picture: the savage himself mickey milkovich
Who did what to Mandy Milkovich?" Fiona asked once we were inside.
Ian was sitting on the couch, frantically trying to zip up his pants, and Carl was at the kitchen table with his action figures, unaware of what was happening.
"Ian, what the fuck? Did she try to blow you too?" I shouted.
His face was red and I could almost laugh at the situation. But I was too angry.
"Well, um...she came in to talk to me at work today and she asked if we could hang out and I said no, so she left but when I got off work, she was waiting for me and she walked home with me, came inside, we were watching TV and then she came onto me. I pushed her off, she got offended and started yelling and crying and ran out." Ian explained.
I noticed that Ian left out the part that he was gay and he was fucking Kash, and that's why he wasn't interested in Mandy. I assumed Fiona didn't know.
"Oh my god, alright. I'm going to bed. I'm fucking wiped. Carl, bed, now." Fiona ordered to the little boy in the kitchen. Carl took his action figures and ran upstairs and Fiona said goodnight to Ian and I. Once I knew she was in her room, I went over to Ian and sat next to him on the couch.
"Fiona doesn't know you're gay, does she?" I asked softly.
He shook his head.
"You and Lip are the only ones that know."
I nodded.
"Well, at least Mandy won't be coming around here anymore, since you totally blew her off." I said, laughing. Ian chuckled.
Once we stopped laughing, I turned to look at him.
"I got fired from work today." I said.
Ian sighed and gave me a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry." He said sincerely.
I shrugged, then suddenly, I had an idea.
"Hey, do you think Kash and Linda would let me work at the store with you?" I asked. "I feel horrible for letting everyone down, and I want to make it up to Fiona by getting another job. I told her I would."
Ian looked thoughtful, then he nodded.
"Yeah probably, I mean, I have to talk to them about it tomorrow when I go in for work. You can come with me tomorrow."
I smiled and gave my brother a hug.
"Thanks, Ian!"
He laughed.
"No problem."
We spent the next hour or so talking about my date with Zack and how things were going with Ian and Kash, then we both went up to bed.
*
I woke up the next morning shivering. I debated on rolling myself in my blankets and going back to sleep, using my body heat to keep me warm, but Fiona would probably wake me up in the next half hour or so if I didn't get up now.
I got out of bed and it was even more cold. I quickly put on a pair of old sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt, woke up Debs, picked up an already awake Liam, and headed downstairs.
"Why is it so fucking cold in this house?" I complained before I even reached the kitchen. When I entered, I saw Lip, Ian and Carl at the table already, and Steve standing at the kitchen counter, holding a bouquet of really pretty red roses. Fiona was making breakfast, ignoring the fact that Steve was there.
"Morning, Fi." I greeted her. She gave me a small smile.
Steve looked at me and gave me a quick nod.
"Hi, Jess." He said.
"Steve." I replied coldly.
"To answer your question Jess, it's cold in here because we missed the gas bill." said Fiona, holding up a piece of paper, probably indicating that we didn't pay.
"Shit." I sighed.
"It's 587 dollars. We gotta find a way to get that money." Fiona said.
"I can give it to you." Steve piped up.
Fiona glared at him.
"You're still here?" She asked him.
I grinned.
"I don't need your money." Fiona said, grabbing the flowers from him and tossing them into the garbage can. "Or your flowers."
"Those aren't mine." said Steve. "They were outside your porch when I came in."
Fiona reached for the card attached to the flowers, but Steve grabbed it before she could.
He opened it up and began to read.
"Dear Fiona, thanks for a night I'll always remember. Love, Tony." Steve looked at her with interst.
"Tony's that cop right? What'd you guys do?"
Fiona didn't answer.
"Did you guys fuck?"
I almost spit out my orange juice.
"Maybe." Fiona answered quietly.
I looked at Lip and Ian.
"You had sex with Tony?" Steve asked lowly. "Was this to like, get back at me, or something?"
There was a long silence now, so I quickly finished the last of my breakfast and stood up.
"I'm...gonna go get ready to go. Ian, tell me when you're ready to leave, and I'll be down I. 10, okay?"
He nodded and I hurried upstairs, not wanting to hear any more of this awkward conversation.
