“I still don’t why you cut off all your hair”
Eva stroked my nape her fingers tickling the mechanically buzzed hairs.
“Honestly, I don’t know how you can bare too keep it long”
For most my life, my milk chocolate brown hair had been in a practical chin length bob, it wasn’t until I went to six form that I decided to do anything more drastic.
First, it was a hairdressers suggestion to buzz the bottom my nape too help with the thickness. Not long after that I had got a proper undercut before shaving a more drastic undercut that wrapped around just above my ears leaving only my crown attached. After cutting bangs and attempting to grown them out, I had made the decision to cut my hair into a pixie.
The undercut had forced me to go shorter on the sides and back then I wanted. The crown was cut to just over an inch before fading into the shorn sides. My friends didn’t share my love of short hair, mourning my lost length. But sat outside a coffee shop on a humid, summers day after a long morning of football training I had no regrets.
“arrhhh, this weather” Katie groaned as she join the two of us.
Katie had her long auburn hair tied into a loose ponytail but, even up, her hair fell to her waist. She wore a summery blouse with denim shorts that showed off that, even though she didn’t do any sports, she still looked after her body.
“I know, why does it have to be so hot”
Eva similarly long blonde hair was in tied back in a cooling style, but even so she was suffering in the heat.
“you know, it would be bearable if you didn’t insist on having such long hair”
Eva and Katie rolled there eyes in unison.
“you should grow your hair out. You know how good it would look if you grew it out”
“plus your be the envy of every boy on campus” Katie chimed in.
“pfff… Where you not just complaining about how hot your hair is” I cut in, bewildered by there dedication to long hair. “besides I don’t have the time to style it every morning.”
I could tell they weren’t satisfied by my answer, but they new they had no chance of convincing me.
“anyway, your both defiantly free from the 7th to the 23rd”
We had been planning a holiday to celebrate finishing school and have one last adventure before going to university. Eva had taken to meticulously planning the trip in order to procrastinate her exam trip.
“yes, I’m off work”
“Yeah me too” I had nothing planned.
“Great, I’ll book the deposit then”
Shit.
In my stupidity, I had assumed I had nothing planned and, not checking with my parents, had forgotten about my cousins wedding. This left me double booked and left our summer plans in tatters.
I wasn’t worried that Eva and Katie wouldn’t forgive me but what they would ask in return.
It started as a joke. Every time me, Eva or Katie had to ask for forgiveness for something they would have to do a punishment chosen by the others. Katie still had to buy both me and Eva a coffee every week, and Eva had been banned from wearing hoodies (they had been her signature look) for a year. So far, I had got off scot-free, only having to once camp in the garden during a sleepover, but I wouldn’t get of so lightly this time.
I was able to call Eva and, fancifully, she hadn’t yet sent of the deposit. However, Katie had already booked her work off and was stuck having to convince co-workers to cover her shifts.
The next day my trial began.
Katie and Eva fell silent as I arrived. I could tell they had been discussing my punishments.
“sorry again, were you able to rebook”
“the hotel didn’t have any space the next week but I found a backup” Eva didn’t take her eyes of my head as she spoke.
“do you want to know your punishment?” Katie cut in.
I let out a sigh of defeat.
“so, what is it then”
The two of them gave each other a knowing look. I knew, whatever they had chosen, it would be hell for me.
“we have decided that… from now on me and Eva get to make all the decisions with your hair”
“what do you mean you get to make all the decisions?”
“we get to decided when, and how, you cut your hair” Katie answered with a smile.
Eva and Katie both had there hair down. Eva’s mane fell straight to her tail bone, golden strands shone in the summer heat. Katie hair wasn’t as long, ‘only’ falling to her waist, but it fell in glorious waves and the auburn strands seemed to shimmer like silk.
“for how long”
“until we decide you can be trusted to make the right decisions”
The two off them had me trapped. I tried to think of a way out of it but drew a blank.
“uhhh, fine” I groaned, in defeat.
I caught my reflection in nearby window. My beloved pixie was surely not long for this world, the girls would see to that, but I only hoped that before to long they would lose interest.
