Leaving the hospital Avery had been ecstatic. The cool, crisp, November air kissed his face as he stepped outside and stood there, in the parking lot, eyes closed and his head tilted back he savored the feeling of freedom.
Rick had brought him a change of clothes and Avery was so glad to finally be free of the drafty hospital gown. He'd taken a shower but wasn't able to really wash his hair all that good. It still hurt to move around and lifting his arms above his head was almost impossible. Still, he couldn't go to meet his father like that so he had decided to make a quick pit stop at the salon.
Rick had gone with him of course. And although Boomer had offered to drive them, they decided to take a cab. Boomer and the others had already done so much for Rick and Avery that Avery didn't want to burden them further.
The closest salon was a small, privately owned place, called Stylz by Dee. They catered to both men and women, as well as children. Avery had been there a few times and knew the owner pretty well. She and her daughter were the only hair stylists. They also employed one girl who did nails.
They didn't get a lot of business and most of their customers were regulars who were fiercely loyal to Dee and her daughter, but they made enough to keep themselves in business. Avery liked them because they never looked at him funny or refused him service. He'd gotten his nails done there more than once and on occasion had his hair colored. Dee considered herself an artist and she welcomed any chance to really let her creative side out.
With Avery, that was almost always the case because he was one of her less conservative clients and always wanted something that stretched the line.
He had hoped that this time they could find some way to make his hair less messy and more like an actual hair style but at the same time manage to let his true personality show through. Both Dee and Krista, her daughter, were more than willing to take on the challenge.
When Avery had walked into the salon he did so with trepidation. He wasn't sure if either of them had heard about what happened but he assumed they'd probably read about it in the paper. What he didn't want were looks of pity or special treatment. He was just one of their clients and expected to be treated as such.
Dee had looked up as Avery walked to the desk. She greeted him with a huge smile, dropped what she was doing and walked over to the desk so that she could check him in. He was thankful that there were no other customers waiting, only one lady under the dryer, so he could be seen right away. Krista had come out of the back room carrying a broom and a dust pan.
"Hey Avery!" She squealed when she saw him. "How you doing honey?"
Avery smiled back and told her that he was doing pretty good. Krista was in her thirties, a little over weight but still pretty. She had wavy light brown hair that she always kept swept up on the top of her head and secured with any number of colored scrunchies. She also liked to wear multicolored press on nails and bright, flamboyant clothes. Avery smirked when he saw her. Krista was a self proclaimed "fag hag" and sometimes a little overly friendly to the gay community as if she were trying to make a point of saying "Hey, I'm for gay rights!"
Dee was less conspicuous. She had blondish grey hair that was cut into a short page boy. She wore large, thick, light pink framed glasses-sometimes hanging around her neck by a chain. She wasn't as heavy set as her daughter but she was large busted which made her look heavier. She dressed casually, usually in jeans and a nice shirt that was almost almost hidden behind a black apron. Her nails were long and painted deep, dark red that perfectly matched her blood red lips.
Dee was also a little eccentric, but Avery liked that about her. He'd never really met anyone who possessed any measure of creativity that wasn't a little out of the norm. He supposed there was just something about artists, no matter what the medium, that made them different from others. Creative people were just wired different. It wasn't a bad thing though, actually it kept the world from being drab and boring.
"What can we do for you today?" Dee had asked him.
Avery pointed to his hair. "I need this cleaned up some." He told her. "I figured a wash and a trim. Even it out a bit." He explained in further detail what he was looking for and Dee nodded, smiling in her usual charming and upbeat way. She ushered him over one of the sinks and he sat down. A moment later, Krista was at his side, covering him with a black, plastic salon cape. Krista slid her hands through Avery's mangled locks and gave him a sweet, yet sympathetic smile.
"Sure do have a lot of blood left in your hair." She said.
Her mother coughed and gave her a stern look as she shook her head disapprovingly, letting Krista know that her comment was insensitive and unprofessional.
Avery had shrugged it off. He'd expected that kind of reaction and so it didn't really phase him. "I haven't had my hair washed yet." He simply told her and left it at that.
Thirty minutes later Avery's hair had been washed and evened out. It actually looked better than he'd thought it would but he still missed his long hair. Rick smiled when he saw him.
"You look so emo." He joked.
Avery grinned and flipped him the bird.
When Avery went to pay, Dee refused to accept his money. "It's on the house." She told him. "You're such a good customer and I'm thankful for your business. Besides that, it makes me feel good to know that we can help bring that lovely smile back to your face." She winked at him.
"Thank you." Avery told her, blushing some. "It means a lot."
"Anytime sweety."
It felt so good to be out and doing normal things again. The trip to the salon was Avery's first official act in reclaiming his life. Seeing his father had been the second. Things were all coming back together, the scars would soon fade, and he would be alright again. He knew that in his heart. With Rick by his side, Avery felt as if he could do anything. So why did he find it so difficult now, standing at the threshold of his apartment doorway, to walk through that door?
Rick put a hand on Avery's shoulder and looked at him. "You okay babe?"
Avery nodded slowly. "I just need a moment." He whispered.
"Take as long as you need." Rick squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"Thanks." Avery looked into the dark room before him. It was so still, so quiet. It was almost hard for him to believe that anything bad had happened there a week earlier. The living room was straightened up. He couldn't remember if anything had even been out of place to begin with but he assumed that after he'd blacked out Mikey would have knocked furniture over or at least moved it out of the way trying to drag Avery's seemingly lifeless body through the room to the front door.
The biggest mess though would be in the kitchen and hallway. Avery could remember in detail the beating he'd taken in that room. How he'd tried to crawl into the hall and escape the assault only to have it continue there, just outside the kitchen doorway. His heart leapt into his throat as the fear he'd felt came sneaking back up on him. What did he have to be afraid of though? Mikey was in jail. The other two were as good as gone, probably skipped town to avoid being picked up. He was in no immediate danger yet there was still something holding him back.
"This is my home." Avery thought. "I can't be scared of my own home. I have to just suck it up and go inside." The silent room loomed before him and for a slit second a wave of dizziness washed over him.
"I can't do this." He whispered, tears welling up in his eyes.
"What's wrong baby? Talk to me." Rick was concerned now. Avery looked terrified, he was shaking and close to tears. "Do you want to leave?" He asked him. "We can go to a hotel for the night."
Avery nodded. "Yeah, lets do that. I just can't...I can't go in there yet."
"That's fine baby." Rick led Avery to a plastic chair against the wall and sat him down. "Let me go in and pack a few things for the night and I'll be right back."
"Hurry." Avery said. "I don't want to be alone out here for too long."
"I'll be quick." Rick kissed him on the mouth then hurried into the apartment.
Rick called Trash once he was inside and asked him if he could give he and Avery a ride. Trash agreed and he and Kat arrived at Avery and Rick's place in less than fifteen minutes. Avery sat in back, and Rick slide in beside him.
