"Sweetie, I think I heard the doorbell," Owen's mom informed from the kitchen.
"Oh, I got it!" Owen excitedly raced down the stairs, only slowing when he reached the front door. As he opened the door, he flashed a genuine smile at his expected guest.
"Hi Tom! Fashionably late as always, I see." Owen stepped aside to allow the slim male wander into his home.
The fashion blogger chuckled, removing his dark-washed denim jacket and draping it over his forearm. "Of course, but I made sure it was only by ten minutes this time. I really need to get this project started. Can't leave my followers hanging for too long." He peeked his head into the kitchen, giving a friendly wave to Owen's mom. "Whatever your cooking smells delish, dear!"
"Oh, aren't you sweet! It's one of Owen's favorites: my famous meatloaf casserole. You're welcome to have some if you're still around in an hour."
Tom politely shook his head. "No, I couldn't have another bite today. Had a big café blog-and-brunch session with Jen earlier. Thanks, though!" He turned his attention back to Owen. "I'm presuming I left my interview notebook in your room from last time."
Owen nodded. "Yup, it's on top of mini fridge. Come on; I'll show you."
With Owen in front, they ascended the stairs and walked toward a door with Owen's name spelled out in painted wooden letters. Once inside, Tom remembered just how…unorganized the bedroom was: candy wrappers sprawled next to socks on the tan carpet, an overflowing laundry basket in the corner, a barely-made queen-sized bed with a navy comforter, and a beanbag chair snuggly placed next to the magnet-decorated mini fridge. Though it was clear Owen's room could use a makeover of its own, Tom decided it was best if he bit his tongue on the subject.
"Make yourself at home, buddy," invited Owen, plopping down on his own bed.
"Uh, right." Tom brushed food crumbs off the beanbag before sitting upon it. He folded his jacket neatly before setting it in his lap and took the notebook and pen he had left off the mildly dusty fridge.
"Oh, boy! I forgot I had these in here." Owen had discovered a bag of barbeque chips inside one of his pillowcases. Not even concerned for the expiration date, he began shoving handfuls of chips into his mouth, which was accompanied by loud munching noises.
"Okay…well, thanks again for letting me interview you. I've been dying to do this topic on my blog for ages, but I haven't really met enough candidates with your…stature before."
"You mean, big-boned like me, right?" Owen had said this with a mouthful of chips.
"Exactly! WhereI live, I tend to see more guys who are my body type or more muscular. Not that I'm complaining, obviously, but doing fashion updates for just those types in mind can be quite limited and tedious."
"Hehe. Well I'm glad my differences benefit your blog. It's kinda refreshing to be asked nice questions for once. Thanks to Total Drama, I'm usually teased about being a bottomless-pit or asked for dirt on the other contestants by the tabloids. Man, fame can be such a pain, you know?"
Tom nodded, turning his notebook to the page with his questions. "Oh, I am totally behind you on that! Do you know how many pestering emails I get from followers and Internet trolls a week? I open my inbox in hopes of fan mail, not to be told off for my hatred towards matching anything mauve with army green. The worst is getting spammed from Christian bloggers about needing to convert from my homosexual lifestyle. I'm sure you've had to deal with people like that when it came to your sexuality."
"W-what?"
Tom looked at Owen with a raised eyebrow. "No need to hide from me. After watching you swoon as bad as the girls over Justin and get defensive when it came to people questioning your heterosexuality during the first two seasons of Total Drama, I can tell you're having a few struggles with your sexual identity."
"Hey, I wasn't the only guy who thought Justin was hot. I mean, I'm sure any guy can tell when another's got extremely luscious locks or dreamy blue eyes or a perfectly chiseled abs…" Owen's face began wore a dreamy expression, clearly due to his recollections of Justin's anatomy.
"Oh yeah," said Tom sarcastically. "All the guys got that look on their face when talking about Justin."
Owen suddenly snapped back into reality. "Oh, uh, yeah! I'm completely normal when it comes to other fellow men." After nervous chuckle, he went back to eating his chips. "Mind if we start the interview now?"
"Now's as great a time as ever." Tom picked up his pen and cleared his throat. "Okay, so last time we left off talking about double-standards in men's wear."
"Oh yeah. The fact that it seems girls have a lot more options than guys when it comes to clothes, right?"
"Mmhmm! So, Owen, tell me; if you could talk to a fashion designer right now, what would you want them to consider when developing their newest line of clothing?"
"Wow, that's one heck of a question. Well, I'd want them to definitely consider having their nicer clothes in bigger sizes."
"Define nicer clothes for me."
"Ya know, suits and pants and stuff like that. The cooler patterns tend to be in the slimmer sizes. Like, look at the denim jacket, jeans, and that cashmere sweater you have. You probably found that in the mall right?"
"Why, yes. Well, the jacket was an online gift from a fan, but the sweater I found at the department store at my house."
"See, if you were my size, you'd have to order all the nicer things either online or have to go to special stores that sell only extra-large sizes to guarantee you could get that same outfit. Most department stores have a smaller section of larger-than-average men's stuff, and most of it is baggy t-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, and button-downs with flimsy buttons."
Tom silently gasped in distraught. "Th-that's horrible. Being so limited to fashion is just…just criminal! I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."
Owen laughed it off. "You just have to adjust as all. Still, I'd love to know what it's like to be dressed like you all the time. With all your soft shirts and jeans that don't ride up to close to the crotch. Hehehe."
Tom's eyes lit up and a gigantic smile stretched across his face. "LET ME DRESS YOU!" he exclaimed, nearly scaring Owen right off his bed.
"What?"
"Oh, this is just what I need on my blog! I've been dying to do another clothing makeover, and this will definitely get my readers interest. Former reality star goes from basic drab—""
"Hey!"
"—to big and fab-u-lous in 24 hours!"
Owen rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Geee, I don't know."
"Don't be silly; it'll be blast! Just give me one day to give you the ultimate Tom make-over. I'll even cover all the expenses for clothes, tailoring, footwear..."
"Well, that does sound interesting."
"Plus lunch'll be on me!"
Owen's face suddenly lightened up. "Make it a buffet meal, and you got yourself a model!"
Tom hugged Owen enthusiastically! "Oh, you're the bee's knees! I've gotta tell Jen!" With ease, Tom speed-dialed his fellow fashionista friend as Owen chugged the last few chips in one gulp. "Jen-Jen, you'll never guess how this genius is revolutionizing his blog!"