*
"Jess!" Ian yelled from up the stairs.
"Coming!" I called back as I finished the braid I'd done in my hair.
I came down the stairs and saw Ian waiting for me, his coat already on.
The kitchen was vacant, besides Fiona standing at the counter.
"Everyone left?" I asked.
Ian nodded.
I glanced at Fiona, who was staring at the gas bill in her hands.
"Fi, my last paycheck is up in my room, in the night table drawer. It's not much, but take it."
Fiona looked up.
"You sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. Go get it."
She smiled and headed up to my room.
"I hope you get the job at Kash's store!" She said to me.
I grinned.
"Yeah, me too."
*
Ian and I walked in silence for a bit, before he spoke up.
"I have an ROTC class around 5 tonight, so that's when I get off work. Linda might make you stay for another hour or so after I leave, she's a hard ass like that." said Ian. He was in some army camp/class thing that trained him to be a solider. He wanted to enlist in the army as soon as he could, which I was a little wary about, but whatever my brother wanted, I wanted.
"Well, here we are." Ian announced. I looked across the street and sure enough, we'd arrived at Kash and Grab.
I took a deep breath.
Ian looked at me.
"Don't worry, Jess. You're gonna get the job."
We crossed the street and walked inside the store. Linda was speaking to Kash, but instantly stopped when we walked in.
"Hi, Ian. Hi, Jessica. Any particular reason why you're here, Jessica?" asked Linda.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Ian answered for me.
"She's here for a job."
Linda looked from Ian to me.
"You want a job?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah."
She looked at Kash.
He shrugged.
"She helps with reshelving when she comes in to visit Ian sometimes. She's a good help."
I smiled at Kash, grateful he added his input about me.
Linda shrugged.
"Okay, sure. You got the job. We could use another pair of hands around here, anyways." She said.
I looked from her to Ian with wide eyes.
"Wait, really?"
She nodded.
"That's it? You-you don't need to do any paperwork or interview me, or-"
"No. You can work the register when Ian's restocking items, vice versa. Ian'll show you how. I gotta head off to bring the kids to Boy Scouts at the mosque. I'll be back later to close up." She grabbed her stuff and walked out.
When she was gone, Kash, Ian and I all looked at each other.
"I feel like that was easier than expected." I said.
"I don't know, I mean she's barely here anyways, so having you around will probably help her a bunch." said Kash.
"Come on Jess, I'll show you how to use the register." said Ian.
Just as Ian was about to open the register, the bell over the door tinkled. We both looked up and the Southside's biggest punk, Mickey Milkovich, walked in with three of his brothers. I felt my heart rate increase.
Mickey was Mandy's brother.
"IAN GALLAGHER!" Mickey yelled, him and his brothers coming all the way into the store.
"Shit!" Ian said, skittering around the table and running into the storage room in the back.
"YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG GIRL!" Mickey rushed after Ian, but he shut and most likely dead bolted the door before Mickey could get in. I stood behind the register, too stunned to move.
He banged on the door.
"Get out here, Gallagher! Mandy told us what you did to her, you piece of shit! Get out here!" He shouted.
I looked at Kash, who was heading over to them now.
"He's gone. There's a door in the back of the storage room." He said.
Mickey smacked his brothers and pointed towards the door.
"Alley! Alley!" He yelled. Before he left, he grabbed Kash by his shirt and pushed him up against the wall.
"Tell fuckhead this isn't over."
And with that he ran out of the store.
*
"Ian, they're gone." Kash called to my brother. He opened the door and came rushing out.
"I swear to God, I didn't touch Mandy." Ian promised Kash as he came back over to me by the register.
Kash hurried over to the door and locked it.
Ian must've seen my face, because he sighed and ran a hand through his red hair.
"Mandy must've told Mickey that I-came onto her or something, and now they wanna beat me up." He said.
I let out a breath, one that I seemed to be holding the entire time Mickey was in here.
Ian put a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry. Mickey's gone now."
"Yeah, but he'll be back." I said, Ian's words not reassuring me.
"Maybe he will. But don't worry about that now. Here, let me show you how to use the register."
*
Kash drove me home later that night after Ian left for ROTC and I got off work.
