That was when I was new to the U.S. — when I wasn’t sure what, exactly, I wanted my hair to look like. In the 10th grade, I suppose I was just starting to get a sense of who I was, and how I wanted to present myself. That’s when I began to grow you out. You were kind — healthy. You grew quickly. Of course, that was not before I made you suffer through that awkward phase, when you were neither short nor long. Just an uncomfortable in-between.