The boys and I are finishing dinner when Sylvie comes downstairs. She's wearing an olive green bomber jacket and spotless white adidas trainers. As always, her makeup is flawless, and her thick black hair is styled in a bouncy ponytail.

'We're leaving in five,' Sylvie says, and leaves the flat to cross the hall without waiting for a reply.

Will goes to his room to get shoes, so I head to my room to apply lip gloss and check my reflection again. I can hear the others congregating in the hall, so I open the flat door.

Kitty is leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. She's wearing high-waisted boyfriend jeans, with her sheepskin coat and a mustard knitted hat. When she sees me she raises her chin in acknowledgement. Harper is halfway down the stairs, throwing his wool hat into the air and catching it as he waits for everyone.

'Who we waiting on?' Will says, when he and Ed emerge from our flat.

'The girls, of course,' says Kitty, and she bangs her hand against the wall she's leaning against, to get Sylvie and Charlotte's attention.

'Hang on!' Sylvie calls from inside Charlotte's flat.

Eventually the two of them emerge, leaning into each other and giggling at some joke the rest of us don't share. They glance at me and stop giggling, and slip past us down the stairs, arm in arm.

I follow the rest of the group out onto the street, hugging my arms across my chest as the cold hits us. We rush to the tube station, my boots making clip-clopping noises while the others walk in trainers.

The comedy night is upstairs in a pub in Camden, and the seven of us grab seats at the back because Charlotte doesn't want to be heckled. The four comedians are young and I haven't heard of them before - and one of them is a particularly rude guy who makes me uncomfortable with his jokes - but I'm surprised at how much I laugh and enjoy the night. The female comedian who talks about her ex's bad habits particularly has me cracking up.

After the comedy we grab a table in the pub downstairs for another drink before we go home, even though Ed, Kitty and I need to be awake early tomorrow morning to open the café.

'Okay, so best act was definitely girl with her list of crazy ex-boyfriend problems,' Sylvie says. 'Worst was the dude with the penchant for dropping the C-bomb. He may actually be that girl's crazy ex-boyfriend.'

'Luca actually did that thing she was saying, with the beard hair in the sink,' Charlotte says, a look of revolt crossing her face.

'Babes, before Jane moved in, I was literally living with three guys,' Sylvie says. 'You cannot imagine the amount of facial hair in the sink. It was disgusting.'

'Yeah, but you girls always leave big clumps of hair in the shower,' Harper says, looking pointedly at Charlotte and Kitty. 'And I know it's yours, because it's bright red.'

Charlotte scoffs. 'I'm the only one that cleans that shower.'

'I clean it,' Kitty cries.

'Uh, what did we say?' Will says. 'No arguments about cleaning duties outside of the house.'

'We all have hair, and we shouldn't be ashamed of it,' Sylvie says.

'Says the girl who literally wears a wig,' Harper says teasingly.

Sylvie glares at him. 'I love my natural hair, but it is a fucking hassle. Alright for you to say considering you seem to be allergic to a hair brush. Ooh, look at me, I'm a straight guy, and I've never heard of personal grooming.'

'Alright, alright,' Ed says.

'I'm just saying, girls give guys a lot of shit for being disgusting, but girls are just as gross,' Harper says.

'Yeah, well done for figuring that out, genius,' Kitty says. 'Turns out girls are human beings with like functioning bodies that produce the same shit, literally, as male bodies do.'

'Plus more, because we bleed all the time,' Sylvie says.

'I'm not making this a sexist thing,' Harper says.

'Everything with you is a sexist thing.' The way Kitty says it makes me suspect they've had this conversation before.

'Kitty, to be fair, Harper has come leaps and bounds,' Will says. 'Remember when we taught him about the gender wage gap?'

'Yeah, I'm not sexist!' Harper says.

'I mean, of the group, you're definitely the most sexist,' Sylvie says. 'But that can't be helped. You and Ed are straight white guys. The world is designed for you. You grew up in a patriarchal society, and as long as you recognise that and work on your ingrained prejudices, we'll allow you a few mistakes and not be total bitches to you when you screw it up.'

'I'm still going to be a total bitch,' Kitty says with a shrug.

'I'm not privileged,' Harper says. Sylvie groans.

Sylvie turns to Harper. 'You're a straight white dude with a good education, born in a wealthy city,' Sylvie says. 'You have buckets of privilege.'

'I grew up in a council estate!' Harper says.

'Harper, that's not the point,' Kitty says, and there's a hint of anger in her voice.

'You are privileged to have grown up in a country that has council estates, and that you still got a good education, and that you have never been profiled for your skin colour,' Sylvie says darkly.

'I just don't like being lumped in with Ed, who went to a private school and his parents own a bloody ski chalet in France,' Harper says. 'I didn't have any of that.'

'But you've never once had to deal with sexism,' Kitty says.

'Just being a guy doesn't mean your life is easy,' Harper says.

'Urgh, you're obtuse, sometimes, Harper,' Kitty says, standing up. 'I'm going to the bathroom.'

'What did I say?' Harper says.

'No one's saying your life is easy, babes,' Sylvie says halfheartedly.

Harper takes a big swig of his beer. 'Anyone have a smoke?' he asks.

I stare at Harper as he looks around at us, sighs, and then swings out of his chair and approaches the guys at the next table. I watch him accept a cigarette from one of the guys, and then go out to the smokers area, pulling on his denim jacket as he walks.

'I didn't realise Harper smoked,' I say.

Will shrugs. 'When he drinks. Or when Sylvie and Kitty go off on their feminist tirade against him. They never used to be like this. Matt would always say the right thing.' Will swallows.

Kitty returns from the bathroom and says, 'Where's Harper?'

Will gives her a look, and this seems to answer Kitty's question.

'Babes, we all know Harper's a dick, but you know he loves it when you argue back,' Charlotte says.

'I was cool,' Kitty snaps. 'Jane, was I cool?'

I shrug. 'You were... well, until you stormed off.'

Kitty rolls her eyes. 'Of course you'll take his side.'

'I'm not taking his side,' I cry, offended. 'I'm on your side!'

'Honestly, further proof that this group should not get drunk together,' Will says, taking a big swig of his beer. 'Can we all just chill out? It's only Tuesday.'

I sip at my strawberry cider in silence. Sylvie and Charlotte launch into a conversation about an art show they want to go to, and I feign interest, to avoid having to talk to Kitty, who seems pissed off at me.

When Harper returns he puts his empty pint glass on the table. 'Anyone else for another?' he asks.

'Nah, we were just saying we're ready to leave,' Will says, even though that's not true.

Harper looks at me. 'I can't tempt you to one more drink, Jane? You do owe me one, after all.' He plants a little smirk on his face as he says this, and I imagine Harper and me sitting alone at the pub, having a drink together and chatting for another hour, while the others have gone home - the alcohol loosening our minds and our tongues until we lose track of time.

Charlotte, Sylvie and Kitty are standing up and putting on their hats and scarves. Will and Ed seem to be watching the interaction between Harper and me, while Kitty seems determined to ignore it. I know that having a crush on Harper is a bad idea, and that staying with him for a drink, especially when Kitty's mad at him, is probably not sensible. But the idea lights up inside of me.

I finish the last mouthful of my cider, and then stare Harper in the eye as I say, 'I wouldn't say no to another drink.'

Harper's face splits into a grin. Kitty jams her chair into the table. 'Well we're going,' she says. 'Guess we'll see you guys tomorrow.'

• Author's Note •

Thank you for reading! I hope you're loving this novel.

What's the one thing that you WISH people understood about society/the world??

Oh, and don't forget to vote!

elle xx