Shave and a Haircut

Sierra was really starting to get frustrated. It had been a week since that blasted football game, and she couldn’t get any peace in her dorm room.

Rachel was constantly on her phone with ‘Dany’ from the game. It seems that even though his buddies had to force him to buzz off those long surfer-dude locks, it unleashed something in Rachel, and she was now a woman possessed by this guy.

And here she was, unable to find a date. Joe was great to hang out with, but at the same time, he was so competitive that she was afraid of what might happen if she was around him too much.

She could see them making bets that started to get way too extreme. While she wanted some excitement in her life, she wasn’t sure she could handle what she thought Joe might bring to the table.

To make matters worse, it seems that Clara had been on a date as well. Shy, timid, Clara! Sierra hadn’t even noticed if she ended up hanging with anyone at the football game, and Sierra couldn’t remember any other time that she had seen Clara out of the dorm room to even get a date.

Rachel finally set down the phone and leaned back on her bed.

“So, how is Dany doing?” Sierra drawled from the desk.

“He is fine. He really is a sweet guy when not riled up by something like a football game.”

“He must be. You haven’t stopped talking to him since the game,” Sierra rolled her eyes and turned back to her studying.

Rachel sat back up, “Sierra, is everything ok?”

Sierra sighed and turned back around, “Yeah… It’s just that I haven’t been on a date in a while, and you have been chatting with ‘Dany’ every day. Even Clara seems to have been on a date, though I don’t know with who,” the frustration just seemed to come tumbling out of Sierra’s mouth.

Rachel leaned over and placed a hand on Sierra’s shoulder, “You will find someone. What about Joe from the game. He was a bit of a hunk if I remember correctly.”

“Oh, he is. Though his competitive side seems to rival my own, and I am scared what might happen if we hang out too much. If we started betting like you and Dan did at the game, I am concerned about what I might lose. He seems intense enough that he might just bet my hair.”

Rachel’s eyes got wide, “I could see how that would be a problem.”

“Exactly!”

They fell into silence for a bit, the weight of what would happen if Sierra ended up having her hair up for grabs in a bet. It wouldn’t end well.

Sierra loved her hair, but she wouldn’t back down from a bet either. Not a good combination.

~*~

Another week went by and it was more of the same. Rachel talking on the phone with Dan constantly.

And did Clara go on another date? Sierra was starting to get frustrated. Lauren didn’t seem to care about not having guy candy right now, but she was usually content with that sort of thing.

Sierra was sitting at her desk, trying to study, but with Rachel behind her chatting away, it wasn’t going well.

Rachel sat up with a start.

“Yes! I want to hang out!”

Slight pause.

“Really, he wants to come too? One moment.”

Rachel put her hand over the microphone.

“Dany wants to come by and hang out,” she said to Sierra, “And Joe wants to come too. He says you owe him a workout, or something like that.”

Sierra chuckled, “Yeah, there was a bet along those lines… Sure, he can tag along, I guess.”

Rachel confirmed the details with Dan and hung up.

“OK, give them about an hour.”

Rachel went to change, while Sierra, already in clothes that were appropriate for the gym, tried to keep studying.

Finally, the guys were almost here.

Sierra quickly pulled her hair back and braided it, so she wouldn’t have issues working out, and followed Rachel out the door.

~*~

Rachel couldn’t believe that Dany was coming to see her. She had loved talking to him on the phone, but while they had gotten along at the game, and they seemed to enjoy each other’s company on the phone. She was concerned that they wouldn’t get along in person outside of something like a football game.

Rachel and Sierra got downstairs just as the guys arrived.

Rachel quickly grabbed Dany’s arm and steered him away from Joe and Sierra.

“Have fun you two!” she called over her shoulder.

This was her time with Dan, and she didn’t want to waste it.

“So, anything you want to do while we are together?” Rachel asked as she guided Dan down a walking path on campus.

“I wanted to spend some time with you,” came Dan’s reply, “I enjoyed just being with you at the game, but since then, we have only talked on the phone. We are only an hour away, so I wanted to spend some time together.”

Rachel slowed her pace and entwined her fingers into Dan’s, “I guess you are right.”

They wandered for a little bit longer, making their way into a park. The cool autumn air was pleasant as they strolled along.

