are you in love with a notion //phan

(3) 4th February 2017

From Dan: not feeling well cant come out tonight sorry :(

It was ten minutes to eight and Dan had decided to bail. He doubted Louise would believe him, but he also doubted she'd admit that to his face. All he had to do was wait for the 'that's okay, get well soon' text and Dan would be off the hook.

Obviously, Dan wasn't ill. It was just that his couch, a packet of Oreos and the shiny new episode of his favourite anime were practically telling him to stay in. He didn't really have the energy to get dressed and go out, he was just tired all the time. That probably made him a crappy friend but a lot of the time he didn't care - it wasn't like Louise didn't have anyone else.

From Louise: Bullshit.
From Louise: Omw, better be ready when I get here.

He groaned out loud. Why did she know him so well? Dan reluctantly paused the show, put the biscuits down, got up and headed towards his bedroom. The majority of his clothes needed washing so few items actually remained hung up in his wardrobe. He made do with what he had and threw on the first things he saw, hoping Louise wasn't planning too grand an outing. Dan could have looked better, but he also could've looked worse - in other words, it'd do.

The bathroom mirror almost intimidated him. He hadn't looked at his reflection in at least a fortnight. Unsurprisingly, he was met with tired eyes and hair that closely resembled a used mop after days of zero washing and styling. Dan grabbed the can of dry shampoo from a shelf and began to spray it around him; as for styling he'd managed to straighten the especially curly parts and left the waves, knowing he didn't have the time to sort them properly. He was now sporting a strange curly-straight style which made it look as if a battle between hair curlers and straighteners had taken place on top of his head. (The straighteners had tried their hardest, but, clearly, the curlers had won).

He was tying the lace of his left shoe when he heard the knocking on his door. The face on the other side of it didn't look very impressed.

"You're worse than Darcey when she pretends to be ill to miss school." she looked him up and down, possibly judging his outfit choices, "We're late, let's go."

"What are we late for exactly?" Dan locked his front door once Louise had gotten out.

Louise tapped the side of her nose in response, "For me to know and you to find out when you get there."

"You haven't planned anything horrible, have you?"

"Ye of little faith," she replied.

"Aight, Yoda."

"It's a Bible quote, you pleb."

"And you expect me to know that? I've always worshipped Yoda more than Jesus anyway."

He and Louise climbed into a taxi, with Dan still unsure of where it was taking him. The lights illuminating the roads and pavements were familiar enough to him. His stomach turned a little when he heard music and saw lights from a club getting closer and closer, but calmed down when he realised the driver had carried on past it. The car stopped a few buildings down the way, it was quieter by a long-shot, however, Dan didn't seem to recognise it.

"Where are we?"

"We're literally a few miles away from your house, you need to get out more."

"I am out now, am I not?" Dan asked.

In response, Louise grabbed his arm and led him through a door, possibly a back entrance to wherever he was supposed to be going. Upon entry, Dan saw many people he knew and hadn't spoken to in months, some years. He stared at the crowd in horror, not being able to move for a few seconds.