Jakes story (offshoot from Dominic) by Bald K

---

It was my first day back at school, and I was surprised when I saw Dominic sitting there with only about an inch of hair on his head. Oh god, Dominic looks so different and challenging with that haircut, I thought as I sat down behind Dominic. For some reason, I started to mock Dominic’s haircut by saying, "Dominic’s a skinhead," just loud enough for him to hear. I remember Mr Long walking into the classroom and saying, oh, we have a new boy in class, then saying it is Dominic and me saying Dominic had a skinhead over the summer and Dominic warning me not to repeat it. For some reason, I repeated it, and Dominic pulled me off my chair and headbutted me before kicking me in the stomach as I fell to the floor. Dominic was sent to the headmaster's office and never returned that day to the classroom. I felt so wrong about that as I was envious that Dominic had the guts to get a skinhead, and I was just getting my curtain style haircut trimmed every six weeks by my mum's stylist. On the way home from school that day, I sat opposite a barber’s shop on the parade of shops on my way home, hoping that Dominic would walk past and I could apologise to him, maybe even pluck up the courage to get a grade four crewcut but it did not happen. A couple of days after I got Dominic expelled, I received a phone call from Dominic saying that he was sorry and could we meet up for a coke. I accepted the offer to meet Dominic and met him the following day after my dental appointment. When I saw Dominic, I saw that he had been shaved bald. He looks so much harder now with his head shaved, I thought to myself. After we met, I agreed to go to Dominic’s sixteenth birthday party the Saturday after my cousin’s wedding. On the walk home, I was looking in every barbershop window, hoping to see a young man like me getting a skinhead haircut, but to no avail.
"Where have you been?" Mum asked Jake as he walked into the kitchen.
"I had a dental check-up, and then I met Chris and then we went for a coke," Jake replied.
"As long as you did not meet that Dominic who has now shaved his entire head apparently," Jake’s mum told Jake. "He now wears skinhead attire, according to Simon’s mum."
"I have not seen him since that day in school when he head-butted me," Jake lied. "I will just go and get changed out of my uniform.
Jake made his way to his bedroom and changed into a short-sleeved shirt and black trousers before setting up his books to do his homework.
"I would love to get shaved and dress like Dominic," Jake thought as he completed his maths and history homework. "I could ask if I can go shorter for the wedding, I guess."
"Jake! Your tea is ready!" Jake’s mum called up the stairs.
Jake put his books away and made his way downstairs for his tea.
"Mum, you know it is the wedding on Saturday, and Rachel is calling round to do your hair," jake said to his mum. "Could I get mine cut shorter? Maybe a crewcut?"
"You look fine with your hair just the way it is, don’t you agree, Malcolm," Jakes mum said to Jake’s dad.
"Keep it as is son, it looks fine," Malcolm told Jake.
"Don’t get any ideas about going to a barber and asking for a crewcut," Jake’s mum warned Jake.
"No, mum," Jake sighed as he ate his tea in silence.
Jake finished his tea and walked into the lounge with his father, and sat down.
"You know I would let you have a crewcut," Malcolm told Jake. "How short were you thinking of going?"
"Down to half an inch, which is the shortest school will allow," Jake replied.
"Have you seen Dominic since that incident in the classroom?" Malcolm inquired. "You know the police are still looking for him."
"Honestly, dad, I have not seen him," Jake lied. "Can I go to my room? I need to finish off my history essay."
"Ok, see you after school tomorrow. We leave early Saturday morning," Malcolm told Jake.
Jake walked back into his bedroom and laid on top of his bed, thinking how it must feel having clippers shave off your hair.

