Dylan Decides by Ethan Fox

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During the spring month of April when I was fourteen, I had biked off to the town’s hairdressers. It was a place where a boy could get any cut done for a very affordable price and its where I found myself as I opened the door and walked into the shop. Luckily enough for me as I had no appointment, the shop was almost empty. I walked right in and sat down on one of the open chairs in the waiting section. It wasn’t long before a hairdresser patted one of the empty barber chairs and said, "I can take you right here hun-" She smiled as she gestured me forward. I returned the smile and took a seat. "What will it be today?" She asked me, fastening the cape around me.

"Just a trim, maybe two or three inches." I nod, I was just there to keep my bangs out of my eyes and hair off the collar. The hairdresser nodded and began to wet my hair with the spray bottle. We made small talk about school, family, summer plans, and anything we could. Eventually as she was beginning to take some of the bulk of my bangs away I heard the door open. I paid no mind to it and the other hairdresser tended to whomever the new patron was. The open seat was next to me and when I glanced up in the mirror, I saw my classmate Dylan take a seat in there chair. I suppressed a laugh, trying to stay for my hairdresser.

"Why hello Andrew?" Dylan smiled at my reflection as the hairdresser caped him up. I smiled back, "Fancy seeing you here," jokingly. If Dylan gave his instructions to the hairdresser, and I must’ve missed it while talking to mine. His hairdresser reached back for the clippers and put a guard on it. I tried to glance o er at his cut, I was intrigued by this instrument which I haven’t really seen in action before. I always had my shaggy mop, that was just barely maybe a quarter inch off of my collar and just above the eyebrows for the bangs. Dylan on the other hand had a short back and sides type cut. His back and sides were shaved down to a #1 and the top was buzzed to about a #3 or #4. Dylan’s hair always fascinated me, and now I guess I had a front row seat to watch the haircut it in action.

Dylan’s hairdresser smiled as she attached a #2 guard onto her clipper. "Are you ready?" She hummed moving to the right of the chair. She put her left hand on Dylan’s head and with her right hand she brought the clippers to his hairline. "Yes ma’am," Dylan gave the most subtle nod and within milliseconds the clippers whirled in their warpath, destroying the top of Dylan’s hair. His brown locks fell like autumn leaves as I watched on. My hairdresser carefully snipped my bangs, as she hummed to myself. I glanced back over and Dylan was looking like he was in his 50s with the sides of his hair slightly longer than the top was. His hairdresser laughed and rubbed the top of his head, "So, I’m gonna do a #0 on the back and sides. That’ll get you nice and shorn for that spring weather," She laughed, clicking off the attachment. My mouth must’ve dropped open as I saw Dylan’s hairdresser push his head down to his chest and start the clippers up the back of his head. She kept going until Dylan was completely bald in the back of his head. The only thing that remained was peachy fuzz. She continued with his sideburns and side of his head. The buzz on the top of the head contrasted with his bald rim. It was such a sight to see. My eyes were fixated on it as my hairdresser unclipped the cape, "That’s you done," I got up and looked at Dylan as I walked over to pay. We made eye contact in the mirror and he gave a shy smile. I laughed at him as I paid and left.

The next day at school, I arrived and walked into the classroom. I put my things down and took a seat. I unlocked my phone and started to scroll. It was just me in the room as I generally got there earlier than anyone else and everyone usually hung out in the courtyard. I heard shuffling in the room, I looked up to see Dylan taking the seat next to me. I immediately laughed and reached out my hand to rub the top of his head. The same familiar velvet puff as I remember his hair feeling like, "Can’t believe we really happened to get our hair cut at the same time… " My hand traveled down to the back of his head. An electric feel coursed through my body as I felt the sandpaper of the back of his head, "Damn, she really sheared you good," I chuckle. "Yeah," Dylan nodded, mimicking the route my hands took his hand, "That’s Sandra for you- She gives real haircuts unlike whoever you got. I can’t believe you paid for that when I basically got my head shaved for the same price. Y’know when I go next time, you should come with my and get a real haircut," Dylan finished with a smirk. I looked away with a blush and tried to shake my head, "C’mon-" Dylan looked at me, "You need to lose the mop, I don’t even know how you can get around like that."
"Okay- fine," I had always admired how Dylan’s short hair looked, so why not go ahead- he was giving me a free pass to try something new, "And y’know what, I’ll even get any haircut you choose." I smirked back, wanting to surprise him. He was always the one making advances on my hair, I wanted to raise him one… I immediately regretted it though as I saw a spark in his eye.
"You’re on- I’ll see you in Sandra’s chair in two weeks."

