Rapunzel Cuts Her Hair

The title of the chapter is kind of obvious as to what happens, but also you get to see more into why Hallie stays with David.

After the exhausting argument with David, Hallie cooked breakfast for him and afterwards decided to go back to her house. She told David she had Christmas shopping to do, but before that she was in serious need of a warm bubble bath and a nap. Once she returned home she lathered the rain water out of her hair with glossy volumizing shampoo, then blow dried and straightened out the waves in her waist long honey-blonde hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed that the hair she�d been growing for years didn�t really fit her slightly rounded face. With the recent developments in her life, she realized she needed something new, just something different than the same hairstyle she�d been sporting since freshman year of college.

The upscale Hollywood salon she normally went to required an appointment months in advance, and charged eighty bucks just for a trim. The money of course wasn�t the problem, it was having to wait for a change she wanted right now.

If Abby were there she would have notified Hallie of her insanity, but the house was empty and there was no one to talk her out of what she was about to do. She opened the bathroom drawer to find several pairs of scissors, but none were actual haircutting ones. Not caring she took the sharpest looking pair, combed out the ends of her hair and snipped away. When the first piece fell her eyes nearly bugged out of her head at how much had dropped on the floor, but it wasn�t like she could stop now. She made sure the back was even with the rest then kept going all the way around. Once all the uneven stray hairs were cut she evaluated her work.

Her Gisele Bundchen wavy long style had replaced itself with a Keira Knightly just-above-the-shoulders look in just minutes. �Holy s**t,� she thought to herself.

Hallie blinked at her new reflection hoping she wouldn�t get teased too much for it, not that it was bad, but it was definitely different like she wanted. After she styled it into a high-fashion, bangs-covering-the-eyes look, she was surprised by how much her features had become accentuated, and she figured she didn�t do a bad job.

Afraid to look at herself any longer for fear that she�d discover this was a big mistake, she picked her locks up off the floor and decided to put them in a bag to give to charity. Someone was going to be extremely thankful.

Every mirror that she passed Hallie had to glance at herself. Too excited to even think about taking a nap now, Hallie called her friends to meet up and do some Christmas shopping which she hadn�t even started yet.

Feeling self-conscious about revealing her new look, she pulled on her Free People knit cap to cover her work, and changed into a warm thermal shirt and True Religion jeans. Just when she was about to step out the door her house phone rang which was weird since everyone just called her cell.

The caller ID flashed �private� which was weird. Hallie picked it up hoping a certain non-boyfriend male�s voice wouldn�t enter her ear.

�Hi! We just got back from Australia! Did you know it is summertime there?� Hallie�s overly perky mother practically shouted into the receiver.

�Wow�!� Hallie said surprised that they were calling. They always went on trips and didn�t call to say when they were leaving, or if they came back alive, so they must have wanted something.

�How is everything there? Are you keeping the house up?� Rita Harris said switching to concerned mother tone.

�Yes everything is fine here. I�m about to meet with the girls to go Christmas shopping.� Hallie was tempted to tell her mother about her new haircut, but she knew the in-person reaction would be so much better.

�Well good sweetheart. You�re father wants to have a word with you before you go.�

�Ok�� Hallie became worried. The last time her father wanted to �have a word� with her it was because she crashed her brand new BMW her parents bought for her, but after lecturing her on the responsibilities of driving they just bought her another one anyway.

The phone switched over and Hallie�s father Edward took the phone.

�Hey Hal. The house is in good condition?�

�Yeah everything is fine I already told mom that. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?�

�No it�s something more serious. Do you have a minute?�

A million possibilities raced through Hallie�s mind: Her father was sick, her mother was sick, some relative died. She sat down on the stairs so she wouldn�t freak out.

�Of course dad, what is it?� she demanded frantically.

�Well David�s father and I were having a little chat about you two, and he gave me some disturbing information.�

Hallie sighed in relief that it wasn�t something worse, but what the hell were they doing talking about her relationship?

�Everything is fine Dad, me and David are back together now don�t worry.� Hallie said rolling her eyes.

�Yes, but what worries me is why you were broken up with David. Mr. Carrington told me that David came to him upset that you were hanging around that boy, that garbage, Christian West!� Hallie�s father roared into the phone.

�That�s what David told you? Oh my gosh give me a break,� Hallie muttered frustrated that her time with Christian was now everyone�s business.

