  Nikki asked from the chair, while Heather was recoloring her mohawk.  “I’m happy to let it grow as long as you want.  I’ve gotten kind of attached to it.”  Nikki laughed.

 

“I, um, I don’t know.  I hadn’t really thought about it.  My original plan was that you were supposed to get it shaved off next week…”

 

“I still can!”  Nikki interjected.  “Look, I love this mohawk, but I still want to shave my head!  I just figured –”

 

“No, you’re right.”  Heather continued.  “If you’re happy, let’s hold off.  I kinda like you this way.  Let’s see how long it can get.”  She smiled.  “But as soon as either one of us tires of it, it’s gone.”

 

“Deal.  But I still want regular shaves on the rest of my head and color touch ups.”

 

“Of course.”  Heather finished up with the color and while she waited for it to set, she reached for the shaving cream and began to lather it in her hands.  “I missed you so much.”

 

“Aww, you missed me?  I missed you too.”  Nikki admitted.  “My hair REALLY missed you, but I missed you as well.” She paused as she thought about what Heather just said.  “Wait, you see me every day.  You just came back from a week with your girlfriend, and you missed ME?”

 

“Yeah.  Well, I missed Betty a lot this summer.  It was great to see her, and I loved our time together, but I’ve gotten used to the routine that you and I have together.  I never realized how important it’s become to me until now.”  Heather confessed.

 

“Oh, darlin…  That’s… really flattering.  Our time together means a lot to me, too.”  Nikki felt torn.  She wanted to jump out of the chair and hug Heather, but she didn’t want to disrupt Heather’s work.

 

Throughout the day, Heather kept herself busy.  She had clients to see but when she could, she tried to organize her space and figure out what she didn’t need any more.  Her hope was to be able to bring over several boxes of supplies each day, but she wanted to make sure she still had everything she needed.  Nikki had a bit of an easier time cleaning up the front of the salon.  She also tried to remind Heather that the space was paid for through the end of the year, so there was no rush to empty it out.

 

NEW DYNAMIC

Anna came back early.  As the captain of the team, she felt it was important to be there when the rest of the team arrived.  She probably could have waited another day or two, but she was anxious to return and felt the time could be spent with Emma preparing herself for what lay ahead.

 

She already sported her now signature #1 buzz cut, so a visit with Heather was not necessary, but she was just as happy to see her.

 

“That’s gonna be teal by our first game, right?”  Anna laughed as she greeted Heather and affectionately rubbed her head.  “But, seriously… you look great!”

 

“Don’t worry, it will be gone well before then.”  Heather smiled as she hugged Anna.  “Gotta set the proper example for all the new students.”

 

“So, do we send the new recruits to you right away or wait for them to volunteer?”

 

“I guess that’s up to you, Captain.”  Heather remarked, “but this team has always been about free choice.  It’s worked so far, so maybe we shouldn’t mess with that.”

 

“I have to look over the game schedule, and then I’ll have a better idea about what our calendar will look like also.”

 

“Yeah… about that… Anna, we should talk.”  Emma walked over to join the pair.

 

“Hey, Coach.”  Anna grinned.  “That’s gonna take some getting used to.”

 

“It’ll take some time for all of us.”  Emma nodded in agreement.  “The schedule might look a little different this year, since the school has been thinking about whether they would send us to all the games this year.”

 

“Wow, that’s a huge commitment.”  Anna admitted.

 

“That’s true.  But we went to most of them last year.  There are only two games that are far this year, so those would be the only two we would have skipped anyway.  One of them is fairly late in the season, so we could end up in a similar arrangement to last year.”

 

“IF the football team is undefeated…”

 

“Don’t make any plans for that weekend.”  Emma confirmed.

 

“Got it.”

 

Anna put herself to work.  She helped Emma switch out her room in the house and assisted Emma and Heather in preparation for the grand debut of the barbershop.  Whatever spare time she found, she spent prepping the team for the upcoming season.  She found herself with company much sooner than expected, as her best friend on the team joined her just a day later.

 

“I just don’t fit in there anymore.”  The shaggy-haired Sophomore declared.  “The last three months were the longest of my life.  Plus, there’s this.”  Janie dragged her hand through her ragged locks.  “It’s totally out of control!  I’ve let it go basically because I had no other choice.  I couldn’t find anyone who would do anything.”  She let out a sigh as she collapsed on the couch.  “I’m so ready for Heather to work her magic on me.  She can do anything she wants with my hair.  I’m so ready.”

 

“Well, I’m sure Heather would be happy to oblige, once she gets back.”  Anna sat down next to her exasperated friend.  “That’s also why I eventually ended up with my own clippers.”  She ran her hand over her own platinum buzz cut.  “No muss, no fuss.”

 

“You have the right idea, Anna.  This hair is way too long.”  She smiled mischievously.

 

Later that evening, Heather made her way back to the house and was warmly greeted by her fellow classmate.

 

“Heather!” Janie exclaimed as she ran towards Heather.  “I’m so happy to see you!  I’ve missed you!  Can you believe it’s almost time for a new school year to start up?”

 

“Hi Janie.  Nice to see you too.”  Heather responded suspiciously.  “What’s up?”

 

“Not much at the moment.” Janie deflected, her eyes darting innocently.  “Can’t a friend just say ‘hi’?  Hey, let me help you with that.”  Janie reached out to take the box Heather had been carrying.  “And I love your hair!  The green looks so good on you.”

 

“Thank you, I’ve been having fun with it.”

 

The pair continued down the path to the barbershop.  As they reached the door, Heather unlocked it, and they stepped inside.  Heather guided Janie towards the back room, where she set the box down.  Janie looked around, impressed.

 

“Wow.  This place is great.”  She took note of the chair in the room and headed towards it.  “I’ve never gotten a haircut in a barbershop before.”  She noted, as she sat down.

 

“Janie, do you want a haircut?”  Heather couldn’t help but laugh as Janie nodded enthusiastically.  “Janie, all you had to do was ask.  No need for all the games.  I would never deny anyone on the team.  You should know this.”  Heather reminded her teammate as she headed over to the counter.  “So, what are we doing?”

 

“Up to you.”

 

“Up to me?”  Heather echoed.

 

“Yup.  Anything you want.  I just want all this gone.”  Janie reached up and grabbed at her hair.

 

“All of it?”  Heather inquired.

