"Oh, hi J" Ayla gulps awkwardly stepping out of the Counsellors office. JJ had just knocked over a stand of assorted brochures and was too embarrassed to turn around and face her. It is silent for a moment.
"Oh..." he gulps, finally turning on his heel. "Sorry, I just don't usually see people I know in here"
"Why not?"
"Because normal people don't come here"
"Right", gulps Ayla, her face turning scarlet, worried that JJ was judging her. "I suppose so... I'm just here cause mum still makes me go to rehab"
"For an injury?"
"You could call it that. Year 9 didn't treat me nor Eff too well and now we have to live with it"
"Oh. Drugs." JJ gulps. "Does Effy still go to rehab too?"
"I'm not too sure." Ayla answers. Effy and her never really spoke about their past. "Why are you here?".
"I need calming down apparently so they are prescribing me another medication" JJ holds a little box of meds up in the air and waves it around.
"Oh, Emily is on the same ones." Ayla scoffs "Must work wonders if they can calm you down and make you come out as gay." she says as she walks towards the door. A few seconds later her eyes shoot back to JJ, having just realised what she let slip.
"Is Emily gay?" JJ asks, his eyes wide open just like hers.
-
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me" JJ assures Ayla as they sit down on the grass. They had decided to hang out for a bit so they could stay away from their dreadful households for as long as possible.
"Thanks, J." replies Ayla, still feeling guilty as fuck for letting it slip that Emily was gay. "I have a big mouth." The two of them sit in silence for a fair few minutes, unsure of what to talk about as they had no similar interests.
"Mmmmm......" says JJ digging through his backpack. "Do you want to see my drugs?" he beams excitedly. Ayla looks at him confused. "Ohhh I mean my prescribed drugs. For my issues" explains JJ.
"You don't have 'issues' J..." begins Ayla before he cuts her off.
"Triculine, Rizzalin, Adderall, Focalin," he says chucking the boxes of medications into a pile "The veritable Stun, as of today." he waves his newly prescribed meds up in the air.
"That is a lot of drugs." Ayla raises her eyebrows and stretches her legs out on the grass as J continues blurting out more names of drugs he's on. Her legs are still covered in carpet burns from the hectic night which was Panda's birthday.
"Ah, here's my vitamin C. I do about twenty of these a day, cos they're nice and fizzy." continues J, drawing her attention back to him "You're supposed to dissolve them, but they've got a better kick this way."
Ayla chuckles at JJ describing his vitamin C as if it were a drug.
"Go on. Try on!" he says, opening up the tube of vitamin C and plopping one into her open palm.
"Sure. Thank you" she says putting in her mouth without hesitation. It's silent for a moment as JJ waits for her to review his infamous vitamin C. It begins fizzling in her mouth and she giggles and nods in approval, much to his pleasure.
"I'd give anything to be normal for a whole day. Or at least more normal like you." JJ chuckles, glancing at her before looking off into the distance, over the park and towards the city.
"If you were normal, what would you do?" Ayla asks, finding it difficult to talk with a sizzling supplement in her mouth. JJ pivots to face her, excited she asked.
"I'd lose my virginity first, several times. Then have a Choccy Nut milkshake without going into shock." he blurts out quite quickly, making Ayla grin. "Then I'd tell Cook to stop fucking Effy to spite Freddie and Freddie to stop fucking you to spite Cook because that's not what either of them wants"
"Aww don't waste one of your 'normal person' wishes on that J, that dramas over!"
"Yeah sure," he replies, making Ayla scoff.
"What else would you do then?"
"I'd tell Freddie and Cook to stop making me take sides. And they'd listen to me for once and not fucking ruffle my hair!" he finishes, getting slightly aggravated. Ayla is silent as she thinks for a moment before pivoting to face him.
"You know, J, all those things you want, you don't ask for them. Why don't you just ask?"
-
"Ring the bell, JJ." the two of them stand outside Freddie's, JJ shuffling his weight hesitantly before finally ringing the bell. It had taken him 3 minutes to pluck up the courage. "What are you gonna say?"
"Gonna ask him to make up with Cook and forget this whole thing" he faces her before breathing in deeply and facing the door as someone runs downstairs to get the door. "Also gonna ask him to stop ruffling my hair."
"Okay, don't let anything stop you"
Karen opens the door "Aww hey J" she beams, ruffling his fair.
"Tell her" Ayla nudges him. JJ takes a deep breath.
"Karen, if you don't mind, would you please not ruffle..." he begins before Karen cuts him off.
"Hang on," says Karen looking Ayla up and down. "What are you doing here?". Ayla looks at her confused and is about to say something before Karen chuckles with realisation. "Oh, fucking hell! I thought you were upstairs."
"I want to see Freddie and I want to see him now," JJ says sternly, pushing past Karen who refuses to peel her eyes off Ayla. JJ and Ayla start walking up the stairs, Karen following. "It's OK, Karen. I know which bedroom it is," says JJ
"Yeah, but this is going to be good." Karen nods excitedly. They reach the top of the stairs and JJ knocks gently on Freddie's door. He doesn't answer. "He's definitely in there," Karen reassures them. JJ leans into the door and calls out.
"Freddie?"
"I'm just a bit busy at the minute, J." replies Freddie, who sounded like he was panting.
"Sorry. We'll do this another time, then," replies J, turning on his heel, prepared to leave.
"For Pete's sake. Get out of the way!" Karen rolls her eyes, pushing past JJ and flinging the door open. Music plays softly through the open door as Karen, JJ and Ayla watch Katie bounce up and down on top of Freddie as he moans. Ayla clears her throat and the two turn around in shock, Katie whimpering and covering herself with the sheet.
"Now, does everybody know each other?" asks Karen grinning with pride
"That's great. Brilliant, Karen," replies Freddie rolling his eyes.
"For Christ's sake, what are you doing?" Ayla asks Katie in disgust.
"I'm doing the Great fucking Northern Run, what does it look like?" Katie replies snidely. Well, at least Freddie wasn't coming to Ayla to seek revenge.
"Guys, could we please just" begins Freddie.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ayla scrunches her face up in disgust, cutting off Freddie.
"I'm sorry. Maybe my postal application hasn't reached you yet." Katie replies. "Now, do you mind? We're sort of in the middle of something." Freddie raises his eyebrows and nods in agreement.
"That's not right. You want Eff and..." JJ begins, looking at Freddie who gulps, knowing it is true but ignoring it nonetheless.
"It's a free country, JJ. Maybe my weirdo sister's up for it," replies Katie
"Nah. She's fucking Freddie" butts in Karen, making Katie's eyes shot up to Ayla.
"What? No, I'm not" Ayla scoffs angrily, glaring at Karen before turning back around to face Katie. "I... only once Katie"
"Are you fucking kidding me? Can't you keep your minge out of anything?" Katie yells at Ayla. "Is this fucking true?" she asks, turning to Freddie who scratches his head and nods. Katie grabs the sheet angrily and stands up, wrapping herself in it. Freddie, who is now stark naked, slides off the bed and cowers down next to it, trying to hide his naked body. Katie storms to the door with the sheet covering her and slams the door in Ayla's face.