Dan pulled Rachel towards a bench on the side of the path and sat down.

“Let’s sit and talk.”

Rachel smacked him in the arm, “Isn’t that what we have been doing every day?” though she sat down beside him.

“I guess so, but not like this. Not like a couple,” he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Rachel froze for a second as she processed what he just said.

“Wait, you want to be a couple?”

“Yes, but only if you want to,” Dan trailed off, “You obviously have a mind of your own, and I would not want to force you into anything.”

Rachel looked into Dan’s bright blue eyes for a bit, contemplating what it might be like to actually be in a relationship with someone like him.

“I think we can give it a shot,” she finally said.

“I’m glad,” he said with a bright smile on his lips.

They continued to talk for several hours. It seemed that they both had aspirations of being their own boss at some point, though how that looked, they weren’t quite sure yet.

“I do have one request of you now that we officially together,” Dan quietly mused.

“Hmmm, what is that?” Rachel sighed contentedly as she leaned into him.

“You told me that I could grow my hair back out at the game, but I was hoping that we could grow our hair together.”

Rachel thought about it for a bit, “Sure, I think I could live with that.”

“Good. Then let the growing begin.”

~*~

Sierra was getting a little frustrated with Rachel. She instantly grabbed Dan and ran, leaving her with Joe.

“Hey Sierra,” came Joe’s tentative greeting.

“Hey Joe,” Sierra said with a smirk, “I guess it is time for me to pay up and show you a good time in the gym.”

“I think so. Lead the way to the racks, my good lady!” he smirked right back.

Sierra led Joe to the gym that was a few blocks away. The campus had a few such facilities, and all of them had a wide variety of equipment for everyone to use.

Sierra was very grateful that Joe hadn’t worn anything that indicated he was from their rival college. He was even wearing her school colors, but his outfit was basic enough that it didn’t really matter.

They went through various lifting stations, spotting for each other.

Things were going decently until Joe quipped, “You know, if your team didn’t suck so much, maybe we would have been doing this at my gym instead of over here.”

“You lost plenty of those little bets that evening too, if I recall,” Sierra called, starting to get annoyed at this whole routine. She enjoyed working out, but this guy wouldn’t seem to let it go.

They moved over to the floor mats to start cooling down and stretching out.

“You know,” Joe pushed as they were almost done, “I bet our team will make it into the playoffs, while yours won’t.”

Sierra was almost instantly on her feet, “You know, all you want to do is bet on things. We might as well just fight and bet on who will win.”

To Sierra’s surprise, Joe stood up and assumed a fighting stance.

“You know,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “that might just be a good idea.”

Sierra cocked her head, a little surprised that he agreed to the idea, and the fact that he looked like he might know how to fight. She had other tricks up her sleeve, and she wasn’t about to let him win that easily.

She slid into a traditional martial arts stance, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet.

“Fine,” she grinned wide at him, “What is the bet then?”

“How about we see who wins this little sparring match, and then winner can decide.”

“Sounds fair enough to me.”

Sierra startled Joe with her quickness. She had done some martial arts as a kid, but it had been years. Though her physical training made up for the lack of practice.

Joe was only prepared for more of a ‘fist fight’, and using his upper body, so when Sierra came at him with a series of kicks, he quickly found himself backing up.

“Looks like you can’t keep up,” Sierra taunted.

Joe took advantage of the momentary break in her assault and lunged, quickly grabbing her arms, sweeping her legs out from under her.

Pinning Sierra to the mat, Joe looked down at Sierra’s blazing eyes.

“Looks like I won,”

Sierra took a moment to get her temper under control, “I guess you did… Fine, what is my punishment for losing?”

Joe released his hold on her and stood, taking a step back.

“Well, considering this started with comments about our football teams, I think it needs to be big.”

Joe contemplated his option for a moment while Sierra got to her feet.

“I think I want to see you as a blonde.”

Sierra whirled on him, “NEVER,” she spat, advancing on him, “My hair is not up for bets, do you hear me?”

Joe started back peddling, “Sorry,” he threw his hands up in surrender, “I was thinking a wig or something, not actually changing your hair color.”

Sierra stopped in her tracks, realizing that he wasn’t really asking her to destroy something that she felt was part of her identity.

“Oh… sorry. I just love my hair and right now, I do not want to change it at all.”