 

“Well… It doesn’t have to be all gone, but it can be.  I’m not opposed to being bald if that’s what you decide…  I really like Anna’s hair.  You could make mine shorter or longer, though not too much longer, obviously…  Your style is cool, too…  I just have way too much hair right now.  I’m up for anything.  As long as it’s shorter.  Much shorter.”  Janie rambled.

 

“Okay, okay, I get it.”  Heather chuckled at her enthusiastic teammate. “So, do you want it to be a surprise?”  Heather indicated the curtain over the mirror.

 

“Oh, yes.”  Janie’s eyes got wide at the thought.  “That would be great! And you could do color too!  I mean if there’s any hair left, you can play with the color.”  Janie settled back in the chair, ready for whatever was about to happen.

 

Heather studied the girl in her chair for a minute.  She picked up the clippers and put on an attachment.  She wasn’t sure what the final look would be, but she knew Janie wanted most of the length gone, so she might as well start there. Heather combed back Janie’s hair and smoothed out the unruliness.  After that, she turned on the clippers and placed them right in the middle of Janie’s head.  Then with one quick motion, she dragged them back through Janie’s hair and watched as several inches of hair tumbled down.  Janie got a giant smile on her face and let out a cackle.  Heather showed a quick grin as she made a second pass over Janie’s head, with the clippers and watched as more hair tumbled around them.

 

“YES!”  Janie squealed in delight as Heather prepared her next pass.

 

“I’ve barely started.  I’m not even sure what the end result with be.”  Heather mused, as she continued to pass the clippers over Janie’s head.

 

“Oh, it doesn’t matter.  This is already better!  I know it’ll be SHORT!  I can hear and feel the clippers and I see how much hair is falling.”

 

Heather thought for a moment, as she continued to remove the bulk of Janie’s hair.  “So, Janie…  You sure you’re up for anything?”

 

Janie’s eyes grew wide, and suddenly she got butterflies.  “Worst case scenario, if I don’t like it, I’ll just have you shave it all off.”  She bit her lower lip.  “As long as that’s okay.”

 

“Glad to know you think so highly of me.”  Heather smirked as she made her final swipes over Janie’s now long buzz cut.

 

“No, I do!  I said that you could do whatever and I was serious.”  Janie pleaded, “Please, Heather!  I want you to do whatever you have planned.  I promise I will love it.”

 

“Relax Janie, I was already planning to do that anyway.  It’s just a little different from anything anyone on the team has had before.”

 

Janie’s smile grew.  “That sounds so exciting.  Maybe it can be my ‘signature look’!  I don’t have one of those yet.  I’m one of the few on the team that doesn’t, at least not anymore.”

 

“Maybe your ‘signature look’ will be that you don’t have a signature look.”  Heather went back to the counter and grabbed a shorter attachment.  “You could be like a chameleon and constantly try out new styles.”

 

“I like that idea.  I just know I don’t want it long anymore.”

 

“Ever?”  Heather queried, as she walked back towards Janie.

 

“Well, forever is a long time, but at least for now, and probably at least as long as I’m on this team…  It’s funny really.  Last year, when I joined this team, my hair went down to my waist.  When I got that Miley-cut, I thought that was short.  But now?  I don’t even want my hair to be as long as it was a few minutes ago.”

 

“I know what you mean.”  Heather removed more of Janie’s hair from the base of her neck up.  “My hair was even longer than yours when I shaved it all off.  This is easily the longest it’s been since then and I can’t see it getting longer than it is now.  Anyone else, at least outside this team, would still view this as incredibly short.”

 

“This team certainly is crazy.”  Janie reflected.  “But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

 

Heather made her way around Janie’s head.  She started at the bottom, reducing Janie’s length significantly along the way.  Once she finished, she removed the attachment completely and continued to reduce Janie’s hair.  Heather got out the shaving cream and put a small dollop in her hand.  Then, she spread it around the bottom of Janie’s head and created a skin fade, sharpening the edges.

 

Throughout this entire process, Janie remained still and silent.  When she felt the cream hit her head, she couldn’t help but giggle softly, as a smile crept across her face.  She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the style Heather had created for her.

 

Once Heather felt satisfied with the look she had created, she headed back over to the cabinet.  “Not everything has been brought over or unpacked yet, so I don’t quite have everything available…”  She picked up a bottle and studied it.  “I can still color your hair, but I have limited options right now.  Thoughts?”

 

Janie opened her eyes and lifted her head.  She looked over at Heather and smiled.  “I trust you,” was all she said in such a way that indicted she had no further opinion on the matter.  “And I promise that I will stick with it, no matter what.  I don’t want it to go to waste.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.”  Once Heather was satisfied with her plan, she opened the bottle and began to mix the color solution.  After a few minutes, Heather walked back over to Janie and applied the solution to the hair.  “We have to let this set for a few minutes and then I’ll be able to rinse your hair and finish the cut.”

 

“So, the cut’s not done?” Janie inquired.

 

“The basic style is done, but I have something extra special planned for you…”  Heather explained.  “So, I’ll do that after the color sets.”

 

“This is so exciting!”

 

“Given your openness and commitment, I’m curious to see how you’ll react.  But I think you’re the perfect person to pull it off.”

 

As Janie’s color developed, the two young teammates chatted about everything that happened over the summer and their expectations for the school year.  Heather confessed that she didn’t really have much of a ‘break.’  She never expected to be running her own business at such a young age, let alone it being all about hair.  But she loved every second of it, and she has never been happier.  After a period of adjustment and self-reflection, she realized that this was her calling.  She also realized that she wanted to explore her creative side, which is why her hair was slightly longer and green.  Their conversation was interrupted by the timer, so Heather led Janie over to the sink.  After she rinsed Janie’s hair and patted it dry, Heather directed Janie back to the chair.

 

“Now, I’m going to warn you… I still have some more work to do and you’re going to lose a bit more hair.  If you want to keep the color a secret, try not to look.  If you don’t care, then don’t worry about it.”  Heather mentioned as she walked back to the counter and got her razor.

 

“Should I close my eyes?”  Janie asked enthusiastically.

 

“I’d try to avoid it.” Heather began.  “I’m going to be doing some precise sculpting.  Closing your eyes may alter the natural lay of your head and I don’t want to nick you or tarnish the design.”

 

“Heather!” Janie gasped. “Did you just spoil the surprise?”

