JJ~2

Tess wandered into the canteen, grateful for the quiet. Her free period was going to be spent pretending she didn't have things to panic about. The place was mostly empty—just the hum of the vending machine and a few half-dead sixth formers muttering about coursework.

Freddie was sat at the back, slouched over a juice box, looking like he hadn't slept in days. Which, knowing Freddie, might've been true.

She slid into the seat across from him without asking. "You're actually at school. What a miracle"

Freddie looked up. "Yeah, well. Nowhere else to be."

She raised an eyebrow. "You alright?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. "No. Not really."

She didn't press.

Freddie let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "Effy told me to go away. At the hospital. Not even in like...a dramatic, messed-up Effy way. Just... said it. Like it was nothing. Like she actually meant it."

Tess's expression softened. "Shit. I'm sorry."

He nodded again, jaw working slightly, but didn't say anything for a moment. "It's weird. You think once someone's hurt you every possible way, it can't sting anymore. But it still fucking stings."

She nodded, quietly. "And it doesn't matter how much someone's hurt you. You still want them to care. Even a little."

Freddie didn't respond, but his eyes flicked to her, and that said enough.

He glanced at her stomach then, subtle but not subtle enough.

She clocked it immediately. "What?"

"I know."

Tess narrowed her eyes. "Know what?"

He didn't answer, just raised both brows like: really?

"Oh, for fuck's sake. JJ?"

"What? No," he snorted. "It was Cook."

Tess dropped her head into her hands. "Does everybody know now? Naomi confronted me about it the other day like we were in Eastenders or something."

Freddie gave a lopsided shrug. "Yeah. Pretty much."

She let out a groan. "Brilliant. Next time I sneeze I'll end up on the school newsletter."

He paused. "So... how is he? Cook."

Tess let out a breath. "Honestly? He's been... alright. Since he got back. Nice, even. Not that we've really talked about anything important. We're both sort of skating around it. Like if we pretend it's fine, maybe it'll be fine."

Freddie nodded. "You scared?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I mean, I don't know what I'm doing. And neither does he. But... he's trying. That counts for something, right?"

"Yeah," Freddie said, softer. "It does."

They sat in the quiet for a moment, both worn out in different ways.

Then Freddie looked over at her. "Hey... can you help me with something tomorrow?"

Tess gave a half-smile, already regretting it. "Yeah. Of course."

---

The next day, Tess found herself standing outside JJ's house, holding absolutely nothing and wondering, not for the first time, how her life had come to this.

Freddie, on the other hand, was dragging a massive duffel bag that grunted every now and then. Inside: Cook. Obviously.

Tess had offered to help, but truthfully, she wasn't doing much. Moral support, she figured, was still a type of support.

They reached the step and Freddie gave the bag an irritated yank.

"Are we sure lugging a grown man in a giant bag to a suburban house doesn't look... suspicious?" she muttered as they reached the front step.

"Hopefully it's just JJ's dad," Freddie muttered. "He won't bat an eye."

From inside the bag came a muffled protest: "Oi! I need the pisser!"

Tess just knocked.

The door opened to reveal JJ's dad, who gave them a brief, expressionless once-over. He paused maybe half a second on the bag, then simply said, "Upstairs," and turned away.

"Cheers," Freddie said, already heading for the stairs with a grunt. "Come on then."

They began the impossible task of dragging the bag up the narrow staircase, with Tess half-directing, half-hovering.

"Left—no, other left—Freddie, don't concuss him on the bannister—"

"Why am I doing all the lifting?!" Freddie huffed.

"Excuse you—I am in no state to do any heavy lifting," Tess replied, half-joking but very much sticking to it.

They reached the landing, and just as they reached JJ's door, a bedroom door creaked open. JJ's mum peeked out, her eyes immediately flicking to the struggling teens and the very suspicious bag.

"Hi, Freddie..." she said slowly.

"Hi!" Tess beamed suddenly, stepping forward like she hadn't just been helping smuggle a criminal into her house. "I'm Tess, a friend of JJs. I actually work with him too! Lovely house, by the way."

JJ's mum blinked at her, mildly thrown. "Oh. That's... sweet of you."

