Tiffani stormed down the street. She knew exactly where she was going-- to the beauty salon a few blocks away. She finally arrived and flopped into a seat, tired from her walk. To her surprise, Charise was sitting nearby.

“Hey, Tiffani,” Charise greeted her, smiling warmly.

“Hi. Are you here for a haircut?” Tiffani asked.

“Nope,” Charise replied. “My friend Tacita works here, and on slow days, she asks me to come by and talk to her, so she won’t get bored. What are you here for?”

Tiffani wasn’t sure how to voice her thoughts. Charise, as though reading Tiffani’s mind, nodded knowingly. “I’ll go get Tacita, and we’ll see what we can do,” she suggested, hurrying off to a backroom. After a few seconds, Charise returned, followed by a beautiful woman with black hair.

“Tacita, this is Tiffani,” Charise said, doing the introductions. “She’s one of the Clique News Crash students that I mentioned. I’m going to need you to help her out. Whatever she wants, do, and I’ll pay for it.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Tiffani protested.

Charise held up a hand. “Friends help each other in times of need, and trust me, Tiffani, you look like you’re in need right about now. Accept it, while I’m in a generous mood.”


Tiffani nodded and allowed Tacita and Charise to lead her to a chair in front of a wall of mirrors.

“So,” Tacita said, examining Tiffani’s face closely, “what would you like today?”

“Well,” Tiffani said slowly, “for starters, I’d like a haircut. Maybe dye job or perm. I’m just sick of looking like this. Looking like how my mom wants.”

Tacita nodded slowly. “Any particular look you have in mind?”

Tiffani shook her head. “I’ll trust you and Charise to make the decision. You both have really good taste, so I’m sure it’ll look good.”

Tacita nodded, and she and Charise quietly conferred for a few minutes. Tacita picked up a pair of scissors and said, “One Vengeance-Do, coming up.”



Charise and Tacita watched as Tiffani left. “I will say this, her parents will be shocked,” Tacita murmured.

“Yeah. But it’s a cute look for her,” Charise replied.

“Good point. I hope she doesn’t regret it. Which reminds me… have you ever regretted cutting your hair? I remember when you were around that age, you got a major haircut.”


Tiffani walked down the street, smirking a little, occasionally running a hand over her newly shortened hair. Wait until Nikki and Mom get a look at me, she thought.