Summer was over. It was all fun, don’t get it twisted, but it was now time to hit the books. Everyone who went to Avery high was not pleased in the slightest that they had to go back to school but if they didn’t, their parents would certainly be cross. So the students of Avery’s school for girls went back to another year of studies.
Mia was one of those girls, she was an average student by the standards of the school. Her grade per class was a C on average. She never really liked school but her mother expected her to complete it or Mia would be forced to work on her uncle’s farm. So Mia took the lesser of two evils and subjected herself to a proper education.
Now, at Avery high, there was a dress code to go to the school. Mia couldn’t wear whatever she wanted. No, instead she wore a powder blue blouse and a waistcoat atop that. A jacket wrapped around the two torso-coverings. The girl had a choice in whether she wanted a long or short skirt, Mia went long as she had no one to impress.
Accessaries were non-negotiable and Mia had to wear her long, black hair in a bun atop her head. It was a tight bun and her mother secured it for her. The last thing on the dress code worth mentioning is a basic pair of slip-on shoes in a black color.
All ready for school, Mia picked up her empty bag that was soon to be filled with books and went out the door. She walked briskly as to not be late for class. On her way, Mia met Aishwarya and Tia. The three girls were the best of friends and were inseparable. They joked and laughed all the way to the school’s gates.
Inside the vicinity of the schoolyard, multitudes of girls were chitchatting about they were doing over the summer. It was all so fun until the school doors opened. The headmistress stepped out to meet the horde of girls who looked unto her with quizzical looks.
Behind the headmistress, in two rows, were women in white shirts and long skirts of a matching color. They all had red lipstick on a light blush on their cheeks. Slid into their hands was a fine-tooth comb. All the students were bewildered at this sight.
The headmistress told the girls to gather up in rows based on their class. Mia was a sophomore so she was in that row and she wedged between two girls.
The women that were behind the headmistress then walked down to the rows of girls and one of them took their place at the head of each row. Mia walked with the row as they went inside the school. She didn’t know what was happening.
Her row went into the band room, a styling chair was placed in the center of it, a large box lay just adjacent to it. The woman that was the head of the row lined the girl against the walls of the room. When she had them all set to their places, she took her place behind the styling chair.
”I am Miss Giovanni”,she said,”I am your group’s advisor and barber. Mrs. Kent will give you the syllabus when I am done. But for now, when I call your name you will come and sit in the chair to have your haircut”
’A haircut!’thought Mia,’Who in god’s name okayed this’
In a fit of confusion, before Miss Giovanni could call out the first name, Mia piped up,”Who gave permission for this?”
Miss Giovanni gave her a look,”The school board did. All your parents have given their permission via email. Now, if you must, save all inquiries til the end of this”
”I don’t recall an email being sent to my mother”,Mia continued.
Miss Giovanni was not pleased but said calmly,”It was not the school’s responsibility to email the students to notify them. It was the responsibility of the parents to notify the students. Now”
Still not satisfied, Mia was going to ask more questions when Miss Giovanni called,”Gretchen Pierce”
The girl with that name stepped forward, a shy, Caucasian girl with blonde hair that was molded into a bun on top of her head. She walked and sat herself in the styling chair. Miss Giovanni pumped up the chair and began to open the box. She produced from it a striped cape that, when swung around the girl’s body, flowed onto the ground.
With precise hands, Miss Giovanni took out the pins securing Miss pierce’s bun and let it fall to its length. She gave the comb she carried in her palms to Miss Pierce to comb her hair with as she readied her tools. Miss Giovanni had only one tool, an electric clipper device that she had no guard for. The woman plugged in the device and started it up.
The humming from it sent shivers down Mia’s spine as Miss Giovanni caught a few strands of hair by using two of her fingers and using the clippers to remove the length below her fingertips. Mia watched as Miss Giovanni went around Miss Pierce, bobbing her hair.
It was a nice bob but Miss Giovanni wasn’t done. When the hair was bobbed, the woman got into of the girl and gave her a straight fringe. Bobbed and banged, Mia surmised that is was all over.
”Head down, sweetheart”,Miss Giovanni said
Miss Pierce lowered her head down, almost to her chest. Back behind the girl, Miss Giovanni started to climb the girl’s head with the clippers. All the girls’ mouths were agape as Miss Giovanni kept buzzing Gretchen’s head til only the fringe remained. And even then, Miss Giovanni only stopped for a brief tussle of the fringe before buzzing it off too. The woman switched off the clippers, she dusted Gretchen’s head and shoulders and took the cape off the girl.
Gretchen rubbed her stubbly scalp and got up from the chair, walking back to her place on the side of the wall. Everyone’s mouth still agape, Miss Giovanni looked at them and then resumed to read off her list.
”Aishwarya Johnson”,Miss Giovanni called out.
Mia looked at her best friend who looked at her, reluctant to take the chair. But Aishwarya had no choice but to sit in the chair. Like Gretchen, Miss Giovanni undid her bun and made the girl comb through her long, black hair. It certainly took Aishwarya a long time to grow such glorious hair with endless volume and now, it was to be sacrificed to the god of conformity.
”Head down, please”,Miss Giovanni said, lightly pressing on the back of Aishwarya’s head.
Like Gretchen, the clippers ate hair as it ascended Aishwarya’s head. It was a massacre of the black stalks of raven hair. Aishwarya looked as if she would cry, no one would’ve blamed her if she did, but the girl sat stoically as the clippers finished its job. And like with last girl, Miss Giovanni didn’t power off her utensil until she was satisfied.
When she was satisfied, Miss Giovanni removed the cape from Aishwarya who tried her hardest to not rub her stubbly head. But her will failed her and she touched her head, causing her to cover her mouth with one hand in grief. With Aishwarya back in line, Miss Giovanni shook the cape and called,”Amber Kipp”
One after another, each girl’s head was buzzed down to almost nothing. To prevent a stockpile of hair from growing too high, Miss Giovanni made buzzed girls sweep the hair on the floor off to the side.
Mia grew evermore anxious as her turn in the chair neared. When her turn arrived, Miss Giovanni stood with the clippers at the ready and the cape in her other hand. The girl cautiously made her way to the chair and sat in it ever so slowly.
Miss Giovanni wasted no time and caped up Mia. When given the come, Mia took her time combing through her hair: she was trying to delay the inevitable.
Sick and tired of Mia’s trolling, Miss Giovanni switched on the clippers and went straight into the girl’s scalp. Horrified, Mia froze in fear and stayed in that state until all of her hair was completely buzzed off. She tried not to touch her buzzed head but her hands went of their own accord. It was prickly but soft and Mia hated that she didn’t totally hate the new style.
”There we are”,Miss Giovanni took the cape off the girl,”That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
”I-I”,Mia stuttered as she slowly rose from the chair and walked back into her space on the wall.
”Alrighty”,Miss Giovanni smiled,”You girls are to keep and maintain your hair and if I see or even hear your hair is getting a bit shaggy, well, I’ll see you after school in my chair”
Miss Giovanni made her point and the girls under her care wouldn’t dare violate her rules.
