Naomi ~1

COOK

School was bollocks on a good day, but today was even worse. First period: History. Some knob going on about the plague—or whatever. As far as Cook was concerned, the only plague in England was him. Tess and Pandora had both spent the whole lesson pretending he didn't exist, which was rich considering they were the only two people in the room he could stand in that class.

Tess was still pissed. Properly pissed. Not her usual bit of sass that he could charm his way out of. Nah, this was cold, silent, shoulder-turning pissed. And for what? A quick shag with Panda? Or Eff? She was the one hanging around Freds all the fucking time, showing up at their shed? and It's not like he and Tess were even a thing. 

Still. The way she'd ignored him all last week, like he'd run over her cat or something, had gotten under his skin. Didn't help that Effy called him the other night but what was he supposed to do—say no to Effy Stonem? Don't think so. Freddie saw. And if Freddie saw, Tess his apparent new bestie definitely knew by now.

The bell snapped him out of it. Lunch. Thank fuck. 

He'd barely made it to the cafeteria when JJ appeared at his side, talking a mile a minute about some new strategy for World of Warcraft or some shite. 

"....you'd be a top-tier tank, y'know," he said, practically bouncing. "Your aggression stats are off the charts. Reckless, yes, but effective."

Cook smirked, grabbing a tray. "Cheers. Don't know what the fuck you're on about, but it sounds like a compliment."

"You'd probably die in-game. And possibly in real life," JJ added matter-of-factly.

Cook laughed, leading them toward a table at the back. JJ kept rambling, but Cook's eyes were already drifting.

And there she was.

Tess. Sitting with Katie, laughing her head off like nothing mattered. Like he didn't matter.  His jaw tightened before he could stop it.

Didn't help that she looked fit as hell. That messy, striped hair she always acted like she didn't care about, those eyes that were too big for her face and too sharp for her own good. There was always something a bit undone about her. Honest. Dangerous. It drove him insane.

"Cook," JJ said, leaning in closer. "You're glaring. It's very obvious. Are you going to fight someone? Please say no. It's not great for my nerves."

He shook his head, tearing his gaze away. "Not glaring. Just... thinking."

"About Tess," JJ said, almost cautious.

"Fuck no," Cook lied, too quick.

"You are," JJ pressed. "You've been weird since... y'know, the thing. You get this look. Like when someone steals your chips."

Cook snorted. "You my therapist now?"

"If I was," JJ said, "I'd say you're acting out because you feel guilty."

"Guilty? What the fuck for?" Cook snapped, louder than he meant to. "I didn't do nothin' wrong."

JJ gave him that look—quiet, observant. Annoyingly accurate. "You slept with Panda. Then Effy. Freddie knows. Tess knows. That's...well, it's kind of a lot."

"So what?" Cook muttered, grabbing a fry. "Me and Tess weren't anything, JJ. Anything. And Freddie's just being a pussy."

JJ tilted his head. "Still. She liked you. I'm positive. Probably still does. People don't get that mad unless they care."

That shut me up for a second. Did she still care?

Did she still care? She'd looked at him like she wanted to set him on fire, but maybe that was just how Tess protected herself. He knew that look too well—like she was about to say something that would ruin him, and wanted to ruin him even more for making her care in the first place.

"Doesn't matter," he said after a moment, trying to act casual. "She'll get over it. They always do."

JJ frowned. "They? Who's they?"

"Girls," He said, shrugging. "They get mad, then they get over it. S'all the same."

JJ sighed like Cook was hopeless. Which, fair enough. He wasn't exactly a saint. But it wasn't his fault Tess decided to make a big deal out of something that wasn't. She'd ran off with someone and he needed a shag- simple.

Still, as he caught another glimpse of her, something twisted in his chest. Not guilt. Definitely not that. 

Just... something.

------

Tess tugged her jacket tighter as she walked briskly through the college corridor. The air was already filled with chatter and the sound of lockers slamming shut. Ahead, she spotted Thomas walking in the same direction.

"Oi, Thomas!" she called, catching up with him. He turned, smiling brightly.

