Dear Daphne
The Bet
Peyton was a tough girl, regardless of her young age. She was fond of heavy music and preferred black clothes, making exclusions only for t-shirts of different colours with her favourite rock bands logos printed on it. No one had ever seen her without headphones. She had multiple steel rings in her ears, and her nose was also pierced with a tiny stud earring from the left. Peyton was slim, and her face was nice. However, her harsh appearance and grim expression spoiled her teenage charms. She did not have plenty of friends, let alone boys seeking her attention.
This, and her manners. She never tried to be nice to people. She was not a bad person, oh no – but she did her best at speaking what she thinks directly to people’s faces, and you know that nobody truly likes it.
Lacking friends, Peyton preferred to spend time of walking around the town, climbing trees and hills, to find a solitary place where she could seclude youself with her favourite music. She never minded the dirt or torn clothes that she got from her little adventures because they were fun. Shortly, Peyton was a tomboy, as everyone said.
Except for her long hair.
It was chestnut and really, really long, down to her waist. Peyton usually wore it in a thick braid, which she was trowing over her shoulder. Sometimes she let her hair just fall down, and those episodes were considered phenomena. Guys thought it was beautiful, but girls in the school mockingly called her a witch for having envied the strength and gloss of Peyton’s mane.
Peyton was proud of her hair. Although it was not easy sometimes to brush, wash, and do it, she would never refuse her beauty for a more convenient hairstyle.
It was a hot day in July when two girls from the school, Coleen and Bridget, approached Peyton in the park. She was sitting on a bench in a shadow, reading. Those two were natural disasters. They were popular and, in fact, beautiful. Coleen had a pretty face and long, carefully trimmed blondish hair down to the midst of her back. Bridget had dark, almost raven-black hair; it was as shiny and good as Coleen’s, but even longer. Those two never envied Peyton’s hair; in fact, they were rather up to mocking everyone they could reach.
So they came, smirking.
“Well, who’s that? A Peyton girl! Waiting for your boyfriend?”
“No”.
“We’re not surprised, ’cause we know you don’t have one. No one would look at such pity. Have you ever thought of putting on some makeup?”
“Shut up, Miss Perfect. I can’t think of makeup because you’ve occupied all the thoughts about it available”.
“Wow, how rude.” Coleen hauled. “Why can’t you be just nice? “Be nice and look normal, and I’m sure you’d quickly find a guy to date”.
Peyton said nothing. In fact, she had a guy who seemed to be into her. It was Jason, who was a grade older. They had a couple of dates before, but Peyton preferred to keep it secret because, as she knew, Coleen liked him as well and would make a huge fuss about this if she’d found out.
“Maybe you need help?” Bridget asked in an innocent tone. “We’d love to help.”
“Yes,” Coleen agreed. “We’re good at pursuing impossible goals.”
They laughed, and Peyton got angry.
“Actually, I have a guy already.”
“No way,” Coleen smirked. “Is he real, or you just made him up while high on book dust?”
“He’s very real,” Peyton replied.
“So show us.” Coleen seemed to be full of excitement. “I’m having a party this Friday. If he shows up and kisses you right in front of all my friends, I’ll give you $100”.
“And what if he won’t?” Peyton asked sarcastically. She didn’t consider betting for real, but she was curious.
“If not, you’ll let us define your hairstyle for the next month.”
Peyton smirked. Coleen’s party, right in front of her friends – it would be the best moment to show this little bully her place. Moreover, she would get $100 for having fun. It was the deal of a dream.
“Deal,” she said. “Get that c-note ready”.
The Fail
Peyton knew that Jason was invited. He told her about it a week ago. He was considering skipping, but when Peyton told him that Coleen had invited her, too, he said he’s going.
“I can’t believe that you want to make friends with that bitch” Jason said.
“Believe me, I don’t. It’s, kinda, research. What social jungles habitants are capable of in their natural environment”.
They laughed, and Jason asked:
“Should we show up as a couple?”
“No, not from the beginning, I think. You know that Coleen’s into you; we don’t want her to slam the door before our faces from the very beginning.”
Peyton decided not to warn Jason about the bet. He would probably go mad for her recklessness. No one should make deals with terrorists like Coleen and Bridget.
