Buzzing Tuesday

In Harristown, haircut day was posted like a storm warning.

Jackie—Jack—kept her long bangs low, like curtains. Her shark-tooth necklace clicked as she walked past the Harristown Hair Hut. A new sign taped to the window read:

“TODAY: CLIPPER CHECKS.”

Remi jogged up, hair puffed out like a startled monkey.

“Don’t look at the sign,” he said.

Mike did look.

“It’s looking at me first,” Mike muttered.

Jacob pointed down the street.

“Okay, plan. We walk normal.”

Carson tried to walk normal and immediately tripped on the curb.

Ollie showed up last, breathing fast.

“I heard buzzing,” he whispered.

The shop door swung open. A bright, cheerful voice called, “Boys! And Jack! Pop in!”

The clippers whined like angry bees.

“No, no, we like our hair!” Jack yelled, already sprinting, her skull earrings swinging hard

The Box With Tape

Jack’s shoes slapped the sidewalk as she dove into Crumb & Curl Bakery.

Warm bread smell hit her face. Remi, Mike, Jacob, and Carson skidded in behind her, hair bouncing like jungle fluff.

Ollie squeezed in last and grabbed a bag of napkins like it was a shield.

A teen girl behind the counter lifted one eyebrow. Her apron was dusted with flour.

“Uh-huh,” she said, sweet as frosting and twice as sharp. “No running in my bakery. Also, no using my back door as an escape hatch.”

Carson pointed. “We’re not escaping! We’re… browsing!”

The girl tapped her phone and turned the screen.

On it, the Hair Hut girls waved clippers—unplugged—beside a box of balloons and foam heads.

“Clip-Off Challenge,” the video said. “Practice only. No shaving. Win snacks. Skip it, and school does chair checks tomorrow.”

Ollie’s face went gray.

“That’s illegal,” Mike whispered.

Ollie shoved past the counter. “I’m not doing balloons! Balloons pop!”

Jack darted after him, bangs in her eyes, as the doorbell screamed behind her