On Knots and Unravelling - Chapter Fourteen
The final part.
To everyone who is still following and reading, thank you. (I bought a house as I was posting this, which I hope goes someway to explaining the delays.)
Thank you again to Em, Si, and Jerome, for being the best encouragement troops a girl could ask for. I finished it because of you.
This'll be the last significant contribution I'll make to Skins G2 fanfiction. They've been fun characters to work with.
Chapter Fourteen
Naomi bites her lip, just after she rings the doorbell. She’s nervous, which is fucking stupid because it’s just Katie, who’s never laughed at any of her ideas before, certainly none of the ones that matter.
When she sees Katie approaching, through the distorted glass, she panics slightly and flaps her hand at the rest of them, trying to chivvy them into something approaching attention. They don’t seem to grasp her meaning though, and stare at her with varying expressions of confusion, except for Pandora, who bounces up onto her toes and deploys some jazz hands, and, well, okay then.
Katie’s wearing another jumper from Emily’s wardrobe, and is clearly not expecting guests, judging by the state of her hair. If they’d have still been in high school Katie would have slammed the door and sworn at them all through the letterbox, and it is a testament to change, the way she just laughs shortly and passes a vague hand through her hair.
She blinks a couple of times, and then seems to remember her default setting, and glares at Naomi. Naomi shrugs once.
‘I know, I know, fuck off, right? You’re looking lovely, by the way.’
Katie mumbles briefly, before craning her neck to look past Naomi.
‘Fell asleep on the sofa. Feel a bit rank now, actually. And, babe, do you know you’ve been followed here by a pack of losers?’
Naomi makes a show of looking over her shoulder, and it’s less impressive now, seeing as Freddie looks like he’s fallen asleep standing up, Sophia, Pandora and JJ are trying to figure out a democratic way to share one set of earphones, and Cook and Effy are lighting up. Only Emily is paying the slightest attention, and even she shrugs and turns away a moment later, leaving them to it.
When she turns back, Katie’s got her eyebrows raised in an obvious question, and Naomi’s forgotten nearly everything she planned to say, so has to rely on inspiration instead.
‘They’re, umm, this was supposed to be a grand gesture. Like, we have lots of friends, now, but you’re still the only one I need? It worked out better, in my head. They looked more impressive in my head.’
Katie pinches the bridge of her nose once, and readjusts her jumper. ‘Your head’s been a disaster zone, recently.’
Naomi nods weakly. ‘I’m a bit crap at figuring out what good ideas look like, to be honest. I usually have you to run them by.’
Katie snorts, and reaches down to tug on a pair of plimsolls. ‘Well, duh. I’ve always been the intelligent one. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’re out of cranberry juice, so I’ll be back in two. If you and the circus want to wait.’
It’s hopeful, in a way, that Katie wants her to wait, and she considers calling the entire scheme off, and dismissing the rest of them. Unfortunately, her psychic bond between Cook isn’t quite yet what it should be, because when Katie waves vaguely at them all and turns for the shop, Cook picks her up in a hug that seamlessly becomes a fireman’s lift, and starts jogging down the street with an armful of irate Fitch twin.
Naomi wrinkles her nose at Effy when she reaches her, and shrugs. Freddie’s already loping after them, and Sophia laughs quickly.
‘All the best days out start with a rugby tackle, I’d imagine.’
Naomi snorts gratefully, and smiles at Sophia once, before reaching for Emily’s hand.
‘Come on. If we just walk, that’ll give Cook enough time to apologise for the manhandling.’
--
Bristol’s glorious in the sunshine, she often forgets this. Effy’s still all in black, but the rest of them are looking remarkably chilled out for a Saturday morning, and it feels like summer, proper summer for once.
Cook’s found the appropriate bench, and has even plonked Katie at the correct end, miraculously. He appears to be intact, giving Naomi the clearest indication yet that Katie must be properly in love with him, because not many things get in-between Katie and maintaining her dignity.
He does look relieved when the rest of them turn up, and gestures at Katie.
‘There, Nai-kins, safe and sound, UPS style.’
Katie glares at Naomi, and flexes her fingers oddly. ‘I was remarkably fucking mellow, this morning, Naomi. Until I was subjected to a kidnapping.’
Ignoring this, Naomi flaps a hand, and sits down at the other end, before swivelling 90 degrees and pressing her feet neatly into the side of Katie’s thigh.
‘You remember, last summer? We sat like this, here, after we got our GCSEs. This is where I told you Danny was a tosser.’
Katie snorts, and rolls her eyes.
‘Right, yeah. Another of your finest moments.’
JJ, Sophia and Panda catch up at this point, and Panda immediately flops down onto the grass like she’s just run a marathon. She’s followed quickly by Effy, who strikes up some random conversation about the Mighty Boosh, and drags everyone else into it. Naomi’s not sure she’s ever seen Effy make conversation, and tries to make the most of the space.