The wedding was awful with my cousin Grant's perfectly trimmed hair and his mum fussing over every detail. I could not wait to return home and wait to see Dominic with his skinhead haircut the following weekend. I knew deep down I wanted the same haircut but was too scared to say anything to anybody. That week in school dragged so severely. I was constantly thinking about sitting in a barber’s chair and saying shave it off one minute but then back out before the barber started to do it. When Saturday finally arrived, I made my way to the town hall, where I met Dominic. When Dominic arrived, I noticed that he now had tattoos and three rings in his left ear. I told Dominic that I was not drinking or getting a haircut. Dominic suggested that I should stay over the night and who said anything about getting a haircut. I told Dominic that I had told my parents that I was staying over with Steven that night.
Dominic and I took the short walk back to the manor, as he called it, and a skinhead handed me a can of beer, which I opened and took a long drink. Two more skinheads called Scott and Nick, and a young man with messy long brown hair arrived. One of the skinheads told the others why Adam was there, and he wanted his haircut and somewhere to stay. After another can of beer and a bit of persuasion, I followed Adam and CJ into a bedroom where I selected a white polo shirt with red trim and a pair of red braces along with bleached jeans. CJ sorted out a pair of cherry doc marten boots for both of us and showed us how to lace them. When I looked in the mirror, I agreed with Adam and CJ that I liked the clothes and the boots. The three of us then made our way back outside, where Hitch had placed a stool next to a table where he had placed a pair of clippers. Adam, without hesitation, walked over and sat down and was soon having his hair shaved down to a zero crop which looked good on him. Hitch then shaved the rest of Adam’s hair off with a razor, so he looked like Dominic and the other skinheads. By then, I felt out of place and considered going back into the house, changing back into my clothes, and going home.
It was then that Scott and a couple of other skinheads came over and sat next to me and started to play mind games with me, saying that I was a mummies boy, that I had no b****cks and that I was not fit to wear the skinhead outfit was wearing. I was in pieces. One side of me was saying do it, sit in the chair, get to look like Dominic. The other side was saying quit now, go and get changed and go home. My stomach was churning with all sorts of things racing through my mind. I was afraid of how my parents, especially my mum, would react if I arrived the next day with no hair, but deep down, I wanted to walk over to the stool and tell Hitch to shave me as he had just shaved Adam. I knew I wanted to look precisely as Dominic now looked, including the earrings and spider web tattoos. Scott and another couple of skinheads were still trying to play with my mind, saying I had no balls and you know you want it, so go and sit on the stool. I picked up a bottle of vodka and took a couple of vast mouthfuls of it, and that was when I made my decision. The words ‘I will do it, I want to be a skinhead ever since I saw Dominic last week’ came out of my mouth for some reason, and I walked over to the stool and sat down. Hitch asked me if I was sure I wanted to have my head shaved like Dominic and Adam because there would be no going back when he started to shave my head.
"I have wanted to be a skinhead ever since I first saw Dominic with his crewcut at school and even more when I saw him with his shaved head," I told Hitch. "So do it." Hitch started to play mind games with me as he picked up the clippers and switched them on and then off again a couple of times. Hitch then placed the clippers at the centre of my head and switched them on and then off again. Hitch then pushed my head forward, and I felt the cold steel of the clippers run up the back of my head and over the top, ensuring my hair fell in front of my eyes before falling into my lap. "No going back now, I guess," I nervously laughed as I saw the hair falling in big clumps onto the floor. As the hair fell, I started to feel liberated and started to enjoy the feeling of the clippers shaving my head. When Hitch wrapped the hot cloth around my head, I felt like I was in heaven, and when he lathered up my stubble and started to shave my head smooth, I felt so relaxed and did not care what my parents would say. When Hitch put the razor on the table and wiped my head, it felt so weird when I touched it, and I could not wait to go inside and look in the mirror at how I looked bald. When Hitch removed the towel from over my shoulders, I ran upstairs and was amazed at how good I looked bald. The feeling as I rubbed my bald head felt so amazing, and I could not stop rubbing it.
I rushed back downstairs, saying how much I liked having no hair, but I wanted the rings in my ear like Dominic. Hitch told me to sit back down on the stool, and Dominic handed me a glass with a large amount of vodka in it and told me to down it in one to numb the pain of the piercing. I did as Dominic said to me as Hitch walked out with a tray ad placed it on the table. Looking at the tray, I saw the rings for my ear, but they were different to the ones Dominic had in his ear in that they seemed thicker. Hitch gave me another glass of vodka before cleaning the ear, and I then felt the needle pierce my ear and place what he said was a three-millimetre ring through my ear. The pain was quite bad as Hitch then put another three earrings in my ear. At this moment, the alcohol got to me along with the pain, and I passed out.

