Hometown Glory (1/4)
Title: Hometown Glory (1/4)
Author: coquilleon
Characters/Pairings: Cook/OC, Cook/Effy/ Effy/Freddy
Rating:R, Light NC-17
Warnings: Language, Limes
Summary: Effy has never seen this girl before, but the moment Cook walks into the shed with her, Effy decides that she doesn't like her. Raleigh doesn't think that Effy likes her, much. But that's okay, because after Raleigh feels Cook tense up slightly when he first sees her sprawled out on the ratty couch, she doesn't think she likes Effy much either. Something about Effy Stonem makes the protectiveness surge up in her own chest.
Spoilers: Series 3 - 4
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I just like to manipulate them.
Thursday
Effy has never seen this girl before, but the moment Cook walks into the shed with her, Effy decides that she doesn't like her.
Not because she's pretty, (but when Effy really looks at her decides that, combined with her soft, little voice and the height of 61 inches, that the proper word for her is 'cute') and not because she's got a bad attitude (because if Effy is honest, she will admit that she's actually quite pleasant without being overtly sweet). And not even because this girl gives her dirty looks (she actually smiles warmly at Effy when they are introduced).
No, Effy doesn't like this little girl because as soon as the door to the shed swings open, and Cook spreads his arms wide, a big grin on his face, exclaiming 'I've got a surprise for you lot' stepping aside to present her (in a yellow and black checkered button down, teal camisole, black leather leggings, and the color red anywhere she can put it-headband, nails, shoes, bag. Bright fucking colors everywhere), cries of 'Raleigh!' and 'Lil Cookie!' and 'No fucking way!' fill the small space, as JJ and Freddie rush forward to give hugs. She doesn't like the way she buries her face into his shoulder as Freddie swings her round.
Effy doesn't like her because she doesn't appreciate the way she fits into Cook's side.
Raleigh Cook, who is now molded into the side of one James Cook, to whom she bears no relation whatsoever, is speaking. Talking about how after three years in Australia her mum and da finally decided to move back to Bristol. How she'll be attending the rest of A levels here. How she didn't tell anyone she was coming back because she wanted it to be a surprise.
Freddie, who is eventually interrupted by Cook, explains that Raleigh used to be one of the mates. They've known her since primary and she moved away near the end of secondary. That it used to be Freddie, JJ, Cookie and 'Little Cookie.' That she can get pissed and keep going for hours and it's fucking incredible (this is Cook now, of course).
Effy believes them, she does, but it's hard to imagine this little girl doing any of the things that they're reminiscing about. That this girl with caramel skin and slanted dark brown eyes would do the drug runs. That this girl of such a short stature could run and hop fences, and lose the police, even better than Cook can. She can't imagine that sweet face joy riding, or nicking things, or passing out on the lawn where the party is being held, and having to be carried home on JJ's back.
She really is quite sweet looking, with her cheeks and cute teeth. Her hair is long and thick and black. Her nearly black eyes sparkle and her lashes are long. Raleigh's body is soft and curvy, not thin and flat like Effy's. Effy has never wanted bigger breasts or hips or bum before, (she's rather fond of being so thin) but as she looks at Raleigh, who's laughing at one of JJ's new card tricks, she wouldn't mind them.
She watches as Cook tells Freddie and JJ that he found Raleigh right outside his doorstep ('like a fucking kitten with a bow round its neck') about to ring the bell. He looks so happy, but Effy won't think too hard on it. Cook is happy to see nearly everybody. So she ignores it when Raleigh stands up to get a drink, and Cook pulls her back down, saying, 'Nah, I'll get it. You've probably forgotten where everything is anyway, running off to the Aussies.' She acts as if she doesn't see the way he smooths his hand down the side of Raleigh's face before he gets up, and doesn't decide that that action must have been a regular occurrence, because Raleigh barely shifts except to smile fleetingly, her attention already elsewhere as she checks her mobile for messages.
Effy doesn't like this girl because she hasn't made up her mind about Freddie and Cook yet. She thought she had plenty of time to make her choice, but as she sits and watches Cook come back with a can of soda, and fit himself right next to Raleigh, closer than before, Effy realizes that the decision might be made for her soon enough.
: :
Waking up back in Bristol is odd, Raleigh decides as she takes a deep breath through her nose and turns over to bury back into the sheets. It's near eleven, but the sun isn't out and then she remembers that the sun is nearly never out in Bristol. Or anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
She has no idea really why her parents have decided to move back here. She doesn't mind it that much; it is her home after all. But still, three years in a place means setting down some roots, and right now Raleigh misses the hot sun glaring through the window, and her best friend Shelby to bits.
But it does no good to dwell, and after a few more moments in bed, Raleigh stretches and makes her way to the bathroom.
:
Being back in the same house where she grew up makes Raleigh feel happy and sad at the same time.
When her parents had sat her down three years ago and announced that a change of scenery was in order, she assumed that she would be leaving Bristol forever. Well not forever, but a long while. More than three years. She'd cried a bit, packed up her stuff, went over old memories, cried some more, said goodbye to her mates. She hadn't wanted to leave, but there was nothing to be done for it, and she went to Australia, sad but a bit better about it.
Now being back feels as if she's been cheated. Well, not cheated, but as if she had put on floaties, and goggles, and flippers, and jumped into the water only to find out it only nips as far as her knees. The house is still bare, which isn't a surprise, but the house is empty when she steps out an hour and a half later, and Raleigh wonders where her parents had to go so soon. They only got back last night, and the moving truck is still in the driveway. There's a strong wind and she can smell the rain in the air, as she skips down her steps and down the walk. She smiles to herself slightly as she walks to Cook's place. Last she heard, he'd moved out of his mum's place and took up a flat by himself. She hopes he's still there.
She could always go to Freddie's or JJ's to find him of course, could even go to either place right now instead of going to Cook's, but it wouldn't feel right. She has to see Cookie first. It wasn't such an odd dynamic they had; it was always the three guys together, of course. She was included most times, and it wasn't unheard of for someone to shout 'Where's Lil Cookie?' over the blare of music. But the most of her time was spent with Cook, and somehow, in addition to the 'Three Musketeers', and the more than occasional foursome, there was also a 'both of them'; Cook and Raleigh. Cookie and Little Cookie. She loved them all to pieces; they were all like her brothers. And just like in actual families, despite the whole 'don't pick favorites' deal, there were always favorites. And hers was Cook. He was the one she'd go to when she was irate or especially happy. She was the one who could turn his anger into something ridiculous-she knew not to coddle; the right kind of flippancy was needed to calm him down-when Freddie couldn't manage. He was the one who, despite going fucking crazy at parties, managed to keep an eye on her, and the one to take her shoes from her hands, stoop down, let her hop on, and walk them drunkly back home.
She remembers first speaking to him when they were seven. He'd walked up to her and said, cheeky as you please, 'You've got my last name. You my sister?' Raleigh had stared at him for a few moments, too surprised to even giggle at the funny way he said his words, and then looked down at her brown arm next to his pale one and said, 'No. I don't think I am.' He'd tilted his head then, as if studying her would reveal that she was fibbing, and that she really was family. After a few moments, he shrugged and said 'Alright. But everyone calls me Cookie and we can't have them calling you Cookie too. We'll get all mixed up, won't we? You can be Little Cookie. Come meet Freddie and JJ. They're my best mates and they're brilliant.'
Raleigh smiles to herself again as she remembers being tugged across the classroom. The nickname had stuck, especially when she'd stopped growing by the time they reached secondary.
Fifteen minutes later, Raleigh is in front of the complex she's sure Cook lives in. She looks up, and walks up to the door, only to realize, as she stares at the buzzer, she has no actual idea which flat he's in.
It doesn't matter though, because as she's about to ring JJ, the door swings open, and Cook swaggers out, scratching his hair.
Raleigh's first thought is how broad his shoulders have gotten, but she pushes it aside. She takes in his dark green polo shirt, and those checkered pants he loves so much, now a little too small, as they show his socks. She smiles widely and says 'Cookie.'
Cook's head whips around, and because he's one step below her, doesn't need to look down. His face is blank for a moment, and Raleigh's heart drops slightly. She hasn't been gone that long, has she? For him not to recognize her. But the moment is over as his face splits in a grin and he swoops her up in a fierce hug.
'Lil Cookie!' he exclaims, and she laughs into his shoulder. The skin on his neck smells clean, and Raleigh gets a sudden insane urge to lick it, but by then her feet are back on the ground, and she's looking up into his happy face. 'Wha' the fuck are you doing here? When'd you get back? You staying? It's been nearly forever!'
'It's been three years, Cookie!' she exclaims, but laughs anyway. 'Two and three quarters if you want to get technical.'
'Right, whatever. It's been forever.' His eyes run over her and she looks up expectantly.
'What?'
'Nothing, nothing... you got taller, is all.' His voice is serious, but his eyes twinkle.
'Oh, shut up. Tosser' She wacks his arm, but laughs.
His eyes light up suddenly, and he grabs her hand and pulls her forward. "Wait till Freddie and JJ fucking see you. Have you seen them yet?' Raleigh laughs again and shakes her head, and lets herself be pulled towards the sidewalk. As she fits her palm more easily in his, feeling his rough yet smooth hands, Raleigh decides she doesn't need the sun.
:
Raleigh doesn't think that Effy likes her, much.
But that's okay, because after Raleigh feels Cook tense up slightly when he first sees her sprawled out on the ratty couch, and every time she speaks, she doesn't think she likes Effy much either. She seems like the type to brood and not speak much for the dramatic effect. She's pretty enough, but Raleigh's never found wearing a pair of knickers under some fishnets and a tank very appealing. At least on someone who's not a prostitute. And she's sure Effy isn't one.
But it's alright; she still smiles warmly at her. Keeps her face carefully neutral, and doesn't let her gaze linger. She bets she can hide how she's feeling better than Effy can.
And she stays near Cook.
Something about Effy Stonem makes the protectiveness surge up in her own chest.
:
'Have you seen your brother lately?' she asks him.
It's late now, and after catching up, and going to the pub for a few rounds with Freddie, JJ, and Effy, the two made their way back to her house. Her parents greeted Cook with hugs, and 'James,' and questions, and slaps to the back. He was always their favorite as well. To them, he's their 'Little Cookie'. Or Jamie, as they both call him. She'd watched them talk at the kitchen table from her perch on the counter-top, head against the fridge. She ignored her mum's furtive looks between her and Cook (she's just not going there with this one), and instead focused on his mouth. She'd always liked his mouth; mainly because it is the same smile he had as a kid. No matter how out of control he gets, no matter how many fights he gets into, that boyish smile will always be there. She'd hopped off the counter-top, and with a brief run of fingers though his hair, and a kiss on the cheek for each of her parents, Raleigh went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed, and he was already lying on the bed when she got there.
