CHAPTER 1

Stephanie looked around and grimaced at how dull her bedroom was. If only she could afford it, she would give her bedroom a total makeover. She would replace the mattress which has bloodstains from her previous monthly periods. Although the comforter was clean, it would be comfier to have a new one. She could put up with the old drapes but it would have been nicer if she could change it more often.

But at least, she had a roof on her head! For the nth time, she sighed deeply and wondered what's wrong with her? She did her best, but it wasn't enough, and she was already frustrated!

Maybe she needed to change something about her...

It has been an hour since she sat in front of the mirror and eyed the scissor near her. The mean words from her dead father echoed inside her head, and every second that passed she began to believe him. Stephanie cursed at the woman in the mirror and narrowed her eyes to check her appearance. She tied her long hair into a messy bun to check every pore on her face.

Everything went wrong in her life! She just lost her job because of a woman’s insecurity! She could probably let it slide but it didn’t happen once! Her longest tenure in a company would only be a week or less than a month. How would she keep on living without a stable income? She would starve to death!

She had no surviving family aside from the mother who abandoned her when she was only four years old, and her excuse for a father was abusive to her until the day he died. Until his last breath, he cursed at her mother and wished they didn’t look the same. As if it was her fault for inheriting her mother’s goddess-like feature!

Maybe he was right all this time!

Stephanie closed her eyes as her hands slowly inched its way towards the scissor and when her fingers touched the coldness of the blade, she grabbed it! Then, she untied her hair and without thinking thoroughly, she began cutting her hair. Little by little, long strands of jet black hair fell into the floor. However, when she stared at her image in the mirror, she cringed for remaining to look like a woman.

She bit her lower lip as she strode towards the door, and went outside. She recalled that her father always has an extra shaver in his bathroom, and she’s on her way to retrieve it! She has decided to go hairless and began living as a man!

Yes, from now onwards, the name Stephanie would be forever buried along with her misfortune, and she would be Stefan until her last breath!

The door to his father’s room creaked when she pushed it slowly. The old man has been dead for several months, but it was her first time to visit his room, and it’s creepy. It was as if his spirit remained lingering in his bedroom, and she had to sprint towards the bathroom.

The sound of her heart was almost deafening as she left and returned to her room, with the shaver on her right hand. She took several deep breaths before she resumed sitting in front of the mirror, and shaved her hair!

Ten minutes later, she was torn between crying and laughing at her appearance. She’s bald and she looked like an avatar! She looked horrible without a single hair on her head, and she regretted her impulsive decision to shave. She kept on staring at the mirror without blinking her eyes, and she almost jumped when someone knocked on her door.

It must be Tracy, her tenant. She snorted at her decision to begin living as a man when she couldn’t even show her bald head to anyone, especially to her tenant. Tracy has been renting the extra bedroom even when her father was still alive, and they have been friends since then. She searched for a hoodie in her wardrobe and wore it on top of her clothes before she went to open the door.

“Hey,” she greeted the woman who brought a bag of goodies from the bakeshop where she worked. “Is that for me?” She inquired but before Tracy could respond, she took the bag from her, and let the woman in.

“Why are you wearing a hoodie? Don’t you feel hot?” She had been wondering from the moment Stephanie opened the door because it was thirty-eight degrees outside! She looked around, and when her eyes got a glimpse of black hair on the floor, her eyes widen and aimed for the hoodie on Stephanie’s head. “Shit! What have you done?” She exclaimed upon seeing her bald head for the first time.

Stephanie was embarrassed when her bald head was exposed, but she couldn’t do anything about it anymore. It was done, and the only thing she could do was to wait for her hair to grow again. “I don’t want to be Stephanie anymore, Tracy.” She said but her eyes were sad as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. In an instant, she looked different! From a woman with a long 

When she first saw her landlord’s daughter, she envied Stephanie’s one of a kind beauty and wished she would look as great as her. However, Stephanie has a bad fortune and her father always blamed it for her looks and said that it was cursed. “What do you mean, Steph? Why would you believe your father? He didn’t do anything but tormented you!”

Stephanie sat down on the edge of her bed, and Tracy did the same. “What if he’s right? Ever since nothing good has happened to me!” She explained.

“But your hair!” Tracy’s hand moved to touch Stephanie’s head, but the woman was fast enough to block her hand.

“They will grow again,” she smiled while massaging the shiny scalp and both women burst into laughter. “So, how do you like my new look?” She smiled while asking but deep inside, she regretted being impulsive!

Tracy cringed while staring at the hairless head of her friend. “What’s your plan?” She inquired.

“Hmmm, I’m not sure, but maybe I should shop for a man’s clothes. Or maybe I should get a tattoo or a piercing to match my appearance, what do you think?” She imagined other ways inside her head on how to look manly, but she doubted if her current financial position could all her wants. All the time, she had to prioritize her needs.

Tracy pouted her lips while she squinted her eyes at Stephanie. “Oh well, your figure may be slim, but it’s the trend nowadays. It’s painful to have a tattoo, and you know, it’s permanent. Won’t you regret it later?” She asked while eyeing Stephanie’s blemished-free skin. 

“In my current situation, regret is out of the question Tracy. I’m desperate!” Stephanie exclaimed. "However, I have to check my budget first. Now, that my father's gone, I want to repaint the apartment." 

“I understand. Should I get inked as well?” Tracy suggested, and when Stephanie smiled, they both wrinkled their noses and grinned.