Effy~2

Tess knocked once before letting herself into the Fitch house, already greeted by the soft sound of a TV blaring cartoons and something burning faintly in the toaster.

"Kitchen," Katie called out

Tess walked in, still tugging at the hem of her top. It was too hot out and she already felt vaguely clammy, nerves prickling beneath the surface. Katie was buttering a bit of toast like she was in no rush at all, hair already curled, makeup done.

Emily was sitting cross-legged on the counter, sipping her tea.

"Morning," Tess said, dumping her bag on the table.

"Big day," Emily said, straightening up. "Feel like I'm walking to my own execution."

Before Tess could respond, James looked up from the cereal box he was reading and squinted at her.

"You're pregnant," he said, entirely too blunt, mouth full of cornflakes.

Tess' eyes widened, taken aback. "What?"

"You are!" he said, like it was a science fact. "I heard Katie say it on the phone. She was talking about the baby and Cook and that's your boyfriend, right?"

Katie groaned. "James, shut up."

Emily's expression soured. "Little shit must've been listening at our door again."

"Kid's got good ears." Tess muttered, stunned.

"So it's true!," James said casually, peeling a banana. "Knocked up like one of those girls on BBC Three. Mum says it's always the quiet ones."

Katie smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "Take your lunch and go."

As James scampered off with his school lunch like a little gremlin, Tess just stared at the other two.

Katie offered a shrug. "He's a menace."

"He's got too much free time," Emily added

They left ten minutes later, walking slowly under a sky that couldn't quite decide if it wanted to be cloudy or sunny.

Tess shoved her hands into her pockets. "So... what do you think you got?"

"Straight A's," Katie replied, without hesitation.

Emily laughed. "You're aiming for straight A's in courses you barely showed up to."

Katie just smiled. "Kidding."

"Hope I got enough to at least pass," Emily said with a shrug.

Katie raised an eyebrow. "Enough to get into uni?"

"Enough to shut Mum up."

Tess laughed. "I'll take that."

"What about you?" Emily asked, nudging her arm.

"I don't know," Tess admitted. "I'm kind of scared."

"You'll be fine, Tess. You know your stuff." She replied

Tess looked at Emily. "How's Cook been at yours, anyway?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "You'd know. You're there more than I am lately."

"Not true."

"Is."

Katie snorted.

Emily went on, "He's fine. Annoying. Loud. Eats everything. Talks at the telly like it's a two-way system."

"Of course," Tess said, grinning. "At least he's got more than one room to bounce around in now. He was like a hyper puppy at mine."

"And he stole all my good cereal," Tess muttered.

Emily nodded sagely. "And your toothbrush. And some of your socks."

They reached the college gates and slowed slightly, as if the building itself had taken on new weight.

Katie stared at it for a second. "Feels weird, doesn't it?"

"What does?" Emily asked.

"Just... going in like this. Getting the papers. And then that's kind of it."

Tess nodded. "Somehow, I don't really want it to be over. Like, obviously I complain about school constantly, but... it's kind of been all we've known, you know?"

There was a pause.

"Yeah," Emily said. "But I'm kind of excited. New people, new places... not being stuck in the same halls every day with people who peaked in Year 10."

Katie added, "You'll still have us. Unfortunately."

Tess smiled at that.

They kept walking then, through the college doors, ready or not.

----

The gym smelled like old floor polish and a bit like fear. The kind of smell that would haunt them in weird nostalgic ways ten years from now. Tess walked in beside Emily and Katie. Her stomach was flipping even though she'd already decided it didn't really matter what was inside the envelope. But still.

Pandora was waving from near the registration tables, with Effy beside her. Tess knew she'd recently gotten out but hadn't seen her yet.

She smiled and walked straight up, pulling her into a hug. Effy actually hugged her back. Emily followed, then—even more surprisingly—Katie leaned in and gave her a quick squeeze too.