They are laying on their backs now, side by side on her bed, just like they used to before she moved away. The bedroom smells of rain; she's left the window open, and the winds have gotten stronger, but there's still no water falling from the sky. Soon, Raleigh thinks.
'Nah, I haven't back there for months.'
'Don't you miss him?'
She feels him fidget. 'Yeah, I do.' He doesn't say anymore, and Raleigh lets it alone.
'Shouldn't you be at a party getting pissed right now?' She turns her head to look at him. Her eyes move down to his neck, eyeing the spot she had the urge to lick earlier. She taps it down once again, as her eyes continue to roam down his smooth pale chest. She wants to rub her face against it. Or just lay on it and place her hand on his flat stomach, and look at how their skin contrasts perfectly. Instead of looking up to see if he's noticed her gaze, Raleigh closes her eyes.
'There's nothing tonight,' his voice is low, and he actually sounds tired. Raleigh suddenly wonders what he's been up to. She heard about their antics in the pub. All the raves and parties and drugs and alcohol, but she wants to know how he's doing. Just Cook, when he's alone. Why does he sound so tired? What goes through his head nowadays? How does he dull his anger? She knows he's angry. He always has been, but back then it was at his mum, and Raleigh couldn't really blame him. But now the anger has changed and shifted and she can feel it seep through his skin some moments. Is it Effy? Is Effy the one making him so tired? So angry? Or is it something else? Someone else? Why can't Freddie or JJ help? Well, she knows why JJ can't. He's got his own things to worry about, and so does Freddie she supposes, but they're best mates. Do they even know that he is as angry as he is?
She doesn't ask any of this, but murmurs instead, because suddenly she's feeling sleepy as well, 'You always knew where to find a party.'
He stays quiet for so long Raleigh thinks he's fallen asleep. She's on the edge of falling herself when, he says so lowly she barely hears him, 'Didn't need one tonight.'
She doesn't answer. Just rolls onto her side and puts her bare leg between his, rests her head on his chest, and lays her hand on his stomach. She falls asleep when he wraps his arm around her and pulls her close.
: :
JJ is happy that Raleigh is back.
She was always his favorite, like how Freddie's favorite is Cook despite everything. Yes, they all have favorites, and JJ isn't anyone's, but he's alright with this. He has to be, doesn't he? Or else he'll worry, and things will unravel, and he'll get angry and sad, and he can't afford anymore replacement collectible items.
He knows that Raleigh's favorite is Cook, but she always treated JJ the best. She would spend whole days with him, watching his favorite movies, or lay on his bed, and nod, and smile, and actually pay attention when he went on and on about comic books, or the mysterious workings of the universe.
Sometimes, and JJ smiles when he remembers this, sometimes during their days together her mobile will ring, and it would be Freddie or Cook, and she would just ignore it. He asked once why she does it, and she had turned to him, mouth full of crisps, eyes slightly wide as if it was a silly question with an obvious answer, and said, 'well it's our day isn't JJ? No parties and shit tonight. Actual fun is right here.' She'd smiled then, genuinely. Not the mocking one she'd give Freddie sometimes when they had disagreements.
JJ is Raleigh's second favorite, and he is more than alright with that.
He, Freddie, and Effy are walking now. There's a huge party tonight, a rave underground, and if JJ is honest with himself, he's not in the mood to go. He wants to go home and watch telly. Or the sky. Anything.
'Is Cook not coming?' Effy asks, and a surge of annoyance flares in JJ. He doesn't like Effy much. He fancied himself in love with her until he realized how stupid he was being. She's caused a rift in his solid friendships. He's already imagined, more times than he can count, what it would have been like if they'd never met her. They would have been close still, not nearly as much fighting, and dark looks, and... And then with Raleigh back... It would have been perfect.
And now that perfection is out of reach, and Effy is asking for Cook right in front of Freddie, and Freddie is answering like it's all all right, and JJ wonders if Effy actually enjoys causing strife between best mates.
'Nah,' Freddie answers, voice slightly tight, so slight it's barely noticeable. 'He's with Lil Cookie now, isn't he?' His tone carries a hint of suggestiveness, and it makes JJ rub his fingers together in his pocket.
JJ knows that usually Cook and Raleigh would be out with them, but most likely she's too knackered from the trip home to actually go anywhere. He knows that she doesn't like partying nearly as much as the others think she does, but she likes to see Cook have fun. JJ knows that if it came down to it, Lil Cookie could keep Cookie from partying as much as he does just by staying in, because if she's in Bristol he will most likely be with her, they're that close. But Raleigh doesn't want to keep him inside. She wants him to party, and have fun, and laugh, and whoop, and holler, and anyway really once she gets to a party she's a right riot. JJ knows that if push comes to shove, and Raleigh manages to wave Cook off to a party she can't go to, he'll go but end up leaving earlier than usual anyway, staggering and slurring about going home, and the next morning they'll meet for coffee, and Raleigh will tell about how she woke up in the middle of the night to him curling around her in bed.
'Are they together then?' Effy's question rips JJ from his thoughts, and the annoyance is even greater.
