cass's pov --- elisa's hair dying

hit a wall in my rewrite/any story except for ones i can't write. waiting for my allergy medicine to hit. so i wrote a one-shot.

* * *

"Cass! Elisa's here!"

I walked out of the bathroom and saw Elisa coming up the stairs. She nodded at me. "Hi," She said quietly.

"Hey," I said smiling a little. "What's up?"

"Nothing," She said. I knew that wasn't true. She always texted me or called when she was coming over. Here she was, so she followed me into my room. "Hey, um, I was thinking..." She started.

I looked at her and sat on my bed.

"Um, you know how you said..." She started again pausing. I had no idea where this was going. I was expecting a conversation about Bennett yelling at her or them fighting. "You said I should try dying my hair, and, I don't know... do you think you could?"

My eyes widened a little. I proposed that as a joke. She would look better with darker hair- but she'd never do it in real life. "Yeah," I said smiling. "Are you kidding? Are you busy today?" I got up.

"No," She said stuttering now. "Well, um, actually tonight I am-"

"What time?" I asked stopping at my door. She paused thinking. "Seven thirty."

"Great," I said. "Three hours is perfect. I've had it done in two." I walked into my bathroom closet pushing out of the way toothpaste bottles and toothbrushes from the dentist visits we were saving for later. I found the really dark brown hair dye I bought once but never returned. Here Elisa was in the mood to do something with herself like dying her hair. If I didn't act fast she'd chicken out.

"I was thinking we could do this-" She said walking in. I already had the box open.

"Sit," I said pushing her onto the closed toilet. She did and I got busy setting up quickly. She started dropping excuses. Never well thought out excuses just small lame ones.

"I was thinking I could just tell Bennett first, like I coudl tonight before I actually did it..."

I went into my room and got a huge t-shirt and told her to put it on. I put a towel on her shoulders. "My mom too, she'll kill me Cass..."

I ignored her. I couldn't believe she had actually come to me asking me to dye her hair. This was a radical Elisa I didn't know. I was actually really excited. I was waiting for this since I met Elisa. The moment she'd snap and pull something like this. Something that was permanent. The job thing- if she actually told her mother- she'd quit or something. Her hair was permanent. I brushed it.

"You're going to look so good," I said to her. And that's what did it.

"Okay," She said. "Just make sure I don't look stupid. I can't miss tonight."

"Why?"

"I'm finally going out with Bennett and his friends." She said quietly. I knew Becky. She was weird, but I had no idea who Bennett was even friends with- or the names of the kdis I saw him with. Elisa knew some of them, I knew that. They always went at her in the halls and at lunch and at Bennett teasing him, but this I guess was new.

"You'll look great." I said. "Head down," I pushed her head down and then I started Elisa's hair transformation.

* * *

She put her phone on speaker and waited. She looked nervous. Not only nervous- shocked with herself. Then: "Hello?" It was Bennett. She was going to be late.

"Hi," She said.

"What's up?"

She closed her eyes a little. "I don't know if I can-"

"You can," I said loudly.

Elisa shot me a look. I had told her to say she was going ot be late. She had talked herself into saying she couldn't make it. "So you don't know if you can, but you can...?" I smiled and listened still putting on the finishing touches.

"I'm going to be late," She said. "I just got held up, and it's a really long story."

He laughed quietly. "What?" He asked.

She was panicking a little now. "How is this even a long story?" I asked rolling my eyes.

"Is that Cass?" Bennett's voice asked.

"Yeah," Elisa said. "Sorry, I have to put this on speaker phone."

"So what happened?" He asked laughing quietly.

She sighed. "My mom and I got into a fight." She said.

I listened carefully. I thought Elisa and her mother were really close. I knew Elisa was telling both of us this but I just listened pretending not to. "And she said I was making stupid choices so I just went out and made another one." She said blushing a little.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not stupid," I said.

"What?" Bennett stopped laughing. "What did you do?"

"She just dyed her hair." I said for him.

He sighed. "Good, I thought it was something bad." He said laughing. "It's okay if you're late. You're not going to miss much. Jonah's got a 'huge story' he wants to tell everyone and that'll take about a half hour."

She seemed a little relieved. "Okay," She said. "I'll call you when I go onto 27."

