They only carry sizes 1, 3 and 5?! (Marnie)

[Greg Mackenzie]

Retail therapy was something Greg liked to imbibe in from time to time. There’s just something about a new tank top, sweatpants or even just a decent set of three-for-one underwear that makes the Canadian’s heart flutter. And to the boy, one didn’t need an incredibly miserable reason to go shopping: from a very messy break-up to a simple “I missed the last slice of pesto pizza today”, there’s no such thing as a reason too shallow for retail therapy to commence.

The only limiting thing really was money. Since his monthly allowance came in today – and he forgot to wash the shorts he’d been planning to pair with his green tank top today so Freddy Huang could see how cute he was when they got paired up for Mr. Tonaya’s History group quiz – on to the malls he went right when the bell signalled the end of the day.

He had just purchased three new tank tops and a new snapback and was about to enter a new store when he saw a familiar figure next door. “If I were you, I’d go with the green. Goes well with your hair. Though the black does have that innate sexiness to it. And the cut outs are to die for,” he said as he approached her from behind, “I’m pretty sure your new boytoy would like it.”

He may not have talked to Marnie since the night of the party, but he was into the latest school gossip. And boy was the half-invisible girl who was besties with the whoregirl pukedspilled beer on Olivia Salazar been talked so much about lately.

[Marnie Sullivan]

It was the first time since Marnie had moved into the Hammel dorms that she'd gotten around to visiting the local shops, as busy as she was with homework and extra-curriculars. To be honest, homework was exactly what she should have been doing just now - there was an English prompt sitting on her desk that must have been feeling awfully neglected. But one of these days Lucas was finally going to get a clue into his fool head and ask her on a proper date, and Marnie wanted to be ready.

She'd finally managed to narrow her options down to a green dress with a lovely sweetheart neckline and a slinky little black number when someone addressed her from behind. Marnie whipped around, both dresses still in hand, to find a certain very recognizable Canadian standing there.

"Oh hey, hi!" Marnie exclaimed, face breaking into a smile. It had been weeks since she'd seen Greg, but considering he'd saved her ass at the time, she was pleased to see him now. "How did you -" She stopped, realizing there was no point in asking how he'd known about her "boytoy." She and Lucas hadn't exactly been subtle, and for all she knew Greg had spotted them somewhere being distinctly unsubtle around campus.

"You think so?" Marnie asked instead, holding the black dress up against her frame. If Greg was going to offer advice, well, she certainly wasn't going to refuse it. "I thought the green one was super cute, but I'm not sure if 'cute' is what I'm going for, you know?" It felt a bit strange broadcasting her intentions to someone who was practically a stranger, but then again, he'd been perfectly willing to set her up at the party those weeks ago.

"Anyway, how are you?" Couldn't forget one's niceties, and anyway, Greg seemed worth catching up with. "I haven't seen you in a while, what're you here for?"

[Greg Mackenzie]

To be honest, Greg only saw Marnie being, well, rather public with her affections to Lucas a few days back; however, he’d have known about the whole thing about a week before that. Her main squeeze was after all, quite the character – while he wasn’t that well known, Lucas had been rather recognizable as one of the, well, major jerks at school. Which was quite a waste, considering he’s quite the looker.

Not that Marnie had to know that of course. Part of him felt like he had to ask Marnie if she’d known about Lucas’ character, but part of him also said it wasn’t his business to do so. Because as sharing the experience of running from the wrath of Olivia Salazar cemented their friendship, he wasn’t exactly sure if it was enough of a passport for him to travel to that worrywart friend territory.

In the end he decided to give his temple a few taps and grinned. “Wasn’t prying, I promise. Strong thoughts just tend to break my barriers and all. How’s Lucas anyway?” He had to hold back a smirk when he realized how, well, smart that move was (if he could say so himself); now he could pretend to just know about her having a boyfriend but not have any idea of what her boyfriend was like. Time to investigate if Lucas was the same to her as he was described by the rest of the student populace.

God did he feel like a detective or what.

“’Cute’ is for puppies and kids who try to act as adults but fail miserably. I doubt he’s into little girls.” He saw a red dress that had some gem embellishments and a lace trimming and promptly handed it to Marnie. “You should try this on to. It screams ‘ravish me!’. And I may not be into girls but I know what catches a guy’s attention, and red is such a strong turn on trust me. Shall we?” he added as he led the girl to the dressing rooms.