"Hey stranger," Tess said, pulling back. "Good to see you, properly."

Effy just nodded, a little quiet smile on her lips. Pandora beamed. "We can all open them together, yeah"

They made their way up to where Doug was handing out results. He looked, as usual, entirely too enthusiastic for 10 in the morning.

"Ms Stonem!" Doug grinned, spotting Effy. "Lovely to see you up and about."

Doug glanced over them all, hands on hips. "Well. I suppose this is the last time I'll see any of you."

"I'll come back and visit, Doug," Pandora chirped.

Doug gave a wistful nod. "Yes, well. Massive Attack said the same thing. And Adam G still writes at Christmas and on my birthday—though he's missed the last two..."

Katie was already trying not to laugh.

"Anyway," Doug continued, shuffling through envelopes. "Here we are. Go on then. Rip your fates open."

Pandora did just that—no hesitation. She glanced down, blinked once, then said with calm clarity, "Got a C... ok."

"Good job Panda!" Tess grinned.

They all hugged her, genuinely pleased. She looked weirdly serene about it. Then again, maybe she'd already cried all her nerves out earlier in the week.

Tess and the twins stepped away to a quieter corridor—somewhere near the common room. The buzz of the gym faded a little behind them.

"Ready?" Katie asked, eyes flitting between them.

"Go," Tess said, and they all opened their envelopes at once.

Emily let out a breath. "B, A, C."

Katie looked at hers. "B, C... C. Oh well."

Tess grinned as hers slipped free. "C, B, C." She looked at the girls. "Not bad, right?"

"Not bad?" Katie scoffed. "We're officially done. You realise that?"

Emily beamed, hugging both of them tight around the shoulders. "It's over."

They stayed there for a while, laughing about old coursework disasters and teacher favourites, before people started spilling out of the gym again.

Tess slipped away quietly to go to the toilets, walking past her old locker on instinct. It still had her name sticker peeling at the corners.

She hesitated, then tugged it open.

Inside was chaos—scraps of old notes, wrappers, half a pack of chewing gum, and her favourite pen, somehow buried under everything. She reached in and grabbed it, and something else caught her eye.

A folded up photo, a bit crumpled. She smoothed it out.

It was her and Cook. From last year. Her hair was much shorter then and she looked much less tired. His arms were around her shoulders and he was pulling a stupid face. She was trying not to laugh. They hadn't even known each other for that long back then, nothing had happened yet.

Weird.

She stuffed it in her pocket and shut the locker for the last time. Silently saying goodbye.

----

Rain smeared against the pub windows, grey outside but golden and warm in the corners of the place they'd all grown up in over the last two years.

Everyone was buzzing around, playing pool, piling chips onto shared plates, sinking pints like water. Tess had just lost a game to Naomi — badly — and was still arguing about the foul when she dropped into a booth beside Pandora.

Pandora was watching her with bright eyes, sipping something green.

"Whizzer," she said suddenly, head tilting. "I can really see it now."

Tess blinked. "See what?"

She pointed vaguely to Tess's stomach. "You know. The bump. It's sort of... real now. Like, there's definitely something baking in there."

Tess gave her a side-eye. "Please don't say that."

Pandora giggled. "Sorry. Just— it's cool, ain't it? Soon there'll be a mini-Tess or a mini-Cook running around, setting stuff on fire and giving people the finger."

Tess's smile faltered for a second. She hadn't thought about it like that — not in a real way. Not since her birthday, when she'd shut Cook down so hard he hadn't even tried to talk to about it again.

Her fingers toyed with her rings. Pandora was still chatting — something about cute baby dungarees — but her voice blurred into the background as the weight of it suddenly settled over Tess like the weather outside.

Effy arrived quietly. No grand entrance, just the door swinging open and her sliding in like she'd always been there. She walked straight over to Freddie, who looked up and smiled like it was instinct.

