Disclaimer: I don't own Dan or Phil. I also don't own any other YouTubers you may see in this story (such as KickThePj [PJ Liguori],crabstickz (Chris Kendall) sparkleofglitter [Louise Pentland], etc.), any real life references you may see, social media (Primarily YouTube, but also Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.), music/song references, as well as artists/bands (such as Muse, MCR, etc.), and whatever you recognize. I am not creative enough to own that stuff :P I do own my OC, Abigail Elizabeth Woods, who I think is creative...?

I am pleased to tell you that the rough total chapter count for this story is 43 chapters :) Things can only go up from here...right?

Anyway, forty-three is not for a long time, so let's enjoy twenty-four.

(side note: I saw their YouTube Red movies on StreamFlix; god bless them they are literally a god-send)

P.S- The record store name is a joke made by me, which is pretty obvious, and I am 99.9% sure it's not real. For the 0.1% chance that it is real, then I don't own it, I guess :P

Chapter 24: Welcome to the British Invasion

"So you're going to be alright?" Dan asks, passing a small bag to Phil, who tosses it to Abi. Dan's eyes widen, and he adds, "Phil, be careful! That salad has been tossed to its limit!"

Phil replies, "Relax! Just giving it one last toss before the big day."

"Guys, stop arguing about whether my salad has to be tossed or not," Abi says with a roll of her eyes, adjusting her cameo jacket. She adds, "And of course I'll be alright; you guys are making me feel like it's the first day of school."

Dan walks to the lounge and wraps Abi in an over-dramaticized hug.

"Oh, but sweetie, it is your first day at work," he cooes, "and we are going to miss you very much."

Abi gestures her disgust with her finger halfway through her mouth. "Ugh, leave me alone, mom."

Dan laughs, squeezing her tighter. Phil decides to intervene between the two, and he pushes Dan onto the couch.

"While ignoring mom-Dan over here," Phil says with a small smile, "make sure you have everything, okay? Do you have your laptop? And your opinions on the unreleased songs on 'The Black Parade' are memorized, right? There was a lot you wanted to say about that. How about -"

"Guys, I'm literally just an intern at a record store," Abi says. "The only thing I'd forget is my lunch, and that's pretty much it. I don't need things memorized - I just need to know what I'm doing and just speak as if I am making another review."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Dan comments offhandedly.

"For you it is," Abi retorts, and Dan throws a pillow at her. She catches it and tosses it back, and Dan groans.

"You messed up my hair!" he protested. Phil laughs.

"Dan, you're ruining her focus." He faces Abi again and says, "Do you want to go through your little practice thing?"

Abi nods. "Finally, the one thing you dorks are helping me do."

"Who are you calling dork, dork?" Dan says from the couch. Abi ignores him.

"Okay, so I am just a music noob walking into a record store for the first time," - Phil pretends to walk, his arms swinging back and forth. Abi rolls her eyes - "and hey, you're the first person I see!"

Abi was quick to say, "Hey, welcome to 'British Invasion' - you need any help?"

Phil continues to stare ahead. Dan rolls his eyes.

"Phil!" he hisses. "That's your cue!"

Phil's head turns around and his eyes widen in realization. "Oh yeah, right! Sorry - I was just fangirling over the name again."

"You're only saying that because you didn't know what the 'British invasion' was," Dan points out, and Phil looks down meekly. Abi throws her hands up in frustration.

"Can someone just say the damn line?" she asked, annoyed, but trying not to let a smile go through. Dan rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a new album to listen to," Dan recites from the couch. "Would you ever be so kind as to recommend an album to me?"

"Dan, I thought you were a 'drama kid'?" Phil says, air-quoting the words. "What kind of acting is that?"

"My acting days are over and you know that," Dan replies, and Abi sighs.

"Anyway," she says, stretching the word, "what kind of music do you listen to?"

Dan pretends to think about it for a while, and answers, "I'm kind of an emo guy."

"Yeah, the haircut says it."

"Abi, you shouldn't be insulting the customer," Dan gasps, a hand over his heart. Abi fights the urge to punch him lightly.

"Any bands you enjoy?"

"A variety, I guess," Dan says nonchalantly.

"Dan, this is supposed to be helping me learn how to help someone find a new album to listen to!" Abi whines. "You need to be more specific."

"It's an honest answer," Dan protests.

"Just give a band," Abi says, and Dan thinks about it for a while.

"Muse," he decides. "I've listened to Showbiz, which I enjoyed, but I wanted to know if there were any of their works that could've been better than that album."

Phil looks at Abi, who already has her answer.

"Origin of Symmetry is definitely an album I would recommend," Abi says. "It's an aesthetically pleasing piece of art, and the vocals that Matt Bellamy throws in are astounding. If would also suggest listening to their new album Drones, which is heavily based off conspiracy theories on the government and how it works. It's a very political album, but it does a pretty good job delivering some kind of story or message throughout the songs."

Dan stares at her for a solid minute, looking pretty dumbfounded. Abi frowns.

"Are you alright, Dan?" she asks. "Was that too much, or -"

"Of course not," Dan says at last. "It was very informative. I would probably think you are an expert already, and then prove it by reading your blog."

