Ever since Alaska had starting working at the bar it was an unwritten rule that she would always have Sunday’s off. These were usually spent doing silly things with Ava or getting things prepared for the upcoming week.

Since this meant Alaska would be at home, it gave Chris time to go out with his friends and have a social life. Time where he could meet woman and do things that he didn’t usually get to do in the week with having to babysit a five year old girl.

Lucy hadn’t gotten in touch with Alaska since the night she got dragged out of the bar, making it impossible for the brunette to figure out if she would ever see the blonde girl again.

Even though they had only been working together for a few short weeks, the pair had become instant friends. Lucy had seemed to fit in seamlessly into the friendship Alaska and Texas shared causing the pair to now evolve into a threesome.

“Mama!” Ava called from where she was seated at the dining table, ceramic mixing bowl wedged tightly between her chubby knees as she vigorously stirred the mixture, her nose scrunched up as she chewed her lip in concentration.

“Yeah, baby?” Alaska asked turning to look over her should from where she stood at the counter icing the cookies that had cooled from the oven. Flour was smeared onto her cheeks from where Ava got a little over eager when they began baking.

“Cake mix is ready” she mumbled, mouth full of cake mixture that she was licking off of the wooden mixing spoon. Her little outfit was already decorated in all sorts of ingredients, hand prints all over the work surface from where’s she’s pulled herself into a standing position to grab items off of the table.

Alaska beamed at her daughter, planting a kiss on her hair as she went to reached for the bowl to pour the mixture into the tin.

This is what Alaska loved to do, baking with her daughter.

She loved that it brought a smile to Ava’s face and everything felt second nature to her, like she didn’t need to think the steps through as her body could do them on auto pilot, allowing her change to think. Alaska had always wanted to join a bakery but never had the finances to do it.

Her parents did not think that it was a suitable career for a daughter of theirs to have. Not stable enough life for their daughter to lead, that was why she ended up at the University of Baltimore studying for a degree she didn’t like or care to do.

Then Ava came along, a blessing in disguise. Alaska dropped out of College, not even getting a chance to tell her parents about Ava as they were so mad at her for leaving school, calling her a ‘failure’ and a ‘disgrace to the family’ occasionally they asked ‘why can’t you be more like your brother?’

That was the story of her life. It was always the same question she was asked, constantly getting compared to her older brother. Never getting a chance to be herself.

Why couldn’t she get good graces like Max? Why wasn’t she good at sports like Max? Why couldn’t she be popular and social like Max? The list went on and on. That’s why she understood what Lucy was going through when she was complaining about Zack, she knew just as well as her what it was like to live in someone else’s shadow.

“Time for a bath” Alaska called, turning on her heel and entering the bathroom, placing Ava’s favourite glittery bath bomb in the middle of the running hot water as well as her other favourite bath toys.

She heard her daughter grumble, moaning about how the mixing bowl still needed to be licked clean in order to not waste any of their hard work. Alaska just chuckled remembering how mischievous she used to be and all the trouble she used to put her mother through.

“Have fun, Baby” Alaska called the next morning as she stood just outside the Kindergarten gates. Ava was already immersed in deep conversation with her best friend Spencer, not even noticing that her Mom was still stood there watching her.

She decided to wait until Ava had gone inside, finally feeling like she was ready to leave her daughter before turning around and heading down the street, debating what to do next.

Once she reached the house the nerves grew, her stomach rolling over as she stared up at it. What once had seemed like a good idea was now gaining many negative aspects. Sucking air through her teeth she quickly knocked on the door, her nerves increasing once she had done this, realising that there was no going back now.

She gnawed on her lip, shifting her weight from foot to foot as the nerves continued to grow. Finally after a couple of minutes Alaska turned around before beginning to hurry down the drive.

“Hey?” a voice called from the door causing Alaska to stop in her tracks, heart speeding as she turned around. The dishelved man with the lip ring stood there staring at her, Alaska could only vaguely recall him from the first time she had come to pick Lucy up.

“Er..hi” Alaska mumbled, her hand doing an awkward wave as she slowly headed back up the path, scuffing the toe of her converses on her way. The guy’s eyebrows raised as he realised he didn’t know who the girl was, hoping that she wasn’t some crazed All Time Low fan that was planning to break into the house.

“I’m looking for Lucy?” Alaska questioned reluctantly, tapping her foot lightly on the concrete as she waited for the guy to either turn her away or let her in

“Oh, okay” he shrugged, stepping aside and allowing her past. The house looked just the same as before, white walls and black furniture, however this time it wasn’t accessorised with drunken shirtless men snoring on the floor.

The hall was dimly lit, the windows still covered with the curtains to withhold the morning light shining through. The only sound was the pounding of keys and muffled groans coming from down the corridor in another room as Alaska stood there awkwardly, unsure on what to do.

“Yo Matt, who was at the door?” a voice called from behind a door, the lip piercing guy turned to the kitchen asking Alaska if she would like a drink and motioning for her to take a seat at the table before answering.

“Just someone for Luce” he handed her a mug, the tea dangerously close to spilling over the rim. A shriek was heard from upstairs followed by the pounding of footsteps and finally the squeak of socks sliding across linoleum floor as Lucy slid into view.

“Oh my god! Alaska” she screamed, pulling the brunette and into her arms before squeezing her into a tight hug. “I am so sorry for the other night” Lucy began to ramble, apology after apology falling out her mouth not listening to Alaska who tried to cut her off.

“What are you doing here?!” a voice snapped from the doorway, cutting Lucy off from her speech and causing her to instead nibble at her lip anxiously as her eyes moved from her brother to her friend, as though she was watching a game of tennis.

“I came to see Lucy?” Alaska replied the statement came out more as a question, quite the opposite to what she was feeling as her green eyes locked with the brows ones of the boy she has come to know as Zack.

“Well she isn’t coming back to work for you so you can go find another slut like yourself to dance on the bar” he sneered harshly, Alaska was taken back, how dare he judge her and call her a slut. He didn’t know a single thing about her.

“Zack!” Lucy screeched, mouth gaping as she stared at her brother wide-eyed not believing what he had just said.

“You don’t know a single thing about my life. All I did was come here to see if my friend was alright. I don’t care if she doesn’t want to work at O’s any more, hell I wish I didn’t have to but it pisses me off when self-righteous boys like you think they know everything about every fucking person they meet” Alaska snapped, glaring at the boy noting how he now began to shift uncomfortable from foot to foot, hand scratching the back of his neck but the frown was still etched on his face.

“Here” Alaska shoved the Tupperware tub filled with cookies into his chest before storming out the house and down the drive. She knew it was a stupid mistake and she regretted turning up, Lucy deserved a better friend than her. One who her friends didn’t think was some sleazy slut.

“Wait” a voice called as Alaska’s hand rested on the gate. She didn’t turn around to face the person though she did fulfil the request and stopped in her tracks, her breath was ragged and it was only then that she realised how angry she was.

“I’m sorry okay, it’s just I don’t want to see my sister get hurt or in any trouble and to be honest when I saw you at the bar I was hoping that she would never have a friend like you but I’m sorry for what I said. Could we please start again and get to know each other, for Lucy’s sake? She’s really fond of you” The voice called from behind her, the tone was pleading and one that Alaska was used to after having to use it many times to get Ava to behave.

“Okay” Alaska mumbled, turning around to face the brown haired boy.

“I’m Zack” he offered his hand, looking her in the eye before nodding at his hand to get her to take the hint, Alaska hesitated it before shaking it nervously.

“Alaska” she mumbled forcing herself to give the boy a small smile.