 

“Oh, well…”

 

“It’s okay.”  Janie smiled.  “It sounds amazing.  I can’t wait to see it.  I still have no idea what the design is.  I’ll keep my eyes open and my head as still as possible.”

 

Janie looked forward and remained as stoic as possible.  Heather used her razor and carefully sculpted Janie’s hair.  She was careful and precise.  It was her first attempt at carving a design, but it was something she wanted to try.  She hadn’t planned on doing it yet, but Janie seemed so open and ready for anything, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to test it out.  If Janie reacted positively, she’d keep giving her new designs as often as possible.  If Janie didn’t like it, she’d shave Janie’s hair down or do whatever she needed to fix it and find a way to keep practicing until she was able to attempt it again.  Heather finished the left side of Janie’s head and then made her way over to the right side.

 

“This is my first attempt at a design like this and wasn’t fully prepared to do it.  I’m doing it freehand, but in the future, if this is something you’d like to continue, I’ll practice more, and we can discuss various options.”  Heather explained.  “Unfortunately, it may not be something we can do all the time, since it would involve shaving the hair and design off and regrowing it again… but if you really like it, we’ll find a way.”

 

“I feel so honored!  I’m happy to be your test subject.”  Janie beamed.

 

After a few minutes, Heather declared she was ready to reveal her latest creation.  Janie was giddy with anticipation and could barely contain her excitement.  Heather commenced the routine that had become quite common for her, but it was a new experience for Janie.

 

“Just stand in front of the mirror and close your eyes.”  Heather directed Janie as she walked over to the curtain covered mirror. “I’ll count to three as I pull back the curtain.  When I reach three you can open your eyes.”

 

“This is fun.”  Janie squealed.  “I can’t wait!”  Janie bounced in place with her hands in front of her face.

 

“Alright, ready?  One, Two, Three.  Open your eyes!”  Heather pulled back the curtain and stood off to the side as she watched Janie.

 

Janie rushed forward and turned her head.  Janie had a #6 orange buzz cut on top of her head, that gradually reduced to the skin as it got further down her head.  The standout feature though was the star carved into her hair right behind her left ear.  Each point had a line that drifted back towards the back of her head and around to the right side, where it formed into a starburst with fireworks going off on the right side of her head.

 

“Wow, Heather!  This is so cool!”  Janie turned and smiled at her classmate.  She reached up and touched the side of her head.  “It feels funky.”  She grinned.

 

After another minute of admiring her new ‘do, Janie helped Heather unpack some boxes and clean up, before they both headed back to the main house.

 

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Jenny and Jessie arrived back at the house next.  It really wasn’t fair to refer to them as “the twins” anymore.  Yes, they had shared a womb, a birthday, and all genetic material… but they really tried to differentiate themselves in every other way possible.  Jenny had her natural brown hair with her slightly grown out bowl cut and wore a tank top and capris with sandals.  Jessie, four minutes younger and a bit more rebellious, was in desperate need of a haircut and dye job.  Her hair had previously been dyed platinum blonde, but it had grown out and now the color was mostly its natural brown.  The style was what could generously be referred to as a long buzz cut that bordered into short pixie territory.  Her tiny crop top and short shorts showed off her toned body and the slightest outline of a six-pack.

 

“Where’s Heather?”  They both exclaimed in unison as they entered the house.

 

“She’s at the salon.” Janie informed the duo from the second floor.  “But I’m sure she’ll be happy to fix you both up as soon as she gets back.”  Janie headed towards the stairs.  “Welcome back!  How was your summer?”  Janie asked as she reached the girls and offered each a hug.

 

“It was nice.”  Jenny informed.  “We spent the summer doing our own thing and living our own SEPARATE lives.”

 

“Our boyfriends are getting used to us differentiating ourselves.  No one has trouble telling us apart anymore.”  Jessie sighed as she plopped down on one of the couches in the living room.  “Argh!  I wish Heather was here!”  Jessie pulled her hair in aggravation.  “I’m so ready for my haircut.”

 

“It’s true.  It’s all Jessie talked about on the entire way here.”  Jenny confirmed as she sat down next to her sister.  “Tim and Tate start football practice tomorrow, so we decided to head back with them, as there was really no reason to stay home any longer.”

 

“And Heather’s here.”  Jessie smiled.  “And I need my platinum back.  No offense sis,” She turned towards Jenny, “but I want my look back.”

 

“Well, the barbershop is done, so all haircuts are being done there now.” Janie informed the twins as she smiled, rubbing her own orange hair.  “She just did this for me last night.”  She turned her head slightly to show off the design.  “I love it.”

 

“That looks amazing Janie!” Jenny exclaimed.  “I can’t wait to check out the barbershop and get these locks freshened up.”  She tousled her hand casually through her hair.  Jessie looked at her with dagger eyes.  “Don’t worry, you can go first.”  Jenny rolled her eyes at her sister, before she turned back to Janie.  “Honestly, our parents had a bit of a tough time with it.  They noticed a lot of changes in us between this year and last.  They’ve never had any issue telling us apart, even when we’d pretend to be each other.  So, seeing us look and act so different from each other was a huge adjustment for them.”

 

“Yeah, but at least we had hair this time.”  Jessie chimed in.  They remember how shocked their parents were when the twins had gone home over the winter/semester break, and they were both bald.  It was just after they had shaved their heads for the team’s fundraiser.

 

“True.  They do support us and understand this is something that we need to do.”

 

“It’s NOT a phase though.”  Jessie smiled as she got up.  “So, when is Heather going to be back?”

 

“I’m not sure.  May not be ‘til much later.  She’s been pretty busy.”  Janie looked up at her exiting teammate.

 

“I’ve waited this long, I suppose I can go a few more hours.”  She ran her fingers through her hair.  “As long as my hair gets done before I go to bed tonight!”

 

ANOTHER ARRIVAL

It was only a few hours later when the next teammate returned.  Melissa had spent the past few months traveling and sailing aboard her boyfriend Franklin’s yacht.  The previously pale-skinned, lanky, and bald cheerleader arrived with deeply bronzed skin and what appeared to be a few days’ worth of hair growth and several small nicks and cuts across her scalp.  She was clad in a beige turtleneck sweater and jeans, not a bit of skin was showing other than her hands and head.