"Thanks," Abi says meekly.

They stare at each other for a while, smiling. They hear Phil cough, and he grabs their attention.

"Well, now that you rehearsed and stuff, we should probably start on your costume-change and your blocking for the next scene," Phil teases.

"It's a nerve-wrecking job!" Abi complains.

"Only because it involves socializing beyond your level," Dan says with a smirk, and this time, Abi does punch him on the arm lightly. Dan looks at her, mock-hurt.

"In all honesty, Abi, I hope you have a great first day at work," Phil says, squeezing her into a tight hug. "We are all very excited for you."

"I know you guys are," Abi says softly. "It means a lot that you guys are supporting me."

"Of course we are," Dan agrees, standing up from the couch. "The friendship rule and all that kind of stuff."

Abi's lip perks up, and she looks at her watch.

"Well, it's already ten to nine - I better catch a taxi, or I'll probably be late," she announces, squeezing her friends into a quick hug.

"What will we do without you?" Dan fake-cries.

"Get some groceries," she offhandedly replies, much to Dan's annoyance.

"It's actually Phil's turn to do that!" Dan points out, to which Phil groans, knowing he was right.

"As much as I'd love to hear your domestic arguments, I have to go. Peace, love, and happiness!"

On her way out, she catches the attention of Striker, who skips down the stairs and licks her leg. She pats him on the head, and halfway out the door, she hears Dan's voice.

"Hey, Abi?" Her head pops back into the house, and Dan is at the foot of the door, holding a small bag.

"You forgot your lunch."

For the umpteenth time that morning, she smiles.

The big, dimmed-neon sign was the first thing she saw. It said 'British Invasion' in pink and green cursive font, and on their display window were different models of record players and some album covers. She looks at herself in the faint reflection of the window and sighs.

'You got this,' she thinks confidently. She smooths her shirt, adjusts her brown-rimmed glasses, and walks into the familiar store.

She's greeted to the third track off The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the warm atmosphere of the store. It was a two-floored store, with the top floor having the main cashier and the record players, along with band merchandise and featured albums - Abi was excited to have input on that - and there was a big staircase at the end of the first floor leading to the basement, where all the records were sorted into genre and artist. There was a little lounge area in the back of store where you could play your own records, or listen to samples of different records, all while testing some record players.

Abi took in a deep breath - she felt like she was at her second-home.

"Hiya, Abi!" a voice chirps from behind her. She turns around and smiles.

"Hey, Jonathan!" she says happily.

"You got here on time, so I guess we can skip the awkward 'it's your first day, so I'll let it slide, but if it happens again, there's consequences' talk, huh?" he says, digging through his pocket and pulling out a tag. "At least you're on time so I could give you this."

In his hand is a small pin in the shape of a record with Abi's name engraved on it in cursive. She beams, and puts it on her jacket.

"This is so cool! Thanks, Jon," she gushes. Jonathan grins.

"Anything for our star-employee. I'm not the mean boss anyway," Jonathan replies, before snapping his fingers and adding, "Oh, and I forgot to remind you that you'll be having a mentor hang out with you for the next couple of days."

Abi blushes. "I don't need help, Jon. I learned enough during the training."

"I know you don't, kid, but store policies and what not," Jonathan says with a shrug. Abi rolls her eyes.

"Who are you calling a kid?" she scoffs. "You're twenty-six; a mere two year difference."

"Two years and a month!" he reminds her. Abi chuckles.

"Anyway, where is said mentor?"

Jonathan shrugs. "She's probably downstairs. If she's not, she's probably not here yet, so you organize the basement for opening and I'll send her down."

"Ugh, is she always this late?" Abi teases. Jonathan cracks a smile.

"She's actually the owner of the place."

Abi's jaw drops. "I thought you were the owner?"

"Nope, I am just your boss," Jonathan says. "She is the manager and the store owner, so technically she has slightly more power than me."

"Slightly?" Abi deadpans. Jonathan shrugs.

"I am just a boss' pet, that's all."

"Great, I'm going to start having to buy you flowers and fondle you with chocolate," Abi whines, and Jonathan just pushes her towards the basement.

"Go!" he says through laughter. "There was a new shipment last night that needs to be unpacked, and they can probably handle you more than I can."

Abi goes down the stairs to start unpacking the boxes of new arrivals. She hums to the song on the store speakers, sorting the albums by genre, then moving to the longue and fixing up the place.

She hears the door open and slightly mumbles from upstairs, and she figures it was her mentor. She takes a breath and pastes a smile on her face. Her back is against the staircase when she hears them speak.

"So you're the new kid, huh?"

Abi goes rigid, and she turns around slowly to see -

"Rosalina?" she nearly exclaims. For some reason, Rosa looks just as shocked.

"Abi!" she says, throwing her arms up and wrapping her in a hug. "Now this will be way less boring than some idiot who doesn't know what they're doing, am I right?"

She pauses, and adds, "You do know what you're doing, right?"

"Of course," Abi says happily. "I am just glad you aren't some person who doesn't want to tolerate my presence, am I right?"

