𝙹𝙾𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙴- 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙻 𝙶𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙰𝙶𝙷𝙴𝚁

𝙹𝙾𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙴

"𝙿𝙰𝙿𝙰! 𝙿𝙰𝙿𝙰, 𝚆𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝚄𝙿."

Lip took three steps backward, looking confused.

"C'mon papa, wake up!"

Sat, curled over an unconscious body was a little girl, with mousey brown hair and red-prickled hands. She wasn't dressed for winter, a plain pink t-shirt and a pair of jeans with a yellow butterfly sewn into the back pocket. She wasn't wearing any protection from the snow falling thick through the air. No hat, no coat, no gloves or a scarf. Her shoes were cheap canvas shoes. "Ah, shit," she groaned as she sat against the wall, "fuckin' dead."

Lip looked around, checking if anyone else was coming to the girl's aid before slipping into the grey-looking alleyway.

"Hey," he introduced his presence, handing her a chocolate bar from his pocket, "I'm Lip."

The girl took a bite, "Joanie."

She held out her hand for him to shake. He took it with a grin. "That your dad?"

Joanie nodded, "druggie. I wouldn't call him a dad, more like a biological weight."

Lip laughed, offering his hand, which she took to assist herself up. "I know the feelin'. You cold?" he quickly shrugged off his top layer and slipped it onto her, wrapping his scarf around her neck. The coat reached her knees and the scarf had to be wrapped around her neck three times before it was the right length, but it kept her warm and she was grateful. "C'mon," he held her hand as they walked in the direction of a phone booth, "I'll call the cops, get you home."

Joanie's eyes went wide, "no!"

Taking a step back, Lip held up his hands. "Ok, well let me at least let me call your dad in, alright? I'll take you home with me."

Joanie nodded before shoving the last of the chocolate bar into her mouth and putting the wrapper in the bin. "Yeah, I'd like to report a dead body in the alleyway behind Mark's laundrette on Daniel Street. Yeah, adult man, drug overdose, I think." He hung up the phone as quickly as he had picked it up, waving for Joanie to follow him. She offered her cold hand for him to hold and he switched his cigarette to he other hand to hold it. "How old are you, Joanie?"

The girl kicked snow with her wet shoes, "ten... I think. Maybe nine. One of the two, mom and dad never noticed it was my birthday."

Lip took a moment to sigh, "where's your mom now?"

Joanie scoffed, "I dunno. She'd probably sign her rights away to you right now if you asked nice enough."

Lip took a moment to think about it, mumbling, "huh, we'll see."

𝙹𝙾𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙴