"You gotta be fucking kidding me." She said.

"Nice seeing you too Effs."

"What the fuck, Cook?" Freddie looked at the boy laying on the floor. Blood on his forehead.

Cook sat up, the blood dripping from his forehead.

Samantha's heart clutched. She didn't know if it was because he was bleeding or because he was there, she just knew her heart had tightened.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked.

"Since none of you invited me, I made myself invited." He answered with a devious smile.

"You fucking prick." Effy said, holding Pandora's hand.

"You scared us, we thought you were some psycho." Naomi glared at him.

"There were some, but they are gone."

"Shut up. Joke is over." Kate told him.

Cook laughed, preparing to get up. Kate launched at him, stepping on his torso so we couldn't.

"You weren't invited. So, fuck off." She said.

"Oh, but we were having such a good time." He mocked. "And your tits are looking fucking amazing from this angle by the way."

Samantha gasped, not because of the idiotic remark, but because of how he could be such... Such an asshole. And for the first time in the night, Cook looked at her, immediately regretting the last sentence. He was a jackass.

And then hell broke loose. Freddie got Cook by his collar, anger blinding him.

"What is your fucking problem?" He screamed, looking his ex-best friend straight in the eyes.

"Come on then, Rambo." Cook challenged. "What do you want? My fucking blood?" He asked. Freddie's forehead buried into his. "'Cause, you've taken everything else! You've taken fucking JJ and now he's nickering off me as well."

Silence fell into the group. Freddie looked at Effy and then at Samantha, then back to Cook. Cook also looked at both girls.

"Oh, they haven't told you? Glad I didn't miss this." He mocked even though Freddie still had him by the collar.

"What are you talking about?" Kate asked.

"They don't want me anymore. Do you princesses?" He said, looking at Samantha for what seemed an eternity and then focusing on Effy.

Samantha felt her throat burn, tears pricking at her eyes. She looked at the floor, not because she was ashamed, but because she stupidly enough let Cook so close to her. So close that she let herself get hurt.

"No." Effy finally spoke and Samantha had to bite her lip in order not to cry.

Had he been fucking with her all this time? Before they kissed? After they kissed? Mirabella looked at her twin, feeling rather happy with how the events were turning.

"Why should we care?" Kate spoke. "Freddie's with me now." She told. "Right, Freddie?" She looks at her boyfriend but he was not looking at her. He was looking at Effy. "Right? Freddie!" Her voice came out in a pitched tone.

Slowly his eyes left Effy's so he could look at his girlfriend.

"Right." He answered in a low whisper, not even sure he had talked.

"I'm going for a walk." Kate said, leaving the group behind.

"I think she took that pretty well." Cook said.

"Just go." A small voice said and everyone turned to look. "No one wants you here. No one likes you. Just fucking go!" JJ's voice raised at every word. He hated doing this, but he was done. He screamed right into Cook's face and Samantha flinched.

For a second Cook's face dropped but he gave a few steps back.

"You coming?" He asked Effy. Then looked at Samantha because in truth he wanted Samantha to come, not Effy.

Samantha was looking at him, letting a smile curl up into a devious smile.

"Yeah, stay with your friends." He was not talking to Effy anymore. "Look at them, look at their little faces." He pointed at them. "You are all such whizzo chums, aren't you? Isn't that right Panda" He looked at the blonde. "She's been worried lately; saying you don't see each other as much as you used to. So, I said to her 'Cupcake, maybe if you didn't spend as much time with my cock in your mouth---"

"Shut up, shut up!" Pandora said to him, holding his hands down. "Come on Thomas, let's go."

Samantha's mouth opened wide open. No, no, no, no. She looked at the scene and then, right there, with no care in the world, she let her tears fall. She registered Pandora trying to grab Thomas.

"It's fine. I know" The boy said.

"What? Wait..." Effy said. "It-It was just one time, right? At your party?"

Samantha gasped, giving a step back. Cook looked at her and with watery eyes, she stared right into him. She was not paying attention to anything anymore, just him. For a second, he seemed taken back but easily return to himself. He stopped holding her gaze and said something to Thomas. Samantha didn't register it. She could only see his movements. Thomas started moving, getting away from him. Cook laughed and a second later Pandora punched him. That made Samantha wake up. She marched towards the boy, yanking him out of his place and pulling him next to her tent.

