Freddie~1

Tess lay sprawled across her bed, flipping through a magazine and savouring the rare peace of a lazy Saturday. She'd planned for a day of zero effort—no parties, no drama, no running into people she wanted to avoid. That peace, however, was cut short as her mum knocked and then opened her door without waiting for a response, hands on her hips.

"Tess, you're coming with me for lunch," her mum announced, not even offering a choice.

Tess groaned, rolling her eyes. "What, no warning? Can't I have one day without any plans?"

"Which is exactly why we're going. We never do anything together anymore," her mum said firmly. "And you look like you need some fresh air."

After a lot of complaining and reluctant effort, Tess managed to get herself out the door and into her mum's car, the silent resignation hanging between them. They drove through town, her mum rattling on about her job, the weather, and the general "lack of effort" she felt Tess was putting into her life lately. Tess mostly tuned out, only nodding at the parts she figured required some kind of response.

On the way, her mum casually mentioned they'd be making a quick stop.

"Quick stop where?" Tess asked suspiciously, squinting as her mum turned into a quiet residential street.

"Oh, just at a co-worker's. Got to drop something off."

"Wait–you didn't mention we'd be doing your errands." Tess sighed dramatically.

"Consider it part of our quality time," her mum said, her tone too chipper to argue with.

As the car rolled to a stop outside a modest, ivy covered, double story house, Tess barely had time to unbuckle her seatbelt before her mum was out, leaving her there.

"Wait here love! And don't do anything stupid." her mum called over her shoulder before heading up the front steps with a cheery wave.

"Yeah, yeah," Tess muttered, rolling her eyes. She climbed out of the car, stretching as she glanced around, walking up the driveway. She barely had time to make it to the front door when something hurtled toward her from the side, just missing her by inches.

She staggered back as a skater—tall, with messy dark hair and a beanie—came to an abrupt stop, nearly losing his balance.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Tess spat out, annoyed and still a bit startled.

The guy turned, raising an eyebrow as he brushed off his hoodie. "Uh, it's my house. The fuck are you doing here?"

Tess blinked, taking a closer look. Freddie. "Wait, this is your place?"

Freddie smirked, crossing his arms as he looked her over. "Yeah. Wasn't aware I needed permission to skate up my own driveway?"

"Oh, shut up," Tess shot back, trying to regain her composure. She suddenly felt way out of her element, standing here on Freddie's turf. "My mum had to drop something off, that's all."

Freddie snorted. "So, what, you're here as moral support?"

Tess huffed, crossing her own arms. "Look, I didn't ask to be dragged along on her errands, alright?"

Freddie's smirk softened slightly, his tone less teasing. "S'all good. Didn't expect to see you here either."

They stood in silence for a moment, Tess feeling weirdly exposed standing there in his driveway.

Tess looked around the property awkwardly trying to find something to talk about, and for some reason she settled on the shed of all places.

"Cool shed" she said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than she was feeling.

Freddie followed her gaze and grinned. "You wanna go see it?"

Tess shrugged, feigning indifference, but she was curious. "Sure. Why not?"

Freddie led the way to the shed, pushing the door open with a creak. The air inside was thick with a mix of stale smoke, dust, and the faint scent of oil. She stepped in and took it all in—a clunky, rusty car half-covered with a tarp, a beaten-up punching bag swaying slightly, an old couch with questionable stains, and a ridiculously oversized photo of Freddie, Cook, and JJ all grinning like idiots, arms slung around each other in costumes.

"Who put that up?" she asked, pointing to the picture, slightly amused

Freddie laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "Cook insisted. Said it made the shed feel 'homier.' Don't ask me."

"Of course he did." Tess chuckled, stepping closer to inspect the photo.

Freddie just chuckled with a half-smile, taking out a small stash. "You want one?"

She shrugged, leaning back against the couch and taking in the grimy, lived-in charm of the place. "Yeah"

He handed her the spliff, and they smoked in silence for a moment. Tess's eyes roamed the shed, landing on an unmarked bottle tucked under the couch. She picked it up and shook it, laughing "What the hell is this?"

Freddie glanced at it, then winced. "Uh... you don't wanna know."

Tess raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a mix of suspicion and amusement. "No, seriously, what is it?"

He sighed, grinning sheepishly. "You know, sometimes, when we're... we're too stoned to... go outside...I'm sorry." he looked away guiltily.

She let out a horrified gasp, dropping the bottle instantly. "Oh my god. Are you guys serious? That's disgusting, Freddie."

He laughed, his cheeks reddening a bit. "I know, I know. I wasn't exactly expecting guests."

"Right," she muttered, rolling her eyes but smiling. For all the weirdness, there was something oddly comforting about the place.

They passed the spliff in silence for a while, the shed thick with smoke. Eventually, Tess broke it, hesitating."So... how are things with you and Cook?"

Freddie exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl to the ceiling. "Complicated. Always is with him, isn't it? I'm just tired of cleaning up after whatever chaos he's left behind."

Tess nodded, her voice dry. "Yeah. He's a fucking nightmare sometimes."

Freddie glanced at her. "Heard you two had a blow-up at that party last week."

