Little Things [original]

PART ONE

PART ONE:

❝UM, YOUR HAIR IS...WELL, THERE'S A CURL STICKING OUT ON THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD AND IT LOOKS LIKE A PRE-ADOLESCENCE UNICORN HORN.❞

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Karima Orson and her classmate, Candace Highlands, turned to look at each other when a known stranger took the seat facing them. He appeared well-dressed, with a buttoned flannel shirt and a beanie on his head. He payed no attention to the girls sitting across him as he took off his beanie and began taking out what appeared to be a sketch-book.

Karima felt her eyes widen when she caught sight of his hair, while Candace tried to stifle a giggle. The little commotion caused a few heads to turn and the stranger looked up, annoyed. He gave a stern look, to which Candace mouthed a quick sorry. Although he went back to his work, others sitting on the tables surrounding them didn't. Students gestured his hair to their friends, and soon a group of college students were trying hard not to laugh among themselves.

The unexpected increase in noise made the student look up again, quickly glancing around him. Unable to understand the cause of amusement, he gave a shrug to himself and buried himself in his work. When Candace had to fake yet another chuckle as a cough, Karima began to feel a bit bad. She peered at one of his books in front of her and managed to read his name.

"Um, Pascoe?" she began hesitantly, to which the boy jerked his head up in confusion.

"How do you know my name?" he answered, eyebrows furrowed. Karima gestured to his book. He nodded in return. "Yes?"

Karima, whose feeling of awkwardness was increased when Candace raised an eyebrow at her, began to twiddle her fingers.

"Well, you know why everyone is..." she paused to think of the right word, "...giggling around us? It's you. I mean, it's your hair."

Pascoe's hand went to his hair and he started to pat it consciously.

"What do you mean?"

"Um, your hair is...Well, there's a curl sticking out on the top of your head and it looks like a pre-adolescence unicorn horn." Karima blurted out. Immediately, she covered her mouth, mortified by her outburst.

Candace felt her mouth drop and Pascoe turned as red as he could. Trying his best to see the curl, he began pressing his hair down. Unfortunately, Pascoe was not pressing the 'unicorn horn' and was failing miserably. Realising he wasn't getting anywhere, he whispered to them.

"Could you possibly point out where exactly the curl is?"

Karima nodded her head and started to give him directions as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work either. Candace, who could clearly see the awkwardness between the two, decided to further it a bit.

"Hey, Rimi, why don't you just press it down?" she said mischievously. Karima looked over to Candace and mouthed an angry 'what!' The two faced Pascoe, who had lowered his head onto his books.

"Just fix it, thank you." he replied, his voice muffled and defeated.

So Karima leaned forward, her cheeks getting warmer by the second, and smoothed the curl. She could not deny the unexpected softness of his hair and would have left her fingers lingering in them if she hadn't been poked on the side by Candace.

"It's - It's down." Karima managed to get out. Pascoe fell back into his chair and let out a quick sigh.

"Thank you," he began, "I don't know why that was such a big deal and I felt quite weird, but I think I'm gonna go now, so bye. And thank you again."

Pascoe picked up his books and gave the girls a two-finger salute, to which Karima replied with finger guns.

As soon as he left, Karima covered her face with her hands.

"Oh. My. God."