Joe’s face softened, “I think your hair is beautiful, just like you.”

That caught Sierra off guard.

“Look,” Joe continued hesitantly, “how about I make this one up to you, but instead of a bet, would you allow me to take you on a date?”

“Really?”, Sierra looked at him slowly, “After I just took your head off, you are asking me out?”

“Look, I like making bets, and I will admit it is fun riling you up, but it doesn’t really work well if I don’t show you that I respect you.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck, clearly nervous.

“So, let me take you out on a date and show you I am not such a bad guy.”

Sierra just stared at him for a second. She wasn’t sure he was being serious but figured she could give him a chance.

“Fine,” she finally said, though clearly still contemplating if he was being honest with her, “When?”

“How about Friday? I know of a great Italian restaurant where maybe we can get to know each other without betting everything in the world.”

“OK, fine… Friday it is. But you better deliver, or I won’t let you hear the end of it.”

Joe gave a nervous chuckle, “Deal.”

~*~

The week went by quickly. The semester was nearing its end, so there was lots of focus on studying and not much else happening for the girls.

Before Sierra knew it, it was Friday and Joe texted her that morning reminding her of their date.

She decided to spruce herself up and found one of her long sleeve dresses that showed off her curves. A bit of curl to her hair finished off the look.

She was pleasantly surprised when he showed up in a nice shirt. She didn’t expect him to own anything that fancy.

“You look amazing…” Joe said.

“You seem to clean up decently yourself.”

They drove in relative silence.

As they got to the restaurant, Sierra realized that Joe might actually be more than just bluster and competitiveness, as it was a small, but nice place.

As they sat down and got talking, she realized that they had a lot more in common than she would have thought. Sure they were both competitive and strong willed, but also had similar interests.

For one, they were both in the sciences, her in marine biology, and him in biochemistry.

As the night started winding down, Joe started looking sheepish.

“Look, about the other day, I am sorry. I get overly competitive. Know that I would never want you to do something that you aren’t willing to do. So, if you ever don’t like what I am suggesting, or even when it comes time to pay up, and it is too much, just say so.”

Sierra dropped her head and rested her hand on his, “Thank you,” she said quietly, “Knowing that you aren’t going to just push me into things I don’t want to do, helps. My hair is a major part of me. My features are so harsh that I feel I need my hair to look pretty.”

Joe stared for a moment, “While your hair is pretty, you don’t need it to be beautiful. At the gym the other day, with your hair pulled back, I couldn’t stop staring. That is part of why I suggested you go blonde, maybe bring your looks down to a point where someone with this ugly mug might have a chance.”

An incredulous smile started to creep over Sierra’s face, until she smacked him on the shoulder and burst out laughing.

“With those chiseled features you don’t think you have a chance with someone like me?” she said with tears forming in her eyes.

It was his turn to blush, “Hey, guys are just as insecure about our looks too…”

“But seriously,” he continued, “You don’t need that hair to be beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

The conversation died out for a moment.

“By the way, where did you learn to kick like that? Had you kept that up, you might have won.”

Sierra laughed, the tension clearly broken, “I did martial arts for a little bit as a kid. Haven’t practiced in years.”

“Well, it was still affective,” Joe became thoughtful for a bit, “Maybe that is what we need so we don’t go overboard with our bets?”

“What do you mean?”

“We need to do something together, where we can push each other, but not just be about competition.”

Sierra thought for a moment, “You may be right… Let’s think about it and see what we can come up with.”

~*~

The next morning was like any normal Saturday for the girls, which mainly included sleep.

Clara had slipped out again for another mystery date, but if she wasn’t willing to discuss it, then the rest of them would leave her alone.

Sierra and Rachel both spent part of the day chatting with their respective boyfriends, which was great as shortly after Clara returned, Lauren seemed to drag her back out the door.

The biggest surprise to the day came later that afternoon when Lauren and Clara returned. Clara was missing most of her hair.

Both Rachel and Sierra were in shock by the transformation. They had no idea that Clara was even considering cutting her hair, let alone such a drastic change.

Though both girls had to admit that she was gorgeous and that the new look really brought out her features.

Sierra even tried to get Lauren to explain, but her friend was clearly willing to keep Clara’s secrets.

