58. Kodi
CHAPTER 58
By the time I arrive at Tease Me salon, Callie’s already there, getting her pink highlights refreshed at Lily’s station. I pull up a chair in between Callie and the tower of products in spray bottles in front of the wall of mirrors. Lily paints strips of her fading lavender hair with some blue goo and wraps them in tin foil as we talk.
“So what gives? Crotchetty never gives you Fridays off.”
“He quit.”
“What??” The two of them squeal in unison. I set our takeout down on the floor beside us, recounting the story of his stocks taking off and his impromptu cruise to the Caribbean. Their eyebrows climb higher and higher as I weave the tale, pausing only to make room for the scoffs and derisive noises at my reenactment of the Doc’s not-so-subtle insults to my intelligence. When I get to the part about his skipping off to catch a ship, Lily sighs.
“Ugh, I’d love to go on a cruise.”
“Really?” Callie shudders. “Have you seen the shit that washes up on shores after typhoons? Or the creepy monster creatures that David Attenborough talks about on Blue Planet? I’ll get my thrills on land, thank you very much.”
“All I know is, the more ocean separating me from Dr. Cratchet, the better. I’ve spent too long letting toxic old men ruin my life.”
“That’s my girl,” Lily says. I meet her eyes in the mirror, and she winks at me. She wraps the final strip of Callie’s hair in foil and pats her head. “That’s gotta cure for a few minutes, hun.”
I pass out silverware, then hand her the styrofoam container of mango habanero boneless wings. Callie’s face is thoughtful as she accepts her napkin.
“I’m happy for you, Kodi. It sounds like you’ve made some important realizations lately.”
I see an embarrassing blush creep up my cheeks in the mirror before I look away. I fiddle with the takeout container in my lap.
“I don’t know about that. But between all this cornhole drama and Brian helping me with my knee, I’ve definitely had to take a hard look at my life.” I take a bite out of a honey barbeque wing, and offer the container to Callie. She spears one with her fork. “When it comes down to it, I can’t force anyone to see things my way. And even if I could, why would I want to? What if I’m wrong about something?”
“Like with Coach, you mean?” Lily asks around a mouthful.
“Coach, Dr. Cratchet…for years I’ve let people’s perception of me shape me. Even over the voices of people who actually cared, like you. They made me feel helpless, and it turned me into someone who gave up altogether. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
My eyes bounce from Lily to Callie in the mirror in front of us, and they both meet my gaze with heartfelt grins.
“Don’t get me wrong, I still need to own up for my own mistakes. I was wrong to ignore you all those years. And I still have to apologize to the team. But I’m not going to get stubborn about things I can’t control anymore. Maybe it’s a good thing that Dr. Cratchet is leaving, and maybe it’s a good thing that I give up on the championship once and for all. Change doesn’t have to be bad. Sometimes, change can mean something better than you ever imagined.”
“You’re not talking about cornhole anymore, are you?”
Callie’s perceptive gaze locks on me, and I don’t even have to look in the mirror to know that my cheeks are bright red.
“If it weren’t for Brian making me question my recovery plan, and everything else–”
“Everything else, meaning?”
“Her chronic sexlessness, of course,” Lily giggles, and her face turns thoughtful. “I oughta write that guy a thank-you note. Most boyfriends steal girls away from their friends. But yours brought you back to me. Through the power of his healy hands.” She wiggles her fingers.
I bury my face in my hands. “I swear to God, I never should have told you that’s what he calls them.”
“Oh no, I love it! Please, tell me again what miracles Dr. Hottie can work with his fingers–”
“Uh, Lily?” Callie points a saucy finger to her scalp. “It’s burning.”
“Oh, fuck, gimme a sec to wash my hands.”
For the rest of Callie’s hair appointment, we prepare my pep talk for the night. My friends agree to reach out to a few of the people who’ve quit to see if they’ll reconsider, even though I’m not particularly hopeful.
But even if the worst does come to pass and we lose to Spitz Hollow, I meant what I said earlier. I’m not going to throw away my own well-being for a championship. That was something the old Kodi would have done.
After Callie pays and leaves, Lily goes back to her station to clean up. I watch as she plucks the combs and brushes from the sanitizing solution and starts gathering the little bowls of dye and bleach, contemplating.
“That was my last appointment of the day. Wanna get a drink or something?”
“Actually,” I eye the hair supplies. “What do you think about doing something a little crazy?”
Her eyes sparkle. “What do you have in mind?”
I tug the elastic from around my ponytail, letting my dirty-blonde hair fall around my shoulders. “I’m thinking this new me calls for a new ‘do. What do you think?”
Her squeal of pleasure is the only answer I get before she shoves me into the chair and gets down to work.