I fiddle with the sparkler in my hand, the sound of laughter and music surrounding me. Katie decided to get everyone out camping in Gobbler's End, which is basically in the back-arse of nowhere.

Cook wasn't invited. I wish I could say I was relieved when I heard that he wasn't going to be here, but I can't help feeling disappointed. My heart aches. He doesn't want me as much as he wants Effy.

I look up from my dying sparkler and stare at her. She's high out of her mind off shrooms. I was tempted to take some, but the last time I took shrooms in the woods, it didn't go as planned. Two words: bad trip.

Effy's getting fairly cosy with Freddie. I wrinkle my nose in disgust at the pair as I catch Katie's eye. She's well aware of what's going on, but she's trying to ignore it.

Katie makes her way over to me, crouching down in front of where I'm sitting. "You okay?"

"Could ask you the same thing," I smile at her pitifully.

She scoffs. "It's whatever. She's just a slag."

I don't respond. I don't agree with that word. Having boys want her doesn't make Effy a slag, though she needs to make up her mind. She's hurting so many people.

"I don't get why she feels the fucking need to always be on something," Katie spits, glaring at Effy, who's in the centre of everybody, laughing loudly.

I shrug. "She's got a lot of problems. Drugs help distract her from them, I guess."

"Suppose," Katie responds, clearly not agreeing. She stands up, wiping bits of leaves off of her jeans. "You want a sausage?"

I hesitate. My appetite has been gone the past few days, I've just been sitting in my room feeling sorry for myself. I only realise now how little I've eaten since I last saw Cook.

"Yeah, sure," I grin. "Go on."

"Okay, one second," Katie smiles and heads over to the small fire where JJ is cooking sausages on a fork.

I watch as JJ hands her two and she heads back over to me, holding out one sausage on a fork.

"Thanks, Katie," I say as I take the sausage from her, blowing on it lightly to cool it down. I notice Panda sitting by herself beside a tent, looking forlorn.

"Should we call her over?" I point my fork at Pandora.

Katie stares at her. "What's going on with her? She's so sad recently."

I shrug, despite already knowing the answer. "Dunno."

"Panda!" Katie shouts at her, and Pandora looks up, giving us a small smile.

Katie pats the ground beside her, but Pandora shakes her head.

I sigh. "Can't be helped."

"Yeah," Katie nods, staring at Effy again.

"Ignore it, that's what I do," I advise her, watching as she stares at Freddie and Effy interacting.

To be fair, they aren't doing anything wrong, just laughing together as friends. Well, 'friends'. You can tell how badly they want each other, and I know Katie knows this, no matter how hard she tries to deny it.

"Cook?" Katie asks, tearing her gaze away from her boyfriend and Effy to look at me.

I stiffen, not wanting to talk about it. "What about him?"

"You still like him?"

"Of course I do," I sigh wistfully. "But he likes her."

"Dunno how so many girls fucking love him," Katie sniggers. "He's repulsive."

"Just something about him," I shrug, taking a bite out of my sausage.

"Fair enough, I suppose," Katie says as she adjusts her jacket. "You deserve better, though."

"Yeah," I nod, clearing dead leaves out from beneath me with my foot. "I guess."

I pause, looking at Freddie and Effy. "Go over to him."

"Why?" Katie snorts.

"Because he's your boyfriend?" I shake my head at her in disbelief. "Not like you to be so passive."

"Alright, Jesus Christ," Katie laughs, getting up and trudging over to where Freddie and Effy are standing, and joining Freds beside him. Effy walks off as soon as Katie comes over.

I look around at the group. It's so calm without Cook here. Calm, but boring. I miss him, despite how much he's fucked me over.

I sigh and pull out my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I reach Cook's name. My finger hovers over the call button.

"Get it together," I whisper to myself, flipping my phone closed and shoving it back into my pocket.

-

It's almost midnight now, you can tell by the moon peeking out through the clouds. Pandora and Effy are lying beside each other on the leafy ground. Freddie is right beside Effy, Katie cuddling into his chest.

