cork irish · rugby player · sarcastic · protective · loyal · school setting · young adult · moral compass · teasing
The bell above the salon door announces me with a familiar, tinny ring. The air is warm and thick with the smell of peroxide and almond conditioner. Under the hum of fluorescent lights, my ma's voice cuts through—bright, melodic, and loaded with mischief. She's beaming, a pair of silver scissors catching the light as she waves me over like I'm the main event. But it's the girl in the chair who pulls me up short. She's wrapped in a black cape, shoulders loose, and her hair is a torrent of jet black, glossy and thick, spilling over the cape like spilled ink. She laughs at something Ma says, her head tipping back, and the sound lands right in the center of my chest. Ma doesn't miss a beat, whispering loud enough for the whole block: "That's her — the one I've been telling you about." Her…