About fifty teenagers are all crammed into this two bedroom house. The rooms are dimly lit, the only lights are coming from blue star-shaped fairy lights that hang from the door frames. The song Drop Down by Designer Drugs plays from the iPod docks that sit in the crowded living room, which has some teenagers dancing in a trance-like state, some girls and boys pulling on the sofa, a group of guys smoking some joints. A red-headed girl is kissing a beautiful blonde girl, both don't realise they're being watched by the redheads twin sister, who looks like she wants to cry. A curly haired boy with braces is distributing a stack of cards to a blonde girl with bunches in her hair. She looks easily impressed.
Pandora cheered happily when JJ produced a digestive biscuit from behind his cards. "Like it?" he asked her. She nodded quickly. "Of course I did you silly moob! It was whizzer!.. Like, digestive biscuits. Can I eat it?"
Smiling, JJ handed her the biscuit and put his cards into his pocket when he saw Cook and Freddie enter the room. Cook was looking incredibly cheerful – maybe that was cause he'd just swallowed a bunch of pills he hadn't tried before. Freddie was looking the complete opposite – his eyes were tired and he looked downcast. JJ made a mental note to ask what was up with him, but this was soon answered when he noticed Effy was sitting on the living room floor and looking a bit too worse for wear. She had seen Freddie enter and from what JJ could see, she didn't like it. Her eyes were cold.
"J-Kins my man! How's it going?" Cook shouted, jumping on him and slapping him gently at the same time. JJ laughed nervously. He never knew how to behave around Cook when he was all drugged up. "Positively good!" he answered. He stole a look at Freddie, who was standing there looking awkward. He could feel Effy's eyes boring into him.
"Freds? You ok?" JJ asked. Freddie nodded mutely and took a joint out his pocket. He looked around for a lighter and located a girl with black hair holding onto a pink one. He went over and JJ watched as they engaged in light conversation.
"So J, I have business to attend to tonight and you, my lovely fruitbat, are going to help me. See any good clunge?" Cook asked, scanning the room like a hawk. JJ blushed. "Umm.. I saw Emily but she was with Naomi. So, no." Cook looked at him with a sympathetic look. "Aw man. At least you got a quick shag, be happy."
Yeah. Cause that was really going to help with JJ's burning desire to get into her flower-printed pants again.
With no warning, a shout was heard and a scream.
The girl who Freddie had gone to for a lighter was now screaming at Effy, who was standing in front of her with a look that could kill. "
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" she shrieked, batting at her hair. Which Effy had, quite amazingly, set on fire. "Jesus, Effy!" Freddie shouted. He rubbed at the girls hair, managing to get the small flame out. Effy didn't convey any emotion. She just stood there, silent, watching Freddie through those catlike green eyes of hers. If Freddie thought about it any deeper, he'd probably have realised she was secretly saying Talk to me instead.
"JUST WHAT THE HELL?" Freddie yelled, as he dragged Effy out the room and into the bathroom. He shut the door on them, not wanting anyone to hear or see them.
Effy said nothing.
Freddie paced around the bathroom, his head in his hands. "YOU SET A GIRLS HAIR ON FIRE. ACTUAL FLAMES. THAT BURN. JUST WHAT THE FUCK? HOW FUCKING STUPID CAN YOU BE?"
Effy said nothing.
"WE WERE ONLY TALKING. IN FACT, SHE WAS TELLING ME ABOUT VISITING HER BOYFRIEND IN LONDON SINCE HE'S JUST MOVED THERE. NOTHING ELSE. THERE WAS NO REASON TO SET HER HAIR ON FIRE!"
Effy said nothing.
"AND HOW CAN YOU MESS WITH MY HEAD LIKE THIS? ONE MINUTE YOU CAN'T BE NEAR ME, THE NEXT YOU'RE WANTING ME THERE. SO MUCH SO, YOU SET A GIRLS HAIR ON FIRE!"
Effy said nothing.
"I'M GETTING SICK OF IT, EF! I LOVE YOU, ONLY YOU. DON'T PUSH ME AWAY! IF YOU LOVED ME, YOU'D LET ME IN-"
"BUT I DO LOVE YOU!" Effy screamed.
Freddie said nothing.
Tears streamed down Effy's cheeks. Her whole body shook and she clenched her fists, drawing blood from the pressure of her nails. She slid down the wall and onto the floor, where she sat clutching her head and staring up at him. "I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING! I DO! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU. BUT I CAN'T DO IT FRED. I CAN'T SHOW IT TO YOU. I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT. I HAVE A WALL AROUND ME SO I'M SAFE. I'M NOT SAFE IF I SHOW YOU! BUT I LOVE YOU AND IT KILLS ME SO MUCH THAT YOU HAVE NO IDEA! I LOVE YOU!"
She collapsed into tears, hiccuping and breathing heavily. Freddie stared at her in disbelief. That was probably the most Effy had ever talked, ever. And she'd actually opened up. She never did that.
He bent down and took her elbow. She groaned, trying to bat him away but he persisted. He soon had her up against the wall, holding her up as she tried to avoid his gaze and hide her tears. It didn't work. The tears spilled, causing her eyeliner to streak down her cheeks. He took his index finger and stroked her cheekbone, trying to bring her face to his. "N-N-No.." she whispered. He ignored her, stroking her cheek and gently pulling her chin up so she looked at him. He delicately kissed her tears away, pressing his forehead to hers. "F-F-Freddie.." she murmered. Her breath caught as his lips caught hers. First gentle, then something in her amplified the pressure. He lifted her legs so she was wrapped around him against the tiled wall and she flung her arms around his neck. Hungrily, they kissed more, until clothes were off and you could hear Freddie unlocking his metal belt, which fell to the floor with a metallic smash. More kissing. His hands in her hair, she only wanted to be stuck in this moment forever. Only now, this moment, would she surrender.
She'd put her weapons down. She'd face her beautiful enemy, the boy she was scared to love. She would surrender right now. But when time came, she'd pick up her weapons, fix her armour, and fight again.