Even when he checked his ears and his muscles and they seemed to be too big and too small as they’d always been, he still felt good. He tucked his amulet inside his shirt, first rubbing it for luck. He didn’t go anywhere without that amulet. He found a pair of matching socks in his drawer and he could smell bacon cooking. Everything pointed to a super day. He wore his helmet to breakfast. From behind his newspaper, his father said, “Take that off while you eat, please.” It was amazing what his father could see from behind that paper. “How’d you know I had it on?” Louis said, taking it off. “Haven’t you?” his father said, still behind his paper. “Not now,” Louis said. “Come home right after school,” his mother said. “I’m taking you for a haircut.” Louis’ hair reached the tip of his ears. It was just the right length. “I don’t need a haircut,” he said. Nobody answered. “Why do I always have to get a haircut just when I like it the way it is?”
