Everyone ~1

Tess Richardson stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her hair for what felt like the hundredth time. The blonde streaks were vivid against her naturally dark locks, She tried to tame her curtain bangs to give her just the right look, re adjusted her nose piercing and finished off her eye makeup. She smoothed down her denim skirt, tugging at the waistband to make sure everything was in place and ruffled through her overflowing jewellery box before chucking some odd rings and silver hoops on.

Although Tess was positive she looked good there was an underlying nervousness she couldn't shake.

"Hey," Michelle's voice cut through Tess's thoughts as she leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. She was still in her pyjamas, her hair tousled from sleep. "Look at you, all glammed up. First day, huh?"

Tess smiled, appreciating the compliment. 

"Gotta make a good impression haven't I?" She said, then slightly sarcastically, "that's what you've always told me!" 

Michelle sighed "I've taught you well Tess...but do you have to do it in my top?"

"Oh. bugger. I was going to put something over it before I left..." Tess muttered, deliberately disappointed. "Oh Chelle I can't take it off now can I? It matches so well!" Tess pleaded

"I guess I'll be a nice sister. But only because it's your first day, yeah?" Michelle agreed. She always gave into a good outfit

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Tess said giving her sister a quick squeeze

Michelle chuckled, stepping closer. "Hey Tess I'm proud of you, you know? Look I know Mum's not even here to see you off, but... we both love you yeah?"

"Chelle don't kid yourself if she actually fucking cared she would be here, not out there with Paul or whatever his name is." She said disappointed

"I know," Michelle said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. 

"Love you too," Tess said quietly, heading for the door

---------------------------------------------------------------

Tess walked down the street to the familiar bus stop. She had walked there every day for as long as she could remember but today felt different. The bus ride to school felt longer than usual. Tess sat by herself, blasting her music way too loud, but her mind was racing. Roundview was new territory. New people, new classes, new problems to deal with.

She pushed through the crowd outside the school gates, dodging clusters of students standing in tight circles. The air buzzed with overlapping conversations—people catching up after summer, bragging about holidays, hookups, and drunken nights they only half-remembered.

Tess scanned the crowd for Katie, her fingers fidgeting with the rings on her hand. But before she could spot her, her eyes locked onto something else—an unmistakable, obnoxiously yellow car parked just outside the school. Bristol Rovers FC was plastered boldly across the side.

Of course.

She made her way over just as Katie hopped out of the car, her red hair gleaming in the sunlight.

"Alright, Danny," Tess said coolly, barely sparing him a glance.

Danny smirked, clearly unbothered by her tone, but before he could respond, Katie turned to Tess with a bright grin.

"Tess! You're not late!" Katie squealed, pulling her into a hug

Tess gave her an exasperated look "Why would I be late?" Katie just raised her eyebrows at her before Tess noticed Katies outfit, "I love your top! How come I've never seen it?"

"Thanks, babes! It's lush, don't you think, Danny?" Katie asked, flipping her hair dramatically.

Danny, who had been staring at Katie's chest the entire time, barely registered the question. "Yeah, babes," he muttered absentmindedly.

A loud groan came from the car.

"That's my top, Katie!" Emily complained as she struggled to yank her bag from the back seat.

"Too slow, Ems," Katie shot back, unbothered.

Tess gave Emily a smile, who finally freed her bag with a huff. Katie barely gave her sister time to argue before turning back to Danny.

"Later, babes," she purred, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before linking arms with Tess and dragging her towards a group of girls, unmistakably doing the hair and beauty course.

The moment Katie arrived, the swarm of girls erupted into excited chatter, their attention locked onto her like she was royalty.

"Your boyfriend's well mint," one of them gushed.

"Yeah, he's totally fit," Katie bragged. "He took me to the Stakis Grand last week for surf, turf, and shots."

"Ooooh, I love Danny Guillermo. Wow."

"He's singing Samantha's tits!"

Tess let out a slow exhale as the conversation turned into a full-blown Danny Guillermo appreciation club. She had half a mind to zone out completely, but before she could, a loud, curious voice piped up in her ear.

"What's surf and turf, Eff?"

Tess turned to the source—a cute blonde girl standing just behind her. She had wide, eager eyes, a lollipop in her mouth, and her hair was done up into two wild, mismatched pigtails.

The girl she was speaking to, however, was instantly familiar.

Effy Stonem.

Tess recognized her immediately—Tony's little sister. She hadn't seen Effy properly in ages, not since she was the quiet, unreadable little shadow following Tony around. From what Tess remembered, Effy didn't speak. At all.

That, apparently, had changed.