'Yes,' he says quickly. Then, 'No, I mean, not like that. It's Little Cookie, Big Cookie isn't it?' He gets no answer. 'They're not fucking, if that's what you're thinking. Asking.' He says this all quickly. He doesn't know for sure if they are, but he doubts it. This is what he's thinking when he says, 'Raleigh's not like you, is she. She's a true mate. She's like us. Not... like you' He finishes and the silence is heavy. He doesn't look up to see Effy's expression, and with an odd kind of savage pleasure he's not used to feeling, realizes he doesn't care in the slightest if he hurt her. What he's said is the truth, and the truth needs to come out sooner or later.
They're getting closer to the party; he can feel the vibrations from the base underfoot, and he sighs.
JJ wants to go home and watch the sky.
: :
Freddie is happy that Raleigh is back.
He'd nearly forgotten how Cook kept her about, and at first he's a bit disappointed in himself, for forgetting that. For forgetting about Raleigh, but then he looks over to where Effy is dancing, swaying, to the ridiculously fast, hard, loud beat, and doesn't feel so bad. He's been distracted as of late, that's all.
But now that she is back, Freddie is happy.
He knows that she will keep Cook occupied. He'll get better, because if anyone asked Freddie if Cook's always been this wild, he'd say yes. But he got worse after Raleigh moved away, that his motto of 'Live Life the Hardest You Can' came into play.
Freddie makes his way over to the swaying Effy, and as he stares into her blown pupils, he hopes that Cook will come to his senses and just take up with Little Cookie - she really is lovely. Cook isn't one to ignore his own feelings. Even if he doesn't always express them, he always acknowledges them somehow-disappearing, running, partying even harder. But for some reason Freddie can't fathom, Cook has yet to acknowledge that he's head over arse in love with the girl.
It would be best for him, he thinks as he bends to capture Effy's lips with his and snakes his hands down to her waist. It would be best for everybody, really.
: :
Friday
Cookie wakes up before Lil Cookie does.
It's such a normal thing, waking up in her bed before she does and watching the sky change, listening to her breathe in deep, that it throws his mind for a loop. When they were younger, and sleepovers were at the height of social gatherings, Little Cookie didn't have any girlfriends. She had a few, yes, but, as she'd told him the first time he was allowed to spend the night, she didn't want to wake up next to them, did she? Her parents understood her dilemma, but in good conscience couldn't let three boys spend the night, so instead they gave her permission to have one at a time.
Cook remembers that JJ was first, then Freddie, and then him. He'd been on edge, wondering why he was last. They were the closest weren't they? Had he done something? His questions were answered that night, his night, as they lay side by side (her bedroom door open of course) when she said softly, 'Saved the best for last, haven't I? And since it's Friday you can stay over the whole weekend.'
Soon after that, the rotation stopped, and it was just Cook spending nights.
He smiles to himself as he remembers, and shifts on the bed. He wonders how they managed to get back the same house, but then it occurs to him that her parents probably didn't even put the place up for sale. He'd never seen a For Sale sign, and no family had taken up there. Did they know they'd be coming back? He actually doesn't even know the reason they moved away in the first place. Just something about needing a change of scenery, or some such rubbish. All Cook really remembers is being so upset he couldn't think. He'd come to look at these Cooks as his real family. No crazy mum with her random men and shitty art pieces about those men, no absent dad who's no better than him. This house was basically his home, and now that they were leaving he had no idea what to do.
That first night after they'd gone was the first time he'd ever gotten drunk alone.
Cook shuts his eyes tightly and opens them again. It doesn't matter now, though, because they're back. She's back.
His eyes flit from the open window where the curtains blow erratically, to Raleigh's bare shoulder, where the over large bright yellow shirt has slipped down. He watches her breathe for a few moments. Her skin is quite pretty; smooth and brown. And it always smells nice. He moves closer and eases an arm under her side, then wraps the other around, and draws her tightly to him, front to back, burying his face in her neck and hair. She smells like she always did; something light and airy, with a baby powder scent, and something else he could never place. He does know it comes in a purple and tan bottle cause he watched her buy some one day. He squeezes her round the middle and she lets out a small sound.
'Ah, Cookie, don't,' she mumbles. He smiles into her neck and squeezes again. She lets out a small laugh and then wriggles. 'Ah, bugger. Now I've got to pee. Move.' She struggles in his arms briefly and he lets out a low laugh before letting her go. She stands up on the bed, steps over him, and jumps down onto the floor, stumbling slightly, walking quickly towards the door. He's always liked her legs. They aren't super long like he's used to seeing on girls, but not too short, like her. They are full, and shapely, and smooth. He used to touch them all the time when they'd be in the shed, passing a spliff round; revel in their smoothness, run his fingers behind her knee and she'd snort a little, and wriggle her toes against his chest.
He hears the toilet flush, and the water run, and soon she's back in the room. Her hair is a mess, the bright purple headband halfway off, and the edge of her T-shirt (which he notices is JJ's old camp shirt) is tucked into her red and white stripped knickers. She climbs irately over him, mumbles 'budge over.'
Instead he pulls her down on top of him and wraps his arms round her, and rests his hands on her back. She puffs out air against his chest and wriggles off, and turns to face the wall. She gets comfortable and in moments is back asleep. He turns his head to look at the window again. The curtains are doing a crazy dance, the sky is still dark, and he can already tell that there will be no sunlight at all today.
