***Flashback***

It was the Monday after the dance. All morning, everyone was talking about Saturday night, even the teachers who volunteered as chaperones. It was getting rather annoying because the main subject of each conversation was always you-know-who. Whenever I heard her name, I could see her sneering at my mom and I. The memories made me seethe.

Finally, lunchtime had arrived. Most people would probably see lunch as a fun time to eat and hang out with friends, but I just considered it a study hall. I begged my guidance counselor to let me take a class during my designated lunch period, but he insisted it was too much and it would give me an opportunity to possibly make some friends.

Little did he know, the cafeteria just served as an arena for chaos and drama.

To my relief, the main source of the drama always chose to spend the period in the senior lounge. Only seniors were allowed in, but knowing how everyone worshipped Addison because of her family's status, even the teachers let her and her goons do whatever they wanted.

I unpacked my food from home and sat in my usual spot at the unoccupied end of one of the long folding tables. A group of students in my grade was sitting on the other end, but I wasn't in any classes with them. I mostly knew them from their visits to my mom's salon.

They usually turned to look at me "discreetly," then reverted to their daily huddle to spread gossip through not-so-subdued whispers.

This time, they were focused on something else. And they weren't the only ones.

All around the cafeteria, students were showing each other pictures from the dance. Everyone was talking about how amazing Addison looked. Of course, she was flaunting the style that I gave her, but my work was credited to some big New York City fashion show guy. Supposedly, he styled all of the Victoria's Secret models. How could anyone possibly believe her fabrication? I was fuming when I found out she was lying about my hard work, but there was no way I would confront Addison. I knew that if I did, my mom and her business would face serious repercussions and I was not about to do that to her. Losing the credit for creating the art on her head was a small price to pay.

Because I had this useless free period, I liked to study while I ate. I figured, why not use this time wisely?

I had taken my AP US History and Government binder out of my backpack and began to read through the previous units' notes in preparation for the unit test on Friday. I read and proceeded to eat my sandwich.

Next thing I knew, the cafeteria was unusually quiet. Actually, it was dead silent. I was so deep in thought, I didn't realize what was going on until I felt something cold and slimy plop onto my head. I took a sharp breath in and immediately pushed my notes out from in front of me so they wouldn't get ruined.

I froze. I didn't know what to do. I looked to my right and noticed the kids at the end of the table had split reactions. Some were stupefied, others were trying to hold back their laughter.

It was then that I heard a voice that made my stomach tighten and my skin crawl. It was dripping with pure animosity and loathing, and it could only belong to one person.

"Your hair looked a little dry. I thought you could use a hair mask. After all, they say mayonnaise does wonders for the scalp."

I stood and turned to look at her. Her eyes were fiery and filled with disdain. Her contemptuous smile made me feel so completely hated. Like I was worthless.

I looked down and saw a huge empty cup in her hand, her other hand rested on her hip as she stood along with her sidekicks, who had begun to cackle at her remark.

"I have a question for you, Sara. How does it feel to have a moron as a mother? You know, that's why she's a haircutter, right? She isn't smart enough to do anything else."

I was having difficulty breathing due to a mixture of shock and fury.

"By the way, I hear you're working to get your haircutting license. Congratulations in advance."

I've never felt so violated. I wanted to say something so badly, but nothing was coming to mind. What does one even say in a situation like this? The lunch monitors weren't even intervening. They were just standing there staring like everyone else. I felt completely helpless because I knew they were prepared to turn their backs on the situation, claiming they didn't see it happen, giving Addison a free pass. Her parents are "pillars of the community." Addison always got a free pass.

My eyes began to well up with tears. It felt like I was standing there for the whole period when, in reality, the torment probably only lasted two minutes. My mind was still racing for something to say. My body was tense and my insides were buzzing with rage.

I don't even remember making the decision to run out of the room. At this point, everyone was laughing, creating a roar that made me feel numb. I was completely powerless.

I grabbed my things and ran to the bathroom as Addison made her final blows.

"I was only trying to help. You should thank me. Just make sure you wash it out really well, so your hair doesn't get greasy. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

I tried my best to clean myself up, but not before the condiment had a chance to seep down my shirt, probably ruining the expensive bra that my mom had just bought for me. I sat in the bathroom stall for the rest of the day, waiting until after school ended to go home.

I'm sure my teachers heard what happened by then, but I emailed them an apology anyways. I had already done all of the work I needed to in advance in the bathroom that afternoon. I've never skipped a class, so I didn't want the time to go to waste.

I went straight to the bathroom before my mom got home. She was still at work, thank goodness. It would've been much more difficult to hide my hair if she was at the door to greet me.

It took me upwards of five shampoos to feel clean after the fatty oils of the mayonnaise were soaking into my scalp all day. Taking a shower always gave me time to think. In this case, that was not a good thing. I stood in the shower for about an hour trying to scrub today's scene from my memory. It just kept replaying over and over again in my head. I think I was crying, but my tears were blending in with the pressurized water.

↞↠

I decided not to tell my mom what happened. I knew she wouldn't be contacted by the school because the incident was never reported, as I suspected.

I couldn't bare seeing the pain I'm my mom's eyes if I told her what Addison did to me, but more importantly, what she said. She shouldn't have to worry about me like that. She shouldn't have to hear what people think of her, especially not from me. I figured it was better left unsaid.

By the time my mom came home, my hair was dried and I was all ready for bed.

"How was your day, Sweetie?"

