Cashed » Lip Gallagher [2]

»part 2 » the backbone

"I wanna go back to the days in our car, where we sang the loudest by far..." - Slaves ft. Tilian - Winter Everywhere

Can you still consider people your family if you haven't been in contact with them for 2 years? Maybe. What about if you screen their calls on a daily and ignore their texts consistently? How about when you trash all the birthday cards and holiday gifts that were never sent? Yeah probably not.

A day never went by where I didn't miss the Gallagher's. I thought about them every day and always wondered where they were. I always wondered if they were happy or if they were sad. Depressed, angry, annoyed. I wondered about it all. I wondered if they still celebrated their birthdays at the Alibi. I wondered if they still stole toilet paper from public restrooms. Shit, I even wondered if they remembered to brush their teeth every night.

I missed them all but they were always on my mind. They never left my heart.

There's a sinking feeling in my gut that they won't forgive me for disappearing without a goodbye. Sure they've experienced worse with Frank and Monica, but these kids took me in when even they had nothing. They always made sure I had food in my stomach and shoes on my feet even if that meant giving me their own. The crazy bunch loved me and I loved them back. They were family. And I left. Disappeared from the face of the planet. Without one good fucking bye.

I'm despicable. But I did it for the greater good.

After I got home from the hospital, I found Renee past out in her silky pajama's with a champagne bottle in her hand. Wherever that came from, I have no idea. When I first met her, I knew she was trouble. I didn't even know Jim had a daughter until she snuck into my window in the middle of the night when she thought it was her own. She was drunk out of her mind while tripping on shrooms going on about the dog with blue hair. We didn't get along at first. She was all about glitz and glam and I was all about...well charcoal and cigarettes. Eventually we began to tolerate each other. She thought my mom was out for her dad's money and I thought the same. You could say we bonded well over our loathing for our parents. She still drives me nuts.

That night I couldn't sleep because all I could think of was the look on Lip's face. I know that look like the back of my hand. It's the same look when Frank comes around. It's the look when Monica's around. It's the look of a worried brother who would do anything for his siblings. He's always been the backbone of the Gallagher family. Sure Fiona provides a roof over their head and food for their mouths but Lip? Lip provides so much more. He always makes sure the kids are doing okay in school, at home, and mentally. He would hit a kid if they were to even look at one of his siblings wrong. He's always there no matter what because he loves them more than words could describe. I know this because I've felt it.

Lip will always be the backbone.

~

Kev called me around 10 in the morning saying that they were going to release Liam soon. As soon as I found out I jumped in the shower and brushed my teeth. I knew this was going to be the first time seeing the Gallagher's and I didn't want to look like shit.