The morning sun spilled through the curtains like a lazy reminder of last night's chaos. Bottles rolled on the floor, chips were crushed on the carpet, and a few of the group were scattered around the living room in awkward sleeping positions. Kim was snoring face-down on a pile of throw pillows, Risha had fallen asleep mid-text with her phone still in her hand, and Audrey was curled up with a stuffed unicorn that didn't belong to her.
Steph yawned loudly and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Ugh... did we really drink that much?"
"Yeah," Vinish groaned from the floor. "I think I confessed my love to a taco."
Risha blinked a few times and looked around. "Wait. Where are Erica and Angel?"
That one question got everyone's heads to snap up. They exchanged glances—knowing, suspicious, dramatic glances.
Audrey narrowed her eyes. "Bedroom?"
Kim was already on her feet. "Let's go. Operation Busted Lovebirds is a go."
They tiptoed—loudly—toward Erica and Angel's room. The door was slightly open. A sliver of soft light painted the floor, and just beyond it...
"Bingo," Risha whispered with a grin.
There they were. Erica and Angel, tangled in the blankets, still in their clothes from last night, snuggled together like a scene out of a slow-burn romance novel. Erica's arm was draped across Angel's waist, and Angel's head rested against her shoulder.
Kim couldn't resist. She launched herself onto the bed with a squeal.
"Wakey wakey, lovebirds!"
Angel let out a soft groan and instinctively clutched Erica tighter. "Huh—? Earthquake?"
"No, just your overly dramatic friends," Erica muttered, half-asleep.
Soon, everyone had piled onto the bed, laughing and poking fun.
"Oh my god, look at them!" Audrey teased. "Did you guys get married in your sleep or what?"
"Explain!" Steph pointed dramatically at them. "Same bed? Same clothes? Suspiciously soft faces?!"
Angel rubbed her eyes and grinned. "We... just slept. That's all."
"'Just slept' with your face buried in her neck?" Risha cackled.
Erica yawned and pulled a pillow over her head. "Guys... it was cold. I was a human heater. That's all."
"Right, and I'm secretly dating Kim," Vinish said with a mock-serious tone.
Kim pretended to faint. "I knew it!"
After a solid ten minutes of teasing, laughter, and some light pillow warfare, the group slowly crawled out of the room and into the kitchen for breakfast. Kim had made eggs—slightly burnt—and Risha poured way too much sugar into the coffee, but no one cared. They were together, and that was what mattered.
As everyone sat around the table, still yawning and munching, Audrey suddenly stood up.
"Wait... are we forgetting something?"
Steph blinked. "Our homework?"
"No. Something more urgent." Audrey's voice grew slightly panicked.
There was a long pause.
Then Risha's eyes widened. "CLASS! Morning class!"
Chaos.
Everyone screamed and jumped from their chairs.
"My uniform! Where's my bag?!"
"I need to brush my teeth!"
"I swear if someone takes the bathroom before me, I will fight!"
They all raced toward the bathroom like a stampede of caffeinated cows. In the middle of the arguing, Angel slyly grabbed Erica's hand.
"Hey babe, shower with me?"
Erica blinked. "Uh—what?"
Before she could protest, Angel pulled her along and shut the bathroom door behind them with a cheeky grin.
From the hallway, Kim shouted, "HEY! Did they just lock the door?!"
Audrey banged on it. "DON'T YOU DARE GET CUTE IN THERE!"
Inside the bathroom, Angel was already turning on the shower, her smirk devilishly playful.
"You heard them," Erica whispered, stepping back. "They think we're gonna do something."
Angel leaned closer, water starting to steam around them. "Maybe we should give them something to talk about."
Erica shoved her gently. "You're impossible."
Angel wiggled her eyebrows. "And you love it."
They both laughed. It was that quiet, warm laughter that only came when two people knew each other so well, their banter was like breathing.
Meanwhile, outside...
Risha paced. "Okay, seriously, what if they're just brushing their teeth?"
"Together?!" Kim shot back.
"They're dating," Steph said with a shrug. "It's allowed."
Vinish was trying to squeeze toothpaste on his finger when he froze. "Guys... we're late. We're going to be SO late."
"Damn it!" Audrey spun around. "ERICA! ANGEL! WE NEED THE BATHROOM!"
A second later, the door opened, and steam rolled out like it was a rock concert. Erica and Angel stepped out—dressed, smug, and very, very clean.
Every single person stared at them.
Erica raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Kim crossed her arms. "You were in there for, like, twenty minutes."
Angel smirked. "We brushed our teeth... thoroughly."
Audrey rolled her eyes. "Okay, Casanova. We're LATE!"
Erica clapped her hands. "Then stop staring at us and MOVE!"
With that, everyone lunged for the now-open bathroom. No one cared anymore about privacy. It was survival now. Steph was brushing her hair while Audrey was brushing her teeth, Kim was washing her face while Risha shoved everyone aside to put on deodorant.
Somehow, it worked. There was chaos, towels, splashing water, and dramatic screams about who took whose shampoo, but they were all laughing through it.
As Erica watched everyone in this weird, chaotic, beautiful mess, she leaned her head on Angel's shoulder.
"They're all idiots," she said softly.
"Yeah," Angel smiled. "But they're our idiots."
Erica nodded, content. "And I'm so damn glad they're here."
Angel kissed the side of her head. "Same. Now hurry or I'll carry you to school bridal style."
Erica giggled. "Don't tempt me."
That morning, as loud and reckless as it was, became one of their most unforgettable memories—not because of how late they were or the fact that five people had to share a single bathroom, but because for a brief moment in time, they all felt like nothing in the world could go wrong.
They were together. They were happy. And for now, that was enough.