gallagher siblings x sister oc (claudia)
summary: in which claudia forgives
this chapter is inspired by the girl meets world episode: girl meets the Forgiveness Project
original gmw characters have had their names changed except cory and topanga
for context: claudia is the middle gallagher child, being older than debbie and younger than ian, in this she is 15 years old, ian is 16 and debbie is 12.
this takes place just over a year after monica attempted to take liam.
claudia is the most sensitive when it comes to monica.
although this is about claudia and all the Gallagher siblings, it does a small focus on lip and claudia's bond.
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Claudia Gallagher.
The odd Gallagher out you could say.
Her long, curly hair was a shade blonder than her older brother Lip's, and she possessed a unique sense of style, constantly experimenting with different clothing choices as she didn't like to limit herself to one style.
Unlike her more outspoken siblings, Claudia preferred to keep to herself, often remaining silent about her own struggles with her family. Her older siblings, Fiona, Lip, and Ian saw both positives and negatives in her reserved nature. On the one hand, they had one less person's problems to deal with but on the other hand, they never knew what problems were going through that forever racing mind of hers.
The exception to Claudia's quiet demeanour was her relationship with Lip, her closest sibling. Although hesitant to burden him with her own issues while he was already grappling with his own challenges, she still confided in him more than anyone else. However, her reserved nature didn't extend to her school life.
What they didn't know, is that Claudia had an amazing teacher. Mr. Matthews. He was the father of her best friend of 11 years and had become somewhat of a support system for the girl, so she had known him before he even began teaching her.
As a history teacher, Mr Matthews possessed a remarkable ability to intertwine life lessons with historical events. Claudia and her close group of friends would often solve their own problems by applying the wisdom gained from his captivating lessons.
For the longest time, Mr Matthews had always been right in Claudia's eyes. However, there came a moment when his guidance proved to be wrong.
It was a rare occasion when Claudia found herself questioning the advice of her beloved teacher, realizing that even the most knowledgeable mentors can occasionally make mistakes.
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Claudia entered her favourite class of the day, accompanied by her close friends Jayden, Emily, Matt, and Noah. Their History teacher, Mr Matthews, leaned against the front of his desk, lacking his usual enthusiastic greeting for the students.
The classroom fell into silence as the students took their seats, eagerly anticipating what they would be learning that day. Their attention was drawn to the blackboard, where bold white letters spelt out a single word: "FORGIVENESS."
Once the class had settled down, Mr Matthews began to speak, pacing the front of the class, "Throughout history, nations have resorted to war to resolve their conflicts. While we often discuss said wars in this class, today I want to focus on peace and forgiveness, and how we can achieve them."
"Every once in a while, I come up with a good idea," Mr Matthews smiled, his excitement resembling that of a young child eager to share their playtime adventures with you.
"What could it possibly be that I haven't thought of before?" Matt, the resident 'nerd' of the class announced slightly smug.
"Matt, I forgive you," Mr Matthews unexpectedly declared, catching the student off guard.
"What did I do?" Matt questioned, perplexed by the sudden forgiveness.
"I forgive you too," Jayden said, a sour tone lacing his voice, as he stared at Matt intensely.
"What did I do?!" Matt raises his voice, completely baffled by these statements of forgiveness, that were, as far as he was aware, coming from nowhere.
"Oh you know," Jayden retorted, turning back to face Mr. Matthews.
"I feel much better!" Mr. Matthews states smiling at the class, "How do you feel, Matt?"
"I apologize for everything I've ever done, and for every time I've hurt you. But seriously, what did I do?" Matt pleaded, desperate for an explanation.
Ignoring the question, Mr Matthews addressed the entire class once again, "Everyone, let me introduce you to this week's assignment: the forgiveness project. Our personal histories extend beyond our own actions. True growth comes from repairing our mistakes and choosing to forgive those who have wronged us."
"Hmm, count us in," Emily declared, a bright smile adorning her face. "What do we need to do?"
"Everyone, look at the paper on your desk, take out a pen and start writing," Mr Matthews begins explaining, moving to his desk and pulling out a stack of red envelopes, "This is not your laptop or cellphone, you have unlimited characters here, as many words as you want, so use them."
