sugar and spice [shameless uk]

07

║ WHERE THE FUCK IS FRANK

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ALEXANDRA ROLLED OVER IN BED AND REACHED FOR HER PHONE.
She groaned at the notification from a message from Lip and confusingly, his brother to.

Alex opened the message to read about their father doing a disappearing act and if she had seen him recently. She had to admit that she didn't care much what had happened to the man (after all of her encounters being shocking with the drunken fool). She had to put herself in their shoes and see that it was still their father. Debbie would probably be beside herself.

Alex briefly knew Debbie. She'd warded bullies away from her once. She hadn't planned it but she'd rounded the corner at the right time, to see a group of girls to her one. It wasn't right and she might have said a few choice words to the much younger girls and scared them for life.

Her thoughts turned to what if Patrick Maguire suddenly did a disappearing act and how she'd react. She begrudgingly got ready for "school" or seemingly ready in school (but in fact ready to skip school and help Lip search against her better judgement).
"I'm off to school!" She yelled into the empty house with barely anyone awake.

She'd even left before Mandy woke up to avoid being caught. She wasn't sure if she would be killed more for skipping school, or if they found out she'd skipped to help The Gallagher's.

"What are you doing here?" Lip gawped at Alex appearing at his front door. She was very hard for him to work out, kissing him and leaving (but he was more shocked she'd returned after his family's antics last night).
"You texted me about Frank, figured you'd need some help finding him. Still better than school." She shrugged and leant against the door frame.

"Stupid old man is probably in a ditch somewhere from too many pints at The Jockey."
"Silly old Frank just got lost on the way home. Confused his left from his right. I do that all the time." Alex said gently. Lip give her a strange look, quickly following along when he was alerted that Debbie stood behind him.

"I promise we'll find Frank and bring him home Debs. In fact Alex said she'd help me look." Phillip promised his younger sister and grabbed his jacket. Alex gave the younger female a kind smile before the door shut and they were away up the street.

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"Why do you call him Frank?"
"What do you mean? He is Frank." Lip said flatly.

"He's your father but you don't address him as such."
"He's hardly a dad, father by birth but not a dad. He deserves the title of Frank. Fiona has played both mum and dad."

A silence settled between them and Alex could practically feel the nervous energy the radiated off Lip. She figured even if Frank was essentially a sperm donor, he was still their only parent that was around.

"Maybe we should check The Jockey. Make sure he's not squirrelled away in some corner with a pint." She tried gently. Lip give a quite murmur in reply, turning and entering into The Jockey.

Phillip stormed forwards toward the bar and slammed down the mobile phone he held.
"Shove it up your ass Kev, and no more favours from me. Like filling in your fake insurance forms because your too thick to do it yourself." He snapped.

Alexandra swallowed thickly at the tense atmosphere, trying to make the most of the moment. She took a seat at the bar and offered Jez her best smile.
"Two vodka and cokes please. Make them a large. And how do I go about setting up a tab?"
"Nice try young lady. You're wearing school uniform." Jez snorted and shooed her away.

She sighed at her failed attempt and followed Phillip's angry footsteps towards the exit.
"Whoa, Lip. Wait, wait. Look. He can't be far. He's never far." Kevin tried as he hurried after the younger male.

"I know but it's Friday."
Alex furrowed a brow in confusion at what was so special about Friday.

"What's so special about Friday?"
"Gyro day. We don't all live off blood money from our parents. Some of us live hand to mouth. We're very different Alex." Lip spat. Alex was taken a back by his toxic tone and had to restrain herself to not react just as violently.

"Steve had shot off by then, so he definitely wasn't."
"Which Steve?"
"Steve. Fiona's bloke. Talking to your dad. Pleasant enough.. Oh fuck." Kev gawped upon the realisation of the situation he'd just caused. Phillip was already halfway to the doors with an angry look on his face.

"Try and keep your boyfriend under control, yeah? I heard Steve tried to clobber Frank, but let's not let it be Lip against Steve." Kev murmured to a stunned Alex.
"He's not my fucking boyfriend Kev."