Keep Driving // James Cook x OC

s i x

Daddy issues - The neighbourhood
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A/N, Mae lives in a maisonette flat, so it has 2 floors, but it's still in a block of flats. 

A loud blaring noise filled the silent room. Mae awoke from her slumber abruptly and slammed the loud clock that was on her bedside table which fell silent. She sat up and stared around her room groggily. Her flat was freezing, her dad hadn't topped up the gas so it had ran out - so no heating.

She had to shower with cold water that morning. She hadn't realised that the electric had run out too until she went to blow dry her hair.

Mae ended up throwing on a black and
red knitted jumper, a tiny; short black shirt, tights,
thick socks, boots and a coat.

By the time she stepped outside she was shivering, it was the third week of September and Autumn was creeping in. Before she went to college she cashed in her cheque at the post office and topped up the gas and electric, receiving a funny look from the lady
behind the till because of her wet hair.

When she arrived at college, she threw herself in her form seat and yanked her coat off of her. She smiled at Naomi and Emily before resuming her stern bad-mood gaze. Kieran had been sent a powerpoint to cover about being 'careful online'. Everyone giggled as he told a story about how he thought he'd met the love of his life on facebook, but it turned out to be a random bloke that lived in Africa. Kieran demanded that it wasn't funny as Cook walked into the class 15
minutes late.
"Nice of you to join us Cook." Kieran said as Cook took his seat next to Mae.
"Still not my friend?" Cook smirked at me.
She tried to keep a stern face and not look at him, but ended up smiling slightly.
"Thought you wouldn't stay mad at me, you gonna skip first period and come smoke a spliff with me then?" Cook asked.
He'd hoped that she'd say yes and watched her deliberate in her head.
"I guess I can." Mae smirked.
Cook chuckled to himself and carved his name into his desk with the one pen he'd bought to college that day.

When the bell rang, Cook and Mae left the form and walked out of the building. They sat on a patch of grass at the front of the college. Cook pulled a pre-rolled spliff out of his pocket and placed it between his lips. Mae watched as he took a drag and blew it out. She thought he looked quite attractive when he wasn't talking.
"What you looking at?" He asked, a cheeky grin spread across his face.
"You." She said bluntly, taking the spliff out of his hand and puffing on it. 

She noticed who she knew to be Effy walking up the path of the entrance as her and Cook lay on the green. She looked over and smiled at Mae, she smiled back politely as Cook muttered under his breath. She turned to smile at Cook but he looked the other way. Effy then started to walk Mae and Cook's direction and was soon stood in front of the pair.
"Hi, I've not introduced myself I'm Effy, you must be Mae?" Effy said politely. Cook looked away as Mae spoke back to the girl he once loved.
"Correct, I'm Mae." Mae spoke back, smiling, loving Effy's outfit.
Effy smiled awkwardly. "Well, I'll see you around."
"C'ya." Mae replied as Effy walked off.

"You could've said hi." Mae remarked.
Cook scoffed and shook his head, continuing to puff away on his joint.
"What even happened, James?" Mae asked quietly.
Cooked breathed in.
"You're gonna keep asking you until I tell you aren't you?" Cook said. He turned to look at Mae who was admiring his face for the first time.
"Yep." She smiled.
He sighed.
"Well, me and Freddie both liked her, but I slept with her first. He told me he loved her or whatever but he pissed me off so I went and slept with her to prove that even though I knew she loved him too, she wouldn't wanna be with him because she was scared of love. But then I actually fell in love myself, it fucking sucks knowing that the girl you love, loves your best friend more. Anyway, she dumped me one day without even telling me - I bought a fucking gateaux to her house. So I went to find her, when I did she told me she didn't want me anymore, I knew she wanted Freddie, so I fucked off. Then the next thing you know, she's belling me telling me that she wants to run away together, that she'd done something, so we were back on. I took her to see my dad, but she rang Freddie to say I needed help or something like that. So, of course Freddie and J came. She told me that she wanted him after we had some stupid race...it's a long story. I had to watch them be all lovey-dovey for months. One day Freddie rang me and told me she went missing, but at this point I still very much loved her so I helped look. When he found her he took her to his grandad's care home, but she locked herself in the loo and tried to end her life," Cook began to sniff at this point. "She had to go in the looney bin, when she came out, she dumped him. I saw her when I was standing outside a pub but she told me to do one. I couldn't actually understand how I showed my love to her and she still loved Freddie. Any who, Freddie told me that she'd dumped him and I happened to see her in the park later that day. She was all funny, I didn't know it at the time though, I thought she was playing a game. She didn't know who I was. I took her out and we had our last ever 'Cook and Effy' day. I risked losing Freddie as a friend that day, but I was getting the love I'd been craving since she told me that she loved Freddie. We were having fun until she went in to an episode of some sort, that's when I realised that she didn't even know what was happening that whole day we'd spent together, she was that mentally ill. I had to take her to Freddie, she begged me to, and after that day, I realised...it wasn't meant to be, and so...here I am." He finished.
Mae blinked for a moment. Taking it all in.
"Sounds shit." She said at last.
"S'alright," He shrugged. "I'm alive eh? plenty more fish in the sea..." He trailed off, pulling fists of grass out the ground.
"Get over it." Mae said bluntly. Cook looked at her like he'd heard her wrong.
She smiled at him.
"That's what you've got to do." She smiled.
It took him a moment, but he eventually smiled back. He wondered what she would do but she answered that question for him.
"I would smoke and drink it away." She giggled. Cook chuckled.
"I'll be your replacement Freddie for the time being, until it's not awkward...if you want." She nudged him.
"I'd like that." He replied.