‘You might not remember this one, we were pretty pissed. But this is also the bench we sat on for ages at two in the morning while I tried to figure out how to tell you I was having weird feelings towards your sister. If I did all this again, which, Jesus, I never plan to, that would be when I’d tell you. Before anything happened.’
Katie stares at her for a moment, and laughs. ‘You’re asking me to remember a point from last year when you sat in silence for ages? Because that could be one of millions.’
Naomi frowns, and tries to embellish. ‘You thought you saw an U.F.O. And then we shared my coat. And you chucked up on the walk back to yours.’
Katie’s a stubborn fucking mule sometimes, but Naomi can tell she remembers at least some of it, from the way her eyebrows flicker once, and then she looks away. ‘Right,’ she mutters.
They sit there for a while, as JJ busily fashions a network of jackets that allows Sophia and Emily to lie down fully on dew-wet grass, attempting to catch some sun. Freddie’s already lit up a spliff, and is passing it between himself, Cook, and Effy. Panda appears to be collecting dandelion leaves. At high school, Katie and her would never have been friends with this bunch of people, Naomi decides. Losing her mind to Emily has had some unexpected positive side-affects.
Katie stretches abruptly, and clasps a hand to her side, wincing.
‘Fuck me, I’m sure Cook broke a rib. Right, Nae, this has been nice and all, but I’m heading back. Bit weird being outside in slob clothes.’
Naomi squints at her, and shades her eyes from the sunshine.
‘Oh, sorry, we’re going to mine now. All of us. Cook!’
--
Cook convinces Katie to accept a piggyback to Naomi’s. ‘Be gracious, love. I didn’t have time to steal a fucking rickshaw.’
Her mum’s waiting in the front garden, and Naomi grins when she sees how Gina wraps Katie up in a hug, because she knows that Katie’s bad mood doesn’t stand a chance in the face of a Gina welcome. The rest of them flop into shapes on the lawn, except Emily, who hovers nervously by Naomi until Gina flaps her over and hugs her too.
‘Finally, both of you here at the same time. Wonders will never cease.’
Katie rolls her eyes, but can’t be ungracious for long, especially when Gina gives her the once over and claps her hand to her mouth.
‘Oh, Katie, you poor thing, did my lump of a daughter drag you directly from your bed?’
Awkward suddenly, Katie tugs at the hem of her jumper again. ‘Practically, Gina. It was awful.’
‘Well now,’ Gina pauses and glares at Naomi like Katie’s just announced that she’d set the Fitch house on fire as an alarm clock, ‘you can go shower and get changed upstairs. Goodness knows we have enough of your clothes here from when you used to stay over.’
Gina ushers Katie inside with an arm over her shoulder, and Naomi sits on the front porch, tugging Emily down alongside her.
‘I’m never going to hear the end of this, clearly.’
Emily hums, and interlocks their fingers, before bringing Naomi’s hands up to lips to kiss the back of her knuckles.
‘Better to be complained about for trying too hard, I say.’
Naomi smiles quietly, until she realises that it is nowhere near enough, and kisses Emily, kisses her until she feels Emily’s breath hitch, and Bristol’s a distant memory.
Cook wolf whistles loudly, and Naomi is forced to throw a trowel at him.
--
Katie only takes half an hour, and that is practically Grand Prix speed for her. She looks lovely though, and looks like she’s blushing slightly, as she helps Gina with a couple of trays of tea and cakes. Cook tugs her down into his lap when she’s finished the task, and must murmur something appreciative in her ear, because she grins once and slaps his arm. Cook laughs contentedly, before eyeing up the tray’s contents.
‘Nice. Excellent looking muffins, Mrs C.’
Effy snorts at that, and the joke is clearly intended, because Cook grins like the ridiculous boy he is at Freddie, who catches on a moment later and laughs. Emily chuckles a little too, and Naomi is vaguely outraged, at how sexual innuendos aimed at her mum are apparently ok now.
The tea goes cold a bit too quickly, but aside from that everything is perfect, including the muffins, of which Sophia and Effy halve an extra one between them. Gina stays with them, chatting away and finding each of them uniquely fascinating, no doubt. Emily eventually wiggles closer, and rests her head on Naomi’s shoulder, watching the scene.
Eventually, when the tea is past saving, Gina stands with a groan, and flexes her back. ‘Oof, I’m not limber enough to stay out here all day. Katie, have you forgiven my daughter yet? Bearing in mind you always knew she was a bit of a cock.’
Katie laughs briefly, before glancing in Naomi’s direction.
‘Dunno, yet.’
Gina sighs, and busies herself with the china. ‘Right, well, I’ll have to accept a maybe, for now. But consider this, the both of you are bloody depressing when you aren’t getting on. Naomi has been shitting miserable for the last six months, and that whilst she’s been falling in love with Emily here.’