He distributed a stack of envelopes to the front desks, ensuring they could be passed down the rows. Claudia took one envelope and handed the rest to Noah, stretching her arm above her head. As she stared at the envelope, she contemplated whom she should write to. There were many people she could forgive, including her family members.
Fiona for grounding her after Carl broke a window and blamed it on her.
Lip for flaking on her for Karen Jackson on a few occasions.
Ian, for spilling milk all over her English assignment worth 25% of her final grade.
Debbie for stealing her dolls and losing them.
Carl for finding the dolls and burning them.
Frank for, well everything.
And, then there was Mo-
"The impact of this will last longer than six seconds," Mr Matthews continued, "And I can guarantee that the impact will never disappear, so go ahead. Write. Express emotions. This is going to be one of the most important things you do in your life, you're about to forgive someone,"
"What's this got to do with history Matthews?" Claudia inquires, leaning casually forward on her desk, her interest piqued.
"It's got everything to do with history, Miss Gallagher. You're being given the chance to change it." Mr Matthews replied, his eyes filled with purpose, knowing that she of all people would benefit the most from said lesson.
"Like when I forgave Rory for biting off the face of my favourite bunny teddy, Babbit," Emily announced sincerely.
Mr Matthews looked at her with a puzzled expression, "Honey, that was not forgiveness."
"Why not?"
"Because you're not over it!" Mr Matthews accused.
"This is the first thing I'm faced with every day!" Emily says angrily, pulling a raggedy old rabbit teddy, whose face had been completely torn off, the fluff protruding from its face.
The rest of the class glanced at Emily and her rabbit briefly, then quickly moved on. This dynamic within the class might have seemed peculiar to outsiders, but it was a familiar occurrence. Claudia, Emily, Noah, Matt, and Jayden had developed a bond with Mr Matthews that allowed them to seek his guidance and openly express themselves during class. While the other students might not have engaged in the same way, they, too, had their own connections with other teachers.
Nevertheless, Mr Matthews remained the favourite teacher of their group.
"Moving on, is there anyone in your life that you want to forgive?" Mr Matthews asked, "Go ahead. Change your history,"
The entire class began writing fervently, pouring their emotions onto paper, except for Claudia. In truth, she had already forgiven everyone on her list, even Frank. There was only one person who lingered in her mind, but could she truly find it in her heart to forgive them?
Not to mention, her family had deliberately kept her away from this individual for years. The last time they had shown up, Lip had whisked her away to Emily's house to ensure they avoided each other. It had been over four years, and if her older siblings had their way, it would remain that way for the rest of her life.
"Dear Rory, the murderer..." Emily began, distaste for her 6-year-old brother lacing her voice.
Mr. Matthews notices Claudia's distant look, as her hand hovers slightly above the paper in front of her, "Claudia, no one in your life that you want to forgive?"
"No," Claudia shrugs nonchalantly, shrugging her arms, and then clapping her hands together slightly.
Noah glanced up from his own paper, looking at the back of Claudia's head. He leaned forward slightly and whispered, "Now might be the right time, don't you think?"
"You and your siblings seem to be in a good place now. You're strong, Claudie. Don't you want to forgive someday? Why not now?" Emily encouraged her best friend, her face displaying a mix of sympathy and support.
Claudia smiled sweetly at her best friend before turning her attention to the piece of paper in front of her. She began writing, a faint chuckle escaping her lips. Emily wore a satisfied smile, clasping her hands together.
Claudia, however, stopped writing rather quickly. Passing the note to her best friend, not bothering to look at her. Emily took the note happily, somehow believing that Claudia had let out 15 years of emotion in a few words.
"Ahem. Emily. Butt out." She read aloud, her voice devoid of emotion. "I am dead serious. Butt your butt out."
Claudia smiled sarcastically as her best friend turned to face her.
"I forgive you," Emily deadpanned.
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Claudia and Emily sat together in the back corner of the Alibi, the familiar hang-out spot for their group of friends when they weren't at school or each other's houses. Despite Kev's initial reluctance to have kids or teenagers in the bar, he had made an exception for the Gallaghers and their close friends. Having met Claudia's group a few times, Kev trusted them completely, especially Emily and Matt, who showed a lot of responsibility.
