The Hairdresser Diaries

by Jessica Miller

  I let out a sigh and followed Cole upstairs.

  I called Alex the next day, but she didn’t answer. I guess she must still be mad at me.

  On Monday at work I asked Peyton if she had heard from her and she said no. I was getting worried until Alex stumbled in the door, Bambi not far behind her. Her eyes were all glazed over and bloodshot, she reeked of booze, and was wearing the most ridiculous outfit. She had on a white halter top that was completely open in the back with one tiny string holding it together and short black spandex shorts. Her blue extensions now pink.

  Everyone stared with wide eyes. “What are you wearing?” Peyton asked.

  “You like?” Alex did a clumsy spin. “Bambi let me raid her closet.”

  “Are you drunk?” Peyton scoffed at her.

  “Nooo…” Alex waved her off stumbling to her station. Peyton had that same worried look I had.

  Teresa came around the corner and stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of Alex. “I hope you brought something to change into,” she said to Alex.

  “Nope,” she laughed.

  “You cannot wear that to work, it’s inappropriate.”

  “Don’t be such a prude,” Alex slurred.

  “Are you drunk?”

  Alex stared at Teresa, trying to be serious and maintain her balance. Both were a loss. She fell over laughing.

  “Get her out of here before I fire her ass!” Teresa yelled.

  “Relax, we were just having fun, she’s fine,” Bambi said picking her up off the floor.

  “She’s not fine look at her…she would have never done this before. This is all your fault, you did this to her.” I said and pointed my finger getting in Bambi’s face.

  “I didn’t make her do anything she didn’t want to do.”

  “But you helped her.”

  “Please…I didn’t force the bottle down her throat, just like I didn’t force your boyfriend to come visit me on a weekly basis. Both were by choice and now I see why,” she said smugly.

  I didn’t care anymore and I had just about enough of this bitch. So in the spirit of what I seem to do best, I punched her. She dropped but Jenna’s good reflexes caught her before she hit the floor.

  “You bitch!” Bambi yelled and jumped up lunging for me. I stepped back as Peyton stepped in and nailed Bambi in the face hard enough that she fell to the ground. Peyton stood over her, daring her to get up.

  Teresa had one of the stylists pull Peyton and me out of the way. “Get your stuff and get the hell out of my salon, your fired!” she told Bambi.

  “I don’t need this pathetic job anyway.” She walked towards Alex, but we stood in front of her.

  “Take her too,” Teresa said.

  “What! No, Teresa, come on. I’ll take her home and she’ll be as good as new tomorrow.”

  “I’m done Tatum. I’m not going to tolerate any more crap. Keep it up and you’ll be next,” she growled stomping off. I went to open my mouth, but Peyton stopped me.

  “Come on Alex, you can come work with me at my other job, where we’ll be appreciated,” Bambi said to Alex as they walked out the door.

  I wanted so badly to go after her, but I knew it wouldn’t help.

  “Come on,” Peyton put her arm on my shoulder pulling me to the back.

  This was not how I expected things to turn out. I still didn’t want to give up on Alex, but I had no idea how to help her, especially when she didn’t want to be helped. I was not going to let her destroy herself. I told Cole everything that happened and he told me he would help in any way he could, but right now there was nothing anyone could do, except maybe Tyler. I knew Alex had feelings for him still. I could see it in her eyes when she said for me to tell him to stop calling; she didn’t really mean it. I also knew they cared for each other more than they were letting on. I never noticed it before. I was too involved in my own world.

  I called Tyler and caught him up on what was going on. He tried to play it off like he didn’t care, but I knew better. He said he wouldn’t help. Until I told him that she does care for him, that she’s just messed up right now and needs his help. He eventually gave in and said he’d try.

  Every day we called Alex and took turns going to her house, but she refused to see any of us. It was getting to the point where we were running out of options on what to do to help. Considering she wouldn’t even see or talk to us. We decided to take a break and give her some time hoping she’d come around and eventually talk to us. I had other things to distract me with Kristi’s wedding being a few short weeks away. She was calling me every day with different stuff and driving me nuts.