Then JJ stood up on one of the old rickety benches, clinking his glass with the back of a spoon.

"Right! Now that Effy's here and we are all suitably refreshed—" Thomas and Naomi whooped.

JJ cleared his throat. "The official Exam Results Party Committee—of which I am the chairman, secretary, and sole member—have decreed that everyone will read out their results in quick succession. Rapid-fire. Ready? Me first. A, A, B."

Everyone cheered and banged their drinks.

Naomi stood next, grinning. "A, A, A."

Even Katie clapped, raising her pint with a smirk.

Emily followed: "B, A, C."

Then Katie: "B, C, C"

"C in Philosophy," Pandora said proudly

Tess stood briefly. "C, B, C."

Freddie: "A, C, C."

Thomas got to his feet last, grinning. "I got expelled!"

The table exploded — biggest cheer of the night. JJ and Katie pounded the table like it was a drum, someone spilled their pint in celebration.

Tess was still laughing when the hush fell. She looked up — Effy had stood.

Pandora tilted her head. "Eff?"

Effy looked around slowly, then down at her hands. "It doesn't matter what I got. None of this does. It's just numbers on a page. It's not real. Not to me anyway."

Silence.

"You're all great," she said. "You're all great people. But I think... I think I'm finished. I think I've had enough."

Freddie stood, confused. "What are you talking about, Eff?"

"You have to make sacrifices, Fred," she said softly. "To get the stuff you want."

"I don't understand?"

Effy met his eyes. "I'm in a different place now. We all are. And I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

Her voice cracked a little. Tess felt it in her chest — that raw edge that only Effy ever had.

Freddie moved toward her. "Eff, what are you saying?"

"...I'm saying goodbye. I have to."

"To everyone?" he asked, his voice breaking. "To me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. To everyone...To you."

Then she turned and walked out into the rain. Gone. No storm, no fuss. Just gone.

Freddie stood there like someone had punched the wind out of him.

Katie broke the silence. "She dumped you again."

Tess gave her a sharp nudge under the table, but even she couldn't hide the lump in her throat.

What had happened to Effy in that place?

----

Tess pushed open the pub door, letting the warm noise spill out into the rain-soaked night before it slammed shut behind her. Cold hit her immediately — sharp and wet — and she pulled her jacket tighter, fingers stiff already.

And then: "Hey, princess."

Cook, leaning against the pub wall like he'd been waiting there all along. Hands deep in his pockets, hood pushed back, hair drenched. He looked up like he'd sensed her before he saw her.

Tess stared. "What the fuck are you doing out here?"

He shrugged like the question didn't need an answer. "Didn't wanna miss out on all the fun."

She crossed her arms. "So you're just... loitering? In the rain?"

"Wouldn't call it loitering. More like observing. From a distance." He squinted past her. "Just saw Effy leg it out. She looked right through me — like I was some random on the street. Told me to piss off."

Tess blinked. "You didn't see what happened inside?"

Cook raised an eyebrow. "Should I have?"

She sighed and stepped closer, voice lower. "She stood up and just... said goodbye. To everyone. Said none of it mattered — our results, the night, any of it. Said she had to make sacrifices to get what she wants. Then left. Just like that."

Cook stared at her for a beat, jaw tightening.

"Jesus," he muttered. "Freddie?"

"Said goodbye to him too," Tess said. "He looked wrecked. Like... properly wrecked. I don't think he believed it until she said it to his face."

Cook rubbed his hands over his face. "Poor bastard."

"You heading back home?" he asked, nodding down the street.

Tess hesitated. "Probably"

"Come back to Naomi's," he said. "Got our own room, and I think there's leftover curry in the fridge."

She eyed him.

"I'm being serious," he added. "It's just... it's pissing it down and you look miserable."

Tess rolled her eyes. "Romantic."

"Always am."

