Chapter 5
3 weeks later*
I hop off the bus putting my bag on my back, I look around searching my family and after turning around I see Ian and Fiona. I run up to them and hug them. "Hey soldier, how was Bootcamp?" Ian asks me, smiling as he takes my bag. "Awesome, I could probably kick your ass now. " I say smiling and going to hug Fiona."In your dreams," he responds. "How's everything at home?" I ask while walking back with them. "Um, well." Ian starts looking skeptical. "What? It can't be that bad. I've only been gone for three weeks." I say laughing but stop short as they both don't answer. "Well, Lip is trying to take responsibility for a baby that may not be his by dropping out of school. So, Fi made him choose school or not living in the house anymore." Ian starts, "Fucking Idiot," I mutter shaking my head. I know Lip was smart enough to pass school with ease but he was probably the only person I know who would fuck up his opportunity to get out of the ghetto.
" Oh, and Jimmy's back, he's even got a wife." Fiona states, "Wait, Jimmy. As in Jimmy-Steve." I questioned to make sure and when she nodded her head I just had to stop for a minute. I mean I probably haven't seen the guy in almost a year, and he got married, when?! "You didn't forgive him for abandoning you, right?" I question hastily. "Nope, but he is relentless. Even became Carl's football coach." she returns sighing. "Anything else?" I inquired hoping nothing else too radical happened while I was gone. "Grandma got out of prison, made Frank's life a living hell, sort of see where he gets it from now," Ian says smiling." almost killed Sheila by shooting her, and almost killed Carl by making a meth lab in our basement that caught on fire," he explained. "Well, where is she now? She can't still be in the house right." I ask Fiona. "Right, because she just died of cancer last week," Fiona answers casually.
"What the fuck. You'd think I'd been gone for a year by how much shit happened" I express, as amusing as it was I was shocked, I mean I get our life is a roller coaster but this much in such short a time.
"Oh Fi, I took some weed with me to camp, got the other cadets to give me money for. Those rich pricks bought this shit so fast that it was gone in two days." I say as I present three hundred dollars to her. "Woah Lex, this is impressive," she tells me, amazed. "How'd you get it in," she asked me. "Wasn't tight security but put it in coffee grounds in a jar that I had them in." I clarify
Walking up to the front door together Fiona and Ian seem hesitant to go in. "Well good that I'm all caught up. Can't believe all that happened in three weeks." I declared opening the door but still turned towards them. "Well, not everything," Ian says cautiously. I look at him confused as to what he means but it becomes very clear as I enter the house. "Oh my god, it's my baby lex." the voice says. "Holy fuck." I state with wide eyes. There she is, my crazy, drug addict, shit excuse of a mother, Monica. She goes to hug me and all I can do is just stand there. "What the fuck." I whisper, out of all the things that were said to me today, this stunned me the most. "Look how tall you got, you're already taller than me! And this uniform, my military lady," she says laughing. I can't feel anything, my body just feels numb. I don't know why but when she hugged me it felt cold, not what you're supposed to feel when your mother hugs you. "Say something to your mother god dammit." Frank's voices but I just can't move anything, not even my mouth. "Lex, you okay?" Fi asked me with a hand on my shoulder. I nod and try to walk past Monica but she grabs my hand instead. "W-wait Lex, come sit. I made breakfast for you guys, I want to talk to you." she insists. I can't even look at her.
"This is bullshit." I say laughing. "Watch your mouth, that is, your mother you're talking to." Frank demands. "No! This woman is not my mother. The memory of my mother died when I was six! This woman is not a mother, she may look like her but mothers are supposed to stick around! When a "mother" leaves, they are no longer a mother!" I yell at him. I run back outside as Fiona calls my name. Every time I look at that woman I remember every single time she abandoned me. Even when it was on the street corners to get high on god knows what or when she would just leave in the middle of the night and not come back for months on end. That shit hurt ever fucking time and just looking at her made each memory just come flooding back.
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I went to Karen's house knowing Lip was gonna be there, mostly to find out why he's throwing his entire future away for some skank. Knocking on the front door after taking off my shoes knowing how nuts her mom is is about it, I see Shelia. "Hey Lex, what brings you by here," she asks through a small crack in the doorway. "Hi Sheila, Lip here?" I ask her. "Oh yes, would you like to come in?" she questions when I nod my head she fully opens the door and lets me inside. Walking in I see Lip at the table with a pregnant Karen and Jody. "Woah! it's Lieutenant Gallagher. When did you get out?" he asked me, getting up to hug me. "An hour ago, and not even an hour back guess who surprises me?" I question him. "Who?" he asked, genuinely confused. "Fucking Monica." I finished with a smile and Lip just looked upset, surprised but still upset. "Whose Monica," Jody asked. "Our drug addict mother. But that isn't the only reason I came here. Let's go outside." I tell and walk out.