Tess stared at the floor, jaw tight. "Yeah... he knows how to get under my skin. But after what happened with Pandora..." She trailed off, lips pressing into a line. "I don't know. I'm so done with his bullshit."

Freddie's brow furrowed. "What happened with Panda?"

"Do you not know? It happened after the confrontation" Tess asked, surprised this news hadn't spread

Freddie shook his head.

"They fucked." Tess said bluntly.

Freddie sat up straighter. "Cook and Pandora?" He blinked, shaking his head. "Un fuckin' believable."

"It is pretty believable, I mean it's Cook hes a dick and now hes gone and fucked everything up even more,"

Freddie was quiet for a beat. "He's really done it now." He looked at her, his voice lower. "Still... for what it's worth, I think he really cares about you. He just... doesn't know how to show it without screwing it all up."

She let out a humourless laugh, bitterness creeping into her tone. "Yeah, well, caring doesn't exactly fix everything, does it?"

They let the silence return. The photo of him, Cook, and JJ grinned from the wall—frozen in time, from before things got messy.

The shed door burst open. Cook stumbled in, JJ trailing after him, twitchy and wired.

Cook didn't even clock Tess sitting there. He made a beeline for the punching bag and started swinging.

"You'll never guess what just happened." He said as he punched the bag aggressively.

"This skinny Asian fucker was at the Green, body popping on a bit of lino. He's got a little sign saying 'Anwar the Magnificent', right?"

How many Anwars would there even be in Bristol? And it definitely sounded like him, but Tess didn't say a word because of their fight and she wasn't gonna let her guard down that easily.

JJ looked over, startled to see Tess. "Cook!" he warned, trying to get his attention.

But Cook was mid-story, animated and loud. "He's busking, making cash money. So I said to him if I can join in And he says do I know the Buddha Buddha Cheese Buddha routine? So I says-"

"COOK!" JJ snapped.

Cook finally turned, his eyes landing on Tess.

"Well blow bubbles up my bollocks and call me Shirley."

Cook walked over to Freddie and snatched the spliff clearly mad Tess was with him. Tess saw him roll his eyes, clearly frustrated with the unwanted visitor. JJ, of course, felt the need to fill the silence.

"Welcome to our fortress of solitude!" he announced theatrically.

Freddie and Tess exchanged a look—half smirk, half what the fuck.

"Fortress of solitude?" Tess repeated, unimpressed.

JJ nodded emphatically. "I's our sacred space. A safe haven of male bonding—and now...uh, Tess, I guess?" He glanced over at her like she was an exotic animal.

Tess rolled her eyes but gave JJ a tiny smile. "Glad to be included in your intimate male bonding time."

Cook flopped onto the battered armchair, dragging deep on the spliff, finally looking relaxed—almost smug.

"Tess," he called, grinning lazily, "you don't wanna know what goes on in here, yeah?"

Whatever feelings he'd half-spilled the other night, he was clearly choosing to pretend they'd never happened.

"Thought you were still mad at me," she said, flat.

"Nah," Cook said casually, like it'd never happened. "Still think you're a proper hypocrite and that you disrespected me, big time... but can't stay mad when you show up dressed like that, sexy poo." He smirked.

Tess scoffed, pulling her jacket tighter. She was never gonna live that down.

JJ leaned back, glancing at the others. "Speaking of, I think I love the Sexxbombz." He grinned, casting a side-eye to Cook and Tess. "Karen's costume last night was a marvel, honestly. I'm pretty sure it defied the laws of physics. I mean, there's no way that tiny bit of fabric is approved by UK broadcasting standards."

He turned to her excitedly. "Did you see it, Tess?"

Tess raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. "No...not really my kind of show."

Cook, not one to miss out on an opportunity, smirked. "That skirt was so short I saw her bumhole wink."

JJ looked scandalised, but a reluctant laugh slipped from him, Freddie just stared down, growing increasingly impatient with him. As far as she knew they were talking about Freddie's sister...

JJ suddenly perked up, eyes wide with excitement. "Pass me the spliff, Freddiebrek!"

Freddie hesitated, frowning. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry. I've perfected it," JJ said with absolute confidence. Freddie still looked unconvinced but handed it over.

Tess was just confused. Cook said it was his special trick but Tess had thought she'd seen the best of those. JJ took the spliff, held it in between his mouth and looked as if he swallowed it down. She definitely wasn't expecting this. JJ made several gagging noises before spurting out

Tess blinked. "Uh... is that part of it?"

"Water, water!" JJ gasped, stumbling for the nearest bottle—unfortunately, the notorious piss bottle.

"Oh no," Tess groaned, backing up. "JJ, don't you dare—"

But it was too late. He chugged it like it was his water bottle. Tess winced hard, practically gagging herself.

Cook was doubled over, wheezing. "No way—No fuckin' way!"

"JJ, that is foul," Tess said, grimacing so hard her whole face scrunched up.

Then—suddenly—JJ struck a lighter and exhaled fire across the room.

"Fuck!" Tess screamed, stumbling back. Even Freddie jumped, knocking into the side table.

Cook just stayed where he was, howling. "Fucking genius, genius!"

