I close my eyes as I try to drone out the thumping music and the loud chatter of excited rave goers, even for just a moment. I'm waiting in line with Effy to get into a club. It's Thomas' night tonight, he invited us all to come and party with him, in honour.

It's a bit tense between Effy and I. She knows I like Cook, I know she likes Freddie. Ever since Freddie kissed me in front of her and Cook, she's been quite cold toward me, colder then usual, might I add.

"Just like old times, eh?" I nudge her as I say this, trying to break the tension, even just a little bit.

She smiles and nods. "Yeah."

I nod awkwardly, stumped for words. It's like talking to a brick wall, though nowadays, I feel like a wall would be more responsive than Effy at times. She was more talkative when she was mute, if that makes sense.

I glance at her out of the corner of my eye as she leans her head against the rough wall. I look around, searching desperately for some kind of distraction, anything to ease the awkwardness.

Ah, Naomi.

She shoves her way through the queue, receiving passive-aggressive comments from the people in line as she does so.

She smiles at us as she finally reaches us.

"Hey," Effy mumbles.

"Hi, Naoms," I greet her, relief running through my veins to see someone else joining us.

Naomi looks at Effy for a moment after squeezing my arm in greeting.

"You okay?" She asks her.

Effy just half-smiles and shrugs.

"No Cook?" Naomi presses. I wince slightly at that. I can't help it. Any mention of his name and his association with Effy, especially in front of me, and I just automatically react in some type of way.

"Why would there be a Cook?" Effy asks defensively.

"You're seeing him, aren't you?" Naomi raises her eyebrows at her. I stare at the ground awkwardly.

"I'm fucking him occasionally," Effy responds. "I'm not, seeing him."

Naomi stares at her for a moment. "There's a distinction?"

"Yeah."

Naomi raises her eyebrows in acknowledgment, while I shuffle my feet, desperately hoping that this is the end of the Cook conversation.

"No Emily?" Effy asks Naomi, a slight smirk on her face.

Naomi hesitates for a long moment, while I perk up to listen. I don't hear much about Emily and Naomi. There's definitely something going on, but they're very secretive about it. In a sense. Everyone kind of knows, but nobody really knows, if you get me.

As she opens her mouth to answer, Effy interrupts. "Truth."

"That obvious?" Naomi sighs, glancing between Effy and I.

I nod, smiling. "Don't have to be a genius to work it out."

"So?" Effy's still trying to drag an answer out of Naomi. Getting Naomi to open up about Emily is like trying to draw blood from a stone.

"So I'm straight," Naomi responds, sounding like she's trying to convince herself more than us.

"Sure?" Effy stares at her.

Naomi looks down for a moment, debating whether she should even answer. "If I said no, would I regret it?"

"Probably, but," Effy pauses. "Not because of me."

They smile at each other. I pat Naomi's shoulder comfortingly. "Figure it out in your own time, yeah?"

"Yeah," she nods, sounding even more unsure than before. "We're objects of lust."

"Making you feel good?" I ask her, smiling.

"Not really," Naomi shakes her head.

"So, I suggest we go in there and get so monumentally fucked up, we forget all about.." Effy trails off as she spots something, or someone, behind us.

I turn around to see what she's looking at. It's none other than Freddie, holding hands with... Katie? He's staring right at Effy, and vice versa.

"Um.. when did that happen?" I laugh, in shock.

"No!" Naomi exclaims, looking between Freddie and Effy. "Oh my god, that's fucked up."

"No," Effy protests, shaking her head.

"You love him?" Naomi smiles, knowingly.

"No!"

"Oh yes," she laughs. "You love The Lips. Oh my god. Go on, lie to me. I want to see this."

I open my mouth, about to say something, when Thomas calls us over.

"Effy! Naomi! Eve! Here, come!" He ushers toward the club entrance. "You don't pay! Friends don't pay!"

We walk over to him, and he rubs his hands together in excitement.

"Isn't this great?" He beams. "I've sold a whacker load of tickets. Freddie, Katie! Here, come! Come!"

Naomi and I glance at Effy, her face unreadable as Freddie and Katie approach us, hand in hand.

"Welcome, welcome, mes amis! Club Thomas is pleased to receive you!"

"Alright?" Freddie greets us, nodding his head.

"Hey," Katie mutters awkwardly, glancing at Naomi.

"Aren't you gonna be bitchy to me, Katie?" Naomi challenges her, her arms crossed.

Katie laughs lightly. "Yeah, sure. Give me time."

