Bad Hair Day, Better Life

Maya stared at her reflection, ready to cry. The tutorial said subtle caramel highlights. Instead, her hair looked like she'd stuck her head in a cotton candy machine.

"You look like a zombie that raided a craft store," her brother Jamal deadpanned from the doorway.

"Thanks, Jamal. Really helpful." She yanked her beanie down. "I can't go to Taylor's party like this. I literally can't."

"It's hair, Maya. It grows back." He shrugged. "Or you could just own it. Clowns are having a moment, I hear."

Maya grabbed her phone and texted her best friend: *EMERGENCY. My hair is a crime against humanity. Party is ruined.*

Three bubbles appeared. Then: *omw with emergency hair dye* followed by *u got this queen* followed by *also did u see that josh will be there 😏*

Maya's stomach did that thing it always did when Josh's name came up — like lightning had struck right in her ribcage. She'd been crushing on him since seventh period English, when he'd laughed so hard at her terrible pun that his soda came out his nose. Not exactly the romantic moment of her dreams, but still.

Two hours later, her hair was now a questionable shade of muddy brown. Chloe bit her lip.

"So... it's definitely not pink anymore?"

"It looks like I used dirt as conditioner."

"Okay, so we don't fix it." Chloe grabbed Maya's shoulders. "We lean in. Messy bun, ripped tights, confident walk. You're not 'the girl with the messed-up hair.' You're 'the girl who's so secure she dgaf.' That's the vibe."

"The vibe is terrified."

"Fake it 'til you make it, babe. That's literally high school in one sentence."

Maya showed up to the party wearing her hair like a crown of chaotic copper-brown tendrils, her beanie abandoned in Chloe's car. She felt exposed. Raw. Like everyone would stare.

They didn't.

Except Josh, who found her by the snack table.

"Your hair," he said. Then, "That came out wrong. I meant — your hair looks awesome. Did you dye it?"

"Disaster with a box of dye," she admitted. "It wasn't supposed to look like this."

"No, seriously." His ears went pink. "It's like... lightning caught in a bottle. Or something. That sounded dumb, didn't it?"

Maya felt that lightning-strike feeling again. But not in her stomach this time.

"A little dumb," she said, smiling. "But I'll take it."