They watched as V and Kevin attempted to train Fiona and Lip to be good servers. Kev had offered them part-time jobs to help support the family, but it wasn't going smoothly. Fiona had already exchanged heated words with multiple customers for being too demanding or ungrateful, and Lip had come close to getting into a physical altercation over a payment dispute. Even V, known for her feisty nature, couldn't believe their behaviour.
But it was making for an entertaining afternoon for the younger Gallagher siblings and the two best friends. Emily and Claudia sat laughing together, watching the scene at the bar as Lip, Kev and Veronica, even Emily's mother (Topanga, who had shown up to help serve) all held back Fiona, who is attempting to pour a beer over some man's head.
"See, I love your family!" Emily exclaimed, gesturing toward the scene. "Sure, you guys have your differences and struggles, but you're all so close. I don't know how you do it."
Claudia admitted with a hint of uncertainty, "In all honesty, neither do I. But hey, I love your family too. That's why I'm over at your place more than half the time."
They continued their conversation, listing the reasons why they cherished each other's families. Claudia expressed her desire to have Mr and Mrs Matthews as her parents, while Emily shared her appreciation for the Gallaghers as her honorary siblings. Their banter filled the air with lightheartedness, momentarily overshadowing the tension building at the bar.
Suddenly, the entire Alibi fell into an eerie silence, followed by the sound of glass shattering on the floor. Claudia and Emily's attention shifted towards the entrance, where everyone's gaze had fixated. Standing there was a middle-aged woman, with curly blond hair messier than Claudia's, who looked better than Claudia had expected. However, she had never anticipated this individual would show up at all.
"You're gonna want to watch what happens next very carefully," Claudia murmured to her best friend.
"What do you me-" Emily began to ask, but before she could finish, the shouting erupted, drowning out their conversation.
Every single Gallagher in the room, aside from Frank and Liam (who weren't there, not to mention Liam's only 4, he wouldn't have much to say) and Claudia unleashed their anger and frustration upon the woman. Some remained rooted in place, while others moved to surround her. The cacophony of voices made it difficult to make out the exact words being exchanged, but the intensity of their anger was unmistakable.
"Oh my gosh!" Emily says lightly, realisation hitting her like a ton of bricks, "Is that her?! Is she her? Did you do it? Did you do the assignment?"
"I wrote something and mailed it. Please say it was a good move," Claudia looked at her friend with a small amount of hope, only to be met with her friend's distressed face.
"It was a bad move!" She cried.
"What but you encouraged this?! Why is it a bad move?!"
"Tried it with Rory, doesn't work! They don't apologize. Forgiveness is for jerks!" Emily explained, her voice tinged with frustration.
"Well, I'm glad you told me in time Em!" Realizing the gravity of the situation, Claudia shifted her attention back to the unfolding scene. Fiona, Lip, and the others were completely engrossed in the confrontation, their emotions running high. Even Topanga, who had joined them, struggled to make sense of the chaos.
"What on earth is going on?! Is this what you do for like your one-millionth customer or something?" Topanga shouted, her confusion evident.
"No," V and Kev shouted in unison, their voices barely audible above the heated exchange.
"Ma'am, how are you okay with this?" Topanga asked the woman, who was just standing there taking all the yelling and insults.
"I was kind of expecting it actually," The lady admitted, she had a naturally strained and shaking voice, which made her sound like she was on the brink of crying even if she wasn't.
Topanga turned to the owners who seemed to be yelling the quietest out of the group, "Kevin, Veronica, who is this woman?"
But she receives no answers as the yelling continues.
"Stop it!" Fiona yells, halting all movements and silencing the entire bar.
No one speaks as the Gallaghers all look at one another to find the culprit that invited Monica before they all realise that Monica was staring just beyond them.
They all turn to face behind them slightly, only for Claudia to pass by them hesitantly, standing in front of Monica, the two of them staring at each other intensely.
"Hi, Claudia," Monica greeted her softly.
"Hi, Mom."
A heavy silence enveloped the bar as the Gallagher family and Emily watched their interaction, stunned by Claudia's unexpected decision to invite Monica back into their lives. The realization that Claudia had taken such a bold step left them bewildered, as they had always shielded her from the pain Monica had caused in the past. As a kid, she was always the one that got disappointed the most, upset the most, hurt the most. Never in a million years did they expect her to invite the woman back.
