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Game Over
chapter one
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. It was the birth place of two horrible people forced together because of an unexpected pregnancy. It was the place they wed, they honeymooned, and where they had little Phoebe Lim in the pool at her grandmother's backyard. It was also the place Phoebe grew up, with little to no attention and the anxiety of a chihuahua. But it was also the gracious place that gave her Phillip Gallagher and his dysfunctional family. She sighed as she felt the bed beside her dip. Her fingers splayed across the sheets beneath her before gripping it tight. She nuzzled her nose into the throw pillow. "Hey," the gentle voice spoke. "It's seven fifteen, Pheebs."
"Five more minutes," she whined, hiding her face into the pillow. A laugh escaped the older girl's lips as she grabbed Phoebe by her side. "Up and at 'em, kiddo." Her eyes cracked open to see Fiona Gallagher sitting beside her, bed head and all. "Okay," she finally sighed. Once Fiona hopped off of the bed, Phoebe forced herself to sit up. She waited until Fiona closed to door behind her to wake everyone else up and got out of bed. She wore a pair of shorts stolen from Lip and one of her dad's old college shirts. Her eyes roamed the room until they fell on her overnight bag. She launched herself toward the bag and hauled it onto the bed. Inside was several changes of clothes, a toothbrush, and her own toothpaste. It also contained her wallet and her phone charger.
"Seven fifteen, monkeys," she heard Fiona say as she opened a door. As quick as she could, she grabbed a pair of jeans and a t shirt, flinging off the clothes she wore in that moment. She was dressed by the time the boys were racing for the bathroom. "First shower," Ian announced as she opened the door, toothbrush and toothpaste in hand. "You had it yesterday," Lip argued. A winning smile found Phoebe's face as she walked down the hallway. "That's why I shower at night," she teased, waving the purple brush at her best friend. He nodded his head with raised eyebrows. "Well, you don't jack off at night," he fired back, causing her eyes to roll skyward.
"Lip," Fiona scoffed, disgust evident in her expression. Phoebe passed by him to make her way to the kitchen. Her feet were barely in her tennis shoes, heels hanging over the back. She slid over the hardwood floor, dodging a running Carl. Fiona fluffed her hair before turning to lead the way. The duo made way into the kitchen. Phoebe used the sink water to prepare her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth, all the while wiggling her feet into her sneakers. Fiona slammed the fridge closed after taking out the milk. Right in front of her was the calendar. "Shit," the older girl cursed.
"What is it?" Phoebe asked around the toothbrush in her mouth, watching as Fiona tossed the milk jug onto the counter. "The electric bill." She side eyed the girl standing at the sink. Phoebe turned back to the sink and ducked her head in, making sure the majority of her spit hit the drain. After rinsing it, she turned back to Fiona. "I can help out this month. This is, like, the fourth night I've spent over." If there was one thing to know about the Gallaghers, it was that they didn't take charity. If they were to take money, it would be to borrow or because that person owed them. In Phoebe's eyes, she owed them everything. Even if they didn't see it exactly like that.
After spacing out for a few beats, Fiona finally shook her head. "Nah. You're our guest. Lip's guest," she argued. She killed the conversation with a wave of her hand. Deciding not to push her further, Phoebe went back to brushing her teeth as the house descended into chaos. "Hurry up, you ginger dick!" Lip shouted outside of the bedroom door. His fist banged heavily against the wood. "Fuck off!" Ian shouted back over the spray of water. Taking this as her cue, Phoebe turned toward the hallway and made her way toward the bickering brothers. "Hey, let me borrow your toothpaste," Lip spoke up upon seeing his friend.
She stopped in her tracks and stared at him for a second. "Do you want to borrow my toothbrush too?" she asked. Lip bit down on his bottom lip. "I mean, if you'll let me," he joked. Without hesitation, he flicked her in the middle of the forehead, rendering her almost speechless. Before she could fight back, the two could hear the shower curtain slide on the metal rail and the water turn off. "Thanks, tweety bird. I'll leave the door unlocked." He flashed her a cheeky smile before ducking into the bathroom once Ian had opened the door. "Hey, can I borrow your toothpaste?" Phoebe rolled her eyes at the typicality of the brothers. "Yeah," she sighed. "Here."
Ian smiled over at Phoebe. "Thanks." She ruffled his wet hair before turning to walk back to Fiona's room. Once inside, she dug through her overnight bag for her wallet. If Fiona wouldn't accept it, at least she knew that Lip would. All she'd have to say is that she owed her money for their hospitality. Or maybe she stole a pack of cigarettes off of him and was paying him back. Either way, Lip was her best bet. She snatched a ten dollar bill from her wallet and folded it up in her palm. "Breakfast!" Fiona shouted. Quickly, Phoebe moved her wallet and some other things to her school bag and tossed it over her shoulder.
