EMBROIL [BOOK ONE]

Title 1: The name is Jo.

~Published March 12, 2017~

There was this obnoxious sound emitting from who knows the fuck where? Tangling myself in a sea of blankets. My sore body rolled over to the source of the sound. Both eyes closed I blindly felt around until my hands clasped my phone. Success, I clicked the volume button that has deactivated my alarm. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I picked up my phone once more. Groaning at the time which read seven in the morning. Why in the hell was my stupid phone blasting my default ringtone this early? I threw my phone onto my night stand and turned around to find a body lying next to me. I could feel his warmth causing a smile to spread onto my lips. His red hair was slightly poking out from underneath the blanket. The events that took place last night came flooding back. My best friend Ian came over last night for the first time in months.

How rude of me, let me introduce myself first. My name is Josephine but my friends call me Jo. I am an eighteen year old girl who lives alone in the south-side of Chicago. Yes, I have my own house. No, I did not scam some realtor into giving me ownership. It was an inheritance from my deceased parents who passed in a car accident a year ago. Some say it was luck with their passing a month after my turning of legal age. If I was any younger the house would have gone to the state. Now I am a homeowner with a decent amount of money in her bank account. Having drug dealers as parents sure helped in the finance department. No I don't care that I am an orphan. My parents were scumbags. That's where my best friend Ian comes into the picture. Just like my parents his parents are some low lives themselves. Many years ago we both met in a group home where children go when their parents don't want them or they fuck up. It feels like yesterday when I first saw this ginger haired boy walking along the broken swing set looking around cautiously at the other kids. For some reason I knew that I wanted to befriend him. That same day we clicked. Don't ask me why. I barley remember how it went down. Ever since then I grew close to Ian and soon enough I was introduced to the rest of the Gallaghers. There was the oldest of the bunch named Fiona. She was the rock of the family and a kick ass sister to those kids. She was someone who I could count on. When Ian brought me over to their home for the first time me and her bonded over our war stories of shitty parents. Since then she took me under her wing. Welcomed me into their little broken home. Then there was Lip. Oh man Lip was definitely a good looking one. He was a brilliant man as well. Lip and I had a interesting relationship. We mostly bicker back and forth with each other but I love him all the same. The second youngest of the Gallaghers were Carl and Debbie. They were a handful. Carl was always found blowing shit up. Debbie is a sweetheart but she was also a trouble child in disguised. Last but not least little Liam the smallest Gallagher. That boy was the most innocent of them all. At his young age he wasn't tainted by the worst. Frank fucking Gallagher. He likes to consider himself father of the year but who the fuck believes that load of bullshit. He is a con artist. I know from personal experience. Once he heard that I got a house under my name he tried to sneak his way into living in it. He was making promises that he would help with bills and shit. The only thing he would be good at would be keeping the fridge stocked up with cases of Old Style beer. 

I slowly scooted closer to the man next to me while wrapping my arm around his waist. My face buried itself in between his shoulder blades. His smell was intoxicating. His warmth soothed me. I know what you are thinking. What the hell was this girl doing smelling her best friend? I may or may not be the most idiotic woman on this planet. See the thing is I have some pretty deep feelings for this man. Growing up together and discovering how brave, strong, and loyal he was. I fell in love. What could go wrong? Well the issue here is that my friend is gay. Yep and he is in love with Mickey Milkovich. Mickey a man who was such a arrogant selfish asshole. Who made Ian come crying to me over and over how he broke his heart. I take that shit personal because the guy that I am dying to get to notice and love me, is getting heart broken repeatedly. I was there for it all. For the first time Ian came out gay, told me he was screwing his ex boss at Kash and Grab. To him sleeping with Mickey for the first time. All the fights they had. All the nights Ian came home to me with his own blood on his face. The time Mickey broke my friend's heart when he married some Russian whore because his father caught both of them together.  After the wedding Lip brought Ian to me drunk and crying. It enraged me where I marched over to the Milkovich residence and gave Mickey a busted lip. One thing I won't deny is that Mickey is in love with Ian. In some twisted way he cares a great deal and for that I can't hate him completely. But it wasn't enough for Ian which resulted in him running away to join the army. Now he has come back home. He hasn't gone back to the Gallagher family or even Mickey. I feel selfish for keeping him to myself but something is preventing me from letting anyone know he is home safe. When Ian came back for the first time last night. There was something different. The usual light that shines through his eyes weren't there. They were dull but he still had a big smile. I felt the need to figure out where that light has gone before he goes back.