"You've got a lot of stuff, Freddie," she added, still eyeing the bag.

"Yeah, y'know, revision" Freddie said quickly, knocking on JJ's door and shoving the bag forward.

JJ's mum nodded vaguely. "Well, give me a shout if you need anything!"

"Uh—yeah! Thanks!" Tess chirped, just as the door clicked shut behind them.

JJ was sitting on his bed, still in his work uniform, staring into space. His room had dark blue, space-themed wallpaper, and almost every surface was covered in science posters, books, or both.

"Are you gonna fucking help me here or what?" he panted.

"You looked like you had it covered," Tess replied breezily.

"I could've helped," JJ offered, hesitating. "but-"

Freddie let the bag drop with a final thud and slumped back against the door.

"Freddie," JJ said suddenly, pointing, "your bag's on fire."

Tess blinked and looked down. Thin smoke was curling out from one of the zips.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Just open it."

JJ hesitantly unzipped it.

The second it opened, Cook burst out like a man launched from a cannon, cigarette in hand, cackling.

"WUEHHHH HE HE! JJ!"

JJ stumbled back. "Cook?!"

"JJ!" Cook practically screamed, twirling like an absolute maniac. "Now, hands up—who wants to play hide and seek?!"

He threw his arms open, ready for a hug.

"Your, your-"

JJ's face went white. He blinked once—and keeled over like a sack of bricks.

Tess looked down at JJ, then back up. "Well. I think that went well."

—-

Later, the three of them were sat around JJ, who was still very much unconscious. Cook had poked his cheek five times in the last two minutes.

"Should we like...call someone?" Tess asked eventually.

"He'll wake up," Freddie muttered.

Tess checked the time. "I've got work in like, twenty minutes. So if he doesn't, you're on babysitting duty."

Cook stood, brushing ash from his shirt. "Oi. Cheers for the shed, mate," he said to Freddie, giving him a light thump on the arm.

Freddie nodded. "You owe me."

"I know," Cook grinned.

Freddie made his way out, stepping carefully over JJ, "Don't do anything stupid yeah?"

Tess turned to leave, but Cook caught her wrist gently, just for a second.

"Oi."

She looked back.

"Thanks," he said. A little quieter. A little realer.

"For what?" She questioned

"For keeping me sane,"

She didn't know what to say to that. So she didn't.

He leaned in, and she met him halfway — kissing him softly, brief and familiar. Something they just did now.

"See you round, yeah?"

She lingered for a second.

"Yeah," she said. "You will."

And then she was gone.

Behind her, Cook sat down next to JJ's unconscious form, took a drag of his cigarette, and muttered, "Wake up, ya little genius. We've got catchin' up to do."

---

Tess stood in the bathroom, damp hair clinging to her neck as she twisted it into two lazy braids as she examined her reflection with quiet concentration. She'd just showered and was enjoying the rare silence of a house without screaming — unless you counted Michelle ranting at the telly from downstairs, which she didn't.

Her phone buzzed on the counter.

She glanced at the screen.

Cook.

She picked up with a sigh, bracing herself. "What could you possibly need? It's been—what, a day?"

"Starvation," Cook's voice groaned down the line. "Actual, brutal starvation. I'm wasting away, Tess. I can feel my ribs."

She let out an exhausted sigh. "Did JJ not feed you?"

"JJ's not back! Must still be with that date or summat. Lucky sod."

She blinked. "Are you serious?"

"There's nothin' here. No food, no people, no charger. I feel like I'm in a panic room, Tess."

Tess rolled her eyes. "You don't have a charger?"

"No, JJ's weird, innit. He's got one of them freaky puzzle plug things, like he charges his phone off a bloody potato. Nothin' fits. I tried shovin' the plug in every hole I could find—"

"Jesus christ."

"I mean the walls, babe. Pervert."

She sighed, smiling despite herself. "So you're alone, hungry, uncharged, and probably stinking again by now."

"And bare naked, if that helps swing any sympathy."

She snorted. "No sympathy. You've survived worse. You once ate a cigarette."

"Yeah, and this is worse."

"You're ridiculous."

"Tess," he whined. "Please. I'm wasting away in JJ's weird room. If I die here, he'll probably preserve my body and label it."