----

Naomi's spare room wasn't really a room. More like a converted study that never quite made the full transition. A couple of thin mattresses were shoved into the corner, old textbooks and abandoned mugs stacked on the desk. There was a lamp in the corner giving off a soft orange glow.

Cook dropped onto the mattress with a thud, legs stretched out, socks half-off. Tess didn't follow right away. She wandered over to the desk, fingers skimming lazily across the clutter. A half-empty mug of something mouldy. A lighter. A tube of half-squished toothpaste. Then something caught her eye — a bottle of nail polish, pale blue and surprisingly intact.

She picked it up. As she did, her eyes flicked to a folded bit of paper underneath.

The scan.

Her scan. The one she'd given Cook. He'd keep it, tucked beneath the polish like a secret he didn't know how to hide.

With nothing else to do and no desire to talk about it, she sank onto the mattress. She sat cross-legged at the end of the bed, balancing the bottle on her knee and blowing gently on her left hand as she painted. The blue was cooler than she expected — soft and muted, like the sky before a storm.

Cook watched her, brow furrowed. "Do me."

She looked up. "What?"

"My nails."

She raised her brows. "You want me to paint your nails."

"Fuck it." He sat up and held out his hands, palms out. "Might as well go full housewife while I'm at it."

Tess smirked, but crawled over, taking the bottle with her. "You're not gonna whinge if I get it on your skin, are you?"

"Please. I've lived through worse."

She took his left hand gently, guiding it into place. He didn't flinch.

She focused on the brush. One clean stripe of blue across his thumbnail.

After a moment, he asked quietly, "You think they're gonna find me?"

Tess didn't look up. She moved to the next nail, steady and slow.

"I dunno," she said eventually. "You're not great at the whole low-profile thing."

Cook gave a small laugh — sharp, a little bitter. "Cheers for the faith."

"You're hiding in a girl's bedroom and using my shampoo. You call that subtle?"

He smirked. "Smell nice though, don't I?"

She rolled her eyes and kept painting.

"Besides," she added, "you've lasted this long."

"Yeah," he said, eyes back on the ceiling. "But for how long?"

Tess didn't have an answer for that.

Once she'd finished his nails, she shifted back to her own hand, checking the first layer. Cook watched her frown with concentration, blowing gently, then going back in with a second coat.

He groaned. "How come you spent five minutes on mine and twenty on yours?"

"I have to look at mine. You don't."

"I do now. These things are bright fuckin' blue, Tess. "

"Shut up. You love it."

He made a noncommittal sound, but didn't move.

Tess sat back slightly, eyes still on her nails, but she couldn't get Effy's unusual exit out of her head.

"Few weeks ago I went and visited Eff, when she was still in." Tess said. "She was already off then. Said weird shit. About... imagining things never happened. Like she could delete parts of her life if she just thought hard enough."

Cook frowned, properly now.

"I told her that's not how it works. That you can't avoid it," she continued. "And she just looked at me, totally calm, and said she made hers disappear."

Cook sat up a bit straighter, face unreadable. "That's... fuck, that's not right."

"She meant it," Tess said softly. "She believed it."

He was quiet for a long time. Then: "That girl's been living in a dream. But whatever she's running from... it'll catch up."

Tess didn't reply. The only sound was the low hum of rain outside, soft against the windowpane.

"There," she said eventually. "Done."

Cook opened one eye. "So you're free now?"

She snorted. "Depends what you mean by that."

He reached up, hand resting gently on her knee. "You know what I mean."

She gave him a look — amused, resigned, fond.

"Fine," she muttered, switching off the lamp.

Darkness draped over the room, soft and familiar. The air still smelled faintly of nail polish. Tess shifted down into the blankets, and Cook pulled her toward him without a word.

-----

Tess woke slowly, warmth pressed against her back, the weight of an arm slung heavy over her waist. The room was dim, but a faint line of daylight cut across the carpet through the cracked curtain.

Cook stirred behind her as she twisted around to grab her phone.

10:52.

