The Secret Between Us//Gallavich

6| Weird suggestion

IAN
Running around with Mickey had been to a minimum since Terry nearly caught us. Yes, we still saw each other most days, through Mandy, but any physical contact or sexual contact was at a minimum. I had never had the urge just to fuck some random dude. I wanted so badly to fuck Mickey until both our bodies were sore, but I couldn't. Not until I felt 100 percent certain that we were in the clear. Fuck. I needed to tell someone. Even if it meant that I had to exaggerate the truth, or twist it to fit my liking, I needed to say something to someone.

Lip. I could tell Lip. I mean, Mandy said something similar, so I'd have to edit my story quite a lot, but it could work. I knew Lip was home. I ran downstairs, finding Lip downing a beer as he held his phone, completely unbothered by the horrid mess that had found its way from the living room to the kitchen.

"Jesus Lip. You're not gonna be a contributing member of this family by cleaning up some of this shitty mess?" I asked, laughing.

"Not my mess, not my job." Lip sipped more of his beer, now facing me.

"I need advice. Not for me, but for a friend." I explained, Lip smiling.

"Okay. What shitty situation has this "friend" of yours found themselves in? Got a girl pregnant? Arranged marriage? In trouble with the cops?" Lip listed off a few things, making me laugh. Lip wasn't wrong.

"Remember when Mandy told you about the dude in Mexico?" I asked, Lip nodding.

"Please don't tell me that the dude is asking for more than just money..." Lip rolled his eyes.

"No, not exactly. I have a friend from ROTC. He's gay, and is hiding it from his father." I began, watching as Lip seemed more interested.

"He and his partner were caught by his partner's dad a few weeks ago, and recently, his father nearly caught them." Every time I thought about Terry almost catching Mickey and I, I wanted to vomit.

"Okay, why is this friend of yours hiding his sexuality from his father?" Lip asked, confused.

"Why do you think? His father is heavily homophobic and wouldn't be opposed to pistol-whipping his own son." The idea of Mickey being pistol-whipped by Terry was now stuck in my mind.

"Sure. What advice am I supposed to give, exactly?" Lip asked.

"I'm basically the middle man for him and his partner, like the dude in Mexico. Whenever his father comes to ROTC, my job is to distract him while his son ass-fucks another dude." I smiled, watching as Lip scoffed.

"How old is this dude from ROTC?" Lip asked, curious.

"He turned 18 last week. Why?" I asked, confused.

"My best advice is Army." Lip's advice made me confused.

"Uh, what?" I looked at Lip in confusion, hoping he'd elaborate.

"Think about it. He's 18, so he could enlist in the Army. The Army would give him the skills to combat bad people. If this dude's dad is a homophobe, and his son is in ROTC, there's a high chance that the dad did ROTC as well. If this dude enlists, he'll have the advantage with combat training and medical training if any serious injuries occur. That's my advice for your friend." Lip explained. His advice actually made more sense now that I thought about it.

Getting up from my seat, I ran upstairs, finding that my bedroom was empty, thank god. I grabbed the largest bag I owned and started throwing shit that I could take with me.

Many would think that my impulsive decision to join the Army was insane, and indeed it was. But, if the need to fight Terry Milkovich ever occurred, I wanted to be prepared. For the next 30 minutes, I researched getting a new ID. If my plan was to work, I needed the Army to believe that I was 18, or more believably, Phillip Gallagher.

Eventually, I was on my way to a grocery store, walking to the very back. There was a tall guy, his arms crossed as he looked down at me. I showed him the cash that I had and he let me past. In the back rested a table with wads of cash, fake ID's mounds of paper and a few dudes who looked like they could win a large gun fight. Chucking one of Lip's ID's onto the table, I threw my ID down too, placing $1000 on the table beside them.

"Put his face, name, age and other information on my ID." I looked at the man, watching as he made sure that the money was real.

I walked around Chicago for an hour before I got the message that my ID was ready. Getting my new ID, I couldn't believe that in 24 hours, I'd hopefully be getting onto a bus that would take me to the Army.

———

At 9 am, I was standing in a line, surrounded by other men who were going to the Army.

"Phillip?" An Army officer asked as I handed him my ID, feeling my heart race.

"It's Lip." I corrected him.

"It's just Gallagher now. Get on." He smiled briefly before gesturing for me to get on the bus. I had succeeded with my plan. Next stop, Army. Thanks for the idea, Lip.

MICKEY
"Have you called or texted Ian today?" I asked as I walked into Mandy's room, confused.

"Yeah, but I haven't gotten a response." Mandy shrugged her shoulders.

"Shit. You messaged Lip?" I asked, worried.

"I'll call him now." I watched as Mandy clicked on Lip's number, putting the call on speaker.

"What's up Mandy?" We heard Lip's voice.

"Have you heard from Ian today?" Mandy asked.

"Nope. I don't think he was home last night." Lip admitted.

"The fuck? Did he seem weird at all yesterday?" I asked.

"Uh, hello Mickey. But he did ask for my advice. Ian never asks for my advice." Lip scoffed.

"Advice about what?" Mandy asked, noticing the worried expression on my face.

"Some dude from ROTC. Apparently Ian's the middle man for a secret relationship." Lip laughed.

"Thanks." Mandy hung up, rolling her eyes.

"Of course. He spoke to Lip about our arrangement without actually speaking about our arrangement." I scoffed.

"What advice do you think Lip gave to him?" Mandy looked at me, concerned.

"I don't know..." I was starting to worry. Ian always replied to messages or calls sent from Mandy and me. If he didn't, we knew something was wrong.