"Thanks for driving me home." I said as he pulled up next to our house.
"No problem. Wouldn't want Mickey molesting you or something."
I laughed nervously as I pushed open the door of his van.
I got out and just as I was about to shut the door, Kash called my name.
"Jess?" He said.
"Yeah?"
He swallowed hard.
"Do you-do you know about-about-"
"About you and Ian? Yeah, I know." I said.
His eyes widened.
"I can explain, um-"
I shook my head and held up my hand.
"You don't have to explain, Kash. You're allowed to be who you are, and like you who like, even if you're married to a woman with two children."
His face got red and I laughed.
"I'm kidding. But really. I won't tell anyone."
"Thanks." He sighed.
"Anytime. See you tomorrow for work." I said, shutting the door of the car and going inside my house.
I saw Frank and Fiona talking about something by the counter, and Veronica was there too, sitting in front of a badly beaten up Lip, wiping away blood with cotton balls. I hurried over to him.
"Fuck, what happened?" I asked in alarm.
"Mickey and his brothers tracked me down when I was out with Karen, looking for Ian. I said some shit about Mandy being a skank to them, and they beat me down."
"See! Someone agrees with me about Mandy being a skank!" I said. "Sorry that happened to you, Lip."
He shrugged and then winced as V applied Neosporin to a huge gash on his cheek.
I turned to Fi and Frank.
"What're you doing here, Frank?" I asked, sitting on one of the bar stools.
"We're discussing Aunt Ginger." said Fiona, glaring at Frank.
I gave them both a confused look.
"Aunt Ginger? The one who owns this house?" I asked.
They nodded.
"Isn't she in a nursing home somewhere not in Chicago?"
Now only Fiona nodded.
"So? Who gives a shit about Aunt Ginger?"
"Well, a woman came knocking at the door earlier today, looking for her. I told the woman she wasn't there, and she said she has reason to believe that someone's been cashing in Ginger's social security checks without her consent." After she said this, Fiona glared at Frank.
"Anyways, this woman, who calls herself Abby, told me she had Ginger's next check with her right then. How about she brings it over tomorrow morning, and delivers it to Aunt Ginger in person, she said. She can ask her a few questions, and they can clear this right up."
I looked from Frank back to Fiona.
"So why can't we just get Aunt Ginger here?" I asked.
Fiona looked at Frank.
"That's what been asking him for 20 minutes."
"We get can't Ginger here." said Frank quietly.
"What did you just say? Speak up." I said harshly.
"We can't get Aunt Ginger here, because she's dead." Frank replied, louder this time.
"What?!" Me, Fiona, Lip, and Veronica all exclaimed.
"She's fucking dead. She's been dead for 12 years."
"Jesus." I said.
"How'd she die?" Fiona asked.
Frank sighed.
"We were fooling around with some coke one day, she snorted it, and she just....died."
"Well, that's because you don't give a 90 year old woman cocaine, Frank!" I shouted. "What are gonna do?"
Veronica stood up now, her expression looking like there was a light bulb over her head.
"I think I have an idea."
*
"The Chicago Nursing Home?" I asked, reading the sign where Veronica worked on weekends.
"Yup. We're gonna get an Aunt Ginger." She replied, opening the door and letting Frank, Fiona, Debs (who came along) and I in first.
We entered the main area of the nursing home, where most of the old people hung out.
"Are you sure your boss won't mind us borrowing one of the old ladies?" Fiona asked her best friend.
V shrugged.
"Yeah whatever. She'll be back tomorrow afternoon like she was never gone."
I went off with Debs, walking around the area, searching for possible Aunt Ginger candidates. There were some normal old ladies knitting in a corner who would probably draw attention to us if we took her, and others who were sleeping or staring off into space, and those weren't good fits either.
"Jess!" I heard Debbie call from a little ways off.
I looked and saw her pointing at an old white haired lady who was standing in front of the big fake tree that was up for decoration in the room. As I moved closer, I could hear that she was talking to it.
"She's perfect!" said Debs.
"Debs! Don't point!" I whispered.
"But-"
I glanced over at Fiona, V and Frank, who all nodded at me.
"Okay, Debs. Let's bring Aunt Ginger home."