꧁ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 ꧂
"𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫?" Teagan echoed her mother's previous statement
"Aye love, as it goes we are poor" her mother nodded "now shift it, the chippy is overrun on a Friday night"
Teagan's father was stood behind their bar and was writing out their order . Aylish, Teagans five year old sister was demanding more food each second.
"So there's no trust fund?" She asked but she already knew the answer. Her parents nodded as they went about serving customers at the bar.
"How can we be poor?" Teagan whined, "We own the most popular pub in Derry!"
She huffed and crossed her arms As she ungraciously sank down onto a barstool.
"It's a messed up world isn't it, my love?" Her mother asked and her father agreed.
"We also have to fund and buy stock for the most popular pub in Derry" he explained
"If we had a trust fund for you, we would've spent the lot of it on bills"
"how do people get money then?" She was desperate at this point. Anything to get to Paris she told herself.
"People have Jobs" her father told her
Teagan squinted her eyes in confusion "But I already have a job working here"
Her mother shook her head as she served a few customers and poured out their pints "no you don't, we just make you help out and don't pay you"
She took the change off of a man and slipped it into the till.
"Surely, thats child labour if you don't pay me!"
Her father handed her their chippy order and moved her forward
"it's exactly that, now hurry up and get to the chippy"
Teagan tuned back around " Can I not get a job here?" She asked "since I already work here and only live upstairs?" She sarcastically pointed out.
"You're to young to work here Teagan, if we put you in the payroll it'd be illegal" her mother tiredly explained
"Oh but it's okay not to pay me for my work!" She exaggerated her words.
"Aye, You're finally catching up" her mother congratulated her and patted her head "now get a move on before there's a riot in the chippy!"
"This is a violation of my human rights" Teagan muttered under her breath as walked out of the pub door.
"Teagan, what did your parents say about your trust fund?" Erin asked her as soon as she stepped foot in the chippy.
Teagan shook her head "we're skint apparently"
Erin and Clare groaned "same here" Clare said.
"Oi! What will it be?" Fionnula yelled at Teagan.
Teagan jumped out of her skin and pushed the list onto the counter with a tight smile
"Just that, Fionnula" she replied confidently
Clare gaped at Teagans confidence, Teagan was only scared of three things and Fionnula definitely wasn't one of them.
"How did you not piss yourself? She scares the hell out me" Clare whispered harshly
"Clare, your own shadow makes you shit ya kecks" Teagan joked
Erin turned to Teagan "what are we going to do now?" She sighed
"It's not something I want to do....but my dad said people get jobs for money" she suggested. Just like how Teagan had reacted, Erin scrunched her nose up in disgust.
"Well, Jenny Joyce was talking through her fat hole about this trust fund thing" Michelle ranged as soon as she stepped inside the chippy as always, James trailed in closely behind her.
"What's yours?" Fionnula Asked Michelle
"Don't rush me Fionnula!" She fired back
"Where the fuck are we gonna get the money for Paris now?" She yelled
James turned away from the group and talked to Teagan "hey" he smiled sheepishly
Teagan smiled and replied-
"So I'm guessing you don't have a trust fund, if Michelle doesn't have one" she correctly guessed.
"Yeah, I tried to phone my mum, on the landline but she didn't pick up" he sighed
Teagan felt sorry for James, his mum just brought him to Derry with her but abandoned him the same day.
"Well, how are we gonna get money then?" Michelle complained
"We could sell our organs!" Orla suggested seriously, Teagan really worried for her sometimes.
Clare sarcastically nodded along "no" she whined
"I don't know Clare, maybe Orla's onto something. Kidneys sell for £2345 on the black market" Teagan informed them. They all sent her a look of concern
"And how exactly do you know that?" Erin asked but as always she exaggerated her words.
Teagan shrugged her shoulders and smirked "I know things"
"Teagan's weird mafia connections aside" Michelle looked at Teagan weirdly.
"Are we selling our organs then?" Orla perked up and couldn't stop herself from smiling
"We could" Clare sarcastically nodded "Or, forgive me if this is a bit left field,but could we not, you know, get jobs!"
Teagan shuddered at the J word. She knew eventually she'd have to get a job but not today Satan.
Michelle shook her head, "there are no jobs in Derry, that's all anyone ever says"
Clare walked over to a large bored attached to the wall. The rest of them followed "then what are these?" Clare huffed
Michelle and Teagan both shared the same look of confusion " I never really looked at this before. I assumed they were all dead cat posters" Michelle muttered
"Missing cat posters!" Clare corrected
Teagan smirked "if you're an optimist" she and Michelle shared a laugh.
"I'm not sure if I'd be suited to any of these" Erin said in a weak voice "they're all very practical,and I'm just more....creative"
She tried to weasel her way out of it
"Erin, remember why we're doing this" Teagan retorted
"Can't we all just get jobs at your pub, Teagan?" Michelle wondered
"No Michelle, it's illegal. Plus I already asked and they said no" Teagan crossed her arms over her chest and had an irritated look on her face.
James thought she looked cute.
"O'Ryan!" Fionnoula shouted
Teagan turned around and saw that had placed Teagans food on the counter in a chippy bag.
She gave Fionnula the money and walked back over to the group.
Just that second, a girl walked over to the board and rip off one of the applications. Teagan noticed Michelle go into panic mode,
"Fucks sake" Michelle whispered "others are onto this, girls"
"I'm gonna have to get home before my parents send out a search party" Teagan signed and turned to walk away
"Wait—!" Michelle Yelled
Teagan turned back and sent Michelle a questioning look.