The silence was interrupted by Riley joining her best friend's side, "Hi, I'm Emily. I've heard a lot about you," she announced, slight hesitance in her voice.
"Hi Emily, You a good friend of Clauds?" Monica asked, making Claudia cringe slightly at both the question and the nickname.
Emily? A good friend? It never once occurred to Claudia that she wouldn't know who Emily was. If you knew Claudia, you knew Emily.
Emily scoffed slightly, looking at Monica with a 'Are you fucking joking?' look, "I'm sorry and please don't take this the wrong way, but what?!"
"Emily is my best friend," Claudia stated, disappointment evident in her voice, "But you wouldn't know much about her...or me."
Monica smiled a genuine smile at Emily, "Thank you, for being Claudia's best friend."
"It's easy, because Claudia's great, she's the best person that I know," She said honestly.
"In that case, I'm happy that she found you,"
Emily leaned into her friend slightly, making it look like she was going to whisper something, but keeping the same volume when talking to her, meaning that Monica and the Gallaghers could all hear what she had to say, "I was picturing a monster. She doesn't seem like a monster. She seems more like Frosty the Snow Guy,"
Fiona stepped forward slightly, her face void of emotion, Her question cut through the tension like a knife. "What are you doing here, Monica?"
"I uh...was invited," She said hesitantly, holding out a red envelope.
"What?" Fiona asks, her arms going completely limp and her face now taking on an expression of utter disappointment.
The realization of her father's involvement sank in, and Emily interjected, attempting to diffuse the situation and deter any negative feelings towards Claudia. "This is all my dad's fault!"
"Your father had an idea?" Topanga groaned.
"Uh-huh,"
"Oh god,"
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Monica stepped back into the Alibi after using the bathroom, anyone who wasn't a Gallagher or Kev, V, Topanga and Emily had now been kicked out, and the tension hung heavy in the air, with everyone either sitting down or leaning against the bar, waiting for what would happen next.
Monica smiled awkwardly before making her way to the door, residing that her presence had done enough and she should probably leave, but before she gets halfway across the room Ian interrupts her.
"You said you were going out for a walk and would be back in an hour," Ian announced, his voice tinged with bitterness. "You're four years late."
Monica tried to defend herself, her voice tinged with a hint of regret. "Well, I did come back about two years ago!"
"Funny, that was just for 24 hours, and you tried to steal Liam," Fiona scoffed, her voice filled with resentment.
Monica's shoulders dropped slightly, but instead of creating, she put on a happy face and turned to Claudia, who was once again sitting with Emily, "I was really happy to get a letter from you, Clauds. And that you've got a friend like Emily there,"
"This girl here has been more of a mother to me than you," Claudia said, putting her hand in Emily's.
Emily playfully pulled Claudia closer, leaning on her shoulder and dramatically stroking her hair. "Yeah, Fiona, Lip, and I raised her since she was a pup!"
Monica's face faltered momentarily, but she quickly recovered, trying to salvage the situation. "Well, I can tell you all did an incredible job."
"So...you left," Claudia stated, looking at her mother, "Why weren't we good enough?"
"No," Fiona starts, pointing at her sister, "No, no, no, Claudie, this isn't about us, or you, and what we did, it's about her, and what she's done,"
"Yeah! Claudie that really wasn't it," Monica agrees, looking hopefully at her oldest, who just rolls her eyes and moves away.
Emily, feeling the tension, stood up awkwardly. "You know what? This is a family problem, and I should probably be anywhere but here." She attempted to walk away, but Claudia quickly grabbed her and pulled her back into her seat.
"Nope, you're staying with me, you are my family. Oh, that reminds me, how that family you were planning on starting?"
"Fine..." Monica says hesitantly, "It's fine,"
Topanga moves to sit by the two girls "Emily, do you care to explain to me what your fathers 'brilliant' idea is here?"
"Our assignment was to forgive somebody," Emily explained.
"What does that have to do with-"
"It changes our history,"
"Oh...that's pretty good," Topanga smiles slightly.
"So, Claudie wrote to her, and she showed up,"
"To forgive her?" Fiona asked, her tone laced with scepticism as she scrutinized her sister.
