Skins: Endgame

Chapter 15

Awkward didn't even begin to describe the situation.

"Hmm, you like a bit of cheesecake, innit?"

That was what Arcia said to Cook, but they weren't alone. JJ, Karen, Thomas, Naomi, Emily and Mandy were all in the room with them. Arcia didn't care. She was all over him like a rash.

Naomi broke the ice, "Well, this is nice, isn't it?" Everybody agreed with her in mumbled grumbles except Cook and Arcia, who were busy.

Naomi wasn't in the mood for a chilled gathering: she intended to get this party started.

"I'm doing cocktails," she offered, "Who wants a Ball Breaker?... Um - I've got rum, creme de menthe, ouzo and rum."

Nobody took her up on it, to her dismay.

"What's wrong with everyone?! It's nearly half eleven." Naomi still wasn't giving up.

"I'll have one," piped up Arcia unexpectedly, "I love that creme de menth-ay stuff. Makes you piss green, innit?"

Naomi was clearly pleased. At least Effy was all up for it.

"There you go," she berated them, "Come on, you pussies. Ball Breakers. They're cool. If Effy's having one, you can all fucking."

It didn't matter if she stopped. The damage was done. Cook's face was an image of hurt and anger.

"What did you call her?" He asked, surprisingly calmly, despite his clear anger.

Naomi thought she was getting off and decided to try and apologise, "Um I might have made a slight"

Cook went full on venomous in a split second, "Her name's Arcia, for fuck sakes! Why's everybody weirding her?" He was trying to move on from Effy and they couldn't stop bringing her up!

"Yeah," Arcia waded in, "Your friends are weirdal, Cook. They don't half fucking stare, do 'ey?"

But Cook missed a heartbeat. Suddenly he was staring at Arcia in a whole other light. Except it wasn't a new light, it was one he knew all too well.

"Oh, man!" He stammered, "Um, I just remembered...You gotta go."

Arcia started to protest but Cook was having none of it.

"Something's come up," he continued, "I've gotta, um." He was struggling to find the right words: he just wanted her out of his sight. Arcia still tried to resist as much as she could, not understanding what was going on.

"But we was gonna get piercings!" She protested as he practically shoved her towards the front door.

"Yeah, yeah, and we will soon." He said.

"What the fuck?!" Arcia screamed back, "You said you was gonna be right up my alley, wasn't it?"

She continued to scream as everybody else just looked at each other.

"Did I do that?" Asked Naomi.

"Yeah, kinda," Said Karen, "Don't worry, I'll go talk to him."

She got up and followed Cook into the hallway. He was leaning back against the front door, looking miserable. "I'm losing it, man." He stated bluntly.

"Cook, come and talk to me." Said Karen, as she opened the door and steered him outside.

"I never clocked that she looked like Eff," he said, sounding very guilty and ashamed of himself, "I swear". "Chrissakes, stop being a tit." Karen snapped. She did believe him, but she wasn't interested in the latest chapter of Cook's romances. She came for a reason. "Freddie. Something's up." She said.

Cook expected this was coming up, but he also knew she was going to be disappointed.

"Look, Karen, I've asked around. There is no sign of Freds. He's legged it, that's all there is."

"You owe him, Cook," Pressed Karen, "When you ran off last year, who came looking for you?"

"That's only cos I took his girl with me-" Cook was cut off as Karen whacked him across the face.

"You stupid bastard!" She shouted "What is wrong with you all?!? You find him. You fucking find my brother."

"Karen, I'm sorry," Said Cook, nursing the spot on his head where she struck him, "I miss him too."

Karen knew that he did. But sweet talking him wasn't going to get him into action, "No, you don't. Nobody loves him like I do. Not even that crazy bitch, Effy. He's all I've got. God knows he's all you've got."

She suddenly gave him a large notebook.

"Read that and tell me there is nothing wrong," she continued, "I'll give you a blowjob every day for a year if that's all you care about."

"You've got me wrong, Karen." Said Cook in a low voice. "Show me." Said Karen, as she stormed away.

Cook looked down to the notebook and opened it. What he saw reminded him very much of The Shining film adaptation.

I love her. That same sentence written over and over again. It was as if Freddie was Jack Torrance writing his novel, with the same sentence again and again and again- "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Freddie's text was also written in all different colours, in all different sizes, but it didn't matter because the words never changed.

Cook eventually broke down and collapsed to the grass. Between missing Freddie and realising he just wasn't over Effy, he couldn't take it anymore.

"So do I, Freds, So do I." He moaned like a dying animal.

As he did so, Tony strolled up the pavement and walked towards the front door of Naomi and Emily's house. As he reached it, he looked off into the distance and saw Arcia staring at him. She gave him a thumbs up and he waved back in return, before knocking on the door.