  Two weeks had gone by and no one had heard from Alex. I told Peyton we should try getting a hold of her again. So we did and still nothing. Landon said he’d go to the Club where Bambi worked to see if he could maybe find something out. When he came over to the house later to tell me, I hammered him right away with questions.

  “Was she there? Did you talk to her? How does she look?”

  “Tatum, I think you should sit down,” Landon said.

  “I don’t want to sit down just tell me what you know,” I demanded.

  He took a deep breath and told me everything he found out. “I saw her…and it’s not good,” he looked at me with worried eyes. “She looks…horrible.”

  “Horrible how? Like she hasn’t slept, she’s stressed, sad?” I pressed him.

  “Horrible as in drinking and doing drugs.”

  Now I sat down. “How do you know for sure, did you talk to her?”

  “Yes.”

  “And what did she say?”

  “She was so out of it she didn’t even know it was me…she offered me a lap dance.”

  “She’s working there!?!”

  “Yes and when she finally realized it was me she was talking to, she told me to tell you guys to leave her alone. That she wants nothing to do with us, she’s perfectly fine.”

  I put my hand to my chest. I was terrified for her more now than ever.

  “Thanks Landon,” I whispered before he left. I sat on the couch staring at the floor not believing what I just heard. Cole pulled me into his chest and told me he was sorry that I had to find out this way and that things took a turn for the worse. I started to cry not knowing what else to do and Cole just held me.

  Later that night I had a dream or at least I thought it was a dream. I only heard voices, but I didn’t see anything. Everything was black and I heard my sister and brother talking.

  “You think she’ll ever wake up?” Trina asked.

  “Of course she will, just as long as you don’t lean on her oxygen tube again,” Tyler said.

  “One time, and it was an accident,” they both chuckled. “Well, when she does, at least her nails will look pretty, see?”

  What are they talking about? And why can’t I see them?

  “Tyler, why don’t you take Trina and go back to your place and get some sleep, we all don’t have to be here.” I heard my dad say. But where is here?

  “Tatum,” my dad whispered. “Please, if you can hear me…we really need you back. I’m not ready to let you go.” It sounded like he was crying. I tried to tell him I was right here and I’m not going anywhere, but there was no sound…just silence.

  I woke up suddenly, gasping for air.

  Cole jumped up. “What is it? What happened?”

  I looked around trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

  “Tatum?”

  “Sorry…I’m fine…just a bad dream, go back to sleep.” Cole held me tight as I lay down in his arms almost feeling an instant relief. I came to the conclusion that it was just that, a bad dream. Probably from all the stress with Alex and Kristi’s wedding.

  After Landon confronted Alex at the club, Tyler went there every day to try to get her to quit and get help. She was so far gone she wouldn’t listen to reason. She told one of the bouncers Tyler was harassing her and had him kicked out.

  After three weeks of trying to
reach Alex and getting nowhere, Cole suggested I stop for a bit. I was getting too stressed out and it wasn’t helping the situation. He offered to take me and all my friends out for dinner and drinks to help get our minds off of Alex for a while. I called everyone up and they thought it was a great idea.

  After dinner, I wasn’t in the mood for drinks, knowing it wouldn’t help me keep my mind off Alex so Cole and I went home and called it an early night.

  Sometime around midnight, my phone rang on my nightstand. When I picked it up there was no number, it was unknown.

  “Who is it?” Cole asked.

  “I don’t know, says unknown caller.”

  “Don’t answer it, let the voicemail get it,” he said as he lay back down.

  I never did listen well. Cole let out a sigh as I said hello. I didn’t hear anything except loud music.

  “Hello?” I said again.

  “Tatum…” someone whispered. “ He…p…eee…” I could barely understand anything.

  “Alex?”

  “Ta…um…hurry.” Her speech was slurred and unclear, but I knew enough to figure out it was Alex.

