Illusive (phan)

Chapter VII - Dejected

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Chapter VII - Dejected

[Westfield Shopping Centre, Central London, 1:24 pm, SU 11/09/16]

DAN: (suddenly stops, turns around) "Wait, I need to get a new pair of jeans."

PHIL: "Can we wait until after we eat? I'm starving."

DAN: "I'm hungry too," (walks in the opposite direction) "It'll only take a minute."

PHIL: (follows Dan) "Ok, fine."

DAN: (steers them into TopMan) "Come on." (muttering under his breath, doesn't think Phil is listening) "Fucking anorexic models. Idiotic beauty standards."

PHIL: (following Dan to the back of the store, chuckles) "What was that?"

DAN: (looks back in surprise, reluctantly answers) "The mannequins in here are so skinny. I don't like it."

PHIL: "Why did you choose to get your jeans from here then?"

DAN: (chooses two black pairs of skinny jeans) "They're good quality. I need to try them on, though." (heads towards fitting room, to the worker) "Two."

WORKER: (hands Dan a door hanger with the number two on it) "There you go."

PHIL: (sits on bench in front of the cubicles) "I'll wait out here."

DAN: (chooses the cubicle right in front of Phil) "You can tell me which pair I should get."

PHIL: "Ok, sure. Just hurry, I'm starving."

DAN: (locks door) "Ok, ok, calm down."

PHIL: (pulls out his phone, plays a few rounds of a random game, gets carried away, realises Dan has been in there for 15 minutes, tentatively calls out) "Dan? Are you done? You've been in there for ages."

DAN: (shaky voice) "Yeah, one sec."

PHIL: "Dan, are you okay? Should I come in?"

DAN: (quickly tries to tug jeans up his thighs) "No, no, don't come in. I'm almost done."

PHIL: "Dan, are you sure you're okay? You sound really..."

DAN: (shuffling, pulls the jeans again, realises they're not going to get all the way on, collapses on the floor, lets a tear out, quickly wipes it away) "I'm fine. The jeans don't fit."

PHIL: "Do you want me to get you a bigger size?"

DAN: (tugs the jeans down, wipes away another tear) "No, this size is already fucking massive. I'll just have to lose weight."

PHIL: (purses his lips) "What about the other pair?"

DAN: (lets out a sob) "Even worse."

PHIL: (immediately panics, stands outside his cubicle) "Dan, I'm coming in."

DAN: (sobs harder) "No, no, I'm almost done." (pulls on his own jeans, roughly rubs his eyes with the back of his hand, takes a few deep breaths) "One second."

PHIL: "Are you sure?"

DAN: (opens the cubicle) "Yup, I'm done, let's go."

PHIL: (sceptical, softly) "Ok."