Chapter 12
Jaden was relentless Saturday afternoon.
I sat in the corner of the beauty salon with my legs drawn to my chest, trying to make myself as small as possible in the overflowing space.
Stylists flitted about, chattering with their clients.
Mom sat in a seat closest to me, laughing happily as her hairdresser, Kim, applied dye to her roots.
I’d never seen the salon so busy. Normally when I accompanied Mom to her hair sessions every six weeks, it was dead enough that there was an empty chair I could sit in, but not today.
Every black seat was full, and the scent of hairspray and dye was fresh in the air.
I stared at a stray clump of hair and dust bunnies on the floor, wishing I could get swept away along with them.
It was the one and only time I openly welcomed Jaden as a distraction.
Jaden
I’m just saying, I really enjoyed you sitting by me at the game last night. I’m probably one of the only guys at Brentwood who is clueless when it comes to football, so I really appreciated you explaining it yesterday. I really did. Maybe…well, maybe we could sit by each other again next Friday?
He was long-winded even in text. I could practically hear his rambling voice in my head.
And “me sitting by him” was really only him sitting down beside me after Mrs. Morris claimed the spot in front of us on the bleachers. My dad and his talked about the game the entire time, and our moms talked about Landon’s performance, which left me to entertain Jaden. As always.
Gemma
I thought you don’t usually come to football games.
His reply came so fast that I could’ve sworn he’d already known what my reply would be and had the sentence prepped.
Jaden
If it means I can sit by you, I wouldn’t mind.
I hated myself for walking into that one.
“I’m so glad I got that pass Landon threw on video last night,” Mom was saying to Kim as she applied more dye. Mom always said that her fiery hair dulled with age, so every month and a half, she came to the salon for a refresh. “It’ll be great to send to college scouts.”
The moment in question was Landon throwing the football twenty-five yards at last night’s away game, and Connor caught it perfectly, launching across the endzone. They were a well-oiled machine last night, one that succeeded in defeating the Vikings.
“You’ve got two beautiful children, Naomi,” Kim said, and in tandem, they both cast glances to where I crouched beside a potted plant. “Gemma, you’re growing up into the most stunning young woman.”
I smiled and ducked my head, wishing they’d go back to talking about Landon.
“Her hair’s getting long,” Kim went on, and waggled her pointy eyebrows. “How about it, Gemma? Should we put you in the chair next?”
“Oh, heavens, no,” Mom said with a breathless chuckle, pressing a hand to her chest. “Cut that beautiful mane she’s got? Oh, I could never. She cut it once, but she hated it.”
I watched Mom as she lied, but the way she said it so easily, I wondered if it had been a lie in her mind. Because it wasn’t me who hated it—it was her.
My phone buzzed again, and I slid it open to read the next text.
Jaden
What are you doing today?
Gemma
I’m at the hair salon with Mom. We’ll be here for a little while longer yet
“Ah, a young girl has to have a little fun now and then,” Kim insisted. She picked up the small bowl that’d been sitting on the rolling table beside her, stirring her brush around in it. “I’m going to mix it up a smidge more, and I’ll be back to apply the rest, okay?”
Mom lifted her hand out to me, and I was quick to comply.
Pushing up from the dusty floors, I walked over until I could lay my hand in hers.
“I look kind of silly, don’t I?” she asked with a teasing grin, eyes flitting up as if she attempted to look at her head.
“Do I look like someone dumped spaghetti sauce on my head?”
“Only a little,” I replied, but matched her smile. “You always look so beautiful afterward, so it’s worth it.”
“It’s a lot of upkeep to look beautiful.
” She tugged on my hand until I angled toward the mirror in front of her, and we both looked at our reflections.
My braid was loose today, looser than Mom normally weaved it, which allowed a few of my baby hairs to fall out and frame my face.
Beside Mom, with her glamorous makeup, I looked plain.
Half of her head was wet with hair dye, but she radiated an energy that I lacked.
“But you—you’re beautiful, all naturally.
You’d never want to dye your hair like this, would you? ”
A narrow part of my brain wondered if it was a test. “No.”
And it wasn’t a lie. I wouldn’t want to dye my hair. But the long braid that hung down my back, that my mom picked each morning and styled how she pleased—I wanted nothing more than to cut it all off.