  “Alex where are you?” I said in a panic. I heard someone yelling in the background and sirens go off. Then the phone clicked and there was silence.

  “Alex! Alex!” I yelled.

  I jumped off the bed, rushing to find some clothes to throw on.

  “Tatum, where are you going?” Cole asked.

  “To find Alex.”

  “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know.” I spun in circles panicking trying to find something, anything.

  “Tatum stop.” Cole got up from the bed.

  “I can’t, I need to get to her now, she’s in trouble.”

  “You don’t even know where she is…Tatum…” I ignored him still searching. “Tatum…”

  “Are you going to help me or just sit there,” I yelled throwing my hands up in the air exasperated.

  Cole grabbed my arms trying to calm me down. “Tatum, I will help you, but you need to calm down first and we need to figure out exactly where Alex is.”

  I put my hand to my head. “I don’t know…I don’t know, I don’t know!” I screamed and started to cry.

  Cole pulled me into his chest trying to calm me down. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “We’ll figure it out. What did you hear in the background?”

  “I don’t know it was so noisy…really loud music…”

  “What kind of music?”

  “I guess dance.”

  “Did you hear anything else, like bells, or whistles?”

  “A siren, I heard a siren.”

  Cole squeezed me a little tighter. “I know where she’s at,” he sighed. I pulled back.

  “Where, where is she?”

  “At the Club.” I saw his face and I knew that was the last place he was hoping she’d be.

  We got dressed and I called Tyler on the way and told him to meet us there. They wouldn’t let him in, but it still helped to have him there once we got her outside. Cole also called Tommy to help us have a little more muscle on our side if need be.

  We got there ahead of everyone else so we waited until they arrived. Jessie came along with Tommy. The boys wanted us to stay outside, but we refused and insisted we go with. They knew arguing with us they wouldn’t win.

  Cole pulled me aside. “Tatum, before we go in here, I just…”

  “Look, whatever happened in the past is in the past, you don’t have to worry…I promise, cross my heart.” I drew an ‘x’ over my heart. He hugged and kissed me and then took my hand before we walked in.

  I braced myself for what I was about to see. I could handle naked chicks and whatever else went on in this club, but I couldn’t bear to see my friend suffering.

  Once inside, I looked around for Alex. We barely made it ten feet before the workers started to recognize Cole.

  “Cole, baby, where have you been?” asked one of the dancers putting her arms around him. I tried hard not to get angry and remember we were here to get Alex. He peeled the dancer off of him. “What did you want to do tonight?” she asked.

  “Sorry, but I’m looking for a friend of mine.”

  “I’m all the friend you need right here,” she said putting her hands all over him again.

  Now it was time for me to step in. I wanted to rip her to shreds and tell her what I really thought of her, but I knew that wouldn’t get me anywhere. “Look, like he said, were looking for our friend Alex.”

  “Who?” she said confused.

  “Alex, long dark hair, blue eyes, has a butterfly tattoo on her thigh.”

  “Oh, you mean Alexa,” she said and pointed in the direction of the stage.

  Alexa, really, how original.

  I blew past the girl and straight for the stage, but all I saw was Bambi. I couldn’t even begin to describe what the place looked like. I was here for one purpose and that was Alex. I spun in circles, neck craning, eyes searching everywhere, but no Alex.

  I noticed Bambi had found her way over to Cole. She was the last person I wanted to talk to right now, but she if anyone, would know where Alex is. I stood behind her, listening to her pathetic attempts to flirt with Cole.

  “So I see you came to your senses and ditched the bitch. I’m happy you came home. We missed you…I missed you,” Bambi said running her finger down Cole’s chest, smiling seductively. I tapped her on the shoulder and when she turned around and saw me, she wasn’t smiling anymore. “You,” she grunted.

  “Look whore, you’ve got about five seconds to back the fuck up before I knock you on your ass.”

  “It’s not my fault you weren’t woman enough for your man. I knew he’d come back eventually.” She started to run her hands all over Cole, but he pulled away.