And he would kiss her right there; she knew it. Like he has already done many times.
Friday night, Peyton got dressed in her casual style and did her hair in an unusual updo. She was right in front of the front porch of Coleen’s house when she got a message.
It was from Jason. His parents found out that he was skipping classes and went crazy.
“It’s a disaster,” she types nervously.
“A predator’s party is not a big deal, isn’t it? At least I have my cell to chat”.
Peyton froze, considering running away as soon as possible and making it up later. At that very moment, Coleen appeared on the porch.
“Wow, you came. “I didn’t think you’d dare”.
Everything that came next was a real disaster.
“So, where’s your guy?” Coleen asked in a high-toned manner.
“He can’t come.”
“Sure, for he doesn’t exist.”
Peyton spent two terrible hours there before she could run away. She was immune to mockery, but this was insane.
And she knew that the next would be even worse.
The Reckoning
“So, what do you want to see me like?” Peyton asked bitterly. She didn’t like someone to touch her hair, let alone do it. But the bet was the bet. First, it was her fault. Second, Coleen could make her life a true nightmare otherwise.
“No hurry, sweetie. Follow us”.
Peyton was surprised that they needed to go somewhere to do her hair, but she followed Coleen and Bridget a few blocks down the street. When she saw the final destination, her legs went numb.
They were standing in front of the hair salon.
“No way!” she burst.
“Come on, darling. Just a little trim. You have to trim your hair regularly, you know? I do it every three months to prevent split ends.”
They entered the salon. It smelled like cologne and hair products and was absolutely empty, except for a stylist, a young, goofily looking guy in the corner.
“We have an appointment for our friend,” Coleen said, smiling with all her teeth. She smiled like that when she was trying to lure boys. “Here she is. Her name’s Peyton”.
“Well, Peyton. I’m Dave. Please sit down.” The guy looked completely captivated by Coleen’s charm. Monster or not, she knew her strong points.
Peyton quietly sat in the chair. Her hair was in a regular braid that day, which was lying on her right shoulder.
Dave took it up to cover Peyton with a cape. Within a minute, her entire body was under the silky fabric, and her neck was squeezed with a tight collar. She felt goosebumps running on her skin, especially on her hips, which were securely covered with rough black jeans.
“So, what hairstyle do you fancy for today?” Dave asked. Before Peyton had time to say anything, Coleen burst out:
“My friend wants to try something new. A short hairstyle. Can you make it really short?”
No way. Peyton wanted to protest, but Coleen went on:
“She asked us to do that, but, you know… I don’t trust my hands; I can make it ugly or even hurt. Better not to risk, right?”
It was a direct threat, and Peyton got the message. If she didn’t obey now, Coleen would go crazy and probably do something horrible to her.
Peyton was never a coward. In a fight, she would easily kick Coleen’s skinny ass. But to live in constant apprehension of something terrible coming… no way. She is better than that. And a bet is a bet, after all.
However, Peyton still hoped that Dave wouldn’t cut her hair really short. Her main was her pride and her treasure, and she could not imagine how she would feel without that glorious weight that she was wearing on her head.
Dave took her braid and stroked it twice, as if he was evaluating his options. Then, he took a pair of big scissors from the table.
“Get ready, girl, I’m going to cut you really short today.”
Peyton sat still. The goosebumps went higher, and now they were shivering in her belly.
“Bye-bye, long braid,” Dave said, and she heard Coleen and Bridget laughing. And then she felt it. The scissors started snipping her wonderful braid.
Snip, snip, snip. The braid was thick, and Dave needed a dozen snips to part it. However, he managed.
“Look at it,” he said, raising the cutoff braid over Peyton’s head. She saw it in the mirror, as well as her stunned reflection. Her hair was an inch below her shoulders now, and she felt that it was even shorter from behind.
Her head felt lighter. Her beautiful braid now lived separately.
“Well, and now I’ll do the cutting. Don’t worry, darling, I know my job.”
Peyton didn’t doubt that Dave knew what he did, but she was overwhelmed. She didn’t even react when he stopped the comb next to the middle of her ear and started to snip hair right under it.
She had just had a shoulder-length hair, and Dave was cutting off half of it. When he finished from behind, Peyton felt cool air on her neck. Her hair was never that short.