An awkward silence falls among us as we all stare at each other, the tension growing by the second.

"Listen, everyone," Thomas starts, out of breath from excitement. Bless him. He clearly still doesn't know about Pandora. "Everything is great, totally super great."

I stare at him in pity.

"Look," he raises his voice, pointing as he does so. "More friends!"

We all turn to see Cook and JJ approaching. Cook is hopping off the walls, literally. He jumps, punching the air, whooping at the loudest octave he can go, as JJ walks behind him, with his JJ demeanour, hands in his pockets, head down.

"Wait until you see this place. You will not believe it," Thomas smiles, while Cook shouts in the background.

"Jesus," Freddie mutters under his breath.

"What's he on?" I whisper to Naomi.

"God knows," she sighs, staring at him with her eyes narrowed.

"And the band are formidable! Formidable!" Thomas enthuses. "Everyone is together, Panda is coming and Emily's already here."

We all stare up at him at that last bit.

"Where?" Katie asks.

"Come in, come in, we can find her," Thomas smiles, gesturing us toward the entrance.

Cook and JJ have joined us by now. Cook is absolutely off the rails. This is the most drugged up I've ever seen him.

"JJ!" I hiss at him and drag him to one side. "What the fuck's Cook on?"

JJ shrugs hastily. "He's always on something. Right? Okay. Stop asking me questions now."

I stare at him, my mouth slightly open, as he shoves his way past me, into the club, while Cook practically bulldozes his way in.

"Oh, God," I groan to myself, and follow them in.

The music is almost deafening, the club is packed. The florescent lights are enough to give you a migraine. I love it.

There's some band performing at the head of the dance-floor, the singer looks a bit like Emily.

The real Emily is right bang in the middle of the dance-floor, dancing like a maniac to the loud techno beat.

She's hard to miss, flailing around the place, a bottle of vodka in her hand.

At least she's having fun.

It's not often you see Emily loosening up.

I'm about to join her, when I notice someone already beat me to it. It's Cook, of course. He's dancing right up against her, and if you didn't know her personally, you'd think she was straight.

Their hands are interlinked, and they're jumping around the place together, both clearly off their heads.

I watch as Cook's hands roam her body, and he kisses her neck as she dances into him, a big smile on her face.

I notice Katie beside me, also watching this shit show. She pushes through the crowd rapidly to retrieve her sister.

I laugh as she pulls her away and Cook stands there, stranded and confused for a moment, before resuming his dancing like a maniac.

"Hi, Eve!" Emily shouts over the music. "Dance with me!"

"No, Emily, you're fucked," Katie grabs her hand. "We'll be back, Eve."

I nod at them as they leave, and as I'm about to retrieve the packet of pills from my bra that Milo gave to me as a 'good-luck present', I notice commotion up ahead, from the centre of the dance-floor.

Once again, Cook. He's being jostled around by a group of lads. Undoubtably, he's the one who started it. They're roughly shoving each other about, shouting "fuck off!" And "fuck you!" It's quickly escalating and becoming more aggressive.

I notice JJ standing, dead still, watching this fight about to break out, nearby to where I am.

I rush over to him. "JJ, what the fuck?" I shout. "Tell me what the fuck he's on!"

JJ just stares at me, before taking out something from his pocket. It's a packet of pills. They look like prescription pills.

Freddie has since joined us. He stares at the packet in JJ's hands. "How many, JJ?"

"How many?!" He repeats again, louder this time, when he receives no response from JJ.

"Four," JJ yells back. "Then another two."

"Fucks sake, J," I groan.

"You twat!" Freddie exclaims. "What does this stuff do?"

"Calms you down..." JJ starts. "And stuff."

"Right, you see that?" Freddie points at Cook, who is now fighting against three or four other lads, the polar opposite of calm.

"Freddie," I shout, panic rising in me as Cook gets more rowdy and the boys get more aggressive in their punches. "Get him!"

"You stupid, fucking idiot!" Freddie yells into JJ's ear, before plunging into the crowd, JJ following after him.

I watch as they join the fight, Freddie doing a much better job than JJ. I'm not sure what to do, myself. I feel useless just standing here, but I'm hardly going to get involved.

Freddie fights off the boys, and as they stand back, he quickly grabs Cook, who's laying on the ground, and drags him over to where I'm standing, the lads following them angrily while JJ tries to fight them off.

I don't know what's gotten into J tonight.

"Here, Eve," Freddie adjusts a half-conscious Cook in his arms. "Can you help? We'll bring him to a more quiet spot."

