Just do it, she coached herself. Do it now and don't think. Her hands refused to stop shaking, but she grabbed the scissors and brought them up to her hair. Moments later, her waist-length brunette hair was gone, replaced by a style that fell just past her shoulders.

"Not bad," she whispered. Her hair used to be curlier, but was now much wavier. It definitely looked alright, but it wasn't exactly....her. Her skin had turned paler; the blue of her eyes had dulled. With the new haircut, she was relatively unrecognizable. As long as she wore more make up than she used to, no one would be suspicious. 

She was going to reenter the world and find someone. It had been so long since her last boyfriend that she didn't even know if she could deal with men anymore. Getting out wasn't exactly her idea, though she had readily agreed. Without many people to talk to, life could get pretty boring. Whether or not she would find someone was kind of up in the air, but something would come of this whole experience. 

"Something's missing," she said aloud. No one was with her, which she was used to, but she sometimes like to think she was still the popular girl from back home. 

"Clothes," she mumbled. "Clothes are essential." Which, again, wasn't really true when you were always alone. She grabbed a black, sleeveless dress that reached her mid-thighs and held it up to her body, inspecting herself in the mirror. 

"What happened to me?" she sighed. Earlier, she used to be so full of life, but now, her smile couldn't even reach her eyes. The dress would have looked great on her a few years back. For some reason, now it just seemed overly sexualized. If she needed to look for a man, she wouldn't have trouble; he would come to her. This wasn't who she was, however. She was always innocent and quiet. What was she doing?

Pulling the dress over her head, she stepped into black stilettos. The habit of wearing these abominations had left her years ago, just as she had left behind everything she had known. Trying to get what she called her "flow" back would be difficult. Her only hope rested in the fact that a few missed years wouldn't ruin her chances with the guy she was bound to meet.

Quickly running a brush through her hair, she ran downstairs to open the door. The sunlight hit her face instantly, engulfing her in warm kisses. The kisses she once received from a boyfriend. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she stepped outside. The time away had deprived her of this. 

You're gonna do this, Brenda, she told herself, flipping her now shorter hair over her shoulder, whether you like it or not. Don't look back.