When Dave stepped aside to get a hairdryer, Peyton looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was cut in a short square bob without bangs. She looked like an orphan raised in a monastery in those old movies she liked to watch. Very decent, very tidy. Disaster.
“Wait, do you think it’s short?” she heard Coleen’s voice from behind. “My Dad has it longer. Come on, we said that our friend wants to be cut really short. Like a boy.”
Peyton trembled. She was never cut like a boy. She couldn’t even imagine herself being cut like this.
“Well… if you wish.” Dave said. He was at Coleen’s feet right now. He would do anything she wished for.
He took the comb again, just to part Peyton’s hair in two. He fixed the upper part with a pin on the top and left the other part hanging loose. But before Peyton even blinked, he took a pair of clippers.
The nervous buzzing came up. She felt it got closer and closer, and finally the clippers touched her nape.
Dave was shaving her back and sides, leaving just an inch of hair there. The goosebumps started again. Peyton couldn’t help the weird trembling that was now everywhere in her body.
She was getting a boy’s haircut. So short, it required clippers to do it.
When Dave finished that part, he released the rest of Peyton’s hair and returned to his comb and scissors. He left only three inches of hair on the top, and the length even reduced closer to the buzzed area.
Everything was fast. Soon, all Peyton saw in the mirror was a pale girl with a boyish cut. Well, she didn’t look like a normal girl, but rather like a young teenage boy instead.
“Ready, ladies. Nice and short. Does it feel lighter now, ha? Good choice for a hot summer, I think”.
“You must be kidding me, Dave,” Coleen snorted. “Well, I admit that it’s shorter than before, but when we came, I said that it should be really short”.
Peyton got flabbergasted. Shorter than that? Is it fucking possible?!
“Hum…” Dave mused. “Well, I can suggest a crew cut. It’s really short, I swear.”
“Why don’t you just shave it all already, ha?” Peyton was surprised to hear her own voice. Her hair was long gone, and she didn’t have to fear about it anymore. “Why don’t you make me bald? No way that she says that it’s not short enough”.
“Such a beautiful idea, Peyton!” Coleen gasped. “And you’ll have a wonderful month of having a shaved head. Probably get some tan, even.”
Peyton didn’t like her mocking, but who cared anyway? She was a wild child, after all.
That time, Dave didn’t bother with a guard and just turned on the bare clippers. He started with Peyton’s forehead, leaving a wide bald stripe right in the middle of the leftovers of her hair. He worked really fast, buzzing the top, then the sides and the nape. In a mere minute, Peyton was bald. Her head was covered only by a grayish stubble.
“If you like, we can use foam and a razor to make it nice and clean,” he said, beaming.
“Perfect idea! Make her head as smooth as possible.” Coleen said.
Dave did what he was told, and soon Peyton lost the last remains of her heretofore huge mane. She was bald—bald as a cue ball. She couldn’t recognise herself in the mirror, and she never felt anything like this before.
The feeling was wild and weird, but Peyton was unable to refuse that it was pleasant. She didn’t like the look of her bald head in the mirror. But she liked being bald. She felt so helpless and strong at the same time. So… sensitive.
“Thank you, Dave.” Coleen winced at him. “You did an impressive job.”
Peyton didn’t remember how they left the salon, but she suspected that they forgot to pay.
The Reaction
“Well, dear,” Coleen said after they exited. “Now it’s one month for you to keep it like that. Keep it clean and tidy, girl; no stubble. And God forbid you to try to grow hair before time. You got it?”
Peyton got everything. And she knew she didn’t mind at all.
She had got pegged Coleen’s trick when she was sitting in the salon chair. In a month, it was Peyton’s birthday. The school queen wanted her to party with just a light stubble on her head. Perhaps, she expected Peyton to spend a whole day in tears instead.
No way, she thought. She could have joy in having no hair at all.
Peyton’s parents were out of town these days, but her old grandma, who lived with them, was shocked.
“Dear, what did you do with your beautiful hair?”
“It was a bet, gran” Peyton said. “And I like it like that, so don’t worry.”
The granny looked like she was on the brink of a heart attack, but Peyton managed to calm her down.
The next challenge was Jason.
When he saw Peyton like that, he didn’t realise that it was her.