"Now I didn't say that," Rosa teases, and Abi awkwardly laughs.

They stand around for a minute, and Rosa finally breaks the ice.

"So," she says mischievously, "wanna play a prank on Jon or something? I keep a jack-in-the-box in the cashier every night, and despite the fact that it always happens, he gets scared in the end."

"As tempting as it sounds," Abi chuckles, "I kind of want to know how you never told us you owned a record store. I thought you worked at the pizzeria."

Rosalina shrugs, popping some bubble gum in her mouth.

"Got to keep up the money somehow," Rosa says nonchalantly. Abi's eyes widen.

"You are dedicated, that's for sure," Abi comments. "Does Phil know?"

"He will eventually, I suppose," Rosa says smugly. "That innocent soul can never get enough of all this anyway."

Rosa sways to emphasize her points, and Abi musters a laugh - her over-confidence is something Abi definitely admired, if not feared.

"So," Rosa smirks, "shall we get started?"

And the day carries on. Rose teaches Abi a few tricks and tips to help lessen her work and quicken her daily jobs, and she even teaches Abi how to come off as a "socialite" in front of customers.

Near the end of the day, when Jonathan has left to sweep up the downstairs, the two girls are upstairs, watching the last customers come and go.

"Almost five, hun," Rosa beams. "You officially survived your first shift here!"

"Thanks," Abi says proudly. "I feel like I learned a lot, thanks to you."

"I am amazing after all," Rosa smirks, and Abi rolls her eyes. "What's your schedule, Abi? I mean, I just want to know so I don't have to show up when it's just Jonathan and some of his friends helping downstairs. You are pretty much our first official employee that is getting paid."

Abi blushes. "Five days a week, basically. Though it's Friday today - I have the weekend off."

"Good," Rosa says. "If it was on the weekend, I would change it in a heartbeat."

Abi mumbles her gratitude, and her eyes fall on something shiny on Rosa's chest.

"I like your necklace," she blurts out, and Rosa snaps her attention towards the Brit, before looking down at her neck and smiling.

"A hunk of eye-candy, huh?" Rosa acknowledged. "My da' gave it to me 'fore he passed."

Abi's smile falls. "I-I'm...I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Rosa waves her hands dismissively, as if she could just dust away the thought.

"No bother crying 'bout things you can't change." Her Texan accent drops to a small whisper, and Abi sighs, fiddling her thumbs - how could she make this less awkward?

"I don't have a dad either," she admits. Rosa raises an eyebrow.

"What'd you mean?"

"Well, I do have a dad," Abi rephrases. "He wasn't a good one though. He practically drove my mom right to her death, and he was an abusive maniac."

A pause before Rosa finally says, "Sorry to hear."

Abi shrugs. "What can you do?"

The two girls stand in silence at the counter, and Rosa looks at Abi meekly.

"Does Phil really like me?" she asks quietly, her confidence somewhat dimming. Abi rests her hand on her chin.

"Phil hasn't been in love for a long time - actually, from where I stand, I've never seen a girl who has caught his attention quite like you do," Abi confesses. "It may not be love yet, but that's only 'cause he doesn't know what it is quite yet."

"Will he ever?" Rosa hums.

"Eventually," Abi says carefully. Rosa throws her head back over-dramatically.

"Ugh, boys, am I right?" she moans, and Abi laughs.

The clock hits five, and Rosa smiles.

"Well, that's you," she says.

"You sure?" Abi asks. "I can close up if you want to go home or something."

"I'll close up," Rosa repeats, more firmly this time. "Just a few things I want to sort out with Jon first before leaving, and some paperwork," she adds vaguely.

Abi smiles, hauling her smile bag over her shoulder. "Alright then! Feel free to come over to our place - I'm sure Phil would love to see you again."

Rosa's eyes twinkle with an indescribable gleam. "Good night, Abi. I had a great night."

Abi turns around at the sudden compliment and Rosa shoos her off. Abi grasps onto the strap of her bag, and feebly replies, "You too!" and walks out of the store, with a small smile on her face.

…

"Close up, will you?"

he's walking home at the exact time she knew he would - it was his turn after all.

he carries tesco bags up the stairs to their doorstep and knocks on the door. she watches carefully as he pulls the key out of his front pocket, and he bends slightly to put the bags down to unlock the door, revealing the house number plate.

'bingo,' she thinks, and pulls out her camera, zooms in, and snaps a picture.

'click!'

at the sound of the noise, he jumps, immediately turning around. she ducks behind the bushes with a smile, looking at the photo with a smile - time to see how the internet would react to this.

…

"Phil?" The black-haired boy nearly drops his keys, which were midway to the keyhole. He's greeted by Abi, who clearly just came home from looking at her name tag.

"You coming in?" she asks again. "You've been standing there for, like, five minutes - you're going to freeze to death, and Dan's going to die waiting for you to play Mario Kart.

Phil looks around hesitantly once more, and swears he sees a gleam of red.

"I'm coming," he ends up saying, "just help me with these groceries, would you?"

…

it was risky, she knows, though it was always worth it to see him freak out like that - the poor bastard.

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