Everyone ~2

Tess eventually found her classroom after far too many interactions with Cook than she had wanted on her first day. She took her seat next to Katie and across from the boy she had met earlier- JJ.

"Hey where'd you go earlier?" Katie whispered

"Got caught up. Some kid trying to show me his magic tricks, you know?" Tess complained

"Gross." Katie muttered, clearly not listening "Oh I introduced myself to Effy Stonem, but fucking Naomi came over and told me she was gonna fuck-"

"GIRLS! Please shut the fuck up" the irritated teacher shouted, shutting Katie up- which Tess wasn't too mad about.

"Right. Um... Now we've gotta... Christ. Fuck it Whatever... We've gotta stand up, say our names and a unique fact about ourselves. Right. I'll start. I'm Kieran and I hate being a fucking teacher. You." He pointed to JJ

"Uhm I'm JJ and with regard to mathematical aptitude I'm in the top 0.3% of the population which is an interesting demographic statistic because paradoxically my communication, interpersonal and intuitive skills are towards the lower quartiles." The whole class was giggling and Tess couldn't help smiling at his hopelessness.

"Yeah. You've stopped me in my fucking tracks there. Right. you, next" He said pointing to Katie. Tess hoped she wasn't going to say something stupid but that was always a guarantee with Katie

"I'm Katie and I've never not had a boyfriend since I was 7" She said proudly. Tess and Emily just rolled their eyes

Next was Emily, who stood up awkwardly "I'm Emily and I've never had a boyfriend" She said shyly.

"I'm Naomi, I hate injustice and People tell lies about me" Naomi said, giving a pointed look to Katie.

Tess half paid attention to the very random, odd facts that were being shared. She gathered that Kumir was gay, Nathan's family had all been on crimewatch, Abby could burp the alphabet, some girl had an energy drink addiction, a guy claiming to be allergic to water and Mathew had a collection of celebrity cardboard cutouts- What a great class.

She hated these icebreaker schools made you do. They where a complete waste of time, no one needed to know what everyone's favourite fucking colour is or how many pets they had but this time round it was quite the insight.

"Great. Next! You with the hair" He said pointing to Tess causing her to snap out of her daydreaming,

"I'm Tess and my mum rotates husbands every year, all tossers" She said bluntly.

Kieran continued "Right thats fucking deppresing. You with the bling"

"I'm Effy and I think my mums having an affair" Effy said blankly. Tess met her gaze and tried giving the girl a comforting smile, things had always been a bit rough at the Stonem's

"Good one. Shows enterprise. What about you, big man?" Freddie stood up,

"I'm Freddie. I met a girl I like today. She's like... Beautiful. That's it." He said, clearly staring at Effy

"That's it? That's your unique fact? That's just great. Fascinating, what a year this is gonna be-" Kieran seemed to be rambling on but before he could finish his little rant Effy put her hand up,

"Kieran? I'm feeling rather shit I think I need to go the nurses office" Effy said

"Ok Go on then. Right. Where were we? Oh, stuff it. Let's just watch a DVD about... Oh, Christ. "How To Be Inclusive". Holy Mother of divine shite, who makes up this shit?! This inclusivity bull-" Kieran was again interrupted

"Actually, Kieran, I'm not feeling too well either. My balls are aching. I might have to go and see that nurse." Cook said with a smirk. Tess let out a scoff.

"I wonder where he's going then" Katie said sarcastically

Tess chuckled "Going to get treated for that ache I reckon?"

The rest of the period, the class was subjected to the mind-numbing documentary about inclusivity, which was clearly slapped together without much thought. The video rambled on about "embracing differences" but somehow managed to make it sound like an instruction manual for assembling flatpack furniture.

Katie was furiously texting under the desk, while Freddie slouched so low in his seat he was practically horizontal. The only person who seemed to be even mildly interested was JJ. Tess found herself zoning out, her eyes glazing over as the narrator cheerfully droned on about "respecting everyone's unique perspectives" in the most monotone voice imaginable.

"This is actually painful," Tess whispered to Katie, who stifled a yawn beside her.

Kieran sat at the front, barely paying attention himself, doodling on a piece of paper and occasionally looking up at the screen with a sigh, as if questioning every life decision that led him to this moment. Although his behaviour might not be the most ethical for a teacher, he was certainly entertaining in Tess's opinion.

By the time the documentary ended, the whole class looked half-asleep, and Tess was pretty sure Cook and Effy hadn't even bothered to come back- Or they were still going. When the lights flicked back on, there was a collective groan of relief.

"Well, that was an hour of my life I'll never get back," Emily muttered, standing up and grabbing her bag.

