In Plain Sight

"What do you think, ?"

"Yuu, you look absolutely ridiculous."

We'd have this conversation every spring just before the new school year started. Yuu would go to his hairstylist, tell them to do whatever they thought was trendy, then come back and show me the results. I don't know how delusional his stylist was, but the styles would never look good at all. I wasn't sure who he was trying to impress with them.

In our first year of middle school, he had this insanely poofy chestnut brown hair that was just a static electricity magnet. He matched it with some awful round wire-framed glasses with sepia-tinted lenses. He achieved his goal of standing out all right, but not in a good way.

"See, ? I told you this hair looked good," he smirked.

"Yuu, they're not staring at you in envy," I corrected him. "They're all laughing at how stupid you look."

"Are you jealous of me as well?" he laughed. "Any attention is good attention. I'll definitely get a girlfriend in my first year of middle school. Just watch me."

I rolled my eyes as far back as they could go. "Okay, Yuu. Whatever you say."

Yuu did end up going out with a girl in his class, but the relationship only lasted a month. He spent the rest of the year crying about it to me.

In our second year of middle school, he became vice captain of the school's tennis team. Though his hairstyle was slightly more practical, it was still stupid. He had shaved the left half of his head and swept the rest of his locks towards the right side. He got strange red highlights that completely clashed with the dark bluish-grey base colour. He pierced his lower lip and had small silver hoops dotted around. He got prescription aviator sunglasses, which somehow looked like it fit the image, but also really clashed with the overall look he was going for.

I felt like I was looking at a lead singer in a metal rock band that went way too far. It wasn't long before the headmaster got on his case about following school dress codes, but Yuu thought that giving off a "bad boy" image would surely land him a date with someone.

"Girls love the 'bad boy' look, ," he tried to convince me.

I sighed. "Give me a break, Yuu. Everyone knows it's lame to get told off by the headmaster. You're not impressing anyone."

"You're just hating on my style," he shrugged. "Watch. Girls will be all over me once word gets out that I was told off by the headmaster."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, Mr. Bad Boy," I responded sarcastically, "whatever you say."

Yuu met a high schooler who was really into grunge, but that relationship lasted about as long as our tennis team's run in the Kanto Regionals that year. He sobbed into my shoulder for months afterwards, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the team's loss or his breakup.

Third year saw him take on the captaincy of the tennis team. I thought things would get more ridiculous, but he got a bowl cut and dyed it back to his "natural" black. He now sported a headband wherever he went, which I was positive was in violation of the dress code. He poked out the lenses in his round wire-framed glasses and replaced them with dark blue tinted sunglass lenses. Somehow, he looked normal, but he also looked ridiculous.

"I'm honestly speechless," I said in the most deadpan tone. "I don't know how you do it."

"Well, as captain of the tennis team, I do have to look the part," he answered, arrogant smirk and all. "Girls always go for the captains of sports teams."

I wanted to roll my eyes, but just stared at him blankly. "We're not that shallow, Yuu."

Yuu was right about girls going after sports team captains, but none of his relationships that year lasted more than a week. He would always wind up getting over his broken heart in my arms every time.

Graduation came and went and we both found ourselves going to the same high school. I thought Yuu would grow up and stop changing his looks, but he decided to shave his head instead. He switched to normal rectangular-framed glasses too. I was honestly just amazed that he would do something that drastic, but it was, by far, the most normal he had looked.

"Yuu... "

"Don't I look like a monk, ?" he joked. "Girls will have no choice but to look at my shiny bald head now. Plus, it's great aerodynamics for playing tennis."

"Didn't you say you were going to quit?"

"We'll see how it plays out, won't we?" he winked. "Let's see how long my hair gets by the end of the year."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Yuu smashed his right elbow during a tournament and required surgery to replace the entire joint. Girls were now fawning over him, but mostly to stare at his cast and help him carry his textbooks around. We still hung out on weekends with him moping around about wanting a girlfriend. His hair was longer than mine by the time New Year's rolled around.

When second year came about, he bleached his hair and dyed it an interesting ginger red colour. It was wavy and tousled, collected together in the back in a loosely tied ponytail. Gone were the ridiculous glasses that hid his hazel eyes and clashed with his overall look. He had pierced his ears with silver studs. It was still ridiculous, but I couldn't find it in me to say that.

"I think this is the first time you haven't insulted my appearance, ," he chuckled. "Have I finally won your approval?"

"I will admit that this look suits you well, Yuu, but I will never approve of you trying to change your appearances to get a girlfriend," I told him.

"Oh, I'm done with all that nonsense," he stated. "You were right. Girls aren't shallow."

"Uh huh... Are you sure you're alright, Yuu?"

"Perfectly fine. I did this all for myself," he smiled.

"Well, it suits you," I said. "I like it."

"Thanks," he smiled.

I gave him a light peck on the cheek.

"H-huh?! , did you—"

"I like a guy who does things for himself," I winked.

Yuu grinned as he wrapped his arms around me. "If I knew this was all it took to get you to like me, I should've done this a long time ago."

"Idiot," I taunted as I flicked his forehead with my finger.

"Ow," he moaned as he rubbed his head. "Okay, okay. My bad."