They quickly realized that Clara was getting overwhelmed by all the attention and gave her some space.

~*~

The next morning Clara slipped out again, which was weird, though if she had a boyfriend and things were getting serious, then it might make sense.

For Sierra and Rachel, it was more of the same. Chatting with boyfriends and studying. It wasn’t like they normally did much on the weekends anyway, unless they had a game to go to.

Clara finally made it back to the dorm later that day. Unlike most days, she didn’t go and hide in her room but stepped to the room that Sierra and Rachel shared.

“Sierra? Rachel? Can we talk?” Clara called out.

Rachel and Sierra looked at each other, confused. Beyond the haircut, this was unusual behavior for her. She never asked to chat with everyone at once. She would quietly approach whoever she wanted to talk to. Unless she was angry, then she might just blow up at you.

“Sure,” Sierra responded, “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah,” she said, clearly more confident than she normally was, “How about out here?” Clara motioned towards the common room.

Rachel and Sierra followed Clara out. To their surprise Lauren had already sat down off to the side.

Rachel plopped down on the floor, but unlike her normal quiet demeanor, there seemed to be new life in her.

“I owe you guys an explanation… For everything the last few weeks.”

Rachel glanced up at Lauren, who was lounging comfortably, listening, but who seemed very unphased by all of this.

“Lauren already knows, doesn’t she?” she said, pinning Clara with a stare.

Clara finally seemed to lose a little of that confidence and ducked her head, “Yeah… sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Rachel said, “Though I think Sierra will agree, we wish you would have confided in us before now, but it looks like you are about to. So, tell us, what has been going on with you?”

Clara looked back up and met her friends’ eyes, “I have a boyfriend.”

“Well, we figured that part out, given your secrecy and going out every weekend,” Sierra was exasperated.

“Let her finish,” Lauren snapped. Sierra had the good sense to shut up.

“Thank you,” Clara said as she glanced at Lauren, “So you know, Rachel wasn’t the only one to find someone at that football game.”

“Really?” Rachel blurted, after a moment, “Don’t tell me it was it that skinny nerd.”

Lauren flushed and looked away, but Clara just laughed, “No actually. It was Tom, the one with dark hair.”

“What,” Sierra called out, “Really? I would have expected him to hook up with Lauren.”

Sierra glanced at her friend, who couldn’t hide the blush on her cheeks. Sierra started glancing between the two of them. Something finally clicked.

“Wait,” Sierra said continuing to eye Lauren, “If she got with Tom, then you…”

Lauren’s face went beet red.

“Hey, it is my turn to tell you what is going on,” Clara called out, making everyone focus on her again, “If Lauren wants to tell a story after I am done, that is for her to decide.”

Sierra and Rachel winced. It was too easy to ignore Clara at times.

“At the game, Tom noticed me struggling with my economics homework and offered to help,” Clara started explaining, “I don’t know if I would have passed that test a couple weeks ago if he hadn’t.”

“Anyway, after the game, we kept talking, mainly him helping me understand the homework, and then he asked me out a couple weeks ago.”

“The morning you came back blushing from your walk?” Rachel asked, fully curious about what happened now. She and Dan were a thing, and it seemed that Sierra was now with Joe, but she had no clue that her friend had found Tom that night.

“Yes,” Clara beamed, “And the last two Saturdays as well.”

She paused to collect herself, “And yesterday he brought up the idea of meeting his family. But…”

The room seemed to hold its breath as Clara gathered herself, “He comes from an upper-class family that has certain ‘standards’ when it comes to appearances.”

After a pause Rachel burst out laughing, “Is this why you cut your hair?”

It was Clara’s turn to blush, “Yeah…”

“And where were you this morning?” Sierra pushed.

“Well, since this was because of Tom, I figured I needed to show him as soon as I could.”

“And how did he react?” Rachel couldn’t help but be curious. Her quiet friend had found someone that made her cut her long curly hair. This was big.

“He loved it…” Rachel reached back and rubbed her neck, “Especially the secret.”

Sierra went still, “What secret?”

Clara turned her head around and pulled her hair up, revealing the undercut.

Rachel gasped, while Sierra just stared, slack jawed.

“So, what do you guys think of the new me?” Clara said, while turning back around.

