"i'm crazy but you like that" - skins

Episode 8.1

I'd been acting like a hermit for seven days since the nightclub opening, going through a phase of no socialisation again aside from the daily visit from Naomi.
Not that I'd found her visits particularly enjoyable. She'd filled me in on every excruciating detail that my memory was missing from that night, and every time I thought of it, I cringed.

It was 9AM on a Friday morning at this point. I'd not long woken up to the sound of my mother blasting music, and the first things that had started haunting my mind were the memories that Naomi had formed for me from that night.
Everything I'd said to Cook. Telling him about Freddie. Exposing Pandora to Thomas.

I groaned, grabbed my jacket and a beanie, and raced downstairs, heading out of my front door as quick as possible.

***

I walked to the only place that I knew how to distract myself nowadays.
I swung the shed door open to see Freddie clicking through his phone as he sat on the armchair.

"You free?" I demanded to know.
"For?" He raised an eyebrow.
I rolled my eyes. "You know what for."
"Sure."
And with that, I draped my jacket back off my shoulders and onto the floor, and quickly climbed on to straddle Freddie, wrapping my fingers in his hair and kissing him.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Freddie sat on the armchair steadying his breath, and I jumped up and pulled my pants back on.
I sat down on the floor beside his feet, and stared straight ahead.

"So," he spoke from behind me, "I haven't seen you since last week. Why haven't you answered my calls?"
"Oh, sorry, I've had my head buried in my fucking thorn bush to avoid the embarrassment from last weekend."
Freddie chuckled. "You weren't embarrassing."
"Are you serious? 'Cook, I have feelings for you... you're amazing... you're so cute.'" I imitated myself in an annoying voice. "Naomi filled me in on everything."
"That's not embarrassing." Freddie continued attempting to reassure me.
"It is for me!" I insisted. "And I told him what's been going on with us when we were going to just keep it to ourselves. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Freddie shrugged. "He would've found out anyway."
"Probably." I shrugged too.

Freddie slid down off the armchair he was on so that he was sat on the floor beside me.
"Jofie?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you in love with him?" He asked.
I took a deep breath, took off guard by this question. "I'm not ready to answer that question."
"Why?"
"Because... then I really am vulnerable." I admitted.
He smiled at me empathetically and nodded. "Okay. But - hypothetically - if he hadn't acted like a twat and... well, you know... would you be with him now?"
"I don't know." I shrugged, feeling pressured with the questions that I wasn't even brave enough to answer in my own head.
"Be honest with me, Jofie." Freddie instructed in a gentle, supportive way.
I sighed. "Yeah. I'd be with him. I..." I cut myself off, not wanting to say anything out loud that I'd regret. "He's Cook. I have feelings for him."
Freddie nodded. "And I have feelings for Effy."
I scoffed and let out a bellowed, exaggerated laugh. "Fucking hell, Fred. I think everyone knows that one."
We both giggled in unison, and then Freddie turned to me with a serious look in his eyes. "You know what I'm going to say?"
And I did know. I'd known that it would be said at some point soon as soon as Naomi filled me in on the events of Thomas' nightclub opening.
"That that should be the last time we have sex, right?"
"Yeah." He confirmed. "I really think it's time to be honest with ourselves. Don't you think?"
I took another deep breath. "Maybe."
And then Freddie draped his arm around me and grinned. "I've had fun though."
"It has been fun." I grinned with him and we both laughed.

Freddie got to his feet and sat back on the armchair, pulling out his paraphernalia to roll a joint.
I stood as well, and made my way to the opposite chair, before slumping in it and draping my legs over the arm.

"I think we should go camping." I thought aloud.
"What? Me and you?"
"No. Everyone."
"Now?" Freddie looked at me, confused.
"Tonight. It's perfect camping season." I tried to sell the idea.
"And you mean... everyone?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I'm assuming that you want to try and get the girl now, so I'm not opposed to inviting her." I suppressed my resentment for the sake of my friendship with Freddie. "Let's just hope I haven't ruined your chances."
Freddie laughed. "I'd say there's a good chance that you have. And I'm not sure that Cook will want to go anywhere with me right now."
"Cook doesn't miss a party no matter what. Don't you know him?" I smirked at Freddie, knowing that I was right about this.
"You're right." Freddie admitted, before looking deep in thought and revealing, "we have one small problem."
"What?"
"We need a driver."
"You can drive." I pointed out.
Freddie shook his head. "My dad is using the car this weekend. He has to taken Karen to an audition out of town. So that means..."
And I knew exactly what it meant. "Effy is the only other one that can drive."
"Yeah."
We both knew that there was no way Effy would agree to driving us on a camping trip if the request came from either of us, so I amended the plan. "Well then, we're no longer planning a camping trip. Naomi is." I smirked.
"You think she can convince her?"
"She can try." I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. "I'll text you the details."

***

I knocked on Naomi's door and she opened it with a smile.

"It's nice to see you out of your shit-hole bedroom."
"And it's nice to see you in a decent mood, because I have a favour to ask."
"Oh, god. What?" She groaned.
"It's nothing bad." I promised. "I just need you to invite everyone on a camping trip and ask Effy to drive."
"Excuse me?" She looked at me, confused.
"Me and Freddie decided we should all go camping, but Effy is the only one that can drive us there, and she on obviously isn't going to agree to it coming from us after the fucking rigmarole in the nightclub, is she? But she'll probably say yes to you."
"Maybe if I agree to strand you on the motorway." Naomi retorted.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "Can you please do it? You're my best friend, right?"
"You're manipulative, you know that?" She narrowed her eyes with a small smile.
"Obviously."
"Fine." She gave in.
"Now."
"What?" She rolled her eyes again.
"I want to go tonight. Ring her now."

Naomi stared at me for a minute in a way that told me that I was the biggest pain in her ass, but she then pulled out her phone and quickly dialled, as I stood there listening to her side of the phone call.

"Effy? Hey. Yeah, I'm fine. Look, I think we should all go camping. Tonight. Are you in?" Naomi gave me an unenthused thumbs up to signal what Effy's answer had been. "Can you drive there? Great. Spread the word. See you later."
She hung up and looked to me. "Are you happy?"
"You're the best. This is going to be a fucking good trip." I smiled before walking back away from her house.
"It better be." She called after me.