 

Melissa took her sunglasses off as she stood in the entry way of the house and looked around.  She let out a deep sigh.  It was good to be back, and she was excited to see her teammates, but she already missed her time on the boat.

 

“Hey!  Is anyone here?”  She shouted out to no one in particular.  “Hello?!”  Melissa continued to call out as she looked around the living room and then walked towards the kitchen.  “Anyone?”  Melissa made her way back to the front entryway and headed upstairs.  Just as she reached the door to her room, the door to Anna’s room opened and Anna and Janie entered the hallway, laughing.  Each was clad in a bright sports bra, bike shorts, and sneakers.  They turned towards Melissa.

 

“Hey Melissa!  Welcome back.”  Anna greeted her classmate.  “Are you excited about Junior year?”

 

“Yeah, it certainly looks like you got a lot of sun.”  Janie added, noting Melissa’s much darker complexion.

 

“School’s school.  I missed you guys though.  I missed the team and I’m ready to cheer again.”  Melissa answered.

 

“That’s great.  Well, our first meeting will be tomorrow night.  It will be quick.  I just want to outline some plans and important dates, plus I want to get everyone ready for the new students that will move in this weekend.”  Anna explained.  “One of whom I think you already know…”  Anna smiled.

 

“Kathy?”  Melissa answered excitedly, “That’s great!”

 

“I thought you would enjoy that.”  Anna continued.  “She’s transferring in as a sophomore.”

 

“That makes me so happy to hear.”  Melissa looked around.  “I take it Heather isn’t around…”  She mindlessly rubbed the peach fuzz that protruded from her head.

 

“No, she’s at the salon, but she’ll be back later.”  Janie answered.  “I take it that you’re looking for a shave?”

 

“Yeah.”  Melissa chuckled.  “Franklin tried his best, but he’s just not Heather.”

 

“Well, the barbershop is done, so you can head over there later and I’m sure she’ll be happy to help you.”  Janie explained.

 

“Just know the twins are looking for Heather as well.”  Anna added.

 

Janie gave a quick look over to her friend, “As long as you remember that they don’t want to be called that anymore…”

 

“Oh, right.  Well, Jenny and Jessie are both looking to get their hair done as well.”

 

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”  Melissa yawned.  “For now, though, I think I’ll take a nap.  I’m utterly exhausted.”  She stepped into her room and started to close the door.

 

“Sounds good!” Anna and Janie both shouted back as they headed down the hall to the stairs, laughing and giggling at each other the whole time.

 

RETURN TO NORMAL

Anna, Janie, Jenny, Jessie, and Melissa were all gathered in the kitchen when they heard the front door open.  They all raced down the hall, led by Jessie and Melissa.

 

“Heather! You’re here!”  Melissa reached out to hug her teammate, who had stopped in her tracks as she held a box in her hands.

 

“It’s so good to see you.”  Jessie echoed a split second later, as she took the box from Heather’s hands.

 

“I suppose you want a haircut, too.”  Heather looked past Melissa and Jessie, addressing Jenny who was standing between Anna and Janie.

 

“I do.”  Jenny nodded.  “But I can wait.  These two can’t.  They’ve been talking about you nonstop.  I can come by tomorrow, if that works better for you.”

 

Heather mouthed ‘Thank You’ to Jenny as she was embraced by Melissa and Jessie.  “Okay, okay…  Let’s go, you two.”  Heather started to pull away slightly, as she turned her attention towards Jessie and Melissa.  “But you need to help.  Nikki’s car is full of boxes.  You can help me carry them over and unpack.”  Heather directed them towards the door.

 

“Do you need any more help?”  Jenny asked.

 

“I appreciate the offer, but these two should be enough.”  Heather replied, “I’ll have more boxes tomorrow.”

 

“Got it.”  Jenny replied as she brushed her hand through her overgrown hair.

 

As the trio made their way outside, they were greeted by Nikki.  She stood next to her car with two boxes, which Melissa eagerly took from her.

 

“Wow, Nikki!”  Jessie exclaimed as she grabbed another box from Nikki’s car.  “That’s such a cool look for you.”

 

“Thanks, I’ve grown quite found of it.”  Nikki smiled back at the duo.

 

“Okay, Nikki, I think we’ve got it all.”  Heather hugged Nikki goodbye, as she grabbed the final box from the car.  “I’m gonna put these two to work, so you don’t need to stay.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Are you sure?  I don’t mind…”

 

“We’ve got it.  We’ll help with whatever she needs.”  Melissa winked, as Nikki got back in her car.

 

“Alright then.  Have a fun night.”  Nikki closed the door and drove off.  Then Heather, Melissa, and Jessie headed down the path to the barbershop.

 

“Should I try a mohawk…?”  Jessie wondered out loud.

 

“You can have whatever you want.”  Heather answered.

 

“Oh, I don’t mean now.”  Jessie clarified.  “Right now, I just need to get back to my platinum fade.  Exactly what I had before I left.”  Jessie smiled back at Heather, “But maybe soon.  I had something like a mohawk before, and with Katie gone, it feels like someone should have one.”

 

“Not me.”  Melissa shook her head.  “This is already too much hair on my head.  I can’t deal with it much longer than this.”

 

Heather smiled at the girls’ banter as they reached the barbershop.  She unlocked the door and turned the light on.  “Come on, we’re headed to my private room in the back.”

“Wow, Heather.  This looks great.”  Jessie said in awe as she looked around.

 

“Yeah, I can see myself spending a lot of time here.”  Melissa agreed as she put her boxes down and headed for the chair.  “So, who’s first?”  Melissa ‘asked’ as she sat down, clearly not waiting for an answer.

 

“Hey!”  Jessie exclaimed as she put her boxes down.  “Not fair!”

 

“Relax.”  Heather told them both.  “Melissa, Jessie is right.  You just want a simple shave.  Jessie needs a full cut plus a bleaching.  Let her go first.  I’ll do the basic cut and then the bleach.  While it’s setting, I’ll do your shave.  Then I’ll go back and finish Jessie.”

 

“Sounds good to me.”  Jessie grinned, as she waited for Melissa to get up.

 

Melissa thought about protesting, but she soon realized Heather was right.  Melissa reluctantly got up and traded spots with Jessie.

 

“Okay, Jessie…  So, once I buzz your hair down, the last of this platinum will be gone.  But don’t worry, because it won’t be gone for long.”  Heather reassured Jessie as she reached for her clippers.