Oh, shitting hell, Mother. There’s a slightly awkward moment that goes on for far too long, as everyone turns to look at Naomi. And then, about five seconds too late, she springs to her feet.
‘Uh. Right! Well, thanks for the cake Mum. Let’s go, lots to do and stuff. Onwards. Cook, grab Katie, will you?’
Out of the corner of her eye, she catches Katie smirk up at Gina, before swatting Cook’s hands away. ‘Fuck off, babes, I’ll walk.’
--
As she leads the way, red with embarrassment, Emily catches up with her and takes her hand. After a couple more streets she clears her throat quietly.
‘Mum’s can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes, can’t they?’
Naomi squeezes gratefully, before shaking her hand free and wrapping her arm around Emily’s shoulders instead. She presses a kiss to Emily’s temple.
‘Too right.’
--
They stumble to a halt outside their old high school, to a chorus of groans from the rest. JJ scratches his head.
‘Naomi, I believe the day was intended to revolve mainly around sunbathing? I’m top notch, foot-wise, of course, but I believe blisters can develop rapidly in the types of inappropriate footwear I see on some of the girl’s feet.’
Katie pokes him in the side.
‘Shush, Jay. Naomi’s planned the world’s lowest budget ‘This is your life’, clearly. Come on, Campbell, let’s hear the little speech.’
Well, now she feels awkward. This’ll be the last time she makes any kind of grand gesture. She frowns down at Katie.
‘You’re incredibly fucking annoying, you know?’
Katie snorts once, and looks away to grin. ‘Come on, babes, we haven’t got all day. Tell everyone how I changed your life.’
Naomi sets her jaw. ‘Well, I was going to point out the window of the girls’ toilets on the Humanities corridor, and explain that it was there that you encouraged me to develop a disgusting nicotine habit, and I smoked my first fag with you, leaning out the window, but now I’m merely filled with regret that I didn’t shove you out of the bloody thing, you twat.’
Katie glares stonily up at her. ‘Nice. Thanks. Nothing mentioned about the fact that I saved you from your own fucking disaster prone self in high school, no. Instead a vague wish you’d killed me. How delightful. You twat.’
There’s a bit of a pause in which Naomi tries really hard to keep frowning, for the show of things, but in the end they both wobble into snorts of laughter at the same time.
After a moment, Effy steps on the base of the school railings, and uses them as a platform to leap up onto Freddie’s back, causing him to stagger a bit before composing himself.
‘In. Fucking. Sane. The pair of you. I’m sure you’ll be very happy together. Now, Naomi, we’re going to the park. I’ve been lugging around a bottle of vodka for way too long.’
Naomi shrugs once, and waves her hand in Katie’s direction,
‘Her choice. If she still need convincing, I’ve got at least seven more places lined up, with touching stories attached to them. Including the two more park benches, a bus stop, and a bike shop.’
Freddie groans loudly at the very concept, and even Panda’s usual enthusiasm seems to wilt a bit. Naomi turns to Katie and raises her eyebrows once, as if to say well?
Katie bites her lip once, before shrugging.
‘No, okay, Jesus. I get it, all right Naomi? Let’s go to the park. If your shit attempt at getting my life to flash before my eyes means we’ve missed the ice cream van, I will fucking murder you.’
--
The van is still there. Cook co-ordinates a fundings pool, and comes back with forty eight bottles of Panda Pop and a fistful of change.
‘There. Mixer for the day, and enough for a few lollies. I could out bargain Sir Alan, I reckon.’
Sophia murmurs a soft ‘Lord Sugar’ in his direction, before folding herself carefully to the grass and tugging a bottle out of the plastic wrapping.
--
Naomi spends most of the afternoon lying on the grass next to Katie, listing memories. Eventually, Katie joins in, and the rest of the group leave them to it.
The time they’d gone bowling in fifty pence flip-flops, purely to pinch the bowling shoes.
Or how in Year 9 they’d been forced to do a presentation on discrimination, and Katie had decided to do one on being ‘vertically challenged’, while Naomi had shuffled around on her knees demonstrating the difficulties of being a short arse.
And when the Fitches had allowed Naomi to go camping with them one Easter, and she and Katie had eaten a week’s worth of marshmallows in one night, and tried to blame it on a rampaging sheep the next day.
Or when Naomi had pressed the wrong button on her mum’s microwave, and the popcorn was in there for nearly half an hour before they remembered it, and the whole house was filled with smoke.
And when Katie had cried when Friends had finished, and forced Naomi to watch the last episode with her at least fifteen times, until Naomi had accidentally dropped the tape out of the window when Katie wasn’t looking, and they hadn’t spoken for two days.
Emily wanders over to them eventually, and sits cross legged next to Naomi.
