Cheerful Clips: Homecoming

It’s time to get acquainted with another new teammate.  Plus, we’re approaching Homecoming, so there may be some old friends that stop by.

 

If you’re curious about the rest of the team and new to the story, please feel free to check out the previous chapter here:

 

https://www.hairstorynetwork.com/stories/cheerful-clips-the-audition/

 

For more about the team, check out here:

 

https://www.hairstorynetwork.com/stories/cheerful-clips-the-new-recruits/

 

Here is the next installment in our saga:

 

 

A SEED IS PLANTED

Tabitha was a Legacy student.  That meant before she even set foot on campus, she had a reputation, whether she wanted it or not.  Her sister, Tanya, graduated two years earlier.  Before that her mother, aunt, and grandmother also attended the school and were prominent members of the cheer squad.  The family tradition went back even further since her great-grandmother was one of the first women to attend the school and was a foundering member of the cheer team.

 

Tabitha always felt she lived in the shadow of her sister.  Tanya was the typical cheerleader.  She was popular, outgoing, and athletic.  She had stunning looks, which she proudly flaunted to her advantage.  With a five-year age difference, Tanya and Tabitha never attended school together, but Tabitha was already well known.  However, Tabitha was not like her sister.  In fact, they were opposites in almost every way possible except for two things: their love of cheer and their hair.

 

Tanya loved her hair.  It was naturally blonde and extremely curly.  Her hair generally fell between mid-back and lower back.  When she wasn’t cheering, she tended to wear it down and loose.  It was meticulously cared for and Tanya liked to use it to help accent her perfectly sculpted body.  Tanya loved to show off her firm plump breasts with revealing tops and plunging necklines.

 

On the other hand, Tabitha hated her hair.  It was always a challenge.  It was a dark, dirty blonde, super curly lion’s mane that stuck out in all directions and reached halfway down her back.  If she ever bothered to straighten it, it would fall well past her waist.  She had straightened it on only a few occasions, and enjoyed how lovely it looked, but it took way too much effort and time to straighten it regularly.  She longed to have more manageable hair, but in her family, it was seen as a badge of honor and something to be cherished.  Tabitha had a desire to cut her hair shorter, but she feared the wrath of her family and feared making her hair even more unmanageable with the wrong cut.

 

While otherwise gifted with similar hair and body type, Tabitha was much more withdrawn and very modest, when compared with her sister.  She was a good student, always very helpful and friendly, but she shied away from attention as much as she could.

 

When Tabitha arrived at the cheer house to start her college experience, she was greeted by Shandra, a former teammate of her sister’s.  Shandra and Tanya were often paired together for lifts and stunts.  Shandra, who was typically a bit standoffish and had a brusque personality, was very happy to see Tabitha and her family.  Unfortunately, Tayna was not present, but her parents made sure to note Shandra’s new #3 buzzcut.  Shandra gushed all about her hair.  She couldn’t stop talking about how happy she was and how practical she found it.  Tabitha made a special note of this, since Shandra’s hair had been similar to hers and her sister’s.  Shandra cherished her hair and Tabitha thought that Shandra would never willingly cut it, much less promote it and be as enthusiastic about it as she was.

 

After a few weeks, even though the shadow of her sister and the rest of her family loomed large, Tabitha was doing well and managed to carve out her own identity.  Her main frustration was dealing with her unruly hair.  She had dealt with it her entire life, yet it somehow seemed worse, particularly surrounded by so many other short and shaved hairstyles.  But now, she was free from the pressure and influence of her sister and the rest of her family.  She realized she had an opportunity that never existed before.

 

“So, no regrets?”  Tabitha asked.

 

“It wasn’t my choice, and I hated the whole idea at first.”  Shandra admitted, “but I will say, it IS practical.  It’s efficient, and I think I rock this look pretty hard.”  Shandra put her hand on Tabitha’s shoulder, “I can’t believe I’m going to say this… and if word ever got out, I will deny, deny, deny, but I highly recommend it.”

 

“I’m just so tired of this hair.  I’d love nothing more than to just CHOP IT ALL OFF!”  Tabitha declared while grabbing her hair with both hands, exasperated.

 

“Then why don’t you?”  Shandra inquired.  “You’ll have the full support of the team.  I’m sure Heather can come up with something amazing for you.”  Shandra showed genuine interest in her teammate’s hair and struggles.

 

“I – I don’t know.”  Tabitha admitted.  “It’s not that I haven’t thought about it before.  I’ve thought about it lots of times, actually.  But I’ve never gone through with it…”  Tabitha trailed off.  “I guess I’ll think about it.”  Tabitha admitted.

 

“Well, you can do whatever you want, but homecoming is coming up in another week, if that has any influence on your decision.”

 

A LOOK AHEAD

It was Friday night, and the team was gathered for its usual Friday night meeting.  These meetings were no longer held in the living room, but in the barbershop.   This way, Heather was able to participate, while also tending to everyone’s hair to get them ready for the game the next day.  It was also one of the rare times that Heather worked from the main room and not her own private room.

 

“Alright, so we have our first away game of the season tomorrow.  The bus will be here early, so let’s all call it an early night.  As in after this meeting, we all need to wind down and get some sleep.”  Anna addressed the group.  “There isn’t a lot to cover tonight, but next week is homecoming.  I’ll have a lot more to say about that next week.  And don’t forget that our ‘fundraising weekend’ will be here before you know it.  Janie, Jenny, can either of you briefly fill us in?”

 

“Okay…  So, our bye week is in four weeks.”  Janie began, as she got up from the empty barber chair.  “Our schedule is kind of tight this year since we’re going to all the games, and it doesn’t give us a lot of extra time to schedule extra things in.  We made the calendar shoot a bit earlier than last year, and it will still have a tight processing time in order to get the calendars printed… but we’re gonna do everything on our bye week.

 

“So that Friday night, we will all be here, as usual.  But it will be head shaves for all!  Or shaves for those who want them, I suppose.  We still need to work out the details, but the setup will be slightly different than last year.  But the important thing to remember is that it’ll be four weeks from now, for those who wish to participate.”  Janie sat back down, as she passed things off to Jenny.