I smiled and gave her a hug. The facade that I worked so hard to develop was shielding my true emotions.

"It was great! I got a perfect score on my Calculus test from last Friday."

"Great job, Sara! See, you didn't need to worry yourself about that! I knew you would ace it like you always do! What is it that I tell you all the time?"

She was making a suggestive face, wanting me to answer her question.

"There's nothing I can't do."

"There's nothing you can't do. I've been telling you that every day since you were born! I'm so proud of you." She gave me another hug. My heart was breaking.

"Thanks, Mom."

"So, no homework tonight?"

"No, I don't have any."

"Oh! I guess today was a light day."

"Yeah, you can say that."

↞↠

My chest was pounding. I was actually getting nauseous after thinking about Addison all day. She did so many horrible things to me, memories of which I've tried so hard to lock away.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Sara, are you okay?" It was then that I noticed my short, rapid breaths. My heart was racing. Maddy asked me again if I was okay.

"I'm fine! I'm great!" Come on, Sara. Be professional. She is not Addison. She is not the spawn of Satan. She is just a girl. Just like me. I swung the door open.

Wow. She was gorgeous. I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt like I was standing in front of a model. She had blown out ashy light brown hair (definitely color-treated and laced with extensions, but still beautiful nonetheless) that went down to the middle of her shoulder blades, light green eyes, and a slender build. As much as I was captivated by her beauty, I didn't skip a beat.

"Hi! You must be Natalie! I'm Sara. It's nice to meet you!" I shook her hand and stood aside to let her in, along with three other girls.

"These are my friends Rebecca, Gianna, and Brea." I shook each of their hands, emulating my mother's actions when she would meet prospective clients.

As they entered the suite, they were scrutinizing and clearly judging their surroundings. They were acting as if they didn't live with the exact same accommodations. I tried my best to brush off their obviously dissatisfied expressions.

"Hey!" Natalie recognized Char next to Maddy and gave her a friendly wave. Well, at least she has basic manners. That's another good sign!

"I was impressed by Charlotte's hair in class. I was shocked to find out it was done by a student." She was now eyeing me along with the "salon" arrangements.

"I'm assuming this is where I sit?" She gestured to the desk chair in the corner.

"I know it's not exactly salon quality, but I assure you, I know what I'm doing." I'm trying to reassure her, along with myself at this point.

"Heck yeah, she does! Sara was the number one where she comes from." I nudge Elizabeth in the side.

"And where exactly is that?"

"New York!" Elizabeth is clearly not seeing my evil eye. Either that, or she's completely ignoring it.

"The city?" Of course, people only think of the city when they hear New York! Anyway, Natalie was clearly not buying Elizabeth's exaggeration. Time to change the subject.

"So, do you have any ideas of what you might want? Or do you have a type of overall look you're going for?"

"I want it elegant and big. Tons and tons of volume. Here, I have a picture."

I looked at her phone and abruptly took a breath in, resulting in me coughing uncontrollably.

"Is she okay?" She turned to Maddy with an equally as disgusted and horrified look on her face. Elizabeth took the cue and started to pat my back. Lara rushed to her room and came back with a bottle of water.

I couldn't believe it. Out of all the pictures on the internet, she had to choose the same one that I had seen on Addison's younger generation iPhone so long ago. This must be some sort of sign. Can this really be a coincidence? Is someone out to get me?

"Excuse me. I don't know what got into me. Ever get that feeling where something goes down the wrong pipe?"

"Are you trying to say you started choking on air?" Her friends started snickering. "In that case, no."

Okay. I'm mortified. I ask questions that I already know the answers to in order to draw the attention away from myself.

"You have color-treated hair, right?"

"Um, yeah?"

"And extensions?" She nodded her head.

"I should be able to accomplish the style, but it might not be as long as in the photo because you don't have as much hair, even with the extensions."

"Whatever."

"Okay! Let's get started." I put my best foot forward and lead her to the station.

↞↠

This updo was the most time-consuming of the day, by far. In order to attain the look in the photo, I needed to section her hair, make a half-up-half-down ponytail, curl all of her hair, add a braid across the side, all while attaching countless bobby pins and applying tons of product every couple of seconds. By the time I was finished, two hours had gone by.

I looked over at the girls and Natalie's friends, who were trying to make conversation by the sitting area. I could tell they were struggling, but it was keeping them occupied.

Before I made the grand reveal, I took a minute to decompress and admire my work. This turned out way better than Addison's hair. Addison used box dye and straightened her hair every day. Natalie's hair wasn't nearly as damaged and fried and this time, I had extensions to work with. I was proud of myself. This could be my redemption. Maybe that's why she just so happened to pick the same photo as Addison. Maybe I needed this.

When I turned Natalie around to show everyone the finished product, I was met with gasps and faces of pure disbelief.

I placed a hand mirror in Natalie's hand so she could see the back of her head in the full body mirror leaning on the wall behind her.

"So, what do you think?"

****
Wow. That was a doozy. This chapter was a little different than the ones I've written so far. I wanted to give you a little more insight into Sara's life back home. It sure wasn't easy. That being said, writing this chapter was a very emotional experience!

I'd love to hear what you think of Sara's somewhat hidden life. What do you think of her keeping her emotions locked away? Her experiences have definitely changed her perspective on a lot of things.

What do you think Natalie's reaction will be? Positive? Not so positive?

Please remember to VOTE and COMMENT if you enjoyed this chapter!! Thank you so much for reading!

****

Well...