“I talked to Talia at the game last night,” Mom said, turning to peer up at me. “She said that your peer partnership is going well. Are you finding it mutually beneficial?”
I tried to figure out when Principal Oliphant would’ve run into Mom. “It’s been nice to have someone to spend time with after school.”
“But you are getting things accomplished, right? I’d hate to think you’re goofing off.”
Mom really would’ve flipped, then, if she knew what I’d really been doing yesterday. Sitting through a murder horror flick while trying not to laugh at Hudson jumping with every scare. I nearly grinned now imagining it, but stifled it at the last second. “We worked on homework last time.”
“Well, good. Make sure it’s more than just a social hour, okay?”
I nodded.
Kim had returned with her bowl, forcing me to drop Mom’s hand and take a step backward.
“Gemma,” Mom said before I could get too far, lowering her voice.
A gleam popped into her eye. “Some of the football moms and I were chatting last night, and I heard something interesting. Did Landon get a girlfriend and not tell us?”
Kim gave a little gasp while I blinked in surprise, mostly because it’d been a topic I’d forgotten about. Morgan had pushed it and pushed it Thursday after school, but she hadn’t asked about it at all on Friday. It’d totally slipped my mind to ask him. “What did the moms say?”
“That there’s a post on something called Babble?” She shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it talked about Landon having a girlfriend.”
Since my phone wasn’t a smart phone, I wouldn’t have been able to access the internet with it.
I almost asked Mom to borrow her phone to look up the post. I caught myself, though, knowing that if Landon kept it a secret, it was for a reason.
“Babble is a gossip site one of the students runs. Like a tabloid but for our high school. I’m sure it’s only a rumor. ”
“He’s never brought a girl home to meet you, has he?” Kim asked.
“Never. Oh, and I’ve been waiting, too!” Mom tsked her tongue, like she expected as much.
“It would be a match made in heaven if it was Madison Oliphant—she’s the co-captain of the cheer squad, Kim.
Cutest little thing. Gemma, it would be so good to spend some quality time with her, don’t you think? ”
I didn’t have a thought about Madison one way or the other—she rarely talked to me at our family dinners—but even though Landon was crushing on her, I couldn’t exactly picture them dating. I couldn’t imagine Landon dating anyone.
The conversation had opened up a segue that taunted me, and there was no ignoring the thought. “So, dating in high school is okay?”
“For Landon, yes. For you…well, you’re still young.” A gleam suddenly popped into Mom’s eye, and ignoring Kim wielding the hair dye brush, she turned her head toward me. “Are you asking because you’re interested in Jaden?”
“No!” The word tore out of me, loud enough for it to seem to echo throughout the hair salon. I drew in a shaking breath, trying to ignore the flare of surprise on Mom’s face. “I mean, not…I don’t know.”
Just like how I couldn’t imagine Landon dating, I couldn’t really see myself doing it either.
Dressing up, going on dates, making idle small talk with people to get to know them.
It didn’t sound like anything interesting at all.
Inexplicably, I thought of Hudson’s body close to mine in front of his locker yesterday, my hand fisted around his shirt.
When I glanced into the mirror, I had a straight view of the chair directly behind the one Mom sat in.
A little girl was on one of the black stools.
Her hair was long, sectioned off into three ponytails, and her mother was taking photographs of it.
In the reflection of the mirror, I could see tears on the mother’s cheeks, but she still smiled.
The hairstylist picked up silver scissors from the tray beside him, flashing them to the little girl with a smile. He must’ve asked a question, because the little girl gave an exaggerated nod, gapped grin and all.
The dark feeling that coiled in the pit of my gut returned at the sight.
In that moment, I knew exactly what the emotion was—resentment.
It flared and festered until it left me angry inside, coming face to face with the realization that my life wasn’t mine.
I couldn’t even style my hair the way I wanted to.
It was the reason for the rebellion list to begin with, but watching the little girl get her hair cut—watching her mother approve of it—slapped the truth of it all into my face.
Mom let out a sharp gasp, one that spiked my heartrate in an instant, but when I turned, there was no blood. Instead, she stared toward the front entrance, beaming. “Speak of the devil!”
I turned too, and for a wild, random moment, I thought I’d see Hudson walking into the hair salon. Instead, it was Jaden.