Alone. It was probably the only word that she could use to describe herself at this moment, really. Slumping down on the worn out couch in the now-empty flat, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. In a sad, karmic twist of fate, her sister was now off to Goa with the bloody girl of her dreams for two months. Two fucking months she was left alone to watch the flat with one simple instruction: Not to screw anything up. Which, admittedly, wasn't that hard now that she barely had anyone to screw things up with. Her former WAG friends had left after her repuation had been tarnished, her Family was too invested in their own shit, and her twin was off, thousands of miles away, having the time of her fucking life, probably. God knows what happened to the remnants of her old friends. All she'd heard was that Freddie had legged it, and Cook followed shortly after. Everyone else had seemed to move on with their own lives, families..dreams. As Katie flicked through the channels, looking for some rubbish show filled with eye candy, she realised that she was well and truly alone.
Her first thought when she walked through the flat was that the've probably shagged in every place she stepped. Pushing that more disgusting thought aside, she realised that they were either sappy as fuck, or well and truly in love. Katie decided to put them somewhere in between. (Closer on the love side, but she wouldn't admit that to anyone.) When she'd searched for food hours later, she'd found tiny notes on the fridge. Pointless things that even she couldn't understand, but anyone could tell they meant something. The thought gave her a pang of jealousy, and she almost scoffed, because really. Her life may have gone to shit, but she was still the better twin. The one that was perfect. Or at least hold up the perfect appearance. She'd almost envied that aspect about Emily. She didn't try to impress anyone, not really. She was herself, and people liked her that way. If Katie pulled that, she probably wouldn't have any friends. Which, realistically, wasn't much of a stretch from her current life.
After searching through the fridge and deciding that the couple were too busy fucking each other's brains out to buy food, she swiped one of Emily's jumpers that she'd left and walked out. Maybe it was then she'd stopped trying. She still wasn't sure.
Katie awkwardly shuffled down the street, attempting to make herself look scarce as she headed outside the shop. She was fairly sure that it was the first time in years that she wouldn't have a problem blending in, and she didn't bother trying to change it. Being noticed wouldn't make her feel better. Up until a year ago, her self-imposed motto was that she'd rather be infamous than a nobody. Now she wanted to scoff at the thought. Katie turned the corner, clutching onto bags that seemed a lot lighter three blocks ago.
Deciding that if she continued walking that her hands would simply fall off, Katie set the three bags down and leaned against a wall, rubbing at her wrists lightly to soothe the red marks the bags had caused. The action gave her a slight pang of guilt, that she quickly pushed from her head. She had enough shit to deal with herself before dealing with anyone else. If college had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't rely on anyone. Not anymore, at least. Huffing and picking up the bags again, she started to walk back to the flat once again.
As the sky started to dim slightly, Katie made her way down the small path to the home. Nearing the doorway, she was sure she jumped back.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
She was sure she saw the other girl flinch when she spoke. The guilt returned, only partially. When she assessed her, the guilt increased, even if she wasn't sure why. It looked like she hadn't eaten in days, which was an accomplishment considering she was already rail-thin. Clad in only a shirt that only she could disguise as a dress, she could have sworn she was shivering. Even with her standards, she looked like a mess. Katie had the strong urge to drop the bags and hug the small girl, quickly dispelling the thought.
"Wrong twin then." She heard the girl say, in a flat tone.
"Cut the shit, Eff. Why the fuck are you here?"
"Naomi said I could come round whenever. I'm guessing the offer's expired now?" Effy said with a slight shiver, old smirk now gone.
"You didn't answer my question." Katie said, her tone evening slightly. She couldn't help but feel bad for snapping.
"I don't have anyone else." She heard her say, half under her breath. This wasn't right. She hadn't seen Effy this weak more than once. And the last time wasn't something she particularly wanted to repeat. The shorter girl shifted her weight from one foot to the next, trying to think of something to do. She knew she couldn't exactly leave her there. Even if she'd been a bitch in the past, she wasn't heartless. Especially to Effy, who, despite everything, looked so..fragile. It was unsettling, and she couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to comfort the girl.
Letting out a small breath, Katie lifted the bags from their position on the ground and moved to open the door, putting a bag down to turn the key in the lock. Opening the door, Katie started to walk into the flat, which felt suddenly emptier. Looking behind her as she set the bags down, she raised a small eyebrow at Effy, who stood nervously in the doorway. The whole thing was unnerving, really.
"Are you coming in or what? It's freezing out there." She said with a small smirk.
Seeing the frail girl slowly walk into the flat, she waited until Effy was in front of her before shutting the door behind them with a small click. The small click that had an odd finality to it, one she wasn't sure she liked.