"Morning, Tess," he said, his voice warm and steady.

"Form meeting," she said, rolling her eyes. "Nothing like starting the day with thirty minutes of forced bonding and whatever random updates they've got for us."

Thomas chuckled. "It's not so bad. Sometimes they have good news, no?"

"Yeah, sure," Tess said dryly.

Thomas laughed as they entered the form room. The air was already heavy with the hum of voices. Tess glanced around, spotting Pandora and Effy near the back. She made her way over, hesitating for a brief moment before moving with them.

Pandora greeted her with an enthusiastic wave. "Tess! Over here!"

Effy glanced up, offering Tess a brief nod. She looked as inscrutable as ever, but Tess couldn't help the twist in her stomach. Effy had slept with Cook again, and while Tess had enough reasons to be pissed at him herself, it wasn't just about that. It was about Freddie.

Before Tess could say much, Naomi walked in, heading straight for their little group. She slid into the seat beside Pandora, casting a quick look around the room.

Effy and Freddie were avoiding each other like the plague. Naomi noticed immediately, her brow furrowing slightly as she leaned closer.

"What's going on there?" Naomi asked, her voice low.

"Nothing," Effy replied sharply. Pandora opened her mouth to speak, but Effy cut her off. "Shut up."

The tension crackled for a moment, and Tess shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes wandering across the room. They landed on Cook, of course. He was sprawled lazily in his chair, surrounded by a group of hair and beauty girls. They were all laughing, giggling, practically hanging off his every word.

Typical.

Tess could just about hear his voice over the noise.

"Then you've got the shaft of your penis..." Cook said, grinning wickedly as the girls erupted into laughter.

Tess rolled her eyes, but her gaze lingered. It always did, no matter how much she tried to tell herself she didn't care anymore.

Effy, however, didn't seem entertained. She stood up abruptly, her face carefully blank, but Tess noticed the way her shoulders stiffened.

As Effy moved toward the door, Emily appeared, her eyes lit up the moment she spotted Naomi.

"Naomi," Emily said softly, a small smile playing on her lips. "Hey!"

Just as Emily took a seat next to Naomi, the room was plunged into sudden darkness. A few startled gasps and nervous laughs rippled through the students, followed by the sound of someone tripping over a chair.

"Fucking hell," Tess muttered, leaning back in her chair.

Pandora giggled nervously. "Ooh, maybe it's a ghost! Or aliens?"

"Aliens? Really?" Naomi deadpanned, though there was a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen here," Tess muttered.

JJ piped up from across the room.  "There's actually a scientific basis for sudden power outages related to extraterrestrial phenomena—"

"Shut up, JJ," Freddie snapped, though not unkindly.

Before anyone could speculate further, a torch light flicked on at the front of the room, illuminating Doug. He stood in the beam of light, his arms spread wide like some dramatic prophet.

"In ancient times before the now," he began, his voice deep and theatrical, "there was an almighty blazing row between two kingdoms tall and proud. How to decide this without blood?"

"Not this again," Tess whispered, smirking as she leaned closer to Pandora.

"Maybe it is about aliens!" Pandora whispered back excitedly.

Before Doug could finish his grand introduction, the lights snapped back on, revealing the headmistress standing off to the side, arms crossed and a pointed look aimed directly at Doug.

"Right, settle down, everyone," she said briskly. "Thank you, Doug, for that... fascinating introduction."

Doug turned to her, his face falling slightly. "No... But I'm not finished!"

"Yes, you are," Harriet replied firmly, cutting him off with a wave of her hand.

Doug sighed dramatically but stepped aside.

The headmistress addressed the room with an air of finality. "Here's the point. We want a student president. This will be a democratically empowered position for a talented individual to proactively seek excellence in matters of student representation. And you, my little education consumers, will choose this president by vote. The election is next week. If you wish to stand, please see Doug after assembly."

Doug, undeterred, leaned back toward the mic. "Can I just— I've got a whole rhyme worked out for that bit—"

"No," the headmistress interrupted sharply, holding up a hand. "Please, no."