  “Stop,” Cole said to Bambi.

  “You know you want me to,” she purred.

  “No I don’t,” he said ripping her hands off of him.

  “I get it,” Bambi turned to me. “You can pretend all you want while she’s here, but we know who it is you really want.”

  “I won’t pretend anymore, and the truth is you’re right, the one I really want,” Cole turned to me, “is this one right here,” he smiled gently at me. “And she’s also who I’m going to let loose on you if you don’t tell us where Alex is.”

  Bambi crossed her arms in a huff annoyed. “I’m not telling you shit!”

  I grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up against a wall. Almost instantly bouncers surrounded us, Cole, Tommy, and Jessie stalled for time.

  “You’re going to tell me now! Where is she?” I demanded. Bambi’s eyes grew wide with terror and I squeezed harder just before I let go. Her hands went to her neck and she started gasping. She pointed to a door over near the stage. I rushed over and charged through the door. Alex was lying on the floor face down.

  I ran to her, rolled her over, she was still breathing, but barely. “Alex.” I brushed her hair off her face that stuck from sweat.

  She batted her eyes. “Tatum,” she said weakly.

  Cole walked through the door. “Help me get her up.”

  We lifted her up, she was hardly coherent. Cole and I stood on each side of her carrying her out. Tommy and Jessie flanked themselves around us on our way out of the club. Fortunately the bouncers stayed clear as they watched Alex being carried past finally realizing something serious was going on. As soon as we got outside Tyler came running up and picked Alex up into his arms. He had fear and concern written all over his face.

  “She needs to get to the hospital,” I said. They all agreed.

  The doctors made us wait in the emergency waiting room. Tyler paced angrily back and forth. Blaming himself, saying if he hadn’t given up, none of this would have happened. I tried comforting him and telling him it wasn’t his fault and this unfortunately would have happened anyway.

  One of the Doctors that was taking care of Alex came out and Tyler almost attacked him. “How is she?”

>   “She’s stable now. She had a bit of a scare. Does anyone know what she took tonight?”

  We all shook our heads no.

  “We found quite a bit of drugs and alcohol in her system. We’ll know more shortly.”

  “Can we see her?” Tyler asked.

  “Only one for now, the rest can visit her tomorrow.”

  “Tyler, you go ahead,” I said. I knew he would be a mess if he couldn’t see her now. “Why don’t you guys go home? There’s nothing else we can do for her now,” I told Tommy and Jessie.

  “You’ll let us know if anything changes?” Jessie asked.

  “I will, I promise, and thank you.” I gave them both a hug and kiss goodbye and sat back down in the waiting room.

  Cole sat down next to me. “You’re tired and it’s late, I think we she should head home too.”

  “I just want to make sure Tyler is okay, and then we can go.” Cole just kissed me on top of my head and I leaned on his shoulder. After about a half an hour I sneaked back to Alex’s room to check on Tyler. He told me he was going to stay with her. I squeezed his shoulder and told him to call me if he needed anything and I would be back in the morning.

  Exhausted, Cole and I headed home and I made sure I set the alarm early so I could get up and go back to the hospital.

  I had another dream that night. Same as the last one, everything was black, but I could hear voices. This time it was Tyler. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault, I should’ve…I’m so sorry, we need you back, I can’t lose you now.”

  When I woke up I didn’t think too much about it. I just figured it was me worrying about Alex. I got up right away, got dressed, and headed for the hospital. I didn’t bother to wake Cole. I just left him a note, telling him where I was.

  Alex was awake when I got there. “Good morning,” I said as I walked through the door.

  “Hi,” Alex said in a soft voice. I didn’t see Tyler around and I thought I’d ask her later.

  “How you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been hit by a bus,” she said her voice scratchy and hoarse.

  “The Doc says I should be able to leave today, but I have to have someone monitor me. He thinks I’m a drug addict and might be suicidal,” she laughed.