 

“Right… Then on Saturday, it’s the calendar shoot.”  Jenny stood up and addressed the group.  “I’ve already spoken with Candice about it, and she will secure the location that we used last year.  We have a couple of ideas, and some options have been discussed on the theme… but we can talk about them and vote later.  Basically, we’ve got two major decisions to make.  We can either wear themed bikinis as we did last year, or it was also suggested we could all wear our cheer uniforms.  They seem to have gotten universal attention and a lot of praise.

 

“The other decision involves how we actually shoot the calendar.  We can have individual shots, with each of us representing a different month, like last year.  Or we have the option of various group shots and different combinations for each month.  So, discuss it with each other and we’ll talk more about it next week.”  Just as Jenny was about to sit back down, Kathy’s hand shot up.  “Yes, Kathy?”

 

“Are y’all expecting us to be bald for this calendar shoot?”  Kathy inquired.  “Cause it sure seems that way…  Y’all talk about free will and we can do what we want, blah, blah, blah.  But I’m not buying it.  It seems like this was done on purpose.  We all shave our heads for the fundraiser, and then we’re bald for the calendar shoot.  I know how much uniformity matters, but is that really what we all want?”

 

“It certainly is preferred.”  Anna cut in.  “Look, I won’t lie.  It would be great if we all did it.  I’m not going to speak for everyone, so please, if someone disagrees, please let me know.”  Anna quickly scanned the room.  “All of the returning members have been bald before.  And I think, for the most part, we are all up for doing it again.  At least for the short term.  I know it’s a big deal and I know what we’re asking.  Kathy, I know everything you went through last year with your old team, and none of us would expect it of you.  You truly do have free will and that will always be true.

 

“It would be great if everyone participated in some capacity.”  Anna continued, “But it’s not required.  Again, we’ll have more discussion about this next week, but for now, we wanted to get the idea out there.”  Anna looked around.  “Now, does anyone have anything else they’d like to add?”

 

AN OLD FRIEND STOPS BY

Heather was not a morning person.  She hated to wake up early.  However, she found it an essential part of her new lifestyle.  She faithfully woke up early every day and went for a morning run.  When Emma first recruited her to join her on her runs last year, Heather hated every moment of it.  She wasn’t very good or fast.  Over time, she got better and faster, and it was now something she looked forward to.

 

The early mornings also allowed her to schedule early morning classes.  Something she never would have considered before, but now they made the most sense.  Even though she now had a successful business to run, her education was still important to her.  This way, she got most of her classes out of the way and then she could spend the rest of the day at the barbershop, where she thrived.

 

It was the Friday of Homecoming weekend and Heather tried to keep her schedule open, for any “unexpected” alum that might want to stop by.  While the barbershop typically closed earlier on Fridays so the team could prep for the next day’s game, today would be an exception for any former team members that showed up.

 

As Heather entered the barbershop for the day, she was greeted by Nikki, who had just started working there earlier in the week.

 

“You’ve got a full day, but there are some surprises in store for you, so I hope you have a fun day.”  Nikki informed the young coiffeuse.

 

“I hope they are good surprises.”  Heather smiled at her mohawked friend.

 

“Always.”  Nikki smiled.  “The first one is already waiting for you in the back room.”

 

Heather hurriedly went back to her private room.  As she entered the room, she noticed her bald current coach Emma holding a baby.  In her chair was her surprisingly almost bald, former coach Beth.  They were both in deep conversation.  Suddenly, Emma noticed that Heather had joined them and turned towards her.

 

“Hey, Heather!  Look who decided to stop by!”  She cuddled Buddy and talked in a baby voice.

 

Beth turned towards Heather and smiled.  “I mentioned to Heather the last time I saw her, that I would probably stop by today.”  She casually brushed her hand across her bristled head.  “Although I probably have a lot less hair than she expected.”

 

Heather walked over to Beth, who stood up and offered a hug.  “You do, but I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

 

“I’ll let you two get to it and catch up.”  Emma headed towards the entryway, still carrying Buddy.  “Don’t worry, he’s in good hands.”

 

“I have no worries.  Between you and Nikki, he’ll be well taken care of.”  Beth sat back down in the chair.  “Now, it’s mommy’s time.”  Beth exhaled as she relaxed.  She turned her attention back towards Heather.  “So, if there was any doubt, I can officially confirm that this is my future.  It turns out that my husband can’t get enough.  If it was up to him, I’d never have any hair at all.  That’s not what I want, though.”

 

Heather listened intently, waiting to find out what Beth wanted to do.

 

“I think what you did last time is perfect.”  Beth nodded, signaling to Heather that she wanted that again.  “Bruce bought some clippers so he could keep it up at home.  I told him that I was fine with it, but I had a few issues.  I wish he had discussed it with me ahead of time.  I’m sure you have a recommendation, and I’ve come to greatly value and respect your opinion, especially when it comes to my hair.  I also mentioned that I still wanted to come here and visit with you and the rest of the team, so he doesn’t get to trim my hair all the time.”

 

At this point, Heather had her clippers in hand and had started to remove what little hair remained on Beth’s head.

 

“So, this is probably the longest my hair will get.  At least for the foreseeable future.  I’ll pop in about once a month and let you or anyone on the team that wants to have a go, and Bruce will get his turn, in between, also about once a month.”

 

“So, roughly every two weeks.”  Heather continued to remove what little hair had grown on her head and bring it down to almost nothing.

 

“I never thought this would happen.  When I originally made the decision to cut it and return it to my natural color, that was long before I had even agreed to let you all shave it.  I had no clue what color my hair would end up as.  Little did I know, that wasn’t even going to matter much at all.”

 

“You know, if this is really how you want your hair going forward, I could easily just finish it off with a razor shave for you, if you wanted.”  Heather commented as she finished running the clippers over Beth’s head, removing the last remnants of hair.

 

Beth grew silent as she analyzed what Heather had just said.  “That day WILL come, and I look forward to when it does, but it’s not now…”  She paused again.  “I enjoy this look.  More than I ever thought possible.  I made a promise to myself, my husband, and in a way to you.  I will shave it again, I will be bald again, but I set a goal first and that will be my reward.  But it may be a while.”  She rubbed her stomach, “I think I might be pregnant again.”