"But it's clever!" Doug protested. "It's a pun on Doug, digging, and I'm awfully nasty about the Welsh—"

"No!" she snapped, her tone final.

The students erupted into laughter, and even Tess couldn't help a snort.

"Student president, huh?" Tess said, glancing over at Naomi. "You'd be great Naom's."

Naomi scoffed. "Definitely not my thing."

"Bet Cook's gonna run," Emily said, smiling nervously.

"Of course he is," Tess muttered, glancing toward Cook, who was still lounging with his group of hair-and-beauty girls. "Bet he'll win, too."

"Why would anyone vote for him?" Pandora asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Because he's Cook," Tess said, rolling her eyes. "He'll probably promise some stupid shit. Either that or scare people into voting for him."

—----

The streets were quiet except for the crunch of gravel under Tess and JJ's feet as they walked. JJ was talking enthusiastically about his recent interest in astrophysics, his hands gesturing wildly as he explained the complexities of some orbital trajectory he'd read about.

"...and if you think about it, Tess, the idea that black holes might actually create wormholes is mind-blowing, isn't it? Like, a literal bridge through space-time!"

Tess squinted at him, half amused, half confused. "What the fuck is a wormhole?"

JJ grinned. "Well a wormhole is like a tunnel between two distant points in our universe that cuts the travel time from one point to the other. Under the right conditions one could theoretically use a wormhole to cut the travel time down to hours or minutes-"

"JJ," Tess interrupted, smirking. "I love that you think I can keep up with this, but I can't."

JJ adjusted the straps of his backpack, his grin sheepish. "Sorry. I get carried away sometimes."

"I've noticed," Tess laughed. 

They turned a corner, the street quieter now, save for the distant hum of traffic. JJ glanced sideways at Tess, his tone shifting to something more hesitant. "So, uh... you and Cook. You're still not...?"

Tess's smirk disappeared. "Not what?"

"Talking," JJ clarified quickly, his words tumbling out in that awkward way of his. "I mean, you haven't been, right? Since, uh... you know."

Tess sighed, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets. "No, JJ. We're not talking."

JJ nodded, clearly trying to choose his words carefully. "He's been... different. Like, weirder than usual. More reckless, if that's even possible. And he's definitely planning something ridiculous for this election."

"Of course he is," 

JJ hesitated, then added, "He also keeps asking people if they've seen or-or talked to you. Not in a stalker way! Just, you know, like... casual."

Tess raised an eyebrow. "Casual. Sure."

JJ gave her a sheepish smile. "I think he misses you."

Tess groaned, stopping in her tracks to glare at him. "Stop vouching for him, J."

JJ blinked, startled. "I'm not vouching! I'm just—"

"Whatever you're doing, don't," Tess cut him off, her voice sharp. "I'm not ready to deal with him, okay?"

JJ tried again, cautiously. "For what it's worth, though, I think he's trying to figure out... something. He's just bad at it."

Tess sighed but didn't respond, her expression unreadable. She was certainly confused by JJ's words.

They walked in silence for a moment, JJ glancing at her like he wanted to say more but thought better of it. Finally, he changed the subject.

"You know, I've been thinking," he began, his voice lighter. "About this election thing. Maybe you should run."

Tess let out a short laugh. "No fucking way."

"You'd be good at it," JJ said earnestly. "You're smart, and you don't put up with any crap. Plus, people are starting to like you more."

Tess looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Starting to?"

JJ flushed. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant... you're kind of scary at first, but once people get to know you, you're actually really...nice."

"Wow," Tess said dryly. "Thanks J!" She said sarcastically.

He grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "See? I'm getting better at this social stuff!"

"It's a work in progress." Tess laughed despite herself, shaking her head. "Anyway Naomis running and I'm helping her with her campaign."

As they neared her street, Tess's steps slowed. Her steps faltered.

 The man ahead on the footpath was tall, his posture slightly hunched, and he wore a faded jacket that looked older than she was. But it wasn't his appearance that made her freeze—it was the recognition. The way he walked, the tilt of his head.

