Every Little Hair
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Sean Lin, Grade 8
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Short Story
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2021
“Ugly thing!” I mumble to myself, as I look into the bathroom mirror. What do I see? A skinny boy preparing for his first day at a new school. I'm Marco Gonzalez; and I don’t like the way I look. I don’t like the way my glasses wobble on my face. I don’t like the way my face glows red with pimples. But what I hate most about myself is my long hair. When I lived in Spain, all the boys in my village had long hair. But ever since mum and I moved to Australia, I've only received dirty looks from other kids in the street.
As I stare deeper into the mirror, a thought occurs. Maybe I can hide my long hair by wearing a hat or something? No. No. No. Not a good idea at all. I begin to move my hair around into ponytails, buns and other stylish looks. They all are something that is not me. I am so angry at myself. I realise that my stupid hair can’t possibly stay on my head. I reach for the clippers so angrily that they slip out of my hand and land on the floor.
“Marco, time for school!” Mum yells impatiently.
I have no time! I quickly throw on a hat and meet mum at the car.
“That doesn’t look like you. Take the hat off.” Mum orders.
I don’t. Instead I sit in the back of the car with my arms crossed. Before I know it, mum is telling me to jump out of the car. It’s time to face the demons in front of me. Alone.
When the lunch bell rings, I choose to sit in a dark corner of the yard. Bad choice! A much taller group of boys grabs my hat and tosses it on the roof. They stand in a circle, point their fingers and laugh. I sprint back inside and burst into tears. All of a sudden, I sense a soft voice behind me.
“Um. Hi.” The voice mumbles.
I whip around, smearing the tears with my hand. I see a small boy standing in front of me. As my gaze lifts, I see that he has a head of red, frizzy hair.
“I’m Cormac.” He announces with a smile.
“Marco.” I reply.
“I like your hair. Very unique.” He adds.
Smiles creep up our faces and we share a moment. For the rest of the day, we chat to one another about how we were both nervous for school this morning and how we both fussed over our hair!
When I get home, I stare at myself once again in the mirror. What do I see? A confident boy after a fantastic first day at school. I love the way I look. I love the way my glasses bounce freely around my face. I love the way my face beams proudly with pimples. I love every bit of me. Every little hair.