Cheers, Stares and Heart
Becoming a cheerleader was a tough but exciting decision. Almost all the girls highlighted their hair, and it was appealing. I once had the discussion with my mom to join the trend but she said insisted I turned eighteen. With a big match coming up at school, I decided it was the perfect time to ask again.
"Mom, I'm just a month away from turning eighteen. Can I get my hair done now?" I pleaded on my knees, giving her the puppy dog eyes. She didn't look up from what she was doing but I noticed she sucked in breath with her teeth. Trepidation took over me as thoughts of her saying no wrenched my heart.
"Make sure you pick the perfect color for the highlight," "I am a Pinterest whore," I proudly declared and she shot me a dead look. Even at my big age, my mom refused me using bad words. I guess I'd forever be treated that way by her. It was a good thing though, it really put a deadlock on the kind of words I used in public.
I had enough money to pay for my own hair but my mother insisted on me using her debit card. I loved her so much and didn't mind how difficult she got sometimes. According to her, she wanted me to live through the innocence of childhood and not get corrupted because of early exposure to adult stuff.
Miss Alice was highlighting a customer's hair when I walked in. "Hi Miss Alice," I greeted. Miss Alice is my mom's favorite stylist. I liked her a lot too. "Trace! What are you here for? You got your hair done some days ago." She had this genuine, warm smile on her face that made me comfortable. It made me smile.
"I'm here to get my hair highlighted." I grinned. "Have you picked a highlight color yet or you want me to do that for you?" She smirked and I frowned at her. "I was just trying to pull your legs you Pinterest whore," she teased.
I took a seat in front of the mirror and couldn't help but notice the beautiful boy staring at me. He was the almost the most beautiful human I've seen. I never really paid attention to boys but seeing him immediately changed that narrative. He was shamelessly looking in my direction. I was completely embarrassed he stared without blinking. I knew what he was trying to do, but I wasn't going to let him win. I turned my chair around so I could face him directly as I held the stare.
"Let's both stare at each other," "I see you're a hard nut," he smiled. Dammit that was the prettiest smile. It made me sweat even while the AC was on and I immediately regretted joining his stupid stare game. Suddenly, he blinked and rubbed his eyes. I won.
"Don't mess with me", I smirked and turned away from him. If I weren't dark skinned, he'd have noticed the hotness on my face. "What's your name, Pinterest whore." My brows furrowed as a scowl appeared on my face.
"You don't deserve to know that." "Ah, ha! You're stubborn. I like that!" "Pfft." I watched him rise from his seat, his lips curved up a little. He looked mischievous and I wasn't breathing well anymore. Bringing his face really close to my neck, he breathed on it. I was more than hypnotized.
I began guessing his age in my head, while weirdly matchmaking us. I fought so hard to not reveal to the hot boy that he made my heart flutter and stomach heat up. Was this what they meant by love at first sight? I dragged a sigh and he chuckled.
"I'm Myles," he whispered in my ear, making me tingle with excitement. "Move away from me." I commanded the moment I noticed goosebumps all over my skin. Then I looked over my shoulder at Miss Alice, and she grinned. Ugh!
"Trace?" Dammit! I hated the way I felt when he said my name. He knew my name. Of course that's because Miss Alice mentioned it.
"Good for you, now move back to your seat." "I believe you don't recognize me. I'll forgive you for that." I tried to wrap my head around what he meant by I didn't recognize him. I thought long and hard for possible meetings with the beautiful human that gave my heart 140 beats in one minute.
"Sorry, I'm clueless," he frowned and walked back to his seat looking disappointed. I was totally embarrassed he knew me from somewhere but I knew not where.
I caught him pouting when I looked in the mirror the last time before going over to get my hair highlighted. Miss Alice was going to put in the dye first before attending to him. Her salon was unisex and it was Friday. Her workers all got their day off on Fridays so she had to do the work all by herself. Lucky for her, not many people walked in.
"Perfect color choice, Trace," I turned to Ryle to see if he smiled but he eyed me instead. It was cute and I blushed. "You two are a match made in heaven, goofy humans." Neither of us reacted to Miss Alice's remark.
"So Ryle, how's your preparation for your big match?" Miss Alice inquired. Big match? The only big match in my town was that of my school. Was Ryle a student of Greenville high?
"I can't wait to see Trace cheer me to victory," he responded. Instinctively, I knew he smirked after saying that. "Awww," "Miss Alice please stop," I was completely out of breath.
To be continued.