Part 2
Author: coquilleon
Characters/Pairings: Cook/OC, Cook/Effy/ Effy/Freddy
Rating:R, Light NC-17
Warnings: Language, Limes
Summary: Effy has never seen this girl before, but the moment Cook walks into the shed with her, Effy decides that she doesn't like her. Raleigh doesn't think that Effy likes her, much. But that's okay, because after Raleigh feels Cook tense up slightly when he first sees her sprawled out on the ratty couch, she doesn't think she likes Effy much either. Something about Effy Stonem makes the protectiveness surge up in her own chest.
Spoilers: Series 3 - 4
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I just like to manipulate them.
Thursday
Effy has never seen this girl before, but the moment Cook walks into the shed with her, Effy decides that she doesn't like her.
Not because she's pretty, (but when Effy really looks at her decides that, combined with her soft, little voice and the height of 61 inches, that the proper word for her is 'cute') and not because she's got a bad attitude (because if Effy is honest, she will admit that she's actually quite pleasant without being overtly sweet). And not even because this girl gives her dirty looks (she actually smiles warmly at Effy when they are introduced).
No, Effy doesn't like this little girl because as soon as the door to the shed swings open, and Cook spreads his arms wide, a big grin on his face, exclaiming 'I've got a surprise for you lot' stepping aside to present her (in a yellow and black checkered button down, teal camisole, black leather leggings, and the color red anywhere she can put it-headband, nails, shoes, bag. Bright fucking colors everywhere), cries of 'Raleigh!' and 'Lil Cookie!' and 'No fucking way!' fill the small space, as JJ and Freddie rush forward to give hugs. She doesn't like the way she buries her face into his shoulder as Freddie swings her round.
Effy doesn't like her because she doesn't appreciate the way she fits into Cook's side.
Raleigh Cook, who is now molded into the side of one James Cook, to whom she bears no relation whatsoever, is speaking. Talking about how after three years in Australia her mum and da finally decided to move back to Bristol. How she'll be attending the rest of A levels here. How she didn't tell anyone she was coming back because she wanted it to be a surprise.
Freddie, who is eventually interrupted by Cook, explains that Raleigh used to be one of the mates. They've known her since primary and she moved away near the end of secondary. That it used to be Freddie, JJ, Cookie and 'Little Cookie.' That she can get pissed and keep going for hours and it's fucking incredible (this is Cook now, of course).
Effy believes them, she does, but it's hard to imagine this little girl doing any of the things that they're reminiscing about. That this girl with caramel skin and slanted dark brown eyes would do the drug runs. That this girl of such a short stature could run and hop fences, and lose the police, even better than Cook can. She can't imagine that sweet face joy riding, or nicking things, or passing out on the lawn where the party is being held, and having to be carried home on JJ's back.
She really is quite sweet looking, with her cheeks and cute teeth. Her hair is long and thick and black. Her nearly black eyes sparkle and her lashes are long. Raleigh's body is soft and curvy, not thin and flat like Effy's. Effy has never wanted bigger breasts or hips or bum before, (she's rather fond of being so thin) but as she looks at Raleigh, who's laughing at one of JJ's new card tricks, she wouldn't mind them.
She watches as Cook tells Freddie and JJ that he found Raleigh right outside his doorstep ('like a fucking kitten with a bow round its neck') about to ring the bell. He looks so happy, but Effy won't think too hard on it. Cook is happy to see nearly everybody. So she ignores it when Raleigh stands up to get a drink, and Cook pulls her back down, saying, 'Nah, I'll get it. You've probably forgotten where everything is anyway, running off to the Aussies.' She acts as if she doesn't see the way he smooths his hand down the side of Raleigh's face before he gets up, and doesn't decide that that action must have been a regular occurrence, because Raleigh barely shifts except to smile fleetingly, her attention already elsewhere as she checks her mobile for messages.
Effy doesn't like this girl because she hasn't made up her mind about Freddie and Cook yet. She thought she had plenty of time to make her choice, but as she sits and watches Cook come back with a can of soda, and fit himself right next to Raleigh, closer than before, Effy realizes that the decision might be made for her soon enough.
: :
Waking up back in Bristol is odd, Raleigh decides as she takes a deep breath through her nose and turns over to bury back into the sheets. It's near eleven, but the sun isn't out and then she remembers that the sun is nearly never out in Bristol. Or anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
She has no idea really why her parents have decided to move back here. She doesn't mind it that much; it is her home after all. But still, three years in a place means setting down some roots, and right now Raleigh misses the hot sun glaring through the window, and her best friend Shelby to bits.
But it does no good to dwell, and after a few more moments in bed, Raleigh stretches and makes her way to the bathroom.
:
Being back in the same house where she grew up makes Raleigh feel happy and sad at the same time.
When her parents had sat her down three years ago and announced that a change of scenery was in order, she assumed that she would be leaving Bristol forever. Well not forever, but a long while. More than three years. She'd cried a bit, packed up her stuff, went over old memories, cried some more, said goodbye to her mates. She hadn't wanted to leave, but there was nothing to be done for it, and she went to Australia, sad but a bit better about it.
