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WITH THE TENSION STILL THICK IN THE AIR after everything that had transpired, Amelia found herself seated in Lip and Ian's bedroom, her foot playfully pressing against Lip's face. Karen had departed, leaving them to process the aftermath, while Logan had kindly escorted Emmy home to provide Amelia with a moment to collect herself.
Lip deftly finished rolling a blunt, gently placing it between Amelia's waiting lips. Their legs intertwined as they sat together, their connection unchanged despite the complications with Karen. They had always been inseparable, almost as if they were destined to orbit each other since the day they met.
"You suck," Amelia playfully taunted, her words punctuated by the plume of smoke that escaped her lips as Lip helped her ignite the blunt.
Lip shot back with a wry grin, "Not as much as Frank does." He reached for a lighter and assisted her in lighting up, the smoky aura dancing into the room as the blunt rested gracefully between her lips.
Amelia nodded in agreement, acknowledging Lip's point. Just then, Ian entered the room, his face smeared with drying blood from his nose. Lip couldn't resist a quip, "You got a little something there, Ian."
Ian grumbled, "No shit," and rummaged in his drawer for a clean shirt, his old one marred by the bloodstains. "I need to—"
"I need to check on Emmy anyway," Amelia interjected, retracting her feet from Lip's lap. She shot her friend a half-glare, as Ian's shirtlessness was hardly a novelty given their close proximity.
"Where is she?" Ian inquired.
"Logan took her for ice cream to take her mind off everything," Amelia replied as she packed her belongings into her backpack and handed the blunt over to Ian. She gently examined the blood still lingering on his face.
Lip reclined on Ian's bed, rolling his eyes and making himself comfortable. "Mind telling me why Frank attacked you in the first place? What guy at the bar—" Lip's voice trailed off with a muttered curse, and Amelia stood at the door, ready to depart but eager to conclude the conversation before leaving the room.
She paid attention that she cared about Ian and how and why he was attacked by his own parent for a reason no one said anything. "Karen's dad..." Lip mumbled as Ian passed the blunt towards him.
Frank's hurtful comment about Amelia's dad continued to weigh heavily on her mind, an unresolved knot of emotions simmering beneath the surface. She understood the turmoil within her all too well. Amelia turned and closed the door behind her as she exited the room.
As she left the Gallagher house, she opted for the front exit to avoid Frank, who was busy washing up in the sink. The walk home was filled with a burning sensation behind her closed eyes, her deep breaths mingling with the soft breeze that ruffled her hair.
