Jake's Buzzcut Nightmare by Luke Fleming

---

Jake was an average 14 year old teen, he had his fair share of friends, he also did well for himself in school. Jake was of fair build. However, he was bullied quite a bit by older kids for his sexuality, and for the way he acted. Jake had blonde medium length hair that was layered into a nice tousled, fluffy textured style mop. Lots of people who knew Jake well always complimented him on his hair. Jake liked this, he loved warm comments towards him, as he didn't receive them as much because of his older sister Gemma, who was the most popular and prettiest girl at their high school.

One hot June day, Jake woke up and slid into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, and hopped into the shower. Once Jake was out he put on a t-shirt and some trousers. To finish up he grabbed his brush and started to brush through his; now overgrown textured bushy mop. Jake hadn't been to the barbers since the beginning of 2020 before the whole lockdown thing, and it was really starting to show. Jake left his hair as it was and popped downstairs, where his dad was sitting at the dinner table tapping away at his phone. 'Morning Jake, sleep well?' His dad said, still tapping away at his phone. 'Yeah, I suppose' Jake replied. Jake was in a horrible mood, the guy he was texting up last night was pissed with him and Jake was feeling a little hurt about the whole thing. He was not in the mood to talk. 'What would you like to eat for breakfast?' Jake's dad said, breaking the silence. 'Nothing', Jake simply replied.

Gemma snorted, 'you look like a right hedgehog'. Jake flipped her off. ' Hey!, enough both of you!' Jake's dad howled. Jake took a slice of toast off the counter and sat at the table. He shook his head to get his fringe out of his eyes. Jake's dad looked Jake up and down, 'Gem's not wrong Jake, your hair is awfully long, you need a haircut.' Jake rolled his eyes, 'I can't because of the lockdown the barbers aren't open are they?' Jake's dad thought for a second, 'I was talking to one of my mates the other day, he used to cut hair I'm sure if I give him a ring-', 'No' Jake snapped. Gemma giggled, 'while you two airhead's sort this out, me and Ella are going into town, bye!'. 'See you later Gemma, don't forget your keys'. Jake's dad said.

Once Gemma left Jake's dad continued, 'I don't like this attitude Jake. You did not let me finish, I will call up my mate Darryl and he can sort out this mop of yours. 'But dad, he ain't even cut my hair before!' Jake protested. 'Jake your getting that mop cut whether you like it or not, that's final.' Jake stormed upstairs. While laying on his bed Jake scrolled through his phone, the guy he was speaking to last night was obviously still mad at him, he posted an IG story of him prank-kissing his best friend . Jake felt even worse and flicked his phone across the bed. Jake put on some Netflix and started to try and take his mind off all of this drama.

Around an hour later Jake's dad called from down the stairs, 'Jake come down please!'. Jake got himself down stairs, 'What!?'Jake snapped. 'I've called Darryl and you can go see him later on after lunch. Jake grunted. Later that afternoon Jake put on his jumper and left the house. Darryl's flat was only a few streets down. Jake had his airpods in blasting, he wasn't too happy, he just wanted to get this over with and go to bed. Jake stood infront of his dad's mates flat's door, it looked busted as heck he thought to himself. Jake knocked on Darryl's door, Jake heard clompy footsteps making their way across the flat. Darryl opened the flat door, he was a bald stubby sort of man, with a beer belly on him. 'Ah young Jakey, you alright lad?' said Darryl in an extremely deep voice. Jake replied with a quick 'Yeah I'm aight'. 'Right, come in, come in, it looks like I have quite a bit of work to do with that hair on your head!' Jake's stomach churned; he didn't like the sound of that.

The flat was a dark gloomy narrow room, it smelt of old takeaway boxes and alcohol, Darryl ushered Jake into his tiny thin bathroom.'Right lad take a seat there', Darryl pointed towards a chair sitting right Infront of a tiny mirror and sink. Jake sat on the chair, he popped his airpods in his case, and put it with his phone in his pocket. 'Right Jake can you take off your jumper we don't want all that hair down your it do we now?' Jake hesitated, but did as he was told. 

Jake was now sitting in a tiny dim lit bathroom infront of a sink, sitting on a chair shirtless. How on earth did he get himself in this position he thought to himself. Darryl opened what seemed to be a toolbox, Jake gulped. Darryl took out a pair of clippers and scissors, Darryl stood behind Jake and put his hands on Jakes' shoulder blades. 'So Jake, what are we doing with your hair then?'. Jake thought for a second he wasn't quite sure, 'My dad just said I need to get this mop dealt with I suppose'. 'No problem I can get that out the way for you, just relax lad, you will be looking very smart when I'm finished with you. Jake gulped again, he really didn't know what to expect.

Darryl put the scissors down next to the sink and started to fiddle with the clippers, he took the guard off, Jake watched in complete horror as Darryl turned the clippers on and went in a straight strip across his sideburn. A huge clump of Jake's side fell on his chest, Jake's heart started to race as Darryl went over Jake's sides and back with a zero guard. By now Jake's chest and thighs were covered in hair. His sides and back were now bald and faded, just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, Darryl switched to a number 2 guard and started buzzing all over the back of his head and towards the front. Now all that was left on Jake's head was a clumpy fringe, the rest of his head was all buzzed down. The floor was covered in mountains of blond fluffy hair. 'Look at all that hair, so much better shorter' Darryl said. Jake whimpered. 'Let's get rid of this fringe now' said Darryl. Darryl put the clippers down and picked up the scissors.

Darryl lifted Jake's fringe and put the scissors right near his hairline. Then to Jake's horror Darryl snipped it in a straight line all off. Jake now had a faded buzzcut with a tiny bit of fringe left at the front. Darryl put down the scissors and stood infront of Jake and lowered to his level, eyeing his hair up and down. Jake was tearing up, but it wasn't showing. Darryl ran his hands through Jake's now extremely short buzzed hair. Jake whimpered again, 'Your right the fringe looks silly I should have just buzzed over it'. Darryl grabbed the clippers and turned them on once more, he buzzed over Jake's hairline and what was left of his fringe fell into Jake's lap. 'Wow lad, you look so much smarter without all that fluffy mop on your head' Jake faked a smile.

Jake left Darryl's flat freshly buzzed down, he was almost in tears when he got home. Gemma took one look at him and burst out laughing 'Oh my, someone's had a haircut' she snaked. Jake's dad came in from the garden, 'Wow Jake that's quite a change, I'm surprised you didn't need to take that much off, but you look very smart son'. Jake ran upstairs and got to his bathroom, his hair was so short he couldn't even brush through it now. Jake cried in his pillow. His blonde fluffy layered hair was no more.

---