 

“Can you, um, buzz me all the way down?”  Jessie swallowed as the words left her mouth.

 

“Sure, Jessie. Anything you want.”  Heather nodded.  “But just so I’m clear…”

 

“Bald!”  Melissa screamed in horror.

 

“No, no, I don’t mean that.”  Jessie shook her head.  “I’m sure it will happen again at some point.   I like the skin fade I had, but I want the top shorter than it’s been.  Maybe a #2?”  Jessie paused for a minute.  “Can I still do the platinum if it’s that short?”

 

“Anna regularly maintains a #1, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

 

“Yeah, but I want a bit longer than that on the top.  You’ll blend it down to nothing down here.”  Jessie rubbed the back of her neck.  “And then as white/blonde as you can get it.”

 

“Absolutely.”  Heather nodded, as she switched out the attachment on her clippers.

 

“I don’t know what the future holds, but for now, I’m just so tired of all this hair.  It’s been growing wild all summer.”

 

“Plus, we gotta show these new freshmen a good example.”  Melissa agreed.

 

“I’m just so glad I was a freshman last year and not now.”  Heather said as she got to work.  She turned the clippers on and plunged them into Jessie’s hair, who couldn’t help but giggle.

 

“Oh, I’ve missed this.”  Jessie exhaled in ecstasy.

 

“Awww, no fair.”  Melissa started to pout.

 

“Relax Melissa, your time is coming.”  Heather assured.  “I’ll even give you three passes, if you can help me get those boxes emptied.”

 

Melissa bolted to one of the boxes and opened it.  “I don’t know where any of this stuff goes…”

 

“Just unpack the box and I’ll tell you where to put it afterwards.  I’m still figuring things out myself.”  Heather explained as she continued to buzz Jessie’s hair.

 

“I can’t believe how dark you got, Liss.  You must have had an exceptional summer.”  Jessie remarked.

 

“Eh, it had its moments.  But it’s not all over.”  Melissa lifted her turtleneck slightly to reveal a pale white stomach.  “I’m gonna look so hideous in our uniforms.”

 

“Oh, I just assumed –” Jessie started.

 

“Yeah, I know.”  Melissa interjected.  “I thought so, too.  I don’t mind all the clothes.  I’ve gotten used to it.  But this summer was rough.”  Jessie and Heather both looked over at Melissa with interest.  “All summer on a yacht?  I loved the idea of laying out all day, every day, with virtually no responsibilities…  Yes please!  But it didn’t go exactly as planned.  I knew my usual bikinis probably wouldn’t fly and I was willing to cover up a bit more, at Franklin’s request.”

 

Melissa sighed as Heather made her final pass over Jessie’s head, before she began to apply the bleach to Jessie’s head.  “I thought that I would wear a tankini… But I was, I guess we’ll say ‘lucky,’ that I ended up in a bathing suit at all!”

 

“Why put up with that?” Jessie asked.

 

“Have you seen Franklin?”  Melissa defended, “He’s worth it.  Sure, it was an adjustment to wear a one piece all summer, and it wouldn’t have been my first choice.  I’ve never worn anything other than a bikini.  Even when I was two years old, my parents had me running around in a cute two piece.  There are worse things, when you think about the fact that I was still sailing the world living on a boat all summer.”  Melissa reflected for a moment before she continued.  “It probably wouldn’t have been as bad if it wasn’t for the fact that every other female around was flaunting their bodies in THEIR bikinis.”

 

“And what about their hair?”  Jessie surmised.

 

“Actually, THAT part was great.”  Melissa chuckled.  “Every night before dinner, all the girls spent soooo much time getting ready… Getting all the salt water out of their hair, even just washing, styling, or doing ANYTHING with their hair.”  Melissa rubbed her head and laughed.  “I have the ultimate wash and go.  I beat everyone to dinner by at least 10 or 15 minutes every night, and I was usually one of the last ones to start getting ready.  Hair is SO overrated.”

 

“Well, on that note…” Heather had finished up applying the bleach to Jessie’s head and made her way over to the sink to rinse her hands.  “It’s time for you two to switch places.”  Heather set the timer as Jessie carefully got up and Melissa eagerly sat down in her place.  “So, should I even ask?”

 

“Oh, Heather.” Melissa snickered.  “This is the longest my hair has gotten since I first cut it off.”  Then she turned serious, “and I never want to see it this long again.”

 

“One head shave coming up.”  Heather nodded.  She reached for the shaving cream and squirted it into her hands.  “I apologize, one head shave with your requisite three passes.” Heather corrected before Melissa could comment.  Melissa turned her head back with a giant smile on her face.

 

“So, you never plan to ever grow your hair out again?”  Jessie inquired.

 

“Nope.”

 

“Not even like a pixie or buzz cut?”  Jessie pressed.

 

“Pixie?  No way.  Buzz cut?  I suppose under the right circumstances I could deal with it temporarily, but if it were much longer than Anna’s, that would really be pushing it…”  This declaration no longer shocked Melissa.  She had plenty of time to think about it and consider all her options.  She knew she was more committed to this statement than anything she had ever thought in her life.

 

“Melissa, what happened?”  Heather started to lather Melissa’s head.  “It’s looking a bit rough.”

 

Melissa let out a deep sigh.  “Let’s just say, I might not be as enthusiastic about this look if Franklin had been the one to intially do it.”  Melissa looked up at Heather, “How bad is it really?”

 

“Um…” Heather paused to consider her response, “Don’t worry about it.”  Heather continued to gently massage Melissa’s head.  Melissa closed her eyes and let out a soft purr.

 

“Wow, Melissa I’m really impressed.”  Jessie commented.  “I can’t believe you’re the same girl who was so resistant to all this last year.”

 

“I’M NOT!”  Melissa replied angerly.  Jessie and Heather both stared at her.  “Well, I’m not that same girl.  I’ve changed.  I think we all have.”  Melissa looked back at Jessie and Heather and tried to explain herself further.  “Look, I know I was a bit of a pain and caused a bit of grief.  Let’s move past that.  This is me now and as far as any of the new girls are concerned, I’ve always looked this way.”

 

“I get that.  And I can certainly relate.  I’ve probably changed the most of everyone, but I’ve never been happier.  I feel like this is my true self.”  Heather admitted, as she gently scrapped away at Melissa’s head.  “You’ll get no argument from me, and I’ll do my best to honor your request, especially around the new girls.  I may ask the same.”