 

“Congratulations?”  Heather was unsure exactly how she was supposed to respond.

 

Beth chuckled.  “Thank you.  It’s a good thing, but it’s still early.  Nothing is confirmed yet, but it’s a very good thing if it’s true.  It wasn’t planned but it’s very exciting.”   Beth rubbed her freshly shorn head.  “As I said, Bruce is really into this look.  He was terrified when I first brought up the idea of doing this, even though he was very supportive.  I think he’s surprised how into it he is.”  Beth slowly stood up and gave Heather a hug, as she started to head out into the main room.  “I’ll hang around for a little while, since I want to visit with the rest of the team, but I’ll stop back in and say goodbye before I head out.”

 

THE ADMISSION

Emma tried to avoid the Cheer House as much as she could, unless she was there in an official capacity.  It was complicated, but she knew that going from the captain to the coach wouldn’t be an easy transition.  Especially since many of her former teammates were still on the team.  She also felt that it was important for Anna to have the space, respect, and authority she deserved and earned as the new captain.  Today was an exception.  She planned to stop by the house while she watched Buddy.  This way, anyone on the team could stop by and enjoy some time with him, or just admire him, since he spent most of his time asleep.

 

Emma had no idea if she wanted kids of her own, but she loved babies and would do anything for Buddy and Beth.  After all, they were the reason she got the coach position.

 

“Hey, Emma!”  Janie bound into the living room.

 

Emma raised her finger to her lips and then nodded towards Buddy.

 

“Hey Emma.”  Janie whispered before she sat down next to Buddy and cooed at his cuteness.

 

Emma and Janie were soon joined by Madison, who casually walked into the living room and sat down next to Emma.

 

“You’re a mom?  I didn’t know you had a kid.”

 

Emma and Janie looked at each other and giggled quietly.

 

“Oh, he’s not mine.”  Emma informed the new cheerleader.  “He belongs to our former Cheer Coach.  She’s over with Heather at the barbershop.  I offered to watch him while she got her hair done.  She’ll come by the House when she’s done.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Madison nodded.  “He’s adorable.  I love babies.  I used to babysit all the time back home.”

 

“I’ll be sure to let Beth know, just in case she needs a sitter.  She does have another one at home, though.”

 

“Another baby?!”  Madison exclaimed.

 

“No, not a baby.  She has another young son.  He’s about 4, maybe 5?”  Emma tried to calculate his age in her head.  “We’ll double check when she gets here.”

 

The teammates chatted until Beth entered the house, smiling.  Her nearly bald, stubbly head reflected in the ambient light of the house.  She sat down on a couch across from the others.  “That’s so much better.”  Beth grinned as she rubbed her head.

 

“Woah, you’re bald too!”  Madison was in awe of the former coach’s appearance.  The rest of the room laughed.

 

“Madison, this is Beth, our previous Cheer Coach.  Beth, this is Madison, one of our new freshmen.”  Emma introduced the two.

 

“Hello, Madison.  It’s very nice to meet you.”  Beth got up, walked over to Madison, and offered a hug, which Madison accepted.  “Actually, this is a relatively new look for me.  I used to have longer hair than yours.  It was long bleached blonde hair that ran all the way down my back.  I put it on the line, so when the team won their competition, they got to shave my hair.”  Beth explained.

 

“But wasn’t that several months ago?”  Madison mindlessly stroked her own braided hair, “Shouldn’t it have grown back by now?”

 

“Yeeeeaaahhh… Well, it was my choice to continue to keep it this way.”  Beth admitted.  “The original plan was to grow my hair back after the team shaved it.  But I have to admit that I’ve grown quite found of it, plus my husband loves it, and it’s so much easier to deal with.”  Beth sat back down.  “So, I initially agreed to let the team shave it, but I’ve kept it that way for me, and it probably will stay like this for a bit.”

 

“I knew it!”  Melissa, who had just walked past and overheard Beth’s declaration, entered the living room.  “I’m so happy that you like it!”  Melissa smiled at her former coach while rubbing her own bald head.

 

“I’ll admit it.”  Beth sighed.  “It’s not completely shaved, but yes, I like this look and will probably stick around for a while.”

 

“Awww Coach!”  Melissa was almost in tears as she went over to her former coach to give her a giant hug.  “Isn’t it addicting?  I’m so happy I did this.”

 

“Yes, Melissa.  Yes, it is.  And that says a lot coming from you.”  Beth admitted.

 

Madison watched the exchange in awe.  This team was great, and she loved all her teammates, but she couldn’t believe the way they acted with their hair.  She had greatly misjudged their mindset on their hairstyles.  While she didn’t regret her decision to grow her hair out, she might need to give some thought to what its future would be.

 

The group stayed and chatted a bit.  Beth filled everyone in on what she’d been up to and noted how well the team seemed to do this season.  More teammates filtered in and out of the living room, and they were happy to catch up with their former coach.

 

HATCHING A PLAN

“I’m happy to do whatever you like, but if you let the team decide, you know what you’ll end up with…”  Heather told her latest client.  It was her final client of the day, before closi0ng up and dealing with the team during the meeting that evening.

 

“Oh, I’m aware, but I have a plan.  They won’t know exactly what they’re voting for.”  Jacqueline explained.  Her former jaw-length bob had grown out a bit and it now hung at her shoulders.  “I never thought I’d find shoulder length hair to be too long, yet here we are.”

 

“Well, don’t go six months without a haircut again.”  Heather chided.  “There’s a lot to unpack here.  It’s not in the greatest shape, but I think I can salvage most of the style.”

 

“Yeah, I know, it’s a mess.”  Jacqueline sighed.  “Do whatever you need to do.  I’m prepared.”

 

“So, what exactly do you plan to let the team to decide on?”  Heather continued to examine Jacqueline’s hair.

 

“Well, I know if I gave them the option, I’ll leave here bald.”  Jacqueline admitted.  “That’s not an option.  Honestly, I doubt that will ever be an option.”  Jacqueline sighed.  “I never thought I’d say this, but I wouldn’t rule out some kind of long pixie.  I still don’t know if I’m ready for that yet, but I may be trending in that direction.”  Jacqueline explained as she ran her fingers through her hair.

