Fight By My Side

“Jack, can you get me a pair of scissors?” I asked him politely. Oh how the boys always hated this day, yet it was always inevitable. As long as I didn’t tell them what I needed all the supplies for, they wouldn’t panic and bolt.

“Sure! Here they are.” A long pair of scissors were placed on the counter. The metallic blades gleamed under the light of the kitchen bulb. Jack was behind the counter, eying them suspiciously, with clueless Vic, Mike, and Austin sitting around the TV, watching American Horror Story. It was unusual that they would air a show this late in the afternoon, but the boys jumped on the chance to watch it.

Last time I attempted to cut the boys’ hair, Mike bolted towards the door, quickly taking flight. Vic and Jack didn’t have the advantage of flying away. I caught Vic first, dragging him back so he could sulk while I trimmed the ends of his scraggly hair. After that we both teamed up and took down Jack to cut his hair. Mike had wandered in unwarily, looking for a snack in the late afternoon. Vic had to sit on him while I trimmed up the ends of his long hair once we caught him. Needless to say, they all hated me that evening.

We had a girl come here once who was a trained stylist. She was the same age as me, and had gone to a beauty school. I think her form was a hummingbird, but it was a few years ago. She dropped by every once and a while, and we had yet to see her this year. Maybe she would come back again sometime soon. The girl was sweet and taught me many things about trimming hair and such. It was useful when it came to days like this.

Slyly slinking to the door, I latched the bolts and put on a lock I kept in my drawer. It had a key that I had placed in my pocket, hidden from view. I clicked the lock on with a snap, bolting the last few locks in place. Vic eyed me from the recliner. Austin had his legs crossed and watched with an amused grin.

The art of cutting three squirmy, unwilling, boys’ hair was to have everything already set up. The bathroom door was open, a stool was in there, and so was the extra pair of scissors and a comb.

Jack bolted to the bedroom and slammed the door shut, barely peeking into the bedroom. Mike, Vic, and Austin watched him oddly. Slinking across the room, I bent over in front of Vic, tousling his hair.

“Hmm…I think we can take a little off the ends. It looks like your bangs have grown out a little and we’ll need to fix those.” I took off his hat and he screamed. Pushing himself out of the recliner, he leaped over the seat. Mike was hot on his heels.

“LET US IN!” Their pleas fell on deaf ears as they banged on the wood door of the bedroom. Jack didn’t open the door a crack. They bolted to the infirmary and froze in their tracks.

Where there was a cat, there was now a boy in a loose shirt and tight jeans.

“Umm…” The boy’s eyes went wide at the stampeding boys. Austin followed my gaze and shrieked.

“ALAN!” Both boys ran towards each other. Austin completely engulfed Alan in a hug as the Fuentes boys slipped into the infirmary and latched the door.

“SEE YOU LATER, SUCKERS!” They screeched in delight. Okay, so my three boys got away, but Alan might need a haircut. Austin was delighted to see Alan. They were chattering away about how Austin’s new pet was literally his best friend. I walked over to the ginger kid. He looked to be about three years older than me. His cast on his leg popped off and he appeared to limp a little, but was otherwise fine. Alan looked over at me as I approached.

“Hello Alan. I’m Wynter.” I extended my hand. He took it and smiled. Austin peered over to the shut doors. They would have to come out eventually.

“Wynter, I can’t thank you all enough for helping me out.” The boy grinned happily, but looked confused at the closed doors.

“It was nothing! At the Shadow’s Sanctuary, we happily take in anybody. Speaking of the rest, they went into hiding. It’s haircut day.” I announced with a shrug. Alan ran his hands through his hair.

“Why are they hiding if it’s just a haircut?” Alan chuckled. He seemed to be funny and kind. I wondered how long he wanted to stay.

“Jack Barakat, the one with the blonde streaks that makes his hair look like a skunk, claims that one day I’m going to sever his head from his neck. Vic Fuentes, the one with the nose ring on his right side and long, slightly curled, brown hair just likes to tease me and run away. Mike Fuentes, the one with many tattoos and is Vic’s brother, will follow Vic anywhere.” I gave a brief explanation to Alan about the three boys and their appearances. Alan grinned brightly.

“Am I subjected to this haircut?” He asked curiously. I thought for a moment. He looked like he could use one, but I would give him the option.

“Well, since you’re new here and DIDN’T run away…” I emphasized that to the three holed up in their rooms. “Then you get the option out if you want. It looks like you just need a little off the ends, so I wouldn’t do much.” I offered him. Austin nudged him forwards.

“Would you cut my head off my neck?”

“Despite what Jack says, I would not do that.” I promised him.