“Peyton… what’s happened to your hair?”
She confessed. About the bet, the fail and the reckoning she got for her recklessness.
“In fact, I like it.”
“Well… can’t say that I hate it as well. It’s very… unusual.”
Actually, Jason liked it more than he admitted. That day, the first of many following days, they reached the third base, and Jason scarcely could sate his love appetite.
The whole next week, he helped Peyton maintain her beautiful baldness. He wrapped her head in a heated towel, then put on the foam and shaved her. He even applied a special lotion to prevent burning and ingrown hair.
“I should have done it way earlier.” Peyton laughed. “I didn’t think you’d become so caring after it.”
“Well, I didn’t think of it, either.” Jason said. It seemed that he was himself surprised to discover such an unusual kink.
Coleen and Bridged checked on her every day. They tried to make fun of Peyton’s baldness, but when they saw her walking hand in hand with a totally enamored Jason, Peyton could consider the score settled.
However, it wasn’t the end.
Parents return home on the weekend. When mom looked at her daughter’s changed look, she got pissed off.
“What is that? What happened?!”
“Hm, it’s just a bet, Mom. I lost, and now I like it like this.”
“Some bully from the school made you do it? Tell me their names!”
Peyton’s mom wasn’t the person you’d like to argue with. After the reluctant fightback, the girl hung Coleen and Bridget to dry.
She knew what followed. Being a proud and impulsive woman, mom never soft-pedaled an offense.
The Strike Back
This morning, Mrs. Matthews greeted her daughter at the breakfast table.
“Coleen, baby, do you remember you asked me if you could have your hair dyed?”
“Yes, Mom. You said no, not before I turn eighteen.”
“Well, I changed my mind. You behave like a really grownup girl lately who can bear her own responsibility for her actions. I even got you a lift to the salon; they have a free spot for 11 AM.”
“Wow, mom, you’re the best!”
Two streets from there, Mrs. Cleveland reminded her daughter that it was time to have another trim of her split ends.
No one suspected anything when the girls met in front of the salon. Their moms followed them inside and took places on the waiting chairs.
It was the same salon where Dave worked. He was here, along with another stylist, a nice woman in her forties. The girls knew that it was the salon’s owner.
When Dave saw Coleen, his face went gray. He looked at his boss out of the corner of his eye. She raised her brows, and he nodded.
“So, what are we doing today, ladies?” Dave asked cheerfully. Coleen and Bridget were already sitting in the chairs, and Dave and the owner lost no time to cover them with capes.
Before the girls had a chance to say something, Mrs. Matthews replied:
“Our daughters are going to get a short haircut. A boy-like, please. Nothing wild, but the shortest version of what is looking decent.”
“What the hell, Mom?” Coleen reacted. “Are you kidding me? Please say you’re kidding!”
“No kidding, baby. You bullied a girl from your school into having a bald head, and you think I just let it go? No way. You have to be a grownup girl who can bear her responsibility.”
Regardless of the girls’ protests, Dave and his boss approached them with combs and scissors.
“Dave, please.” Coleen made the most angelic face the world has ever seen. “I know you like me. Don’t do it, please, and I’ll give you your reward for it, I promise.”
“You should have thought about the reward when you ran from the salon without paying.” He replied coolly. “And I don’t like girls who fool me into hurting someone. Your mom’s right; you have to learn how to be responsible.”
And the punishment started. First, Dave cut off the main length of Coleen’s silky blond hair. She cried and swore and promised all the world’s pain if he didn’t stop, but he was steadfast. In the next chair, his boss dealt with Bridget’s raven-black mane, cutting it severely close to her chin.
Coleen looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was already more than twice as short as it was, and she knew it would become much shorter soon.
Dave separated the top part of her hair and fixed it with the pin.
“Which number do you prefer making back and sides, ma’am?” He politely asked the waiting ladies.
“The smallest one, please. You can even make it fade to the bottom.”
“Aye, ma’am,” Dave laughed. He liked to do it. Coleen was a nasty bastard, and she deserved to be sheared like the spoiled child she was.
The same fate was prepared for Bridget: the boss had already taken the clippers and started to buzz her dark strands. Bridget was quiet and just cried. Her face was red from tears and looked deplorable.
