Daddy issues || h.s

1.1

"How was Mrs Lange this afternoon" Leah asked Adelaide and fell in step with her as they crossed the schoolyard. "Need you ask?" Adelaide smirked at the girl beside her, and they both giggled. To be honest, she had almost forgot to fight Mrs Lange today, but when the teacher had the audacity to tell one of the students to pull up her shirt because her bra strap was showing, the battle begun.

They walked towards the dead willow and sat down on the ratty old blanket. Kieran and Leith were already there. Kieran's head was resting on Leith's stomach, and his eyes were half closed as the blonde boy ran his fingers through his hair. "What are you guys doing?" Leah asked as they sat down. "When Addie is gone, someone has to take over for her. Leith just can't make it through the day without fulfilling his destiny as a human pillow." Kieran said, his eyes still closed. "Do you want your spot back?" "Nah, you two look so cute together." This made both the boys and Leah laugh, and they could hear a small "No homo" coming from the half-sleeping boy.

Leith smiled, and offered Adelaide a bottle of the traditional strawberry wine. She declined and he muttered: "Ah, new years resolution," before offering the bottle to Leah. She accepted and took a big sip. "Whoa there, don't drink everything at once. Are you okay?" Leith said, a line of worry appearing in his forehead. "I have gym class next period." Everyone fell silent; they knew why that required a big sip of the bottle.

Leah sighed, she had short hair and glasses, her knee socks-clad legs were folded under her and she straightened her pale pink skirt before saying: "I'm not even that upset our narrow minded principal makes me use the boys changing room. The worst part of it is Jackson." She fell silent for a second, and Adelaide put her arm around her.

"You know why he does it, right?" Adelaide whispered in her best friends ear. "Yeah, I just wish he would shut up about it. If it's okay with me, it should be okay with him."

"The boy is head over heels for you, and he, unlike most people, understands that sex is not the same as gender. It's not fair that you should have to use the boys changing room when you're a girl." Kieran said and sat up, Leith didn't look too happy about it and rubbed the place on his stomach where his head had been resting.

"I know. I just wish he would stop making it such a big deal. He told me earlier that he was going to have a meeting with the principal. Maybe she'll listen to the captain of the lacrosse team." Leah smiled, and tried to swat it away with her hand, but the three other people knew how much it meant to her. Adelaide had to admit she was jealous, not because of the boys changing room, but because she had someone who really cared about her.

"Kieran, before I forget. Is everything ready for Saturday?" Adelaide asked, and Kieran smiled. "Oh yeah. The tradition will be kept alive and well, but I think we should be on the lookout for some fresh blood to keep it breathing after we're gone." He straightened his back, and picked on the golden loop in his nose. Adelaide could feel small butterflies in her stomach, something big was coming, and it would change their lives forever.

He swore as he took the tray out of the oven. He hadn't been able to find the oven mittens, and the towel he had used in stead wasn't nearly thick enough to keep his hands from getting burned. "Fuck" He exclaimed and held his hand under running water.

"Are you okay," Someone said from behind him and all of his muscles tensed at once. "Yeah, I just burned my fingers a bit."

"Here, let me help you." Adelaide walked over to him and took his hand it her to examine it. It was red and sore, small blisters already starting to form in his palms. But the feeling of her hands against his burned more than the hot tray had done. "You should be more careful when handling such savage things as a cookie tray you know." She smirked and pulled out a bag of frozen peas from the freezer. She wrapped it in a towel and handed it to him. "Yeah, but I figured I should try to be even more of a savage and try to rescue the cookies from getting burnt." He said, barely able to talk in her close proximity. She was wearing a white t-shirt and light blue denim jeans that clung to her hips the way he wanted to do: softly and complimentary.

"I didn't know you could bake," She said when he finally forced himself to look away from her. "I have some experience with it, and it's really relaxing." Adelaide raised her eyebrows as he spoke. "Experience with baking? What, did you work in a bakery or something?" She laughed. "Maybe," He smirked, and she stopped laughing. Her whole face fell into a dead seriousness as she said: "Seriously?" But before he could answer, they heard someone coming into the kitchen.

"Oh. Let me introduce you to my friend Leah." She took a step away from him as she gestured towards the girl who had come into the kitchen. She had brown hair and smiled shyly at him. "Hi," She said. "I'm Leah." "And I'm Harry," he said and shook her hand. He smiled at her, and she looked at him strangely, as if she wasn't sure where to put him. "I'm, ehh, Abigail's, um, boyfriend?" It came out more as a question than a statement, and he could feel himself blushing slightly. "Ohh," Leah said, and he got the impression that she wasn't as shy as he first had thought.

"You can have a cookie if you like," he offered the two girls, his eyes darting towards Adelaide. "Thank you so much," she politely said and took one. It tasted delicious, the dough was cooked till perfection and the chocolate was sticky and molten. "Wow," Leah said. "You should bake some of these for Friday."

Harry had been so busy taking in the way Adelaide munched on the cookie to pay much attention to what the other girl was saying, but this caught his attention. "Excuse me, what did you say? Friday?" "Oh, I figured Abigail had told you. My mom found the first spring flower in our garden, and is hosting the annual 'First bloom of spring party'. You're all invited." Leah said, and Harry went pale. A party, with families, grownups, and they would all know what he was to Abigail.

Adelaide saw Harry scratch the back of his neck, and noticed the lack of colour in his cheeks, so she quickly said: "I have those records you were talking about earlier. They're in my room. Just go upstairs and I'll be there in a second!"

The second Leah disappeared upstairs, Adelaide walked towards Harry. "A party huh?" He said. "I guess I shall be the subject of every conversation then." He smiled a little, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Most likely," She said, reaching up and pushing a curl out of his face. "But as long as you keep ice on it, the damage will be limited." She stroked his hand, closing it around the frozen peas. She looked down, her long, thick eyelashes hanging heavy from her eyes as she lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles.

"Keep ice on it," Adelaide said and disappeared out of the kitchen.