Effy turned to the blonde girl, her expression unreadable, and answered smoothly: "Sex."

Tess blinked, surprised, then caught Effy's gaze for the briefest moment. Unsure if Effy recognised her or was just being polite, Tess tried to smile. It came out awkward.

Effy gave her a barely-there smirk before turning back to the conversation.

----

Katie linked arms with Tess as they strolled toward the entrance, leaving Emily painfully lagging behind. The school was already alive with energy—students clustered in their usual groups, shouting, laughing, and causing chaos before the day had even properly begun.

"Seriously though, I'm buzzing for today. New boys, new everything. It's gonna be mad," Katie said, grinning.

"Anything's better than last year," Tess replied confidently.

Behind them, Emily scoffed, shifting her bag higher onto her shoulder. "New boys, are you serious?" she muttered, just loud enough for Tess to hear.

Tess met her gaze, and they exchanged a knowing look—one of mutual acknowledgment, the kind only years of dealing with Katie's antics could create.

Inside, the chaos only intensified. The hallway was a blur of movement—students packed around lockers, fixing their hair and reapplying lip gloss, groups of rowdy boys shoving each other near the vending machines, and a few skaters weaving through the crowd, one nearly knocking over a terrified teacher.

By the gym doors, a group of older kids were already wasted, their laughter echoing through the corridor. The air was thick with the mix of cheap aftershave, perfume, and something unmistakably smoky.

Tess barely had time to take it all in before she smacked straight into someone.

She stumbled back slightly, blinking up in surprise.

He turned at the impact, his voice sharp and accusatory.

"Oi, Watch where you're going—"

Tess looked up at the guy she had just crashed into. He had light brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a strong, confident stance, like he owned the space around him without even trying. The red polo he wore stood out against his skin, a mischievous smile suddenly forming.

He was gorgeous.

But Tess already knew exactly what kind of person he was.

His words were rough, but the moment his eyes landed on her, they flickered with a different kind of interest. He paused, giving Tess a once-over, the smirk on his face growing as he shamelessly looked her up and down.

"Or don't. Don't mind a girl like you crashing into me. What's your name then, stripes?"

He winked, nodding toward her hair, the cocky swagger in his voice unmistakable.

Tess narrowed her eyes, unimpressed, and crossed her arms. "Charming," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But if you're expecting me to swoon, you'll be waiting a while."

The boy grinned, clearly enjoying the interaction. It was as if he thrived on this kind of banter. "Alright." he said with a laugh. "What's your name, love?"

Tess raised an eyebrow. "And why do you deserve to know?"

He leaned in slightly, his smirk turning cocky. "Because you'll be begging me to scream it out later."

"Tosser." Tess shot him a glare, unimpressed.

The boy laughed, completely unfazed. "Oi, don't be a dick," A boy from behind him muttered, shooting Tess an apologetic glance. "Sorry about him."

"Yeah, you fucking should be," Katie snapped, her voice dripping with judgment. "As if my girl would ever get with that!"

Behind the guy she bumped into stood his two friends, one looked pissed off already. He had a wound on his chin and a skateboard in hand- that explains it. The guy to the right looked a lot more nervous- or excited? She couldn't tell. He beamed at Tess and she smiled back at him, making him even more happy.

"Katie, leave it. Let's go." Emily said, clearly uncomfortable with the growing tension.

Katie hesitated but then rolled her eyes, walking off with Emily.

But the awkward boy extended a hand to Katie. "Hello, I'm JJ! Nice to meet you, pretty ladies!" he said with cheerfulness.

Katie smiled down at him, "Cute." before leaving, heels clicking as she walked away, leaving him standing there. Tess threw him a sympathetic smile. The poor guy was clearly out of his depth, and it didn't help that he was hanging around with a knobhead like the one she had just talked to.

The more sensible looking guy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as Tess walked off, catching up to Emily and Katie. "You really know how to make a first impression, mate."

He just shrugged, eyes still on Tess as she disappeared into the crowd. "Oh, she won't be forgetting about me anytime soon." 

-----

The gym was packed, and Tess's eyes flicked around, trying to absorb the chaotic buzz of new faces. Katie, Emily, and Tess had snagged a spot toward the back, exchanging excited chatter about what the day would bring.

"Oh my god, I've already seen some seriously fit guys here. What about you, Ems? Anyone catching your eye?" Katie asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

Emily blushed slightly, looking at her shoes. "Oh, not really..." she mumbled, clearly a little shy.

Tess couldn't help but smirk. "Katie, you do know you have a boyfriend, right?"

Katie just rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I can't look."