 

“I guess you’re a short hair gal now.”  Heather pointed out.

 

“Well, if that jaw length bob you gave me last time is the baseline…  Now, I would think of this as long.”  Jacqueline paused.  “So, I guess you’re right.”  Jacqueline had come to this realization slowly, but it was the first time she had expressed it out loud.  “I’m going to present three options, and the team can pick… but they won’t know what the options are or that it’s for me.”

 

“So, what are the options?”

 

“The first is the jaw length bob that you gave me last time.  It took a few days, but I really enjoyed it.  I hadn’t intended to let it get this long, but well, life happens.  I promise to be better with the upkeep.”  Jacqueline laid out her plan.  “But I’m willing to be a bit adventurous, so I’m open to trying a lip length bob.”

 

“Do you have a preference?”  Heather’s curiosity was peaked.

 

“Honestly, I’m okay with either one.  It’s only a matter of time before I go shorter anyway.”

 

“You said there were three options…”

 

“Yeah…”  Jacqueline paused before she took a deep breath.  “Pixie.”  She swallowed hard.  She managed to get the word out.  “But not yet.  Not today.  I’m not ready for a pixie, but I acknowledge that I’m trending in that direction, and it will probably happen at some point.”

 

“There’s no rush or pressure with this.”  Heather pointed out.

 

“Thanks Heather, and I know you’re right.  Believe me, I never thought I would have even considered this, but I’m actually okay with it…  If the team picks the pixie cut, then I will get a pixie cut.  But not today.  I’ll come back in a few weeks and let you have at it.  I just need the time to process.  I need to be able to wrap my head around it and commit to it.  So, I’ll start to look at short pixie styles and see what I like.  I would be ALL IN.”  Jacqueline exhaled, “But let’s be clear, I’d prefer NOT to.  I’m offering it as an option and should it get blindly picked, I’ll deal, but I’d much prefer either of the other two.”

 

“Okay, I get it.  And it sounds fun.  But how does the team choose without knowing what they are choosing?”  Heather inquired.

 

“I’ve got that figured out as well…”

 

INTIMIDATED MOTIVATION

Tabitha had a busy day of classes, but she hoped to get a quick nap in before the team meeting later that evening.  Unfortunately, her sister had other plans.  Tabitha was dressed casually, in jeans and a solid green T shirt, her hair tossed up in a messy bun.  She walked into the house and as she headed towards the kitchen, she heard someone call out her name from the living room.  She turned towards the sound of the voice and saw her sister.

 

“Tabitha!”  Tabitha’s sister, Tanya, called out while she patted the couch cushion next to her.

 

Tabitha rolled her eyes but headed towards her sister.  Tanya was dressed in her usual attire, which consisted of a revealing bandeau top that was tight around her chest and had her breasts nearly falling out.  Her hair was meticulously coiffed, with her tight ringlet curls framing her face and upper body perfectly.

 

“Thank God you still have all your hair.”  Tanya declared, as she started to fawn at her sister, who sat down next to her.  Tanya grabbed at Tabitha’s hair tie and pulled it.  “You have such amazing hair.  I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to wear it down.”  Tanya continued as Tabitha’s hair cascaded around her shoulders.

 

“Stop it!”  Tabitha whined, as she pulled away from her sister.  “Don’t touch me, Tanya.”  Tabitha tried to get away.  “Leave me alone.”  Tabitha stood up and turned to face Tanya, as her hair swung freely around her.  It was at that very instant that she made an important decision, and she smiled at the thought.

 

Tanya stood up.  “I just want you to make the most of your experience.  You’re my little sister and I only want what’s best for you.”  Tanya tried to move closer to her sister, as Tabitha continued to back away.

 

At that moment, Shandra happened to walk by and saw the two sisters.  “Hey, is everything okay in there?”  Shandra asked, showing more concern for a teammate, or anyone, then she normally did.

 

“Yeah, everything is –” Tanya looked up at Shandra aghast, “What the FUCK happened to your hair?!”  Tanya screamed out.  “Oh, Shandra…  Not you, too!  You had the most gorgeous hair on the team!  How could you do that?”  Tanya chastised her former teammate, as Tabitha took the opportunity to get away from her sister and stood behind Shandra.

 

“I cut it.  Isn’t it amazing?”  Shandra smiled as she casually brushed her hand over her head, highlighting the ‘new-ish’ do.

 

“No!  It’s horrible!  You had such great hair.  Why would you do that!”  Tanya exclaimed.

 

“Well, I love it, and that’s really all that matters.”  Shandra wrapped her arm around Tabitha as if to protect her and indicate that she was safe.

 

“Whatever…  This team has gone crazy.”  Tanya threw her hands up in frustration.  “So glad I stopped by when I’m apparently not wanted…”  She started to head to the door to leave.  “This clearly isn’t my team anymore.”

 

“No!  No, it’s not!”  Tabitha shouted after her sister.  “It’s MINE!”  She said, as the front door closed behind Tanya.  This realization made her smile.  “Thank you,” she said quietly to Shandra, as she closed back in on herself.

 

“Of course.”  Shandra winked at Tabitha as she gently played with Tabitha’s hair.

 

SPLIT DECISION

It was early in the evening, and the entire team was gathered at the barbershop for their weekly Friday night meeting.  Anna was about to call the meeting to order, when Heather popped out of her back room.

 

“Hey Anna, hey everyone.  Sorry to interrupt.”  Heather began.  “I’ll let you get to business in a minute, and I’ll cycle through everyone’s hair shortly…  But before that, I have a special client in the back, and she needs your help.”  Heather went through her prepared speech and hoped she wouldn’t screw anything up.  “I have three cards, each with a different style on it.  Everyone needs to pick a card, and whichever gets the most votes is the style that the client will get.”

 

“So, what’s on the cards?”

 

“You don’t get to know that yet.”  Heather knew this was the tricky part and hoped she could get through it.  “Just pick A, B, or C.”

 

“How do we know what we’re picking?”

 

“You don’t.  That’s the fun of it.  You just pick a letter, and I go with the majority.”

 

“So, a simple vote?”  Anna asked.  Heather nodded.  “Okay.  Anyone who votes for A, raise your hand.”