"We've gotta come up with some sort of a plan to make sure no one takes the jobs!" She explained.
"Plan 1, stop talking about it dead Loud then Michelle," Teagan whispered harshly
"You're rig-."
Michelle's reply was cut off by Fionnula yelling at her "Oi I'll not ask you again!"
"A large cowboy, Fionnula. Don't be shy with the salt now"
Teagan shook her head and tried to reminded them that she had to leave but she was cut off by Fionnula again
"What about the wee limey?" She sneered
Teagans attention turned to James and so did everyone else's, James squirmed uncomfortably and anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. It must be a nervous tick of his because, Teagan noticed he did it a lot and she thought it was cute.
"Well, Dicko?" Michelle pressured him
"I'm okay, thanks" he replied quietly
Michelle stuck her hands out to push past the others, the look on her face was furious "What?" She asked
"I don't really want anything"
"You don't want anything?" Erin Asked confused
"How could you not want anything? It's lovely" Michelle defended the chippy with so much passion that you'd think it was her pride and joy.
"You'll be missing out, James it's lovely from here" Teagan told him
James shook his head "I just, don't really fancy it that's all"
Orla looked at James like he was an alien "I don't understand"
"Are you not feeling well James?" Clare Asked him
Suddenly it was all too much pressure for James " I don't like it, okay?" He snapped at them "it's too greasy! It's much, too greasy!"
"Even the smell of it makes me physically sick!"
Teagan was shellshocked from James's outburst. In the three months that she'd known him he seemed to be a quiet person but this proved her wrong.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Fionnula" Michelle apologised
"Get him out of here!" Fionnula Yelled
Michelle looked at James expectantly, "you heard her!" She ordered
James sadly turned to walk out of the door and to walk home alone in the cold.
As he walked out, Teagan remembered she had meant to leave earlier and decided to run after him. She quickly said goodbye to her friends and told Michelle to update her on the plans.
"Those two getting close makes me wanna boke" Michelle groaned
"James, Wait up!" She Yelled down the street after him.
A local boy who she knew who also called James, looked up at looked at her confused
"Not you James!" She shrugged him off and shouted for her James again
"James Maguire!" She huffed as she quickly ran after him.
James stopped in his tracks and turned to see who was calling him. When he saw Teagans face he calmed down and smiled.
"Fucking Hell James, how fast do you walk?" She breathed in and out to try and catch her breath.
James apologised and took her chippy bag out her hands to make it easier for her.
"Thought you couldn't stand it?" She laughed once she finally got her breath back.
"I'm willing to put up with it for you if I have to"
"Aww James how lovely" she sarcastically teased him
"Honestly I don't see what you mean but to each their own, I guess"
James stayed silent.
"Will you walk home with me? It's only fifteen minutes away" she asked
James instantly nodded but stopped to try and seem cool.
"Yeah, I guess I could" he remained calm.
"Great!" Teagan smiled as she turned the corner and James followed her.
"What do you think Michelle's gonna do?" He asked
Teagan smiled and shook her head "knowing Michelle? Something stupid" she laughed
"Yeah you're probably right"
Ten minutes later they arrived at the front entrance of the Pub that Teagan called home, she really didn't want to say bye to James but her parents would kill her if the food went cold.
The two teens lingered in front of the door and both waited for the other to Speke
"I'll see you on Monday-."
"Goodnigh-."
They spoke over each other. Teagan scrunched up her eyes and laughed.
" I was going to say, I'll see you on Monday?"
James nodded "yeah, you um will. I was going to say goodnight"
"Goodnight James," the corner of her lips turned up into a smile.
Apparently it was contagious because soon enough James's lips did the same thing.
"Goodnight, Teagan" he replied dreamily and began to walk back towards his aunties house.
Teagan opened the pub door and could hear he hustle and bustle inside and then poked her head back out to get one last glimpse of James before he walked out of her sight.
"James" she shouted impulsively
He instantly turned round with a smile on his face "yeah?"
Teagan scratches her neck with her unoccupied hand "Umm, make sure Michelle doesn't do anything stupid"
James laughed and nodded
"Thank you. I mean thank you for walking me home" she awkwardly replied.
"No problem"
Teagan walked back into the pub once James was out of sight but he definitely wasn't out of her mind. In fact he seemed to be the only thing she could think about at the moment.
Half an hour later, Teagan has finished her chippy and had just tucked her little sister into bed and was ready to start her shift at the bar. She didn't even know if she could call it a shift anymore is she didn't get paid for it.
"What will it be sir?" She asked a customer
"A pint please" he replied with a smile and handed her the money.
Teagan took it and went over to the beer pump to start pouring the pint.
The pub door burst open and Michelle awkwardly walked in, clutching a massive board at her side. It wasn't just any old board it was the notice board from Fionnula's chippy.
Teagan's eyebrows shot up and she accidentally over poured the beer into the cup.
She didn't realise until the cold substance hit her hand.
"Shit" she muttered
She quickly grabbed a cloth and wiped around the cup and gave the customer an apology as well as his overflowed drink.
She rounded the bar so she was standing in front of Michelle and James.
Michelle was smirking wildly and James looked at Teagan uneasy
"She did something stupid" he told her
Teagan rolled her eyes and sarcastically smiled
"You think?"
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