"Oh my god."

"You wouldn't let the father of your child die from starvation, would you?"

"Starvation seems excessive. But fine. I'll try bring you food. And a charger." She said, finishing her hair off quicker now.

"Legend. Absolute legend. I'm talkin' sandwich, crisps, Chinese, maybe a choccy bar if you're feeling flirty."

"No chance, I'll bring you whatever I'll miss the least."

"You're a saint."

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Tess ended the call, already fishing through the bathroom drawer for a spare charger.

She looked in the mirror again. One braid was fatter than the other. She frowned, tugged it out, and started over — already mentally noting what food was left in the house, and which snacks her mum wouldn't miss.

He was only one day in at JJs and he was already a disaster.

Typical.

But... she smiled a little.

She liked disasters. Apparently.

----

Tess grabbed an old bag from the hook behind the door and gave it a shake — half ripped, definitely questionable, but it would do. She'd already stashed a phone charger and a muesli bar inside, now she was headed downstairs for phase two of this rescue mission: actual food.

Tess could hear her mum before she saw her — the sound of dragging furniture, upbeat music clashing with the telly Michelle had left blaring, and Anna's distinct voice projecting like she was mid-pitch to a client.

Michelle was walking up the stairs at the same time, wrapped in a blanket, "I've been kicked out,"

Tess figured her mum was on some sort of mission. Just what she needed.

She snuck into the kitchen and grabbed whatever she could find: a vegetable pie, a couple bananas, kit kat bars, crackers and a half eaten bag of chips.

Sure enough, as Tess stepped into the living room, she found Anna standing on a dining chair, arms stretched above her head, dramatically holding a large swatch of fabric against the window frame.

"These," Anna announced, not looking down, "are the cutting edge of curtain design. Fully sustainable, dual-lined, and infused with a subtle scent that neutralises odours. Isn't that amazing?"

Tess blinked. "They smell?"

"Scented, darling. Scented. It's sophisticated." Anna finally looked down. 

"Anyway, the team at work just launched these and I need to promote them or whatever. Clean start, clean palette. This room needs a refresh."

Tess eyed the fabric. "Looks like a beige tea towel."

Anna gasped. "It's oat. Soft oat. God, you have no appreciation do you?"

Tess shifted her bag to the other shoulder, and the faint rattle of jars and wrappers gave her away. Her mum's eyes narrowed.

"What's in the bag?"

"Stuff."

Anna stepped off the chair, inspecting her suspicious daughter. "Is that...food in there?"

"Maybe."

"Are you—" Her eyes widened slightly. "Are you having cravings again?"

"What?" Tess blinked. "Oh yeah, cravings, that's totally what it is, Mum."

But Anna had already moved on, "What do you think of 'Spring Fog' or 'Morning Linen'? I'm thinking neutral but not boring — clean but intentional, y'know?"

Tess blinked. "I think they look the same."

"They are wildly different," She said, stepping down from the stool with a thud. "One has cooler undertones."

"Right, I'm gonna go now." Tess said, excusing herself

"Mm-hmm." Anna said, still holding up the swatches.

She made it out the back door with her bag of loot before Anna could bring out the catalogue. A banana, a pie, a dead phone, and one criminally charming idiot awaited.

---

Tess squinted up at the slightly open window, a bag of food slung over her shoulder. She stepped up onto the wheelie bin, gripped the drainpipe with one hand and the ledge with the other, and pulled herself up like someone who'd definitely not done this before.

"Jesus," she muttered, grunting as she reached the sill.

She hoisted herself over the edge, nearly knocking a toy helicopter off the windowsill in the process.

"I could've died doing that."

And then she turned around.

Cook was sprawled out on JJ's bed, completely naked except for a tiny red ukulele balanced precariously over his crotch. A lit cigarette in hand.

"Christ," Tess said, deadpan. "You weren't lying."

Cook grinned. "Told you. Freedom feels best when your balls are out."

"Can you not say that to me while I'm holding your food?"

He made no move to cover up further. "What, you don't like the view?"

"I don't like that you've touched JJ's ukulele with your bits."

