Post by Danielle Basch on Aug 12, 2017 12:47:52 GMT -5
Tuxedo Shop
Beverly Hills, CA
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Sitting on a leather bench, anxiously drumming her fingers against her knees, Danni keeps her gaze fixed on the fitting room door. Her honey-brown eyes keep watching, unblinking as she watches for even the slightest movement of the door handle.
Danni: Come on, already... how long does it take to put on a pair of pants?
From inside the fitting room, Donovan’s deep, booming voice echoes against the walls in response.
Donovan: I don’t recall saying the same thing when you were trying on wedding dresses....
Danni: That’s because you weren’t invited.
Donovan: What’s with the double standard, anyway? Why is it that the groom can’t see the bride in her dress before the wedding, but it’s perfectly fine for the bride to see the groom in his tux?
Danni lets out a lighthearted giggle, arching her eyebrows as she rolls her eyes.
Danni: Because I want every detail to be absolutely perfect for this wedding!
Donovan releases an exasperated growl, which nearly causes a nearby shopper to jump out of his shoes.
Man: What the fuck?
Danni smiles sheepishly, holding up her hands in an apologetic gesture.
Danni: It’s just my fiancé...
Man: Oh. For a second, I thought it was a wild animal.
Sir, you have no idea....
She lets out a dreamy sigh as the man walks away. A few seconds later, Donovan finally emerges, clad head to toe in solid black, right down to the black vest and black satin necktie over a black tuxedo shirt. As soon as Danni lays eyes on him, her jaw falls open.
Danni: I...
As Danni stares at the towering, tuxedo-clad figure before her, she pays no attention to the approaching sales associate, a slim-built young man with spiked hair, black with platinum-frosted tips. He looks at Danni, then up at Donovan, finally turning back to Danni, reaching over to carefully push her jaw back up. Only then does she snap out of her mesmerized state.
Associate: Sorry about that, honey... you looked like you were about to start drooling.
Danni: Well, can you blame me? I mean... LOOK at him! He’s absolutely GORGEOUS!
Donovan looks away from his fiancée, clearing his throat.
Danni: Oh, look... I almost made him blush!
Donovan: I am not!
Danni leans over toward the associate, shielding her mouth as she whispers.
Danni: He totally was...
Associate: Mm-hmm...
He nods his head as Donovan rolls his eyes.
Associate: Anyway, how does it fit?
Donovan walks over to a nearby full-length mirror, straightening his jacket as he looks at his reflection.
Donovan: It’s a little short in the sleeves, but apart from that, everything is exactly what I’m looking for.
Danni shakes her head.
Danni: You aren’t hearing any complaints out of me!
Donovan chuckles as he adjusts the lapels of his jacket.
Associate: So, will all of the men in your wedding party be wearing the same color?
Danni reaches into her purse, pulling out a swatch of cyan satin and another in matching tulle.
Danni: I just placed the order for the bridesmaids’ dresses last night. These are the fabric swatches, so you can get an idea of the color we need.
Associate: The vest and the tie both also come in teal, which is almost this exact same shade. If you like, I can bring them both out so you can see how they would look with the completed ensemble.
Donovan nods his head.
Donovan: That would be a good idea. Let’s do that.
As the associate walks away, Danni gets up from her seat, walking over to stand beside her groom-to-be. She looks into the mirror, taking in the visual of Donovan in his tuxedo from every angle.
Danni: You look like a giant, sexy piece of licorice. I could just eat you right up!
Donovan: Now, Nixy... right in the middle of the store?
As Danni and Donovan share a laugh, the associate returns with a clipboard, along with a teal vest and necktie, handing them both to Donovan. Donovan turns to Danni and gives her a sly smile.
Donovan: I’ll try not to take so long, this time....
Danni doesn’t say anything. As Donovan heads back into the fitting room, she simply smirks at him, following him with her eyes until he disappears behind the fitting room door. A few seconds later, he steps back out, this time, without the jacket and with the teal vest and tie.
Donovan: Well?
Both Danni and the associate nod their heads in approval.
Danni: Definitely adds a nice pop of color.
Donovan: Great, then. This was easier than I thought....
The associate tucks his clipboard under his arm and claps his hands together, an animated look on his face.
Associate: Alright, then... so how many will you be needing?
Donovan’s face freezes, his piercing blue eyes locked in a deer-in-the-headlights stare.
Donovan: Um...
Danni’s expression turns sour as she glares at her fiancé.
Danni: Oh, no... don’t tell me you STILL haven’t asked them!?
Donovan: Alright, then. I won’t.
Danni: DONOVAN!
Donovan: What? It was easy for you; you knew who you wanted to ask! It’s not like I’m all that social in the locker room. What am I going to say? “Hey, would you mind spending this ridiculous amount of money on an outfit you’re going to wear once and stand up there with me while hundreds of strangers stare at you?”
Danni: We have thousands of strangers staring at us every time we get in the ring.
Donovan: You know what I mean, Danni.
Danni: You still need to ask them. Do you even know who you would WANT to ask?
Donovan: Other than the ones I’ve already discussed with you, no.
Associate: So, is there a tentative number? We can always put you down for a couple of extras if need be. Will the father of the bride be coming in?
Danni turns away from the associate, gritting her teeth and balling her fist. Hearing her grumbling under her breath, Donovan steps toward the associate, who is standing there with a confused look on his face.
Associate: Was it something I said?
Donovan: Her “father,” and I use that term loosely, is persona non grata.
Associate: Oh... I’m sorry; I didn’t know.
Danni calms down, shaking her head.
Danni: You had no way of knowing. It’s not something I talk about. But to answer your question, we’ll just start with three. One for Donovan, and two for the groomsmen he has yet to ask....