“The sure!” He lifted his thin shoulders in a shrug. He winced a little at the movement.

“Injured still?” I grimaced. I had hoped he would have healed by now. Alan nodded. There might have been some lasting injuries from the accident a couple of weeks ago. He lifted his shirt up, and I inspected a nasty bruise on his upper left ribs.

“That will probably ache for another day or two. We’ll probably have to just put some ice on it. It isn’t too serious, just a bad bruise.” I made the best out of the situation. Alan followed me to the bathroom where he took a seat on the stool facing the mirror. Austin stood awkwardly outside.

“Will they ever come out?” He pondered aloud. Looking over to the kitchen’s fridge, I nodded. Oh, you could win them over through their stomachs! I nodded and took the scissors that Jack gave me. There was a spray bottle with water sitting on the counter. Staring at the ginger mop of hair for a moment, I started to take a comb to it.

Ten minutes later, I had finished trimming Alan’s hair. He admired it happily and thanked me for helping. Limping back to Austin, the tall man helped the ginger sit on the couch. While I stared at the two locked doors, Austin filled a bag with ice and found a small towel to put around it. Alan placed it over the black and brown bruise, wincing slightly.

“Austin, I’m going outside for a little! I need to run to the store for some food!” I called loudly and nodded to him. Austin looked confused, but as I winked to him, it all made sense. I walked over the plush carpet to the door. Opening it and closing it loudly, I silently walked over to hide in the infirmary hallway. The Fuentes, I knew for sure, would not come out so willingly. It would take the ultimate prize to lure them out. It would have to be a beer and some chips to get the two out of hiding. Jack would easily fall for the trick.

“Oh Jack. He’s gonna get it!” Mike whispered. I could hear them from close by the door. Waiting around ten minutes, I heard the door to our bedroom open. I pressed against the wall. Jack didn’t see me as he paddled out of the room.

“Is wolf girl still at the store?” Jack asked warily with his back turned to me.

“She went to go get some beer, I think.” Austin replied casually, flipping through channels on the TV. Jack sighed and leaned over the edge of the couch, watching Austin flip. Mike and Vic were whispering softly behind me in their little room.

“But we have a stash in the back of the fridge!” Mike gasped.

“Jack, you fool!” Vic sighed quietly.

“Mmm…I want some beer.” Mike sighed.

“Stay strong, brother!” Vic urged.

“We can get it when she gets Jack!” Mike whispered excitedly. They both agreed to the plan. Well I would have my own, just to counter theirs!

I crept along slowly, inching my way down the hall. The key in my pocket felt warm as I grinned. This would be fun. In a swift move, I closed the bedroom door with a bang. Jack whipped around and had fear across his face.

“Austin, help me! She’s going to slice my head off!” Jack begged while clutching Austin’s arm. He bellowed a laugh as I grabbed Jack and dragged him, kicking and screaming, towards the bathroom.

“VIC, MIKE, HELP A BROTHER OUT!!!!” He begged loudly. The other two just laughed loudly from their room. I pinned Jack’s arms behind his back. Austin watched, a gleam in his eye. Alan even sat up to watch the process. Jack wriggled in my arms, but I held him still.

“Austin, would you kindly grab the beer from the fridge? It’s on the lower shelf. Feel free to bring that into the bathroom and guard it there.” I smiled evilly. He nodded, catching onto my plan. The sighs heard from the infirmary were loud and deflating. They knew they were defeated. Austin followed, two six packs in hand, as we marched into the bathroom. He sat the packs down on the floor as I put Jack on the stool. He looked down longingly at the cold drinks. Austin push the door open, so he could see out and close it if nessacary.

“Don’t kill me, please!” Jack begged, hands folded in his lap. I went around to the front, inspecting the ends of his hair. He pouted as I started to snip away from the ends. I stopped and combed out the long strands.

“Oh, don’t be a big baby, Jacky. I promise I won’t take off that much.” I pinky swore to him. He continued to glower through the entire process, but at least I got through it. He stood up happily as I finished and went to the reclining chair.

Taking the beer, I placed two right in the middle of the floor, just a few feet out of the hallway. It was time to wait. In the meantime, Austin kindly let me attack the stray edges of hair that had grown out.

When we heard the door open, Jack and Austin waited on the other side of the hallway, out of sight. Vic and Mike slowly stalked along the hallway until they got to the beer. As they bolted for the chilled drink, the three of us leapt up and at them. We managed to pin down Mike as Vic took off.

“VIC!” Mike called for help. It was like a battle ground where your allies abandoned you. Vic was currently standing in the middle of the infirmary doorway. He knew he was outnumbered and made a quick escape.

