"Effy?... want a puff?"

Effy took the burning spliff away from Freddie's hand, bringing it towards her lips and taking a sultry drag, never taking her eyes off the boy as she did so.

He returned her gaze as she gave the spliff back to its owner. Freddy broke their stare as he took a deep drag.

"Why did you call me Freddie?"

The boy shuffled his position, avoiding eye contact with Effy, she noticed his awkward nervousness.

"Thought we could, um, you know?"

"No Freddie." Effy replied, feeling exasperated. "I don't know"

"You used to know Effy." Freddie had turned to face the scantily clothed girl now. "You used to be the only person I could trust, even if it was trusting you to fuck everything up, there was still trust."

Oh shit, Effy thought. It was going to be 'that' type of talk, boy were always so clueless. She doesn't like Freddie, never had… Cook was alright; good enough for a bit of fun here and there, but nothing like…her. The boy couldn't even tell when she liked his best friend more than him, so how was he supposed to realise she didn't like his entire sex now?

"Look Freddie," Effy reached again towards the almost finished spliff perched in his hands, and threw it on the floor, crushing it under her converses. "Your still my friend, yeah?"

Effy heard a sharp intake of breath; she couldn't look at him right now.

"Don't say that." Freddie muttered each word through gritted teeth, Effy could almost feel the daggers his eyes were soaring at the back of her head.

"Why not? I'm afraid I have more important things to do than sit through this. Open yours eyes Freds. I don't fancy you."

Effy swung her legs over the other side of the wall, and jumped the two foot drop to the bottom. Freddie stopped her as she tried to walk away.

"But... the signs, you were always looking at me."

Effy broke into an unexpected smile, and placed a hand on Freddie's arm, catching him off guard. "The signs?" She snorted sarcastically. "Where did you read about them? The back page of 'Hello' magazine? Grow a dick, just because I look at you, doesn't mean I want to fuck you. I look at a lot of people."

"You seem to fuck a lot of people too." Freddie half heartedly replied under his breath. Effy heard though, but for the first time since she came to Roundview College, she honestly didn't give a fuck.

And with that Effy turned on her hell and slowly walked away, swaying her hips more exaggeratedly now than she usually would. She hoped he noticed.

Once Effy had rounded a few corners and looked back to made sure Freddie hadn't followed her, she stopped flaunting her 'assets' and went back into her comfortable slouched walk she sported so fittingly.

Effy jumped at the sudden vibration against the top of her foot, reaching down she pulled out the slim phone from her shoe and proceeded to open the text.

"Your daily horoscope: Don't be afraid of changes to your usual lifestyle, you might be surprised to find the changes are much preferred." Good one Mr Horoscope. Changes to lifestyle, I think a change of sexuality counts as that, and yes, I definitely prefer it, Effy thought. Her mind then wandered to the fleeting kiss she had given Emily on their date, before disappearing. Shaking her head free of the thoughts she turned her attention back to the text. "Try taking a backseat in the following week, and look for signs."

"Fucking signs" She muttered under her breath, her outburst caught the attention of a man passing, he stared at her disapprovingly, usually Effy would give him her practiced evil look back, but today she couldn't be bothered, she had used up all of her spite on Freddie. This is probably where he had gotten the stupid signs idea from anyway, Effy contemplated, this sounds like the stupid shit he would be into.

Effy knew that she should cancel her subscription to the horoscopes, she had been meaning to as well, but every time she got round to doing it, she always found herself making excuses not too. However much she hated to admit it, a part of Effy had always been drawn to the occult sciences. It gave her hope to think that there was more out there than what had already been explained. When she was a child the youngest Stonem used to sit up late at night researching ancient religions like Wicca, she would gecome engrossed in old texts she'd found in the library, books explaining spells and potions that seemed so fascinating. She loved to research mythical creatures and old folklore, reading the books made her feel almost like she was in an old Buffy re-run. Effy loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in hindsight, her obsessiveness with the character Willow must have been a sign she was gay, but back then she had just put it down to their similiar love and hate relationships for the magicks. Somewhere in her room she had videos of herself drawing pentagons on her kitchen tiles, and burning voodoo dolls in her room, the whole ceremony enthralled her, made her feel more alive.

She'd grown out of that phase a long time ago though, modern school life didn't have time for witchcraft and relatively unknown societies, reality got in the way.

Effy looked up from her phone, her feet had taken her to the end of the Fitch's street. Emilys house.

Its funny the things your body does, when you let your mind wander elsewhere, and Effys seemed to be drawn towards this girl. She thought she had been walking in the direction of home, maybe she needed to reconsider where home was.

Since she was here, she might as well pay her girlfriend a visit. Effy heart kind of sighed when she though of the word girlfriend, she liked the feeling.

Not bothering to knock on the slightly ajar door, she just walked in. Jenna Fitch didn't mind Effy, she seemed to be completely oblivious to her daughters relationship. Effy didn't want to know the chaos that would befall if Mrs Fitch ever did find out.

Effy was just about to go into the twins room when she heard the sexy voice she loved so much talking on the other side, usually she would just go in anyway, but her name being uttered caught her attention.

"I do like Effy."

Effy put her ear closer to the door, and rested her bodyweight against the door pane silently. She heard someone that wasn't Emily sit down on the bed…probably Katie.

"She treats me well, a little confusingly at times…but it works."

"What are you trying to say Emily?"

Naomi. Effy could recognize that voice anywhere, she despised it. She hated the little lisp she put on s's, and the way Emily's eyes softened at anything she would say, even when what she said was utter bollocks. Effy had to put every bit of will power she had to work to not burst through the door and claim Emily as her own. But she needed to hear this, even if it killed her.

"That soon Katie will be happy."

"How do you know that?"

Effy knotted her eyebrows in confusion, Katie? What did she have to do with what they were talking about before? Had she missed something?

"Naomi," Effy heard the bed squeak again, she guessed that Emily had sat down next to Naomi, not too close though, she hoped, "Effy met up with Freddie today. I know she doesn't like him in that way. Katie will lap up Freddie when he's willowing in self-pity, and then I'll be free… free to be with you." Emily sighed, and then added, "Finally."

Effy's breath hitched, her lungs tightened cutting off her oxygen supply, and the pain in her chest felt like it was going to rip right through her flesh. She tried to move herself away from the door, but to no avail. Eventually the panic disappeared, and turned into pure rage. She rushed down the stairs, trying to stop the tears from streaming down her face. She didn't stop even as she got out of the door. She had no where to stop.