Authors Note: This is my first attempt at a Skins story. Please forgive me if the dialect is slightly off. I'm an American and I fully realize that I won't get the wording completely correct. I also apologize if the characters are not their wonderful selves. I did my best and I hope you can enjoy.

Description: Hopefully this will be a series of Freddie and Effy one shots, including missing moments and musings from the show. If you have a request or an idea please feel free to let me know.

Chapter Time Line: Episode One (At the end of the school day)

Chapter One - Heartbeat

She was spinning in the deafening silence, drifting farther and farther away from reality. Her eyes latched on to a pair of brown puddles, puddles she would gladly drown in if given the chance. It was as if she were tearing apart from the inside out, but never breaking. Her heart was hammering and for the first time, she was sure that it was there; sure that the space behind her lungs wasn't empty and hollow. And every single noise, every touch of sound was drifting into the background, overpowered by the rhythmic thumping of her heart.

Bump, bump, bump…

The steady echo was the sweetest sound she'd ever heard; It was also the most terrifying. To someone who had always been comfortable in a state of numbness, the over powering feeling of a heart beat was almost too much to bare. The itch like urge to claw at her chest and release the beating monster was almost unavoidable. But the subtle glint in a boys brown eyes ceased the unnatural yearning.

"Feeling better?" The smooth voice broke Effy from her perpetual prison of heartbeats and puddles. The blinding sun gleamed downward on the students as they scattered in front of the school. Classes were over for the day and it was time to head home, or away from school at least.

"Sorry?" She questioned, a bit confused. Glancing around she noticed that the boy, Freddie, was with out his usual pack of friends. It seamed as though JJ and Cook had found a few skirts to chase.

"Your trip to the nurse." He explained, raising an eyebrow. His face spoke volumes of her previous actions in class. He knew she had been full of it, knew that she'd been daring himself or Cook to follow. And like always, Cook couldn't refuse a dare, or a beautiful woman.

"Right." She replied, not quite answering his question. He didn't press her for more answers or information. It was obvious that something had happen between her and Cook. The dope had returned to his friends high as a kite, in more than once sense. But Freddie didn't want details, he didn't want to picture the glass like features of Effy focused on Cook's sloppy self. He wanted to etch her face, looking only at him, in his mind forever.

"Are you heading home?" He questioned, unwilling to end his time with her so quickly.

"I'm waiting for Pandora. We're going to her house for a bit." She spoke tonelessly. The word home set off alarms in her brain. She could almost smell the deep set depression with the mention of that hell hole.

"Is she your best mate then?" He wondered, honestly curious. The strange blonde was the last person he'd expect a girl like Effy to put up with, let alone be friends with.

"I suppose." She replied simply. After a moment she let curiosity take control of her usually quiet tempered tongue. "The two stooges from before, are they your best mates?" Freddie laughed at her casual insult.

"Yeah, yeah they are I'm afraid." His smile caused a stuttering in her evenly beating heart. Sucking in a sharp breath, she forced herself to look away from him. He had been right earlier, she'd been watching him. From the moment she saw his lean figure and cinnamon skin she'd felt a gravitational pull towards him. But that same pull had caused her to act with more caution than she was used to. His eyes sought more than her body, they searched for more than she was capable of giving.

"Looks like we're getting to know each other after all." He interrupted her confusing thoughts. She looked up at him sharply, meeting his gleaming eyes with her own emotion filled blue orbs.

"If that's the way you see it…" She smirked, regaining some of her footing.

"It is." He answered simply, causing her heart to stumble yet again.

"I should go. Panda's likely to have gotten herself lost." She muttered, turning quickly. She was eager to get away from him and let the cold numbness in her chess take over. Feeling her heart the way she was now, it was too much.

"Don't you want to know why I didn't complete you form." He called out, stopping her in her tracks. Every cell in Effy's brain screamed for her to keep walking. But in the end, her stupid, beating heart tugged her body around until she was facing him again. He stepped forward, leaving only inches between them.

"I figured it had to be one of two options. Either you didn't care to know me all that badly or, you're too much of a wanker to finish off the list." She blinked, tiredly trying to play her part of being cool and uncaring. He seamed un phased by her words and attitude. For a brief and terrifying moment she thought that maybe he could hear her madly thumping heart as well as she could.

"It's because I don't play games." He spoke, ignoring her previous words. "I don't give two flying fucks about winning and losing. In the end it doesn't matter anyway." He finished.

"Aren't you full of crap insight." She swallowed hard and rolled her eyes.

"You're not a game to me Effy." He said quietly, reaching up to finger the ends of her soft hair. He was touching her, just barley touching her. But she suddenly felt as if her whole body was on fire, she had to fight the urge to scream out.

"What am I then? To you I mean." She shook her head slightly, retracting her locks from his gentle grasp. He smiled knowingly, tucking his hands in his pockets; restraining them as if he were unable to control their pull towards her.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know when I figure it out though." His grin was easy and intoxicating. Effy held her breath until he gave a slight nod of farewell and turned to leave. She watched him walk away until he was completely out of sight. Only then did she suck in a deep breath of air and blink rapidly. Her whole body shook with a feeling she couldn't name or recognize. Her legs itched with the need to run; to him or from him, she wasn't quite sure.

"Freddie." She whispered the name to herself breathlessly. The letters leaving her lips left her dizzy and drunk. God help her if she hadn't just found the most powerful fucking drug in the world.

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