21 | twenty one
"There, done," Stacey said as she walked from the back of the hairdressers and to the front where Scottie was waiting, awkwardly reading a magazine.
Scottie stood up and grinned when he saw her. The jagged, thick blonde hair had been trimmed and now her curls fell down to a short bob that hung a few inches above her shoulders.
"Look okay?" Stacey asked apprehensively.
"Different," Scottie said. "Good different."
Stacey gave him a grateful smile and turned to the countertop, paying for the haircut. Scottie walked over to the hanger in the corner and grabbed his coat. He walked out of the store with Stacey behind him and then frowned when he saw that she was only wearing a short sleeved shirt and jeans in the cold weather.
"Where's your jacket?" Scottie asked.
"In my locker," Stacey said. "I had some complications."
"Complications, huh?" Scottie ducked into his car along with Stacey.
"Ex," Stacey explained. "Well, not really an ex. More like an ex friend - well actually he wasn't a friend. So he was more of a..."
"Ex," Scottie said and Stacey laughed.
"Yeah," she said. "He was just an ex."
"You okay about it?" Scottie asked and she shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Stacey said. "It was about time I got over him anyway."
Scottie smiled and put the engine on, sliding out of the car space and onto the main road. Stacey reached over and put the radio on, flicking through the stations until a song came on.
"Oh, I love this song," Stacey grinned and turned the volume up.
Scottie's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You're a Nirvana fan?"
"Of course!" Stacey scoffed. "Just because I wear pink doesn't mean I don't like Nirvana."
Scottie shook his head in amusement and continued to drive as Stacey belted out the lyrics to the song, mumbling the words she didn't know (which were most). After a while, Scottie sighed and joined her, turning the music up higher.
Stacey laughed along with Scottie when the song ended and they both wore big, bright smiles. When they finally settled down, Stacey looked over at him with a soft look.
"I like hanging out with you Scottie, you know that right?"
"Of course I do," Scottie said. "I like hanging out with you too."
"Why did you ask me out on that date?" Stacey asked and Scottie tensed a little but not enough for her to notice.
His smile faltered a little before it was back on his face. "Because you looked lonely."
"So I'm a pity vote now?" Stacey laughed.
"No, you just..." Scottie stopped himself. "It seemed like you'd be a good laugh. And I was right, you're great to be around."
Stacey smiled and looked out the window, her finger making pictures in the foggy glass. But Scottie's smile fell as soon as she looked away and he stared at the road in front of him.
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