My hairs such a mess. I new the first few months of growth would be the worst, but the uneven length and awkward layers drove me mad. I had tried style it, until Katie decided I needed to be put on a strict regiment of natural remedies and zero heat I resorted to pinning the fringe out of my face and ignoring the rest.
By now, I was past the worst of it. Eva had taken charge of trimming my hair in line with my chin slowly reducing the differences in layers. Now I was only a trim or two away from having my old blunt bob back, my hair didn’t look the same though it had regrown thicker and healthier.
How long am I going to have to grow it? They had always avoided answering that. I worried they where going to make me grow my hair past my shoulders.
“I cant believe you cut your hair”
Eva had cut off few inches taking her golden mane from her tail bone too her waist. Most people wouldn’t have thought it was a big deal, Katie however.
“I mean you going to university in a week, why would you cut it now”
“its just a trim. Its not like I shaved it off or anything” I felt Eva eyes meet my mine with that last comment.
“just don’t cut any more off, anyway we need to set a good example for our project here”
“so I’m your project now” I chuckled, still somewhat bitter about having to grow my hair out.
My hair had finished the regrowth phase. It had grown to just past my chin, longer than the bob I use to sport, but not quite a lob. It was the healthiest it had ever been growing back thicker and softer then it had ever been. Katie speculated that I had the most beautiful hair out of the three of us, or would once it had grown out.
The health, thickness, softness or the fact it was no longer unlevel didn’t change my opinion on it. I hated it. The thickness was unbearable, causing me to need ludicrous amounts of shampoo and conditioners and making every attempt to brush my hair into a workout.
What I hated most though was having to style it every morning. Even in this ‘practical’ bob, that was suppose to be easy to style, it took what felt like an age to style.
My complaint would fall on deaf ears. I suspected this was not the last the girls had instore.
“is your hair long enough to be put up”
“I don’t know”
My hair had grown rapidly, now my chocolate locks fell to my shoulders. I had never had hair long enough to put up. Ponytails, buns and braids had been a foreign concept to me so I had never thought to have it up.
We had met up at a coffee shop and Katie had noticed me constantly tucking my hair behind my ear. I had been complaining in a vain attempt to get them to cut my hair.
“I think it’s probably long enough” Katie said pulling a hair band off her wrist.
She got up, walked around behind me and starting gather my hair. Her fingers ran through my milk chocolate mane using her thumbs to guide the hair to the back of my head.
“your hair is so soft” She said, holding my hair in a ponytail. Before, with an experienced tug, twist and gentle pull, she secured my hair into a ponytail.
“wow, I don’t think I’ve every seen you hair up before” Eva chimed in.
“I can’t think of a time I’ve ever had it up”
It wasn’t much of a ponytail compared to Eva’s or Katie’s. At first it felt strange to have my hair up but part of me liked it. It was obviously more practical but that wasn’t why I liked it something about felling Katie fingers run through my scale and having it gathered was somehow comforting.
Over the next few days I found myself putting my hair up more and more around the house. Soon after I would be shopping or walking around campus and get the desire to put my hair up in a ponytail. After a month of forgetting a hairband it soon became second nature to have one wrapped around my wrist.
Eva and Katie where the first to notice this shift in my behaviour. They believed this was the first indication that the ‘Short hair girl was no more’. I considered keeping my hair up permanently but found my self missing the feeling of having it flow down to my shoulders.
The girls noticed this and decided I would be banned from wearing the same style more than twice a week.
“What’s going on?” I asked myself.
It was a Friday. I had just finished a long day at the end of a long week. I had got home and immediately changed into my pyjamas and found some trash tv show to watch.
Instead I lay on my sofa running a brush through my hair. After the show finished, I wandered to my bedroom and sat on my bed brushing out my hair. Something about it felt comforting, like a favourite blanket you’ve had all your life or a warm hug after a long day.
“I like my hair”
As it had grown longer it started to fall in soft waves. Strands of a deep caramel added to the milk chocolate colour and seemed to give me natural highlights. Eva had continued micro trims and they had caused it to grow thicker and healthier then ever.
In truth it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Over the last few months maintaining my mane had been less and less of a chore, but now I found myself looking forward to my daily pampering. Brushing my hair went from a burden to a daily comfort and the feeling of massaging my scalp with a small fortune of shampoos and conditioners became my guilty indulgence.