 

Anna, Janie, and Jazimine raised their hands.

 

“Who votes for B?”  Anna continued as Jessie, Tabitha, Betty, and Madison put their hands up.  “And C?”  Shandra, Melissa, Jessie, and Kathy raised their hands.  “It’s a tie.  So, now what?”  Anna turned to Heather.

 

“Well, I didn’t vote yet, so I guess I’ll break the tie.  Thanks everyone!  We’ll be right out in a little while.”  Then Heather headed back into her private room.

 

“I guess we’ll find out what that’s all about a bit later…”  Anna turned back to the group and started the meeting.

 

“It was a tie, so I guess that leaves it up to me.”  Heather informed Jacqueline as she got back into the room.  “Do you want to know what it is, or should I just decide?”

 

“Just do it.”  Jacqueline was both nervous and excited at the same time.  She was ready for whatever Heather had in store for her, and it was the first time she had honestly looked forward to getting her hair cut.

 

“Okay, great.  I have a surprise in mind for you, and I think you’ll enjoy it.”  Heather led Jacqueline over to the sink to wash her hair.

 

“It’s not a pixie, right?”

 

“We agreed that wouldn’t happen today.”  Heather reminded her.

 

“Just checking.  Alright, go ahead.  I look forward to what you have in store.”

 

Heather washed Jacqueline’s hair and then guided her back to the chair and got to work.  The first thing she did after she combed out Jacqueline’s hair was to place the scissors right even with her lips.  Then Heather quickly snipped off several inches of hair.  There, now she was committed.

 

Jacqueline had no idea what was in store for her, but she had an idea of what length her hair might end up at.  It was going to be so SHORT!  Well, short for her…  She still had a long way to go before she even came close to the team’s new standards.  She wasn’t sure she’d even go that far, but for the first time, she couldn’t rule it completely out.  Jacqueline couldn’t help but crack a smile.

 

Heather continued to outline the cut, moving the comb around Jacqueline’s head and snipping off the hair as she went.  It didn’t take long before Jacqueline’s hair had been chopped into a rough lip length bob.  Heather then pulled the hair in front of Jacqueline’s face and placed the comb a bit above the eyebrows.  Then without hesitation, she snipped off the hair that fell below the scissors.  Jacqueline gasped.

 

“Bangs!”  Jacqueline exclaimed.

 

“That’s your surprise!”  Heather smiled.

 

“I’ve never had bangs before…”  Jacqueline stated.

 

“Well, you do now,” Heather chuckled, as she refined the bangs slightly, before continuing the rest of the cut.

 

“I guess so.”  Jacqueline sat in silence, contemplating this latest turn of events.  She had never considered bangs before.  She had heard the grow-out process was a pain and she had always had such long hair.  The thought never interested her or even crossed her mind…  But her hair was short now, and likely only to keep getting shorter.  Bangs could be a fun change.  This whole thing was a new adventure, and she was ready for it.

 

Heather worked quickly.  She had been at this for less than a year, but she was very skilled.  She had an impeccable eye, and all of her clients trusted her completely.  Heather made her way around Jacqueliene’s head.  She was refining the cut, adding layers, and providing plenty of movement.  When Heather first cut Jacqueliene’s hair in the hotel room during the competition all those months ago, she was unprepared and unsure of exactly what to do.  Since then, she had only gotten better, and her confidence soared.  This time, she had all of her supplies.  She had a vision and knew the perfect style to create for Jacqueline.

 

“A year ago, this would have terrified me.”  Jacqueleine broke the silence.

 

“And now?”  Heather asked, as she put down the scissors and picked up the clippers. She stood behind Jacqueline and gently pushed her head down, as she turned on the clippers.

 

“Bring it on.”  Jacqueline reacted to the soft hum from the clippers.  She smiled as she felt them tug at the hairs on the back of her neck.  “Given the status of this team, I should be concerned… but I trust you.”

 

“Just cleaning up the hairline a bit.”  Heather assured.

 

“I’ve never had to worry about that before.  Also, I guess I’ve made my last ponytail.”

 

“Does that upset you?”  Heather asked, as she finished up.

 

There was a long pause.  Finally, after several moments went by, Jacqueline picked her head up.  “Surprisingly, no.”  Jacqueline thought carefully, before she continued.  “I guess I really am a short hair gal now.”  She smiled, as she let the words sink in.

 

“Well, it’s almost time for the big reveal.”  Heather grabbed some gel in her hands, rubbed it into Jacqueline’s hair, and combed it to finalize the style.  When she was satisfied with the outcome, Heather headed over to the mirror and encouraged Jacqueline to follow.  Once Jacqueline was properly positioned in front of the mirror, Heather reached up and pulled down the curtain that blocked the mirror.

 

Jacqueline stood frozen as she examined the image before her.  It seemed foreign yet, oddly familiar.  She slowly turned her head as her hair freely swung around her, before it fell back in place.  Her hands went up to cover her mouth and a tear streamed down her face.

 

“Are you okay?”  Heather asked, concerned that she had misjudged something along the way.

 

“Yeah…”  Jacqueline managed to squeak out softly.  “Yeah, I’m good.”  Jacqueline reassured.  She dropped her hands, wiped the tear from her face, and gave a small sniffle.  “Don’t worry, these are actually tears of happiness.”  She reached for her hair and started to play with it, especially the bangs.  She turned her head and giggled as her hair moved freely around it.

 

“I’m so glad you like it.”  Heather let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Good call with the bangs!”  Jacqueline turned towards Heather and smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ear.  “This is fun.  I’m going to enjoy this.”

 

“So, what you’ve got now is basically a lip-length bob.  It’s like a flapper bob that they wore in the 1920s.  It may have been the trend a hundred years ago, but it’s still timeless.  I gave you bangs to complete the look.”  Heather explained.  “And you’ve got some great options.  We can maintain this, or if you want to play with the length, there are a bunch of fun bobs we can try out.  That will expose more of your neck though, so you’ll have to decide if you want to keep it shaved or not.  Of course we can do other styles as well, like a pixie or shag…  The possibilities are endless.”

 

“And that goes for the color, as well, right?”  Jacqueline suddenly got very excited.

