Page 49 of Ugly Beautiful Scars

I stare at my weary reflection. How much do I really look like the guy? The fucker I'd like to maim by breaking each of his fingers and toes.

I'll happily breakhisbones.

Currently, I just look tired. There are bags under my eyes that are more pronounced than usual, and there's a tightness around my mouth. Greece feels like a distant memory, some other life where I was still pretending I could outrun everything.

"So," Rich says, interrupting my moody thoughts. "What are we doing today?"

I study my reflection for a long moment, then sigh. "No clue. I need something completely different. I need to look like a different person."

The excitement that lights up Rich's face is almost comical. "Are you asking me tosurpriseyou?"

A nervous laugh escapes me. "I guess. It's my first time, though, so be gentle."

Rich's smile turns flirtatious and he places his hands on my shoulders, squeezing the curves of my muscles. "Oh, I'm always gentle with virgins."

Despite everything, I laugh at that. Rich spins the chair around, and I decide I can only accept what comes next and not stress about it. I'll let Rich surprise me.

He mists my hair with water, then the sharp snip of scissors near my ear makes me flinch. Rich notices but doesn't comment, just adjusts his approach.

"So what prompted the change?" he asks, combing through sections of my hair with slender fingers. "Bad breakup? New job? Witness protection?"

I snort. "Something like that."

My phone vibrates in my pocket.

"Go ahead," Rich says, stepping back. "I need to find my thinning shears anyway."

I pull out my phone to check the notification.

Mike:It's been nagging at me, but I finally figured it out. Check this link.

I tap the link, not sure what Mike is talking about. A video plays and two seconds in, I realize I've seen this before. The tiny living room on my screen is familiar because I used to watch this sitcom. I didn't watch it religiously or anything, just caught episodes here and there when I was unwinding. The show was about a chaotic family, and it was actually funny. I thought it was good. It ended several years ago, though.

Seven seconds in and I understand why Mike sent me this clip: Londyn appears. It's her, but also not her. The hair is different—lighter, longer. She's wearing clothes that show her curvy figure, even pushing her cleavage up to her collarbone. Her character's make up is loud and pronounced, changing the shape of her natural features. But it's definitely Londyn, and she's playing a character named Dee who's just returned from a bad college interview. The scene unfolds with her trying to tell her family about it, but they're too caught up in their own ridiculous drama to notice her.

Rich leans over my shoulder, scissors paused mid-air. "Oh man, loved that show." He laughs at a line Londyn delivers withperfect timing. "I hated when they killed Dee. Made no sense at all. Wasn't the same after that."

I nod mindlessly and stop the video. This feels like I've invaded Londyn's privacy. She's clearly been keeping this part of her life hidden, so it feels wrong to have discovered it before she wanted to tell me.

But the information is out now, and my brain is already trying to puzzle together the fragments.Goddammit, Mike.

"Hold still," Rich says, returning to his work. "I'm gonna try some layers."

I barely register his words. As he snips away, I keep my head still while opening a browser on my phone and typing 'Dee actress sitcom.' The search returns a name: Elle Livingston.

Elle. Not Londyn.

Rich moves around to work on the other side of my head, and I see him reach for a stack of aluminum foils. Then he sets up some bowls and bottles. I don't want to know what those are for, but I think he decided to add color.

Fuck me.

I ignore it, scrolling through search results. Headlines jump out:

"RISING STAR ELLE LIVINGSTON ENTERS REHAB FOR HEROIN ADDICTION"

"LIVINGSTON LEAVES OSCAR-BAIT ROLE"

"PRODUCERS CONFIRM LIVINGSTON'S PERMANENT DEPARTURE"

---