"Yeah, that was the assignment, Fi. I've never failed an assignment before," Claudia murmured, her conflicted feelings evident. "But I haven't decided if I'm gonna pass or fail this one yet."
"Well, whichever you decide, sweetie, thank you so much for reaching out to me," Monica tells her, her words filled with a mix of gratitude and underlying pain.
Emily, who had been quietly observing the exchange, spoke up. "You know, this would be a lot easier for me if she were a monster," she said, addressing Claudia. She glanced at her best friend for a moment before standing up and approaching her mother.
"Do you remember that night when some guys were going around shooting stuff from their car, a few streets from ours? I was five, and I thought the sound was so loud that the world was breaking in half," Claudia began, her voice carrying a mixture of vulnerability and accusation.
"Why bring this up?" Monica asked, everyone else, except for one, was equally confused. But claudia ignored the question.
"I was under my covers crying and you came flying into the room, and peeked under the covers and decided to make it a game, we were in New York and we were setting off fireworks across the city, and you said the occasional flashes were the lights from the fireworks,"
Debbie, curious about her older sister's fondness for fireworks, asked, "Is this why you like fireworks so much, Claudie?"
"You managed to make that entire night an adventure until it stopped. I woke up the next morning and it was a sunny day. Don't you remember?"
"No Clauds, I don't," Monica admitted.
"Because that never happened. The shooting happened. You didn't,"
"So how come you like fireworks so much Claudie," Carl asks.
Claudia chuckled slightly, a bittersweet sound escaping her lips. She moved closer to the individual leaning against the bar. "Lip, it was Lip who came in. He made it New York, and I wasn't scared at all," she revealed, looking at her older brother with a mix of appreciation and pain.
Lip, his voice tinged with vulnerability, confessed, "The greatest performance of my life. I was terrified. I was only seven myself, but my little sister needed someone, and you weren't there, Monica,"
Emily, her voice filled with curiosity, asked the question that had lingered in the room. "Where were you?"
Monica's admission held a hint of resignation. "I probably wasn't home," she confessed, her voice heavy with regret.
"How could you not be home?" Emily asked, but Claudia answered for her, going back to stand by Emily.
"Because kids, bite rabbit teddy's faces off. Friends ruin movies, and mothers leave. Sometimes you can let go and other times you can't" Claudia looks at her mom for a second before looking back at Emily, "Your dad was wrong this time, Em."
With those words hanging in the air, Claudia turned away and walked out of the Alibi, without bothering to look back. Fiona looks over to Lip, who was looking at the door desperately, "Lip,"
Fiona gets his attention and then nods to the door.
Lip nodded back, understanding Fiona's silent cue, and swiftly took off after his sister. The room fell into a heavy silence as the door swung shut behind them, leaving Monica standing amidst the weight of her past choices.
The remaining Gallaghers exchanged glances with one another, their emotions evident on their faces. Fiona turned her attention to Monica, disappointment written all over her face, "Now what Monica? Where do you go from here?"
Monica contemplated for a moment, her gaze meeting Fionas, "I don't have all the answers for you Fiona, it's too late for all of you here, but Clauds reached out for a reason,"
The room fell into contemplative silence as the remaining Gallagher family members processed Monica's words. Their sister wanted to forgive. Something they themselves couldn't bring themselves to do.
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"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lip says, catching up with Claudia quickly and matching her pace as she continues to walk. Frustration is evident in his voice as he confronts her, "Inviting Monica back, intending to forgive her?! What were you thinking?"
Claudia's steps falter slightly, her face flushed with a mix of guilt and defiance. She turns to face Lip, her voice filled with equal parts frustration and vulnerability, "I don't know, Lip. We needed to forgive someone, and I couldn't think of anyone but Monica. You've always told me how unreliable she is. I didn't expect even an answer back, let alone for her to show up!"
Lip shakes his head, his tone laced with exasperation, "And what were you planning to do if she did, which evidently, is what occurred?"
"I don't know, Lip! Okay, I don't! I wasn't thinking, I had no plan. All I saw was an assignment, and everyone else seemed to think it would be a good idea," Claudia replies, her voice tinged with frustration and regret.
Lip's anger softens momentarily as he looks at his younger sister, his expression a mix of concern and disappointment, "Claudia, all our lives, Fiona, Ian, and I have tried to protect you from being exposed to her, from being disappointed or hurt again. Why ruin all that?"
