Formula Femme Fatale
Killer blond
Maybe I should go lighter. Lorraine dragged her finger over the rows of flawless two-dimensional blonds on the drugstore shelves. She selected a cool shade somewhere between Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe. Then she captured a strand of her own inferior blond and pressed it against the color guide on the back of the box. Yes, she thought. This one will do, and chucked it into her basket.
It only took a few minutes for Lorraine to mix the chemicals and saturate her shoulder length hair. She piled it high on her head then wrapped it in plastic. She was no stranger to at home bleaching kits. Her natural hair was brown, but she’d been going lighter since the age of eighteen.
Loraine had lousy taste in men. They were schemers, scammers, gamblers and philanderers. Each relationship ended in a dramatic scene, followed by a late-night bleaching session. Perhaps she was bleaching the loser out of her hair or she could have been bleaching the version of herself that fell for him. Either way, she always hoped the results would help her attract someone better. This was scientific. Trial and error until the perfect shade of blond solved all her problems.
The bleach started to burn more than usual and there was still 5 minutes left on the timer. She slipped a couple of fingers under the plastic to confirm the hair was still attached to her scalp. Once she reassured herself that she hadn’t singed all her hair off, Lorraine simply reminded herself that beauty is pain.
Five minutes.
Four…Tic. Tic. Tic.
Her eyes as welled up with tears. The burning got worse. She decided not to watch the timer anymore and turned on the shower. The pain was disorienting. A kaleidoscope of violent fractured images flashed through her mind.
Just when she was about to give into the pain and confusion, the timer buzzed, startling her.
She threw off her robe and leapt into the shower to rinse. It was like shedding the old Loraine. A rebirth.
Then with every second she spent drying and styling her hair in the mirror, the more powerful the urge to kill.
******************************
I was inspired to write this story when I saw this box of hair color stained with a very bloody shade of red. I had to snap a picture of it.
About the Creator
Leslie Writes
Another struggling millennial. Writing is my creative outlet and stress reliever.
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Comments (6)
I'd love to see a follow up to this one ☺
Your writing style is engaging and your ability to create vivid characters and situations is impressive. This is a great example of how a seemingly mundane act can be transformed into a powerful and thought-provoking story.
i hope there is a part continuation of this piece, lovely and amazing
You know you're writer when you see that on the shelf and go...there's a story. Well done!
Lol, was that red supposed to be on that box? I really love Lorraine though. I hope they'll be a part 2 to this hehehehe
oh that took a turn! love how you were inspired by that box! this was like a dark satire almost! so much in so few words! we learn enough to be interested, intrigued and care! lots to relate to Id guess for lots of women (and men) and just all executed wonderfully! well done, Leslie!