Sierra placed a hand on Clara’s knee, “I love it. I am surprised in the confidence that all of this has brought out in you,” turning to Lauren, “Do you have anything to add?”

“I only know because Clara dragged me along for support for the haircut,” Lauren replied innocently.

“Figured that,” Sierra shot back dryly, “I meant when it comes to the geek.”

Lauren again flushed, “Since the three of you were occupied during the game, I took a pass at him.”

After a moment of silence, “Well…” Sierra probed.

“He seemed to ignore me…” Lauren blushed harder.

Clara, feeling a little merciful, “I brought it up to Tom. He has an idea.”

“Oh,” Lauren said, suddenly interested.

“I will tell you later.”

Lauren glared at her friend.

~*~

Sierra couldn’t get over the change in her friend over the next week. Of course, she kept talking to Joe on the phone and getting to know him.

They even worked out again, but this time without the underlying current of competitiveness.

What her mind kept coming back to was Clara’s haircut. How much confidence it seemed to bring out in her, and how good she looked, even without hair that was past her shoulders.

Then her mind kept bringing up what Joe had said during their date, that she didn’t need her hair to be pretty.

Did she need her hair?

Sierra wasn’t sure anymore and it was driving her insane.

She was sitting on her bed, contemplating the necessity of hair and beauty when Rachel walked in, talking to Joe, but wrapping up the conversation.

As Rachel plopped onto her bed, she could clearly see that Sierra was lost in thought.

“You okay, S?” Rachel asked.

Sierra gave a little chuckle, “Yeah, Clara’s haircut is stuck in my head, and how much it seemed to change who she is.”

“You are telling me, she feels like a woman possessed. Both by Tom and by her haircut. I can’t believe she now has the shortest hair of the group.”

“Tell me about it,” Sierra mumbled as she fiddled with the ends of her hair, almost nervously.

“What else is going on?” Rachel pressed.

“You know how I was concerned about Joe and betting MY hair? Well, he did, during that first trip to the gym.”

Rachel’s brow furrowed in concern, “I know that didn’t go well, but you guys have been talking ever since. What happened?”

“Oh, I blew up,” Sierra gave Rachel a knowing look, “He was kind enough to take it back, and even took me out to dinner as an apology.”

“So that’s where you went.”

“Yeah. During it, he told me that I didn’t need my hair to be pretty,” Sierra chuckled nervously, “His bet was for me to ‘go blonde’ to try to make me ‘less pretty’ so someone like him might have a chance.”

Rachel burst out laughing. It took her almost 30 seconds to compose herself long enough to speak, “Well, he is right, you are beautiful.”

Rachel started eying Sierra with an assessing stare, “You know, you could look good as a blonde?”

Sierra was more intrigued than appalled, “Really?”

“Maybe not Lauren’s blonde, but a little warmer… more of a golden blonde.”

The silence in the room was almost palpable as Sierra considered.

“I think you may be right,” she finally said, “Do you know a salon that is open on a Sunday that could turn me into a blonde?”

Rachel thought for a moment, “I think I do. Let me call them and I will let you know.”

“Thanks, I think there is one other surprise I need to plan for Joe.”

Over the next hour, Rachel and Sierra made a few phone calls.

“Okay, first thing tomorrow, you become a blonde,” Rachel said, putting down the phone.

Sierra’s eyes got wide, “I think I am set on my end. Just need to run out and grab something. Then to try to sleep knowing I won’t have me beautiful hair after tomorrow,” tears started to well up in her eyes.

“You will still be beautiful. Just in a different way.”

~*~

The next morning came all too quickly for Sierra, but to her surprise, Rachel was up and getting ready to leave too.

“What, you didn’t think that I was going to let you do this all on your own. I wouldn’t miss you changing your locks for the world.”

Sierra laughed, but hugged her friend, “Thank you,” she whispered as they started heading towards the car.

~*~

As they got to the salon, Sierra was almost shaking. Was she about to see if she didn’t need her gorgeous dark hair to be beautiful?

“Welcome in,” the receptionist called warmly as she glanced between the two women, “Appointments?”

Rachel stepped up, “Yes, bleach and color for Sierra… And a cut for Rachel.”

Sierra gaped, she was expecting this to be a solo venture, though Rachel did require regular trims to keep her bob nice and sharp.