 

“I’m in as well, although I can’t speak for anyone else on the team.”  Jessie pointed out.  “Although, I think if this is brought up at the meeting tomorrow night, you’ll probably be able to get everyone on board.”

 

“It should probably come from you.”  Melissa told Heather.  “You wield the power.  I know it certainly works on me.”

 

“Alright.  You both make valid points.”  Heather admitted as she wiped off Melissa’s head and reached for the shaving cream again.  “But you both better back me up.”

 

“Absolutely!”  Melissa agreed enthusiastically.

 

“You used to have hair?  That’s news to me.  I’ve never seen you with more hair than you have currently, and it looks like you’ve grown it quite a bit.”  Jessie winked at Heather.

 

“Yeah, and I know you have this big aversion to clothes.  If I ever saw you with more clothes than absolutely necessary, I’d seriously wonder if something was wrong with you.”  Melissa winked at Heather, knowing that it used to be the case for her.

 

“Do you want credit for our uniforms as well?”  Jessie asked.  She was really enjoying this time with Heather and Melissa and felt a new closeness with them.

 

“That’s up to you.  I don’t need the credit.  I’m just happy everyone likes them.”  Heather answered as she began her second pass over Melissa’s head.  “But have you seen the new barbershop outfits?  They are so amazing and super comfortable.  When I got back from vacation and Emma gave me a tour of this space, I found them and couldn’t wait to try them on.  I put it on and wore it while I gave her her head shave.”  Heather couldn’t help but gush as she talked about it.

 

“I didn’t know we were getting outfits for here to.”  Melissa stated.  “Will they be required for everyone?”

 

“If I say yes, does that increase or decrease the amount of time you’ll want to spend here?” Heather asked, though the answer didn’t matter.  Heather felt like she might already know what the answer was, but she wanted to hear Melissa say it.

 

Melissa let out a deep sigh and thought it over before she answered.  “Okay, so you know I’m all in on this look.  Call me ‘Baldy’ all you want.  I own it like a badge of honor.  That’s here to stay no matter what.  I’m less sold on my new wardrobe.  I’ve already talked about my struggles from this summer, and that was mainly for Franklin.  So, if he wasn’t in the picture would I wear less than I am now?  Probably.  Would I go back to how I was dressing before?  Probably not.”

 

She paused, to let the idea sink in.  “I’ve discovered a lot about myself, and this hasn’t been all bad.  Ideally, I would be able to strike a better balance.  I don’t mind dressing this way, and I honestly think I do look good, but I also feel like I don’t have to dress this way all the time and do occasionally miss my old wardrobe.”

 

At that moment, the timer dinged.  “Not to cut you off, but I do need to rinse off Jessie.”  Heather began.  “Jessie, why don’t you head over to the sink and sit down?  Melissa, once I’m done with this pass, you two can switch again so that I can finish with Jessie.  Then if you want another pass, I can do that, but it is getting late, and it’s been a long day.”

 

Jessie walked over to the sink and sat down at the chair in front of it.  Heather finished the last few swipes over Melissa’s head and wiped it down, then walked over to the sink.  As Jessie tilted her head back, Heather turned the water on and began to rinse Jessie’s head.  Melissa got up from the chair and followed Heather over towards the sink.

 

“Franklin knows how much cheer means to me, and he knows what the uniforms look like.  So, it’s like the one ‘allowance’ I have not to cover up.  I was already on board with all the activities and events the team does, but if my participation at the barbershop seems even extra…  Well, you’ll know why.  I guess if I had a ‘job’ and I had to wear a uniform, then Franklin couldn’t really object.  Of course, he’ll tell me I don’t need a job, and I should never want for anything.  But if it’s cheer related, and we all ‘HAVE’ to put in a certain number of hours here each week…”  Melissa winked at Heather as she trailed off.

 

Heather finished rinsing Jessie’s hair and after applying a towel to her head, she guided Jessie back to the chair.  Heather then spent the next few minutes styling and sculpting Jessie’s hair.

 

“I think you should spend as much time here as you can.” Jessie offered Melissa.  “I’m sure you’d get plenty of business.  Plus, you’re a great advertisement.”

 

“So, I guess it would increase?”  Melissa informed Heather.

 

“I wasn’t even sure we’d go with these outfits.  Emma and I first talked about it when we first discussed opening this shop back during the winter break.  That conversation led to our new cheer uniforms.  But then when the conversations about the barbershop started to get serious, Emma brought up the barbershop outfits again.  I said we could go either way, but if we did get them, then I told her about the design that I envisioned.  And they’re perfect.”  Heather smiled.  “So, since we do have these outfits, I’d say they will be strongly recommended and encouraged, but maybe not ‘required.’”

 

“I’m in.”  Melissa confirmed.  “As much time as I have free, I’ll be here.”

 

“I’m in, too.”  Jessie added.  “I mean maybe not all my free time, and probably not as much as Melissa, but I’ll definitely be here for at least a few hours every week.”

 

“That’s great to hear.  I’ll make sure to let Anna and Emma know.  Though I’m not exactly sure how scheduling will work, since I’m usually not as involved with that.”  Heather remarked as she put the finishing touches on Jessie’s style.  “Okay, Jessie.  I hope this is what you were looking for.”  Heather moved towards the mirror and reached up to pull the sheet down.

 

“Oh Heather, I’m sure it’s fantastic.”  Jessie smiled, “I can already tell that it’s better than it was.”  Once Heather pulled the sheet down, Jessie walked over to get a better view.  Her hair was now an ultra-light platinum color.  It was buzzed down to a #2 on top down to her eyebrows, and from there her hair blended shorter until just below mid ear when it was shaved smooth.  Jessie gasped as she examined her hair even closer.  After another moment, Jessie turned towards Heather with a gigantic smile plastered across her face.  She started clapping and jumping up and down before embracing Heather as she lifted her up.  “I.  LOVE.  THIS!  Heather, this is without a doubt my favorite look ever.  I was so right to tell you I wanted it shorter.”

 

“Shorter than it is now?”  Melissa exclaimed.

 

“No, I mean, shorter than it was when I left for the summer.”  Jessie continued to admire herself in the mirror.  “This is the exactly length I wanted.”  She turned towards Heather, “I know I said earlier that I didn’t know what the future held, but I’m seriously tempted to leave it like this.”

