Carl's POV
A few days later, neither me or Debbie went to school as we were helping around the house for Ian's arrival home. Ian was already released from the hospital and now was in his bed with Mickey laying beside him. Me and Lip looked over our brother, who was fast asleep. Mickey was holding Ian close to his chest but he was looking at Ian with us. We had to put locks on the windows in the house so Ian wouldn't climb out of them anymore.
"What should we do?" Mickey asked us, not taking his eyes away from his boyfriend. I looked at Lip, who looked at me.
"There's nothing else we can do Mick," I muttered to the boy. He nodded as me and Lip walked out and closed the door behind us. I sighed holding the handle, unable to move.
"We should've known it was gonna happen," Lip spoke and I looked at him, still frozen in the place I had been.
"Yeah, but it still hurts to know that all we can do is make him swallow pills everyday," I told Lip looking at the door. Lip put a hand on my shoulder, in a way of comfort.
"Giving him those pills will help in the long run Carl," Lip told me before walking into his own bedroom. I sighed walking downstairs to see Fiona sitting at the kitchen table alone, drinking her mug of coffee.
"Is he okay?" Fiona asked as I poured a mug of coffee for myself before I sat opposite of her.
"Ian's asleep, but Mickey is just worried about him," I told Fiona, who nodded while her fingers tangled in the roots of her hair.
"I just can't believe he's still here with him," She muttered out looking at the table.
"Who? Mickey?" Fiona nodded at me.
"He's here because he loves Ian, and just because he's bipolar doesn't stop Mickey from loving him," I told her while taking a gulp of my coffee.
"It still baffles me."
"That's because we never seen this kind of love towards someone with bipolar." I spoke and she looked at me. Fiona nodded, shrugging.
"How's things with you and Clay?" She asked me as I put the half empty cup of coffee on the table. Considering I wasn't at school on Monday, I got very concerned about Clay, especially since he didn't text me until this morning and today is Friday.
"Eh, I don't actually know," I looked at my coffee cup as Fiona stared at me.
"What happened?" I sighed deciding to tell my eldest sister as it was bound to be spoke about soon enough.
"When we went to the club with Mickey and Ian, the day after when I walked Clay home, we had a bit of a bump in with Kade, Stacey and Bella." Fiona looked at me with wide eyes but nodded telling me to continue.
"Kade made fun of Clay for being gay and ran off, so I chased him and, go figures, Kade followed along with his two minions." I shrugged looking up at Fiona.
"So I kissed Clay and told Kade to stop saying the word 'faggot', but I don't know what went down during school," Fiona looked at me with a proud smile first, then worry washed over her expression.
"Didn't he not text you? Or did you not text him?"
"I texted him, but he didn't answer until this morning," I sighed holding the cup in between my two hands which were getting warmer by the hot coffee.
"Jesus, maybe you should just go over to his house," Fiona told me as she stood up and walked to the sink to wash her mug as Liam and Debbie walked in.
"Carl, there's a girl outside waiting on the porch for you," Debbie said with furrowed eyebrows. I looked at her confused before getting up and walking out to the front porch. On the step was, Auggie, smoking a fag with her fingerless gloves.
"You know, I expected to be here a lot later in the relationship, not just as it was beginning," August said as I sat down beside her. She past me her half burned cigarette. I took a pull of it before handing it back to her.
"How's your brother? Ian, isn't it?" August asked me. I nodded at her looking at the steps.
"He's fine, he just got home," I told her as a sigh left my lips.
"How's Clay?" I asked her after an unsettling moment of silence. She sighed and looked at me.
"He got beat up on Monday," My head snapped up to meet August's eyes. She was really worried for her brother and both of us knew that she wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious.
"What? By who?" I asked her shaking my head. I just can't believe someone would do this.
"By that Kade Moon fella," she shrugged looking back out on the road. Anger boiled inside me.
"Kade fucking Moon?" I hissed making August look up at me, squinting one eye.
"Yeah, do you know him?" She asked confused. I clenched my fists standing up and walked down the path way to the end of the street where Kade, Stacey, Bella and some other junkie was. August slowly followed behind me.
"Aye look," Kade smirked walking closer to me. "It's another faggot," I clenched my fists tighter against my hips looking at Kade.
"Don't fucking call me that," I hissed at him, as she took a step closer to me. August was standing behind me, ready to pounce on someone if she needed too.
"Well, it is what you are after all," a twisted smirk plastered his face.
"No, I'm a fucking person," I told him. The junkie and Bella laughed before Kade bursted into laughter.
"You're nothing but a piece of shit who likes dick up his fucking asshole," Kade snapped. I swear, I just wanted to fucking punch him.
"You think whatever you fucking want," I smirked getting closer to Kade. A smirk, which held one big secret that could ruin Kade's relationship with Stacey, and a friendship. The day Bella came over and told me she was pregnant, I obviously went to tell Kade, then the next thing I knew, I figured out who got her pregnant and fuck, it would ruin lives.
"But I will never be the person to knock up my girls best friend," The smirk stayed on my face, as Stacey's smirk fell. Bella' mouth dropped along with Kade's face.
"W-What?" Stacey asked choking on her voice as she stepped beside me. Almost like a metaphor for her changing sides.
"Stacey-"
"Kade," Stacey clenched her fists against her waist. "Carl was your best friend, he'd know if you fucked Bella," Stacey looked at me and I looked at her with a small smile.
"He's talking bullshit!" Kade yelled. Stacey shook her head making her red hair fall in her face.
"Carl, I am so sorry for everything I said to you," Stacey looked back at me, and by the way her eyes spoke to me, I knew she was serious. I just nodded accepting her apology.
"It's okay Stace," I muttered before she looked back at Kade.
"And I fucking hope you and your whore baby have a great life," Stacey spat before walking off. August let out a deep breath before she stood beside me.
"Who the fuck are you?" Kade asked her rudely, making me and August stare at him.
"I'm August fucking Harvey," she hissed. Kade just chuckled.
"The faggot's big sister, who is into both genders apparently," he laughed loudly. August clenched her fist, before I knew it, her fist connected with his cheek hitting him hard.
"Don't ever fucking hurt my brothers again, you're fucking scum," August swore as she walked off. Kade held his cheek in pain, I smirked before shrugging and walking home.
-
Clay's POV
"Clay, at the end of the day, Carl's brother does have bipolar and it is hard on the whole family, not just his brother," Grant informed me while we sat on the porch of our house, smoking.
"I know, I just miss having him in my reach," I sighed taking a deep breath before putting the fag between my lips and inhaling it.
"He'll be in your reach soon enough," Grant spoke as Auggie came up, holding her hand in pain. She sat down at the bottom as I passed her my fag.
"What happened to your hand?" I asked as she took the fag and brought it to her lips.
"I punched that bastard, Kade in the face," she told us with the fag in between her lips. I looked at her with wide eyes.
"Apparently he got Carl's ex girlfriend, or whatever happened between them, pregnant, so I punched him for harassing you, and Carl, and then for cheating on his girlfriend and knocking up her best friend," she told up taking the fag from her lips and handed it back to me.
"You went to see Carl?" I asked and she nodded.
"What did he say?" Me and Grant asked our older sister. She smirked before taking the fag from my hand and finishing it off.
"He asked about you, then I told him about Monday," she told me and I sighed.
"He seemed furious but also guilty," she furrowed her eyebrows.
"He's a good kid," I nodded at her statement.
"But Clay," she made me and Grant look at her.
"He is from the South Side, and he does have a messed up family, and he might not be able to show feelings very great, but I know somewhere deep down, he fucking loves the shit out of you."