I groaned as I rolled over, the sunlight prickling my skin and stinging my eyes. My brain pounded and throbbed against my skull, my body heavy and tired. It took me a minute to realise where I was. A crisp white bed, scruffy and unmade in a messy room with the smell of alcohol lingering on the pillow.

Once I finally processed it, I realised that I recognised this room. I'd been in this situation before, waking up with a raging headache in Daya's spare bedroom after a night of partying. I was slow to get up, but I finally managed to untangle myself from the sheets and pull my clothes on, my eyes flickering as I tried to adjust to the light.

I left the room, scratching my head as a yawn escaped from my mouth. The house was a mess. Broken glass, spilt beer, empty bottles and passed out teenagers were all strewn across the floor carelessly. It was still silent - it was still early. None of the unconscious kids had awoken yet as I stumbled into the kitchen clumsily.

Phoenix was perched on the kitchen counter, wearing nothing but his boxers as he ate handfuls of cereal straight from the box. Tommy was leant against the fridge, dressed a little more appropriately in his clothes from the night before as he sipped from a mug of burning coffee. "Hey!" Phoenix exclaimed cheerfully when he saw me, making me clutch my head in pain and Tommy flinch, spilling his coffee over his bare feet. "Guess who got laid?"

I rose my brows, propping up onto the worktop beside him, "Really?" I asked huskily, my voice drenched in sleep. "Sam caved?"

He scoffed, "Nah, she was passed out by ten o'clock. It was that girl with the lazy eye and one thumb."

I watched him incredulously, "With the monobrow?"

"Well...it's more of a fashion statement-"

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "I'm, uh...proud of you?"

"What about you?" Tommy asked over the top of his 'Best Dad' mug. "Who'd you shag?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. Brunette, kinda short, high pitched voice." I tried to explain, but my memory was blurry. "Where are the girls anyway?"

"They went out to get breakfast." Phoenix yawned. "What is it with girls? Do they, like, not get hangovers or something?"

He was cut off by the front door slamming shut. A moment later, both Daya and Sam entered, wearing caps and pairs of thick sunglasses, holding white paper bags in their grip. They were chatting peppily, turning to us with sweet smiles. "Hey, Luca, I hear you fucked Pepper Khan." Sam whistled mockingly.

I groaned at the noise, feeling my headache clench and throb painfully, "Maybe." I grunted. "I didn't know her name." I defended, hopping off the counter and helping myself to a pastry as they ripped the bags open.

"I should probably go." Phoenix stretched dramatically, his limbs being pulled to their limits. "My Mum is probably wondering where I-"

"Oh, no, no, no." Daya scolded, pushing on his bare chest to hold him back. "No one leaves until this is all cleared up."

"What?" I groaned, "No way-"

"Hey, you come to the party, you have to help clear up." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"What about all the other people who were here last night?" Sam protested. "They didn't have to clear up."

"Yeah, well, they're pricks." She shot back.

"Hey, I'm a prick." Phoenix rose his hand jokingly, "Can I go home?"

"Stop being selfish." Tommy sighed deeply. "Come on, between us, we can get this done quickly."

Phoenix let out a loud, obnoxious moan before finally nodding in defeat. After each greedily swallowing down a couple of pastries, we set about cleaning the house. We worked around the passed out, drooling teenagers as we piled plastic cups into black bin bags and hoovered under the sofas. Most of the leftover kids woke up with all the noise we were making. We threw water on the ones who didn't.

An hour and a half later, the house was spotless. Stains disappeared, cups thrown out, sheets in the washing machine. And we were finally allowed to leave. After thanking Daya, I gave Phoenix and Sam a lift home, leaving Tommy with his girlfriend.

"Luca, can I ask you something?" Sam asked me curiously once Phoenix had been dropped off.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye before nodding, concentrating on the road ahead as I drove slowly to Sam's. "Sure."

"Everyone's talking about that kid you helped on Thursday." She started, pulling her knees to her chest, her muddy converse dirtying my seat. I contemplated telling her to put her feet down, but knew it was no use as she'd probably just shoot me the finger and ignore my request. "Why did you do that?"

My brows furrowed into a frown, "I don't really understand the question." I deadpanned. "He needed help, why wouldn't I do that?"

"Because it's none of your business." She shrugged. "You always keep to yourself, now suddenly you're superman?"

I sighed heavily, "Seriously, Sam? Why is your heart so cold?" I asked dryly. "He was drenched and crying and his bike was completely wrecked. When did the world become such a shitty place that people just stood by and let that happen?"

She turned to me, watching me carefully, as if waiting to catch a glimmer of suspicion in my expression. "What if he deserved it?"

My brows shot up so high, they were in danger of disappearing into my hairline. "Who could possibly deserve that?" I snapped. "He's a good kid, he works at the pet shop." I told her before continuing with difficulty, "He gets beaten up on a regular basis and I'm expected to just laugh along like the rest of those wankers?"

"I didn't..." Her voice faded away, "I'm sorry." She choked out. "It's just not like you. You're always so focussed on yourself. Football, and school, and your friends. You're not concerned about what other people are doing. And then you just help this kid like you've been friends for years?"

I pulled up outside her house, pressing down on the brakes, "I'm a human being. He's a human being." I said simply, sitting back in the cushy seat. "I'm sure he would have done the same for me."

She smiled softly, "Sweet."

I shrugged, "It's human decency."

She leant forward, pressing her lips against my cheek before clambering out of the car, "See you Monday. Doei."

I smiled, "Doei." I replied, waving as she slammed the door shut and scampered up the cobbled pathway leading to her front door. It meant goodbye. It was one of the few Dutch words Sam knew. Daya and Tommy tried to learn a few phrases too, and it meant a lot of Luca. Phoenix made an attempt, but his accent was too illegible to even be considered a sound, let alone a word. He could barely speak English, let alone another language.

I twisted the dial of the radio, playing my music at full blast as I drove home, humming along as the fuzzy road blurred in and out of focus as a result of my persistent hangover. So, as a precaution, I drove extra slowly.

When I got home, I learnt that my dog had decided to be stupid enough to cost me another trip to the vets. And yet, I wasn't complaining. Because I got to see Theodore.

Because I got to see Theodore.

Seriously, what was wrong with me?