Maybe like wasn’t the best word. I loved my hair. The way it felt, the way it fell down my back, the way it wrapped around me when I lay across my bed.
Being forced to style my hair in more than a simple ponytail had caused me too learn more ways to style my bra strap length hair. Nothing major, how to do bun, a simple half up style and a way to curl my hair without violating the no heat policy. I was still no expert, probably far from average, but my revelation had awakened a desire to learn more.
I hadn’t told Eva or Katie about my revelation. More than anything, if they knew they had got me to fall in love with long hair I’ll never hear the last of it.
Me and Eva had joined a new football team at our university. Soon after Katie was forced to join as a punishment after missing a girls night to go on a date with her new boyfriend.
“uhhh, I’m so hot” Eva groaned, practically passing out on the table of the coffee shop we forayed after games or training.
Despite being in the team for 3 months, Katie was still a bench warmer. I was more of a rotational player, sharing the right back position with a second year economics student. Eva however had grown into a star player, our manager had decided to transition her from her previous deep lying 6 to an 8 in a midfield double pivot.
Playing nearly every minute of the season, and the more physically demanding role, was pushing Eva too the limits of her fitness.
“ahhh, why’s my head sooo hot… now I get why you cut yours off” Eva continued, her hands buried in her golden mane.
“yeah, I can’t believe its been 2 years. Maybe its about time we cut it ‘allll’ off” Katie joked eyeing my ponytail.
I nearly chocked on my coffee.
“what” I tried to mask my shock as the colour drained from my face.
“oh”. My reaction had caught the girls of guard. Eva lifted her head from the table while Katie leaned closer and started to twirl on of the strands I had left out to frame my face.
“What do you not want to cut your hair” Katie taunted.
“errrhhh… N… umm I er… well”
“Your shaking” Eva laughed.
“oh no I ahhh”
“come on why wont you just admit you like it long”
They had me trapped.
“fine. I don’t hate it anymore and I’m not sure if I want to cut it”
“don’t hate it doesn’t explain the shaking I think your starting to like it” Eva teased.
I gave a timid nod.
“your scared of getting your haircut. You know what that means…” Katie leaned in slightly to close for comfort. “Your a long hair girl now”
I sat through half an hour of teasing. I guess they deserved it after the years of getting me to fall in love with my hair. Once I had been satisfactorily teased, they started probing me on my mane and what had made me fall in love with it. Although the beautiful length and endless complements from guys where nice, it was the love pampering and styling it that had me enamoured.
Soon after I made the mistake of admitting that I still didn’t really know many styles or even how to braid my hair. The girl pounced.
They dragged me out shopping so I could be stocked up on all the essentials I needed now I was ‘a long hair girl’. Specialist brushes for my hair type, hair ties that actually matched my hair colour, scrunches, and different types pins and clips.
Once they were satisfied I had all I needed, they invited themselves to my place. First, they set about tutoring me on how to put my hair into buns and other undo’s. One messy style Katie achieved with a claw clip quickly became a favourite and soon slide into the top of my style rotation.
Eva put some music on and they started to show me how to braid my hair. Sitting on that sofa, with Eva and Katie each braiding half my head, I wished they had been able to get me to grow out my hair earlier. What had I missed all those years as a short haired girl.
“WHAT THE FUCK?”
“its really no big deal” Eva argued. We were having none of it.
“Fucking traitor” I continued.
Eva had cut her beautiful, Butt length, gold hair to her bra strap. She had lost nearly a foot of pristine length and saw it as ‘no big deal’.
“How could you” Katie continued, “how are we suppose to trust you with our hair if you just decide to cut of your with no reason”
“I think I can trust our ‘long hair girl’ here to make her own decisions”
By now my milk chocolate mane fell to my waist. It was stilled in a half-up half-braided style I had learned off YouTube in my unquenchable thirst to learn more I could do with my hair.
“you still need my vote if you want to do anything” Katie cut in, “besides why would anyone sane cut hair as beautiful as ours”
“You’ll cut your hair someday”
“No never” Katie seemed defensive, “my boyfriend Loves it, I Love it. why would I ever cut it”
“are you sure about this?”
