Homecoming At the Hospital

When we arrived, the shop wasn’t very busy. I thought for sure more people would be here to see Elsa Mae. She does such amazing work. She called me over right away. I didn’t even have time to sign in. She got me into the pink shampoo chair and began rinsing my hair. This was always my favorite part. The way she massaged my scalp should be a sin. I could literally fall asleep. Her fingernails just ever so slightly scratched my roots and my scalp. It was heaven. If this is what being kissed feels like, then I am going to really be in for a treat tonight with Jeff, I thought to myself. I giggled at the thought of him kissing me.

Elsa Mae, brought me over to her chair. It was the most beautiful chair in the entire salon. It had tufted cushions and faux diamonds. There was a gold EM emblem on the back. I admired it for a second before I sat down. As she blow dried my hair straight, she asked me a lot of questions. Of course she wanted to know who my date was and what my dress looked like. But what I didn’t expect her to recall was my crush on Keegan. She said it so loudly that I thought I might die. I looked at her and then at Casey, who was already halfway through her style at this point. Casey saw my fear and went into bestie mode.

“So Jeff rented a limo Elsa,” she interrupted, “It’s literally going to be so much fun. He really likes our James over here and I think he has won her heart too,” she said winking at me.

All of the ladies fawned over me and my possible 16 year old romance. I had to keep reminding them that I would be 16 this Christmas. I am literally 15 and a half people.

When Elsa finished my hair it lay long down my back and around my shoulders. It was pinned up around my face. Mrs. Sato, Casey’s mom, told me that I looked like I stepped out of a movie from the 20’s. I felt like a movie star as well. Elsa added a few teal and dark blue gems on the edges of the pin curls. Jeff was going to fall in love tonight for sure. We thanked the ladies at the salon and headed to my house to finish getting ready.

My mom did our make up. She does such a flawless job. I swear I looked like a different person. I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. She did slight hints of teal around my wings. And she added small gems of similar colors around my eyes. Just slightly, not too much. It was perfect. We took a few pictures in the mirror before grabbing our dresses and putting them on. Casey wore a red dress that made her hair stand out beautifully. My best friend is such a hottie. Cyman is going to adore her in this dress. My mom urged us to hurry so that we could go to the hospital and see Keegan. I truly think that she just didn’t want to see the Patts. I know they got in this morning and were headed to see Keegan as well. I decided not to argue and got my clutch and Jeff’s flower. I couldn’t wait to see him and wondered if he was thinking the same.

We headed to the hospital, which was way quicker than I remembered. Last night it seemed to take forever to get there. Casey and I waited in the hallway as Baylen and my mom went into the room. I could hear Keegan’s voice. He sounded more like himself today. He was cheerful and talkative. Baylen peeked his head out and said that Keegan wanted to see us in our dresses. I stood up and pressed down on my dress. I wasn’t fixing it for him, I reminded myself. As we walked into the room my eyes met his. I could see his eyes get noticeably bigger. He sat up in his bed and opened his mouth slightly. I could see his cheeks get flushed with a hue of pink. I swear I could almost see his mouth form the word, WOW.

“Oh my god!” Keegan said, his eyes only fixed on me.

Everyone followed his gaze to me.

“I’m here too Kee,” Casey joked, snapping Keegan back to reality.

“Of course, Case. You guys look beautiful. Cyman and Jeff are some lucky dudes,” he complimented.

Baylen shot him a look and Keegan rolled his eyes. They communicated using facial expressions for a few seconds.