lust for life • james cook - skins

10 - cook

I'm sat on the ground at the foot of Effy's bed. I've been sitting here for ages. I don't know where she is. Eff's mum let me in when I called round, told me she was upstairs. Well, she fucking wasn't. I've no idea where she could be. I've been staring at the wall ahead of me, fiddling with a (now empty) purple lighter. I think it was Eve's, I nicked it the first day of school and forgot to ever give it back.

Effy's room is so, Effy. There's all these edgy posters on the walls, mess scattered essentially everywhere. Any surface top in her bedroom has clutter all over it. Bits of jewellery dangling here and strewn across some surface there. This is all normal girl clutter, though I wouldn't exactly consider Eff a normal girl. That's what I love about her.

Her wardrobe doors are slightly open, a few clothing items spewing out onto the ground. All of them some kind of dark tone, real Effy colours. Most garments also about three inches long. It's messy, but it works. I feel at home here.

I snap back to focus when I hear the front door slam from downstairs. Finally. I hear light footsteps thudding quickly up the stairs, and making their way toward this room.

I turn my head to watch the door as it opens to reveal Effy. She notices me, a look of surprise on her face. She looks flushed. She closes the door behind her and stares at me. "Why are you here?"

"Always a pleasure to receive such warm welcomes from you, Princess," I chuckle, pushing myself up off the ground. "Your mum let me in. She said you were home. Where were you?"

She shrugs, her cheeks still slightly pink. "Out," she mumbles, sitting on her bed.

I sit beside her, pulling a pair of fishnet tights out from under me. "You're all red," I motion my finger around her face, and she bats it away lightly.

"It's cold out," she responds plainly. "I was out to get some skunky."

I stare at her in disbelief. "You know you could've just asked me, yeah?"

I sell occasionally, usually when I'm desperate for a bit of cash. I try not to make it much of a habit, but it gets me out of a hole.

She shrugs.

"I could've sorted you a better deal and everything," I sigh. "Go on, who'd you get it from, then? Definitely some wanker who doesn't know what he's doing."

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a clear plastic baggie, with a couple buds inside. "Freddie."

I blink at her, confused. "Freddie?" I exclaim, disbelief in my tone. "Since when does he sell."

Effy shrugs, yet again. "He doesn't."

"So..."

"So he sold me this," she shoved the baggie into a drawer in her bedside table.

"There's no way in fuck Freddie would just sell you an eighth out of nowhere," I snort.

"Well, he did," Effy sighs. "If it bothers you so much, go talk to him. Not my problem. Weed is weed."

I look down at my hands in my lap. "Right then," I mutter, glancing at her. "Don't get so pissy, babes. Just asking, me."

She examines me for a moment, her face an unreadable expression. "I'm meeting Panda in half an hour. Wasn't expecting to see you today but since you're here, do you want to come?"

I perk up and grin at her, nodding. "Where to?"

-

We're sitting at the bus stop nearest Effy's house. It's me, Effy and Pandora. Effy is in the middle, spliff in her hand, passing it to me every so often.