She could hear the drumming of feet against the floor as the kids rushed to the kitchen. Taking this moment, she rushed out of Fiona's room and snuck toward the bathroom. "Lip," she called out, announcing her presence before opening the door. "What's up, pop rocks?" he replied, still hidden behind the shower curtain. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. "I got ten dollars that I owe you." Lip scoffed. She could vaguely see his outline behind the multicolored shower curtain. His arms were working shampoo into his hair and over his arms, probably using it for both his hair and body. "For what?" She blew air into her cheeks before letting it out with a sigh. "I stole a pack of cigarettes from your bag last week," she lied.
"You don't even smoke unless you're drunk," he argued. She knew he was smiling proudly for knowing her so well. "Maybe I just started." The shower curtain was pulled back, showing off Lip and his sudsy head of hair. "You didn't. If you did, you'd smell like smoke even when you try and hide it with perfume." Her mouth formed an irritated pout. "You still smell as sweet as ever." She turned her head, ignoring the charismatic way he smiled and the way the water trickled over his cheeks and down the slope of his nose. "You pay way too much attention to things," she snapped, but he knew that she was putting up an act. "Only when it comes to you."
"Lip! Pheebs!" The brunette turned toward the bathroom door where Fiona called them. A sigh left Lip's mouth as he ducked back under the running water. "I'm going to leave this ten right here. Take it or leave it." And that was the end of that. She placed the bill on his clean— or clean as can be— jeans and exited the bathroom. Ian stood there, holding out her toothpaste tube. "Keep it. I'll probably be back tonight, if Fiona will let me," she replied, ending her statement with a tightlipped smile. Ian shook it in his grasp before nodding his head. The two parted ways, Ian heading to his shared bedroom and Phoebe toward the kitchen.
The chaos of the Gallagher house was warm and inviting. Despite the worries and the responsibilities, it made Phoebe feel at home. Like she was meant to be there, right then and in that exact place. After a few more minutes of someone scrubbing a few dishes clean to eat with, Lip came into the kitchen. He watched as Phoebe filled a bowl with cereal and skipped the milk that had been diminishing gradually. The ends of his lips quirked into a sideways grin. He took his seat across from Ian, saving the one at the end for his best friend. Carl sat beside Ian while Debbie sat at the end of the table. "Electric," Fiona stated as she set the Powerbar box onto the table. Lip tossed in a crumpled bill along with the folded bill Phoebe had left. "Electric," he stated, passing the box to Ian.
Phoebe took her seat beside Lip and popped a few pieces of Trix cereal into her mouth. Lip stole a few pieces without hesitation. Ian tossed a few bills into the box and passed the box to Carl, who immediately passed it on to Debbie. "No," Fiona suddenly said from behind Phoebe, a grimace on her face. "You got a Happy Meal on the front of that shirt." Looking at Carl, Phoebe noticed the huge ketchup stain right at his neck. Lip snickered. "Oh, uh, field trip. Need Dad's signature." Ian passed a slip of paper to Debbie, who had perfected the art of forgery. Phoebe chewed away silently, basking in the daily lives of the Gallagher siblings.
"Wow, Deb, that's getting really good," Lip complimented the younger girl's skill. "If I got you my parents' signatures, you think you could do theirs too?" Phoebe asked. Debbie smiled over at her widely. The younger girl had always really liked Lip's friend. She nodded happily. "Who's got the phone?" Fiona asked. Lip turned in his chair to search his pockets. "I got it." — "Any minutes left?" He finally pulled the flip phone from his pocket and waved it in the air. Once Fiona was looking at him, he tossed it. "Uh, fourteen," he answered as the device fell into her hands. She pocketed the device.
"Hey, I need something for show-and-tell," Debbie voiced. Phoebe hummed, holding up a finger. Before she could talk, she chewed up the food in her mouth. "I have this thing in my bag. Apparently its antique, but I think they just say that because it's ugly." Lip quickly shook his head as he shoveled a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. Phoebe looked at him in confusion. "You can't take that," he stated, mouth full of chewed Mini Wheats cereal. "It'll give the other kids nightmares." Phoebe elbowed his side defensively. "Denton has character," she defended the stuffed animal. "Denton looks like someone who got fried in a meth lab explosion."
"How much are we short?" Fiona asked Debbie, changing the subject before a fight broke out. Debbie looked through the box, counting each bill. "Eight dollars, thirty cents," she answered. Fiona nodded. She turned to the dryer and placed a chair against the door to keep it closed. "Wait, did Carl even put in any?" Lip asked, narrowing his eyes toward the younger boy. "You're almost nine, you're gonna have to start pulling you're weight," Debbie added. Phoebe snorted, quickly clapping her hand over her mouth. "Right. And get a real job, not just dipping into the collection plate at St. Tim's," Lip added. Phoebe shook her head. "You're so mean to him," she directed toward Lip. "At least he's bringing in money." Fiona scoffed. "Yeah. Stolen money. But money is money, right?"
