Biff shook his head as he nearly yelled. "Girls don't have buzz cuts." The hallway fell silent as everyone stood and stared, especially girls with buzz cuts. Biff stood there breathing heavily for a moment before he realized what was going on around him.
“I…I need to go…” He turned and ran out of the building. He was halfway to...he wasn't sure where... when a police officer stopped him.
Officer Danielle Chase looked at the clearly panicked young man she'd stopped. "Are you all right?"
"Something is going on," he said.
"Well, why don't you tell me about it?" Officer Chase said, reasonably. "Maybe I can help?"
"Well...what do you think about boys having long hair and girls having short hair?"
"Fashions change all the time....people can wear their hair whatever way they want," the officer said, confused. "Is that what is wrong? You cut your hair too short and now you don't like it?"
Biff paused. "Never mind. I...gotta go," he said, starting off.
But the officer grabbed his arm in a tight grip. "I really think you had better calm down before I let you start running around again...Tell you what...I was about to go on break and have a cup of coffee in the diner there. I'll buy you a soda....drink it, take a few breaths...and try to tell me what is really bothering you." Being a cop walking the beat meant you were supposed to engage with the community, and this young man seemed troubled.
Danielle wouldn't take no for an answer and Biff found himself sitting in a booth in the diner, trying to explain himself to the officer. The diner was a small, simple place, and at this time of morning, there was only one other table occupied. There was a TV on, showing the local news channel.
"Everyone is acting weird...not normal," Biff insisted. "I thought it was some kind of joke...but its serious."
Danielle didn't believe that, but encouraged him to open up...she needed to hear the full story.
