Skins: Endgame

Chapter 11

Womanising. If ever the name "James Cook" ended up in the dictionary, that is what it should be defined as, thought Naomi as they sat down at the table for breakfast.

Cook, despite having police officers looking for him twenty four hours a day, went out partying until the wee hours of the morning. He also didn't come home alone. He brought home a girl with him, Arcia Jarvis.

Cook had been desperately trying to get over Effy, so Arcia seemed like a good person to start with. The rough, morning sex felt genuine, whilst she herself seemed pleasent enough.

At least, until she needed the toilet.

"Oh, fuck me!" Arcia almost screamed from the toilet, as she did her business.

Naomi looked at Cook.

"Seems nice." she commented.

Cook half laughed before replying, "Met her at Dojo's... Hit it off. You know."

Naomi didn't believe a word of it.

"Like a whirlwind romance?" She enquired.

"Yeah, well, we got chatting." Murmured Cook.

"Did you?" Asked Naomi. A rhetorical question: she already knew what the answer was.

"No." He replied. Naomi was right: it was the standard Cook hook up, leading dick first into the negotiations with little dialogue.

"Well," said Naomi, "at least you're moving on."

"Yeah," he agreed, "Yeah, I'm well over Eff. Finito. It's like liberating, yeah... Moving on."

"I'm looking forward to meeting-" began Naomi eagerly, as a girl barged into the kitchen.

"Phew, fucking hell!" Exclaimed the girl, "I'm never having the mezze platter again. I opened the window a bit, you know."

Cook quickly began introductions, "Naomi, meet Arcia. Arcia, meet Naomi."

"Pardon?" Naomi replied, completely flabbergasted. Surely she misheard it?

"Arcia." Said Arcia.

Naomi had heard it right the first time after all, but she still couldn't...

"Sorry," she said apologetically to Arcia, "I didn't quite-"

"Arcia, all right" Cut in Arcia.

Naomi felt like she was backing herself into a corner. She decided to change tac.

"It's a pretty name... Arcia." She said to Arcia.

Arcia looked relieved.

"Cheers," she said to Naomi before turning to Cook, "Listen, lover, I think I lost my pissing thong in the bus station."

Cook looked unsure how to reply, so he tried to play innocent, "Er, did you?"

"You know I fucking did, stud man!" Exclaimed Arcia, before looking at Naomi, "He's a little criminal."

Naomi laughed for a second before replying, "That is what they say. Yeah."

All in all, it had been a humorous morning to Naomi. This was just an extension of the morning highlight. After last night's Party, she went upstairs to wake up Emily and propose breakfast. She was unsurprised to see Mandy, another girl from College, in bed with her. It gave Naomi no cause for alarm: She was certain that Mandy was straight. Naomi herself slept on the couch with Panda, so it seemed like nothing to get angry about. If anything, it just seemed like a funny situation.

How wrong she was.

Emily was reassured all was well, at least at first, when Naomi said that Mandy was straight. She went to have a relaxing shower as Naomi made breakfast. Afterwards, she returned to their bedroom as Mandy started to stir.

"I thought you didn't sleep with her anymore." Remarked Mandy.

Emily misunderstood the point, "Yeah, well, people keep moving in."

"Isn't what you told me, that's all." Countered Mandy.

Emily, her guard up now, turned to face Mandy.

"Mandy, we haven't done anything. So, I don't see why... I mean, we didn't do anything last night... Did we?"

The second in between Mandy's reply felt like the timescale of a century to Emily. She had gone from worrying about last night, to outright panicking over it. Her heart raced like Usain Bolt on one of his runs as Mandy answered.

"You wanted to. If you hadn't been totally fucking AWOL."

Emily drew in a sharp intake of breath. She remembered none of last night, so was relying on Mandy simply over-exaggerating.

"No... I didn't." She said to Mandy, who looked unconvinced.

"Yeah?" She told Emily. "Otherwise, what have we been doing? What have you been doing? She thinks I'm straight! I don't want to be fucked around, Emily. Just cos she won't take you to Goa... But I'd take you. We'd go dancing. Sleep in a hut. I'd make love to you on the beach. Isn't that what you want?"

Emily had little time to ponder the question-

"Ems! Mandy! Breakfast!" Breakfast was ready.