HairSnip.com

So, this night started like many others. My friend and I were hanging out at her house just talking, watching tv and basically just relaxing. It was summer. Warm, but not too hot out. It was one of those perfect nights. You could smell all the scents of the flowers that perfume the night as the light breeze brought them into the opened door to the back yard. We had enjoyed a nice meal earlier and now we had the wine bottle opened. We weren’t drinking much, just enough to add to the relaxing atmosphere. 

My friend Sue is a hair stylist, just out of school for about 8 months. I was on summer break from my college, so I decided to drive up and visit her for a couple weeks and hang out like we use to back in high school. We haven’t been able to in so long. It was time. 

When I was in high school, I always had the same look. I came from a normal family, but none of us ever really stood out. We never did anything crazy with our looks or styles. Sue on the other hand, always changed her look: hair, hair color, make up, clothes. Anything she could. So, her becoming a stylist was almost a forgone conclusion. She took to it like she was born to be one. Me? I am in school now studying biology. Not sure which way I’m going to go with it, but I have 2 years left to figure it out! 

When I drove up here, I hadn’t seen Sue much since we both left for college, except a couple of times on holiday. I parked my car and walked up to her front door, rang the doorbell and the bell hadn’t even stopped chiming by the time the door opened. The next thing I knew, I was being bear hugged.  That was 4 days ago. Since then, it seemed like no time had passed since we hung out. We just dropped back in to that perfect routine we always had since we first met when we were 9. 

As we sat there enjoying the wine, Sue said, “You still have your boring hair you’ve always had. I thought for sure you would have tried to change it up by now since you’ve been in college. You haven’t even tried a different style or color yet? I’m disappointed Jess." She said as she stuck her tongue out at me. I laughed at her. “Well, I was never like you. I couldn’t pull off all those crazy hair styles and especially not the colors you did! That just never was me." 

Sue looked at me with a grin, “Exactly. That never was you.  Now, you are different. Now is the time to find out who you really are. And I say, lets start with a whole new hair cut!" I stared at her for a moment, “Uhh, what do you mean ‘let’s start with?’ I didn’t know we were ‘starting with’ anything.  “Heehee, I thought you’d say that. But, c’mon! Don’t you want to see how good you could really look for once instead of just being…average? Oh now, don’t give me that look. You know what I mean. Jess, you are so nice looking, but you do nothing with it. I’m not saying go crazy - well, like I do. But you really should explore something new. Hell, its what I’m trained to do, and you know damn well, I’m good at it. So, stop giving me your evil eye, k?"

I knew Sue was right, but I was scared. Its not like I had Sue’s personality to pull that kind of stuff off. I am boring! And I like it that way. “Jess, don’t even give me that whole you ‘aren’t that way’ stuff. Yes, I know that look you are giving. We’ve known each other too long. I can tell what’s holding you back from trying, but now is the perfect time to do so. Its summer, you don’t live at home and you have an awesome stylist who is your best friend! Lets go for it!"

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I should." I then saw Sue get up and leave the living room quickly. I tried yelling  “But that doesn’t mean…“ But I knew my fate was sealed. I took up the wine bottle, poured myself a full glass and gulped it down as fast as I could. It didn’t help much, but what the hell else could I do? I leaned back in the couch and just waited. I heard some rustling in the kitchen and down her hallway. I eyed the bottle again and  poured another glass. That one vanished even quicker then the last. Why the hell am I so nervous about this anyhow? Next thing I know…

“Ok, Miss Murphy, please follow me to the wash room. We will get your hair washed and then the stylist will see you." 

Oh, what the hell.

I followed her into the bathroom where I saw she had put a folding lawn chair up to the edge of her bathtub. I laughed, “So, I’m getting the full treatment, huh?" Sue just smiled at me, “Only first class at this establishment! Now, please, take a seat, lean back and relax. This part, I know you will enjoy tremendously."  Sue took down the shower head on a hose and, for the next 15 minutes, I laid back and had my hair washed. My god how good it felt. I actually dozed off about half way though. Next thing I knew, I was being woke with a gentle shake of my shoulder. “C’mon you. Enough of that. Cat naps over, now its time for my fun to begin." 

She wrapped my hair up in a towel and I followed her out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where she had one of her bar stools set up in the middle of the floor and all the lights she had on. “Fancy digs" I said. “First class" she said as she smiled. 

My legs were a bit wobbly as I sat up on the stool. “I think I need another glass of the wine" I said. She clucked at me, “You have had enough, now just sit back, ok? Trust me." “…Said the spider to the fly." I finished. I received a slap on the shoulder for that one. Sue then unwrapped the towel and let my hair down. I rarely have it down. Its usually up in a bun or ponytail. “Wow Jess, you haven’t had it cut in awhile, huh?" She started to comb it out. My hair reached the middle of my back. No layers, parted right down the middle. Just the way I like it. Dammit. 

“Ok, so…what are you thinking of doing to my hair?" Next thing I heard out of her mouth chilled me to the bone in a way I never thought anything could: “I think short." 

“Um, wait. Short? Short how? What do you mean? Can I have that glass of wine now? How much are you gonna cut off? You mean like to my shoulders, right..?" Next thing I know, I feel my shoulder being gripped. “Will you calm down? Geez Jess. I’m not going to shave your head. I mean short, like chin length. I think that would look awesome on you. I always have." I gulped. “Do you really need to go that short? Can’t we start with something less…less…traumatic?" 

“Oh my god Jess, just sit still, will ya?" Next thing I know, she pushes my head down and I hear the sound of scissors cutting. All of a sudden, I see what looks like 20 inches of hair, my hair, being dropped into my lap. “Uh, Sue…" “Quiet, ya baby." She kept cutting.  For what seemed an hour, she was going at it in the back of my head. I could hear so much going on, but I couldn’t see anything. Dammit.

