Bleach Blonde

CW: Mentions of bullying and emotional distress.

My phone shines on my face, the brightness of the screen being the only thing illuminating my dark bedroom. I keep swiping back between my texts with Emma, and the picture Adrianna posted just less than 10 minutes ago. Reading Emma’s response to me asking her if she wanted to go to the mall, and that picture. Reading Emma’s message telling me she’s sick, and that picture of Adrianna’s party. Looking at Emma’s face half cut off on the very edge of that picture.

I sigh, throwing my phone back onto my bed. Yeah sure, totally sick. So sick, she’s at the house of the girl she claims to hate because of everything she’s done to me throughout middle and high school. The girl that she told me she’d never be friends with, despite how popular and rich she is, because our friendship meant more to her than trivial things like that. Guess that wasn’t true. I’m used to it though. Adrianna has taken countless friends from me, the pattern is always the same. It’s like teenage girls have an unspoken rule for betraying each other. Every time, they’d slowly start being less and less available, until I’d never see them outside of school. And every time, they’d end up in a post online, or I’d see them talking to her in the hallway when they thought I wasn’t around. I saw the pattern starting with Emma, but I thought maybe it’d be different this time. I mean, we have been friends for a couple years now, she’d seen me lose friends to her multiple times. But I guess popularity and money is too strong of a pull, and just like always, I’ve been placed on the back burner, only to be texted for homework help or test answers.

I wish there was a way for me to get back at her. Adrianna’s been my biggest bully for more years than I can count on one hand, and has taken more friends from me than I have fingers to count. I’ve always come in second to her, everyone wants to be her friend- but you can’t be friends with her while being friends with me. I guess being her friend is more important than being mine. Emma was the last friend I had hanging on. Now it’s back to the drawing board. I don’t think there’s any clubs left for me to join where I can meet new people, and I’m not athletic enough to get onto any of the sports teams- I tried that back in my freshman year. At this point, it looks like I’m going to have to graduate without anyone by my side, no one to celebrate with, no friends to come to a graduation party.

I pick my phone back up from where I threw it on my bed. Adrianna posted more pictures. Scrolling through them, I can count five people that used to be my friends, five people that said they could never even dream of associating with her. I have to do something. I can’t just sit back here and take it. I’ve been far too complacent to her bullying and theft of my friends for what feels like far too long. I’ve been told to stand up for myself for years, but never was able to bring myself to do it. That has to end today. I can’t just sit back and let one stupid rich girl ruin my entire life. I’ve dreamed of college for years, for my fresh start- but if I don’t learn to stand up for myself now, I may never, and this whole messed up cycle can start right back up again, with a new mean girl, or a new manager, or anyone who gets their kicks putting down those who they deem less than them, and I’ll end up living my whole life alone. I’m done with letting myself be controlled by her, being complacent to her words- so I start to make a plan.

The next morning, when I get to school, Emma comes up to me. I cut her off before she even gets the chance to speak. “Look, I saw the posts from the party last night. I know you were there. You weren’t sick, you just didn’t want to hangout with me anymore. It’s whatever.” Emma doesn’t even respond, she just gives me a pitiful look, and walks away.

I go through the rest of my school day, mostly without interruptions. I’m just impatiently awaiting the end of the day, so I can find Adrianna alone. I know it’s childish, I know it won’t give me any of my friends back, I know it won’t magically make the years of her picking on and degrading me go away- but it might help me not feel powerless anymore. It might help me gain back my voice. I know I’ll face repercussions for this- Adrianna always gets her way. She could manage to spin someone laughing while looking in her direction into a planned, elaborate, personal attack against her- and try to sue. And her parents could afford a lawyer that could back her up. But I don’t care. I don’t want to feel weak anymore, I don’t want to feel like I’m only able to talk to who she allows, to anyone she deems “less” enough to not care about their being friends with me. I’m done with being there for her to manipulate.

The final bell of the day finally rings. I throw my things into my backpack and rush downstairs, and out to the back of the building. The only time that I know she isn’t surrounded by her usual gaggle of friends is after school. We’re not supposed to be picked up behind the building, but her parents got special permission from the school to allow Adrianna. Apparently, their car is “too fancy and expensive” to risk being in the main parking lot with all of the other cars and student drivers. Most kids in our grade drive themselves- but Adrianna’s too good for that. She has to be picked up by her special chauffeur every day. Something about not being able to drive in heels. I round the corner, seeing her standing there.

I call her name, trying to get her attention. Her head turns on a dime, her neck snapping to the left, her bleach-blonde hair following right behind. I know she’s not a natural blonde, but you never see her roots. I’m surprised her hair hasn’t fallen off yet with how much bleach she piles onto her scalp. Maybe that’s why she’s such a bitch- all the chemicals got to her brain. She doesn’t say anything to me. I keep walking up to her, until I’m inches away from her. I’ve never dared to get this close- and judging by the look on her face, I don’t think anyone ever has. “You’ve taken too much from me.” I say, looking directly into her eyes.

“I haven’t taken anything from you,” She smiles as she responds “It’s not my fault everyone would rather be friends with me than with you.” She giggles, that stupid, annoying fake giggle that all the little rich girls have.

I feel my blood boil as she speaks. “You know you’re full of it. You only start taking interest in people after they started being friends with me.”

“And so what if I have? If they really were your friends, they wouldn’t abandon you, don’t you think?”

“Emma was my friend.”

“Well, she was at my party last night, so what does that tell you?” Adrianna grins at me.

I can’t take it anymore. I open my mouth to yell, but close it at the last second.

“Speechless. Just like I thought.”

I stare at her. I don’t say anything, just staring for a moment. I reach up, grabbing a thick handful of her stupid hair.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” She yells.

I pull harder. To my surprise, all of her hair comes with it. I stand there, open gaped, holding her entire head of hair in my hand- looking up at her patchy bald head. Adrianna reaches for the wig. I kept a tight hold on it, moving my hand out of the way just in time, causing her to miss. I pull my phone out, and take quite a few pictures.

“Delete those!” She screams. “And give me that back!” She tries to grab it again, missing once more. I hear the sound of the car coming to pick her up, and see it pulling up out of the corner of my eye. I throw the wig out into the street, just in time for it to get run over by tires. I’m sure she has more, but seeing one of her possessions destroyed, because of my actions, just feels good. Adrianna runs to the car, wanting to avoid being seen by anyone else. The car squeals away, flying out of the parking lot. I can’t see her through the tinted back windows, but I’m positive she’s back there screaming her head off at the chauffeur.

I smile to myself, walking back around the building. I upload those photos I took of her to every social media platform there is. I guess all that bleach really did get to her head.