Losing some of her defensiveness, Claudia's voice wavers "Lip, I've told you, I don't know. I have no excuses."
As they reached their house, Claudia immediately made her way up to her room, slamming her door. Her room was originally the room that is now Debbie's, but after Debbie was born she didn't want to share with a baby, she wanted to share with Lip. But neither Lip nor Ian were willing to move rooms, and at the time, there was no room in their bedroom, and Fiona was not giving up her room.
However, just by Ian's bed was a door to a small walk-in closet, that the boys used to store toys and clothes, somehow a 9-year-old Fiona and 5-year-old Lip managed to clear out the storage and pull the then 3-year-old's, toddler bed into the room, as well as somehow fit most of the rest of her stuff.
Ever since then, it was her room. Even if the bed took up all of it.
Claudia sat on her bed, her knees up to her chest, her blanket pulled above her head. She didn't know how long she was sitting there before she heard her door open.
Lip sighed, his anger subsiding as he realized the weight of his words on Claudia. He understood that his reaction had been fueled by years of protecting his younger sister from their mother's absence. Seeing Monica again had ignited a torrent of emotions he hadn't anticipated.
The door shut and she assumed he left and she remained still until she felt her bed dip and sensed Lip's presence beside her. The blanket was lifted, inviting Lip under its shelter, and soon they were huddled together.
"Claudia, I'm sorry," Lip said, his voice softer now. "I was too harsh. It's just seeing Monica again, it stirred up a lot of anger in all of us. And the fact that you were the one who invited her here... it hurt, Claudie. We've spent so much of our lives trying to shield you from her, to protect you from disappointment and pain. I just don't understand why you would want to risk that?"
"Lip, I've told you already—I don't know. I didn't have a plan. I'm sorry I wasted all your efforts,"
Lip shook his head gently. "No, Claudia, it's not about wasted efforts. You're fifteen, and you have the right to make your own decisions. But what we need from you is to communicate with us, to let us know what's going on in your head. We'll always be there to warn you about the risks, but we also want you to trust us enough to share your thoughts and feelings. And you know what? I believe you'll pass your assignment, maybe not in the way you expect, but you will. I've had Mr Matthews as a teacher, he has a plan for you with this,"
Claudia didn't fully grasp Lip's words at that moment, but she trusted him more than anyone. She found solace in his presence, knowing that she wasn't alone.
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"How's the forgiveness project going?" Mr Matthews asked hesitantly. It was the next day, and they were back in their history class. Being close with the group of friends that sat at the front of the class, he had heard about what happened at the Alibi and also knew that not a single person had passed the assignment yet.
"You're killing us, Matthews!" Claudia called out, her frustration still lingering from yesterday's mess. She spent the rest of the evening in her room with Lip, avoiding a conversation with Fiona, knowing her disappointment would be worse than Lip's.
"I gotta say, Matthews, I don't know what you were thinking," Emily chimed in.
"You think forgiveness leads to peace?" Noah starts, already clearly frustrated.
"It leads to war in a movie theatre," Jayden continued.
Last night Noah, Jayden and Matt had gone to the movies together, Matt had promised he wouldn't predict and spoil the movie, but that hadn't happened, he managed to predict the entire movie in the first 10 minutes and spoiled it not just for his friends but the entire movie theatre.
"Well, I'm sure some of you had better experiences!" Mr Matthews said hopefully but was only met with everyone shaking their heads.
"Forgiveness doesn't work, Dad!" Emily complained, "I forgave Rory, and he didn't thank me,"
"Emily did you really forgive Rory?"
"No!"
Mr Matthews rolled his eyes and sighed slightly before turning his attention to the girl sitting at the desk to the left of his daughter, "Claudia, did you forgive your mother?"
"No," Claudia answered softly.
"And we didn't forgive, Matt. Ow," Matt says, Jayden swiftly hitting him in the back of his head with a paper ball for predicting again, this time being able to predict what they were going to say.
Mr Matthews sighed, realizing that forgiveness was proving to be more challenging than he had anticipated. However, he couldn't resist seizing the teaching opportunity. A small smile formed on his face.