Cook lifted his head slightly, eyes lighting up when he saw the bag. "You brought provisions!"

He sat up slightly, grinning. "Is that a pie?"

"Yeah, it was a pie," she said. "Until I had to scale a house with it. If it's mashed to shit, that's on you. Next time I'm throwing them up here instead."

Cook immediately rummaged through the bag, hungrily pulling out the pie and eating it messily.

"Ugh gross. Cook at least put some pants on first. Pig." Tess complained, crossing her arms.

"Bossy today," he muttered, reaching for a crumpled pair of joggers on the floor. The room was already a mess — books askew, some kind of origami bird half-squashed on the carpet, and a Rubik's cube on the bed.

"Does no one turn down the fucking central heating in this place?" Tess said, slipping her jacket off.

"It's fuckin' horrible," Cook said, reaching over her for a KitKat. "That's why I was airin' out."

She snorted. "Do you know how the date went anyway?"

He shook his head. "Didn't think he'd land one, did you?"

"Not with Lara that's for sure." Tess elbowed him lightly. "JJ's a good guy though. It obviously went well."

"What you know this chick?"

Tess nodded, sitting cross-legged near the foot of the bed. "Yep. Lara from work."

Cook paused mid-bite. "Lara? What's she like then?"

"She's cool. Not like JJ at all though." Tess said, taking a kit-kat for herself. "Maybe they'll work out then."

Cook gave a small nod, eyes flicking to the chaos of the room. "Can't believe he's been gone this long, though."

"I know. It's weird."

He hesitated, scratching his jaw. "Probably thanks to me."

Tess narrowed her eyes. "Oh god. What did you do?"

"Nothin'. Just helping him out."

"Cook... what did you tell him?"

He tried not to grin. "Just... be cool. That's all."

"That's surprisingly not that bad." Tess nodded

"And, uh... touch her a bit."

She gave him a look.

He added quickly, "Nah not like that! Like a gentle, you-know-I-like-you shoulder graze or whatever. Otherwise she's gonna start thinking she's ugly."

She groaned. "What else?"

"...Told him to look at her pupils."

"Her pupils?"

"Yeah. If they dilate, it means she wants to actually play with his dingaling."

Tess stared, mouth open in shock. "You did not say that."

He smirked. "Just like yours are right now, love."

She shoved him with both hands. "Get fucked."

He laughed, rolling onto his back, arms behind his head again. She looked around.

"Has JJ's room always been this...weird?" she asked.

The walls were covered with charts and maps and weird scribbly diagrams. Strings connecting random photos, a colour-coded calendar above the bed, and a terrifyingly detailed timetable pinned above the desk.

"Always," Cook said. "First sleepover we had here, he tried to show me his Excel spreadsheet of all the pills he had to take. His mum gave us vitamins and made us go to bed at 9."

"Tragic."

"She worries too much." Cook said, in between mouthfuls,

"You don't say."

They were quiet for a moment, then Tess shifted to face him. "I can already tell what you would've been like in primary."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Wild. Loud. Annoying. Thought shouting 'bogies' was peak comedy."

"Still is."

Tess laughed, shaking her head. "You probably threw shit at girls all day and called it flirting."

"Dead on." Cook grinned, proud of himself, "Used to try fling crayons into my teacher's bra. That was a classic."

"Of course you did," She smiled to herself. "Katie and I used to sell fake friendship bracelets for a pound. Made a killing in Year 5. Got banned for 'emotional manipulation.'"

"Entrepreneurs. Nice."

"We made them in different colours for 'best friend', 'kinda friend', and 'I actually hate you.'"

Cook grinned. "Bet you made someone cry."

She laughed. "What was your favourite show back then?"

"Pingu, obviously."

Tess nodded solemnly. "Respect."

Cook leaned back, half-dreamy. "I was proper obsessed. Used to make JJ watch it while I did the voices."

"Oh my god."

"Yeah. He hated it. Kept trying to explain the science behind how penguins shouldn't sound like motorbikes."

