Shampoo Romance: A Novel

Chapter Two

The next day was strange.

It started off relatively normal, with her being late, going without breakfast (not even enough time to make toast!!). By her second class though, her stomach was growling, filling the silence in the classroom. I could really go for a granola bar and some milk right about now. Tres, still sitting in her seat, peeked at her occasionally chuckling when her stomach continued gurgling.

She turned to shoot him an annoyed expression, but he turned his head quickly away, pretending to be occupied looking at the cherry-blossom trees shedding their petals and being blown through the sky by a gentle gust of wind.

Class ended eventually, and she found her way to her locker, decorated on the inside with old pictures of her and her parents, most of the pictures seeming like distant memories.

It had been eight years since he'd left them, her father. Those were dark days, when her mother refused to leave her room, leaving Pan to take care of her meals and the housework. Pan pushed through, hoping her mother would eventually forget about him, but even after she'd left her room and regained her usual high-spirits, Pan felt that she never truly moved on.

She snapped out of her solemn state when Gar walked up behind her, pointing at a small milk carton and a granola bar in her locker. "Who put those there?" he asked unusually wary.

In her moment of recollection, she had seemingly zoned-out for a couple minutes, not realising the milk that hadn't been in her locker earlier.

"Oh, I didn't even notice it was there," she said, picking up the carton to examine it. It was definitely one from the school canteen, and it was still cold to the touch, so she guessed someone must've bought it sometime between the end of their last class and now. On the bottom of the carton, there was a sticky note that read 'Eat up' in neat cursive. It was as if someone had read her mind.

She picked them up, scrunching the note up immediately to avoid Gar seeing and becoming more concerned, then she placed the snacks into her hoodie pocket.

Gar glanced at her, raising an eyebrow as if to say, are you really going to trust some random food someone put in your locker. At least she could dismiss the possibility that he had put them in her locker, though she couldn't think of anyone else who would think of buying her snacks.

They sat down at the lunch table, chatting about The Shampions latest release, 3-in-1, and all its deep metaphors and meanings.

As the conversation burned out, Pan took a look around the hall, making immediate eye-contact with him. He smirked at her, watching as she took a bite of the granola bar aggressively.

What was he looking at her like that for? And why was her heart pounding so fast?

Gar followed her gaze, peering behind him at Tres, sitting alone without any food at his table.

"What's with that guy?" he asked, a surprisingly frustrated undertone settling into his voice. "Why does he just sit there and smirk all the time?"

"It's his full-time occupation, I guess," she said, forcing a light laugh to calm both their nerves, but ending up sounding very fake.

Pan breathed a sigh of relief when it was the end of the school day. Finally she got to go home and take a bath. But she couldn't get the mysterious milk-man out of her head.

She sat contemplating in the bath for an hour or so before her mother knocked on the bathroom door. "Sweetie, can I talk to you when you're finished?"

"Okay, mum." she answered. More mystery, she thought to herself.

She finished washing quickly, drying off and getting changed into a fresh set of pyjamas. She walked down the stairs and into the living room where her mother said waiting patiently, looking distant and a bit nervous.

Pan sat opposite her on an armchair, and her mother began, "Ever since your father left us, I felt I could never let go. And I'm sorry for making you go through all that." She began tearing up slightly, and talking slowly as she continued, "I know it was hard, being so young and confused. Having to live without a father figure. You were just like him. You probably don't remember him much now, but I can still remember the glint of happiness you held in your eyes, your radiance when you watched him come back from work everyday, running up to him unsteadily and tripping onto his shoes. You were so small." Her mother seemed so content talking about the past.

"Mum, I miss him too, but where are you going with this?" Pan asked, slightly confused.

"Right, right, leave it to me to get nostalgic. Baby, I've been keeping a secret from you for a couple months, and I hope you're not too angry with me," Pan remained silent, waiting for an explanation. "I've been seeing someone. A man. With a son. We've been talking for a while, and we felt it was time to come clean and tell both of you that we're seeing each other."

"Who, exactly, are you dating?" Pan asked, curiosity growing by the second.

"Well, we're not dating as such.." her mother replied awkwardly, brandishing a dazzling ring at Pan, with a meek smile. "Look, sweetheart, we've been thinking about it for a couple of weeks now, and we think it would be nice...to move in together."

"When am I going to meet them, then?"

"We're moving in tomorrow," Pan's eyes widened. "I know, I know, it's sudden, and I don't want you to feel pressured into liking them. Don't worry, though. You'll still have your own space. They live nearby, so it should be a quick and easy move."

Pan didn't know what to say, so she said nothing.

She settled into bed, thinking about what kind of people they could be. Did she know her soon-to-be-step-brother already?

As she thought about this, she began to doze off, slipping into a pleasant slumber, dreaming about the mystery boy, milk cartons, and her new potential father.