 

“You can have whatever you want Jessie, but I do think you were meant to be a blonde.”  Heather remarked.

 

“I KNOW!”  Jessie stared at herself some more.  “Yes, this is definitely what I want.”  She turned towards Heather.  “Okay, this will be my standard going forward.”  She brushed the top of her head.  “I think the top can vary between a #1 and a #3.  I really don’t want it to be longer than that, and I love this shade.”  She paused, admiring herself and let out a squeal.  “Oh Heather!”  She squeezed Heather again.  “I am so happy!  I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this.”

 

“I’m just glad you’re happy.”  Heather smiled at her teammate.  “Your reaction makes it all worth it.  Okay, let’s clean up, so we can get out of here.”

 

“But Heather…” Melissa started to whine.

 

“Alright, Melissa.”  Heather turned towards her teammate and let out a sigh.  “Hop in the chair.”

 

“It’s okay.”  Melissa rubbed her head.  “I’m just grateful for all you’ve done so far.  Can I come find you in the morning?”

 

“I’ll tell you what…  If you’re willing to get up early and join me on my morning run, we can head back here after, and I’ll shave your head again.  Otherwise, I’m not sure the timing will work out.”

 

“Ugh, waking up early and running.”  Melissa scoffed, “You know that’s the one aspect of the new you that I don’t care for.”  She sighed and casually rubbed her hand across her head.  “But you know I’ll do it.  Damn, I really hate this power you have over me.”

 

“I know.”  Heather grinned.  “You can blame Emma for the early morning runs.  I hated them at first, but honestly, I love them now.  It’s a great way to start my day and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

 

“Fine.  I’ll be there.  But I want multiple passes.”

 

“You two are nuts.  Heather, thank you so much for this, but I’ll be sleeping in.”  Jessie confirmed as she finished sweeping up.

 

The trio spent another few minutes cleaning up, then Heather locked up and they headed back down the path to the main house.

 

The next morning came quickly for Melissa, but she was ready when Heather came knocking.  The two could not have been dressed more differently.  Heather was in a sports bra and booty shorts with a bandana tied around her head.  Melissa was in sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

 

Melissa was in agony and struggled to keep up with Heather, but to her credit, she didn’t complain once.  Heather enjoyed the company, but she wasn’t used to being the one to stop and wait.  She finally understood what Emma went through during those early days last year.

 

After the run, they headed straight to the barbershop and Melissa nearly jumped in the chair while Heather got right to work.  After two initial passes, Heather rewarded Melissa with a third pass.  Melissa’s scalp was still a bit raw and cut up from Franklin’s shaves throughout the summer.  It would take some time, but Heather was confident it would return to the smooth and flawless scalp that Melissa got addicted to.  Emma stopped by just as Heather finished up with Melissa.  Then Heather gave Emma her daily shave before she made her way back to the main house and got herself ready for the day.  She made it downstairs and out of the door just as Nikki got to the house to pick her up.

 

THE WILDEST CHANGE OF ALL

Later that night, the team gathered in the living room.  It was Anna’s first official duty as Captain, and she had spent a lot of time preparing for it.  Emma was there, but she made it clear it was Anna’s team.  She should not be looked at or relied on in any way and was only there because she was the Coach, in much the same way that Coach Beth was at the meetings but let Emma run the show.

 

Everyone agreed that Jessie’s look was spectacular.  To further emphasize how dedicated Jenny and Jessie were to their individuality, they sat on separate couches for the first time since they joined the team.

 

Shandra was also there.  She quietly showed up at some point during the day.  In fact, most of the team hadn’t even realized she was back, as it was the first time any of them had even seen her since she arrived.  What surprised everyone the most was her appearance.  After the competition, Shandra wanted to regrow her hair.  When everyone had last seen her, her hair had grown several inches.  It was widely expected that when she arrived back on campus at the end of the summer, her hair would be even longer, but that was not what happened.

 

“Hey, Shandra.  Welcome back.  Are you excited for your Senior year?”  Anna was the first to greet her.  “I like your hair.  Even though it wasn’t what I was expecting, at all.”

 

“I’m just here to reflect and soak it all in.  I want to make the most of the time I have left and be a good teammate.”  She casually stroked her hair, which had been buzzed down to a #3.  It looked like it had been that way for a bit of time, and that Shandra seemed well adapted to it.

 

“Shandra! You cut off your hair!”  Janie exclaimed as she walked over to join the conversation.  “It might even be shorter than mine!”

 

“Yeah, it’s a lot easier to deal with this way.  I don’t have to do much or think about it most of the time.”  Shandra answered matter-of-factly.  “Besides, I know this team still controls my hair.  So, I figure you’ll end up deciding to shave it all off again.”

 

“Not necessarily.  I’ll talk with Heather and Betty and see what they think, but I think you have the right to wear your hair however you choose, just like the rest of the team.”  Anna stated.  “I hope you didn’t cut it off for nothing.”

 

“No, not for nothing.  I did this almost a month ago and have gone back twice since then to maintain it.”  Shandra explained.  “It turns out that I actually like it this way and would probably keep it like this if given the choice.”

 

“That’s… Well, I’ll certainly keep that in mind.”  Anna replied as she turned to address the group.  “I expect Heather will join us momentarily, but I want to welcome everyone back and thank you all for attending.  I’ll keep things brief, as we won’t officially get underway until next week.  Since the weekend is when the new students will move in, and it would be great if most of us were around to help out.”

 

“Also, the football team’s hugely successful season last year, coupled with our own, means we’ll likely attend every game this season.  I’ll get more details about everything once we have our first full team meeting, but the head shave fundraiser and the calendar will both be on the calendar again this year.  And both will be a bit earlier in the season and may be done in tandem, depending on the schedule.  I had some ideas to do it a bit differently, but why mess with success.  Finally, and I had hoped Heather would be here for this part –”

 

“I’m here!”  Heather’s voice could be heard from the entry way, as she made her way into the room.  “So sorry, I’m late.  I’m glad you didn’t wait for me.”  Heather quickly sat down on the couch between Jessie and Melissa.

 

“No, it’s okay, Heather.  I know you have a lot going on.  Our next, full team meeting will be much more important.”  Anna assured.  “However, since you are here, I was just about to talk about the barbershop.”

