Lists | Phan

One: The First Step

The reason Phil was taking Psychology was so that he could understand people better. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, fidgeting in the chair. The chair groaned under his weight.

I can't control them if I don't understand them. I want to worm my way right into their minds, know what makes them tick and make sure I'm the centre of their universe.

Communication and Culture classes covered social norms, and why humans abide by them - so that was perfect for him.

Phil sighed. He couldn't think of number five for his list so he thought he'd come back to it later after his morning run.

His knees cracked as he stood up and he popped his neck left and right, stretching his arms into the air. Phil's back gave a satisfying click and he made his way to the bathroom for a quick piss.

Within five minutes he was out on the street in a vest and sweatpants, Top 40 Chart Hits playing from his ipod.

Killing two birds with one stone.

The air was crisp and easy to breathe and took in a refreshing deep breath. Thank god the suffocating heat wouldn't kick in until about mid-august, when even taking a stroll outside feels like walking into soup. Phil began to run down the familiar streets, feeling his muscles loosen up as he moved.

Over the years, it'd gotten steadily easier and easier to ignore the cold glares he got from everyone around him. It was particularly worse with the elderly who had been friends with his mother, but then it was also pretty bad with children who had deicided to hate him purely because their parents hated him.

He turned a corner and ran straight into the icy disapproving gaze of an old lady sitting on her front porch. He physically shivered.

Gulp.

Ignore it, Phil. In fact, smile at her. You're gonna have to do a lot of smiling where you're going. Start now. Ignore the negativity. You're not that person anymore. You're going to rule these people.

Phil swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled softly at her as he jogged past. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the shocked expression on her wrinkled face. Triumph bubbled up inside him and he forced his legs to move faster.

'Do and say what you want. I'm above all of you. I'll own all of you.'

~~~~~~~~

It was midday by the time Phil was done with his physical exercise and his body was glistening with sweat.

Definitely time for a shower. He crossed the completed items off of his list and peeled his vest off as he walked towards the bathroom. He glanced at the steadily developing definition in his abs and allowed a small smile to grace his lips. His arms were shaping out nicely too, he noted, as he undressed fully and stepped into the shower.

The next few hours were spent on the internet – researching conversation skills, various "how to make friends" articles (He ignored the steps that said "Be yourself" because clearly that wasn't going to be happening) and doing some background reading into the bands he'd listened to today.

Any new things he'd learnt were written in his notebook.

Phil sighed and put his pen down. He hadn't bothered to properly dry his hair, choosing instead to keep the towel around his neck to catch the drips. That probably wasn't a step in the right direction concerning fashion. He frowned to himself.

This is way harder than I thought it'd be but...I have to do this. He chewed his lip in thought and opened a new tab on his web browser.

Fashion.