“I’m so sorry Mike!” The older brother called. Jack helped me drag Mike into the bathroom where he fidgeted as I trimmed the hair that was a dark halo around his face. Unlike Vic or Jack, he actually didn’t mind having his haircut.

“Do I get a beer yet?” He questioned me as soon as I was done brushing the hair off of him. I shook my head and he sighed.

“Not until you help catch your brother.” I bargained.

“Wynter! Vic’s making a quick escape!” Austin called from the living room. Jack and Austin were lounging out on the couches, engulfed in another episode of American Horror Story. Austin knew that the door was only opened by my key. Mike put the drinks in the fridge as I smirked. Vic panicked as he scratched at the door as he jiggled the lock.

“Give up, Vic. You need a haircut and aren’t getting out!” I laughed, knowing I’d finally won. Vic stepped towards me, a knowing light caught fire in his eyes.

“You have the key, don’t you?” He asked curiously. I nodded, flashing the key before shoving it in my pocket. Vic lunged at me and caught me in a tight hold. I squirmed out of it and dropped to the floor.

“Mikey!” He called for his brother who just shook his head, eyes glued to the TV screen. I think someone was getting brutally axe murdered on the show. My eyes turned back to Vic.

“No way, man! Remember when I needed your help? This is revenge!” Mike told his brother grimly.

“Bets on Wyn!” Alan called. Suddenly everyone was trying to decide who to bet on and what to bet. As I dodged Vic’s leaps, I heard Austin and Alan bet a beer and a bag of chips on me. Jack and Mike bet a pizza and a six pack on Vic. I really wanted pizza, so I fought back even harder.

“My hair is perfect!” Vic cried out as I pounced on him and pinned him to the floor.

“Your hair is too long!” I exclaimed. I was trying to be careful, with the bandages still wrapped around his arm and part of his neck. I stuck my tongue out, proving my point. He kept trying to reach for the key, but didn’t make it.

“I think we get pizza!” Alan said happily. The boys on the couch cheered each side on. After five minutes of struggling, Vic declared that he would let me trim his hair as long as he got a beer afterwards.

Twenty long minutes later, Vic came out with a nice new ‘do. This time, I managed to cut his bangs off to the side to make it look nicer. The beers were passed around as we flipped between channels, eventually deciding to go to the old favorite.

“Alan can pick the movie tonight.” I declared. Jack grumbled that it was his turn, but I threw him a sharp look.

“How to Train Your Dragons!” He cried. Austin punched him in the shoulder lightly.

“You’re obsessed with that movie.” He rolled his eyes. I smiled. That was one of the only movies we had on disc. The others we had to order.

“It’s so good!” Alan complained back. Austin laughed as we all squished onto the couch. Mike elbowed Vic in the ribs. Jack was stuck upside down-I don’t know how he got that way. I was settled on Austin’s lap, and Alan and Jack were too close for comfort.

“Move your ass!” Mike complained to his brother. Vic moved over and was now laying on three people’s laps. I laughed at our lack of ability to put six people on a small couch that groaned under our weight. Austin wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close to him. I smelled the familiar scent of his cologne on him.

“Hold on, I have an idea.” I hopped out of Austin’s arms. He whined a complaint until I came back with an armful of extra pillows and blankets. Ten minutes later, Mike had put the disc of the movie in, and we had arranged ourselves on and around the couch. Alan got dibs on the couch, since he had to lay out for his bruises. Mike had claimed the recliner since he didn’t get the couch. We tucked the bean bags against the front of the couch and used them as pillows. Jack, Vic, Austin and I were arranged on the floor under two large blankets. I distributed the old pillows to Mike and Alan and the rest of us were on the floor.

As the movie played, Austin snuck his hands around my waist. His long arms enveloped me. Vic leaned up against me, tucking himself against my body. Jack was still wide awake and staring at the screen. Sleep was rolling over my body in waves that rocked my mind gently and slowly. Austin tucked his chin over my head, humming softly. I could feel Vic trace patterns down my back absent mindedly.

“Are you asleep yet?” Austin murmured so quietly, only I could hear him. I shook my head slowly. He hummed slowly, some melody I faintly recognized. Closing my eyes, the battles on screen drifted off as I felt the vibrations travel between Austin’s body and mine.

“Twenty One Guns, Green Day.” I murmured to him as he finished.

“I’m glad you know that one.” He smiled. As the movie finished, no one moved and I fell asleep in his arms.

Notes

So I got my hair cut today, and I got inspired to write a funny chapter based on it ^-^

I hope you laughed at this one, or at least smiled! Drop a comment below. I enjoy conversing with all of you :)

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