LOVE ISN'T EASY (but it sure is hard enough)

JANUARY 1ST, 1995

Juno Lennox woke up on the floor, with a pounding headache and still wearing the same clothes she had on the night before. Sunlight pierced harshly through the window as she sat up and stretched, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. To be frank, she looked a mess. Makeup a smudged disaster and hair far shorter than she remembered it being, she quickly looked over at Olivia to see if she was the same way.

She was still asleep, arms wrapped around a blue metal baseball bat. The patchwork blanket was pressed against her cheek, tightly curled hair falling over her face. She was also in the same clothing from the previous day, making Juno wonder why they hadn't changed. She heard Liv groan, who jumped up suddenly when she realised Juno had been staring at her.

"You look like shit."

"You don't look too hot yourself." Juno laughed, the noise making Liv wince.

"Where the fuck did this come from?" Liv asked, picking up the heavy bat that lay beside her.

"No idea."

Liv shrugged, gasping in pain when she placed her feet on the cold, wooden floor. She noticed for the first time that they were covered in blisters and cuts, ones that she could not remember getting in the slightest. The girls walked slowly out of her room and down the stairs finding Sarah and Henry passed out on the couch, the room surrounded by bottles and confetti. Dom stumbled out of the kitchen, leopard print shirt fully unbuttoned and glasses missing.

"I woke up under your kitchen table. What the fuck happened last night?"

The girls shook their heads, Dom joining them as they crept back upstairs. The sound of retching echoed from the bathroom, the three of them peeking their heads around the door to find Rory hunched over the toilet bowl. Mabel was holding back Rory's dark hair, her own ginger locks tangled beyond belief.

"Where did the bat come from?" Rory choked out, before ducking her head back down.

"No idea." Liv mumbled, ducking into the cupboards and pulling out a spare toothbrush for the sick girl.

"We woke up in the bath, weirdly comfortable."

Dom nodded in agreement.

"I've slept there before, found myself under their kitchen table."

Mabel and Rory were also in the same clothes as they had been the previous night, confusion brewing amongst the group.

"What the fuck happened last night?" Henry asked, Sarah echoing his question. Everyone shrugged in confusion, Rory gratefully taking a gulp of water from the glass Henry handed her.

"You're not going home like this, I'll ring your parents and tell them since the girls are leaving in a few days they asked for you to sleep over. Henry, order a Chinese. All of you get showered and Liv'll find you something to wear."

It took what felt like forever. Liv and Sarah cleaned the house with a few simple spells, the muggles watching in wonder as rubbish flew into the bin-bags in Henry's outstretched hands.

"Hang on, you're telling me I'm gonna have to clean up with my hands my whole life and you can wave your fucking wand and it's done for you?" Dom grunted in annoyance, Liv levitating a bunch of streamers to drop them on his head. He threw them right back at her, listening to her squeal.

"Marry someone magic mate, worked for me." Henry laughed, Sarah rolling her eyes affectionately as he tied a knot in the bag.

Soon enough, the room was spotless. Rory and Mabel came downstairs in Liv's spare pyjamas and fluffy socks, hair dripping wet and pinkies intertwined gently. After a while, Juno was left alone with her three new friends, an old record playing in the background as Mabel brushed through her girlfriend's dark hair.