Skins: Endgame

Chapter 16

Naomi answered the door, with a bottle of vodka in her hand.

"Well hello there stranger, who might you be?" She asked?

"Tony," replied Tony, "Tony Stonem. I'm Effy's brother. Effy's feeling a bit down still despite being released, so she asked if I would come over to apologise."

"That's perfectly okay." She replied, before looking over him as Emily appeared to her side.

"Ah!" Said Tony, "You must be Emily, Katie's sister!"

Emily was amazed: Usually people that met one twin mistook them for the other when they first met the second one.

"Yes I'm Emily," she said, "Nice to meet you!"

"Tony was just apologising on Effy's behalf because she can't make it but..." Naomi burst into a smile. "You could always join us."

Tony hadn't planned on this, but he was a master of improvisation, so getting invited into a stranger's house would be childs play to him.

He looked behind him. Cook was still moping on the grass, but he didn't want Cook to see him. Not yet at least, so he decided to get out of site and let things play out.

"If you're both up for it, I'm game."

They all went inside to the livingroom and Tony introduced himself to everyone. JJ stood up to shake his hand, carrying baby Albert in the other. JJ met Albert's mother, Lana, at their work and eventually asked her out, with a little encouragement from Thomas. By now, despite it being difficult at the start, they were now firmly a couple. Lana even trusted JJ to look after Albert whenever she was busy, to the point where he could take him to JJ's own house or even Naomi's.

"Tony Stonem. I've heard about you from Effy. Sounds as if you had quite the time at Roundview then?" Asked JJ.

"Everybody keeps asking me about the good old days," laughed Tony, "but yeah, I look back on them longingly. That generation I was a part of: you had to be there at the time to understand how special it was. Those times can't possibly be duplicated.

He sat down on the sofa, JJ followed suit.

"But," continued Tony, "from what I've heard, you guys have had some crazy times of your own. You humiliated that gangster guy Johnny White, didn't you Thomas?"

Thomas responded as if he were getting asked a question by a teacher on the spot. "Well- Um, yeah. He couldn't handle his spice."

"Good old spice." replied Tony. "-The legal kind," he added hastily whilst suppressing a laugh, "Don't try the illegal kind. This guy I know in Cardiff, Bob, tried it and thought it was horrible. Anyway that's off topic: What about the camping trip to Gobblers End? I wish I was there: My friends had a camping trip once that I couldn't attend. One of my big regrets in life actually, I heard it was amazing."

Somebody else was knocking at the door as Tony finished. A few seconds later, he heard Katie and Panda's voices as the door opened. He excused himself and got up to greet them.

"Oh, hello Tony!" Said Panda.

"Panda, Katie." He acknowledged them.

"Hello Tony." Katie said as she observed him. He really was handsome as she saw it.

JJ came into the hall with baby Albert.

"Oh, I'm going. The atmosphere is not too good there."

"Naom's caning the spliff again?" Enquired Katie.

"Yeah, and the rest." Replied JJ, before looking at Albert as he left the house "Well, let's go get some of that baby food."

As JJ closed the door, Thomas entered and briefly locked eyes with Panda.