I'm sitting in the entrance of one of the tents, sipping out of a half empty beer can. Can't exactly say I'm enjoying myself, but it's peaceful.

Emily and Naomi are nowhere to be seen. I'm assuming they're in one of the tents together, but I'm not going to be nosy and look for them.

I look up as JJ comes over and sits beside me. "Hi, Eve."

"Hello, J," I mumble, watching as Freddie and Effy join hands as they lay beside each other.

JJ has noticed it too. "That's not right," he whispers.

"It really isn't," I chuckle. "Poor Katie."

"Poor, poor Katie," JJ nods in agreement.

I swivel the drink around in my can as JJ holds shakes his sparkler around.

"Have you seen Thomas, by any chance?" He asks me.

I shake my head. When I think about it, I haven't seen Thomas since it was still bright out.

"Oh, well, speak of the devil and He shall appear, right," JJ laughs, and I look up to see Thomas approaching us.

"Hello, guys," Thomas smiles as he crouches down before us.

"Where were you?" JJ asks him, handing Thomas his sparkler.

"On a walk, it's quite peaceful," Thomas shrugs, waggling the sparkler in the air.

I nod, examining his face. "How's you and Panda?"

He turns his head to look at her lying down beside Effy. He turns back to face us. "Good, it's all good."

He sounds like he's trying to convince himself more than us. I decide to leave it at that. I know he knows, and he knows that I know.

"I'm going for a nap," I announce, getting up and wiping bits of debris off of my bum.

"Sleep well," Thomas smiles up at me, and JJ awkwardly pats my knee.

I wave goodbye at them and crawl into a random tent, curling up on a sleeping bag and shutting my eyes, tears slipping out as I desperately try to shove everything out of my mind.

-

I wake up to the muffled sound of someone's voice. Sounds like Katie. I get up groggily and stretch as I poke my head out of the tent's entrance.

Katie is standing over Effy, who's still lying on the ground. "It's pretty sad, throwing yourself at your mates' boyfriends, really."

Effy lifts her head to look at her, clearly still fucked. "Katie, come sit down."

"I'm not being nasty or anything!" Katie raises her voice now. "I don't even think you realise you're doing it, it's just, it makes you look like a desperate whore."

I widen my eyes at that last sentence and watch as Katie smiles at Effy and walks off, over to Freddie by the fire. I don't really know what to do. To be honest, I really don't want to get involved.

Effy gets up and walks over to the edge of the group, picking up an empty can and staring at it, confused.

"Who moved the stuff?" She asks.

"What?" I say, getting out of the tent.

"Who moved the stuff?" She repeats, dropping the can on the ground and turning to face everyone. "The bags are gone."

"What are you talking about?" Katie asks. I look at Effy as I sit beside Emily and Naomi, taking a pull off of the joint in Naomi's hand.

"For God's sakes," Katie whines, getting up and marching toward Effy. "This is so not funny, guys."

"Chill out, somebody probably-" Naomi is cut off by the sound of a gunshot.

I freeze, gripping Emily's arm out of fear. Everyone gasps in shock as another gunshot goes off.

"Turn the music off!" Freddie instructs Thomas, and he rushes to turn it off.

There's a heavy silence that hangs over all of us as we all breathe in fear. Another gunshot goes off.

Freddie flinches. "Oh, shit!"

Everyone's quiet as we hear rustling coming towards us, gunshots still continuously going off.

"Eff, I don't like it!" Pandora whispers urgently.

"It's okay, Panda," Effy comforts her and the gunfire continues.

Everyone is frantic at this point. My heart is racing and I quickly dive into a tent.

"Turn the lights off now. Everything off!" Freddie shouts. "Quick, JJ, get that fire out!"

JJ and Thomas stomp on the fire, panicked, trying to put it out.

"Shh, everyone, around the fire!" Thomas hisses under his breath. I slowly come out of the tent I was crouching in and join the group that's gathering around the once lit fire. "Get down, get down!"

The rustling sounds get closer as we hear distorted screaming in the distance. I close my eyes, muttering under my breath.

This is not how I want to die.

