everything's fucked// james cook

part 2: wanker

After that god-awful assembly, everyone files out the door, screaming and talking, to their classes. 

Of course my class ends up being with Pandora and Effy, and the former talks my ear off all the way there. Katie trails behind us, watching Effy. There's a strange dynamic between the two of them. Katie seems to hate Effy, but follows her around anyway.

Cook and Effy seem alike; both have magnetic personalities, but seem to be disliked by all.

Getting to the classroom, I sit in the first available seat, and Effy slides in next to me, rebuffing Pandora.

The slight doesn't register with the bubbly blonde girl, and she goes to sit with Katie.

I then see Freddy, JJ, and Cook walk in, right behind Emily and Naomi.

Of course, the gang's all here.

I feel Effy's gaze on the side of my face.

I turn to look into her bright blue eyes, emphasized by her dark eyeliner, so similar to my own.

"We're alike," she says suddenly.

I smirk, and answer. "I doubt it. But you seem the least annoying person here. I like Pandora, but she seems a bit much."

Effy leans in. "She doesn't steal my men, and she's useless. Are you?"

"I can't promise the first one, and definitely no to the second. But I like to get sloshed, and you do too. We'll get along."

She looks at me with understanding in her eyes, then goes to sit in Freddy's lap, since he, Cook, and JJ decided to sit in front of me. 

"Oy, Princess!" Cook calls at me.

"Princess?" I respond, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you look posh. Like you're a princess, or something."

"Not anymore," I mutter.

"So you are a princess," he teases. "Your royal fucking highness, would you come to Fred's party after school, yeah? His da's away on business, and it's Freddy's big birthday, so we're all getting sloshed in his sled. You'll miss out, highness." 

"I'll come, I guess." 

Effy leans in to listen to our conversation. She smiles, and says, "Panda and I are coming, along with everyone else."

Cook slaps his hands together and rubs them, chuckling gleefully. "Fook yeah," he sings, just as the teacher walks in. 

"Sit down, sit down," he says, shuffling his papers and taking a long drag of his coffee. 

He sits down at his desk, and then notices me.

"Ah, you're the new one I got stuck with. Well, I'm Kiernan. Come up and introduce yourself," he says with a shrug.

I roll my eyes and slouch to the front of the classroom, looking at my classmates, most of who are either asleep, high, or drunk at 8:30am. 

"I'm Vivi Easton," I say, then look at Kiernan expectantly. 

What does he want me to do now?

"Well, go on. A fun fact, or some shit," he says as though that's a given.

"Well," I awkwardly shuffle my feet until my eyes land on Cook, who seems to be the only one actually paying attention to me.

"Well, I guess my fun fact is that I don't want to be here," I say.

"Amen to that," Kiernan grumbles, and motions for me to sit back down with a wave of a silver flask he pulls out of his desk drawer. 

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