The receptionist looked at the computer screen, “OK, so we are a little shorthanded, but Robert will be able to work you both together,” she looked at Rachel, “He will do your cut while Sierra’s dye is processing.”

Rachel nodded as the receptionist led them back to a pair of chairs that were side by side.

Robert was waiting for them.

“OK, so which one of you lovely ladies is getting the color treatment?”

As they sat down, Sierra raised her hand, not sure she could speak just yet.

Robert quickly started inspecting her hair.

“What color were you thinking?”

Sierra swallowed, “I want to go blonde… though not too light. Maybe a golden blonde? I have a picture.

She pulled out her phone and showed him a picture of a young woman with golden blonde hair that sat just over her shoulders.

“Oh, I like that. And will you want to cut your hair to the same length? There is a complimentary haircut with any color service, and especially with damage from the bleach, we recommend at least a trim to keep it healthy.”

Sierra started glancing between the mirror and the photo.

Finally, she let out a huge breath and muttered, “In for a penny…” she gathered her courage and spoke up, “Let’s do it. Chop it off!”

It was Rachel’s turn to gape. Not only was her friend going blonde but chopping most of her hair off too.

Robert wasted no time. He quickly put Sierra’s hair into a low ponytail and braided the rest.

Sierra looked at herself. How many times had she worn this exact style for the gym? But no longer.

“Last chance to back out.”

Rachel leaned over and took Sierra’s hand.

Sierra squeezed Rachel’s hand and closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath, “Do it!”

Robert wasted no time digging his scissors into Sierra’s ponytail.

After a few moments where all Sierra could do was listen to the sawing of the scissors through her hair, the tension was finally released, and Robert laid her ponytail on the counter.

“I’ll be right back with the bleach,” Robert called as he turned to leave.

Sierra finally let out a heavy breath and turned to Rachel.

“Are you getting a trim?”

“No…” Rachel looked at herself in the mirror, “I think I need a change too.”

“Oh?”

Nerves were starting to build in Rachel, “Dan asked me to grow my hair out with him.”

Sierra was confused, “Then why are you getting a haircut?”

“Because, if we are going to grow out our hair together, it is only right that we start from the same place.”

“So what, you are going to shave your head?” Sierra looked at the friend that was defined by her fiery red hair with incredulity.

Rachel laughed, “Close, but no. Dan’s hair has grown a bit in the last few weeks. So, I was thinking a short pixie would be in order. Close enough that we will almost match while we grow it.”

Sierra couldn’t help but look at her friend in admiration, “You know, even though that red hair comes out regularly, you do have a sweet side.”

“Thanks. I only hope that I can convince Dan that this is for us.”

“Oh, I think you will find a way.”

Robert returned with the bleach and wasted no time sectioning Sierra’s hair and applying the bleach.

After a few minutes he was done, and Sierra’s hair was coated in bleach on top of her head.

Removing his gloves, he turned towards Rachel, “You are just here for a cut, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Guessing you just want a trim? That bob is so chic on you.”

“Nope! Get ready for transformation number two,” Rachel said dramatically, “I want to go for a short pixie. Clippers up the back and short on top.”

Robert gasped, “You guys are giving a major treat today. Most people walk in here just wanting a trim, or their color touched up. You two are allowing me to change you from beauties into queens.”

Rachel was quickly caped and her hair sectioned.

Robert grabbed the clippers off the counter.

It was Sierra’s turn to reach over and grab Rachel’s hand.

“OK, this is the roughest part,” he said with a grin, then added in a conspiratorial whisper, “but also the most fun.”

With that, he placed the clippers at the center of Rachel’s neck, and without hesitation ran them up just past her occipital bone.

Rachel shuddered at the feeling, now understanding what Clara must have gone through the week prior.

A wide smile spread across Rachel’s face. Robert was right, that was a fun sensation.

Robert quickly got to work clearing out the rest of Rachel’s nape and transitioned to cutting the top down to a nice short length.

Rachel and Sierra could only watch in amazement at how Rachel’s face opened up as her hair got shorter. Though Sierra kept glancing at her reflection, noting that her hair was getting lighter.

Robert seemed to notice too, “Okay, I need to wash that bleach out quick, so it doesn’t over process. I will finish with the pixie while the toner does its work.”