Their banter was interrupted by a teacher—clearly at her wit's end—striding into the gym with a handful of others, ready to kick off the term.

"Could I have your attention, please?" she barked, but the room was in its own chaotic world of giggles and conversations.

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE!" Doug boomed through a megaphone, nearly giving Tess a headache.

"Thank you, Doug. Welcome to Roundview College," the woman said in an unenthused tone. "We are a designated four-star educational establishment under the National We're All In It Together Initiative leading to Ultimate Improvement status. Anyone who screws that up will be officially burnt at the stake."

"And expelled!" Doug added in an overly cheery Welsh accent.

Tess snorted, hearing Katie mutter under her breath. "God, I already hate her."

The woman continued with her dreary list of rules. "Last year we had some intolerable accidents. So I'll make it easy for you:The following will result in instant expulsion - smoking on the premises, setting fire to the premises, consumption of alcohol, drugs or pornography on the premises teacher abuse, glue abuse, self abuse, sexual intercourse with any other student, teacher or animal" Tess raised an eyebrow at the weirdest part of that statement.

"Glue abuse, really?" Emily asked, eyes wide.

"Fucking animals at this school," Katie muttered, not at all impressed by the lecture.

The headmistress kept droning on, though Tess wasn't really paying attention anymore. She was just hoping she wouldn't be stuck in a form group with that boy from earlier. She could tell he was gonna get on her nerves.

Eventually a timid looking teacher stepped forward, her lip slightly quivering. "Form BD1," the teacher announced. "Please raise your hand when your- your name is called."

Tess held her breath.

"Emily Fitch."

"Katie Fitch."

"Jonah Jeremiah Jones."

"Elizabeth Stonem."

"Frederick McClair."

"Naomi Campbell."

The whole gym erupted into laughter at the poor girl's name, whoever she was. Eventually Doug had to pull out the mega phone again to get her to raise her hand.

"Tess Richardson."

"And, James Cook?"

"Yo!" A voice called out from the stands, causing a few heads to turn.

Tess's heart sank. There he was, the boy from before. James.

Katie immediately whispered to Tess in disbelief. "No fucking way! It's that lezzer Naomi. She's in our form."

Tess shot her a warning glance. "Oh shut up, Katie. She's not a fucking lesbian."

"Well then why the fuck did she force herself on Ems?" Katie shot back, her eyes narrowed as she pointed toward Naomi. But Tess's conversation was cut short when she noticed a droning voice coming from beside her.

It was James "Babe, babe, babe, babe-" Tess tried her best to ignore it but he wasn't giving up anytime soon.

"Sorry. I'm not a babe." Tess sighed

He grinned at her even more, "No? Well I'll be the judge of that"

The boy- Freddie from earlier piped up, clearly frustrated with James already. "Shut up Cook"

"Nah listen, just tryna break the ice." James said defensively, eyes still glued to Tess. "Guess what I've got tattooed on me cock. Go on, guess"

Tess grimaced at him. She was definitely right about him. "Excuse me? The boy next to me is acting inappropriately. He wants to show me his tattoo... Not in a nice way" Tess said as she raised her hand.

Harriet, the head teacher was clearly not impressed "Right. You" She pointed at James "Why don't you show us all your pathetic tattoo? We can wonder at it's magnificent stupidity"

James shook his head in disbelief, trying to contain his laughter. Tess had already regretted speaking up.

"I don't think you'd like it" He grinned- but he was interrupted by the booming megaphone

'Right lad! Smartish. You've had an instruction. Show her the tattoo now!" Doug demanded

"Alright alright" He was still laughing as he stood up confidently.

Tess could hear Freddie's attempts to stop him but it was too late. James pulled his pants down revealing the tattoo.... The whole gym sat in shock before bursting into laughter.

"How pathetic" Tess groaned, checking out the hideous tattoo.

"That's disgusting! God, what is wrong with that kid?!" Katie scoffed

Emily screeched, "Oh my god it's on his ass too!"

He clearly seemed to be enjoying himself during the... spectacle. He looked back at Tess smirking, warranting the finger from her.

The head teacher was now losing her shit screaming at everyone to stop "This is unacceptable. Unacceptable! Silence. Silence! Silence! And you my office now!"

The crowd erupted into laughter as James's little stunt ended with a dramatic exit, and Tess rolled her eyes, already exhausted by the chaos. Katie was still laughing, though it was mostly out of judgement. "What a bloody freak," she muttered under her breath.

Emily just looked uncomfortable, her cheeks slightly flushed. she asked quietly. "This is not how I wanted to start the year."