"Well it sounds to me like forgiveness is harder than it looks," Mr Matthews smiles, he secretly loves it when the kids don't understand the weight of what he's teaching, so he can prove the value of what he's teaching.
"I tried," Claudia defended herself, "I think I made myself clear, want to hear it?"
"If you're alright with it," Mr Matthews shrugs, inviting her to share.
Claudia retrieved the draft of the letter she had written to her mother. It had been rewritten to look neater, but the words remained the same. She hesitated for a moment before reading aloud, "In school, I'm learning about forgiveness. What you did makes me have a lot of angry feelings. I don't want to be angry anymore. Why did you leave us? Did I do something? Make me understand what I did. Your daughter, Claudia."
Everyone stayed silent, they all knew about the Gallaghers, but Claudia was never one to talk about her family openly. Noah, moved by her vulnerability, reached forwards to squeeze her shoulder in comfort, letting her know he was there for her.
"Did she help you understand?" Mr Matthews asked her softly.
"No,"
"Why not?"
"I mean...I guess I never gave her the opportunity to explain herself," Claudia admits, "But it's too late now, my siblings scared her off."
Mr Matthews sighed before turning his attention back to his daughter, "Emily, why did Rory bite your rabbit's face off?"
"I don't know," She states.
"Why not?"
"I never asked him," Emily realized.
"Noah, Jayden?"
The two boys turn to their movie-spoiling friend, "Why do you spoil movies for us, Matt?" Noah asks.
"Because you're good at whatever you do, and you're good-looking," Matt explained, "Jay is the class clown. I guess I just want to show off what I can do. All I have is my mind, and I want to show that off."
"Damn...we gotta get better minds dude," Jayden said to Noah.
"Yeah we do," Noah replied, turning back to the front to face Mr Matthews.
"You all do," Mr Matthews interjected, determined to make his point. "Better minds understand that to be able to forgive someone, you need to understand them first. The other person needs to feel heard."
"Why can't you just admit that you are wrong about this one Mr Matthews!" Claudia called out, growing more and more frustrated with his persistence.
"Because forgiveness is one of our finest qualities as human beings, Claudia," Mr Matthews asserted, pointing at her emphatically. Then, he turned to address the entire class again, his tone unwavering. "You have to understand each other before you can even begin to understand what happens next. Go out and understand each other, and see what happens. Your assignment hasn't even begun until you do."
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Yet another day had passed and Emily, Noah and Claudia were sat together in the Alibi. Like days prior, the Gallaghers once again were all there, along with Kev and V, however, Topanga Matthews and Cory Matthews joined them today.
Emily sat with Rory pulled close to her chest, sat on her lap. The young boy looked bored out of his mind, clearly not interested in teenage conversations, but Emily didn't seem keen to get rid of him anytime soon, which was rather amusing to Claudia and Noah.
"Forgiveness does work, guys," Emily states matter-of-factly, "You just have to do it right,"
Rory squirmed in Emily's lap, eager to join his friends. "Can I go and play with my friends now?" he complained.
"No! All you have to do is listen to the other person," Emily continued, making the other two teenagers chuckle at the sibling's antics.
"Can I at least go to the bathroom, Emily?!"
"Quiet I'm talking!" Emily said in a condescendingly sweet tone, tapping the 6-year-old on his nose.
Claudia scoffed a little before speaking, "Emily, Rory is there every day, my mother couldn't leave fast enough. I mean she's probably halfway home now. Forgiveness just doesn't work for all of us,"
Claudia didn't notice as she was saying it, but Mr Matthews was sitting at the bar behind her, listening and watching her intently. But before he had the chance to say anything to her...
Monica walked into the bar. Red envelope in hand.
Everyone in the bar turned to face the women, who simply held her hands up in surrender, "I'm not here to cause problems, so please don't yell at me,"
Claudia stood up, astonished. "I thought you left," she said, her voice filled with genuine surprise.
"I did," Monica admitted, "I did sweetie, I was in the car and on the way back, but then this caught my eye again and you told me that you didn't want to be angry any more. Listen I know how important Claudia is to every single one of you and I thank you for that, but I just need to borrow her for like 2 minutes, if it's okay" she asks desperately.