Mirabella had already sat on the ground, amused with the situation. This was even better than what she had expected. She would be eternally grateful to Cook.

"Sit down, you prick." Samantha ordered, swallowing her ache and her tears. He didn't do what she said. Just looked at her. "Sit the fuck down." She ordered, pushing him down but he didn't budge. The blood from the forehead was drying but the one coming out of his nose was jarring like crazy. But he didn't care.

He looked at her. Really looked at her. And he hated what he saw. He had caused that because that was what he did best, fuck up things. He never intended to hurt her even more, but once he started, he couldn't shut up. She had dry tears on her cheeks, her eyes were getting puffy and without thinking, he reached for her cheek. She gave a step back.

"Don't." She pleaded with a shaky voice. "Just stay here. I'm going to get the first-aid kit." She turned her back to him, going into her tent.

Five seconds later she was in front of him. She threw the first-aid kit to him which he caught and marched towards the cooler.

"What are you doing?" Mirabella asked her, once she reached for a cold pint.

"I'm going to take him home."

"Bloody hell, Sam. The guy just did what he did and you are taking him home?"

"He got hit in the head, hard. I'm not going to let him go alone. What if something happens?"

"Something just happened." Mirabella said. "He fucked up everything."

"Bella." She looked at her twin. "Shut up for once." She gritted her teeth and marched back to Cook.

She yanked the first-aid kit from Cook's hands and gave him the can.

"Put it on your forehead." She ordered. "I'm going patch you up and then I'm going to take you home." She opened the kit and took out what she needed.

"I don't need a fucking babysitter." He growled.

She didn't say a thing, just started to clean the blood from his face.

"Ouch." He winced when she pressed harder than what was necessary where he was sensitive.

"Sam..." He started but her eyes never left his nose. "Sam..."

"It's Samantha." She said in a cold tone.

"I---"

"Stop talking for once, bloody hell!" She pressed his nose hard and he flinched with the pain.

Once she was finished cleaning his nose, she put some cotton to stop the bleeding and then focused on his forehead. And then their eyes meet. He closed his for a second, not bearing the pain and disappointment of hers. What had he done? What the fuck had he done?

"Samantha..." He said softly once he opened his eyes.

"What part of, shut up don't you understand?"

"Do you even know how to drive?"

She pursed her lips.

"Yes. I'm not dumb."

"I know. You are the brightest person I have ever known."

"Don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't try to get out of this with pretty words."

"I am not doing that."

They were close, Samantha realized. She could feel his breath on her lips, she could feel the tightness of his body and she could, for some reason, hear his heart beating faster by the second.

"Stop lying to yourself. That's the only thing you know how to do. That's what you did at Panda's party at..." She swallowed. "At my house..." She whispered, her hand dropping from his forehead.

He shook his head.

"Maybe... Maybe at Pandora's, but that... That's was before..."

"Before what, Cook? Before you finally saw me in a whole different light? Before you finally knew me? Don't. Stop. You've said enough." She gave a few stepbacks. "I'm going to gather my things and we can go." She announced, starting to collect her things, and then going to get some snacks for the road, just in case.

"What are you going to say to mum and dad?" Mirabella asked her.

"I'll manage, don't worry. I always do."

"You don't even have your license, Sam."

"Again, I'll manage."

"What if you get caught."

"I won't. Just." She sighed. "Just take care of the tent and whatever else I'm leaving, okay?"

"Why are you leaving with him?"

"Because no matter how much someone hurts me, I'll always take care of them." Samantha whispered feeling stupid after saying it.

Samantha returned to Cook, holding her bag in one hand.

"Let's go." She said and Cook nodded.

With the lantern on, Samantha followed the boy and soon enough they reached the car.

"You don't have to do this." Cook said.

"Well, I'm already doing it." She opened the car's door and entered, adjusting the mirrors and seat. "Do you know the way home?"

"Actually, I know a better place."