Tess smirked. "At least we know this year isn't going to be boring as shit"

----

The group started shuffling out of the gym towards their next class. Tess went to find her locker but instead she found Effy Stonem standing there, her usual unreadable expression on her face, her blue eyes cool and calculating. Tess paused, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Effy," Tess greeted, unsure where the conversation was going. Effy leaned in slightly, her lips curling into a small, almost secretive smile.

"So," Effy began in her low, almost bored voice, "your sister's still fucking my brother, then?"

Tess blinked, a little taken aback by her bluntness. "Yeah," she replied with a smirk of her own, "he's got to be good at something, right?"

Effy's smile widened ever so slightly.

The conversation shifted as they were interrupted by an overly enthusiastic voice. "Eff! God I thought I lost you back there I got trampled by a group of boys, best moment of my life!!" The wide eyed girl from before bounded towards them before noticing Tess standing next to Effy.

"Oh! Hello!" She greeted, "I'm Pandora, I'm useless. We're going to be spending so much time together, isn't it exciting?"

Tess blinked, taken aback by the energy radiating off Pandora. "Uh... yeah. Thrilled."

Pandora continued to smile, clearly oblivious to the sarcasm. "I'm doing Hair and Beauty, you know. It's going to be fab. Maybe I could try some stuff out on you? You know, make you look even cooler."

"Yeah... maybe." Tess replied dryly.

"Oh bollocks, I'm gonna be late. Gotta run bye Eff, bye other girl!" She said happily as she skipped off down the hall

Tess turned to Effy, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement.

"What's the deal with her?" Tess asked quietly.

Effy shrugged nonchalantly. "Pandora's...Panda. Bit mad, but she means well"

Tess snorted. "Right. Sounds like half the people I've met today."

Effy's lips twitched. "Welcome to Roundview," she said with a lazy smile, before slipping away into the crowd like a shadow.

----

Tess finally spotted her locker near the end of the hallway, exhaling in relief. At least she could get a moment to herself. She twisted in the combination, yanking the door open—only to be interrupted.

Again.

"Hey, sweetheart."

She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"What do you want James?" Tess sighed, leaning against the locker as she turned to face him.

"Call me Cook love," James was grinning like he'd already won something. "Tess, was it?"

She nodded, completely unenthusiastic.

"Sweet." He rocked back on his heels. "Did you like my little show back there?"

Tess scoffed. "Yeah, 'little' is right."

He narrowed his eyes in amusement. "You've got a mouth on you, don't ya? I like that."

"Cook..." A voice interjected.

Tess looked past him to see JJ, shifting awkwardly on his feet.

Cook barely acknowledged him, clapping his hands together. "Right, right, right, back to business. My mate here is gonna try his pickup routine on you. That alright?"

"Um—"

"Great!" Cook cut her off before she could actually answer.

The boy sighed. "Cook, this didn't go too well last time—"

"Get on with it, J!" Cook grinned, clearly enjoying himself.

Tess, slightly intrigued, crossed her arms and stayed put.

JJ straightened up. "Okay. I'm JJ. Pack of cards, right? Nothing funny about them... except one minute they're blue and—" He dramatically flourished his hands over the deck. "Now they're... red."

Tess stared blankly. "Wow. Top stuff."

"Nah, nah, wait, it gets better, yeah?" Cook encouraged.

Tess arched an eyebrow. "How could anything get better than that?" She deadpanned.

Soon enough, JJ was pulling coins from behind Cook's ears, making Cook erupt into delighted laughter.

"Presto, Cook," JJ said, nodding along.

Cook grinned. "Presto!"

JJ placed the coin into a small black case. "Better put that away before I lose it."

As soon as the case snapped shut, it burst into flames.

"Fuck me!" Cook yelped, stepping back.

"What the fuck?!" Tess's eyes widened.

JJ, remarkably calm, nodded. "Yes, that is alarming." He tossed the case in the air, and as it fell back into his hands, the flames vanished.

JJ, unfazed, moved on to the finale. "And the coup de grace..." He fluttered his fingers around his face before water started pouring from behind his ears in thin streams.

"Prestissimo," he finished, with a flourish.

Cook reacted like he'd just seen the greatest show on earth. "Yeah! Magic!"

Then, grinning wickedly, he turned back to Tess. "So the question is, pet—does that make you want to give JJ a blowjob?"

Tess stared at him, unblinking.

Cook, unfazed, added, "...Or me, if you prefer it, love. I know I would."

Tess slammed her locker shut and rolled her eyes. "In your fucking dreams"

She turned on her heel and walked off, leaving Cook laughing and JJ looking somewhat relieved that he survived the interaction.