Now being back feels as if she's been cheated. Well, not cheated, but as if she had put on floaties, and goggles, and flippers, and jumped into the water only to find out it only nips as far as her knees. The house is still bare, which isn't a surprise, but the house is empty when she steps out an hour and a half later, and Raleigh wonders where her parents had to go so soon. They only got back last night, and the moving truck is still in the driveway. There's a strong wind and she can smell the rain in the air, as she skips down her steps and down the walk. She smiles to herself slightly as she walks to Cook's place. Last she heard, he'd moved out of his mum's place and took up a flat by himself. She hopes he's still there.
She could always go to Freddie's or JJ's to find him of course, could even go to either place right now instead of going to Cook's, but it wouldn't feel right. She has to see Cookie first. It wasn't such an odd dynamic they had; it was always the three guys together, of course. She was included most times, and it wasn't unheard of for someone to shout 'Where's Lil Cookie?' over the blare of music. But the most of her time was spent with Cook, and somehow, in addition to the 'Three Musketeers', and the more than occasional foursome, there was also a 'both of them'; Cook and Raleigh. Cookie and Little Cookie. She loved them all to pieces; they were all like her brothers. And just like in actual families, despite the whole 'don't pick favorites' deal, there were always favorites. And hers was Cook. He was the one she'd go to when she was irate or especially happy. She was the one who could turn his anger into something ridiculous-she knew not to coddle; the right kind of flippancy was needed to calm him down-when Freddie couldn't manage. He was the one who, despite going fucking crazy at parties, managed to keep an eye on her, and the one to take her shoes from her hands, stoop down, let her hop on, and walk them drunkly back home.
She remembers first speaking to him when they were seven. He'd walked up to her and said, cheeky as you please, 'You've got my last name. You my sister?' Raleigh had stared at him for a few moments, too surprised to even giggle at the funny way he said his words, and then looked down at her brown arm next to his pale one and said, 'No. I don't think I am.' He'd tilted his head then, as if studying her would reveal that she was fibbing, and that she really was family. After a few moments, he shrugged and said 'Alright. But everyone calls me Cookie and we can't have them calling you Cookie too. We'll get all mixed up, won't we? You can be Little Cookie. Come meet Freddie and JJ. They're my best mates and they're brilliant.'
Raleigh smiles to herself again as she remembers being tugged across the classroom. The nickname had stuck, especially when she'd stopped growing by the time they reached secondary.
Fifteen minutes later, Raleigh is in front of the complex she's sure Cook lives in. She looks up, and walks up to the door, only to realize, as she stares at the buzzer, she has no actual idea which flat he's in.
It doesn't matter though, because as she's about to ring JJ, the door swings open, and Cook swaggers out, scratching his hair.
Raleigh's first thought is how broad his shoulders have gotten, but she pushes it aside. She takes in his dark green polo shirt, and those checkered pants he loves so much, now a little too small, as they show his socks. She smiles widely and says 'Cookie.'
Cook's head whips around, and because he's one step below her, doesn't need to look down. His face is blank for a moment, and Raleigh's heart drops slightly. She hasn't been gone that long, has she? For him not to recognize her. But the moment is over as his face splits in a grin and he swoops her up in a fierce hug.
'Lil Cookie!' he exclaims, and she laughs into his shoulder. The skin on his neck smells clean, and Raleigh gets a sudden insane urge to lick it, but by then her feet are back on the ground, and she's looking up into his happy face. 'Wha' the fuck are you doing here? When'd you get back? You staying? It's been nearly forever!'
'It's been three years, Cookie!' she exclaims, but laughs anyway. 'Two and three quarters if you want to get technical.'
'Right, whatever. It's been forever.' His eyes run over her and she looks up expectantly.
'What?'
'Nothing, nothing... you got taller, is all.' His voice is serious, but his eyes twinkle.
'Oh, shut up. Tosser' She wacks his arm, but laughs.
His eyes light up suddenly, and he grabs her hand and pulls her forward. "Wait till Freddie and JJ fucking see you. Have you seen them yet?' Raleigh laughs again and shakes her head, and lets herself be pulled towards the sidewalk. As she fits her palm more easily in his, feeling his rough yet smooth hands, Raleigh decides she doesn't need the sun.
:
Raleigh doesn't think that Effy likes her, much.
But that's okay, because after Raleigh feels Cook tense up slightly when he first sees her sprawled out on the ratty couch, and every time she speaks, she doesn't think she likes Effy much either. She seems like the type to brood and not speak much for the dramatic effect. She's pretty enough, but Raleigh's never found wearing a pair of knickers under some fishnets and a tank very appealing. At least on someone who's not a prostitute. And she's sure Effy isn't one.
But it's alright; she still smiles warmly at her. Keeps her face carefully neutral, and doesn't let her gaze linger. She bets she can hide how she's feeling better than Effy can.
And she stays near Cook.
Something about Effy Stonem makes the protectiveness surge up in her own chest.
:
'Have you seen your brother lately?' she asks him.
It's late now, and after catching up, and going to the pub for a few rounds with Freddie, JJ, and Effy, the two made their way back to her house. Her parents greeted Cook with hugs, and 'James,' and questions, and slaps to the back. He was always their favorite as well. To them, he's their 'Little Cookie'. Or Jamie, as they both call him. She'd watched them talk at the kitchen table from her perch on the counter-top, head against the fridge. She ignored her mum's furtive looks between her and Cook (she's just not going there with this one), and instead focused on his mouth. She'd always liked his mouth; mainly because it is the same smile he had as a kid. No matter how out of control he gets, no matter how many fights he gets into, that boyish smile will always be there. She'd hopped off the counter-top, and with a brief run of fingers though his hair, and a kiss on the cheek for each of her parents, Raleigh went upstairs to shower and get ready for bed, and he was already lying on the bed when she got there.