They didn't talk for a bit. The heating hummed softly, the room dim with just JJ's desk lamp casting a warm orange glow across the chaos. Cook lay back against the pillow, one arm behind his head, the other absently reaching out to play with the edge of Tess's cardigan draped across his lap. She shifted, curled on her side next to him, watching him with that look she always got when her defences weren't up — like she was trying not to smile, like she'd forgotten why she was annoyed at him in the first place.

Eventually, he leaned in, catching her mouth lazily. She let him. It was slow and unhurried, like neither of them were quite ready to move. His hand slid behind her neck and hers found his bare shoulder, warm and solid under her fingers. They kissed like they had a hundred times before.

She pulled away first, exhaling against his cheek. "I really do have to go."

He blinked up at her, his lips still parted. "Stay."

She gave him a look, soft but firm. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I've got plans."

"With who?"

"Katie."

He groaned, flopping dramatically onto his back. "Seriously, man?"

"Yes. I've got one of those check-up scan things."

Something shifted in his face — brief, like a twitch of something deeper, something he wasn't ready to say out loud. But he recovered quickly, nodded, leaned back.

"Well," he said gently, "tell the kid I said hi."

She smiled faintly, running a hand through her hair as she stood. "Ugh. I cannot be fucked walking. JJ lives miles away from the clinic. I should call a taxi or something."

Cook sat up, grabbing a handful of crisps again. "Nah. Taxis are for pussies and for actors."

She raised an eyebrow, slinging her cardigan over her shoulder."God forbid a girl cares about her unborn child more than your ego."

---

They sat on a sun-warmed bench just off the high street, two paper bags of chips resting between them, vinegar soaking through the corners. Tess barely touched hers. Her fingers were smudged with grease and salt, but her eyes stayed fixed on the scan photo resting in her lap. It resembled a baby now — not a blob, not an alien, but something with a curve of a head, a shape that looked far too human for comfort.

It was scary. And it was real.

Katie leaned over to peek at the image again, squinting like it might move if she looked hard enough.

"How does... it, y'know, fit inside you?" she said, genuinely confused. "It doesn't make sense."

Tess huffed a breath, still staring at the little figure frozen in greyscale.

"I don't know either. I'm just glad I'm not fucking massive yet," she muttered. "I cannot go to school like that."

Katie sat back with a chip. "Nah, you'll look hot, babe. I'm telling you. Milfs are in"

"Right just what I want." Tess smirked faintly, eyes still on the scan.

Katie shrugged. "I still can't believe you didn't find out the gender. That was literally the whole reason I came with you today."

Tess finally looked over, raising an eyebrow. "Oh gee, thanks for the emotional support."

"I'm serious!" Katie tossed a chip at her. "I need to know. You're depriving me."

Tess looked down again. Her fingers traced the edge of the printout, careful not to smudge it.

"I just... I'd rather leave it," she said quietly. "I don't want to get too attached, you know? If I don't name it, or gender it, or... whatever, it's easier."

There was a pause. Katie didn't argue with that.

"You still haven't talked to Cook properly about it, have you?" she said eventually.

"Not exactly," Tess admitted. "I mean... we've talked. A bit. But not about what we're actually gonna do. I think we're both avoiding it."

Katie gave her a look — not quite judgmental, but definitely leaning in that direction. "Yeah, well. I can tell you're all loved up."

Tess's head snapped around. "What?!"

"You are!" Katie grinned. "Every time someone mentions him, you smile like an idiot. It's sad."

"Fuck off." But Tess could feel the warmth crawl up her neck. It was true. As messed up as everything was, as confusing and unfinished and temporary as it felt with Cook — there was a part of her that still lit up when he came to mind. She hated that Katie saw through it.

"I've just been... enjoying the quiet, alright?" she said. "The bliss of not making a decision yet. I'll do it eventually. Definitely."

Katie raised her brows, not convinced. "You better, girl. Otherwise it'll be too late and bam — you've got a baby. With Cook of all people. Not ideal."

"Hey, I'm sure he'd be alright," Tess said defensively, almost too quickly.

Katie snorted. "Is that what he's telling you? Babes... I don't know if you've noticed, but he's literally on the run. From the police."

Tess's smile faltered. The scan photo fluttered slightly in her hand as the breeze picked up, but she held it still.

Yeah. That part wasn't as easy to ignore.