"Shit," she breathed, sitting up fast, shaking Cook up.

Cook groaned into the pillow.

"I've gotta go," she muttered, pulling her hair out of her face and untangling herself from the duvet.

"What? Why?" He opened one bleary eye. "It's Saturday."

"I'm meeting Michelle. We're going to Maxxie's show, remember?" She tugged her top back on, already on her feet.

He flopped back dramatically. "Tell her you're sick."

Tess smirked. "I'm not ghosting Michelle so I can watch you snore for another hour."

Cook grunted as she leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder.

By the time she hit the stairs, her shoes were half on and she was dragging her jacket behind her. Naomi was in the kitchen, barefoot with a mug of tea in her hand, visibly surprised.

"Morning?" Naomi said, more a question than a greeting.

"Bye!" Tess shot over her shoulder, already out the door.

At home, Michelle was sitting on the stairs, arms crossed, foot tapping.

"Where've you been, then?"

Tess jogged up, slightly out of breath. "Sorry. Stayed at Naomi's. Lost track of time."

Michelle raised an eyebrow but didn't push. Tess ran upstairs to get changed, throwing on something clean and vaguely presentable.

When she came back down, Michelle was still by the door, scrolling her phone.

"You didn't need to rush," Michelle said. "Jal texted. They're both late. Obviously."

Tess exhaled and flopped onto the couch. "Could've stayed in bed, then."

Michelle gave her a sideways glance. "So. Party?"

Tess hesitated, picking at her thumbnail. "It was good until Effy dumped Freddie."

Michelle blinked. "Wait — what?"

"She just... said she didn't want to see any of us again. Like, completely shut down. Walked away."

"I thought she was getting better."

Tess nodded slowly. "I did too. But... she was saying all this stuff, like if you pretend something didn't happen hard enough, you can make it go away. She said goodbye..."

Michelle frowned. "Jesus."

"I think..." Tess paused, then said it, quiet but firm. "I think Tony needs to come back. Just for a bit. She's not okay. And if Freddie can't help... Tony's the only one who might be able to reach her."

Michelle looked conflicted, folding her arms.

"I didn't know it was that bad," she admitted. "Tony didn't either. Anthea's not been telling him much. Probably doesn't wanna worry him, telling him she's fine now."

Tess gave a dry laugh. "She's not."

Before either of them could say more, the doorbell rang.

Michelle went to answer it and opened the door to reveal Jal and Cassie. Jal gave a small wave and a smile, but Cassie immediately stepped forward and wrapped Tess in an unexpectedly tight hug.

"Tess!" she said brightly, pulling back to beam at her. "You're real! Wow!"

Tess laughed. "Hi, Cass."

"I haven't seen you in so long," Cassie said thoughtfully, adjusting the strap of her bag.

"Sorry we're late," Jal muttered, "Even though we got an earlier train."

"There were ducks outside the station." Cassie said happily, "We couldn't just leave them!"

"She made me stop to look at them," Jal added, but affectionately.

Cassie looked around. "Should we have Tea?"

Michelle scoffed, "No time Cass, we're late!"

---

They walked four across down the main road, the sky mellowing into gold as the afternoon leaned toward evening.

"So," Jal said, glancing sideways at Tess, "how'd your exams go in the end?"

Tess gave a little shrug. "C in English and Psych, B in media."

Jal made a thoughtful face. "Not bad."

"It's alright," Tess muttered, kicking a pebble as they walked. "Not exactly a standing ovation."

Jal nudged her lightly. "Please. You've had a full-on mental year and still pulled out decent grades. I'd be printing them on a t-shirt."

Tess snorted. "Maybe I should,"

Behind them, Michelle and Cassie were deep in their own conversation.

"So... how's London?" Michelle asked, linking arms with her.

Cassie smiled, soft and thoughtful. "Oh yeah, It's good. Big. A bit sad, sometimes. Bit colourless, where I work anyway. Lots of grey walls and grey faces."

