Life Is What You Bake It // A Harry Styles AU

Chapter 9 - Term 3, Week 9

Monday

Adele has been clock-watching all day. It was always going to be a difficult day to go through, but she's especially on edge to see Gwen when she gets home.

Today is Gwen's last chemotherapy cycle, hopefully ever. Her appointment started at 2pm, it's now 4:30pm, and they're still not home. She's sure everything is fine. There's probably a lot to go through paperwork-wise during the last meeting, but she's still a little tense. Her foot taps and her eyes flit to the doorway every time she hears the smallest sound.

Casper's cackling laughter startles her, and she has to take a deep breath before she can look back to the TV again.

It really has been a long day. For the most part, in the morning she threw herself into her college work. The sadness that had struck her when she realised she was partnerless for the first time strangled her for a minute or two, but she snapped out of it and pushed on. It was obvious that some of the students were looking at her, with whatever feelings about her she didn't know, nor did she really care. She ignored them, and spoke to no one. Occasionally she would answer someone's question, or laugh and return a comment that Ben or Paisley made when they were close by in the kitchen, but apart from that she hardly spoke, and carried on with her baking.

At lunchtime, she and Harry disappeared to his car again, eating lunch together and sharing quiet conversation. She'd admitted she was scared to go up to the classroom after eating.

"Why?" Harry had asked softly, resting a hand on her thigh.

"Because she won't be there." Adele mumbled, throat tight all of a sudden. "Everyone keeps watching what I do, and I don't want them to see the look on my face when I look at her seat and she's not in it."

Harry started caressing her thigh calmly, taking her hand to bring it to his lips. "Everyone else doesn't matter, Ads. You found her body, for fuck's sake, how do they expect you to behave? Like it didn't happen?"

"No, of course not." She sniffed. "Just think maybe I shouldn't have come back so soon."

"Adele, if I've learnt anything from you, it's to not give a fucking shit what other people think. You decided to come back and finish your assessment because you want to honour Bella, and you need a distraction. Anyone who thinks that's a bad decision can get fucked, because it's none of their business. Alright?"

And she'd agreed. And with a little Dutch courage she'd waltzed back up to the classroom. Yes, there was some slight hesitation when she looked at the one seat Bella normally occupied, but she sat right in it, ignoring everyone else, and logged onto the computer to get started.

After that it was a waiting game until 2pm when she knew Gwen's treatment started. She forced herself to concentrate again on her work, but with the clock in the bottom corner of the computer screen teasing her every minute for the rest of the afternoon, she was getting irritated. People around her were loud and at times she found it difficult to focus. She was also conscious of ruining Bella's frankly particular layout in their portfolio.

When they were sent packing for the day, Adele had driven across town to Chetwynd to collect Casper from school, brought him home, and helped him with his homework. Dinner was all ready to go for when her parents and her grandma got back - though Gwen's appetite was usually non-existent after a cycle -, all she had to do was heat it up.

She sits forward the minute the door opens, waiting for someone to appear. Casper remains with his gaze on the TV, oblivious to the importance of the day. Ethel appears first, a gentle smile on her face.

"How did it go?" Adele asks quietly, looking her grandma over for any signs of distress.

"Just fine, Ads. She's just a bit knackered, as expected."