The following day, I finally woke up with a massive headache, and my left ear was throbbing from the piercings. I looked over and saw Adam asleep on a mattress next to me with his shaved head. It was at that moment I thought to myself, "please say I did not do it," getting up slowly off the mattress, reality kicked in when I saw my shaved head and the four heavy earrings in my left ear. "Oh, god, what have I done? My parents will go mental when I go home!" I shouted in my head. "They will kick me out of school with no hair," I thought to myself as I sat down on the mattress. I managed to go downstairs, where Dominic and CJ were sitting eating breakfast. "How is the new skinhead?" Dominic asked me with a massive grin on his face.
"You have to help me. I cannot go home like this," I told Dominic. "Tough s**t Jake you insisted on getting the head shaved and getting the earrings done," Dominic laughed. "Please, mate, you have to help me with this. Tell them I had it done for a bet and remove the earrings," I cried. "Slight problem. Hitch glued the rings so you cannot remove them," CJ laughed. "You wanted to look like Dom, so apart from the tattoos you do," It was at that point I realised that I would have to face my parents sometime that day, so I started the journey home.

As I started the walk home, I began to look in shop windows, and for some reason, I began to like my bald head and the earrings. It took me nearly an hour to walk home, and as I approached the path leading up to the front pathway, I paused and took a deep breath before putting the key in the door and opening it. I knew I was in trouble when I heard my father shout out to me, telling me to get in the lounge that instant. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to the lounge and saw my parents sitting there.
"So it is true what Mr Howard told us as he drove past you this morning," my dad said to me. "Why did you lie about where you were last night?"
"Because I knew toy would have prohibited me from seeing Dominic," I replied. "And yes, I wanted my head shaved and ear pierced."
"You can grow your hair back starting now and go upstairs and remove those ghastly rings from your ear," My dad told me bluntly.
"No!" I shouted at my dad, "I am coming up to sixteen. Let me start leading my life not having to go to church each Sunday!"
"Jake, you know that earrings are not allowed in school along with shaved heads," My mum said. "Now, do as your father has told you."
"I cannot remove the earrings, and Hitch glued in place," I told my mum. "And shaved heads are allowed in school, and I saw a boy with his shaved on Friday."
"Get to your room now, Jake, while I consider what punishment I shall give you for lying and getting your head shaved and ear pierced!"
"I am going out!" don’t expect me back until tonight!" I shouted at my dad. I stormed out of the lounge and out of the house and back to where Dominic was staying.
"Well, Jake, have you changed your mind about being a skinhead?" Dominic asked me as I walked back into the house.
"Yes, while I was walking home, I was looking in shop windows and grew to like it," I replied. "MY parents hate it, and they blame you."
"Guess I will be moving out, and you are moving in after you get expelled for breaking the school rule on boys with earrings," Dominic told me.
"I hate school, and I am sure that I can get work somewhere when I turn sixteen in two weeks," I told Dominic.
"My place is always on the lookout for print shop apprentices," CJ told me. "I will have a word with Brian on Tuesday."
"Thank you," I said to CJ as I opened a can of beer.

The next day when I arrived at school, I was summoned to the headmaster's office, where Mr Charnock had no hesitation in expelling me from the school until I grew some hair and removed the earrings, to which I replied I was stayings bald and keeping the earrings in. as I walked out of the school, and back home I packed my bag and made my way to the manor after leaving a note to my parents saying I would visit, but they must understand that I wanted the skinhead and the earrings.

---