✧ . ✧ . ✧

"You're not going to talk?" Cook asked, looking at Samantha.

"What would you like me to say?" She shot, not taking her eyes out of the road.

"I don't know. I just want you to talk."

"I have nothing to tell you, so..."

"Nah, I bet you have plenty to say to me. You are just too much of a good person to say it." She didn't look but she knew he was smiling. "Okay, I'll do the talking."

"Yeah, because last time that went so fucking hell."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" She scoffed.

"Because I was a jackass."

"You got that right."

"Turn left." He said and she did so. "I never meant to things get like this."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I don't know. I just... I told you, I fuck up everything, Samantha."

Samantha sucked in her breath when he said her name and his lips curved into a little smile when he noticed her reaction.

"Turn left, and we will be there." He said.

Not even one minute later they were in an empty land. Nothing but a few trees surrounded them.

"Where are we?" She asked, finally looking at him.

"I used to stop here with my uncle on long drives."

"And why are we here?"

"I know you can't go home and I don't wanna go home, so..."

"So, we are just going to sleep in here?"

Cook smirked, almost saying a sexual thing but he stopped himself just in time.

"I just want to talk. I... I fucked up and you were there for me and I..." He sighed, taking off his seat belt, and looking outside.

Samantha did the same.

"Why did you do it?" She asked in a whisper.

"Because I'm fucked up in the head. That's why." He laughed. "I don't know. I was left alone. I had no one."

"You had me." She told him and he snapped his head to her.

"No, I hadn't." Now she snapped her head to him. "I saw, I knew..."

"What?"

"You and Freddie and then at the assembly, I saw the way you looked at me. I knew I was taking it too far and you knew too."

"Me and..?" She rolled her eyes and then laughed, a genuine laugh.

Cook looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"I can't take you seriously with that cotton in your nose." She snorted.

He stared at her and snorted too.

"Alright love, I'll take it out." He said, doing so and throwing the pieces of cotton outside.

"Don't do that!" She complained and he rested his head on the seat.

"Samantha..." He started. "I'm really sorry I hurt you."

"You hurt everyone."

"But I regret hurting you." He turned his head to her. "You were the only one that listened to me and I fucked it up. I'm sorry."

"Cook..." She sighed. "You can't keep pulling shit like this and then say sorry. It won't cut it. You have no idea how JJ is. I—"

"He made it pretty clear how he was feeling back there."

"You know he didn't mean it. He loves you, Cook. You are his brother. He's just tired and done."

"Everyone is tired and done."

"Maybe, but... Things can be fixed."

"I'm sorry Freddie likes Effy." He blurted out.

"Excuse me?" She looked at him confused. "I don't like Freddie. Sure, I did in the past but---"

"You don't?" He interrupted her.

"No! Why would I let you kiss me when I... For fucks sake, Cook!"

"You don't..." A smile pricked at his lips, slowly. 

"But even though I don't go around kissing and fucking everyone, you clearly do." She shot and quickly he smiled faded.

"I was not with anyone after we..." He confessed. "I promise."

"It doesn't matter, does it?"

"For me it does." He moved closer to her. "Look, I admit that I fucked Pandora when I was at her party and after that, and then I also fucked Effy before, during and after that party but---"

"Stop talking, Jesus." Samantha pleaded. "I don't want to hear it."

"Because you like me..." He said, resting his hand on her cheek.

"It doesn't matter." She felt her cheeks warming up. "It really doesn't."

"Let's go." He said, quickly taking his hand off her cheek and getting out of the car, moving to its front, motioning for her to do the same.

She looked at him, confused, but got out of the car and joined him. He got on top of the hood of the car and patted for her to do the same.

"C'mon, let's look at the stars." He said, and she copy his action, laying down. He grabbed her hand, holding her tightly against his chest. She silently yelped. "So, I'm not really romantic, as you might have suspected, but I'm assuming that in order of the circumstances this would be a good first date?" He inquired.

She looked at him.

"You can't be serious. After all of this you want to pretend we are on a date? We are not going to kiss and make up."

"I know, I just want to pretend that for a second we are okay."

And so, they stayed there, holding each other, laying in the hood.