During the next two weeks, there was little I could do to keep the looming haircut out of my thoughts. It didn’t help that Dylan would constantly remind me. One time after I changed out of my gym clothes, Dylan came up from behind me and while mimicking the sound of the clippers, ‘buzzed’ a strip down the middle of my head. I told him off while trying not to stutter, I was just too flustered. "Aren’t you ready to look how a boy should look?" Dylan asked me another time, "Finally getting rid of the mop, maybe you’ll be able to see the board." He told me. As the final days counted down before the big chop, I was ready to just shut Dylan up.

I walked into the hairdressers on that long awaited day, I had agreed to meet Dylan there. We made an appointment for two haircuts with Sandra. One, that would entail whatever my fate was, and another one for Dylan to get a trim. I got there before Dylan, and the only other person in the shop was Sandra herself. She was sweeping the remains of whatever her last victim had when he walked in that morning. Sandra put her broom aside and walked up to the front by the register to greet me, "Hi- how can I help you today?" She smiled at me.
"Oh- uhm- I’m here with Dylan.. He’ll be in shortly." I said before I started explaining to her the full story about why we made the join appointment.
"Ah-" She hummed, nodding at me, "I see my shearings have made Dylan a little too proud," She shook her head, "He’s right- I don’t understand why your parents haven’t sent you to me sooner looking like that. But, that’s my job to put boys back in line, not Dylan’s. If he’s gonna make you look like a boy, then I’ll make him look like a man, don’t worry. I’m gonna give you whatever cut he wants you to have, you have to honour your word and live with it… But I’ll get him back good for you don’t worry-" She cackled just as Dylan walked in. Dylan smiled and exchanged good afternoons with Sandra. Dylan’s hair had barely grown out, but you could tell it had been a few weeks since he was scalped. The back and sides had grown out to a hint of brown velvet surrounding his dome.

"I think we’re ready-" He said, leading me into the nearest barber chair. Sandra caped me in record time and ruffled my unruly hair.
"I am gonna enjoy getting your hair back in shape, don’t get it twisted. What will it be?" She turned to Dylan to ask, "Andrew already told me about your conditions," She laughed at his surprised look. 
"Give him a baldy," He finally said, "A number zero all over."
I gulped as Sandra prepared to honour the request. She turned the chair away from the mirror. Now I wouldn’t be able to see the carnage, "At least this will teach you to not give your word out like that ever again," She said placing the clippers at my hairline, "Alright, on three!" She said, "One- two-" and on two she pulled the clippers back, leaving bare scalp on the middle of my head. I gasped, leaning forwards, she pulled my head back into place, "Sit still boy-" She continued going over the top of my head quickly. Sandra must’ve been a military barber in her past life. It couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds before I felt the air conditioning blowing on my scalp. I swallowed hard as pushed my head into my chest. I exhaled, as I could hear Dylan laugh.
"Now you look like you should baldy… A nice innocent baldy…" He chuckled, looking down on me. Sandra rendered the back of my head hairless just as quickly as the top and went to clean up the sides. Adrenaline was coursing through me as I waited to see the damage. In about two minutes, Sandra finished up, going over any spots she missed, even though we all know there weren’t any. 
"A true baldy- #000," She nodded, spinning me around. 
I gasped, reaching my hand up to my head. I didn’t recognise the boy in the mirror, he had my eyes.. my eyebrows and my nose- so it must’ve been me. I got out of the chair sheepishly. Dylan walked up to me and rubbed my head vigorously. He bent his head slightly and put a small kiss on my head, "Baldy-" he giggled, whispering in my ear. I blushed as he took a seat.

"Same as last time please," He nodded as he gave his instructions to Sandra. Sandra laughed, I expected her to walk over and attach the #2 guard like last time. But she kept the chair facing the mirror and put the clippers at his hairline and shaved a line down the middle with the #000 just as she did to me. Dylan’s mouth fell open but before he could speak Sandra interrupted, "Dylan- You brought Andrew to me and I’m happy you did. He needed a real haircut, but I’m your hairdressers. I’m the one to put boys in their place and to scalp them. You must’ve forgotten that you’re just a boy like Andrew when you wanted to be the one to give him a bald head. So now, I’m gonna put you back in your place.." She continued scalping him just as she did to me while Dylan frowned at her in the mirror. She finished buzzing him bald and stepped away. I walked over to tease Dylan as she returned, "Don’t get up- I haven’t finished," She said. She was carrying something and I only knew what it was when she started to spread it on Dylan’s head. It was shaving foam… she spread it all over his head and started to scrape it off with a straight razor. I was shocked- soon enough it was all over. Dylan’s pale head was shining in the light of the building, I couldn’t help it so I said, "Well, if I’m a baldy- then what are you?" I said, returning the kiss on top of his head.

We went to pay for our haircuts but Sandra waived her hand, "I took your hair, I can’t take your money too. Teaching you the lessons I did was more valuable than any money." And she was right- I think both Dylan and I learned a lesson that day. We both walked out rubbing our heads, and I feel like that won’t be the last time that Sandra takes those clippers to my head.

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