I nod, wrapping one of Cook's arms around my  shoulders while Freddie does the same with his other arm. JJ trails after us, his head down.

After a lot of manoeuvring through crowds and jostling past dancing teenagers, we finally make it to an area outside the bathrooms which is more quiet and not as packed.

I squint my eyes against the harsh blue light as we sit Cook down against a wall.

Freddie crouches down in front of Cook, clutching the glass of water that JJ handed him. I squat on the other side of the boy, a wet tissue from the bathroom in my hand, as I try to dab at the blood on his face.

"And what the fuck were you doing?" Freddie shouts at JJ while he inspects Cook's face.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry," JJ mumbles. "He pissed me off."

"How?" I ask JJ, whipping my head around to glare at him.

"It doesn't matter. Just say he's gonna be alright," JJ frets in the background.

I look back at Cook as I wipe at the blood around his mouth, while Freddie holds his chin up.

"He's gonna be alright," Freddie snaps, glancing back at JJ. "He's always fucking alright, aren't you, Cook?"

Freddie starts slapping his face when Cook doesn't give a response. "Aren't you?"

"Don't!" I protest, holding Freddie's hand back.

His technique seems to have worked though, as Cook groggily raises his eyebrows and groans under his breath as he processes what's going on.

He smiles as he spots JJ.

"JJ," he chuckles. "Yay!"

He laughs happily, still fucked out of his mind, while Freddie leans against the wall beside him. I stand up, my knees getting tired from crouching.

"Top pills, man," Cook smiles, shaking his head. He looks down at his bloodied t-shirt and his knuckles, and looks back up at Freddie.

He hasn't noticed me yet. No surprise there.

"I knew you'd come for me, Three Musketeers."

"Yeah," Freddie huffs, standing up. "Fuck off, Cook."

Cook's smile fades as he watches Freddie begin to leave.

"Freddie, she loves you, you know," he comments, his eyes are half closed but his voice  has never sounded surer.

I watch as Freddie turns back, frowning, looking between Cook, JJ and I. "What?"

"She loves you," Cook repeats. "But she can't stand it. Can't stand the love, so she fucks me instead."

I glance between the three boys as I discreetly step aside, so Cook doesn't notice me. I want to listen to this from a distance.

"What's he saying?" Freddie asks JJ, while JJ just looks on in horror.

"Oh, God," he mutters.

"What?" Freddie asks him, while Cook scrunches his face in pain.

"Shit," JJ blurts out. "I think you're gonna get the truth, Freds."

"Cook?" Freddie asks him, uncertainly.

"So I'm pissed off, yeah?" Cook starts again, angrier this time. "She's taking the piss. And it's hurting me."

His voice begins to wobble slightly. I watch on as my chest tightens.

"'Cos Cook needs the love too," he throws up his arms in defeat. "Cookie's got nothing."

"You've got me," I whisper under my breath, clutching the tissue in my hand.

"What about Eve?" JJ asks.

Cook stares at him for a moment. "Eve plays hard to get. She doesn't want me, really. She wouldn't want to put up with me."

"That's not true, I..." I gasp, rushing into view again. I stand before Cook as he stares up at him, one eye now starting to swell shut.

"Everything alright, guys?" Thomas comes in, slowly approaching Cook.

"Like I said, Cookie's always got nothing," Cook  grunts, unaware of Thomas' presence. "That's why I do her pal."

I cover my mouth with my hand, knowing what's coming next. My heart feels like it's about to leap out of my chest, I'm scared to even glance at Thomas to see his reaction.

"That's why I pop Panda," he smirks, squinting at no-one in particular. "Panda's popped."

Thomas is like a statue. Everyone's face is grave, apprehensive of Cook's next words.

"It's always the same - great tits Panda, great tits Effy."

"That's all I get, 'cos I'm shit," he slurs.

He's noticed me now, he's staring right at me. The hairs lift on my arms as we make dead-on eye contact.

"I'm pure shit."

Cook starts laughing half-heartedly, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling. I glance at Thomas, his face is like stone.

He doesn't move for a moment, then suddenly he rushes at Cook, thankfully being held back by Freddie just in time.

"Woah, Thomas!" Freddie shouts, shoving him back.

He holds him back by his shoulders, staring at him. "Back off. No, ok, mate? No!"

Thomas galres at Cook from over Freddie's shoulder.

"He does not deserve friends," he states coldly.

"Yeah," Cook chuckles. He looks like he's about to fall asleep now as he stares at the ground, still laughing to himself.

