Within minutes, Ms. Whitman turned on the clippers. The buzzing filled the room like a nightmare. Courtney’s braids disappeared—replaced by uneven bald patches, then bare scalp.
The room was suffocatingly quiet.And in that silence, Courtney felt her heart break.Courtney walked through the hallways with her hood up, eyes fixed on the ground. Students stared. Some whispered. Others recorded. Shame clung to her like heavy chains. She wished she could disappear.
By dismissal, the rumor had spread across the school: Ms. Whitman shaved Courtney’s head.Denise Johnson was already waiting outside. She smiled when she saw her daughter—then her expression changed instantly when she noticed the hood and the tears. She gently lifted the hood.Her breath caught. “Oh my God… Courtney.”