They are laying on their backs now, side by side on her bed, just like they used to before she moved away. The bedroom smells of rain; she's left the window open, and the winds have gotten stronger, but there's still no water falling from the sky. Soon, Raleigh thinks.
'Nah, I haven't back there for months.'
'Don't you miss him?'
She feels him fidget. 'Yeah, I do.' He doesn't say anymore, and Raleigh lets it alone.
'Shouldn't you be at a party getting pissed right now?' She turns her head to look at him. Her eyes move down to his neck, eyeing the spot she had the urge to lick earlier. She taps it down once again, as her eyes continue to roam down his smooth pale chest. She wants to rub her face against it. Or just lay on it and place her hand on his flat stomach, and look at how their skin contrasts perfectly. Instead of looking up to see if he's noticed her gaze, Raleigh closes her eyes.
'There's nothing tonight,' his voice is low, and he actually sounds tired. Raleigh suddenly wonders what he's been up to. She heard about their antics in the pub. All the raves and parties and drugs and alcohol, but she wants to know how he's doing. Just Cook, when he's alone. Why does he sound so tired? What goes through his head nowadays? How does he dull his anger? She knows he's angry. He always has been, but back then it was at his mum, and Raleigh couldn't really blame him. But now the anger has changed and shifted and she can feel it seep through his skin some moments. Is it Effy? Is Effy the one making him so tired? So angry? Or is it something else? Someone else? Why can't Freddie or JJ help? Well, she knows why JJ can't. He's got his own things to worry about, and so does Freddie she supposes, but they're best mates. Do they even know that he is as angry as he is?
She doesn't ask any of this, but murmurs instead, because suddenly she's feeling sleepy as well, 'You always knew where to find a party.'
He stays quiet for so long Raleigh thinks he's fallen asleep. She's on the edge of falling herself when, he says so lowly she barely hears him, 'Didn't need one tonight.'
She doesn't answer. Just rolls onto her side and puts her bare leg between his, rests her head on his chest, and lays her hand on his stomach. She falls asleep when he wraps his arm around her and pulls her close.
: :
JJ is happy that Raleigh is back.
She was always his favorite, like how Freddie's favorite is Cook despite everything. Yes, they all have favorites, and JJ isn't anyone's, but he's alright with this. He has to be, doesn't he? Or else he'll worry, and things will unravel, and he'll get angry and sad, and he can't afford anymore replacement collectible items.
He knows that Raleigh's favorite is Cook, but she always treated JJ the best. She would spend whole days with him, watching his favorite movies, or lay on his bed, and nod, and smile, and actually pay attention when he went on and on about comic books, or the mysterious workings of the universe.
Sometimes, and JJ smiles when he remembers this, sometimes during their days together her mobile will ring, and it would be Freddie or Cook, and she would just ignore it. He asked once why she does it, and she had turned to him, mouth full of crisps, eyes slightly wide as if it was a silly question with an obvious answer, and said, 'well it's our day isn't JJ? No parties and shit tonight. Actual fun is right here.' She'd smiled then, genuinely. Not the mocking one she'd give Freddie sometimes when they had disagreements.
JJ is Raleigh's second favorite, and he is more than alright with that.
He, Freddie, and Effy are walking now. There's a huge party tonight, a rave underground, and if JJ is honest with himself, he's not in the mood to go. He wants to go home and watch telly. Or the sky. Anything.
'Is Cook not coming?' Effy asks, and a surge of annoyance flares in JJ. He doesn't like Effy much. He fancied himself in love with her until he realized how stupid he was being. She's caused a rift in his solid friendships. He's already imagined, more times than he can count, what it would have been like if they'd never met her. They would have been close still, not nearly as much fighting, and dark looks, and... And then with Raleigh back... It would have been perfect.
And now that perfection is out of reach, and Effy is asking for Cook right in front of Freddie, and Freddie is answering like it's all all right, and JJ wonders if Effy actually enjoys causing strife between best mates.
'Nah,' Freddie answers, voice slightly tight, so slight it's barely noticeable. 'He's with Lil Cookie now, isn't he?' His tone carries a hint of suggestiveness, and it makes JJ rub his fingers together in his pocket.
JJ knows that usually Cook and Raleigh would be out with them, but most likely she's too knackered from the trip home to actually go anywhere. He knows that she doesn't like partying nearly as much as the others think she does, but she likes to see Cook have fun. JJ knows that if it came down to it, Lil Cookie could keep Cookie from partying as much as he does just by staying in, because if she's in Bristol he will most likely be with her, they're that close. But Raleigh doesn't want to keep him inside. She wants him to party, and have fun, and laugh, and whoop, and holler, and anyway really once she gets to a party she's a right riot. JJ knows that if push comes to shove, and Raleigh manages to wave Cook off to a party she can't go to, he'll go but end up leaving earlier than usual anyway, staggering and slurring about going home, and the next morning they'll meet for coffee, and Raleigh will tell about how she woke up in the middle of the night to him curling around her in bed.
'Are they together then?' Effy's question rips JJ from his thoughts, and the annoyance is even greater.