�Don�t speak to me that way! What have you been doing with him? I thought I told you never to see him!�

�That was when I was like eight years old Dad. I�m twenty-one now, I�ll see whoever I want!�

�Over my dead body! That son of a b***h, what is it? Are you guys going to run off and get married again?�

Hallie nearly dropped the phone when her father said that. She could kill David for being such a pansy and telling his parents about her and Christian, because of course it would get back to her own parents.

�Edward stop, she will just rebel again,� Hallie�s mother said in the background.

Hallie reached to tug on her hair forgetting that she just cut it. She just wanted to hang up on her parents and punch something. Before she could Rita�s voice came on the line.

�What exactly were you doing with that boy?�

�Nothing mom! We accidentally ran into each other and talked a few times, that�s it!� Her sex life was none of her parents business, and she would have given her father a heart attack if she told the truth.

�Listen to me carefully sweetheart, that boy is not good enough for you, he never will be. Now I know you two were close friends when you were children, well, it was more wasn�t it? You both were like childhood sweethearts, always hanging around each other,� Mrs. Harris recalled. �But like when I told you when you were little, he isn�t like us, he is from a different world, it would never work between you. In fact it didn�t work did it Hallie?�
Hallie remained silent, unable to argue.

�You need to grow out Christian West. He is in your past, David is your future now, well that is if you don�t make anymore mistakes.�

�Fine whatever you say. I have to go now� Hallie replied saying what her mother wanted to hear just wanting to get off the phone and discontinue the conversation.

�After everything we do for her and she�s running around with him! I will kill that kid if I ever see him again� she could hear her father yelling in the background.

�I�m going now! Bye!� Hallie slammed her phone shut in anger.

She couldn�t believe her fathers outrage. Kill him? Her father absolutely despised Christian, and even smacked him around once when he was just a kid so she figured she shouldn�t put anything past him. Hallie never truly knew why her family hated him so much, even before running away with him or anything like that, her father just wanted him eliminated, out of Hallie�s life. It was like he could sense their affection for one another, and tried everything he could to end it.

It scared her to think that her dad might actually hurt Christian if he ever saw him, not that she was worried about a physical fight which Christian could now win easily, but who knew what her dad would do? He could get one of the hunting guns he owned and just shoot him if he ever came near his daughter.

And that was how her parents controlled who she dated, by manipulating her, screaming at her, and making threats until she stopped, and saying things like �grow out of Christian�, as if he was a childish bad habit, which maybe he was. Even though she just lived with Abby, it was like she was still living under her parents roof, they�re rules. Since it was forbidden she was unable to decide anything for herself, but that had always been her life. When she wasn�t allowed to associate with non-wealthy kids, or forced to go to equestrian competitions and beauty pageants instead of playing like a normal kid, she�d imagine herself as a princess locked in a tower. Christian, her prince, would always come to the rescue, even if he was banned from seeing her .

It was easy for her friends to tell her she had to break out of that control her parents had over her, but it wasn�t like she knew any other life, even if another man tried to show her.

She gazed out her window at the street below, remembering how she�d stare for hours and wait to see if Christian would come for her, and sometimes he would. Either way it didn�t matter now, she couldn�t let down her hair anymore to let him climb up and steal her away. He�d just have to think up something else.

Author's Note

Sleepy when i wrote the last half so it might be crappy lol

Reviews

[Aria]

I really liked this story but unfortunately you did not follow the rules. Your story exceeded the 5,000 word limit so I could not award you. But, you would have been awarded, had it been shorter. You still get an Honorable Mention for great imagination! You really did do a good job. Thanks for entering my contest.

[Laura E. Aranda]

Good luck in the Sleeping White Contest.Cheers,lea

[Wolfwind Words]

The social hiearchy of who's better or not for someone, needs to be tossed into the garbage can. Love transcends all. The father needs to be needled with some Thorozine and sent into a padded room, in my opinion.

[thecoolone52]

dude id like to see the chirstian guy kicked her dad's a*s hahahahaha........ anyway i liked this chapter they all dont have to be so intense... if you ever watch a tv show serriess they have filler episodes... this was better then in a fill in episode i enjoyed it.... nice work

[Mysteral - Night Prowle..]

Not quite the intensity of feeling as the last two chapters, but perhaps a good thing. build it up again in the next? Looking forward to reading more soon as poss.

[MorganLyn]

... I thought she had curly hair??..
anyways.. this one seems kind of sad.. being controlled by your parents after you're grown up is an awful thing to live with...
the writing is excellent though. no worries there. :D
I hope the next one she'll be with Christian again..
great write!

[ShadowWolf]

Sleepy or not, still it is a good story. I liked the last two sentences.