" So, why aren't you home," I asked him once outside, lighting a cigarette, I already knew the full story but I wanted to hear his side. "Fiona kicked me out." he responded back as I handed him a stick from my pack "She kicked you out or did you leave because I didn't want to finish high school," I say laughing. "You're not gonna give me shit are you," he says sighing. "Nope, just wanted to know what you plan on doing," I say smiling. He looks surprised that I didn't give him nag him on why school is important. Causing him to not really have a clear answer to my question. "Lip, you're a genius even if things don't work out the traditional way. You'll still do something. Right?" I tell him while patting his back. He just nods his head looking down. "Well, if by any chance that baby is yours. I call dibs on being the godmother." I joke with him. There is an eighty-five percent chance that this baby is Lip's kids but if he wants to believe it's his what's the harm for now. He'll find out sooner or later when the baby comes out. "Fine," he says laughing. I go back to the porch to grab my combat boots. "You're lucky you're not home now," I tell him walking off of the property, "Oh and Ian told me to tell you that Carl has a game tomorrow and he wants everyone to be there. Doesn't matter what shit you got going on with Fiona. Be there." I tell him sternly. When he nods I walk back home, hoping that Monica was already gone by the time I got home.
I walk upstairs past Fiona's room to see her painting something. "Hey Fi, what' chu doing," I ask while moving to sit on her bed. "Making signs for Carl's game tomorrow." She smiles and shows me one of the pillow sheets that display 'Let's go Gallagher!'. "Love them!" I tell her, she grins again and finishes off another one. "You saw Lip today?" she asked me. "Yup, at Karen's," I tell her. "Still thinking the baby's his." she questioned again. "Yup." I say laughing slightly. She sighs and I can already see her stressing out again. I stand up ready to change out of my uniform that I've been in all day.
"Can't force him to do anything Fi, he's gonna figure out he made a mistake himself and fix it. Just trust him." I try to calm her nerves about Lip's streak of bad decision making so far. I understand why she would be nervous, she doesn't want any of us to fail. She dropped out for all of us and did the best she could when our poor of excuses' of parents weren't there, just getting drunk or ditching us.
I walk into the boys' room to see Ian lighting a joint in his bed, I ump on it with him." So, how's my counterpart doing?" I ask him, smiling, he just laughs but looks upset. "More stuff happened while I was gone. Come on, say it." I insist. "Mickey back and juvie." Ian let's out. "For fucking what this time." He just got out a month ago. How is he back in already? "Frank caught us in the back of the store and he wanted to kill Frank but instead broke his probation to go back to Juvie," he says sadly.
"That's literally what he did to Mandy and me," I say astonished how Frank just ruins everything in his path. "No fucking way really," he replies just as shocked as me. " Yeah, caught us under the L. Now she wants nothing to do with me," I say humorously taking a drag of the stick. "That's not entirely true, you know she's asked about you a lot," he says amused. I sighed shaking my head, " I can't deal with her, and Monica at the same time, give me a splitting headache just thinking about it." I tell him. "Do you still like her?" he investigates. I pause thinking about it for a sec. "Yeah, for some sick reason I still like her a lot," I announce laughing sadly, "Even after she's insulted me and tried to sleep with my brother. She is still the girl I like. Life is fucked up ain't it." I smile at the last bit. "Yep, it is," Ian says smiling also.
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I fell asleep on Lip's bed since I knew he wouldn't be back home and Ian and I spent most of the night talking. Then we heard the bustling of people into the house and loud music. "What the fuck is that," I say groggily. "Frank and Monica," he answered, walking out the door. I follow him and though and behold, it was them having a party, no surprises here. When we make our way to the bottom floor I can see Fiona trying to put the party to an end but their drunk asses weren't having any of it.
Ian walks over to the stereo and turns it off," I want to do something with my life. So shut the fuck up and let me sleep." he declared. Frank tries to get in his face but I push him back. "Both of you need to get the fuck out. And take your group of hobos with you." I tell them but Frank pushes Ian and me back. "Hey, you do not talk to your mother like that, you little fuckers." he grits to us but Monica pulls him back and slaps him. "Apologize to them." she demands "What?" he questioned "Apologies," she says again. He tells us sorry with no emotion and I look at Ian's face that is just as confused as mine. I grab a beer off the table and flip Frank off before I go upstairs. I pass Debs on the stairs telling her to go back to our room but Frank and Monica insist she parties with them. I rub my face as she goes down with them and rushes back to my room. I just wish she would leave already like she usually does.