SET AFTER JJ's EPISODE.

Effy watched Naomi's face twist in annoyance.

"No. Contrary to popular belief, I do not want to shag you."

Naomi glanced over at Effy nervously.

Immediately, Effy worked out who she was talking to.

Then Naomi's face froze, and Effy realised Naomi was embarrassed and upset. She tried to hide her face but Effy kept staring. She wasn't ashamed of watching. Effy wasn't ashamed of anything.

"Shut up," Naomi was whispering down the phone, apparently so shocked she could barely speak, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She paused, waiting for a reaction.

"You know what, dickhead? It's none of your fucking business!"

Naomi terminated the call and chucked her phone on the bed angrily.

"What's up?"

Effy didn't care Naomi didn't want to talk. All Effy cared about was being omniscient - like Tony had been.

Naomi glared at her.

"It was Cook, wasn't it? I know he snogged your face off after the elections you know. I know everything Naomi. Don't forget that."

"Sure. You know fucking everything, right? Even though you're so bloody thick you won't just give in to your own fucking self. Remember Freddie, Eff?"

Now Effy looked away. Maybe there was something that made Effy ashamed after all.

"So what did Cook say?"

"Oh...it's nothing."

"Didn't look much like nothing."

"Emily shagged JJ apparently. Not that I care."

"Of course you fucking care."

"Okay, I care."

"Good. I didn't think JJ had it in him."

Naomi scoffed, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"He said he loved me you know."

"Everybody loves you, Effy."

"I know."

Effy leaned over to Naomi, inching closer to her face.

"What are you doing?"

Effy kissed Naomi, not closing her eyes so she could watch Naomi's reaction. She hated missing things. She only let herself close her eyes by mistake.

Naomi didn't close her eyes either.

"Was that as good as Emily?"

"Not even close."

Effy pushed her chair out the way and stood up, pouring the leftover mango juice down the sink. She picked up her boots from the edge of the kitchen and pulled them on, not bothering to put socks on.

"Effy?"

"We're going to get her back, Naomi."

Effy looked on as Naomi got up too, slipping into her pumps. As Naomi was leaving the house, Effy stuck her head around the living room door.

"I'm just going out, Mum, okay?"

Anthea didn't notice her; she was too busy slobbering over her new boyfriend.

Effy followed Naomi out of the house.

"Ready?"

Naomi nodded.

They both hauled themselves onto Naomi's bike and rode into town.

"We need ice-cream," Naomi decided, "even if I fuck everything up, at least I will have had ice-cream."

They bought double 99s, covered in raspberry sauce and sprinkles, not to mention the four flakes each.

They spent ages chatting and laughing.

Effy realised how little she'd laughed lately.

She missed Pandora.

Effy knew that she was really the first ever proper friend she'd had. Panda was the first friend she'd brought home. It was odd, how often Tony's friends used to come round compared to how little Effy invited people. She wished she had asked people over or even just made friends with Tony's mates. She felt like she only really knew Michelle and Sid. Cassie was a complete nutcase, and she didn't even want to think about Jal. G-d knows what she was like in London now Chris had died. Effy remembered when Tony came home from Chris's funeral that night, without Sid or Michelle. She remembered how he just cried in his bedroom, and got her to promise to him that she wouldn't fuck everything up like he had. And Effy remembered how she'd told him he hadn't fucked it up; in fact he'd recovered from the accident and done so much better than anyone ever thought he would. But then Tony told her what Jal had said to him when she'd found out Chris was dead, the first thing she'd said to any of them when she had to tell them. Jal had asked Michelle why Tony couldn't have died instead of Chris, why he had got to survive when her boyfriend hadn't. And even though Tony knew that it was the grief, and that Jal didn't really wish him dead - he hoped - Tony couldn't help but agree.

And that day, Effy decided that she had to make and effort. Effy decided that very moment that Pandora was going to be her friend and she didn't need to pretend that she didn't need one anymore.

But Effy knew that now she had broken her promise - she'd fucked everything up.

And it wasn't true that she didn't know why; Effy almost liked the drama. It was easy to manipulate others and create little stories in your life that didn't have to exist purely in your mind. But Effy forgot how easily the stories could spin out of your control.

She focussed on Naomi again.

"What are you thinking about Eff?"

"Don't know."

"Of course you know, I'm not an idiot."

"Tony."

"Tony Stonem," Naomi rolled his name over her tongue slowly, "the kid who survived the 44A bus."

"He's not a kid."

Effy hated people referring to his accident. They didn't know how much it had fucked the family up. She thought maybe her dad wouldn't have started working away from home otherwise, and then maybe her mum wouldn't have got depressed and shagged her dad's boss.

Eventually Effy drifted out of her daydream, and they cycled to JJ's house. Naomi took them on the route through town and they laughed at the chavs and geeks on their way.

Effy of course, never let on that she was having fun.

They parked the bike outside the gate. Effy could tell Naomi was nervous, so she rang the doorbell for her.

"Hello?"

Naomi glared at JJ, and nervously he called Emily.

"What the fuck?" Naomi shouted when she appeared, "I thought we were..."

"What? What did you think, Naomi?"

"I... fuck this."

Naomi turned around, pushing Effy out the way to get to her bike.

"Actually, do you know what?" Naomi turned around on her heels suddenly, glaring at Emily, "I don't understand you. What's the point of telling me all those things, and fucking it all up and letting me fall in l..."

Emily stared back, clutching JJ's hand in hers.

"You love me?"

Effy liked observing. It made her feel powerful, being able to watch like everything was a movie and she wasn't actually in life.

Naomi stared past Effy at JJ and Emily.

She was looking at their hands. Effy wanted to hold Naomi's hand for a moment, but then she remembered she was zoning out of reality. This was only for watching.

JJ shivered, and whispered in Emily's ear.

"I think you should go, Naomi. JJ's getting locked on."

"Fucking hell. Why does everything revolve round stupid little insecurities, huh?

"What?"

"JJ has his pills, Freddie has his sister, Cook...G-d knows what Cook has. Effy's completely fucked up by her mum and dad and won't admit she loves Freddie. And you have your fucking gay complex."

"It's your gay complex too. At least I admit it."

"Doesn't look like it, shagging JJ, does it?"

"I love JJ."

Now JJ turned and looked at Emily too, bright red with embarrassment.

"As a friend, alright? Jeez, you must fucking like me if you're getting so worked up."

Effy smiled secretly to herself. She remembered when Tony got worked up about her two years ago, when she OD'd. She liked how protective he had been.

He wasn't anymore. He barely even called home from university. Wanker.

Her secret smile disappeared.

She didn't notice much that Emily and Naomi were smiling at each-other now, and JJ had invited them all in for mango juice.

She didn't think that they all had an unhealthy obsession with this fucking mango juice. Who the hell actually bought mango juice anyway?

It didn't even occur to Effy that Roundview College was going to go mad when Emily and Naomi became public. Effy had heard enough from Tony that relationships never stayed secrets for long, and that secrets were devoured like free jelly babies when they got revealed. Why else had she wanted to leave her old prissy school anyway?

Effy lived for secrets, relishing every tiny, juicy tidbit of information she could sink her teeth into. In the past, she'd found them through Tony's life, not needing to fake an interest in all the girls' mundane stories at her private school. Finally, Effy had a chance to get her hands on real secrets, secrets which she didn't have to hear about through her brother, and secrets that she could use for her own gain.

Now Effy really was the new Tony Stonem.