The next morning Marie is sitting in the mess hall. She is chatting with the girls she met last night. They are talking about school, homework, and projects they have to do. Marie takes this opportunity to ask what Clover High is like. She can prepare herself better if she knows if it's anything like Eastend.

"Clover High is a good school. The people are cool and friendly. The teachers are normal." Cleo pauses before adding "Oh, but the guys are like, incredibly good-looking. It is otherworldly how hot they are." Cleo fans herself dramatically.

'OMG yes, they are hot, athletic, smart, and super friendly.' Millie signs then adds with a blush on her face. 'Especially Darius' The girls giggle at that.

"Millie has a massive crush on Darius, ever since she first came here. But she is too shy to go and talk to him." Cassandra chimes in when she sees the confused look on Marie's face.

'Well, can you blame me? How am I supposed to talk to him if he doesn't know ASL?' Millie adds in a huff.

"Fair, but he could learn for you if he falls in love with you." Keandre says in a singsong voice. "Which he would if he got to know you, Mills" Keandre pokes Millie in the side playfully.

"Enough of boys and school. Marie, I have to know. How do you get your hair to look so soft and shiny?" Cleo asks Marie shutting the previous conversation down. Currently, Marie's long 4c curls that reach her butt are out instead of in the braids they were in yesterday. "My hair is so damaged from the constant bleaching and hair dye. Plus with my last foster family, it got so matted since neither of us knew how to take care of my hair."

"Can I take a look, if you don't mind?" Marie asks. She stands up and walks over to Cleo when she nods her head. Marie examines her and notes that her hair is pretty fried at the ends and in need of moisture. "If you are okay with it, I can do a hair treatment on you and style it. I can also give you some tips as well as some of my homemade products."

"Really, you wouldn't mind doing that for me?" Cleo asks excitedly.

"I don't mind at all. I may have to cut your hair though. It looks really dead at the ends and in need of a trim." Marie replies. "I can do it after you finish your chores today. What do you say?"

"That would be great. Thank you so much, Marie." Cleo says beaming in her chair. "I don't mind the cut. Take off as much as needed. I would love a fresh start."

"Awesome. Meet me in my room when you are done with your chores." Marie states and Cleo nods her head in agreement. The girls finish breakfast and split off to do their morning chores. Marie goes to her room to gather the products she will need and ventures outside to the garden. She already got the green light from Mrs. Leane to use anything she needs to make her hair products. She collects some ingredients for the additional products she needs to make for Cleo.

Two hours later Marie has finished mixing the hair products for Cleo. She hears a knock on the door and opens it to see Cleo standing outside. She beckons her in. Marie placed a chair next to a table in her room. The table is covered in everything she would need to do Cleo's hair.

"Come have a seat," Marie says pointing to the chair. After Cleo sits down Marie takes her hair out of the ponytail and gets a better look at what she is working with. Cleo needs a deep conditioning treatment and a trim. Luckily the bleaching and dye don't seem to have caused too much damage. The first thing Marie needs to do is wet Cleo's hair and begin detangling it. "Okay, Cleo I am going to start by wetting your hair. Water is the best moisturizer for curls. And you never want to detangle your hair dry. It will hurt, take 10 times longer, and cause unnecessary breakage." she explains this while heavily saturating Cleo's hair with her spray bottle filled with water and a little bit of conditioner. "Once I am done detangling your hair I will put on a hair mask. You will sit for thirty minutes under a heat cap."

"Okay. But what does the hair mask and heat cap do for my hair?" Cleo asks confused.

"Well, the hair mask is a mixture of an avocado, egg, coconut oil, honey, and a few drops of peppermint oil to help moisturize and nourish your hair. The heat cap helps open up your hair cuticle which allows the mask to penetrate deeper," answers Marie as she is working out some knots.

"Oh wow, this sounds like a lot," Cleo says nerves building up in regards to, taking care of her hair.

"Yes. It can seem overwhelming but it gets easier as you build a routine. You won't have to do a hair mask every time you wash your hair but at least twice a month will help repair your damaged hair and keep it moisturized and soft." Marie says. For the next twenty minutes, Marie carefully detangles Cleo's hair. Once it is done she sections her hair and puts on the hair mask. She places her hair in a shower cap, and then she and Cleo walk down to the kitchen to warm up the heat cap in the microwave. Marie places the heat cap on Cleo's head and they sit and chat for thirty minutes.

"Alright Cleo I want you to go and rinse out the hair mask thoroughly. After that I want you to use this shampoo and conditioner and wash your hair." Marie says and then hands Cleo the products. Fifteen minutes later Cleo comes back with freshly washed hair. "Great now I will add some leave-in conditioner then spray heat protectant on your hair." After applying the product Marie sections Cleo's hair and blow drys it. She stretches the hair out as she goes, so she can cut it without needing to use extra heat straightening it.

"This is the moment of truth Cleo, I am going to cut your hair now." Marie holds the hair at the length she will need to cut it and shows it to Cleo. It is just below her shoulders ."I need to cut this much is that okay with you?"

"Yes, that's fine. Like I said fresh start." Cleo replies.

"Okay. Then I will get started." Marie begins cutting carefully and precisely. When she is done there is a ton of hair on the ground but Cleo's ends look much better. "So Cleo what hairstyle did you have in mind?"

"Honestly I am not too sure. I do want braids. I know that is typically a protective hairstyle." Cleo says with uncertainty.

"How about I do some box braids? It will take some time but you won't have to stress about doing this hair routine so soon." Marie offers as a suggestion.

"That is fine with me. I trust your advice and judgment," Cleo hadn't met someone so knowledgeable about how to take care of her hair before. She is more than grateful Marie is willing to help her out.

"Okay, I will get started then. I am sure you will love it." Several hours pass and Marie finishes up with Cleo's box braids. She teaches her how to keep it looking good and protect her hair at night. Cleo shows off her hair to all the girls during dinner in the mess hall. Everyone compliments Cleo as well as Marie for doing a good job. Marie heads off to her room for the night. She lays awake in bed glad her new home is nice but still nervous for what's to come tomorrow at school.