“Just do it” Eva said.
We had learned that Katie cut her hair in an attempt to stop her hair from collecting sweat when she played football. It hadn’t worked. Not long after the initial cut she cut of another six inches. Her gorgeous princess locks now fell to her shoulders and seemed doomed to be going shorter.
Remembering my old undercut she was convinced that it would solve her problem. I still had a pair of clippers from when I use to re-shave my undercut and this seemed to qualify me.
“come on you use to tell me to get one all the time”
I section out a small section at her nape and clipped the rest to up. I made sure the part was nice and even and thought for a moment before fetching a mirror.
“is this too much”
I had sectioned the nape in line with her earlobes to form a small triangle. She would be losing about four square inches from her mane not much but defiantly a notable change.
“no that’s hardly any” Eva started pulling hair from the section.
“That’s nearly half your head”
She had sectioned off a line parallel to the top of her ears she was going to lose nearly half her hair in one stroke.
“why don’t we do a little to start and see if you like it”
“this is me doing a little to start”
“but do you really want to lose…”
“just do it or I will”
The old long haired Eva defiantly wouldn’t, but this new Eva who cuts of a foot of hair on a whim. I don’t know.
I fixed the part into a smooth line wrapping from the top of one ear to another. Reluctantly, I fetched my clippers. They were hidden behind a layer of dust in the corner of a cupboard.
Something about them scared me. The thought that they could so easily rob me of my hair. With one stroke I would lose nearly four years of growth. Four years of pampering my luscious mane would be lost in minutes.
I pulled my hair into a ponytail wanting to keep clippers as far away from my hair as possible.
“ready?”
“Ready”
With a click they roared to life.
hmmmmmmmmmm
I wasn’t sure how to start. I pulled her hair to the side before attacking the roots of her hair.
hmmmmmmmm
The hair in-between my fingers went loose and started cascading down Eva’s back before settling on my bathroom floor.
hmmmmmmmmm
I readjusted and continued to cut slowly and methodically working my way up her head.
hmmmmmmm
Once the bulk had been severed I set about evening the cut. I ran the clippers through the undercut until only an eighth of an inch remained.
“oh, that feels weird”
She rubbed her hand through the sharp bristles of hair.
“I love it”
“can we go higher this time”
We had been meeting up to play with each others hair since mine passed my collar. However, since Eva had got her undercut I would re-shave her hair.
Me and Katie tried to talk Eva into growing her hair back out, but to no success. Overtime we came to accept that Eva was no longer a long hair girl.
“it’s already so high. If you go any higher you’ll basically have a shaved head”
“no, I just want it over the ears”
I glanced at Katie for support but got none. Katie had seemed off for the last few weeks. She spent slightly too long on her phone and seemed burnt out 24 7.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Katie’s relationship was falling apart and it was tearing her apart. Details were hard to make out but what I new was that she was in love and he wasn’t.
“what do you mean over the ears”
“something like that”
Eva pulled up an image she had saved as “inspo”. It was a drastic undercut sides and back buzzed a short stubble leaving only the crown intact.
“are you sure. if you cut that much of your hair wont cover it and you wont be able to have it up without it looking weird”
“yeah that’s fine”
“ok then if your sure”
I wanted to protest more and hoped Katie would help. But, given everything going on I didn’t have the fight in me. Even if we had protested more it would have been futile, Eva was a changed women and once she had decided something there was no going back.
I sectioned out her hair how she wanted and set about giving her a drastic undercut. Re-shaving the back before moving on to the sides. I pushed her head to the side and set about shearing the left side of her head. First shearing her sideburn then slowly moving over her ears reducing each strand to nothing.
Once the left side of her head was shaved, I continued too the right and repeated the process until nothing but a pale stubble remained.
Me and Eva looked over at Katie. She had always been protective of Eva’s hair and normally would fight tooth and nail against anyone even suggesting cutting it. But, Eva’s new haircut hadn’t been able to even distract her let alone get a reaction.
Her relationship must be worse then we fought.