"They're giving it away, anyway. Why not give to a good cause." Carl smiled proudly toward Phoebe. It was always her who stood up for him. Fiona picked up Liam from his high chair, cooing at the toddler. "I'm filling in for Candi, so I can cover the rest." Lip dropped his spoon immediately. The look of joy on his face almost had Phoebe cooing. "Extra kraut on mine," he voiced. "Cheese on mine," Ian added. "Somebody's gotta take Liam," she stated matter-of-factly. Phoebe turned to the baby in excitement. "Lip—" Before she could reach out and take him, Lip cleared his throat. "Calculus test," he reminded her, absolutely crushing her dream. "Shit," she muttered sadly. Once Lip got up, she knew that it was time to go. "Sorry, bubba. Maybe next time."
Liam reached for her, running his fingers over her nose. She scrunched her nose in response before standing from her spot. "I have work after school," Ian added, standing from his seat, as well. Phoebe dumped the remaining cereal pieces into her and took her bowl to the sink. Lip followed after grabbing his backpack from the hook. Fiona looked to Debbie, who sighed. "Show-and-tell?" Fiona hated this. She hated putting Debbie in this situation. "Show them the birthmark on his back. It looks like Latvia." Fiona held Liam over the table and passed him onto the youngest sister. "Sorry, Debs." Lip grabbed ahold of Phoebe's arm, leading her toward the front door. "Can't we just take him? Kimberly Logan used to bring her kid to class."
"That was before he threw up on our teacher and got babies banned," Lip responded. He turned toward a pouting Phoebe. "We'll have him tonight, probably. I think Fiona is planning on hitting the clubs tonight." He pulled her closer, just close enough to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "I want a baby," she sighed. And she did. Being around Liam was poison enough to trigger the worst case of baby fever she had ever known. Plus, she'd seen the way pregnant women glow. She wanted to glow like that. "You'll have to ask someone else," Lip chuckled. She glanced toward him. "But if you want a baby so bad, then go have unprotected sex."
"Fine, maybe I will," she responded. Lip didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to tell her no, or that he was kidding. He was kidding after all. "Fine," he mimicked. "Why don't we make a game out of it, then. Since you want to get pregnant so bad, you'll probably have to sleep around a lot. So, why don't we put money on this." Confusion swept across her face. "Let's see who can sleep with the most people before you get knocked up." She thought about it. It would be nice to be able to win some money. She'd need it if she was serious about having a baby. "But what if I'm not ready to actually have a baby?" she asked. Lip took away his arm and pushed open the front door. "Then if you chicken out, we can make it to where it ends when we graduate."
That's better, she thought. "How much are we talking?" she asked. He ran a hand over his face as he got lost in thought. "You've put in money for the past four bills, so I'd say fifty bucks. How's that?" She quickly nodded. Fifty bucks would be enough to get herself a new phone. Or even a new pair of jeans or sneakers. "Deal," she stated happily. She held a hand between them and Lip took it with a laugh. After shaking, the two climbed down the front porch steps. "Follow me," he told her, grabbing ahold of her wrist and pulling her behind him. The duo snuck past the gate toward a gaggle of children. "What—" Before she knew it, Lip was grabbing the bike resting against the ground and threw a leg over it. "C'mon!"
He pushed off right in time as she jumped onto the handlebars. Her back rested against his arms as he pedaled off. "Hey! That's my fucking bike!"
—
Phoebe placed the two plastic bags onto the kitchen counter with a sigh. "What are those?" Fiona asked, brushing away at her teeth. The younger girl looked up, spotting both Fiona and Veronica standing in the kitchen entryway. Her mouth opened in shock upon seeing the blue dress that Fiona wore. "Woah," she awed. "Fi, you look hot." The older girl scoffed, a genuine smile gracing her features. She waved off the compliment with her hand. "What is that?" she asked once more, pointing toward the white bags. Phoebe turned back to her groceries, suddenly hyperaware of everything around her. "I bought some pizza rolls and some drinks for dinner," she explained. "I also bought some snacks, too, so we don't eat all of the food in the kitchen."
"See, now that's a sweet girl," Veronica voiced. She stepped toward Phoebe and began rummaging through the bags. "Oh, and she got Twix bars!" Phoebe smiled as Vee took a package and winked at her. "You didn't have to do that," Fiona sighed. Her heart felt so full knowing that Phoebe was willing to spend her own hard earned money for their family of misfits. Lip had done well befriending her. "I know," Phoebe responded, eyes crinkling as she smiled. "Is Lip home?" she asked. Vee nodded her head as she ripped into the candy wrapper. "In his room. Came in in a hurry." Phoebe nodded, smiling to herself. "I'm going to put this stuff up first."
