Leap of Faith

Just Water

Fiona called and invited us over for breakfast like she did every morning. I don't know why she bothers to call anymore. Mickey and I were permanent fixtures at that house.

I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth. With my hair still damp I knew it would be impossible to work with so I left it down. I threw on the outfit that I thought best for the plan I had in store for Carl: a daringly short mini-skirt and a low cut top. Seeing my outfit, Mickey glared at me. "Fuck no. Change. Now."

"Nope. You don't get to tell me what to wear." I walked past him into my bedroom to get my phone.

"You look like a hooker. Or Mandy," he retorted.

"Just wait 'til I tell her you said that," I said with a smile. He rolled his eyes but gave up on it.

~

We finally got to the Gallagher's house and I headed toward the kitchen to see if Fiona needed any help. I heard Kev and V talking and I rushed in to say hi. V squealed and wrapped her arms around me, folding me into a hug. When she let go Kev bear hugged me, lifting my feet off the ground. To them, I was family. After Kev let go, his eyes bulged out. "What the hell are you wearing? Mickey let you leave the house wearing that?" he asked.

"I wear what I want. You know Mickey can't do shit about it," I say with a laugh.

"We haven't seen you in forever! What have you been up to?" V asked excitedly.

"Just missing you guys. How are the twins?" I ask, getting a drink. Kev laughed and V rolled her eyes. I forgot how much I always miss this after not seeing them for a while.

There was shouting and laughing as Lip and Carl wrestled to get to the kitchen before the other and, as always, Lip won. When they finally calmed down, Lip stared at my outfit in shock and amusement.

"Y/N, were you going for the 'hooker' or 'Mandy' look? Don't get me wrong, I like it," he said making a point of looking me up and down. I flipped him off, making him grin even more. Lip always jokingly flirted with me and it always ended with me smiling and flipping him off.

That's when I noticed that Carl was staring at me. Well, certain parts of me. It took all I had to wipe the smug look off my face. I tilt my head in Lip's direction and ask, "Want me to get you a drink?"

"Nah, I already have one," Lip says grabbing my cup of orange juice from my hand.

"Lip! That was mine!" I said, laughing. I chased after him and reached for the cup but he held it over my head knowing that I wouldn't be able to reach it. I jumped to grab it but was still about an inch away. "Give. Me. The. Cup." I yell between jumps.

"Fine," Lip says. He puts the cup to his lips and chugs the drink, handing it to me when he was done. "Here. You said you wanted the cup," he laughs while holding it out to me. I take it and try to punch him on the arm. He dodges the blow and sits at the table.

I turn toward Carl and smirk. "Do you want a drink?" I raise an eyebrow at Carl. He awkwardly coughs and looks away and nods his head.

"Just water," he mumbles without looking at me.

"I know." I grab another cup and fill it with water and hold it out to him. He was still flustered by the outfit and finally met my eyes. I innocently raise my eyebrows and smile, holding the drink farther out. Carl's face reddens and he quickly tries to grab the cup from me, spilling water all over the front of my shirt.

"Great," I say sarcastically.

He clenched his jaw and grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the kitchen and up the stairs.