“Life got a little busy. I’m here ‘cause I need a little bit of retail therapy. And I might have a date next Saturday.”

[Marnie Sullivan]

Hearing Greg ask after the boy, Marnie couldn't help a smile spreading slowly across her face. Lately it felt like she wanted nothing better than to but to chatter about her new relationship, but the opportunity never arose. Greg, excellent Greg, was the first person to express any interest in listening.

"Oh, he's fine. He's... something else," Marnie told him, almost wistfully. "I mean, he's completely ridiculous, just never stops joking around, but that's kind of nice, you know? Like if I'm having just the worst day he's there trying to make me laugh." Granted, Lucas' sense of humor didn't... mesh all that well with hers, but no one was perfect, right? Besides, Marnie was just enjoying herself spending time with him. They shared no classes or extracurriculars, so whatever Lucas got up to on his own time was a separate matter.
She took the dress Greg passed her - red? it looked like more of a dark yellow to her but she took his word for it - and followed dutifully to the dressing room.
"Ooh, a date?" Marnie called over the door as she undressed. "Is it anybody I know? Bet they're a catch, I don't imagine you get stuck with duds all that often."
After pulling the dress on and zipping up the side, she had to admit he was right; the hem fell high enough to show off some definition in her runner's thighs, and the lace covering most of her back was delicate enough to show just the right amount of skin. Marnie opened the dressing room door with a flourish.
"How's it look?" she asked. "God, it's so much nicer trying on clothes when you're not hiding in a stranger's room."

[Greg Mackenzie]

“Oh. Fuck. You.” Greg rolled his eyes and shook his head as he laughed. Each word was drawn-out, and he punctuated the sentence with an exaggerated pout to emphasize his supposed contempt. Hopefully them being partners-in-crime that one crazy night taught Marnie a thing or two about his personality though. (Read: he was actually very happy for the lady. At least Lucas was treating her right).

He did feel a pang of jealous though. The way Marnie described Lucas reminded him of Richard – offensive little oddballs who knew just the right buttons to push to make their partners happy. Richard can be a little morbid, was self-righteous and in every sense a diva, and Greg loved – yes loved – him all the same. They were going to be the next NPH-David Burtka, or even Ellen-Portia. But then he became a telepath and basically shat on their relationship.

“Love!” Focus on the dress and Marnie, not on the Asian boy that once was. “If you put your hair up, you’d totes be head bitch of the ball.” His eyes instinctively scanned for accessories Marnie could pair her dress up with. He found five.

He almost snorted when Marnie said he dated no duds. “Oh if only you knew.

“Matthew Lyons. Cute, blonde, bookish. My first date ever. Threw up right after we kissed. Apparently the nachos didn’t sit well with him but made me think I kiss badly for two years.

“Alexander Woo. Fourth period History. Buff, edgy, musician. Texted ‘I luv u’ right after our second date.

“Malachi Shinegami. Roomie’s friend from class. Asian with an Australian accent. Stalked me way too much even before our first date even started.”

He sighed. “And even with the normal ones, something bad happens eventually. I think Richard really fucked me up.” And he’s in a Richard funk again. Not. Fun. “You know what, you should try the black and green too. Who knows, maybe they’d look better on you than on a hanger.”

[Marnie Sullivan]

Greg's oath was so exaggerated that Marnie couldn't help but take it for what it was, and she had to press her hand to her mouth to stifle a giddy snicker. Her glasses weren't rose-tinted enough to call the aforementioned dorm party anything but a trainwreck, but they'd made it out with enough skin on their backs that at this point it was becoming a pleasant memory of an escapade rather than a disaster.

"You think?" Marnie turned back to the mirror and raised one hand to twist her hair into a high, messy bun. After a moment of consideration, she decided she liked the line of her neck without it being hidden by hair, but she'd need to do some preening to pull the 'do off properly.

Marnie listened intently from inside the dressing room as she pulled the dress back over her head and returned it to its hanger. As weird as it sounded, she couldn't help feeling a little envious as Greg rattled off a list of guys who were at least interested in him enough to make it to a first date. Not that she would admit it. She shook her head, as though to rattle the thought out of her ears - perspective, Marnie. You're lucky. And while she'd never heard of Richard before, she at least had the sense to recognize when the subject was being changed.