'Yes,' he says quickly. Then, 'No, I mean, not like that. It's Little Cookie, Big Cookie isn't it?' He gets no answer. 'They're not fucking, if that's what you're thinking. Asking.' He says this all quickly. He doesn't know for sure if they are, but he doubts it. This is what he's thinking when he says, 'Raleigh's not like you, is she. She's a true mate. She's like us. Not... like you' He finishes and the silence is heavy. He doesn't look up to see Effy's expression, and with an odd kind of savage pleasure he's not used to feeling, realizes he doesn't care in the slightest if he hurt her. What he's said is the truth, and the truth needs to come out sooner or later.
They're getting closer to the party; he can feel the vibrations from the base underfoot, and he sighs.
JJ wants to go home and watch the sky.
: :
Freddie is happy that Raleigh is back.
He'd nearly forgotten how Cook kept her about, and at first he's a bit disappointed in himself, for forgetting that. For forgetting about Raleigh, but then he looks over to where Effy is dancing, swaying, to the ridiculously fast, hard, loud beat, and doesn't feel so bad. He's been distracted as of late, that's all.
But now that she is back, Freddie is happy.
He knows that she will keep Cook occupied. He'll get better, because if anyone asked Freddie if Cook's always been this wild, he'd say yes. But he got worse after Raleigh moved away, that his motto of 'Live Life the Hardest You Can' came into play.
Freddie makes his way over to the swaying Effy, and as he stares into her blown pupils, he hopes that Cook will come to his senses and just take up with Little Cookie - she really is lovely. Cook isn't one to ignore his own feelings. Even if he doesn't always express them, he always acknowledges them somehow-disappearing, running, partying even harder. But for some reason Freddie can't fathom, Cook has yet to acknowledge that he's head over arse in love with the girl.
It would be best for him, he thinks as he bends to capture Effy's lips with his and snakes his hands down to her waist. It would be best for everybody, really.
: :
Friday
Cookie wakes up before Lil Cookie does.
It's such a normal thing, waking up in her bed before she does and watching the sky change, listening to her breathe in deep, that it throws his mind for a loop. When they were younger, and sleepovers were at the height of social gatherings, Little Cookie didn't have any girlfriends. She had a few, yes, but, as she'd told him the first time he was allowed to spend the night, she didn't want to wake up next to them, did she? Her parents understood her dilemma, but in good conscience couldn't let three boys spend the night, so instead they gave her permission to have one at a time.
Cook remembers that JJ was first, then Freddie, and then him. He'd been on edge, wondering why he was last. They were the closest weren't they? Had he done something? His questions were answered that night, his night, as they lay side by side (her bedroom door open of course) when she said softly, 'Saved the best for last, haven't I? And since it's Friday you can stay over the whole weekend.'
Soon after that, the rotation stopped, and it was just Cook spending nights.
He smiles to himself as he remembers, and shifts on the bed. He wonders how they managed to get back the same house, but then it occurs to him that her parents probably didn't even put the place up for sale. He'd never seen a For Sale sign, and no family had taken up there. Did they know they'd be coming back? He actually doesn't even know the reason they moved away in the first place. Just something about needing a change of scenery, or some such rubbish. All Cook really remembers is being so upset he couldn't think. He'd come to look at these Cooks as his real family. No crazy mum with her random men and shitty art pieces about those men, no absent dad who's no better than him. This house was basically his home, and now that they were leaving he had no idea what to do.
That first night after they'd gone was the first time he'd ever gotten drunk alone.
Cook shuts his eyes tightly and opens them again. It doesn't matter now, though, because they're back. She's back.
His eyes flit from the open window where the curtains blow erratically, to Raleigh's bare shoulder, where the over large bright yellow shirt has slipped down. He watches her breathe for a few moments. Her skin is quite pretty; smooth and brown. And it always smells nice. He moves closer and eases an arm under her side, then wraps the other around, and draws her tightly to him, front to back, burying his face in her neck and hair. She smells like she always did; something light and airy, with a baby powder scent, and something else he could never place. He does know it comes in a purple and tan bottle cause he watched her buy some one day. He squeezes her round the middle and she lets out a small sound.
'Ah, Cookie, don't,' she mumbles. He smiles into her neck and squeezes again. She lets out a small laugh and then wriggles. 'Ah, bugger. Now I've got to pee. Move.' She struggles in his arms briefly and he lets out a low laugh before letting her go. She stands up on the bed, steps over him, and jumps down onto the floor, stumbling slightly, walking quickly towards the door. He's always liked her legs. They aren't super long like he's used to seeing on girls, but not too short, like her. They are full, and shapely, and smooth. He used to touch them all the time when they'd be in the shed, passing a spliff round; revel in their smoothness, run his fingers behind her knee and she'd snort a little, and wriggle her toes against his chest.
He hears the toilet flush, and the water run, and soon she's back in the room. Her hair is a mess, the bright purple headband halfway off, and the edge of her T-shirt (which he notices is JJ's old camp shirt) is tucked into her red and white stripped knickers. She climbs irately over him, mumbles 'budge over.'
Instead he pulls her down on top of him and wraps his arms round her, and rests his hands on her back. She puffs out air against his chest and wriggles off, and turns to face the wall. She gets comfortable and in moments is back asleep. He turns his head to look at the window again. The curtains are doing a crazy dance, the sky is still dark, and he can already tell that there will be no sunlight at all today.
Part 2