4th October 1996

I sat on my bed reading one of my dad's old books. I'd read them all a few times throughout my life, and this one was my favourite: The Morpheus Cypher. It was the first in a series he wrote called The Cypher Chronicles.  As I read, I absentmindedly twirled a strand of my hair around my finger. I had one of my skylights open so I could hear the waves and seabirds while I read. I was home alone today. Mom had an interview at a small fashion boutique in town. It was nice to be in here by myself, with nothing but a book and the sounds of the harbour to keep me company.  The cool breeze from the ocean was refreshing, and I could feel my stress from school melting away. It was a peaceful moment that I wished could last forever.

My peace was interrupted, though, by a familiar knock at the door. I stood on my bed and poked my head out of the window. As I peered down, I called to my unexpected visitor.

"Amber?"

She had a very distinct way of knocking that I recognised immediately. I quickly made my way down the stairs to greet her, wondering what could have brought her over on such a peaceful afternoon. As I opened the door, she greeted me with a smile and said, 

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." 

"No, no, you're not. What're you doing here?"

She smiled a sweet smile. She was wearing a black denim jacket with a black T-shirt underneath and some black jeans. The jacket was covered in all sorts of band patches, the likes of which I didn't recognise. In her hand was a white tote bag. 

"Can I come in?"

"Of course. Come in," I said, stepping aside to allow her entry. I motioned inside, and she did so and stepped past me.

"Thanks," she said and glanced around the room before plumping for the middle of the sofa. 

 She crossed her legs and placed her backpack on the ground beside her.  I joined her and put my book down, resting my elbow on top of my knee and resting my head in my palm. I stared at her for a bit, waiting for her to speak.

"Hey, um, I wanna dye my hair, can you help?" She asked awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck.

"Do you want some tips or something? Or do you just need to get it done?"

"Well, uh, if you wouldn't mind... I really want you to."

I thought for a minute before saying, "Sure, I guess."

"Yeah, good!"

We sat on the bathroom floor, facing each other. She reached into her bag and took out the bottle of hair dye she'd bought; Cherry Red. She popped the cap off, then poured some dye into a container, and started filling it. After adding some more dye, she stoppered the bottle again and handed it to me.

"So you know how to do this?" she asked nervously.

I nodded. "Yeah, I had a purple phase a couple of years ago," I told her.

 "I had to bleach my hair, but it was worth it."

"Really? I'd never have guessed?"

You know what, dyeing hair is weirdly intimate. I don't know if I've touched someone else's scalp before. That's pretty intimate, right? It felt intimate.

I don't know if this is the kind of stuff you should think about your best friend. It probably isn't.

Anyway, I dipped a brush into the dye and started dabbing my finger gently against her scalp. It wasn't long before she relaxed slightly and started letting out tiny little giggles. I continued with what I was doing, brushing her hair gently.

After a few minutes, she spoke up.

"How do I look?" She asked softly, tilting her head slightly to one side.

I looked up from the strands of her hair and stared into her eyes, trying hard to focus on what I was seeing. Her cheeks were tinted with pink, and her hair was falling onto her forehead. I tried hard to suppress a smile but eventually gave in. 

 She looked really cute.

"Oh, you look perfect!"

Afterwards, we stood for a while in silence, and I expected her to say something about how it looked crappy, or good or whatever. Instead, she just stared back at me, staring right into my eyes. Then she spoke.

"You're so beautiful." 

At that moment I wanted to say... something, but I waited, and I waited too long.

Suddenly, she turned around and hurried off to the front door.

"Um, thank you! Bye!"

As I watched her leave the room, I couldn't help but notice the slight blush that still adorned her face. A strange feeling of disappointment filled me. 

I hoped she liked what I did to her hair.