Thank you all so much for your reviews on the last chapter! I've felt really excited about writing the next few chapters, so hopefully that means more frequent updates :) Of course, that depends on how heavy my workload will be for uni this month, but I do hope I'll be able to update at least once a week!

And thank you for being so understanding about Emily leaving - you've all been great! Also, just so you all know, this is where the story begins to deviate from what happened to me. I actually just celebrated my one year anniversary of being stuck in Paris about two weeks ago.

And as usual, I don't own or have anything to do with Skins.

Chapter 20: Easier

Three weeks after Effy and I moved into our apartment, we managed to decide where to put the couches and still have enough room for Effy to meditate. Ever since I'd bought 21 by Adele, Effy spent a lot of her time meditating, and I spent a lot of my time sobbing to Adele songs. My boss had lightened my work load a bit as he was planning on sending me to Egypt in a few weeks. Normally, I'd feel nervous about being in the middle of such a political hot spot while the Arab Spring was still happening, but I didn't really feel anything.

I was in my room, lying on my bed, and singing (sobbing) along to Turning Tables when I heard the front door open.

"No, Katie! What do you think you're doing?" I heard Effy yell from the living room.

"I have to talk to her, I can't just not tell her," Katie replied. With this I flew off my bed and ran to my bedroom door. She must have something to tell me about Emily. Maybe she was hurt. Maybe she was back from London. Maybe there was a reason for her ignoring me.

I saw Effy grabbing Katie's arm and holding her back from getting to my door.

"What's going on?" I asked. Katie opened her mouth to speak, her forehead creased and eyes concerned. Effy silenced her.

"It's nothing important," Effy said firmly before letting Katie's arm go and storming over to her yoga mat. "Naoms, please just leave us. I have to sort this out with Katie."

I shook my head as Katie continued to stare at me. I knew I looked a right mess. My hair hadn't been dyed in almost a month and my roots were showing. I wasn't wearing any makeup, and my face was probably red and blotchy from crying. I'd taken to wearing yoga pants and sweat tops since I so rarely left the house.

"This doesn't just concern you and Katie, Eff," I said, my voice raw from crying. I'd never seen Effy get off her yoga mat so fast, her eyes ablaze.

"It doesn't concern me, eh? I've been here with you every day since she left! I know what you've been like! You can't hide from me, I live here! Katie has no clue what you're like – you actually act somewhat normal around her! She doesn't have to listen to fucking Adele all day long like I do!" She yelled, stomping over to me and shoving me back towards my bedroom. "So excuse me for wanting to protect you. She left you. I don't want you to hurt any more than you already are. And if that means keeping Katie from telling you things about her, then so be it. If it means that Katie and I argue more than we used to, then so be it. But I have to protect you."

She shook her head and stomped back to her yoga mat, where she rolled it up tightly. She walked into her bedroom, shooting a glare at Katie and shaking her head again.

"She spends all fucking day sitting there cross-legged trying to meditate because of me," I said, tears filling my eyes. "Ever since Em...she left, I forgot about Effy. I forgot that she has things going on right now too."

Katie nodded and squeezed my shoulder tightly. "Naoms, I know you're hurting, but if I have to hear Someone Like You one more time I'm going to snap that fucking ipod in half."

I nodded and shuffled back into my room and paused the music. Katie came in and cleared the tissues off my bed before sitting down.

"Has she asked about me?"

We both knew exactly what I was asking her, who I was asking her about.

Katie nodded. "She wasn't honest with you about why she was going to London, and it's really not my place to tell you what's going on. But...I don't think she's coming back any time soon."

I nodded and fixed my sweater. I grabbed my keys off my dresser, and walked out of the flat.

I wound up at my mum's house. I'd forgotten to grab a coat before I left, and I purposely didn't take my mobile. I didn't want Effy to call me and yell at me again.

I rang the doorbell and waited, peering through the glass at the side of the door to try to see if anyone was in.

"Naomi! What are you doing here, love? You must be freezing!" My mum said. She grabbed me and pulled me into the house, leading me to the kitchen. "Let me make some tea."

I sat down at the kitchen table as my mum started to make the tea and set out some Garibaldis for me. She sat down in front of me and smiled as I ate and drank.

"What brings you here, Naomi?"

I shrugged. "I...I just...It's not been very good since Emily left."

"What hasn't been good, dear?"

"Life."

"Oh."

I nodded. "Katie came round today. And she and Eff started fighting about me. Katie wanted to tell me something and Eff got mad. Said that she didn't want me to know because she wants to protect me and that Katie doesn't know how bad I've been."

My mum nodded and handed me another Garibaldi.

"Effy hasn't stopped meditating since we moved in, she says it's the only way she can deal with me being so miserable. I've just become so self-centred. Eff's been taking care of me and cleaning the flat and cooking and trying to find work and I can barely make it out of bed to get to the office to write my articles."

My mum grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly. "Sometimes the people you love the most can fuck you up the most. Emily was a good girl – a great girl. You love her. I don't know what's happened to her or why she hasn't contacted you but I do know that it's not over."

I shook my head and cried into my tea. "How can you know that? Katie says she's not coming back for a while."

"Nothing's over until you're dead, darling. There are infinite possibilities in this life. Fuck, your father could come walking through the door this very minute, that's a possibility. Unlikely, but possible," she smiled at me. "It's not over, but if what Katie said is true and Emily really won't be coming back for a while, then you have to let her go."

I nodded. "I'm trying," I whispered. My mum laughed.

"No you're not, love. This is the first time you've been out of the flat in two weeks, and yes, Effy keeps me up to date on how you are and what you're doing. And the last time you went out was to buy that fucking Adele album!" She said, and this time I laughed too. "It's time for you to be Naomi again."

I left mum's flat after a few hours of chit-chat. I already felt a bit more like myself, less like the pathetic Naomi I'd been for weeks. It was refreshing.

I picked up Chinese food on the walk home. I knew it was Effy's favourite, and if Katie was still there I knew she'd like some as well. I wasn't too hungry since I ate almost the whole pack of Garibaldis.

I opened the door to the flat, and found Effy sitting on the couch, sitting in the dark with my mobile in her hands. She looked up and ran over to hug me.

"I'm so sorry for what I said! I didn't mean it, you can listen to Adele all you like and cry as loud as you like and I won't say a thing! Just please don't leave me like that again!" She said, her voice tight and strained as though she'd been crying. She pulled away from me and I smiled at her.

"I don't accept your apology because everything you said was completely right, and I'm sorry for being such a cow these past few weeks," I hugged her tightly. "I went to my mum's and she kind of...sobered me up."

Effy nodded at me and looked down at the takeaway bags in my hands.

"Oh and I bought Chinese food for dinner."

She beamed at me and kissed me on the cheek before taking the bags from my hands.

"Did anybody call?" I asked as Effy started piling our plates up, even though I'd told her I wasn't hungry.

"Yes, Barack Obama wants to talk to you about the debt ceiling and then Angela Merkel called because she wants your opinion on the Euro crisis, and then David Cam-"

"Okay, I get it," I interrupted. "Nobody called."

She smiled at me and handed me my full plate of chinese food.

"Where's Katie tonight?" I asked as Effy turned on the TV.

"Dinner at her parent's place."

"I hope you two are okay... I don't want you fighting over me."

Effy shrugged and smiled. "We're okay. She's coming over after dinner."

I smiled at her. It was easier to smile now, even if only a little bit.

"Love you, Eff."

"Love you, too, Naoms."

Thank you so much for reading and please don't forget to let me know what you thought in a review!