The Van of Doom Arrives

Jackie pulled her long black hair forward like a curtain, hiding behind it as she peered through the classroom window. Down in the courtyard, she spotted the dreaded white van with "Snip & Style Mobile Salon" painted in cheerful pink letters.

"Oh no, oh no, oh NO!" she whispered, her Australian accent thick with panic.

Ollie burst through the door, his shaggy brown hair bouncing wildly. "Did you see it? The van of doom is here!"

"I saw it," Jackie groaned. "And look who's coming out."

Three young women emerged from the van, wheeling cases of equipment. They wore matching pink aprons and had perfectly styled hair that gleamed in the afternoon sun.

Remi, Mike, Jacob, and Carson crowded around the window, their own overgrown hair making them look like a pack of worried sheep dogs.

"Those devils better not bring clippers near my head," Carson muttered. "I'll die from baldness!"

The hairdressers looked up at the school building and waved cheerfully.

Jackie's stomach dropped. "They're coming inside."

The Emergency Assembly

The school bell rang three sharp times—the signal for an emergency assembly. Jackie's heart sank as she heard Mrs. Henderson's voice crackling over the intercom.

"All students report to the gymnasium immediately for a special presentation from our visiting hair care professionals."

"This is it," Ollie whispered, his face pale. "We're doomed."

The friends shuffled down the hallway like prisoners walking to their doom. Other kids chattered excitedly about getting their hair styled, but Jackie's group stayed silent.

In the gymnasium, the three hairdressers had set up stations with bright pink chairs. Silver scissors gleamed on rolling carts, and Jackie spotted the worst thing of all—electric clippers sitting ominously on each station.

"If those devils get near my head, I'm gonna die from baldness!" Carson muttered under his breath.

The lead hairdresser, a woman with perfectly curled blonde hair, smiled warmly at the assembled students. "Hello, everyone! I'm Stella, and we're here to give some of you lovely new looks today."

Jackie pulled her long black hair forward like a shield, trying to disappear.