Michelle tilted her head. "Still working at that restaurant?"

Cassie nodded. "Mhm. You'd expect a restaurant to be lively but it really isn't."

Michelle looked at her for a moment, thoughtful. "You don't miss Bristol?"

Cassie was quiet for a beat. "Sometimes. But London's a good place to hide."

The venue came into view — a modest but stylish theatre tucked between shops. Tess caught sight of the glowing board: Kaleidoscope. That was the name of the show Maxxie was in, and Tess wasn't usually one for this type of thing but if Maxxie was in it— It must be good.

Inside, the lights dropped, the crowd hushed, and then Maxxie stepped out (he was the lead of course) — shimmering gold, all poise and power, like the whole stage bent to him.

The routine was a rush: sharp lines, perfect turns, joy practically bursting from his every move. When he hit his final pose, chest heaving, arms stretched wide, the girls screamed louder than anyone else.

A few people turned around, blinking in alarm. Michelle just gave them a proud thumbs-up like yes, we know him, he's ours.

----

Backstage, the air was thick with adrenaline and body spray. Crew members darted past with clipboards, but Maxxie spotted them instantly and lit up like a firework.

"Oh my god!" he shouted, half-running toward them, arms open. "You came!"

Michelle reached him first, throwing her arms around him. "You were unreal."

Jal hugged him next. "That was genuinely one of the best things I've ever seen."

Cassie kissed him on both cheeks. "You were magic, Maxxie."

Tess gave him a grin as he pulled her into a hug. "You're a proper star now, aren't you?"

He wiped sweat from his brow, still breathless. "You lot came all this way for me?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Michelle said. "We were the loudest, obviously."

Suddenly, Anwar appeared behind them, eyes wide, beaming. "Guys!"

Michelle gaped. "Anwar! You were here?"

Maxxie laughed and yanked him into the group. "You smashed it, mate," Anwar said, clapping Maxxie hard on the back. Then he turned to the others. "Wasn't he bloody brilliant?"

"Of course he was," Jal said.

Anwar grinned — until his eyes landed on Tess. His smile faltered slightly.

His gaze dropped, lingered just a second too long, then bounced back up. "Woah... Tess... are you...?"

Tess raised an eyebrow. "Am I what?"

Anwar's face turned red. "No — nothing! Just... no, yeah. Nope. Not possible."

Michelle sighed. "Just say it, Anwar."

"I just — is it rude to say?" Anwar whispered to her, eyes huge. "Like, I don't want to guess wrong and offend anyone..."

Michelle patted his shoulder like a disappointed aunt. "She's pregnant. Yes. Good spotting."

"Oh my god," Anwar mouthed, pointing at Tess in shock.

Tess folded her arms, deadpan. "You can stop staring now."

"But—like—you're—!" He turned to Jal, then Cassie, who were both stifling laughter. "She's just... fully having a baby!"

"Well done, genius," Michelle muttered.

Anwar looked absolutely floored. "Mate, that's mental! You're seventeen?!"

"Eighteen," Tess corrected, though it didn't help her case,

Maxxie raised a brow. "You alright there, Anwar? Do you need a lie-down?"

"I think I do," he said, fanning his face. "That's just — I wasn't emotionally prepared, alright?!"

Cassie giggled and said, "This is almost as good as the show."

----

Outside the theatre, the air was cooler — still humming with the noise of traffic, laughter, and the soft thrum of music from a nearby bar. Tess leaned against the brick wall, phone in her pocket, heart still a little unsettled.

A door creaked behind her, then shut again. Jal stepped out, hugging her coat tighter.

"There you are," she said, offering a small smile. "I was sent to drag you out for celebratory drinks before Maxxie ends up in three separate afterparties."

Tess laughed under her breath. "Sounds about right."

Jal tilted her head. "You alright?"