 

“Sure.  I didn’t realize that was something you’d be interested in, but we can absolutely do that as well.”  Heather confirmed.

 

“It wasn’t.  Not until just now.”  Jacqueline stated.  “As I listened to you talk about all the options I had, I started to get really excited.  I haven’t been one to experiment with my hair.  And I think that was a key part of college that I missed out on.  It’s one of the reasons I’m so supportive of you girls and everything you’re doing.  So, count me in!”  Jacqueline embraced Heather.  “We’ll discuss this more later, but I shouldn’t keep you from the meeting any longer.”  Jacqueline and Heather headed towards the doorway.

 

“Sorry, that took so long…”  Heather walked out of her room, as Anna was finishing up.  “I think you’ll all understand in a minute…”  Heather paused, then stepped aside to make room as Jacqueline emerged.

 

“Hey everyone.”  Jacqueline said.  “Sorry, I kept Heather so long.”

 

“Oh My God!  Jackie!”  Melissa got up and ran over to her former teammate.  “I can’t believe it!  You look amazing!”  Melissa gave Jacqueline a giant hug as she started to fawn over her hair, while Jacqueline couldn’t help but smile.

 

“You look great!”

 

“That’s stunning on you.”

 

“Wow, what an awesome style.”

 

The praise kept pouring in, as Jacqueline took in all the complements and enjoyed the attention.  If she had any doubts about her look, they would have quickly vanished.  After a few minutes, she excused herself and made her way towards the back of the room where Emma was seated and sat down next to her.  She urged Anna to continue the meeting.

 

“Looks like you can’t escape the hair influence, even after graduation.”  Emma joked as Jacqueline sat down next to her.

 

“Only because I keep coming back.”  Jacqueline remarked.  “I’d still have my lob, if I stayed away, but that was a reluctant cut.  This isn’t.”  Jacqueline playfully swiped at her hair.

 

“So, can I expect to see a lot more of you?”

 

“Probably.”  Jacqueline confirmed.  “I did promise Heather that I would keep this up.  She discussed a lot of styles for me to look forward to, so I’m excited about what the future holds for my hair.”

 

“Well, I know one particular style that I can highly recommend.”  Emma winked, while she casually ran her hand across her own bald head and smiled.

 

“No.”  Jacqueline stated bluntly.  “Emma, I’m open to a lot and fully on board with the whole short hair thing…”   She paused and looked directly into Emma’s eyes, “But I mean it when I say SHORT hair, not NO hair.”

 

FREEDOM

The meeting wrapped up and Heather finished touching up the girls’ hair.  Just as Shandra left Heather’s chair, Tabitha walked in.

 

“Um, Heather?  Would you mind if I was next?”  Tabitha asked, bashfully.

 

“Sure, but what did you have in mind?  I haven’t done much to your hair.  Did you want a trim?”

 

“Actually,” Tabitha sat down in the chair and then confidently answered.  “I wanna chop it all off.”

 

Shandra was on her way out of the room when she stopped and turned towards Tabitha.

 

“Wow.  Alright, we can do that.”  Heather was a bit taken aback.  “Are you sure?”

 

“Please Heather.  I hate my hair.  I’ve wanted to do this forever, but I’ve always been afraid of how it would turn out and how my family would react.”  Tabitha pleaded.  “I figured I’d do it at some point and this team is so supportive.  After today, I’m just done.”

 

“What happened today?”  Heather asked.

 

“Her sister stopped by.  She bullied Tabitha, and she ripped into me pretty good as well.”  Shandra came back over and held Tabitha’s hand.

 

“Please Heather, I really want this, and you’re so talented.  I trust you to do whatever.”  Tabitha praised, on the verge of tears.

 

“There’s no need to cry.  I’d be happy to help you.  I want to make sure I understand what you want…  When you say you want it ALL chopped off…”

 

“I don’t want to be bald, but I definitely want it SHORT.”  Tabitha explained, “I’ve had to keep my hair this way, because if I cut it, it would be an even bigger mess then it already is.  But if I cut it REALLY SHORT, then I’m hopeful that it won’t be an issue, and I don’t have to deal with this mess anymore…”

 

“Well, if I crop it really close to your head, I can use the clippers with the longest attachment down low and then I can scissor cut the top.  That will leave you with a couple of inches and it will still have some curl, but hopefully, it will stay in place and will give you more style options.  We can always take it shorter, but we can’t put it back once it’s gone.”  Heather explained her thoughts while she demonstrated her plan with Tabitha’s hair.

 

Tabitha’s eyes went wide.  “That sounds amazing!”  Tabitha smiled and sat up straight in the chair.  “Let’s do it!”

 

Heather combed her fingers through Tabitha’s hair and started to separate it into giant poofy ponytails.  Tabitha could not stop grinning.  She would finally be rid of the mop on her head.

 

Once Tabitha’s hair was tied up, Heather grabbed her scissors and held them up in front of Tabitha.  She grabbed one of the ponytails and held it out.  “Last chance to back out.”  Heather barely paused before she inserted the scissors between the hair tie and Tabitha’s scalp and sawed off the hair.  Tabitha’s hair was thick, and it put up a good fight but there was no match for Heather and her scissors.  She held up the severed ponytail like a trophy.

 

“Hey, you didn’t let me answer.”  Tabitha pouted when she saw her hair hanging limp in Heather’s hand.

 

“Would it have changed anything?”  Heather placed the locks on the counter as she headed back towards Tabitha for round two.

 

“Well, no.”  Tabitha admitted.  “But that wasn’t the point.”

 

“Then what’s the point?”  Heather asked as she unceremoniously detached the second ponytail from Tabitha’s head.  “This is what you want, isn’t it?”  Heather held up the curly frizz for Tabitha and Shandra to see before she set it down to join its mate.  “You trust me, right?”

 

“I do trust you…” Tabitha said softly.  “And I do want this.” She said a little louder, her confidence coming back.  “I feel so much lighter already!”

 

“And this is only the beginning.”  Heather hacked off the third and final ponytail from the bottom of Tabitha’s head.   Heather undid the ties on the top of Tabitha’s head.  The wild mane poofed out in all directions.  Everyone had a good laugh.