"He's a cunt," Thomas spits, shoving Freddie off him angrily. He frowns at Cook as he walks past him, down the hall which leads back to the club.

"Move, move!" He yells as he pushes roughly through a few people gathered in a small group.

We all stare at each other, Freddie leaning back on the wall and sighing.

He stares at JJ. "Had a busy day, have you, J?"

"I'm sorry," JJ sighs. "I got locked on. You all pissed me off!"

He looks down at Cook before looking back up at Freddie, his face downcast. "Does this mean I can't come to the shed anymore?"

"Course, mate, you can still come to the shed," Freddie says, getting off the wall and facing JJ now. He pulls him in for a hug.

"Just give me some space, okay?" He mumbles into JJ's ear. "I need time to think."

I bite my nail as I stare at Cook, he's now passed out on the dirty ground. I don't know what to do.

We all look up as Effy rushes in, Naomi following her. "What's going on? Someone said he.."

She trails off as she notices Freddie. They share a long look.

Freddie nods his head toward Cook. "It's yours, I think."

Effy stares at him as he shoves past us. Naomi sighs.

"What do we do with him, then?" I mutter, crouching down beside the unconscious boy.

Effy just shakes her head in defeat, while Naomi stares down at Cook.

"We can't leave him alone," Naomi points out, nudging his bloody hand with her foot.

"We'll have to bring him back to one of our houses," Effy chimes in, joining me on the floor.

We all look at each other expectantly, waiting for one of us to make the first offer.

No one speaks up. I sigh. "I'll take him back to mine. My brothers won't care. They'll know how to look after him anyways."

"Are you sure?" Effy asks me, placing her hand on my knee. "'Cos my mum wouldn't even notice if I brought him back."

I stare at Cook, placing my thumb on his chin, wiping away a spot of blood. "I'm sure," I nod firmly. "I'll manage."

"Thanks, Eve," Naomi smiles. "I would, but my house is stressful enough as it is."

I nod again, checking Cook's neck for a pulse. He's still alive, thankfully. "It's fine. Can you help me carry him, though?"

The two girls nod in unison, and we all work together to carefully lift him up. He groans quietly as he's moved.

"Christ, he's fucking heavy," Naomi mutters under her breath as she wraps her arms around his waist in an attempt to get him up.

"Muscles," Cook mutters under his breath, still barely awake.

I laugh quietly. "Still got it."

-

I grunt in effort as I slam the door behind me, struggling to keep Cook on his feet. Effy and Naomi helped me carry him all the way to my house, bless them.

"Milo, Charlie!" I call up the stairs, staring at Cook while I wait for a response.

Milo comes thundering down the stairs. "Chaz is at work, wanker."

He pauses on the last step when he spots Cook leaning against me. "What the fuck?"

"He's pilled up. I couldn't just leave him behind," I mumble.

"Is that Cook?" Milo laughs, coming over to me and turning on the main light-switch, receiving a groan in protest from Cook.

"I said I'd take him home because you'd know what to do," I shrug, still afraid to let go of him. He's a bit better, a bit more conscious, but I wouldn't trust him standing on his own.

"Cook, my old chap!" Milo grins in delight, lightly tapping Cook's face. Cook half-smiles in acknowledgement.

"Right, give him here," Milo sighs, taking Cook from me and slinging his arm over his shoulder. "Is he alright to walk?"

"We carried him the whole way here."

"Aren't you a lady," Milo chuckles, a bit strained as he supports Cook toward the kitchen.

"Turn on the kettle," he shouts back at me.

I nod, even though he can't see me, and head into the kitchen after the two boys. Milo props Cook up on the kitchen chair as I flip on the switch to the kettle.

"So, what do we do with him?" I ask, leaning against the kitchen cabinet.

"Get all that shit out of his system," Milo states, motioning with his finger at Cook, who's slightly slumped over in the chair.

"How?" I ask.

"Make him get sick," Milo says firmly, lifting Cook's eyelids open and examining them. "What did he even take?"

"Some pills. Not normal ones," I sniff, plopping three tea bags into separate mugs. "JJ, our friend, he's a bit loopy, so he gets prescribed all this pills, and Cook took about 7 of them."

Milo tuts under his breath. "Fool."

I nod in agreement, then pour the hot water from the kettle into the mugs, leaving them to stew for a while.

I join Milo and Cook at the table. "Will I get him water?"

"Yeah, do, love," Milo nods.

I grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it up with water from the tap. I hand it to Milo and he takes it from me, holding it up to Cook's lips.