Everyone grips each other in fear as the rustling gets even closer and a flashlight goes off, making it difficult to see who's holding it.

The person starts to scream continuously and manically, circling the group as they get closer.

Effy shrieks and gets up, running toward the person. She hits them hard over the head and their screaming abruptly stops, as they fall to the ground with a thud.

She lays back down, panting heavily, as Freddie gets up, rushing toward the person.

"What the fuck!" He shouts, grabbing the person by their collar. "What the fuck do you think you're playing at? You fucking idiot. You nearly had..."

He stops abruptly as he pulls the ski mask off the person lying on the ground to reveal the one and only - Cook. "Jesus!"

"You fucking prick!" He lets go of Cook. I stare at him as he stares at Effy, a pained look on his face as he lays on the ground.

"I should fucking kill you," Freddie mutters.

"You scared the shit out of us, stupid prick," Naomi spits.

"It wasn't me!" Cook protests, propping himself up by his elbows. "There were psychos in the woods with a gun!"

"I saw them nick your stuff so they started shooting," he says as he sits up. "They're fucking mental!"

"Shut up," Katie scoffs. "Joke's over."

"Bloody scared us, you stupid fucking tosser," Emily adds.

"All right, calm down," Cook laughs. "I took your sodding knapsacks, children. They're just poachers, you daft wankers."

"Poachers?" I say, looking down at him.

Cook stares at me for a moment. "After rabbits and shit. Not you. I was just trying to freak you out."

"Why?" Freddie asks, pissed off.

"Cos I thought it'd be funny," Cook exclaims. "And it totally was."

"Ooh, turn off the lights!" He mimics us in a high-pitched voice. "Ooh, we're gonna die!"

He laughs loudly as we all stare at him. Katie walks over to him and pins him down by his chest with her foot. He stops laughing.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She shouts.

"You know me, I smell a shindig, I'm there," Cook states.

"Well, yeah, er, you weren't invited, so, you can just fuck off!"

"Aw!" Cook says mockingly. "But we're having such a nice time!"

He points up at Katie. "Your tits look fucking mint from this angle by the way, Kit Kat."

Freddie grabs Cook and yanks him up onto his feet, holding him up by the shirt, their foreheads pressed together.

"What is your fucking problem?" Freddie yells, his jaw clenched.

"Come on then, Rambo," Cook mutters under his breath. "What d'you want? My fucking blood?"

He thumps Freddie on the chest. "Cos you've fucking taken everything else! You've taken fucking JJ, and now he's nicking her off me as well!"

We all look at each other in confusion. I stare at Effy. She's like a statue, frozen.

Freddie stares between Effy and Cook. Cook pauses for a moment, noticing Freddie's confusion.

He smiles dryly as Freddie lets go of him. "She hasn't told you, has she?"

"Fuck me," he laughs. "I'm so glad I didn't miss this."

"What's going on?" Katie asks, bewildered.

Cook stares at Effy, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Effy doesn't want me anymore."

"Do you, princess?"

Effy looks at him, her chin quivering. "No."

Cook stares at her intensely.

"So?" Katie says. "Why should we care? Freddie's with me now. Right, Freddie?"

Freddie doesn't respond as he stares at Effy.

"Freddie?"

"Freddie!" Katie shouts, and he finally snaps back to reality.

"Right," he mumbles, still looking at Eff.

I play with a strand of my hair awkwardly. The tension in the air, and between everyone, is so thick. It's uncomfortable.

"I'm going for a walk," Katie mumbles, kissing Freddie on the cheek and walking off.

"Katie," Freddie calls after her, not following her for a moment. He throws Cook one last look before rushing after her.

"Well, I think she took that pretty well, don't you?" Cook says, smiling.

"Just go," JJ whispers. "No-one wants you here, no-one likes you! Just fucking go!" He roars.

Cook looks at him, taken aback. He clearly wasn't expecting JJ to lash out on him like that. Nobody was.

"Do what he says," Naomi mutters. "Fuck off."

She walks off and Emily follows her, shooting Cook a dirty look.