When the half of the job was done, Dave addressed the mothers again.
“How much do we leave on the top?”
“An inch and a half,” Mrs. Matthews said without taking her look away from the fashion magazine.
Coleen froze when she heard those numbers. An inch and a half, it was nothing. She was going to be sheared like a little boy during summer vacation.
“Mom, you can’t! It’s fucking unfair!”
“Language, baby, before I reduce it to just one inch,” Mrs. Matthews said in a stark tone. “And thank God that I care about you looking presentable. Otherwise, I would ask that nice gentleman to shave you bald, as you did to that Peyton girl.”
That was it. Coleen stopped swearing and just looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her gorgeous golden locks were going under Dave’s stern look. He was making her look like a boy. A capricious, naughty boy who can’t help his urge to bully others.
Soon, it was done. Coleen and Bridget’s haircuts were ready. They looked at themselves and then at each other. Coleen was red from anger. Bridget was red from crying.
The stylists removed the capes. The girls looked silly. No boyish cut would look good with their summer dresses, let alone these. However, Mrs. Matthews and Mrs. Cleveland nodded with contentment.
“It’s good; thank you. Here is the money for today’s haircuts, and this is extra, for the one you have done before.”
When they left the salon, Mrs. Matthews said:
“Girls, Mrs. Cleveland and I came to an agreement: you have to keep your hair as short as that until Peyton’s hair reaches your length. Before that, you’ll have to trim your haircuts as long as they grow. Understand?”
Coleen had a lot to say, but it was useless now when her hair was gone. Bridget just cried again.
The Revenge
The next day, Coleen came to visit Peyton.
“Coleen, I like your new style,” Peyton’s mom commented sarcastically.
“Thanks, ma’am,” Coleen replied through clenched teeth.
“Listen, you little brat. I don’t care you’re tattling; I should have beaten you bloody for that. But today, the deal is over. You can grow your hair now, and be sure you do everything to make it as fast as possible.”
When Peyton said the names of her bullies, she didn’t expect such a plot twist, but now she just tried to suppress her laugh.
“Well, why? I like it like that. And you’ll like it, you’ll see.”
“Hell no! I want my hair back, and I can’t get it until you’re bald. I’ll watch you, and if you try to fool me…”
“Well, well, I got it. It’s not worthy of a good person to make others wear their hair the way they don’t like, right?”
Peyton was still mad at Coleen, but not as much as she thought before. Actually, her bald look won her plenty of sexy times with the most gorgeous boyfriend on earth, Jason.
She was kind, after all, and she was not a monster. At least, as they say.
When she declared that she wanted to let her hair grow, Jason just shrugged.
“You’re hot as hell that way, but… I like you anyway. Let’s see what it would be like then.”
They stopped shaving Peyton’s head daily, and she grew out an impressive stubble by the end of the next week.
“Wow, it’s fluffy,” Jason commented after stroking Peyton’s head. “Feels nice.”
Her hair grew faster, but not that fast to prevent Coleen and Bridget from getting their first trim in two weeks after the initial shearing. The girls tried to escape the punishment in all ways possible, but Mrs. Matthews and Mrs. Cleveland were cast iron.
The whole town already knew that the school queens were cut as boys. Everybody wants to see this, but they stayed at home as much as possible, as if it could prevent them from showing up short-haired in the class this fall.
Three days before Peyton’s birthday, she was already sporting a nice, half-inch-long crew cut. She could even dye it some weird color just for fun, but she preferred not to do it.
Coleen came to visit that evening and looked at Peyton scrutinously.
“Well, you’re going great, girl. I want to show you to my mother, so she sees that I really stopped bullying you. Come to dinner tomorrow.”
Peyton smirked and nodded. She was not a monster, after all, but she was not an angel either.
Her birthday was coming, and she owed herself a treat.
The next morning, she came to the same salon where she got her favourite style a month ago. Dave was here.
“Hi, Dave!” Peyton smiled kindly. “Remember me? The girl who came here with a waist-long hair and left with nothing.”
“Yes, I remember,” he answered bitterly. “And I’m very sorry for…”
“Come on, you did the best job. Actually, I’m here to iterate on the experience.”
“What?!”
