STUPID FRANK!

Chapter One

Fuck, fuck fuck. I think as I try to outrun the cop chasing me. Stealing cars is never easy. Hiding it from your family, not getting caught, not getting killed for stealing, avoiding spiked drinks and killer drugs. Except, I don't have a family. I never get caught. I have a gun on me and I'm not afraid to use it, and I bring my own drinks and drugs. I've got good at this over the five years I've been doing it. Started when I was around ten when my mom left for a year, and anytime she dipped I did too.

This time was different. Tony stood at the end of the alley with his partner running behind me. "This car needs to be delivered in about forty minutes and it's an hour drive. If you don't mind, I need to get going. I'm running in the wrong direction because of you guys." I tell them while running. I pause in between them and pull out a knife in my boot. I'm tackled to the ground and swung my knife. It hits something, I feel the stab and realize It stabbed into my own arm. Fuck.

The ride to the hospital is quiet. The cops sit to the left of me and an EMT to the right. My hands are shackled into the bed and my body is strapped in. The knife is still in my shoulder. "Do we have anyone to call?" Tony murmurs to the other cop. "Never caught her before." I snicker. "Lucky day I guess." Their eyes turn to look at me. "What's your mom's name? Dad's name? Who do we call?" Thinking about Monica, I just shake my head. "Ghostbusters?" That's the only response I can think of. Maybe because they said who you gonna call, or maybe it's the fact that Monica's probably dead in a ditch. It's been two years since I've seen her. She left when I was thirteen and hasn't been back. She always leaves. But never for two years.

"For real kid. Do you have anyone?" His face frowns and goes from mad to concerned. "Unless you can find a BBB named Monica then no."

"A BBB?" He questions. "Blonde, bipolar bitch" I state. "Monica Gallagher?" His eyes glare at the cop next to him. "Monica Gallagher" I repeat nodding. "Last I heard from her was over two years ago."

The Ambulance stops and I can hear Tony call someone. "Hey Fi. It's me, Tony. I have a kid here. Maybe about fifteen saying she's Monica Gallagher's kid." He pauses and listens "stole a car." Another pause. "She tried to stab us and when we pushed her down she fell onto her blade. " I can hear a faint yell. "We're at the hospital if you want to come to meet her. Maybe pick her up. If not she's spending the night here and the jail".

A nurse comes in and jabs me with a needle and my vision blurs. I come to with someone slapping me to wake me. "We gotta go Amanda." The voice tells me. "Get your ass up. The cops are outside and we gotta jump the window." I peel open my eyes to see Mickey.

I tell him what happened as I get dressed. He just laughs and grabs the chair in the room. I can hear Tony and a female talking outside my room. "Another kid. God Frank!" Tony tries to calm down this other voice but before I can listen in, Mickey throws the chair and the window shatters. I hear the door get pushed open but I'm already jumping.

I land next to Mickey and we run. We run back to his place where I hide when I get in trouble. Till now the cops didn't know we knew each other so it was safe. Now they know we are friends.

Mickey is like a brother to me. He always has been. His dad is nice to me and lets me come over whenever. I think he thinks we are together. Mandy is one of my best friends. I met Mickey when I got caught buying LSD for Monica when I was around eight and he was ten. Ever since then we have been inseparable.

"Let's go to my room," he tells me and we both charge in. Pushing to get in first and on his bed. I win and lay on the bed. He sits on the end of it, uncomfortably trying to get comfortable.

There's a knock on the front door. "Bathroom?" I question as he gets up. "Yeah. You stay in there and I'll check the door." I hear him walk away and I sit against the door. "Ian. Hey man. You can't be here."

"Please. Just, it's been a bad day." A voice pleads. " I have a sister I've never met. Never knew about. Fiona wants to take her in." I hear mickey laugh. "Doesn't she have enough of you, red?"

The other voice laughs a bit and pauses. "We googled her. She has an Instagram. She looks so much like Monica." My heart drops. Monica, he said mom's name. "Blondes were never my type. More into redheads." Mickey says. "Oh fuck. That's Amanda!" I heard him exclaim. "You know Amanda?!" The voice asks. "Yeah, we are friends. She's actually in the other room. We broke out of'' the voice cuts him off. "The hospital. Yeah, we went to see her, to meet her." My heart is in my stomach and my mouth is dry.

"Does she know about us? Can I meet her? What room" I hear the front door push open more. "Ian. Slow down man. She's in the bathroom. We thought you were a cop."

The footsteps continue before they are stopped again. "You're gonna scare her man. You're like a giant compared to her. And she's skittish." I am not. I think. "She doesn't know about you guys. I'll introduce you. But not as her brother. As my friend."

A knock on the bathroom door snaps me back to reality. "Amanda. I have a friend over, not a cop. Wanna meet?"

"Friend or fuck buddy?" There's a hesitation. A slight pause and his voice trembles when he answers. "Both?" The other voice laughs at this and I open the door. A red-haired boy, about nine inches taller and muscular stands in front of me. "Hi. I'm Ian." He holds out his hand. "I'm Amanda."

Ian steps back to give me room. "Heard about your run." He says and hands me a cig. I take it and inhale, French inhaling out. "Mm, from who?" I ask him. Mickey pipes in. "Can't I share your accomplishments? I'm proud of my girl." He kisses the top of my head and I lean into him. Ian looks confused. "God don't look at me like that. He's basically my brother." I tell Ian.

There's another knock on the door and I hear Tony call out "CPD" shit, shit, fuck. Ian walks to the door and points to the bathroom. I get in and hear the door open. "Tony, I checked here. She isn't with Mick" After a few minutes Tony walks away and Ian closes the door. I peek my head out. "You can't stay here. They know you are with me" mickey tells me. "You act like it's murder and not car theft." He rolls his eyes. "You can stay with us. Fiona doesn't care. I have a few siblings but they won't mind." Ian tells me. "Uh. Sure." I look at Mickey who gives me a smile and a reassuring thumbs-up. "I'll just call to tell them first." Ian leaves and I look at Mickey shocked. "Ian... Gallegher? He's a Gallegher?" Mickey just nods. Me and him lean into the door to listen to the phone call. "Hey is Fiona there? No... Lip, I met a girl named Amanda at Mickey's, She needs a place to stay because she got into trouble... Yeah, that Amanda... Haven't told her, might scare her... Skittish, Short, blonde, blue eyes... I don't know man, fifteen? Yeah, see you in a few."

I follow Ian out the back door and down the street. "I'm not about to get ganged up on by a shit ton of redheads, am I?" He laughs. "Me and Debbie are the only redheads." I pause. "I thought Fiona was your older sister?" A small house comes into view and I can hear screaming and yelling coming from inside. "Debbie is my younger sister, Fiona is my older." So there's three of them? "Then we have Lip, who's a year older than me" I give him a confused face." Lip?" He laughs a bit and it sounds like Monica's laugh. Hearing it makes me smile. "Philip. Then we have Carl, he's a little." He stops and thinks "Sociopathic, then Liam, my baby brother." Mom really did have fun with Dad