Tess hesitated, then shrugged. "Yeah. Just needed some air."

Jal didn't push, just leaned beside her, both of them watching the headlights pass. A long pause stretched between them.

"How's it all going?" Jal asked eventually. Her voice was gentle, honest. "Really?"

Tess stared ahead, then said, quietly, "I'm... avoiding it."

Jal glanced at her.

"I mean, I haven't made any big decision," Tess went on. "Not really thinking too far ahead. Just trying to get through the day without freaking out." She swallowed. "Feels easier, you know? Not deciding."

Jal nodded, slow. "Yeah. I do know."

Tess glanced sideways. "You do?"

Jal took a breath, rubbing her hands together for warmth. "Before Chris got really bad... I kept putting off telling him. Telling myself I'd have time. That he'd be fine. That it wasn't serious yet."

Tess didn't speak, just listened.

"I didn't want to believe it. And I didn't want him to see how scared I was. So I kept pretending things were normal. Right up until it wasn't." She looked down, soft and sad. "I wish I'd said some things sooner. Let him in, let him help. Even when I wasn't sure how."

Tess stayed quiet, the words landing like gentle weight.

"I guess what I'm saying is..." Jal looked up at her. "If you care about someone, even a little, don't wait until it's too late to let them be part of it. You don't have to have all the answers. Just...let them in. While you still can."

Tess stared ahead, jaw tight. Something in her eyes shifted. Like maybe she'd been waiting for someone to say exactly that.

Before either of them could say more, the door opened again and the rest of the group spilled out — Maxxie laughing with Michelle, Cassie trailing behind, arms looped with Anwar.

"There she is!" Maxxie grinned. "Alright, come on then. First round's on me!"

Tess smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Actually... I think I've gotta be somewhere."

Michelle frowned. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Tess nodded. "Rain check though?"

Cassie gave her a little wave. "It was so good to see you."

"Don't be a stranger," Maxxie said, pulling her into a quick hug. "You're a proper grown-up now."

"Debatable," Tess muttered, smirking.

Jal gave her one last look, quiet and knowing. "Take care of yourself, yeah?"

"I will," Tess said. Then, more certain: "Thanks."

And with that, she turned and walked away into the night, heart thudding, finally ready to stop avoiding it — and to find Cook.

----

Tess knocked, shifting on her feet. Naomi answered wrapped in a blanket, clearly mid-lazy evening.

Naomi blinked, surprised. "Tess?"

"Hey... sorry, is Cook here?"

Naomi shook her head. "Nah. He shot off a while ago. Said he was going to Freddie's. Something about Effy.'"

Tess pulled out her phone. "Right. Cheers."

Naomi watches her for a moment. "You okay?"

Tess just nods. "Yeah."

Naomi doesn't press, just shrugs and closes the door as Tess steps away. Her phone lights up.

1 missed call – Cook 1 voicemail

She hesitated, then hit play.

Cook's voice was low and distracted: "Oi. Uh. I'm at Freddie's. Or—I will be. He's all in a tizzy so might be there a while. Find me there, alright?"

Tess exhaled, then turned, already walking.

---

Tess stepped into the dim hallway, the door still ajar. The house was quiet except for the faint hum of the fridge and the soft, flickering light of the TV from the lounge

She calls out, cautious."Cook?"

No answer.

She walks further in, heart beating quicker, then pauses at the doorway to the lounge.

Freddie's there — sitting slouched forward on the edge of the sofa, elbows on his knees, eyes hollow. His hands are clasped tight between his legs like he's physically holding himself together. He doesn't look up.

"Freddie?"

He lifts his head slowly, as if it takes effort. His face is pale, red around the eyes. His lips are parted like he wants to say something but forgot how.

"It's just me," Tess says gently. "Naomi said Cook was here."

Freddie blinks at her. His voice is hoarse, barely there:"He left."

"Did he say where?"

Freddie shrugs, doesn't answer. Just drops his eyes again, staring at nothing.