Sierra was whisked away to the shampoo bowls as Rachel kept staring at herself in the mirror. She loved how the cut was turning out, though she wasn’t sure how well Dan would receive it, though she was sure she would be able to convince him the change was for them.

Robert was back a few moments later grabbing up his scissors and comb once more.

He made short work of the remainder of the cut and was quickly heading back to finish up with Sierra.

Moments later, Sierra returned. As the towel was removed from her head, golden blonde hair tumbled down to her shoulders.

“OK, blonde does fit you,” Rachel said from her perch.

“Let’s get this trimmed and shaped up quick, and get you two lovelies on your way,” Robert said as he started to section out Sierra’s hair.

The rest of the cut went smoothly as the cutting almost felt normal to Sierra, though she wasn’t used to it happening over her shoulders.

As the cut ended, Sierra and Rachel stood up and started laughing at each other. They couldn’t believe how much of a change just occurred.

“I think we owe him two bits,” Sierra quipped.

Rachel looked at her friend wondering what she was talking about.

“Well, you got a shave, and I got a haircut. That equals two bits, doesn’t it?

They started laughing again, paying for their new looks and tipping Robert handsomely.

~*~

They decided that they needed to show their boyfriends their new looks right away.

Rachel texted Dan and got their address.

As they pulled up to the guys apartment, nerves were building for both of them again.

“Well, here we go,” Rachel said, blowing out a breath.

They walked up to the door and knocked.

Tom answered the door, “Oh, hey,” he said, surprise written on his face. Sierra could see now why Clara was taken with him.

“Rachel and Lauren?” he said, cautiously.

Sierra burst out laughing, “No, I’m Sierra. Joe suggested I go blonde,” she twirled, “So, here I am.”

Dan walked past the open door just then and froze, devastation building on his face.

“Rachel… I thought we agreed to grow our hair together!”

Rachel sighed, “May I?” she said to Tom, but started pushing her way in anyway, as Dan was turning away from them.

Tom let her through, “Let me grab Joe,” he said to Sierra as he invited her in.

~*~

Rachel caught up with Dan in the living room.

“Dany, wait… Let me explain,” she begged.

He whirled on her, “What is there to explain? You made a promise to me to grow your hair out with me, and two weeks later you broke it. You obviously don’t love me the way I thought you did.”

Rachel took a breath, “Stop! Hear me out. I did this for us!”

She stepped closer to him, “You wanted us to grow our hair together, and now we can. Properly. Our hair is close to the same length now, and we can grow it long, together.”

He stared at he for a moment, letting the words sink in.

Then he started really looking at her, and her new hair.

“You really do look good,” he finally said.

“No, we both look good. And we will both look good as we grow out our hair.”

She wrapped her hand around his neck and dragged him in for a kiss.

~*~

A moment later, Joe walked out of his room and froze, staring at Sierra.

Laughing nervously, he stepped towards her, “Please tell me that’s a wig?”

“Nope. Just got it done.”

“But you love your long dark hair. I told you I didn’t want you giving it up for me.”

Sierra laughed, “I did it for me. You just gave me a direction to go in.”

Joe chuckled nervously, “Well, you look good.”

“Thank you.”

“Though I am still confused on what made you change it.”

“Do you remember my friend Clara? With the curly hair?”

He thought for a moment, “Yeah. Isn’t she going out with Tom?”

Sierra laughed, “Yeah. Well, last week, she cut her hair because of something he said. It completely changed her look, for the better. Between that, and your comments about me not needing it to be pretty, I decided I needed to let go.”

He looked at her thoughtfully.

“Well, I am glad you did. It is different, but you are still beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she started, reaching for her bag, “While I did this for me, I did do something for us.”

She pulled out two martial arts uniforms with two white belts to match.

“Since you didn’t like me kicking your butt, literally, and you suggested we do something together to be competitive, I signed us up for martial arts classes.”

“Oh, I like that,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her waste and gave her a quick kiss.

“Maybe you can dye your hair each belt color and eventually get back to being that sexy brunette that I met.”

Sierra laughed, knowing that she had made the right choice.

~*~

Stories in chronological order:

The Game – The whole gang

The Unexpected Date – Clara and Tom

Shave and a Haircut – Sierra and Joe, with a nice helping of Rachel and Dan