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

Chapter 9 - Term 1, Week 12

Adele tucks her legs into the car and shuts the door as Eden heads off towards the closest bus stop on Higham Lane. She blasts the air-con in the car to clear the steamed up windshield, and while she waits, she quickly sends a text to Harry.

Adele            15:32

Are you going to go to this WOH trip in January? X

Given that it's a Monday afternoon and he's usually in the pastry kitchen doing his cake decorating sessions with Tim, Adele doesn't expect a reply from Harry any time soon. So rather than waiting, she drops her phone onto the passenger seat and drives the quick ten minutes home.

Immediately, she feels tense before she's even opened the front door. It's not very often that Adele doesn't feel comfortable walking into her own home, but today is one of those rare days. Once inside, she can hear Gwen in the kitchen nattering relentlessly to someone, probably Baz about nothing of any real importance, yet her tone absolutely says otherwise.

At the sound of the front door closing, Gwen's head appears around the kitchen door frame. "Where have you been, you should've been home half an hour ago?"

Adele blinks at her mother once. "It's Monday - I always finish at three."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Is Harry with you?"

"I said to you this morning, he stays later on Mondays for an extra pastry class."

Baz suddenly becomes visible just behind her, his eyes wide and frustrated as he shakes his head through gritted teeth. She's clearly been bad all day.

"Well, did you tell him I offered? Because I don't want your boyfriend thinking he can't come 'round on Mondays when Jason and his girlfriend can. I like Harry - you know I do, does he know that?"

"Yes, I told him. And yes, he knows that you like him. Happy?"

Baz drops his head to his hands.

Gwen huffs, arms flailing in irritation. "Great. Just great. I've got one kid keeping secrets and another with an attitude." She rambles as she disappears back into the kitchen. "If I ask you to help with dinner, are you going to give me short and snappy responses then, as well?"

Baz stiffly shakes his head, eyes dark, almost like he's angry.

Adele shrugs, eyes bugging; baffled. "No... I'm more than happy to help if that's what you want, Mum."

"Oh, well if it's not too much bother for you, Adele, yes."

Adele cringes at the obvious sarcasm in her mother's tone and drops her shoulders.

"Also, change that bloody t-shirt, it's horrible."

Adele looks to her dad, pointing at her top. "Is it really horrible?" She mouths.

Baz shakes his head. "No. But change it anyway."

With a roll of her eyes, Adele heads upstairs to change out of her clothes. She knows that whatever happens this evening, Gwen is going to be a nightmare either way. She studies the t-shirt in her mirror before she changes, still a little confused over Gwen's fuss. She supposes it is a little tight on the chest, but it's never been an issue until now. She's definitely worn it on Mondays before.

She changes into a light wash pair of paperbag waist mom jeans, and a crimson rib knit turtleneck. She adds a thick pair of socks and redoes her hair into a half-up half-down style rather than the tiny bun she usually wears for college.

Jason and his new girlfriend turn up just after five-thirty. She's tall - only an inch or two shorter than Jason, thin at every angle with long legs that have been tanned a bad orange colour. That colour actually covers her entire body, and she certainly doesn't need it. Her hair is long, not naturally - her extensions are obvious from the strange cut in her hair around her neck, and bleached blonde. Her roots are coming through at the top. Her denim jeans are tethered all the way down both legs, and her vest top shows more cleavage than Adele's t-shirt did.