Tess walks in slowly, sits across from him.

For a long beat, neither of them speaks.

Tess's eyes drift to a bag sitting near the door. A hoodie half-tucked out, trainers beside it.

"Freddie," she says carefully. "What's with the bag?"

He follows her gaze, then looks back down. Doesn't answer. Doesn't move. Just stares at the floor like he doesn't see it anymore.

Tess swallows. "Were you gonna leave?"

Still, he says nothing.

She leans forward a little. "Freddie?"

He finally looks at her. His voice is hollow, detached."I don't know."

That's all he says. Nothing else. Like even that took something from him.

"Why?"

Then Freddie says, quietly, without looking up,"Because she dumped me."

Tess watches him, but doesn't speak yet.

"There's no future without her." His voice breaks slightly. "I can't believe she just walked away like that. No reason at all."

He finally looks at Tess — raw, barely holding it together."She told me I made her go crazy."

Tess stays still.

"She looked at me like I was some sort of... infection. Like being near me was making her worse." His leg bounces, anxious. "And the night before, she told me she loved me. How does that work? Then the next morning, it's like that version of her — gone."

"Hey-" Tess started

He wipes his face roughly. "It's John. He's stealing her soul, her past. Everything."

Tess barely breathes, "Freddie what are you talking about?"

His voice twists, angry and wounded. "He's bad Tess. He's fucking her up."

Before she could respond—

The front door flew open.

They both jolted upright. Heavy footsteps pounded through the hallway.

Cook stumbled into the room, breathless, Effy in his arms.

Her body hung limp, her head tilted back, eyes half-open but vacant. She was murmuring something under her breath but eventually she just stopped.

"Jesus—" Tess was already on her feet.

Cook laid Effy down on the couch, cradling her head like she might break.

"She's alright—she's—fuck—she's alright, I think—"

Freddie dropped to his knees beside her.

"Effy. Eff—what the fuck happened?!"

"She's out man." Cook held his hands up, trying to explain, panting hard.

"I went to find her. Just to talk. See what she had to say." His words came fast, jumbled. "She didn't even recognise me, man. Looked me dead in the face and said we'd never met. Didn't know who I was talking bout."

He let out a dry, bitter laugh. "So I played along. Like a twat. Said 'Hi, I'm James. Nice to meet you.' She fucking went with it. I thought she was having a laugh."

Tess cut in, her voice sharp. "Has she taken anything?"

"No. Don't think so." Cook said

Freddie's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles bone-white.

Cook ran a shaky hand through his hair, "I tried to bring her back here. Thought if I could just get her home... but then, halfway down the street, she just stopped."

He gestured, helplessly.

"Then she started repeating this thing—'It happened, but it never happened. It happened, but it never happened.' Over and over."

Tess froze.

Those words. That rhythm. They crawled under her skin.

Cook looked down at Effy, voice cracking.

"She started talking about her brother. Said he got hit by a bus. Years ago."

Tess flinched.

Tony. She remembered. Michelle crying in the girls' loos. The silence at their house. That awful time when everything had cracked wide open and no one knew how to put it back together. Tony, in hospital. Michelle, pretending she was fine but breaking behind her makeup. But that was years ago.

And now that memory had obviously done something to Effy.

"She tried to run into the road, said she wanted to remember" Cook said, quieter now, almost stunned. "I grabbed her. Just in time."

Freddie's face crumpled like he'd taken a hit to the gut."She what?"

"I don't think she even knew what she was doing," Cook murmured, barely audible now.

The silence that followed was unbearable. Dense. Like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.

Effy murmured again—something low and garbled—then fell quiet.

Freddie brushed her hair gently back from her face, completely undone."Fuck! What did he do to her?"

Tess looked between them—Freddie on his knees, Cook blank faced and rolling a joint as Effy lay motionless between them—and realised none of them had any idea what to do next.