fuck you, peachy | skins

10. Thomas

"Are you sure you're alright Eff?" Ayla asks once again, knowing she's starting to get on Effy's nerves. Effy doesn't say anything and continues walking along the College corridors among a sea of people. Katie barges in between Effy and Ayla.

"Effy, hi! Look. I got a new top. It's cool, isn't it?" beams Katie. Effy pays no attention to Katie as the three of them continue walking towards the College exit. "When you've got tits like mine, you've gotta flash them haven't you?".

"Sorry?" asks Effy as she stops walking and turns to face Katie, brushing her fringe to the side.

"Breasts, girl. You should try it." Katie chuckles teasingly.

"I never try," replies Effy as she walks off, leaving Katie behind. Ayla walks silently after her until Effy halts and turns around to look at her.

"Why does your sister think I'm so amazing?" Effy asks tilting her head to the side. Dozens of teenagers swarm around them and out the front doors onto the College green.

"Because nothing hurts you" Ayla replies without hesitation. The second it comes out of her mouth she regrets it.

"Who says" Effy scoffs as she turns back around and walks out the front entrance.

"Eff wait" pleads Ayla.

"No, I wanna go home." Effy calls out as she walks across the green. Ayla would've gone after her but she had promised Panda she would wait for her until she had finished her drama class. Ayla sighs and walks back through the now deserted corridors to the hall where she met everyone on the first day. Panda was sitting outside next to her locker, packing up her stuff.

"Hey. We finished early" Pandora grins.

"How was it?" Ayla smiles back lightly, worried about Effy as she had never seen her so glum.

"Super duper fun!" Pandora beams as she digs through her bag. "Fiddlesticks, I left my tail in the hall. Could you grab it for me?" she asks. Ayla simply nods, crosses the corridor to the hall and pushes open its doors. The second she enters the hall she is engulfed in music. She looks up to see Thomas playing some kind of African instrument in the middle of the hall with ease. He looks as though he is heaven, so Ayla says nothing and simply watches him. He continues to play till Pandora pokes her head around the door in awe and interrupts him.

"Blooming heck, you've got fast fingers." Pandora blurts out in awe. Thomas looks up, not knowing he was being watched. "You can pluck super quick. That's gotta be handy." Thomas says nothing, a singular tear dropping from his eye.

"Thomas?" Ayla steps forward "Why are you crying?" she asks, although she thinks she knows.

-

After Panda found her tail she insisted that Thomas and Ayla come with her to visit her Auntie to make Thomas feel more at home. So they all caught a bus to Auntie Elizabeth's. On the way, Panda told Ayla about how she had already met Thomas a few days ago, as had Ayla, and how he had "carried me back, stripped me naked, and laid me tenderly in his bed" after she vomited and passed out at the bus stop. Thomas also explained to the both of them that he had been hired as a janitor for Roundview and that they would be seeing him around there now, like they had today.

Auntie Elizabeth's house was so grand it made Ayla feel extremely out of place in her ripped fishnets and oversized t-shirt. Auntie Elizabeth was extremely welcoming however and sat them all down for tea and scones.

"Now then, we're ready to hear all about you both," says Auntie Elizabeth as she sets down a tray of scones and pours the three of them a cup of tea. Thomas talks first.

"Well, my family is from Ouesso District, Sangha, in Congo. Our village is very poor. I miss them so much. My mother will come next week with my brother and sister, and we'll live here, together." says Thomas as Panda passes him and Ayla a napkin.