ALWAYS YOU - lip gallagher

001.

serenity's alarm woke her up at 7 am like it does every morning. she rubbed her eyes, staring up at her ceiling, fighting back sleep.
"you better be up ren!" her mom yelled from outside of her room, before her footsteps descending down the stairs.

"i am!" she yelled back, sitting up and stretching after getting out of bed.

the girl got up and rummaged through her drawers until she found something that matched and was appropriate for the cold chicago weather. she sat them on her desk before walking out of her room to take a quick shower.

ren hopped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body and running back to her room. she got changed quickly, drying her hair, and doing some light makeup. who cares what she looks like anyway? not like anyone was looking at her.

after pulling on her shoes and grabbing her backpack, she ran down the stairs and bid her parents goodbye.

"aren't you gonna eat?" her mom questioned.

"i'll eat at the gallagher's! i gotta go or else i'll be late! see ya guys!" she yelled out the door.

ren ran out the front door and bound down the front porch steps before quickly walking the five or six houses down she was to the gallagher property. she walked up the steps to their house and walked in, having been told she shouldn't have to knock. "morning gallaghers!" she said as she walked through the door and heading straight for the kitchen.

"morning ren," debbie said quickly, taking a bite of her breakfast.

"morning debs," she smiled at the girl, ruffling her hair a bit, watching as ian and lip came down the stairs that led into the kitchen. she smiled at ian and nodded at him, ian was arguably the gallagher she was closest to. "morning serenity," she heard from lip, she offered him a grin.

"morning ren! electric," fiona said, placing down a small box in the middle of the table.

ren took a seat at the table next to ian and grabbed a piece of toast fiona had set out on the table. the small box was being passed around, small mumbles from each of the gallaghers. ren checked her pockets and pulled out a twenty, putting it in the box, lip instantly taking it out of the box and handing it to her.

"you don't have to do that, y'know?"

"lip, i want to. plus i basically live here, i think it's only fair i pitch in."

"lip's right, ren. we don't need it," fiona said from behind the counter.

"please, i feel guilty if i don't."

"fine, but just this once, and we're paying you back!" fi said, pointing a finger towards her.

"no need to! i won't take it!" ren laughed, placing the twenty back in the box.

fiona chuckled at the girl, taking a look at carl, "no. you've got a happy meal on the front of your shirt," she said, flipping his shirt inside out and putting it back on him.

"oh, um, field trip. need dad's signature," ian said, handing debbie a paper, the red head quickly signing it and giving it back to him.

"shit, i forgot to get mine signed," ren sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"don't worry, you still have another day i think," ian shrugged, "you're getting really good at this debs."

"uh, who's got the phone?," fiona said as she loaded close into the machine.

"i got it," lip said, pulling it out of his pocket.

"any minutes left?"

"uhh, fourteen," he said, tossing it to her.