As soon as I finished my work for the day I rushed to Katie’s. She had finally ended it with her boyfriend and needed us there.
When I arrived Eva met me at the door with a grin.
Since Eva had got her drastic undercut she had cut her hair even shorter. It was now a chin length bob parted at the side and tucked behind her ears, showing her undercut on both sides.
As she invited me in I could tell by her demeanour something had happened. She seemed smug, almost triumphant, but I had no idea about what.
Thankfully Katie was ok. She had already accepted that they would breakup so it didn’t come as a shock.
“to us” Katie toasted the first round of drinks.
“I’m glad your ok, when I got your text I was worried you would do something drastic”
“who says she’s not” Eva cut in, again with a smug smile.
They shared a knowing look as if in a conspiracy.
“since Eva cut her hair I was wondering if I should cut my hair. I didn’t do it because… ‘he who shall not be named’ liked my hair long but now… Well Eva suggested I cut it and fuck it, it could be a start of a new me”
“what” I gasped in disbelieve.
Katie had incredible hair. Long flowing locks of beautiful auburn that always had the right amount of curl. It was in great condition shiny, smooth and thick it was every girls envy, even mine.
“your hair’s beautiful why would you cut it”
“weren’t you trying to convince her to cut” Eva seemed to have taken my old role of trying to convince Katie to part with her locks but to much more success.
“yes but…”
“your not going to be able to talk me out of it”
I looked at Katie mane, long locks that fell to her tail bone, and knew there was nothing I could do.
“do you want to do it, since you cut Eva’s”
“I could never. It’s a crime against humanity to cut hair that beautiful”
“do you want to cut it then” She ask Eva.
“yeah”
Eva circled behind Katie and ran her fingers down the length. She gathered it into a ponytail before leaving to get a pair of scissors.
I stuck in the corner of the room. My hair, now waist length, was slung into a low ponytail where it wrapped around my body like a blanket.
The two girls gave me a playful look before Eva set about robbing Katie of her mane. Her scissors sheared through her ponytail and with a final snap it was severed.
Eva laughed at my shocked face. She tossed the ponytail to the side before setting about evening out Katie’s hair into a choppy chin length bob.
“I didn’t think you would ever be the only one of us with long hair” Katie teased.
“yeah” I replied meekly.
I was shook. Seeing 10 years of pampered perfect hair being cut in second. It scared me, I looked at my own mane and realised just how fragile the long, silky locks really are.
“well I suppose you win, you don’t need me to approve your haircut anymore” She continued.
It didn’t fell like a victory.
I considered cutting my hair short again but not for long. I eventually stopped growing out my hair, instead doing the occasional trim to my butt length.
Katie and Eva tried to convince me to cut my mane, but that met as much success as me trying to convince them to grow it out.
Years later, I finally got them to grow it to there shoulders as a condition to be my brides maids. To my disappointment they cut it short again by the end of the week.
I kept my hair at butt length for 6 years until they finally found a way to make to cut it.
Eva was getting married. I noticed she had me when I saw the invite ‘all women must have short hair’. I messaged her to ask what she meant.
“Katie’s booked a barber to come to the hen night they’ll do yours”
That week I spent trying all the styles I wouldn’t be able to do for a long time. That night one by one Eva’s friends sat on a chair in the middle of the room and everyone watched as there hair was cut.
Every girl had there hair cut to the same boyish pixie. I realised that they had scheduled the girls from shortest to longest hair, and I was going last.
Girl after girl had there ponytail cut. I drank drink after drink to ease my nerves. Soon, I was the only person left. My name was called. I stepped over the piles of hair and sat down.
Everyone gathered around the main event. Some where recording others just watched, not able to take there eyes of me.
In my half drunken state, I didn’t know what was happening. My head became lighter and a cheer echoed around the room. My head was pushed against my chest and clippers ran against my nape. After all these years I had forgotten how it felt.
I woke up hungover little memory of the night before.
My husbands body met me as I rolled over. His hands stroking my hair brought what had happened back. I had the same hair as all thos years ago the crown was cut to just over an inch fading into the shorn sides.
His hands petted my newly short hair and I let out a tired grown.
“are you going to keep it short or grow it out” He asked
fin
