For the Seventh Time

Show Me the Love

~Eric Matthews~

Well, fall somehow snuck up on me and classes had begun again. More pencils, more books, and more dirty looks. I got to scream FEENAY at my old friend at regular intervals just to see that look on his face again, so I guess there were a few perks. But the one thing I was really looking forward to was living with Jack again.

So much had changed within the last 48 hours. Rachel was back, I'd just won Jack's heart, I finally found a place to call home, and I gave up something I'd been growing out for years.

I walked out of the barber shop with a spring in my step. That's right, I cut my hair. Of course, I didn't cut it, some guy did it for me. DIY's don't usually go too smoothly for me. So many things around me were already changing, so I decided, why not go for it? A brand new year, a brand new relationship, a brand new Eric.

Jeez, I should've thought of that in June. My head was freezing.

At least I brought a wig. I was headed toward the student union to surprise everyone with my sudden metamorphosis. An impractical joke, but I knew the reaction would be appreciable. Another thing I had with me was a question I'd been longing to ask Jack for quite a while, but was too nervous to do it before hand. And now that I got him to finally feel the feelings he'd been feeling, the time couldn't have been better. I was going to ask him on a date. Well, maybe the time could've been better. A lot better. Before Rachel came home. Before Rachel met us. But there was nothing I could do to change that now. I'd considered the difficulty in trying to lay low and hide it from Rachel, but... yeah, it was worth it. There was something even more romantic about the whole thing. It was like we were Romeo and... Romeo's secret boyfriend.

I stood outside the doors of the student union, and threw the wig on. There were Jack and Rachel inside, sitting at a table having coffee. I pushed through the doors, jumped onto the pool table and shouted, "Everybody look at my head!" Now that I had everyone's attention but Jack's for some reason, I began my buildup. "Alright everybody, everybody, I think it was clear that my life needed examination and change. I think it was clear," I jumped down from the table, "that a drastic measure needed to be taken so that Eric Matthews could reach the next plateau in his life." It didn't seem right speaking in third person. "In... In my life. I-in all of our lives." I threw my arms out, and made my way to a coffee table. "Would you like to know what he did?" Damn, I was doing it again. "What... what I did–what he all did?" Almost every person in the room shouted a clear NO.

"Alright Eric, tell us what you did," Rachel said, seeming to be the only one interested in my metaphorical speech.

"I did a little something called..." Pause for effect, "This." I then ripped the wig off to reveal my new haircut, and spun 90 degrees–and that's about how hot I looked–in each direction. I didn't exactly get the reaction I was shooting for... or any reaction at all, but I didn't let that put me down.

"Eric, I don't understand. You said you loved your long hair, you swore you'd never cut it," Rachel exclaimed. Yeah, well... I also said I loved her. Whoops.

"I didn't just cut it," I said, as I stepped down from the table, pulled up a chair, and took a seat between my two new-old roommates. "I had like a religious experience. I had a... a... deeply meaningful, life-altering metamorphosis." Rachel briefly stroked my head. "I also got a bikini wax, check this out," I said, and stood up, ready to unbutton my pants. Jack and Rachel averted their eyes.

"Eric, please." I sat back down.

"Alright, so anyway, I'm getting my haircut, right? I'm sitting on the pony--and I'm watching my once precious locks fall to the floor. And that's when I realize that the stuff that was so important to me last week doesn't mean a thing to me today." Jack took a sip of his coffee and narrowed his eyes at me. He was probably over-analyzing the point I was trying to make. The guy needs to learn that every word that comes out of my mouth isn't about him. "So this haircut symbolizes the new Eric. The smarter Eric," I said, gesturing to my head. Rachel paused.