"How long have you had that planted there?" Freddie asked clearly impressed

"About eight months," JJ announced proudly.

Cook kept going. "Genius, fucking top mate, thats fucking tip top-aroo," he stood up, putting out the spliff, "After all that excitement I fancy a spunk, you coming Tessy? You soon will be."

Freddie let out a loud sigh, covering his face with his hands.

"I'd sooner fuck JJ" Tess countered, uninterested and Cooks smile faded.

JJ chimed in, "That isn't intended as a compliment. But I'm going to take it as one anyway."

"Nah you didn't get it. I said are you coming? You soon will be-" Cook repeated.

"I got it. Freddie and JJ got it, that termite over there got it — but you're not going to get it. Got it?" Tess said, her expression cold as ice.

Cook gave her a blank look. "...No, I'm confused."

"I'm not going anywhere near your crayola dick, we've all seen it" Tess snapped, "I know where it's been."

This time he understood what she was saying. He stood there, his expression slowly changing from confusion to anger.

"Understand now idiot?"

JJ spoke up confused, "Cook, What's she talking about?"

Cook ignored him. "Piss off then," he snapped. "This is our place. If you're not gonna shag us, then get to fuck!"

Tess stepped forward, eyes burning. "Why don't you tell them about your little game of Twister, Cook?"

His whole body tensed.

"Oh piss off man!" he barked, voice cracking.

Tess couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes met Freddie's one last time—brief, imploring—before she turned sharply and shoved the shed door open.

"Tess!" Cook's voice cut through the noise behind her. "Wait... Fuck."

She didn't. She kept walking, jaw clenched, nails digging into her palm. He wanted her to go, didn't he? Told her to fuck off—and now here he was, chasing after her.

The shed door slammed, and his boots crunched the gravel behind her. "I was being a dick, alright? Happy? Can this be over now?"

She stopped dead in her tracks, spinning around slowly. "Over?" Her voice cracked with disbelief. "You think that's the issue here?"

He looked at her, confused. Defensive already.

"Why the fuck did you sleep with Pandora, Cook?" she asked, her voice quieter now, but laced with something sharper than anger—hurt.

He shrugged, his usual bravado flickering back in place. "Why not? We were both there, weren't we? Besides, you told me she wanted to learn, so I taught her." He grinned, but there was something forced about it. "Didn't think you'd be keepin' tabs on me, Tess."

Her glare darkened. "Are you serious? You know what she's going through right now, Thomas just left and she was in a pretty shit emotional state and you still went for it?"

"Oh, so now I'm meant to play the bloody gentleman?" he scoffed, stepping closer. "You know me." he stated, daring her to argue.

Tess's frustration boiled over, her voice shaking with anger. "I thought I did," she bit out, her voice barely above a whisper. "Guess I was wrong." She held his gaze, searching for some hint of the guy she'd nearly, almost trusted.

He narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping lower. "What, you can run off with Theo, and I'm meant to sit around pining for you? Bet you've been shagging him all fuckin' week."

"I didn't run off to hurt you, I just needed to get out!" She tried to explain.

"Oh, right, 'cause you're so above it all, yeah?" He laughed bitterly. "You act like you're too good for all of this, but we both know that's just a load of shit."

Tess blinked hard, that one hitting deeper than she expected. "You don't get to twist this on me. You don't get to hurt people just because you're scared I'll leave."

He stepped closer, jaw tight. "You already fucking did."

There it was—laid bare. The hurt under all his chaos. And it didn't excuse anything, but it almost made her falter.

They stood in silence, the tension thick between them, all the unsaid things stretching out like a river they couldn't cross.

"Fine," he finally muttered, his voice dropping, his anger giving way to something quieter, something hurt. "Go off with Theo. But I bet you'll come crawling back anyways"

"Tess!" Her mum's voice rang out from the back door. "Time to go!"

Tess glanced toward the house, then back at Cook. He didn't move. Neither did she. The weight of what they'd said—and what they hadn't—hung between them.

Her mum's voice again, sharper this time. "Now, Tess."

She turned, finally, her eyes lingering on Cook just a moment longer.

As she followed her mum out the back gate, silence thick in her throat, she didn't look back again.

They reached the car in silence. Tess yanked the door open, slumping into the passenger seat, arms crossed tightly.

Her mum glanced over, eyes narrowing. "What happened in there?" she asked, voice already on edge. "I told you not to do anything stupid."

Tess shrugged, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her seat. "It's not stupid, Mum. They're my friends."

Her mum scoffed softly. "That guy certainly didn't look like a friend."

Tess clenched her jaw, feeling the sting of her mum's words. "Maybe not anymore."

Her mum started the car, glancing over with a sigh. "Tess, you deserve better than some boy who doesn't treat you with respect. Friendship shouldn't feel like a battle."

Tess looked out the window, her voice softer. "You don't get it, Mum. It's not that simple."

"Then explain it to me," her mum pressed. "Help me understand why you keep letting people like him hurt you? I don't want you going through last year again like with —"

Ok! I get it. I'll try get some better friends then mum." She said sarcastically, hiding the pain.