Only You - [Lip Gallagher]

she stays; she pays

"If I was at Softball camp right now I'd be running laps." Kelly says, coming in with Carl and two bags of McDonald's breakfast. "And if you didn't keep up, add two." I say, grabbing my hashbrowns from the bag, "Tell me about it." She chuckles. "I miss playing but I hated running practices." I say, sitting at the table. "I feel you on that." Kelly says, shoving a McGriddle in her mouth. "Lip at that bitch's house?" Debbie asks and I nod, "But it's whatever. His choice." God that killed me to say. "Still watching Dexter?" Debbie changes the subject quickly, directing it back to Carl and Kelly. "Nope, finished. Now we're on friends." Kelly says with a mouthful. "Morning!" Some lady shouts from the front door before walking towards the kitchen, "Hi, who are you?" I ask before I feel Carl's hands gently move me over to the side as he steps in front of us three girls, "Don't be so hostile." Frank pushes Carl and kisses the woman, "This is my lady." He says before leaving with her. "That's not gonna end well." I mutter, taking a bite of my hashbrown.

Suddenly the house dims and goes really silent, "Shit." Debbie mutters, flicking on and off the light switch, "What the hell?" I furrow my eyebrows and peak out the window, "Kev and V still have power so it wasn't a whole block thing." I say. "Did we forget to pay?" Carl asks, "Fi has been paying it." I say. "I'll call her." Debbie sighs and pulls out her phone. "No answer." She rolls her eyes. "I'll call the electric company." I take initiative.

"Hi, my electricity just turned off but we never got sent a bill. I was curious as to what was going on?" "Address, please." The lady speaks in a monotone. "2119 North Wallace." "There were two bills sent out to the mailing address we have on file." "And what address is that because we haven't received a bill." "4503 Wolfcrest." "That isn't our mailing address anymore, can we change it back to 2119 North Wallace?" I ask, annoyed. Fiona had all the bills sent to her and didn't let me know she couldn't handle it this month and now is ignoring all of Debs calls. "Yes ma'am it was changed, would you like to pay the bill over the phone? It is two months past due." "Sure." I huff, "Card please." I read her off my card numbers from memory, "Would you like to keep this card on file?" The woman asks me and I don't hesitate, "Yes, absolutely." "Perfect, thank you. Have a wonderful day." The woman says and the line clicks. "You didn't have to do that, it's Fiona's fault." Debbie says. "We'll just take back on our bills, I told her from the beginning I'd handle it. Fiona always falls through." I sigh, "I'll help as much as I can." Debbie sighs, "I will too. I had a great business idea." Carl admits. "Oh god, not again." I palm my face. "What does that mean?" "First crack heads in the basement, dying dogs which killed me to hear and see. I hope this one is safe and not smelly." I ruffle his hair before walking upstairs.

++

"I just went and paid all of our missing bills, seventeen hundred dollars!" Debbie announces as she walks back into the house. "Franny was good" I say, walking downstairs and putting her down. "Mommy!" She yells and throws herself against Debbie's legs. "Hi sweet girl." She says, patting her head. "Lip, Sadie, and I have been giving Fiona money for bills, she just hasn't been paying them. Just because we have jobs doesn't mean we need to pay for everything ourselves. So," She reaches into the cabinet and pulls out the big empty crisco container we used to use as squirrel fund, "Squirrel fund is back and we all need to do our share." Debbie says "Shit, Debs is a con." Kelly jokes. "Hey, mind if my friend crashes here tonight?" Lip walks into the kitchen with Tami towering over him, "Whatever." Deb rolls her eyes and pushes past him. "Squirrel fund is back, if she stays she pays!" Debbie shouts. "She's bitchy." Tami jokes. "Wonder fucking why." I mutter and begin to walk upstairs. "Do not come into MY room with your gargantuan." I say before walking up the rest of the stairs. How could he be with her? She's huge, she's like six inches taller than him and a total cunt!

"What are you bothering him about, Frank?" I ask after hearing them bicker. "It's nothing Sade." Carl huffs and snatches a clear cup from his hands and walks into the bathroom. I furrow my eyebrows, "Hey Carl, remember the time you walked in on Aunt Ginger and seen her tits?" Franks asked through the closed door. "Hey Frank, shut the fuck up." Carl says before coming out of the bathroom and handing Frank the cup back and snatching the one hundred dollar bill from his hands. "Is that your cum?" I ask with wide eyes. "He bet I couldn't in under a minute." Carl asks, walking past me. "What are you doing with that?" I ask, "Throwing it away of course but far far from this house so that girl downstairs doesn't get herself pregnant." Frank says, quickly leaving the house. "Jesus Christ, Frank." I mutter in a worried tone. 

"Hey girl, you okay?" Kelly jogs up the stairs and asks. I nod, "Yeah, I'm fine. He does this more often than you think." I say referring to Lip. "Frank or Lip?" She chuckles, "Both, unfortunately." I let out a breathy chuckle. "If you wanna hit the cages or something we totally can. I'm kinda over the whole softball thing but for you I'll get back to it." She pats my shoulder and I smile softly, "Thanks." I say softly before she winks at me and jogs back downstairs. Yup, lesbian.

++

"Hey Gallaghers," I hear Kev's voice and I jump out of bed only to be greeted by Tami and Lip leaving the old room, "I got a present for you." He calls up and I roll my eyes at Lip and go downstairs to see a plastered drunk Fiona in his arms. "Jesus." Lip says behind me. "She's fine, just passed out." V says and kisses her forehead, "Sweet dreams baby girl." She says and looks up at me and sees Lip and Tami behind me. "No fucking way." She chuckles, "What?" Kev asks and looks around aimlessly until he realizes, "Oh shit, she's huge." Kev laughs. "And a heinous cunt, Lip was right." "You called me a cunt, Jabby?" Tami asked, "No." He lies and I laugh, "Okay." I giggle and push past them to go back to my room. "Love you Kev, Love you V. Goodnight." I call down to them, "Goodnight baby! I love you." Kev and V call up to me in unison.

"Can you stop being a bitter bitch?" Lip comes into our old room, shutting the door behind him. "Me? Me being a bitter bitch? Yeah, I think you'd be twice as worse if I were to do even half the shit you do to me!" I yell in a whisper, "Fuck you, Sade." "Why the sudden change of behavior? As if you weren't just kissing up on me last week you fucking dick." "That was last week, this is now. I like her, sorta." "Great, hope she's the one for you so you can stay the fuck away from me." I say in a hurt tone. "Sade." He says, "What?" I say, annoyed, "Sade, Tami's pregnant." Lip says to me and my heart sinks to the bottom of my stomach. "Please get out of my room." I say, with every single emotion running through my body. "Please." I repeat, my chest grows heavy and I begin to have slight labored breathing. "Sadie, I'm sorry I didn't mean to." "Get. Out." I repeat, "Sadie." "Tami! Come get your fucking boyfriend!" I shout and he storms out of my room. 

What. The. Fuck.