It ain't me. // Phillip "Lip" Gallagher// Shameless US

Acceptance

About week passed and I haven't been over to the Gallaghers. Fiona and Ian have come to see me at Kev and Vee's but to be honest. I was a total wreck.

I wanted to accept the offer to NYU but a little glimmer of hope that Lip would come and atleast try to make things better again.

I had two weeks left to let them know what I was doing with their offer.

It was the first week of summer and I promised debs I'd help her at the daycare and with setting up the new pool.

"You ready, kiddo?" Kev said as he walked downstairs.

"Just gotta finish braiding my hair." I smiled at him as I continued my hair.

I finally finished and looked at myself in the mirror, if I was going to see Lip, I was going to look hella good.

I was wearing a black sundress with a red bikini underneath, my make up was some winged eyeliner with a red lip stick, my hair half braided back with wavy hair nice and flowy.

I sighed as I followed Kev the few steps towards the Gallagher residence.

Kev and I walk around the back and he starts patching up the pool as I unravel the hose.

Kev takes a few minutes to finish up the pool and the kids are watching on the stairs with Deb.

"Okay, Char. I need you to get inside and hold the hose." Kev says.

"Rightio" I say as I climb in the pool with the hose and chuck my dress off before it gets to wet.

Within the half hour it's full of water and all the kids, Kev, Carl, Debs and Vee are in the pool, we're all splashing around and having fun.

Then as Fiona hands me a beer and I sit on the edge of the pool. I hear him. I hear his laugh and it spends goosebumps up my body.

I'm frozen, I couldn't turn around. I couldn't face him.

He walks to the opposite side of the pool and I don't look at him, but I can see him in my   peripheral vision and ofcourse he still looks as good as he as does. I can feel him staring at me as he jumps in the pool.

He swims over to beside me and jumps up on the edge.

"Hey." He says, as his leg and shoulder touches mine.

I don't say anything and he takes the beer out of my hand and drinks some.

"Char, please, talk to me. Look," he says, running his fingers over his lips like he always does. "I'm sorry, really sorry. I was a dick to you. I never wanted to hurt you." He says, "I want things to be different for us, I want you back in my room, beside me and waking up with you. I want you, Char." He sighs for a second, a tear runs down my cheek but I wipe it away. "Look at me." He says, pulling my chin toward him.

I turn my head and look into his eyes.

"Please forgive me." He says, "I can make this right."

"Friends, lip." I say. "We can be friends first, and then see." I smile at him.

"Thank you. You won't regret it." He says.

I smile as he smiles at me and I push him into the pool and he grabs me by the waist and pulls me in too.

I dunk him under the water and he pulls me by my ankle under the water aswell.

Lip and I are splashing each other and just mucking around when Jody comes over and rips him out of the water. My first instinct is to jump out after him and defend him. Within a second I'm by Lip's side.

Jody punches Lip in the mouth and Lip falls to the ground. It happens so quickly and Jody is now kicking Lip as I snap back to real life.

I push Jody back as Lip groans on the floor.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I shout as I push him again so he's further back from Lip, who is covered in blood and still on the floor.

Karen comes running in.

"I should've known you were involved." I say as she walks straight over to Lip.

She kicks him in his side as he gets up.

"what the Fuck Karen!" He yells.

"Fuck you Lip!" She yells, "Stay away from me and Jody and this baby!" She yells.

I gasp, Vee, Fiona and Kev all gasp.

Lip is speechless as he wipes away blood from his lip.

Karen and Jody walk away and I place my dress back over my head.

"Karen's pregnant?!" Kev says, "fuck."

Lip turns around to look at me but I'm already taking steps back. I'm speechless. Any glimmer of hope I had for Lip and I is now gone. He would always end tied to Karen.

I hear Lip run after me.

"Char, wait! I need to talk to you!" He says.

I turn and face him. "I can't do this Lip." I say, running my fingers through my hair, "I can't do this anymore." Tears prick my eyes.

Everyone who was at the pool is now a couple of metres away, listening.

"Go then." He almost whispers,

"what?" I say, almost baffled that he isn't even putting up a fight for me.

"Fucking leave then! You were planning on going to your pretentious college anyway, Ian told me you got in! So fucking leave Charlotte! Run the fuck away like you always do!" He yells, "run away just like your mother does."

I blink slowly and try and calm myself down.

"At least I'm fucking doing something with my life Phillip." I say, stepping forward to him so we're chest to chest now and I can dig my finger into his chest. "Atleast, I'm getting away from this fucking place. I'm getting away from this fucking neighbourhood, I'm gonna get a degree and most in fucking portantly I am getting the fuck away from you." I spit and tears prick his eyes. I stab my finger into his chest once more. "Have fucking fun being everything you never wanted, have fun being fucking Frank." I say and I know it's gotten to him as I walk backwards and toward Vee's and Kevs.

"Yeah?!" He says as I'm walking through the gate, "fuck you too."

I laugh and roll my eyes and stick my finger up at him.

Two weeks passed quickly and I was about to leave for NYU. I had gathered all my things and had avoided all things Lip. Things were looking up for once.

I said my goodbyes and headed for the airport. To new beginnings. I had finally accepted all I needed to too move on and finally, be happy again, without Lip.

Acceptance.