Snippets

Loch couldn’t keep her mouth shut any longer. This had been bothering her for weeks, and it was about time she finally confronted Pyre. She picked a day when they were just hanging out and chilling. It was a warm and breezy autumn afternoon; the park was full of people walking dogs and playing games. She and her best friend skirted the thick of it as they meandered around together, chatting about their upcoming concert and the videogame they’d been streaming recently.

‘Hey, Pyre,’ she said after a small lull in the conversation.

‘Yeah?’

‘Why’d you cut your hair?’

He peered down at her through the curtains of ginger that no longer fell halfway down his back, the surprise on his face mirrored by Loch’s own. She wondered why he hadn’t expected anyone to bring this up. Granted, Stal hadn’t even mentioned it, and Gray and Arc had only given him a cursory glance the first time he showed up for practice after what had obviously been a trip to the barber.

‘I dunno,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to try something a bit different.’

‘That’s a pretty radical change, Pyre.’

‘Don’t you like it? I thought it looked cool. Kind of casual – and it doesn’t get in the way so much anymore.’

Loch eyed his hair for what was probably the fiftieth time since he got it cut. This time, she tried to keep her feelings neutral. She supposed it could be worse. The flaming strands were just a little beyond shoulder-length and the front of his hair had been tamed so it didn’t constantly cover his right eye. Well, it probably helped him see better.

‘I guess it’ll take some getting used to, but… it looks good,’ she said at last.

He grinned with an edge of relief; she wondered just how much he’d been banking on her opinion when he chose to change his style. Pyre wasn’t the type to care what other people thought – or at least, that was the impression she had always gotten from him – but here, he seemed genuinely pleased by her positive reaction.

‘Thanks,’ he said.