And he wasn't alone.

Two kids clung to his arms, laughing and chattering. A boy and a girl, no older than ten. Tess felt her stomach twist, her feet rooted to the ground.

JJ noticed her hesitation. "Who's that?" he asked, tilting his head.

Tess tore her eyes away, muttering, "No one."

But before she could steer JJ away, the man looked up and froze. His eyes widened, and he called out, his voice rough and hesitant.

"Teresa?"

Tess stiffened as the kids tugged on his sleeves, looking between him and her with curiosity. The sound of her full name made her flinch.

"Who's that, Dad?" the boy asked, his voice high-pitched and innocent.

The man looked up then, his eyes locking onto hers. He stopped in his tracks, his expression a mix of surprise and guilt.

She clenched her fists, forcing herself to speak. "Who the fuck are they?" she demanded, her voice sharp.

The boy flinched, his grip tightening on the man's arm.

"Tess," the man said quietly, glancing down at the kids. "Not in front of them."

"Right," Tess spat. "Because now you care about kids. That's rich."

"They're my step kids," the man said finally, his voice low. "My...wife's kids."

"Your wife?" Tess echoed, her voice rising. "Unbelievable."

"Tess, I didn't come here to fight," he said, his tone weary.

"Then why are you here?" she shot back. "Because we both don't want you here." 

"I was just passing through," he said, his eyes darting to the kids "And I thought I'd-"

"Thought you'd what? Pop in for tea after 5 years," Tess said in a mocking tone. 

The little girl chimed in. "Who is she?"

"Umm look.. It's a bit hard to explain," he said quickly, avoiding Tess's glare.

The words hit like a slap, but Tess refused to let it show. She straightened her shoulders, her voice cutting. "It's really not. You're pathetic, you know that?"

"Tess—"

"Don't," she snapped, her voice trembling. "Just... don't."

Tess turned abruptly, grabbing JJ's arm. "Let's go."

JJ followed without protest, glancing back at the guy before hurrying to keep up with her pace.

When Tess finally stopped, JJ was first to break the silence, his voice hesitant. "That was your...?"

"My dad," Tess said flatly.

JJ looked hesitant. "Well... he seemed... nice?"

Tess shot him a glare. "He's not."

"Oh. I'm sorry." JJ nodded awkwardly, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he added, "I didn't know your full name was Teresa."

—--

Tess stood frozen in the hallway. Her mother, Anna, was busy in the kitchen, humming to herself. Tess could hear the clink of dishes, the soft tap of her mum's boots against the floor, and her breath hitched with every sound.

Just say it, she thought, but the words wouldn't come. Her mind flashed back to the earlier encounter with her dad.

The first time her dad disappeared, it was because of the alcohol. He'd never really been there—always too wrapped up in his own mess, he never took an interest in Tess or Michelles lives. Even after the divorce, he'd barely made an effort. Christmas cards from Southampton, each one colder than the last, were the only reminders of him. When Tess was eleven, he came back, and for a moment, she thought it might actually mean something. Maybe this time he'd stay. But no, he was the same man—a stranger who thought a few days of showing up could make up for everything. And after that brief visit, she never saw him again.

Now, he'd waltzed back into Bristol like nothing had ever happened. Married. With two new step kids who called him Dad. Her stomach churned just thinking about it.

She could feel the anger and hurt bubbling up, like it might explode if she didn't get it out. But she couldn't. She couldn't even say his name.

The door to the kitchen creaked open, and Anna stepped into the hallway, head down. "I got takeaway, because I really couldn't be bothered-"

Anna paused, looking at her daughter with a worried frown. "Tess?" she asked softly, seeing the change in her.

Tess tried to speak, but her voice cracked, and her heart raced. Tess finally forced the words out, voice barely audible, "I... saw Dad."

Her mum's eyes widened in an instant, and Tess could see the rush of fury cross her face. "What did you just say?" Anna's voice was sharp, like it had a bite to it that made Tess want to shrink away.

