*Ellie's POV*

I woke up at 3 in the morning with the burning in my throat that could only be quenched with a glass of water.

Like a ninja, I managed to dodge my way through Rosie and Chris' bodies on my bedroom floor, before silently creeping down the staircase.

I safely made it to the kitchen, getting a glass and slowly filling it with water before hoisting myself up onto the counter and taking small sips.

I thought I was alone, until I saw a very sleepy Ashton walk in, mumbling that he was thirsty too.

"How's things with Anna?" I asked him about the girl he'd been seeing for a couple of months now.

"She dumped me, said I wasn't enough of a man for her, basically," He said quietly before taking a large gulp of water and I sighed at him. Not enough of a man? He had a body that belonged among Greek gods.

"Tell you what, we'll go out next week or something, a mate date to just hang out?" I suggested and he grinned, nodding at me.

"Right, well I better head back upstairs, wouldn't want them assuming things," I nodded up to the ceiling above me where my room was and he nodded in agreement as I poured the last of my glass of water down the sink before trudging upstairs, once again having to use ninja skills to avoid the bodies of the rest of the girls.

~

The next morning we were all sat around the island in the kitchen and feasting on a massive pile of pancakes when I turned to Ash.

"Mall later this week?" I asked quietly so that only he could hear.

He nodded happily at me and I smiled before I placed more pancake in my mouth.

"Oooo, something up?" Rosie asked as she wiggled her eyebrows at us, Luke elbowing Ashton gently in the ribs.

"Just a mate date, nothing really," Ashton chuckled as the pair high fived each other.

"You two are so weird," Myra piped up to Luke and Rosie from across the table and we all turned to her and Michael, seeing that they had begun to make masks out of their pancakes.

"What?" Michael asked innocently as we gave them weird looks.

"Hypocrites," Calum chuckled, stealing Michael's pancake mask and beginning to eat it.

"Nah, we're swaggy af," Myra smiled widely as she chomped down on her own pancake mask.

"I'm gonna miss you guys this next year," Rosie sighed and we all nodded along with her. Being a year younger, she was destined to spend yet another year in our shit hole of a high school.

We all tried to avoid any more sentimental conversation, finishing up for breakfast before all splitting up our own ways, organising to meet up again in a few days.

This was us, the inseparable dream team of eight losers who didn't seem to need anyone but each other.