GAME OVER ━━ Lip Gallagher

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

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Game Over
chapter thirty six

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                    "YOU THINK MANDY WOULD MIND IF I STAYED WITH HER TONIGHT?" Ian looked up from the magazine he was flipping through. Phoebe stood at the candy, running her finger over the choices. She had nowhere else to go for the next hour until her shift began. She had been picking up more before school started to save up more money. "Probably not," he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "If you don't mind her dad hitting on you." The imagery of that old, white man hitting on her made her grimace. It wasn't like she had any other choice in the matter. She couldn't stay at the Gallagher's house, nor could she stay home when someone from Alan's job is crashing there. "I think I can handle it," she sighed, picking up a Twix package.

She moved through the empty store, walking down the aisles and picking up random things. She had a Twix bar, an iced honey bun, and bag of cool ranch Doritos in her hands by the time she got to the fridges. "You good at Trig?" Ian asked, leaning forward on his stool behind the counter. She snorted. "You're barking up the wrong tree, red." She was never that great at math. It was her least favorite subject, and she was lucky enough that it wasn't a required class for her yet. "I'm guessing you're still not talking to Asshole?" He hummed in response. It had been a few days. Lip's pride was strong. His lack of apologies didn't surprise anyone really. "He hasn't even been home," Ian added.

She picked out a Sprite bottle and nudged the fridge door closed with her foot. "What, has he been sleeping outside?" she asked curiously. "Is he insane?" She didn't need an answer to that question. This past summer was enough to ensure that he was, in fact, out of his mind. She placed the items onto the counter and dug her wallet out of her shoulder bag. "He's such a child," she muttered, taking the Twix bar he had scanned and peeling it open. "It's a Gallagher thing, I guess," Ian responded before adding up the costs. She peeked at the machine, the left Twix bar between her teeth, and dug out the correct bills. "Do you have a dime? I've got the rest." He nodded his head, instead using a dime that was left in the donation pile. It was supposed to be for pennies, but it was Chicago — the South Side to be exact. The people there weren't the brightest.

The door's bell jingled as it opened. Their heads turned curiously, only to spot Lip walking in. He was still dressed in the same clothes. They silently stared as he made his way into the building, acting as if nothing was wrong. She held out the right Twix for Ian to take, to which he did. "Asshole," she whispered lowly, leaning against the counter. Ian put the rest of her stuff (minus her drink) into a plastic bag for her to take. Lip looked through the refrigerators before taking out a drink. Slowly, he made his way back to the two. "The two people I wanted to talk to," he stated playfully, setting the bottle onto the counter, reaching just a little over Phoebe. "Who knew you two would be hanging out."

She rolled her eyes. Ian only scanned the bottle, remaining silent. The top had been taken off. Lip leaned onto the counter, facing the brunette. "You cut your hair." He smiled lightly. "Looks good." She shot him a glare. "Okay.. Well, Grammy's back." His next sentence was directed toward Ian. Phoebe's eyes went wide at the news. She stopped herself from asking any questions, fighting back the gnawing curiosity infesting her frontal lobe. "Just showed up, in an ambulance." Ian slid the bottle back toward Lip. His face remained neutral as he just stared at his brother. Phoebe had to give him props for being so composed. Lip looked at her, almost expecting her to say something. "You know, she, uh, she never called."