"What color did you dye your hair?" He asked.

"Purple," I said as a joke.

Elisa jumped in quickly. "Brown," She said.

"Which?"

"Brown," She said. "I'm not crazy yet."

He laughed. "Is she lying Cass?" He asked. I honestly liked Bennett. I expected him to be an asshole because he was Bennett Williams but really, he was just plain nice. He wasn't a dick and he wasn't annoying. He was just perfect. Elisa was lucky. She finally found a decent guy.

"Yep," I said.

Elisa turned around. "Stop," She said laughing a little. She wasn't stressed anymore. I think it was Bennett. He had weird effects on her now. It was so strange. "It's dark brown." She said.

"Really? Well, I can't wait to see it." He said. He was cute too. I was a little jealous of her- I'm not lying.

"Okay," She said. "See you tonight."

"Bye," He said.

She hung up. And I nudged her. "A stupid decision my butt." I said. "You look like Rainie Joseph. I wish I looked like Rainie Joseph." She smiled a little tucking her phone away.

"Bennett's friends with Paul Spinella now," She said. "They work together."

I smiled. "Have you seen Rainie Joseph finally?" I asked.

She smiled. "See her?" She said faking cockiness. "I talk to her all the time."

"Whatever," I said.

* * *

She hung up her phone adn put it into her pocket. She was insecure. Touching her neck and looking ahead like a car was coming to hit us. "You look fine," I said driving her. She was letting me borrow her car tonight because I was bored and the Wagon was in the shop- again.

"I'm so scared." She said.

"Of what?" I asked. She had jsut hung up with Bennett. "He isn't going to break up with you because you dyed your hair."

She nodded. "I know." She said. She was such a mess now. The IHOP was looming blue in the distance. We pulled up and there were two silhouettes in the parking lot. I let them cross in front of me but suddenly I knew who they were. It was a girl and a boy and the girl lit up instantly. She came over to Elisa's side and Elisa rolled down the window.

"When did you dye your hair?" She asked.

I was staring at Rainie Joseph. She knew Elisa. I felt bad for not believing this. Elisa just blushed. "Tonight," She said.

"You look so pretty," Rainie Joseph said smiling. "I love it!"

Rainie Joseph was prettier in person and up close. She looked across at me. "Hi," She said reaching her hand in. "I'm Rainie." I hesitated but shook it.

"Cass," I said.

"Oh," She brightened up. "The famous friend Cass," She smiled at me. "It's nice to meet you."

I stared at Rainie Joseph. "It's nice to meet you too." She knew who I was? I felt like hypervenolating.

"Rain," She whirled around. "I'm going inside it's cold."

I felt like I was meeting celebrities or something. Paul Spinella was there talking to Bennett Williams and yelling to Rainie Joseph. I thought this was so unreal. "Eh-lisa!" A kid shot out of the restaurant. "Come out, I hear you changed your hair."

Elisa looked at me. "Do you want to come in with us?" She asked. She wanted me to. She wanted someone with her. I shook my head seeing Bennett waiting for Elisa to get out of the car. I was seeing Elisa less but tonight she was supposed to hang out with Bennett.

"No," I said. "I promised Miles I'd go over and watch a movie with him."

"Come on," Rainie Joseph said. "I always wanted to meet Miles too."

I stared at her shortly. She knew Miles too. I felt starstruck. A kid came over pushing Rain out of the way. He opened the door. "Elisa you look spectacular." The kid said. "You're already out of Bennett's league, now you're on fucking Pluto."

Rainie laughed, she was so pretty.

Elisa looked at me. "Are you sure?" She asked. "You can invite Miles too."

"No," I said. "Go,"

I wacthed her get out and all of a sudden I saw Bennett come out and look at her. He smiled. I was so happy for her. Rainie waved to me and I pulled out. I drove Miles' house and told him everything.

Elisa was friends with all of these popular kids now. I couldn't even believe it. Rainie Joseph knew both of us. But Miles just nodded. "Yuo could have gone with them." He said. "I would have understood."

I shook my head. I wanted to hang out with Miles. I always did. "I want to be here," I said.

He smiled and we watched the movie.

Rainie Joseph knew who I was. I couldn't get over it.