Donovan: I can tell you who I wouldn’t ask....
Danni: Now THERE’S a list that would be a mile long!
Donovan: Starting with the Z’s...
Danni: Don’t you DARE mention that little shit-eating dick-wart until after I finish kicking his ass on Saturday!
Associate: Oh my. Well, at least this time I’m not on the business end of THAT glare....
Danni turns around, smirking at the associate. He smiles back at her, then writes something on his clipboard.
Associate: Alright, that’s an added inch to the groom’s jacket sleeves, plus two additional tuxes... three vests, three ties....
He tucks his pen back into his pocket, looking up at Donovan and smiling.
Associate: Now, if you’ll come with me, we can finish up the paperwork and get you rung up....
Donovan raises his arms a little and cocks his head to the side.
Donovan: Before I do that, I’d like to change back into my regular clothes.
The associate nods his head.
Associate: Alright then. When you’re ready, I’ll have your paperwork at the counter.
Danni: Thank you!
Associate: You’re very welcome... and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
As Donovan heads back into the fitting room, the associate takes his leave, leaving Danni waiting by the door.
Barnes & Noble
Oceanside, CA
Friday, August 11, 2017
As the camera fades in, we open on what appears to be the children’s section, where Danni LeBlanc is standing beside a large easel. Spread out in front of her are several low-rise tables, clearly intended for children. Beyond those, several small chairs. The section itself is completely devoid of any children, but it doesn’t stop Danni from looking straight into the camera with a bright-eyed, wide-mouthed smile as she holds an oversized notepad in front of her.
Danni: Gather around, kids, because it’s...
She turns the pad around, setting it against the easel to reveal...
With the image on prominent display, she once again smiles into the camera.
Danni: Now, the story I’m going to tell you is about a little boy that didn’t like to hear the word “no.” Are you ready?
The smile quickly fades from her face as she violently knocks both the pad and the easel down to the floor as easily as if she had been swatting a fly.
Danni: You know what? Fuck this storytime bullshit! You see, that’s the problem with a lot of people these days. People just can’t take the word “no” for an answer. It starts out in grade school; a boy tells a girl he likes her, but she doesn’t return his affections. So what does he do? He goes on to bully her until either one of them moves away or they graduate and go on to different schools.
To be fair, eventually, some of those boys grow out of such immature behavior, and learn that the way to a woman’s heart is not stomping through the shattered remains of her self-esteem.
She picks up the pad, ripping off the first image to reveal a crudely drawn image of her opponent at Rise, with a boot pointed directly at his ass. The image was so crudely drawn that his name had to be written above the image to identify it.
Danni: And then there’s THIS bag of wet horse shit... Zane Story.
She looks at the image and shrugs.
Danni: What? You were expecting something on par with Picasso?
It’s no secret that there’s a little bit of history between Zane and myself, but apart from the fact that Zane has a tendency to act like a petulant child that can’t fathom being told the word “no,” no one really knows why. They don’t know that the bad blood that runs between us like the Nile River has been going on for over a year.
Well, chronologically speaking, anyway. In actuality, after I was told that he had been “dealt with,” I simply went on with my life, not even giving that creep much of a thought. That is, until he decided to come out of exile and stick his beak in my business again.
The angry expression on her face deepens as she stares into the lens with narrowed eyes.
Danni: You see, Zane, once I found out that it was YOU that had been responsible for what had happened to my car, I went and I had a little talk with our former boss, Jason Perry. And he told me that after that incident between us over a year ago, he gave you two options. Either you back off, or he’d fire you. And well, I guess by now the world knows how THAT turned out.
Though you would think that someone with your background... coming from a well-off family, being fired from any job would be no skin off of your nose, right? But I guess when you’re fired for making a complete ass of yourself, it makes your parents look bad, because then they have to look back at the train wreck that was your childhood and wonder just where the hell it was they went wrong.
I’m normally not an angry person, but when I think back to all of the things you’ve done to me, there’s no way for me to NOT be pissed off. Ever since you got it in your head to try and worm your way back into my life after I’ve already told you to fuck off, you’ve gone out of your way to throw even more fuel onto the fire. But what you did to me at Hype...
That right there was the last straw. When you pushed that ladder over while I was perched at the top, you did a lot more than just rob me of a championship, Zane. You took away my chance to make history as the first-ever South Bay Champion. And as much as I consider Ruby Lance a friend, that is one pill that I will NEVER be able to swallow. Now, instead of fighting for a championship, I have to deal with taking out the rancid sack of hot garbage that is you, Zane Story, and you’d better believe that I’ll be ready to unleash over a whole fucking YEAR’S worth of anger on your ass!
Her face turns a furious shade of red as she clenches her fists so tightly that they’re shaking.
Danni: Our stories may have first intertwined 16 months ago, but this Saturday at Rise, I will erase your name from my past, and eliminate any chance you have of darkening my future. Once that bell rings and the referee holds MY arm up, the last time I ever want to look at your despicable face is when they’re hauling you off on a stretcher.
She spots a book sitting open on a nearby table. The momentary glimpse of a half smile flickers on her face as she walks over. Her expression softens, and her voice takes on a somewhat somber tone.
Danni: It didn’t have to be like this, Zane. I was always honest with you, but you couldn’t be bothered to show me the same courtesy. Instead, you let your own bitterness over being turned down fester until you allowed it to turn you into the angry, bitter little troll you are now. But we all know what happens to the grumpy little troll...
She slips a hand under the back cover of the book, slamming it shut. As she looks into the camera one final time, we see that her eyes are almost burning with rage.
Danni: This is the END of Zane Story!
She stares down at her hand, which is still pressing down upon the closed book, laughing as the camera fades to black.
END