Who the hell cares?!

Chapter Fifteen.

JIMMY CASSIDY.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Liverpools leading charity case." My forehead collided with the kitchen table when Danny's hand slapped the back of my head. "Wake up. And-"

"Look for a job, I know," I growled, "Jesus Christ, why don't you change the motherfucking record?"

"If I don't, y' won't do it, fuckfake. What the fuck is your fuckin' problem?" He fished through the refridgerator, which was alive again. Thanks to Allie. It annoyed me, watching him stuff his face from a fridge we didn't pay for - I suppose glee was nothing in the face of pride. I watched him for a moment before grumbling to myself, standing up.

"Y' annoy me."

"Oh, do I? Well, guess what? I don't give a flyin' fuck. Go out there and earn some money," Danny snapped at me, firing a piece of cold pizza at my head. I narrowly avoided it - though it hit an innocent Frankie, who gasped.

"Asshole! I didn't do nothin'!"

"Exactly - you're old enough to 'ave a job too, y'know," Danny scolded him, though much more lightly towards him than towards me. I didn't mind - he showed blantant favouritism towards Frankie as much as I did. There was no doubt about that. I did feel slightly sorry for it though. "Tried lookin' yet?"

He gave Danny an incredulous look, "I'm doin' exams. The last thing on my mind is a job." He slid his phone into his pocket, "Allie has some dinner thing she's sufferin' through. Might head round and see if I can get her out of it. Jimmy, will-?"

I didn't waste time in replying, "No, I won't. I'm tired of drivin' you two everywhere, dickhead. Get another lift somewhere, I'm not liftin' y' no where." I swiped my car keys from the table and said, "I can't deal with this. I'm goin' out."

"What do you mean you can't deal with this? What fuckin' pressure do y' 'ave, I'm the one doin' all the work!" Danny exploded. "I'm workin' three jobs, what the fuck are you contributing?!"

I whirled on him and glared at him, "Don't you give me that shit, Danny. Do y' 'ave any idea how hard it is-?"

He laughed a harsh, cold laugh. "Fuck! Hear that! God, I know, it must be so fuckin' hard to find a job sittin' in a pub getting drunk or wallowing up in your room all day! Jesus, you'd imagine they'd be flyin' at y'!"

"I'm warning y', Danny..."

"Oh. Wow. I'm so fuckin' scared now, don't he just make y' quiver in yer shoes, Frankie?" Danny taunted, circling me.

Sometimes, being a Cassidy was like being part of a lions pride, where Danny was obviously the alpha. You can try to face him off, but you're more than likely preparing for a miserable defeat. I was threatening, but Danny was just plain scary. I knew that much.

Frankie watched us nervously and said, "Don't do this. Both of y', yer acting completely stupid..."

"Whatever you've got lodged up your ass, I suggest you get rid of it now," Danny snapped at me. "Or I swear on whoever's grace we have to swear on, you'll not know what hit y'. And that's after I punch y' in all the fuckin' painful places I can find."

I looked at him, furrowing my brow, "What are y' talkin'-?"

Even Frankie rolled his eyes, "We know y' 'ave somethin' yer not tellin' us, Jimmy. Quite frankly, we're happy not knowing what it is. I don't agree with Danny but-"

"Don't matter if you agree or not, I'm in charge," Danny sneered, squaring me up. He can make me feel really small and insignificant sometimes, and it almost made me hate him. "Whatever it is, quit it."

I raised an eyebrow, "Yer tryin' to tell me what I can and cannot do?"

He sneered in my face and then seized the front of my t-shirt and pulled me up. I heard Frankie say, "Danny, just fuckin' stop, this is ridiculous!"

"You listen here, y' little punk. You know what our priority is, and if you lose sight of that over some crummy chic - and I know it's a girl, don't bother arguing with me - then you're no brother of ours. Blood runs thicker than water, and I think you need to be reminded of that." He spoke so softly, I knew he was serious. And I knew he was referring to Frankie.

Danny, more than anything, wanted the best for him. I think he saw Frankie's potential success as a way out of the hellhole we were living in, and - as he took on the role as parental advisor and showed up to all the PTA's and what not - he had a rather paternal concern for Frankie rather than a brotherly one.

"What are y' on about?" Frankie suddenly asked. Danny kept his gaze on me for a moment, as a last warning, before pushing me away from him.

"Get a job. And you." He turned on Frankie. "Go study."

I didn't bother lingering around, I just walked straight out of the kitchen, angry and - quite frankly - rather hurt. I heard, "Jimmy, wait!" after me, and the sound of footsteps following my own. Before I reached my car, Frankie grabbed my wrist and forced me to turn around and look at him. "Where are y' goin'?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Dunno." I went to turn around again, but he stopped me. "What do y' want, Frankie? I'm not drivin' y' no where!"

"I don't wanna lift." He took a deep breath and said, "Danny probably didn't mean all of that." I laughed scornfully and shook my head, but he persisted, "I mean it. He's just... He's under a lot of stress right now and he worries 'bout y'. I worry 'bout y'. You're just... yer not doin' anythin'. You're just floatin' about. What's the word I'm lookin' for..." He looked thoughtful for a moment before it came to him, "Stagnation. Yer stagnatin'."

"Well, maybe that's all I can do. Stagnate, or whatever. Maybe I'm happy that way, ever think 'bout that?" I snapped at him, impatiently. His blue eyes filled with worry then.

"But that ain't healthy for y', Jimmy..."

"I don't fuckin' care. I'm going out now." I pulled my wrist from his grasp and slipped into my car, starting the engine. I didn't dare look at him to see his concerned look through the window, it would break my heart.

Before I drove off, waiting for Frankie to go back inside, I pulled out my phone.

I'm sorry, please forgive me.

I had seen it beforehand and tried to contemplate a response that would be adequate. I wasn't going to wait until tomorrow to see Allie, it would have to be tonight. Regardless of where her parents were. I pulled the car out and drove all the way to her house. If I'm lucky, I might die in a car crash on the way there.