"This is insane." Alaska had to laugh as she stared at Eli's left shoulder, the shape of the state of Alaska tattoos on his shoulder. He grinned, looking back at her with a eyebrow raise.

"Are you done being mad now?" he asked her hopefully while motioning to his arm, "I literally hate the cold, you're the only reason I got this."

Alaska laughed as she wrapped her arms around his middle with a sigh, "I'm sorry for getting so mad about Moon, she's really sweet. I'm just not use to it all yet."

"Use to what?" he asked her, rubbing the back of her head softly as she hugged him.

"Just things feel different I guess." she said honestly, hoping they wouldn't get into a argument. Alaska pulled away to look at him with a small sigh, "But if you are... this version of yourself from now on, I can work with it. It's just taking time to get use to."

He scanned her face with a half grin, "I know what you mean, I just like this version of me more."

"I know." Alaska's nodded with a forced smile. She wasn't sure if she should disagree or agree. She liked Eli like this, with his new confidence and badass attitude toward things. But then again she felt like she'd lost the boy she'd known since she was a kid, the soft and gentle one was barley there anymore. She was stuck, completely.

"Come on, I told a kid i'd fight him in the park." Hawk said with a smirk down at her, pulling her out of the tattoo shop with his fresh ink on his arm.

"Come on, eat something, you'll feel better." Demetri tried to say to Miguel who felt completely down, "Alaska even made her blueberry muffins."

"Yeah, just for you too." she said, rubbing his back and peaking over her shoulder to see Eli fighting with a much smaller kid, sighing and looking forward again.

"I still think you're overreacting." Demetri said as he huffed, Alaska watched in worry at how rough Eli was being with the small child, throwing pretty hard punches his way.

"I'm not overreacting, dude." Miguel said annoyed, making Alaska focus on him again, "I know what I saw."

"All right, so you saw her eating dinner with some chode." Eli said before he kicked the kid in the face and knocking him over, "It's probably just her brother or something."

"Jesus christ." Alaska said as she squeezed the bridge of her nose at the sight of the passed out child. Eli leaned on the bench between her and Miguel.

"No, dude. Brothers don't look at their sisters like that. It's like when-" Migeul began before he stopped himself, shaking us head with a eye roll.

"Depends what part of the country you're in." Demetri said as Alaska gave him a look of disbelief which he only responded with his hands up in surrender.

"Look, I just don't want what happened to Sensei to happen to me." Miguel said with a sad sigh down at the grass.

"Hey, it's not, okay? I'll beat that brother of hers and her if you want me to." Alaska said as she slapped Demetri quickly, "Tell Miguel how good my kicks have gotten."

"I'd rather not." he said, cringing at the memory and rubbing his arm.

"So go over to this kid and beat his ass." Hawk said as he hit Miguel in the shoulder some, "You want Alaska fighting your battles for you?"

"Oh, I know you aren't talking right now." Demetri said in disbelief as Alaska gave him a scolding look, "Don't listen to, Eli."

"It's Hawk." he corrected with a stern expression.

"Whatever." Demetri waved him off, "The fact is, Sams giving you no reason not to trust her."

Miguel shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Want me to go undercover and pretend to be a new girl from Alaska, become her best friend and get all her secrets to see if this random dude is a threat?" Alaska asked with a smirk toward Miguel who stared at her, blinking multiple times.

"Alaska." he said, grabbing her face, "What goes on in your brain?"

"Crazy shit, man." she said with a shake of her head, "Crazy shit."

"Oh! That little bitch!" Aisha yelled out as she stared at her phone in disbelief.

"What?" Miguel groaned.

"You know that video I post of me breaking the board?" Aisha asked the three with anger in her voice, "Look what Yasmine commented."

Alaska squinted a she looked at the screen.

Impressive... can't believe the belt fit around ur waist.

"Nothing worse then a little body shaming." Alaska said as she stretched her arms over her head with a dramatic yawn, knocking Eli with them in the process, "Want me to wrap her house?"

"No, I gotta do something." Aisha said with a shake of her head.

"All right, what if we kidnap her and have my boy Rico tattoo 'bitch' on her face?" Hawk asked with a exciting grin from behind the four.

"Calm down, Hawk." Demetri said in a almost mocking manor, emphasizing on the name. Alaska snorted slightly and hid it with a cough.

"All right, I hear how you're saying it, and I don't like it." Eli said to him with a huff and whine to his words.

"You gotta say it more from the chest, like you're trying to get mucus out of your throat." Alaska gave Demetri the advice as Hawk popped her bra strap, making her yelp and throw her arm out behind her to try and hit him.

"Wait, wait, wait." Aisha said quickly as she held out her phone, "I've got a better idea."

She showed the four a selfie of Yasmine. Miguel read it the quickest, "Yasmines throwing a birthday party at the Canyon later?"

"Not if we strike first." Aisha said with a grin, knocking fist with Alaska quickly.

"I still don't understand how we're gonna buy alcohol." Demetri said in disbelief as he looked over the candy section toward Aisha. Alaska was too busy taking all the caramel squares.

"Oh please. Never underestimate the power of the Hawk." Eli said as he grabbed the case with one arm, throwing a arm around Alaska and pulling her toward the check out with him.

"Sup? Oh, did you catch the game last night? See Puig with the walk-off?" Eli asked the man behind the bar, a nod of his head as the man laughed and gave a shake of his head.

"Nah, man. But I heard he flew the bat to the moon." he said with a grin across his face.

"Yeah, I was at the bar last night with my buddies from work. Whole place went wild." Hawk said, Alaska looked over her shoulder to Aisha in shock at his ability and well performed lie.

"I wanted to go but my girlfriend dragged me to some lame-ass play." the man complained with a frown.

"Yeah, gets worse once you get married." Eli said as he nodded toward Alaska under his arm who nodded in agreement, "Bitches will be bitches."

Alaska's mouth dropped as his words, shrugging his arm off of her with a eye roll.

"So, how much it gonna cost?" he asked, nodding down at the case while Alaska crossed her arms, waiting for this to be over.

"Oh, gotta check your ID first." the man said with a shrug.

Eli laughed and shook his head, "I'm flattered."

The man simply stared at him.

"You really think i'm underage?" Hawk asked in disbelief, pulling Alaska back under his arm again and nodded back toward Bert behind them, "Thats our frickin' kid right there."

The man looked at Bert then back at the pair with a faint look of disbelief, "Yeah, I still need to see your ID."

"Just show him your ID, babe." Alaska said to Eli with a forced smile.

"It's all good, will do, babe." he nodded, letting his arm drop from around her and pass the ID to the man. Alaska could see the look of disbelief on his face as he stared at it, looking at the pair again while Hawk sent a encouraging look toward the three behind them.

"Whatever." the man said with a sigh as he reached down for a bag, Alaska sighed in relief and ran a hand through her hair.

"Uh, and how about eight bottles of that vodka right there?" Eli went on, nodding toward the bottles behind the counter.

"It's my twenty first birthday, gotta go big." Alaska went on, adding into Eli's lie as the man looked at the pair in disbelief before reaching down and pulling them out.

•

kylie speaks

not next chapter
gonna hurt my
heart a lil.