Southside ~ Shameless

Chapter 36

"Morning," Fiona greeted as she entered the kitchen the next morning.

"Jimmy gonna come down to make us breakfast?" Carl asked.

"He's sleeping in," said Fiona, "eat your cereal,"

"Wore him out?" Nick smirked at her. She gave him an unamused look, "you too eat your cereal."

"I'm spoiled now," Carl whined, "need an omelet."

"Your pushing your luck man," Nick chuckled at the boy as he headed his instructions and ate his cereal.

"So how's the club night thing coming?" Lip asked fiona as she took the box of cereal out of the cupboard.

"Gonna be a big success," she said surely, "make ebough money to roll it into another one. Take out a small loan. Really get things going. What's wrong Debs?"

"Got home late," Debbie groaned tiredly, "babysitting."

"So the ghetto girl thinks she can live the American dream Huh?"

"Maybe it's my time Lip," said Fiona. They'd been fighting about this for a couple days now, Fiona had took her check from the toxic waste job which was supposed to pay the property tax and used it to pay for a club night to promote.

As far as Nick knew Hollie had been staying out of the squabble for the most part, but she'd taken on a few extra shifts at the bar and a couple of cover jobs to help cover the money they owed. Despite that, they were still a few hundred short.

Mandy let out a wry laugh to which Fiona glared, "none of your business Mandy," she snapped.

"You see it doesn't work like that sis," said Lip, "when your poor, only way to make money is to steal it or scam it. Like Don King or Joe Kennedy."

"Daddy's home!" Frank announced as he walked through the front door, "brought friends,"

He dropped the battered bike that he'd been dragging along to the floor as two guys from the Alibi, Chester and Phil, walked through the living room behind him.

"Hey, that's my bike!" Ian yelled.

"Doesn't really work anymore," said Frank as Ian stepped past him to pick the bike up.

"Yeah, because you bent the rim Frank," Ian fumed, "and where's the seat,"

Frank turned to the guys he was with, "that's why it hurt so much when I rode it. Come on fellas get some brekkie." He gestured for them to follow him into the kitchen, "soak up the alcohol,"

"Do you have sourdough?"

"Hey! This is our food!" Fiona snapped.

"Don't be rude," said Frank, "is this about money, Fiona? Because I am happy to pay my share."

Frank rummaged around in his pockets. "That's all you ever want from me anymore anyway," Frank ranted as he pulled a small ziplock baggy from his pocket and poured out some white powder out of it onto a piece of foil, "there. You happy? Huh? That's about $300 worth,"

Everyone in the room, other than his two friends were watching him in disbelief and annoyance.

"Come on lads," he said as he closed the baggy and put it away in his pocket, "let's go upstairs, take a disco nap till the Alibi's open again."

"No, no!" Lip stood up from the table and walked over to block Frank from getting to the stairs.

"Lip don't," Debbie pleaded.

"This is my home," Frank yelled, getting into Lip's face making Ian and Nick step towards them incase he tried anything, "you have no right to keep me out of it. I am an important part of this family."

"No you're not." Said Ian, "you don't live here anymore."

It looked like Frank was about to argue his case again but instead he stepped back with his hands raised, "fine. If that's the way you want it, I'll leave," he resigned, "Phil, Chester, I'm sorry. My family doesn't want me here anymore." He guided them towards the living room but once Lip stepped away from the stairs he shoved him to the ground and yelled "charge! Fellas!"

"Shit!" Fiona yelled as Frank, Chester and Phil ran up the stairs.

"Jackass!" Lip yelled.

"That's it, go go!" Fiona yelled and they all chased after Frank up the stairs.

When they reached Debbie's room, Frank was splayed out on Debbie's bed. One of the guys he was with was peeing out the window. "That the hell are you doing man! Stop."

While Lip and Ian shoved Chester and Phil out of the room and down the stairs, Nick and Fiona attempted to drag Frank up while Debbie cried in protest.

Frank shoved Fiona and her back hit the door. He stumbled backwards causing Nick to lose his grip on his arm and Frank toppled over, crushing Debbie's school project in the process.

Everyone froze in shock for Debbie who looked heartbroken as Frank stood up and looked down at the remains of the popsicle stick house, "well that was a piece of shit anyway," he slurred.

"Frank!" Fiona yelled as Debbie tearing ran out of the room, "no."

"Frank get the fuck out come on!" Lip yelled when Frank collapsed back onto the bed.

Hollie, who had been sleeping off her late shift at the alibi, peeked her head out of her room to see Debbie running down the hall with something in a pillowcase, "Debs?"

She rushed after the girl as she ran into her room and was met with the sight of Debbie repeatedly hitting Frank with whatever was in the pillowcase, yelling at Frank to get out while everyone watched in shock hit not really wanting to stop her.

Frank yelled for her to stop but everyone kept watching instead of coming to his aide. He rolled off the bed, Debbie still beating him with the pillowcase of soap and Nick grabbed him, dragging him out of the room as Debbie collapsed on her bed crying and kicking her feat.

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Later that night at the alibi Frank stumbled into the bar covered in bruised from Debbie's beating that morning and was asking around for a place to stay.

"What if you immigrate to Mexico Frank?" Kevin suggested when Frank offered to give Kermit a blowjob if he let him stay at his house, "reverse the prevailing tide."

"Why are you even here?" Frank questioned, eyeing the cast on Kevin's leg that was propped up in a stool as he dried glasses, "should he collecting disability,"

"Because I didn't injure my foot at work."

"Let me crash at your place. I'll tell the insurance company that you did." Frank suggested.

"Why can't you stay at your place Frank?" Kate asked.

"Not gonna happen," said Hollie as she refilled a glass of old style.

"Ungrateful little shits." said Frank, glaring at Hollie who didn't even look in his direction, "that's why. Things I do for them."

Hollie snorted, "like what?"

"Blood sweat tears. This is not how family treats each other." Frank continued his rant.

Kevin got a call and left the bar in a hurry while Frank mumbled about Debbie or, the 'little red headed bitch' as he named her now, yelling about how she beat him up.

He grew quiet for a moment before abruptly speaking again, "hey Hollie?"

"What?"

"Can I use the phone?" He asked pointing to the corded phone behind the bar.

"Sure, make it quick," she huffed before heading to the bathroom to pee.