 

“God, I look ridiculous.”  Tabitha laughed.

 

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that.”  Heather smiled, as she grabbed individual strands of Tabitha’s long locks and held the scissors about 3 inches above her scalp and started to snip them off.  “I’m going to leave a bit of length on top and see how it goes.  I’ll probably end up taking your hair shorter, but it’s always easy to cut more later.”

 

“Wow, Tabitha.  This is going to look great on you.  The grow out will suck, but until then it will be good.”  Shandra chimed in.

 

“Grow out?  Who said anything about a grow out?”  Tabitha smiled, she was enjoying herself and the experience.

 

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”  Shandra admitted.

 

Heather grinned.  She was in her element.  When she got the chance to perform this kind of life-changing makeover was her absolute favorite thing to do.  She was happy Shandra was there.  She had found no matter how the client feels, it is always better for someone else to be present to provide support, but was a bit surprised and a little disappointed, because Shandra was the last person that Heather expected to be there.

 

When Heather had all of her hair shaved off last year, her main motivation was to impress Shandra.  Heather had idolized her and was willing to sacrifice her most treasured possession in order to do so.  It backfired spectacularly.  Heather was miserable at first, but things ended up working out extremely well in the long run.  Once she parted with her insanely long hair, it turned out to be the best decision she ever made.  It was the first step which led her down her current path.  Still, she’ll never forget that moment when she first shaved her hair and how much it stung.

 

“You’re so lucky to have Shandra here to support you.”  Heather continued to cut away, slowly reducing the mass on top of Tabitha’s head.

 

“Tabitha and I spent some time together this afternoon after her sister’s visit.  I knew what she wanted and said I’d support her.” Shandra explained.

 

“Shandra’s support and encouragement has been great.  It was the final push I needed, and after dealing with my sister I knew there was no way I WASN’T doing this.  Still, having her here has been huge.”  Tabitha continued.

 

“That’s really great.”  Heather gritted her teeth a bit.  “I wish Shandra had been there when I did this.”

 

Shandra looked over at Heather.  “Really?  Why didn’t you say something?”

 

“I did!”  Heather didn’t want to get into this right now and began to feel sorry that she brought it up.  She needed to concentrate on Tabitha, who deserved a positive experience.  But she was trying to contain her emotions.  “Technically, I suppose Emma did.”  Heather reasoned, “But you totally blew me off after when I went to show you.”

 

“You’re right.  I’m sorry…”  Shandra went over and offered Heather a hug.  “On the plus side, I’d say things turned out pretty well for you.  Both of us really.”  Shandra smiled as she brushed her #3 buzzcut with her hand.

 

“And Betty, too.  You should be lucky for that, since it’s the only reason you get to keep any of your hair.”  Heather smirked as she continued to remove Tabitha’s.

 

“I know.”  Shandra admitted as she went back to Tabitha’s side.

 

Soon, Heather was done.  Tabitha’s hair was no longer than 3 inches on the top and quite a bit shorter at the bottom.  Heather put the scissors down and got out her clippers.  She got out the longest attachment and clipped it on.  It might end up shorter, but she wanted to see how Tabitha dealt with the change so far.  And as always, it was easy to take more off but couldn’t put it back on.

 

Heather turned the clippers on and began to mow through Tabitha’s thick curly hair, or rather what was left of it.  Each pass left behind a 1-inch path of curly hair which coiled tighter as the weight was removed.  Tabitha would probably want more length removed, but Heather wanted to pause after this point and then discuss options.  She knew the top would be shorter as well but wanted to see how Tabitha’s hair reacted and what she was ready for before she went any shorter.

 

“Is that it?”  Tabitha asked as Heather finished up her final few passes.  “I expected it a lot shorter.  It’s still kind of poofy, which is what I was looking to avoid.”

 

“Don’t worry, I just wanted to see how your hair would react.  We can always go shorter.”  Heather explained.

 

“Yeah, but if I’m going to do this, I might as well really go for it.  I had thought of something more like what Shandra had…”  Tabitha explained.

 

“Really?”  Shandra questioned.  “Me?”

 

“I’m not ready to shave it completely, but I think that a buzzcut would be a nice change of pace.  I really am so tired of my hair.”

 

“I can absolutely do that for you.”  Heather assured.  “Shandra currently has a #3 all over.  Why don’t we start you with a #4?”

 

“Can we just do the #3?  I promise, it’s what I want.”  Tabitha said with confidence.

 

“It’s your hair.  If you’re sure, then let’s do it.”  Heather switched attachments on the clippers.

 

“I’m sure.  I’ve studied the team…  If I was going to have hair like Anna, I might as well shave it all.  If I let it get much longer it might curl, and I’ve had enough of the curl.  This will give me just a bit of length, but hopefully it will minimize the curl.”  She turned towards Shandra.  “It’s basically just wash and go, right?”

 

“It is.” Shandra nodded.

 

“I’ve never had that.  And I really want that.  Besides it’s only temporary.”

 

“Temporary?”  Shandra and Heather both looked at Tabitha.

 

“Well, the team fundraiser is in a few weeks.”  Tabitha looked back and forth between Shandra and Heather.  “I know it would have been epic to wait and shave off the whole thing for the fundraiser.  I might have even considered straightening it one last time, but I just couldn’t wait any longer.  And I needed this in between step.”

 

“One #3 buzzcut all over coming up!”  Heather turned the clippers on and ran them straight down the middle of Tabitha’s head.  She was satisfied with Tabitha’s explanation.  She had put a lot of thought into the process and knew what she wanted.

 

“I can’t believe this is actually happening!”  Tabitha squealed with delight.

 

“It’s what you want, isn’t it?”  Heather worked fast, she was almost finished with the top of Tabitha’s head and prepared to move to the rest of it.

 

“It is!  I’ve been dreaming of this moment for years!  I just… I can’t believe that it’s finally happening!”  Tabitha could barely contain her excitement.  “Do you think… Do you think we can dye it, next?”

 

“Did you have a particular color in mind?”  Heather exhaled.  It had been a long day.  As much as she loved this, there were limits, yet she didn’t want to dampen the enthusiasm of her teammate.

 

“RED!”  Tabitha answered without hesitation.  “I’ve always wanted to be a redhead.  And this seems like the perfect time.”