"I brought hot dogs and nachos, too. So if you want to wait to make those tomorrow?" Phoebe nodded along with Fiona's words and decided to put the pizza rolls into the freezer. Next she placed the soda bottles into the fridge and hid the snacks away in the cabinets. Fiona and Vee had left amidst it all like two bats out of hell. "Hey, Pheebs." She glanced toward the door as Ian entered the house. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey," she answered with a smile. "Hey, Veronica." She smiled toward him as he walked through the hallway toward his shared bedroom. "Good luck tonight," Veronica hummed as she moved to stand beside Phoebe.
The younger girl laughed. She held a bottle of Coke in her hand, plus a straw she had taken from the gas station she stopped at for the candy. "I can handle it," she replied, turning to look at the beautiful woman beside her. "You look great, too, you know. Very sexy." Vee nudged the girl's shoulder with her own. "I knew I liked you." The two broke out into a fit of laughter before Fiona came to join the party. "Are you staying the night?" she asked the Lim girl, who nodded in response. "Don't forget to get everyone down before ten. Especially Liam and Carl." She nodded her head, already knowing the deal. As long as Carl was in bed with his headphones, things'll go smoothly.
"See you tomorrow, unless you're still up." Both Veronica and Fiona made a move to leave the house with their purses. Phoebe took this as her chance to move to the living room. "Hey, Debs. There's food in the kitchen," she voiced, plopping down right beside her on the couch. "I know. Fiona told me," the younger girl replied. Liam sat on the floor, playing with his toys. The television was playing some documentary, the narrators voice droning on in a monotonous tone. The two fell silent as Phoebe cracked open her soda. "Want some?" she asked, holding out the bottle to the younger girl. "No, thanks." With a shrug, Phoebe set it between her thighs so she could rip open the straw wrapper.
Debbie watched as Phoebe dropped the straw into the bottle and drank from it that way. When she was done, she dropped the straw further in and tightened the cap back on. Why do you get a bottle if you're going to drink out of a straw?" Debbie asked curiously. Phoebe glanced over to her with raised eyebrows. Why did she do that? She had always had that habit, but what started it? What the reason? "Hm," she sighed, leaning into the couch. "Well, it's easier to control how much I drink. Plus if I want to share, I won't be drinking after other people." ootsteps sounded behind them as both Ian and Lip came down the stairs. "I'm off to work," Ian announced, now dressed in regular attire instead of his ROTC uniform.
"You do realize that you're still drinking someone else's backwash, even with a straw," Lip voiced after hopping over the back of the couch and seating himself right next to Phoebe. She rolled her eyes at him. "Not everyone back washes, Lip," Debbie argued. "I don't backwash. Neither does Phoebe, or Ian." Lip stared at his baby sister, arm lining itself behind Phoebe across the back of the couch. "Carl does," he stated. "And though she claims she doesn't, so does Fiona." Phoebe once again cracked open her Coke, but before she could drink it, Lip had snatched it from her grip. He took out the straw and took a swig. "Mm," he sighed after the cool liquid slipped down his throat. "Got any more of these?" he asked.
Phoebe nodded her head. "I got some drinks for dinner tonight. Fiona said that she brought hot dogs and nachos from the stadium." He hummed. "Yeah. You hungry?" She pursed her lips. She could definitely eat. "A little," she answered. He ran his hand over her head, pushing the hair framing her face away. "Okay." He ruffled her hair with a warm grin before getting off of the couch and heading for the kitchen. "Debs, you hungry?" She shot back a, 'yes,' in return, focusing back on the homework set out before her. "Nachos or hot dog?" They could hear the microwave open, which probably became home to Ian's hot dog he left behind to keep it somewhat warm. "Nachos," Debbie answered. "I want a hot dog!" Carl came bounding into the house, throwing his backpack onto the floor.
Quickly, Phoebe stepped over the coffee table and picked up Liam before Carl could run into the living room and run him over. "Hi, bubbie," she cooed, sitting back on the couch and setting the toddler into her lap. He smiled over at her, showing off his cute teeth and poking out his tongue. "Oh, look how handsome. You're smile makes my heart melt." Lip glanced into the room in interest. He watched as Phoebe made faces toward Liam, eliciting an excited giggle every time she'd mouth at his fingers. She fit in so well. Maybe she was destined to be there.
from rumi . . .
and here we have the first chapter!
i am so in love with lip & phoebe's
friendship and how phoebe fits into
the family.
don't forget to vote + comment!