“I want you to shave me, nice and clean. Again. Like you did it before.”
Dave looked flabbergasted, but he agreed. Peyton found her place in the chair and closed her eyes. She couldn’t wait to be bald again.
It was like the first time, but better. Peyton already knew what she was about to see, and there were no annoying girls giggling in the background.
Dave removed her hair with no-guard clippers and then shaved her head clean with a razor.
When Peyton opened her eyes, she was a stunning beauty again.
“Thank you very much. Here’s the money. I love the look, and maybe I will come again soon”.
Peyton put on a turban to keep the surprise for the dinner. Coleen didn’t even notice it – she was too concerned about her own look to notice what the others were wearing.
When the whole Matthews family sat at the table, Peyton removed the turban.
Mrs. Matthews reacted first.
“What does it mean, Coleen? You said you don’t bully the girl anymore. And now she’s freshly shaven!”
“Mom, I…”
“Keep your excuses for yourself, young lady! Your hair limit has just been reduced to an inch. And if this won’t help, I will neglect all decency and shear you bald!”
Peyton couldn’t stay at the table any longer. She heard that Coleen was hissing something about her regretting it soon, but she didn’t care.
The revenge was complete. For now.
The Baldie Strikes Again
Although Peyton wished to stay bald forever (or at least until it’s getting freezing outside), she had to grow her hair again, not to piss Coleen off. The mean girl was unpredictable, and Peyton, again, was not a monster. Well, maybe just a little bit.
She treated herself once again, letting Jason shave her head on the morning of her birthday. And then she stopped.
Mrs. Matthews held on to her word, and Coleen’s hair became even shorter. Apparently, Mrs. Cleveland liked to follow her steps because Bridget’s hair had reduced in length as well. With the regular trims, their hair was in an almost unchanged state until the end of the summer.
When school started, everyone who hadn’t seen the girls during the summer was shocked. Some guys tried to mock Peyton for her crew cut, but she wore it with pride and elegance, and soon everyone understood that it suited her.
Coleen and Bridget tried their best as well. They even succeeded in convincing some girls that their hairstyles were the pink of fashion. Peyton laughed at how their summer story transformed the school. Dave got numerous new clients who wished to chop off their manes for the sake of “new fashion”.
The guys didn’t like it at first, but Jason somehow changed their minds. He was popular, and his tastes meant a lot among the male half of the school.
In a word, they somehow launched a short-hair craze.
In the light of it, Peyton didn’t consider the second part of her mischief a bad thing. It was just an experiment. How can the inhabitants of social jungles change their image of what beauty is if you push hard enough?
Two days before Coleen’s birthday, Peyton did it again. Her hair was more than an inch long by that time, so she needed the assistance of a real master.
“Hi, Dave. Remember me?”
“How can I forget? You’re the reason why my schedule is fully booked these days, Peyton.”
She was not surprised. She had to schedule an appointment in advance to occupy the chair on the desired day.
“What could I do for you, my guardian angel?”
“A tweak, Dave- no-guard angel.”
“Nice and clean again?”
“You’re reading my mind.”
And again, the familiar buzzing of the clippers, the subtle burning on the skin, and the fantastic feeling of her hair falling down her face. Peyton liked the foam, liked the razor, and liked the feeling of a completely clean head, which she couldn’t compare to any other experience in her young and regular life.
“Thanks, Dave. Here’s the money.”
“No money today, dear. It’s me who should pay for such marvelous advertising.”
The first house Peyton visited was Coleen’s. Mrs. Matthews opened the door and gasped, just looking at her.
Peyton didn’t even have a chance to say a word.
“Again? This little brat will pay for her ignorance! I’ll make sure she won’t have a single hair on her head by the end of the day!”
Mrs. Matthews was not one of those people who talked idly. The next day, Coleen appeared in school with a fully shaven head. As well as Bridget.
“Come on, guys. I love my beautiful bald girlfriend,” Jason smirked as he stroked Peyton’s clean-shaved nape. It was Coleen’s birthday party, and they both were invited. Coleen sported her new bald look shamelessly, and the guys tried to figure out whether they liked it or not. “She’s the hottest thing I ever saw, believe me.”
That very day, Dave’s schedule was booked until the end of the week.
The end.
