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There was no more milk. Or eggs. Or bread. Or really anything that wasn’t junk food (which Andrew always kept readily in stock.) So it was around 6 pm on Saturday when Kevin realized this too, and (not kindly) told Andrew to go to the grocery store since he just loved to buy so much food for all of them.
Andrew agreed (only because he’d just run out of chocolate-covered madeleines and desperately wanted to get more.) Kevin quickly send him out the door with a list of things they needed before he could change his mind.
Which is how he is now here; pushing his cart past the hair dye aisle to get to the milk at the far end of the store, eyes catching on a silvery box displaying a green-haired man on the front. Andrew paused, an idea formulating in his mind. He could imagine the reaction of his teammates if he showed up to practice one day with bright green hair. Specifically, he could imagine Kevin’s reaction if he showed up to practice with bright green hair.
And Neil, a small voice in his head supplied, but he shook it off. And well, it wasn’t like green was a totally awful color either. Not that he would ever admit to something as trivial as having a favorite color.
Finding all this terribly amusing, he threw the box down into the cart and made his way to the checkout, the other half of the list forgotten in the anticipation of his plan.
–
Luckily for him, the Monsters were all going to Colombia that night. Andrew didn’t think anyone would care if he stayed behind, and his theory was proven right when they shrugged and left him behind. Neil, being the idiot he is, stayed as well (much to the annoyance of Andrew).
“So. What are we going to do?” He asked, throwing himself on a bean bag chair and looking up at Andrew with his stupid little puppy eyes.
Ugh. Neil was messing up his plans. “ We are doing nothing. Go run. Or die. I don’t care.”
Neil laughed but agreed to go for a run. After giving Andrew a quick peck on the cheek he left the room, leaving Andrew to his own devices.
Immediately Andrew surged for the plastic bag that he had hidden under the sink in the bathroom. Opening the package, he took out the instruction manual. He read the instructions carefully because, although he pretended to not care, he (only sometimes ) liked to pay extra attention to his hair.
After mixing the powder into the bottle, he put on the gloves and got to work. Andrew tried his hardest to keep the mess contained, but it only took five minutes for the green to get on the sink, counter, mirror, and- in the shower? Not to mention Andrew’s hair looking like he’d gotten electrocuted and then dunked into a bucket of green candle wax.
How the fuck does Renee do this herself every month?
Wait. Shit, Renee.
Andrew took his gloves off (careful not to turn them inside out) and picked up his phone, which had thankfully avoided getting covered in green. He dialed Renee’s number and waited.
“Andrew?” She sounded slightly concerned.
“Renee,” Andrew answered, as calmly as his voice allowed.
“Is everything okay? Nicky told me you didn’t go to Colombia today.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Do you want me to come over?”
“Yes,” He said, hanging up. The thing he liked about Renee is that she picked up on his non-existent social cues. It’s how they came to be as close as they are. She understood when his silence was not rude but thoughtful; when his grunts meant intrigue and not dismissal. Yes, there was obviously a difference.
The door to the dorm opened and Andrew heard two distinct pairs of footfalls.
“Andrew!” Allison called, “Where the fuck are you?”
Andrew didn’t answer, instead opting to sit criss cross on the toilet seat, relaxed now knowing that help had arrived. After a minute or two, Renee knocked on the bathroom door. “Andrew? Can I come in?”
After a short grunt, she opened the door, freezing when she saw the mess of green everywhere.
“Oh. Okay,” She said. Allison appeared behind her and let out a breath, “Jesus fuck Andrew we thought you fucking died.” Then she saw the mess, “Why the hell are you dying your hair green? Couldn’t you do a good color? Like pink? Or purple? Why the fuck out of all the colors would you do green? ”
Renee elbowed her in the gut and walked in, “It’s not that bad. Where are the gloves?”
Andrew pointed to the sink. Renee put the gloves on and told Andrew to sit the other way around so that the back of his head faced her. Allison leaned against the wall with her arms crossed when she said, “I’m cutting your hair after. It looks like a goddamn bird nest. When’s the last time you got it cut?”
None of your business. The response was on the tip of his tongue, but he held back. “Three months ago,” He settled for, annoyed.
Allison was probably the most similar to Andrew on paper. They both had the same vocabulary and sense of humor. It would have been easy to get along if it were any other set of people, but the only thought one had while the other was around was: the audacity.
But they tried, for Renee’s sake. They knew how important it was to her that her best friend and girlfriend got along, even if she would never explicitly say it.
“Why are you dying your hair?” Renee asked.
Andrew shrugged, “Why not.” It came out more like a statement than a question.
Allison let out a laugh, “Sure.” Andrew whipped his head around, causing Renee to get some dye on his forehead. She was in the process of wiping it off when Andrew said, “Shut up.”
Allison grabbed some wipes and started to lightly wipe the dye from the countertop, “Don’t act like you’re not dying to see what Neil’ll say.”
Andrew quietly let his breath out, “He won’t notice.”
Renee finished up the last section and said, “Well, I think he’ll love it.” Andrew tried imagining what Neil would say about his hair. Probably he’d say something cheesy. Run his fingers through it. Kiss him. Blow him.
“Okay, done! Let’s go watch something while we wait,” Renee said, cheerily.
–
After around half an hour, Neil still wasn’t back. Renee declared that it was time to wash out the dye, so they all went back to the bathroom once again. This is where Allison took over, sending Renee to go get her hair cutting bag while she carefully shampooed Andrew’s hair. Andrew leaned over the bathtub face up to mimic what they do in salons. Although she said nothing of it, this show of trust on Andrew’s part was not lost on Allison.
When Renee came back, Allison began to trim Andrew’s hair. She offered to give him a middle part because she said it was ‘trendy’ and ‘would suit him’, but Andrew harshly refused. Ever since the emo phase Andrew had gone through when he was 16, the only difference between them had been their hair parts. It was science; Aaron’s was middle, Andrew’s was side.
He didn’t bother to explain this to Allison, however, because that would mean telling her about his emo phase, which was a big no-no.
Allison was just finishing when the door opened and Andrew recognized the footsteps to be Neil’s.
“Drew!” He called, panting.
“Here,” Andrew said.
Allison scoffed, “So you reply to Neil and not us?”
Neil came into the bathroom and stopped short when he laid his eyes on Andrew. “So this is why you wanted me to leave!”
“That’s our cue,” Renee said, grabbing Allison’s hand and leaving the bathroom.
Neil came closer and inspected his hair. Allison had trimmed his hair a bit and cut the front to be a bit shorter than the back. The green was surprisingly bright for a cheap grocery store brand, though it could just be because of how light his natural hair was. It was also nicely blow-dried, which had left it warm.
“I love it,” Neil said, cradling Andrew’s head in his hands, “Yes or no?”
Andrew inwardly lit up, “Yes.” He could barely finish the word before Neil’s lips crashed into his own.
Yeah, Andrew definitely had no regrets.