“Ok, the back is done. Well, the basic cut is. I still have to tidy it up at the end, but the bulk is off." I then reached back and felt it. It was shooort. Maybe a half inch at the bottom to maybe an inch at the top.  “Sue! That’s really short!" “Yeah, I know. I just cut it." She giggled. I’m going to kill her. Yeah, that’s it. I’m going to stab her with her own scissors. Friend, my ass. I felt another slap to my shoulder. “Stop that." I glared at her as best I could while staring down at my chest. “Ok, time to work on the sides!" She sounded far too happy about this. I think I will throw her body in the lake. “I’m gonna blend the sides up into an A-line. You will love this. I promise!" I guess I’ll have to weigh her body down with something. Maybe I’ll tie her to this bar stool. That should counter her weight. Snip snip snip was what I heard next. Yes, I will kill my best friend. I can hear it now. I will be back at school and my friends, my real friends who don’t want to scalp me, will ask what I did over the summer and I will tell them, ‘I killed my childhood friend for scalping me.’ That should be more interesting then what any of them did!

As I went into my fantasyland of murder, Sue finished off my hair. Her voice brought me out of my reverie, “Now we just need to finish the bangs and it will be done!" Bangs too. Wonderful. I sighed.  She combed my hair down I n front of my eyes. It about reached my lips. She waited a moment, then I heard her say “Yeah, baby bangs. Perfect." Baby bangs? What is that? Next thing I know more hair is falling into my lap. I sighed again. 

Oh, what the hell.

Sue worked on my hair for about 5 minutes more, doing things here and there on my head, until I heard her say, “Done!"

I was afraid to reach up and touch my hair. “Oh my god Jess. You look wonderful. And I mean really, really good. You will have to fight the guys off at school." I swallowed and reached up…to touch bangs that had to only be maybe an inch long? Straight across my forehead. Oh hell no. I glared at her. She smiled and blew me a kiss. I then slid my hand over. The hair on the sides of my head, came to about the bottom of my earlobe. “Chin length, huh?" Sue shrugged, “Yeah well, I had to go with what worked on you and this works great!"

I ran my hands all over my head. I couldn’t believe how little hair I had left. “Can I see it now?" “Oh yeah! Of course. Let me get the mirrors." Sue went to the kitchen counter where she put all her equipment and handed me a mirror and held one up behind my head. “Geeze that’s short!" I said.  “Ain’t it cool?!" she returned.  “Um, If you mean ‘cool’ as in I’m going to feel every breeze that blows now, then yes, it is cool." Sue laughed, “Cry baby. Oh please, it looks damn good. And you know it!"

I don’t know. Maybe I just need to get use to it. I don’t know. But, what the hell, right? “Can’t glue it all back on now, so deal with it." She went. “Will you get out of my head already Sue?" She just laughed. “Well, that’s not the only surprise I have for you." Oh hell no. What next? “You Jess, are going to cut my hair now." What? “What Sue? Wait. How am I suppose to cut your hair. I have no idea how to do that." Sue turned around and grabbed a small case from the counter and then turned back to me. “You don’t have to know. You are going to shave my head!" she said with a huge smile.

“Hooooold up sis. I’m gonna do what to your what?" “Yup, you will be shaving my head. It’s time. I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time and the place I work for doesn’t mind at all, so I may as well do it. And you my friend are the one to do it for me. I thought it might make what I just did to you a little easier to take." She laughed. 

Sue had always had nice hair. Dark red, kind of thick, slight wave - well, when she let her hair grow. And she had let it grow to just passed her shoulders. The longest I’ve seen it since we were kids. “I can’t stand having my hair this long any more. I just want it gone. Will you do it for me?"

I thought about it. I smiled. “All right Jess!" she said as she hopped in the chair. “Just plug them in over there," she pointed. “And then look in the case and find the Number 1A on the guard." I found it and handed the whole thing to her. I watched her fit the guard on and then she gave it back to me. “Just turn it on there, get behind me and go for it. You can’t mess it up. Start wherever you want on my head. It will all be one length anyhow."

I did as she said and went to town! I pushed it right through  the middle of her forehead and damn if it didn’t slice her hair off like it was nothing. “Wow" I said. “Heh, yeah. Easy huh? And fun. Enjoy it." And enjoy it I did. I took my time too. Made sure every single hair was the exact same length on her head. I think I went over her head for at least 15 minutes. Yes. I like this.

When I was finished, I ran my hand over head over and over again. I loved how it felt. Like a pelt. Soft, tickling. Sue did it also. “Damn, I love that! I’ve been waiting years to do that. Thank you Sis. I’m sorry for what I did to you, but you know you really needed it. You don’t look like a high schooler any more. Now you are a hot chicka" Sue then hopped out of the chair, came around and hugged me. “I’m going to go shower and you need to go look in my room, under my bed. There is a present for you there. I’ll be back!" And off she went.

I went into her room and found the present. A big shopping bag. When I opened the bag, I found two boxes. One was a whole new outfit and the other, shoes. There was a note in the shoe box that said ‘For you. My best friend, my sister. Love, Sue’ I teared up. 

“Go hit the shower then put the clothes on." I heard from behind me. “We are going out tonight to celebrate our new looks and our friendship. And to get the boys to buy us a few drinks!" She laughed. 

I did and we did. And the boys did. We had a great night that night and for the rest of the time I spent there. That was one hell of a summer.

Rate this story now.
5- Excellent 4- Very good 3- Good 2- Needs work 1- Poor  

Enter some comments about this story or see what others have said on the forums.