"Whatever," he huffs. "Have nice lives, all of youse."

"You coming?" He says to Effy, motioning behind him with his head. Effy shakes her head.

"Nah, yeah, stay here. With your friends," he spits, looking between all of us, but avoiding my gaze. He chuckles. "Look at them. Look at all their little faces."

"You're all such whizzo chums, aren't ya?" Cook shouts, looking around for a reaction. No one is saying anything. "Ain't that right, Eff? Ain't that right, Panda?"

I wince. I don't even want to hear what's coming next.

"Panda's been worried lately, Eff," Cook keeps going, taking a step closer to Effy and Pandora. "Says you don't see each other as much as you used to. That right, Panda?"

I glance at Thomas as Cook continues. "I said to her, 'Cupcake, maybe if you didn't spend as much time with my cock in your mouth-'"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Pandora interrupts him frantically, running over to Thomas and grabbing his hand. "Come on, Thomas, let's go!"

"Stop!" Thomas says firmly. "It's fine. I know."

"K-know- know what?" Effy stammers. "Wait. It was one time, right? Your party. It was only once, right?"

Pandora shakes her head, tears in her eyes.

"I need to sit down, now," Effy falls to the ground, breathing heavily.

I stare at her in disbelief. "You don't even want him," I mumble.

"What?" Effy looks at me.

"Why do you care? You don't even fucking want him!" I repeat, louder this time.

Cook looks between me and Effy, his gaze resting on me for a moment longer. He then looks back up at Thomas.

"Um, sorry, slugger," he starts, walking toward Thomas so he's an inch away from his face. "I don't think you heard. Me. Fucked. Your girlfriend. Like, multiple times."

Effy winces beside me. I look at her from the corner of my eye, before grabbing her hand.

"What do you want me to say?" Thomas grumbles.

"I don't want you to say anything. Hit me," Cook shifts on his feet. He shoves Thomas provokingly. "Come on! Come on, hit me!"

"You're such a sad little boy," Thomas hisses, pushing Cook back and walking off. Cook just laughs in response.

"Thomas, please," Pandora calls after him. "I stopped it. I love you. Just give me a chance."

Thomas stops walking to turn around. "I have given you chances! And you have not taken them! Time and time again you have lied to me!" He roars at her.

"It's too late now!" He shouts. "I fell in love with this girl, she was good. She was honest... and donuts and... now she is gone and this new one, I don't like her. She makes my heart hurt."

He finishes by walking away. Pandora watches him walk for a moment, before turning back to Cook. She looks him dead in the eyes, and strikes him right in the face. Cook grunts in surprise and Pandora rushes off after Thomas, trying to catch up with him.

"Please, please, Thomas, come back."

Cook laughs as he feels his nose and looks at his fingers. They're covered in blood.

Effy starts breathing heavily beside me, looking around her.

"Effy, are you okay?" I ask her, as she becomes more frantic.

"I'm really tripping, there's something on me," she breathes, panicked.

"Effy, Effy, calm down," I say to her, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"Get off me!" She shouts, getting up, trying to swat my hands away. "Get off me! Get off me!"

"Calm down, it's me!" I yell as she sprints away, screaming.

I sigh, running my hands through my hair and turning back to the group. Freddie seems to have returned, with no Katie.

Cook's still here, the blood from his nose dripping onto the ground and in his mouth. He's staring at me.

"I think you should go," I mutter, shoving past, bumping my shoulder off him roughly.

"Hey Eve, enough of that shit," Cook chuckles. "Everyone here knows you're the one person who isn't pissed at me right now."

"I'm going home," I mumble over my shoulder at him, refusing to engage with him properly. I don't even look at his face.

"I'll go with you," Cook offers, and I turn around and march toward him.

"I don't want you anywhere near my fucking home again, you hear me?" I spit, glaring at him. "You broke my fucking heart, Cook."

"Eve-" he starts again, but I don't let him finish as I walk off, grabbing my bag and starting to run, so nobody sees the tears that are now streaming down my face.

I hear people shouting after me, but I ignore them.

I just keep running.