 

“It is.”  Heather nodded in agreement as she buzzed the last of Tabitha’s hair.  “I’ll tell you what…  It’s been a long day and it’s getting late.  We have a busy day tomorrow and you’ve already gone through a pretty major transformation.  How about I finish up this cut and we call it a night?  After the game, come find me and I’ll be happy to make you a redhead.”

 

Sensing the disappointment that Tabitha was trying to hide, Shandra chimed in.  “You shouldn’t go red now anyway.  That’s the main color of the team we’re playing against.”

 

“Oh, alright…”  Tabitha agreed.  Then after a moment of hesitation, she perked up again.  “What if I did TEAL?  That’s our school color!”  Tabitha grew more excited.  “I’d match our uniforms!  Oh, I really like that idea…”

 

Heather and Shandra exchanged glances.  Shandra shrugged her shoulders, she tried.

 

“Well, what color do you want?  I can give you red hair tomorrow after the game, and I can keep up the red color, if you want.  Or I can give you teal hair, but then you can’t have the red right afterwards.”

 

“If you wait… I’ll even dye my hair.  Any color you choose.”  Shandra made one last attempt.

 

Heather was impressed.  This was a completely different Shandra than she was used to.  She’d have to investigate that later, but for now she was just grateful for everything that Shandra did to help her out.

 

“I wanna dye my hair tonight!  I’ll do whatever color that allows that to happen…”  Tabitha declared boldly.  “Please?”

 

“Does anyone else on the team know you’re that doing this?”  Heather asked.

 

“Nope.  Just the three of us.  No one else knows period.”  Tabitha grinned.  “It’s gonna be a giant surprise for everyone.”

 

“Okay.”  Heather responded, as she headed over to the cabinet.

 

“Okay?” Tabitha asked.

 

“I’ll dye your hair.”  Heather got out the color solution.  “Any color you want.  You don’t have much left anymore, so it shouldn’t take too long.”  She turned to Shandra.  “Thanks for your help, Shandra.  You can go if you want.  There’s no point in both of us staying up.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere.”  Shandra stated.  “I’ve come this far; I’ll see it through.”

 

“Okay,” Heather turned back towards Tabitha.  “But I have one condition.”

 

“Name it.”

 

“You have to get up early every day next week and join me for my morning run.”

 

“Deal.”  Tabitha grinned and stuck out her hand, only too eager to agree.

 

“You let her off easy.  You should have gone for two weeks.”  Shandra mused.

 

“And I would have done a month!”  Tabitha informed.

 

“Alright, I’ll take that deal.  You’ll join me on my morning runs for a month.  Which probably works out longer than you’ll even have this hair.”

 

“How about every day for a week, then every other day for as long as I still have hair on my head?”  Tabitha countered.

 

“So, what color?”  Heather took Tabitha’s hand, and they shook.

 

“I’ve always wanted red, but there will be time for that.  I can’t have my hair the same color as the opposing team.  I want teal.”

 

“Let’s make it happen.”

 

REALITY SETS IN

It was a crisp fall day, and the stands were packed.  Homecoming was always well attended, and this game was no exception.  Of course, ever since the cheerleaders started to bring the football team good luck and they started to win more and more, every game was like that.

 

“I just can’t get over you, Jackie!”  Tanya declared.

 

Tanya and Jacqueline were seated towards the middle of the stands.  Tanya was dressed as she often was, in a revealing bandeau top.  It was similar to what she had on the day before but in a different color.   Her blonde, tightly wound curls were meticulously coiffed.  They cascaded halfway down her back, framing her face and upper body perfectly.

 

Jacqueline was in a green sleeveless blouse and jeans.  What really caught Tanya’s eye, though, was her hair.  Jacqueline’s lip-length bob looked stunning and framed her face perfectly.  Jacqueline was all smiles.  Even though it had only been less than 24 hours, she absolutely loved how she looked.  Previously she was a long hair goddess, and the first cut had been rather reluctant.  No more.  Now, she advocated for the look and for the first time she could confidently say that she had no intention of ever growing her hair long again.

 

“I know!  Isn’t it fabulous?”  Jacqueline gushed, all smiles.

 

“NO!  It’s hideous!”  Tanya declared.  “That lob you had before was bad enough…  This is just –”

 

“Amazing?  Stunning?  Incredible?  Wonderful?  Do you want me to keep going?”  Jacqueline flashed her bright, porcelain teeth, clearly prepared for any negativity Tanya might have and determined not to let it spoil her good mood.

 

“I just don’t get it…  You’re not even ON the team anymore!”  Tanya shook her head in disgust.

 

“And if I was, it’d probably be even shorter.”  Jacqueline stated bluntly.

 

“About the only positive thing I can say about the team right now is that I wish WE had uniforms like they have now.”  Tanya tried to change the subject as the cheerleaders all ran out onto the field to perform a routine.  “I would have loved something like that…  Wait, where’s my sister?”  Tanya scanned the team, looking for her long haired blonde sister that she had just seen the previous afternoon.

 

“She’s right there.  She’s paired up with Shandra.”  Jacqueline pointed out.

 

“No way!  I just saw her yesterday.  My sister has beautiful, long, curly, blonde hair.  Not whatever that ghastly blue mess is.”  Tanya protested.

 

“Yeah, well, look at Shandra.  There are 12 cheerleaders out there, so she’s got to be one of them.”  Jacqueline couldn’t help but enjoy watching the color as it drained from Tanya’s face, as she came to the stunning realization of what had happened to her sister.

 

“I’ll kill her!”  Tanya turned red as she was filled with rage.  “I’M GOING TO MURDER WHOEVER DID THAT TO MY FUCKING SISTER!”  Perhaps, just a bit too loud, as she attracted the stares of those around her.

 

“Don’t you dare take Heather away from me!”  Jacqueline protested.  “That girl is a treasure and you’re not going anywhere near her!  Besides shouldn’t you at least talk with Tabitha first and find out what she has to say?”

 

Tanya tried to calm down as she breathed deeply.  She hated what her team had become.  It seemed she had lost her best friend and her sister to “the dark side” and she was determined to put a stop to the madness.