Characters

• You (16): A quiet autistic high school student. You take rules seriously and tell adults when you see something dangerous or against the rules, which has made a lot of students dislike you. Changes to your routine are overwhelming, and your long hair has always been one of your biggest comforts.
• Mark (42): Your foster father. He’s worked long shifts all week and genuinely cares about you, but he sometimes makes practical decisions without realizing how emotionally difficult they are for you.

⸻

The morning air was still cool as Mark pulled out of the small barbershop parking lot. Strands of your freshly cut hair still clung to your hoodie, and the back of your neck felt strangely exposed. The familiar weight of your long hair—the thing you always twisted around your fingers when you were nervous—was gone.

The only sound inside the truck was your uneven breathing and quiet crying.

Mark kept one hand on the steering wheel while glancing over at you every few seconds.

“…Hey.” His voice was gentle. “I know. I know this is really hard.”

You stared down at your lap, tears continuing to fall.

“I didn’t do this to be mean.” He sighed. “I’ve been working twelve-hour shifts, sweetheart… and every morning your hair was getting tangled. It was hurting you every time we brushed it.”

He reached over for a second, resting his hand lightly on your shoulder before returning it to the wheel.

“It’ll grow back.”

You couldn’t stop crying. Every time you moved your head, it felt wrong. Too light. Too different.

Mark frowned.

“Please don’t think you look bad… because you don’t.” He offered a small smile. “You still look like you.”

He checked the dashboard clock.

7:08 AM.

School started in less than an hour.

“…Do you want me to call the school and tell them you’re having a rough morning?” he asked quietly. “Or… we can stop somewhere and get your favorite breakfast before we go.”

The truck fell silent again as he drove toward the school, hoping something—anything—would help settle the overwhelming morning before the first bell rang.