"I saw him, Mum," Tess repeated, the words tasting bitter in her mouth. "He's... married now. He has two step kids. They—" She couldn't finish the sentence. The rawness of it all was too much. "They call him dad." She laughed, but only tears came out

Anna's face twisted with disgust, and she dropped the dish towel from her hands. "That bastard," she muttered under her breath, like a curse. Tess flinched at her mum's tone, but Anna wasn't done. "He's back after everything he put us through.... I can't believe he'd come back now."

"He left, Mum... and now he's got this new life. And I don't even know why. What did we do wrong?"

Anna stepped forward, pulling Tess into a tight hug, her arms fierce around her daughter. Tess's sobs shook her body, her mother's voice a steady, comforting murmur in her ear. "You didn't do anything wrong, Tess. Nothing. He's the one who messed up."

Tess nodded, wiping at her eyes. The pain didn't go away, but the weight on her chest felt a little lighter, just a little.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Paul walked into the hallway. He paused, looking at the two of them. "What's going on?" he asked, but Anna shot him a look that made him freeze before he could say anything else.

"Not now, Paul," Anna snapped, her voice cold and sharp, leaving no room for argument.

Paul looked a little taken aback, his eyes darting between Tess and Anna, before he nodded and quickly retreated to the living room.

Tess wiped her nose and sniffled, trying to regain her composure. Just then, her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. She glanced at it, and her stomach dropped. 

The last person she wanted to think about right now, the last name she wanted to see. But, of course, there it was, as always. Cook.

COOK

"So," Cook said, breaking the silence, "where'd you bugger off to after school, Jaykins?"

JJ looked up, twitchy as ever. "Uh... nowhere. Just... walking."

"Walking," Cook repeated, raising a brow. "By yourself?"

"Well, uh..." His hand shot to the back of his neck, rubbing nervously. "Not exactly."

"With who?"

JJ hesitated, which was all the answer Cook needed.

"JJ..." he pressed, already on edge.

JJ winced. "With... Tess."

Cook shot up so fast the couch nearly tipped. "You what?"

"It wasn't planned!" JJ stammered, hands flying up in defence. "We just bumped into each other. She was walking home—I just... walked with her."

"Did she say anything?" Cook snapped, tone sharper than intended.

JJ paused. "Not really," he said too fast. "I mean—not much. Not about you. Well... not that much about you."

Cook took a step closer, and JJ backed up like clockwork. "What. Did. She. Say?"

"You're doing that scary thing again," JJ muttered. "We were just talking. About stuff. And then her dad showed up and—"

JJ's eyes widened, realising too late he'd stepped in it. "Oh. Uh. I wasn't supposed to—"

"Her dad?" Cook echoed, thrown. "I didn't know he was around."

"She didn't wanna talk about it," JJ said quickly. "She seemed... upset."

He stared at the ground, knowing he'd fucked up. "Please don't tell anyone Cook."

Cook stood still, absorbing it. Tess had only mentioned her dad once—ages ago, some offhanded shutdown when he'd asked about her family. He'd never brought it up again.

He paced, then turned on JJ. "And you didn't think to tell me this sooner?"

JJ shrank. "You told me not to bring her up! And you tell me not to bring her up—except you do, all the time—so I just—"

"Yeah, well..." Cook cut him off. "Maybe I care more than you think."

JJ blinked, startled. "You... care?"

Cook sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "Forget it. Just—don't mention any of this to her, yeah?"

JJ nodded, flushed. "Got it."

"Good." Cook grabbed his can, popped it open. "Now piss off before I change my mind."

JJ didn't need telling twice. He grabbed his backpack and practically bolted for the door, mumbling something about an early night.

Cook sank back into the couch, pulled out his phone, and stared at her name in his contacts. He wasn't even sure why. He didn't know what he'd say but still, he tapped out a quick message anyway:

U OK?

He stared at the screen, waiting, but no dots appeared. Just the cold, empty silence of being ignored. Then, after a long minute, her reply came through:

I should've blocked you.

Cook didn't know what the fuck was going on with Tess. Or Freddie. Or anything, really. 

But she had responded.