Page 8 of Wilde About You

Gigi dropped the shopping bag on the table in front of me. "Well, you probably deserve it, but I bought you some extra-strength migraine meds and the other things you asked for. I'm surprised you didn't add bleach, a shovel and a jumbo garbage bag to the very suspicious list. By the way, the burner phone is only good for like, I don't know, five texts and a call. Couldn't really tell because I don't know shit about data size. And you're sure you want to go white? I could do some highlights in a lighter color."

I shook my head. Gigi was a hairdresser by trade and color was her specialty, but I wasn't looking for sun-kissed highlights for a night out. I wanted to change my appearance drastically. And since I didn't have enough money in my account to even get my nails painted, plastic surgery was out.

Gigi walked to the fridge and pulled out a yogurt. She popped it open and dug a spoon into it. "I'm so friggin' sore right now."

"Too much information, pal, and trust me, I can only imagine. You weren't exaggerating about stamina, and since my last good romp was back in Brazil with Anton, the two-timing asshole, I have forgotten all about that soreness and all the other good shit that comes with it. So do your bestie a favor and spare me the details of your wondrous sex life."

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the couch. If I have to color your hair, you'd better take two of those super-nuclear pills. They'll wipe out the headache and hopefully the attitude, as well."

"I'm sorry, Gi. Just stressed." I opened the bottle and swallowed two pills.

"Considering I'm bleaching your hair and just bought you a burner phone, I kind of figured that. Am I going to hear the details of your plight yet?"

I scrunched up my face. "Not yet but soon." I had no idea if that was a lie or not. It did darkly occur to me that I might meet a terrible end because of that photo and then I'd never earn recognition for it. I needed to devise a plan for that, too.

Gigi held up her yogurt. "Want one? It's pineapple coconut. Pretty tasty."

I pressed my hand against my stomach. "Can't think of eating till this headache is gone."

"Suit yourself but those pills will burn a hole right through your stomach lining." Gigi dropped her empty yogurt in the trash and snapped up the bag of hair supplies. "Let's get this over with."

Gigi's flip-flops clapped the hallway floor as we walked into her bathroom. The bed was in such disarray it was hard not to laugh. "Looks like there were some serious acrobatics going on in here."

Gigi shrugged. "You didn't want details, but there are some good ones."

Gigi set a chair down in her bathroom. She had recently gone dark red with her hair color, and it worked beautifully with her copper brown skin and green eyes.

I stared up at our reflections. "I like the new hair color, Gi."

She took a moment to touch her hair. "Noah loves it. Did I tell you he wants to move in with me?"

"Are you sure these walls are insulated enough for that? I mean, you do have neighbors."

She waved her long pink nails through the air. "Stop. We weren't that loud." She paused and looked at me in the mirror. "Were we?"

I nodded. "The decibels were certainly up there." It was nice to have some girl talk and forget about my troubles, but as she set the bleach tub down on the counter, it all came back to me in stomach churning waves. My hair was a dishwater blonde, a lovely way to describe blondes who really didn't win out on the gene pool roulette table. Still, I didn't mind the color or the shoulder length. I was able to put it up in a ponytail, so it didn't get in my way on photo shoots.

I reached up and fingered the ends of my hair. "Think I'm going to have to go shorter."

"With your face, that won't be a problem. You could go bald and still be gorgeous, but I don't suggest it because of all that sunblock and stuff." Gigi stared at me, and her eyes twinkled with enthusiasm. "I've been dying to do a pixie cut on someone. Short and spiky, perfect for white hair and for someone like you."

"You mean because my brothers always called me Pixie?"

She laughed. "I forgot about that. Should we go for it? It will give you a completely different look, which is what you're going for, right?" Her mouth dropped to a frown. "Sadie, you'd tell me if you were running from an abusive boyfriend or stalker or someone like that, wouldn't you?"

"No, it's nothing like that." And it really wasn't, though I was definitely running from a dangerous man. But I was certainly not the object of his obsession. That mental quip made me smile.

"What's that about?" Gigi asked as she pulled on protective gloves.

"Nothing, just my head is feeling better."

"That's good. Oops, better open the window. This stuff reeks. It'll bring that headache right back."

A few hours later, the headache had been mostly zapped by the migraine medicine, but it'd also left me jittery. I downed a bag of pretzels hoping to calm the jitters but only ended up thirsty and with a stomachache. At least my hair looked awesome. Leave it to my bestie and the hottest hairstylist around to make my hide-in-plain-sight hairdo into a cool new look. My hair stood up in all the right places, and the color was an icy punk white.

"I'm good," Gigi said.

"You sure are. How much do I owe you?"