"That was well boring, I hope every sessions not gonna be this getting to know each other crap" Katie complained

Tess shook her head," I think it was just an elaborate attempt to make us all feel guilty for existing."

----

The rest of the day went by fast. They had English with Josie, a complete opposite of Kieran, Psychology- one of the only subjects Tess was actually interested in and the most boring History lesson Tess had ever sat through- with an equally as boring teacher, Tom. Lunch wasn't much of an improvement either. The food was absolutely disgusting and the awkward chats that followed weren't exactly enjoyable. Katie had practically dragged Emily and Tess over to sit with Effy- Her new fixation, but Effy looked bored shitless, Pandora was waffling on about her nail class, Katie was just bragging about Danny and Tess was completely uninterested.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. Tess gathered her things, feeling a mix of relief and exhaustion. Katie and Emily were already waiting by the school gates, chatting animatedly.

"God I'm already sick of school" Tess complained

"Babes, just give it a chance—it's been one day," Katie said, her voice a blend of optimism and exasperation.

"Ugh I know. Everyone is just pissing me off that's all" Tess admitted

"Who, Cook?" Emily asked her curiosity peaked

"Yeah exactly! I hate boys like that rude, loud, disrespectful and gross and-" Tess ranted

"Right," Katie interrupted, shooting Tess a knowing look that suggested she was aware of more than just the surface-level irritation

"Anyways see you tomorrow yeah?" Katie said walking down a different street

"Bye!" Tess waved, not quite feeling the enthusiasm she was trying to convey

"You better come tomorrow!" Katie shouted from across the street

"Why wouldn't I?" Tess said sarcastically 

----

The moment Tess stepped through the front door, she kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the couch like a corpse. She was completely drained from the dull, mind-numbing activities she'd been forced to endure at school.

"Tess? Is that you?" Her mum, Anna, called from the other room.

"Yeah, Mum," Tess mumbled, face buried in a pillow.

Anna appeared in the doorway, holding a carrot grater like she was about to wage war on a salad. "Oh, honey, how was it?"

"Fine," Tess replied flatly.

Anna frowned. "Oh, come on, Tess. Give me more than that! It was your first day of college. Surely something happened?"

Tess exhaled loudly, not even bothering to lift her head. "There's really not much to it. We watched an hour-long pointless documentary, lunch was inedible, my entire class now knows about your marriages, oh—and a boy flashed the whole year."

Anna blinked. "I—wait. What?"

"Never mind. I'm going upstairs."

Anna, still looking bewildered, tried to recover. "Are you at least going to say hi to Paul before you disappear?"

"No, I'm alright, actually."

Before she could make a clean escape, Paul's voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Hey, Tessy—Tessa—Teresa! How was it then?"

Tess froze mid-step, physically recoiling. "Oh my god. Never say that again."

Paul looked genuinely confused. "What? I was just—"

"Nope. I'm taking a nap." She turned and bolted up the stairs.

"Tess! Come back here!" Anna called after her.

The only response was the slam of a door.

Paul turned to Anna, looking hopeless. "...Did I do that?"

Paul was Michelle and Tess' newest step dad. He was a cook at a local restaurant and in Tess's opinion not a very good one. Paul was the type of guy to try and be all cool around kids and try to slip waiters money secretly, He was very... out there. Paul had some bizarre hobbies- and collections like the numerous creepy gnomes Tess tried her best to ignore every time she left the house. Although Paul was not nearly as dreadful as some of their mums other partners. But that wasn't saying much. Both Michelle and Tess didn't understand what their mum saw in him; he was a complete idiot.

Tess lazily tossed her jewellery back on her dresser and fell onto her clothes covered bed. Tess's room was always a mess but honestly whos wasn't? The wardrobe was practically overflowing, while empty bottles and old makeup cluttered the dresser. Her walls were covered in posters and pictures that made the room feel even smaller.

She finally found a packet of darts she had been searching for, tucked away in a jacket pocket. Opening the window, Tess poked her head out and lit a cigarette, letting the smoke drift out into the evening air. The smoke danced lazily in the cool breeze as Tess leaned against the window frame, taking comfort in the familiar ritual. These were the moments Tess needed after dealing with school and her mum. Just with her music, a smoke and her comfortingly chaotic room.

She had a weird day that's for sure but something in her was excited for this year. Tess hoped this year would be less dramatic in terms of friendship groups and boyfriends- a problem proving very consistent in her and Katie's old group.

Tess rarely bothered with serious relationships but when she did it always got fucked up. She always believed it was her fault but she now realised what manipulative bitches teenage boys could be. Since Tess's trust had been broken too many times she decided to try forget about boys...At least, that was the plan. but there was one boy in particular that Tess couldn't get out of her head; Cook.