"Here, pass me the green one first," she said, trying to match his forced lightness as she reached over the changing room door to collect the dress. After pulling it on, it still wasn't quite what she'd planned on finding on this trip, but something about the bow at the base of the back was calling her name.

"This one's not so bad after all." Marnie strode out of the changing room and gave a twirl, enjoying the way the skirt flared as she moved. "Maybe if I had an excuse to wear it right away. Is there anything going on this weekend? Anything I probably won't need to escape from, I mean."

[Greg Mackenzie]

“I don’t think. I know.” God, he’s sounding more and more like a weird mix of Tamara, Sadie, Lydia and Shane. Maybe there was such a thing was watching too much TV. More importantly, watching too much MTV shows. He walked over Marnie as she held her hair up and took a few strands out from her grip and let them hang, curly, on the side. “See, this adds a little edge to you. I mean, no offense, but shy little doe was so 2000s. And ‘sides, I think you’re more of a Mulan or Tiana than a Cinderella or Princess Aurora anyway.”

At least Marnie didn’t pry about Richard further. Greg wouldn’t mind telling her about it – since he’s supposedly over him and all, and he’s had closure ever since Richard started messaging him back three weeks ago – but he wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t sound so bitter. And angry. And upset. Things that should never be associated with shopping. Ever.

“Will you ever let that night go?” Greg let out a loud laugh as he grabbed one of Marnie’s hands and gave her a good swirl. “I mean I made you a felon sure, but you seem like the Piper Chapman kind of lass; you’ll survive prison.” He’s so excited about the new season that he just finished rewatching the old one a third time last weekend. And boy was he so in love with Alex Vause. “Hmm, there might be this garden party that a friend’s older brother is hosting. Wanna come with?” Should he say that she should invite Lucas too? So he can get to know him and stuff?

[Marnie Sullivan]

"I always thought I was more of a Belle, myself." Which, to be fair, may have been part of the problem. Although Marnie had identified with that particular princess's bookishness for a long time, Belle had never exactly been very stylish. (Schoolbus yellow ballgown? Nope.)

"I'll let that night go as soon as I stop having war flashbacks about Ash detonating all over that poor girl," she replied with a grin, before stepping back into the dressing room to trade green for black. This one was sleeker, without the whimsy she'd liked so much about the green dress, but as long as she was considering more "edge," it was worth a try. Marnie swung the door open, popped a hip out, and pretended to smolder, at which she failed spectacularly.

"On a scale of one to life sentence, how many nights in prison do I look like I could make it before getting stabbed?" The dress was a little bit racier than she was used to, especially because Marnie was in the habit of covering up her sensitive skin. But go big or go home, right?

A garden party? That did sound like fun - as well as significantly less risky than getting hammered in the dorms. "Sure, that sounds great! Anything I ought to bring?" The bottle of vodka still hidden in her room? A date?

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg didn’t even bother hiding the snort that came out of him when Marnie said she’d always identified with Belle. And nope, it wasn’t the fashion sense that made him laugh. “Well I never pegged you as a furry, but hey, to each her own right?” Of all the ‘classic’ Disney movies, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ disturbed Greg the most. Bestiality, Stockholm Syndrome, unfair curses on children, collateral damage, scary implication of living breathing inanimate objects – that movie had it all. He’d so choose Ariel giving up everything she had for a man she hadn’t even talked to over Belle, and he’s so against ‘Little Mermaid’ (other than him wishing he’d grow up to be a merman, that was).

“I’m guessing Lucas doesn’t shave down there? Doesn’t it get stuck in between your teeth or something?” He just had to, he said. #Sorrynotsorry.

A louder laugh escaped the Canadian when Marnie went out with her ‘smolder’. “Your…whatever that was…ruined the dress. Just saying. But otherwise still pretty. I’d stick with the red still though.” You can never go wrong with a little black dress, but they’re also everywhere. At least with the red Marnie’s sure to stick out. “Depends. If you stay silent, life sentence. But knowing you, you’d inevitably attract hordes of women who’d want to make you their prison wife. Being Helen of Troy is dangerous – jealous bitches might cut you, even if you’re under the protection of Jane Lynch – so I’d say until you hit menopause or your boobs sag, whichever comes first.” He made a very crude gesture regarding the said sagging then added, “Don’t worry I’d have married a rich doctor by then who’d recommend you to a cosmetic surgeon friend of his to get your saggy tits rectified.”