Claudia looks over at her older sister, not saying anything, but clearly asking her for permission to go. Although Fiona wished she could whisk her sister away, and pretend that all the bad things in the world, she knew she couldn't keep her from these things anymore.
So she nodded.
Claudia turned around and began walking toward the door to let herself and Monica talk privately. But before Claudia could put her hand on the door, Monica stopped her and opened it for her, a small gesture of care and consideration.
The two of them stepped outside and just stood looking at one another, not knowing what to say to each other.
"This wasn't your fault Clauds," Monica reassured, "I swear this was all me, baby. I couldn't provide you with the comfort you needed during a shooting. And I was no good to you on sunny days either. I blew the money that Fiona earned instead of providing food to everyone, and, when you start to recognise that you're not good for people, you start not showing up, and then you don't show up enough times and that turns into leaving."
"You've stuck around your new family for a while, longer than any of the periods you spent with us. Did you and Roberta get the kid you wanted?" Claudia says, holding back a few tears.
Monica hesitated for a moment before replying, "We're in the adoption process."
"You're there for your new family then? What are they doing that I didn't do?" Claudia asked, her voice tinged with a mix of longing and frustration.
"You never did anything, Claudia. You were just a little girl. I was who I was. And there was nothing you did or could have possibly done," Monica declared, her voice filled with remorse, "I just- I wasn't ready for you, or anyone. But honey I've changed. These people believe that I can be someone and that I'm capable. They know what I was like, but choose to believe in who I am now."
Claudia's voice wavered, "Who are you?"
"I found a job!" Monica beamed with pride, "And I've managed to keep it. I want to tell you that I'm grateful for what you wrote. And I am so sorry for everything I did. I'm so happy you're okay,"
Claudia scoffs slightly, trying not to let the tears flow, "You found a job?"
"I did baby," Smiling at her daughter in hope, but it quickly dropped at her next statement.
"Your job was to stay Monica," Claudia stated firmly, "Listen, thank you for telling me your side, my teacher thinks I should forgive you and that it will bring me peace. Usually he's right about these things, but I can't see how he's right this time. And I can't forgive you. Do you really think I didn't have it in me to let you grow? My own mother? All of us would have loved to see you grow. I'm happy I wrote to you and heard what you had to say. And I hope you can feel some happiness in the knowledge that it makes me feel better knowing that everything you did has nothing to do with me. I always believed it was my fault. But it's not. I didn't do anything,"
Monica and Claudia stared at each other, their hearts breaking with the weight of their shared pain. Claudia's tears flowed freely, while Monica's frustration began to show. She had hoped that at least one of her children would forgive her, and now she realized how wrong she was.
Claudia sniffled and put her hands in her pockets, torn between her emotions and her desire to protect herself. She glanced between her mother and the door to the Alibi. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. You turned out great," Monica managed to say through her tears.
"Wow," Claudia whispered.
"What?"
"I've been angry for so long. But I'm not angry anymore," Claudia realized, her voice filled with a mix of relief and pain. "Thank you for coming. I hope you get home safe."
With those final words, Claudia turned away, walking back into the Alibi, leaving Monica standing alone outside.
Claudia entered the Alibi, openly crying now, and began walking up to her teacher. Lip joined her side and hugged her close, the rest of the Gallaghers looked on, their expressions filled with sadness and empathy for their sister and best friend.
"I'm sorry," she choked out, "but I failed. I know you wanted me to forgive her but I can't bring myself to. I couldn't. You were wrong this time Mr Matthews."
"Claudia, I never expected you to forgive your mother," Cory admitted sincerely, "That kind of forgiveness, doesn't come easily. But life is a very long time, and maybe one day you'll get there, but I never expected that from you now,"
Claudia's voice quivered as she asked, desperate for answers, "Then what did you want from me?"
Cory looked at Claudia with a tender gaze, understanding the depth of her pain. "Claudia... did you forgive yourself?"
The point of the forgiveness project suddenly smacked Claudia in the face. This was never about forgiving Monica, it was about realising that it was never her fault.
That sentence broke her as she started to openly sob, moving towards the man that she considered her father figure and hugging him. Mr Matthews held her tightly and let her sob into him, the rest of the Gallaghers also silently crying.
It had finally happened.
Claudia Gallagher had forgiven herself.
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(fin)