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    Me: Sorry, bad day… Went to bed early. I need to tell you something. Can you come over after dinner?
    Mom would be home soon, and she would want to have dinner together; plus, I needed a little time to not think about what I had to tell Austin after the good day I had. My good mood will be killed once I start talking about it. A few minutes after I sent my message, I received one back.
    Austin: Yes. Is 7 okay?
    Me: Perfect.
    Austin: See you then babe. Can’t wait!
    I didn’t respond to his last message. I wanted to see him, but I dreaded the conversation; I honestly wasn’t sure how he would take it. I finally put Kyle’s number in my phone as I had intended to do when I’d seen Austin’s message. I didn’t know Kyle’s last name, so I entered his name as Kyle Stranger. I thought about texting him to thank him again but wasn’t sure if the number was a cell phone or a landline, and I felt weird calling.
    I clutched a handful of my hair, looked at the pink, and smiled to myself. I loved my new hair and couldn’t believe someone I barely knew had taken me to get it done. There were kind, generous souls out there; it seemed rare to find—especially in guys my age.
     
    ***
     
    I awoke to the sound of a door shutting, signaling that my mom was home. I hadn’t intended to fall asleep, but now that I had been sleeping, I wanted to sleep longer. Instead, I dragged myself off the bed and went to greet my mom.
    I found my mom in the kitchen facing away from me.
    “Hey, Mom. How was work?” I asked cheerfully. My mom turned around with a smile on her face and then froze. Her smile lines were replaced with frown lines.
    “Your hair better be temporary.” Her voice rose as she spoke. I had forgotten about my hair and reflexively looked at it. We shared the same blond hair, and I had just rebelled against it. Her hair was shorter than mine, just a little past her chin. She kept her hair straight except the slight curl in toward her neck.
    “It is permanent,” I admitted, confirming what she already knew.
    “I told you, you weren’t allowed to dye your hair, Taylor! You went behind my back and did it anyway?” Her angry voice cut into me. I felt bad, but I had to stand my ground.
    “I’m going to lose my hair anyway,” I said coolly.
    She flinched at my words.
    “This was something I could control, Mom. I didn’t do it to spite you.” I hoped she understood what I was trying to say. Tears began forming in my eyes, mirroring the ones in hers. I went to her, wrapped my arms around her, and hugged her tightly, trying to fight the tears that wanted to spill out. I had already cried so much, and I knew I would be crying a lot more before this was over.
     
    ***
    Austin showed up a few minutes before seven. I had put on a sweatshirt and had the hood up to hide my hair for the time being. I opened the door, and my stomach was filled with knots. I hadn’t been this nervous around him since we had started dating. We had been together for almost a year now.
    He flashed his killer grin at me and swept in for a kiss before I had time to react. His embrace was warm, and some of the nervousness and knots lessened. I let myself live in this kiss and forget what I had to tell him. Warmth spread through me, and I clutched him tightly, not wanting to let go. At that moment, everything felt like it would be okay as long as he didn’t let go. Then he let go.
    Reality came back to me, and I looked around. Thankfully, my mom was still in the kitchen cleaning up and had not seen my huge display of affection for Austin.  I guided him to my room and shut the door. Normally, that would not be allowed, but I had told my mom I was telling Austin tonight, so she was okay with giving me privacy. Austin gave me a look of surprise when I shut the door and then grinned at me. He was getting the wrong idea. I wish I was shutting the door to be intimate with him, but that wasn’t going to be happening tonight. We hadn’t slept