 

“Oh, okay…” Heather stood back up and addressed the group.  “I guess the big news, as you all know, is that the barbershop is open.  There’s officially an on-campus barbershop and it will be run by us.  It’s open to everyone.  Students, faculty, and those off campus as well.  As you all know, I took over Evan’s salon and most of his clients.  Now, many of them will come over to the barbershop.  Obviously, this entire team gets whatever they want done, whenever they want, and you all have the opportunity to work at least a few hours a week in various roles, but that will be discussed further at a later time.”

 

Heather was about to sit back down, when she felt a poke from her side.  She looked over at Melissa.  “Oh, and one more thing.”  Heather took a deep breath as she looked between Melissa and Jessie, who both nodded in encouragement.  “We’ve all changed dramatically over the past year.  None of us look anything like what we did a year ago…”  She paused for a moment, “Well, except for maybe you, Anna.  But the rest of us…  Well, I think we’ve all evolved in many ways.  Overall, I’d say we’re all a lot happier and better off.  That girl who was here last year, the one that shared my name?  She doesn’t exist anymore.  She’s long gone.”

 

Everyone watched Heather, as they hung on to every word.  That was another thing that changed.  A year ago, Heather wouldn’t have been able to make this speech or draw attention to herself in any way.

 

“So, as far as anyone is concerned, I’ve always looked this way.  This is the longest my hair has been.  It’s rare if any of you have seen me covered up with more clothes than I have on now.”  She turned towards Melissa.  “Melissa has always been bald.  She’s never gone more than a day or two without a fresh shave.  I could go on, but I think you all understand my point.  Let’s not reference the past and only move forward, because I don’t think there’s any of us here,” Heather paused a moment as she quickly scanned the room, “that have any intention of going back to who we were.”

 

Heather stood for a moment as the room got silent.  Suddenly, the entire room erupted in applause.  Slightly embarrassed and not sure exactly how to respond, Heather sat back down.  Melissa and Jessie, both hugged her and congratulated her on the speech, which caused her to smile.

 

“I think that’s a very valid point, and I fully support everything that was just said.”  Anna addressed the group.  “Heather is right, and I think we all agree based on that response.  But to make it official, does anyone object to anything Heather just said?  Or does anyone have anything else to add?”

 

Jenny stood up.  “All of you all know this, but that’s my SISTER over there.  I love her to death, and I always will, but we are individual people.  Please refer to us separately.  Biologically, we are twins, and we shared a womb together.  Nothing will change that.  And for the first 19 ½ years of our lives, that was all we knew.  But ever since we first cut our hair, we have discovered the joy of living separate lives.  We are actively trying to differentiate ourselves and we’re developing our own styles.”  Jenny looked over at her sister who nodded along.

 

“So, if Heather wants to talk about being in the present and being who we are…  Then I’d like to get rid of the word TWIN.  Please.  Jessie is my sister and neither of us will deny that.  We’re the same age and in the same grade.  As different as we want to be, we do share a lot of similar features.  I’m sure it will be mentioned at some point, but let’s try to keep the distinction.”

 

“Done.”  Anna confirmed.  “And that’s not up for debate.”  She added as she looked around the room.  “While we’re at it… I wasn’t going to talk about this yet, but I’m sure you all notice one of our teammates looking quite a bit different than any of us expected.”

 

Everyone looked over at Shandra, who while in her usual chair, was actually sitting up and attentive, unlike in the past when she’d been all consumed by her phone and indifferent to whatever was going on.

 

“Without rehashing the past, we all know what Shandra did last year and what her ‘punishment’ was.  It was supposed to carry over into this season… but given the extended season we had and the new look she already has, I suggest she get off with time served and be free to do as she wants just like the rest of us.”  Anna turned towards Shandra, “To be clear you’d still be ineligible for any official position, but beyond that…”

 

“I understand.”  Shandra stood up and addressed the group.  “I’ll let the team decide and I am happy to go along with whatever the team decides, but to be clear, this is my hairstyle of choice.  I have no intention of letting it get much longer than it is now, regardless of what the team decides.  I did this a month ago and have gotten it touched up twice since then.”

 

Shandra turned to Heather.  “Heather, I hope I can look forward to regular visits with you, to help keep this looking sharp.”

 

Then Shandra turned back towards the group.  “I fully intend to participate in all activities going forward and will be the biggest short hair advocate on this team.  I love and respect you all and will accept whatever the team decides.  However, Betty is the person I wronged most, and no decision should be made without her.”

 

“Wow, Shandra, that’s certainly very admirable of you.”  Anna nodded with approval.

 

“I don’t want to speak for Betty, though she’ll be here soon.  Though, I think she’s actually secretly grateful for what happened, even though I think it would be difficult to get her to admit it.”  Heather spoke up.

 

“We’ve discussed it, and while we’d both prefer to deny it if pressed, you’re the catalyst for much of what happened to this team last year.  Knowing what I know now, I’m glad I don’t have all that hair anymore.  I never would have cut it without your influence and if given the choice to instantly have it all back, I would refuse every time.  I know it took a while, but Betty feels the same.  Betty looks so different now, and she’s never been happier.  She loves her short hair, and she’s lost a lot of weight.  I fully support everything Shandra just said.”

 

Heather turned towards Shandra.  “Shandra, you look amazing, and I look forward to helping you keep this style up or any other look that YOU decide you want to try.”

 

“Well, I think that speaks volumes.”  Anna said.  “If anyone else has anything to say, we’ll listen, but I think Heather summed it up nicely.  Shandra, pending Betty’s agreement, you’re free and clear to make your own decisions and the team fully supports whatever choices you make with no pressure to do anything against your will.”

 

After a few more minutes of other minor discussions, Anna dismissed the meeting and reminded everyone to try and be around to help with the new students.  The team dispersed.  Heather took Jenny to the barbershop to restore her bowl cut, and everyone else went off to do their own thing.

 

“So, how does it feel, Captain?”  Emma approached Anna, after everyone else had left.  “How did you feel?’

 

“I think it went well.”  Anna smiled.  “I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I expected to be.”

 

“You handled everything like a pro.  You’re a natural leader.  This team is definitely in good hands.”  Emma hugged Anna.  “Not that it matters, but I would have handled everything the same way as you did.  You did a great job.”  Emma then left and headed back to her cottage and let Anna enjoy the rest of her night.