"Drink this, mate," Milo encourages him. "Eve, hold him up straight, would you?"

I dash over to the other side of the chair and gently straighten Cook up so he's not as slumped over. Milo holds the glass of water by Cook's mouth, throwing in words of encouragement.

Eventually, after a few little spillages, Cook takes a couple sips, dribbling half of it down his top.

"Right," Milo straightens up, stretching out his back. "Bed or couch?"

"He can take my bed, I suppose," I sigh. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"You really do love him, don't you?" Milo chuckles, wiping away a couple droplets of water on Cook's chin.

"Shut up," I blush, ducking my head.

"What's so special about you, bud, eh?" Milo says to Cook, slapping him on the cheek lightly.

"Let's get him upstairs."

-

After a lot of manoeuvring, we manage to get Cook upstairs and into my bed. We made sure he's laying on his side, so if he gets sick in his sleep, he won't choke.

"Thanks, Milo," I whisper to him as he leaves the room.

"No bother, Evie," he hums as I hear him thud back down the stairs. "Call me if you need anything."

I sit on the edge of my bed as I stare down at Cook longingly. He looks so peaceful. I can't leave him.

"Cook, will you be alright?" I whisper, stroking his clammy forehead with my thumb. "I need to sleep downstairs for tonight."

"Stay," he groans groggily, lightly grabbing my wrist with his hand.

I stare down at him, my heart thudding. "I need to get ready for bed, alright? I'll be back in a couple of minutes. There's water on my dresser and a bucket beside you if you need to get sick."

He grunts in response and I get up, grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from my wardrobe before heading to the bathroom to take off my makeup and get ready for bed.

The whole time I'm getting ready, I'm keeping an intense ear out for any sound or sign of distress from my bedroom. I kept the door open ajar, just in case. Thankfully, it's quiet.

When I come back into my room, Cook is propped up by his elbows in my bed. He's managed to take off his t-shirt, which is now discarded on my bedroom floor.

He looks better, but still a bit fucked.

"You're up," I point out, throwing my dirty clothes into a corner of my room. I grab the glass of water from my dresser. "Sip?"

He nods and thirstily chugs the entire glass. "Thanks," he gasps when he's finished, still slurring his words slightly.

I smile at him, before crawling into the bed beside him. I have a double bed, thank god. It's my only luxury here at home.

"I know your brother," Cook chuckles as he sits up straighter on the bed.

"Yeah, he told me," I laugh, rolling onto my side so I'm facing him.

He stares at me for a couple of moments. "Do you really love me?"

I hesitate, stuck for words. His eyes are searching my face.

"Are you still fucked?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "Not as bad."

I take a deep breath. Here goes.

"Cook, I think you're special, and I've never met anyone like you before."

He scoffs, resting his arms behind his head and staring up at my ceiling. "Everyone says that. Just a nicer way of saying I'm mental."

"No, I'm serious," I admit. "From the moment I seen you, I knew."

Cook blows a raspberry with his lips. "Cliché."

"Okay," I huff, flopping onto my pillow and staring at the ceiling with him.

"Eve," he turns his head to look at me, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes?" I also turn my head to look at him.

"I've never had someone love me before," he mumbles, a feeble smile on his face. "Maybe my little brother, but not my mum or dad. Or any girl."

"I'm sure plenty of girls have loved you before," I chuckle.

He shakes his head lightly. "Not the way you do."

I shrug, stuck for words. "Well, now you know."

He sits up slightly, leaning on one elbow for support. "You know why I don't talk to you the way I talk to every other girl?"

"Why?" I laugh.

"Because you're different."

"What, different like Effy?" I scoff.

He leans back onto my pillow again, closing his eyes and blowing out a deep breath from his lips. "Night, then."

I pinch my thigh angrily. You fucked it up.

"Cook?" I mumble.

There's a long pause before he answers. "That's me."

I sit up, looking at him. His eyes are still closed. Just do it.

I lean in and kiss him. I can feel him flinch in surprise for a moment, before he kisses me back.

I pull out quickly, instantly regretting it. There's something holding me back.

I was expecting him to just go to sleep, but instead, he grabs my arm and pulls me on top of him. He pulls my face in and kisses me again, this time more passionately.

He grabs my waist, pulling me closer into him.

He lifts my t-shirt over my head roughly, before starting to kiss my neck.

Ok fuck, this is really happening.

-

author's note
CEVE CEVE CEVE CEVE!! finally lol :)
hope u enjoyed this chapter! I really liked writing it. Xxx