“A bottle of vodka. And a date. For me, of course.” He gave Marnie a wink. “So yeah, in order of awesome: red, green then black. Decided on what to get yet?”

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie swatted the Canadian's arm and glanced around quickly to see if any other shoppers were close enough to hear, but a conspiratorial grin spread across her face all the same. It surprised her, how scandalous the conversation suddenly felt - after all, with an overflowing box of flowery erotica back in her room, it wasn't as though she was completely ignorant. She just... lacked the field experience.

"We, um, haven't actually made it there yet," Marnie confessed sheepishly. Hell, he probably knew already, wasn't that how telepathy worked? "I was hoping with the right outfit I could convince him to kind of speed things along. Light a fire under his butt, y'know?"

Which mean red dress and an updo, apparently. Well, she could work with that. The green one was nice, but "nice" populated her entire wardrobe and it wasn't getting her past second base.

"Why not just marry the cosmetic surgeon yourself?" she called over the door, having returned to the changing room to slip back into her own clothes. "I'm sure you'll appreciate the extra discounts at some point."

Marnie reemerged with the red dress over one arm and her purse on the other, decision made. "I'll see if I can find anyone," she told Greg with a cheeky smile, "but you might end up with someone from my extensive prison harem. Don't worry, I'll let you pick."

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg didn’t bother hiding the pleasantly shocked expression that washed over him when Marnie confessed – complete with the scandalously loud snort and the uncontrollable fit of laughter. “Oh fuck me gently with a chainsaw, you are such a whore!” The Canadian was so overcome with laughter that he had to crouch on the floor ‘cause there was just no way his knees could support him at this very moment. “I mean, I guess I had this image of you being nice and innocent ‘cause Ashley the Ice Queen and you were more Taylor Swift than Vanessa Ann ‘here’s my p*ssy’ Hudgens. Or maybe Miley ‘I have a flat ass but I’ll still shove it down your face’ Cyrus, cause let’s face it, Zac Efron will forever be relevant but Vanessa’s a has-been now. Sad.”

So maybe aside from Mean Girls the boy reverently worshiped High School Musical too, with all the three soundtracks in his iTunes and memorized from the heart. Zac Efron is perfection, he says, and that’s more than enough reason to do so.

“Honey, that’s just you,” he snorted, giving himself a mental high-five for being able to use ‘honey’ seamlessly in a sentence. One of those words he’d always wanted to use and all. “As long as they have a dick, I’m good. I’ve lived sixteen years without seeing a vajayjay – that birthing video in Health Class didn’t count – and I plan to live at least sixteen more without seeing one.”

“Want to grab food after?” he asked as they walked towards the counter, “I’m craving cupcakes.”

[Marnie Sullivan]

Marnie's smile faltered as the Canadian had what looked like a comedic meltdown in front of her. Was her plan really that laughable? She knew Greg liked to tease, but his reaction was just over-the-top enough that she began to feel doubtful. He's been encouraging you this entire time, stop being so negative, Marnie scolded herself as he pulled himself together. It was a good day, why rain on her own parade?

"Food sounds so good right now, I haven't had lunch yet," she agreed. Marnie paid for the dress and thanked the cashier while mentally tabulating how much money she had left to spend until her parents wired her a bit more for her birthday. Not a whole lot, but enough to grab a bite to eat, she figured. "I haven't had a chance to try any local bakeries yet, so lead the way, Captain."

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg followed Marnie to the counter, though he wasn’t really looking ahead but rather on his phone, his fingers busy fumbling around for him to even register the little kid that just ran past him. Lucky for him at the very moment that he and the kid would go on a roller coaster ride together, the little boy decided to make a sudden dash outside. Must be the candy his mom was wagging just outside the door.

“Oops. Sorry. Just told Jeremy I’d be bringing a friend with me,” he said with a smile as Marnie returned. He offered his elbow as they walked out of the store, turning right as he said, “Awesome. Let’s go to Mancakes. It’s just a block away, by Pender and Hastings. They have the best cupcakes. And their staff is hella cute too. Don’t know how they do it.”