Chapter 8:
Usually, when people get a new hairstyle, they're like: "New hair, new me."
Well, I felt confident at first… but then I got shy, so I tied it up at the school entrance before walking in.
( Suddenly, I bump into someone. He said sorry right away, and when I looked, it was Matt from my class. He looked at me like he had never seen me before. I said back:" No, sorry, I should have paid attention to my surroundings. I hope I didn't hurt you?" I try to touch his arm, but he immediately removes it and says that he is fine, and he said to me:" You should not tie your hair, it is very nice on you."
I swear I might be imagining that, but I saw his face as he was saying that; he looked so sincere and was blushing and getting shy at the same time. But because of that, I left my hair like that and felt confident again. After that, he left like a thief. Matt is not someone who talks a lot. He is calm and reserved, smart and considerate. Some girls said that he is pretty good-looking in the rank of Beau, but he doesn't really talk and rejects every girl that approaches him directly or indirectly.
I think he is a nice guy and very helpful. He is the only one that i considere to be sincere and not fake like the rest. He is always nice to me, so..
A moment later, one of my classmates named Lily spotted me in the hallway. She grabbed my arm like she was on a mission.
"Sorry to drag you away like that, but can we talk a bit?" she asked, sounding nervous but determined.
"Sure, tell me," I said, already assuming this was about volunteering or tutoring or something.
But she lit up like I'd given her the best news all week.
"It's too bad he's not here to see your new hair," she said, staring at me like I was the main character.
I blinked. "What? See what? Who?"
"Jack, duh! He always looks at you, so I know he must be interested."
"Jack… looks at me?" I repeated, genuinely shocked.
She glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then whispered,
"I know you guys are already going out. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
I just stood there, confused. How would she even know that?
Before I could ask anything, the teacher yelled at us to get into the classroom. The whole period, my mind couldn't focus. I didn't want people knowing about Jack and me; gossip travels faster than the school bell. If Lily knew… how many others knew too?
When lunch came around, I headed for my rooftop as usual. But Lily suddenly hooked her arm around mine and declared:
"To the rooftop, friend!!"
I didn't even have time to react. She pulled me up the stairs and then gasped the moment the door opened.
"Wow. It's really calm. I see why you like it up here," she said. "Do you always make your own lunch? That looks so good."
"I don't understand," I said honestly. "Why do you want to hang out with me? And how do you even know all that stuff about me?"
Lily looked straight at me with a sincerity that almost made me look away.
"You might not notice it, but people don't dislike you. They like you. It's just… you're used to being used. So when people try to get close, you assume they want something, and you pull away. You isolate yourself."
Her words hit me harder than expected. I felt embarrassed, surprised… and weirdly happy. I didn't know people saw me that way. I didn't know I acted that way.
"What made you decide to talk to me then?" I asked, trying to understand her.
She grinned.
"I don't know. Something about you changed lately. And your new haircut was screaming, 'I'm accepting new friends!' So I said yes. One hundred percent. If you want me, of course."
I laughed, and though at least she is sincere then, because she was staring at my food like a hungry baby, I shared some of my food with her.
Just like that, I think… I actually made a friend.
But I didn't know yet that my new hair, opening my world to Lily's friendship, would open the door for something else, or someone else.
someone who was already watching… and intrigued by me.