Falling Away #Watty 2023

•Chapter 32•

Resolution, identity change, and forgiveness; these were the steps I took to forgive myself for breaking my promise and allowing the pain to consume my shattered heart.

As the hairstylist snipped away the last strands of my long brown hair, I stared at my reflection in the mirror with a sense of apprehension. Despite my reservations, it was too late to turn back now.

My once waist-length brown hair now rested gently on my shoulders, awaiting the next stage of transformation - dyeing. The hairstylist, a brunette with a short haircut, noticed the regret etched on my face but remained unfazed. Instead, a confident smirk adorned her cheeks, reminiscent of Rapunzel herself.

"Don't worry," she reassured me, "Once I'm done, you'll be proud of your decision. Cutting and dyeing hair is an art, and you're going to love the result." Her hazel eyes twinkled with amusement.

I swallowed hard, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

As she applied the final touches to my hair, I allowed myself to admire the reflection in the mirror. I felt a sense of satisfaction at my choice of color - orange. It was captivating. The warm tones complemented my light blue eyes with specks of gray, lending an elegant glow to my complexion. My lips, once pouty, now curved into a lovely smile.

"Thank you, it's exactly what I had in mind," I said, rising from the chair to examine my reflection once more. The image staring back at me was almost unrecognizable. I blinked, trying to dispel any doubts, before snapping a quick selfie with my phone. The hairstylist looked on with admiration as I added the caption: "Orange is the new me," and posted it on Instagram, garnering immediate likes as I left the salon.

The cool breeze tousled my newly dyed hair as I made my way to an open-air ice cream shop. I watched as people savored their parfaits, enjoying the elegant display of flavors.

As the waitress placed my ice cream on the table, her brown eyes lit up with excitement. "I love your hair; the color is perfect," she exclaimed before hurrying off to attend to other customers.

Taking a plastic spoon, I tasted the ice cream and noticed Gemma scanning the area for me. When her eyes met mine, she grinned and made her way over.

"Wow, who's this?" she exclaimed, her jaw dropping as she sat across from me. "What did you do to your hair?"

I shrugged. "I wanted a change, and I'm loving it." I ran my hand through my hair, smiling proudly.

"You look amazing!" Gemma nodded enthusiastically, her voice filled with excitement. "You're really owning this resolution."

I smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

"But you still haven't told me what it is that you're trying to accomplish." Gemma arched an eyebrow at me.

I looked at her blankly for a minute before realization hit me. "Right, you want the truth."

She shrugged. "Yeah! Don't you like to share?"

I sighed, lowering the spoon to the table. "I don't want to keep doing this, Gem. I just want to be different; I don't want to suffer emotionally again."

"And dying your hair and having a long list of resolutions is the best way to do it, girl. Life can be messy sometimes; it's not always a walk in the park," Gemma said, rolling her eyes. She leaned forward, resting her arms onto the table.

"Gemma, I've thought about this so many times. Maybe Mrs. Lanai is right," I mumbled.

She sighed. "I knew this was about Liam. You have to forget about him. Don't torture yourself because he left you."

"He didn't," I interjected. "The worst part is that I don't know what happened to him." Tears welled up in my eyes, ready to spill. "What if he's dead, or something terrible happened to him? What if he tried to harm himself or his dad..."

"Enough with the 'what ifs', Zoey. It won't change anything. Stop dwelling on it. Just move on," Gemma cut me off. "You're beautiful, and I'm sure you'll find someone who will cherish you."

"Thank you, Gemma, for telling me all that, and for being here today."

"Don't mention it, girl. Life's too short. I love the resolution thing, but you're taking it too far. I don't want you getting your entire hair shaved for that," she laughed.

I rolled my eyes heavenward. "I'm never ever gonna do that."

"I'm gonna miss you, girl. You're my best friend," she said, giving me a gentle hug.

"Same here, Gem." I hugged her back tightly.

As Gemma and I were saying our goodbyes, I heard a scream from behind us and a crash. I whipped around to see Liam's dad running.

"That's him?" I gestured toward the direction as he ran through the middle of two old ladies.

"Who is that?" She asked, giving me a confused look as I ran after the man. I could hear the sound of police sirens in the distance, so I continued running. Gemma followed me, struggling to keep up with my pace.

"Who's that guy, and why are you chasing him? Do you know him?" Gemma asked, trying to catch her breath.

"That's Liam's dad, the guy on TV that escaped from prison," I explained. She stopped, bumping into a trash bin close by, which caused her to stumble back in surprise.

"Wait, what?" Her eyes widened. "How did you know he's the one?"

"Because I've met him before. I didn't know he was the one at first, but when I realized the resemblance, it was too late," I panted. "I think he might know where Liam is."

"We should call the police, Zoey," Gemma whispered. Before she could reach her phone, we both froze when we turned the corner we were standing in front of. Liam's dad jumped at us.

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