‘Hey. We’re gonna play poker with Jay’s cards. You two finished with memory lane yet?’
Katie frowns at her, and then glances at Naomi. ‘Dunno. This one needs reminding of all the important stuff we’ve been through, clearly.’
Naomi rolls her eyes, and sighs.
‘Kate. I’ve got a fucking girlfriend, not amnesia. I remember all the important stuff.’
Katie sniffs once, and then nods her head quickly, standing up and stretching to join the rest of them.
When Naomi meets Emily’s eye again she’s grinning.
‘What?’
‘A girlfriend?’
Naomi realises it’s the first time either of them have said that word. It feels good, and so she grins, sheepishly.
‘Umm, I guess. If that sounds ok to you? If you can cope with me being a twat now and then?’
Emily mumbles something about a lifetime of experience, and presses a certain kiss to Naomi lips.
Deal.
--
It’s nearly dusk when Naomi finally feels like things have been settled.
JJ, Panda and Sophia have gone on a combined mission for some beers, food, and aftersun cream. It leaves what Naomi is forced to consider as the ‘couples’, absorbing the last of the day’s sun. Freddie and Effy are lying top to tail a couple of yards over from them, looking like an emo’s daydream. Cook’s got his head in Katie’s lap, and Naomi’s pretty sure Katie wouldn’t be playing with Cook’s hair like that if she knew Naomi was watching her through half closed lids, from a few feet away.
She’s not really concentrating on that, though, because two minutes earlier Emily had shifted even closer, before manoeuvring Naomi’s arm upwards so she could curl into her side and rest her head on Naomi’s shoulder.
It’s rather fucking uncomfortable, on the hard ground, but also rather fucking wonderful, so she stays still, and cherishes.
Eventually, Katie speaks abruptly, as if she’s suddenly stumbled on an idea.
‘You know, this whole fucking thing, it’s been quite alot like that Friends plot.’
Naomi snorts with laughter, because Katie doesn’t usually whip out the sitcom analogies until much later on in the evening. She gets shushed, and then tapped on the side of the head by Katie.
‘No, shut up, let me finish. I mean. You’re like Chandler, Nae. Best friends with someone and then shagging their younger sister.’
Emily mumbles from Naomi’s side, ‘Katie, if you are suggesting I am anything like Monica you can fuck right off.’
This earns a short laugh from Effy, who stretches and sits up to watch them. Naomi catches her eye and smiles, before craning her neck around and grinning at Katie. ‘You do realise that that make you Ross, which is a bit tragic, even for you.’
Katie wrinkles her nose abruptly, as if she hadn’t even considered that possibility. ‘Well, fuck. I retract my theory.’
It’s too late though, because the idea amuses Naomi, so she pushes on. ‘And if you’re Ross, Cook is Rachel. Obviously.’
Cook’s eyes flick open at that, and he grins widely, before thrusting his hips up once at the sky.
‘Nice. I’ll take that.’
Katie flicks his ear half seriously, and glares at him. ‘No, you’re not. I’m not being Ross, so you aren’t being Rachel.’
Cook sighs, and shifts slightly on the ground, trying to find a comfortable position. ‘You’d make a bloody good Ross, babe. You’ve got similar ears, ain’t you?’
Effy jumps in before Katie can cause Cook any actual damage.
‘Does that mean I get to be Phoebe? Encouraging from the sidelines, yes?’
Naomi laughs again, and half sits up, shaking her head.
‘Nah, Effs, you’re Joey, in this whole arrangement. Suits you, you’re very similar people.’
Effy frowns at her for the longest of moments, and Naomi bites her lip to not say anything more, because she has been helpful, really, in the grand scheme of things. She elaborates instead.
‘You know, I mean, you’re both loyal, and, um, insightful? And...have...dark hair? Yeah. That stuff.’
Katie snorts once.
‘What she means is, you’ll both shag anything.’
Naomi can’t help the bubble of laughter, and Emily rolls away from her in mock disgust, before kneeling to glare down at her.
‘Charming, you two are. Look, Effy’s deeply offended.’
Effy nods once, solemn. ‘I am deeply offended. Also, watch yourself, Campbell, I always thought Monica and Joey would make a very compatible couple.’
Naomi’s too busy laughing to pay much attention, really, mainly because Katie’s still giggling to herself. She tugs Emily down again, and flaps an apologetic hand in Effy’s direction. Effy rolls her eyes and reaches for the last of the fags. When Naomi looks in Katie’s direction again, Katie’s already looking at her. On impulse, Naomi reaches a hand towards Katie’s, and squeezes it once.
Katie looks away, grinning. ‘Ugh. Fine. Just don’t fuck any of my other siblings, okay?’
Naomi’s chest is going to burst, she can feel it.
‘Oh, James will be devastated.’
Katie laughs again, and squeezes back.
It’s perfect.