you// c.g.

1

Carl Gallagher was my next door neighbor. We grew up from birth with each other, my older sister and Fiona being best friends. We were in and out of that house everyday and our family and their's had one thing in common, deadbeat parents.

Our father suffered from bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and to top it all off he was an alcoholic. Our mother on the other hand was just a selfish bitch.

Our mother split but always came back to fuck up our lives financially, just a little bit, only to leave once she got money. And our father, he stayed. He paid the bills, lived like an animal, but never cared for Alexia and I.

Alexia raised me the second our family went down the drain. She was like a mother to me and I respected her for that. She was amazing.

But since she was best friends with Fiona and she was practically my caregiver, I grew up in the Gallagher household. Which meant, I grew up with Carl.

Carl was the badass of the family, the "gangster". And although he could be super annoying, we became best friends.

We were there for each other through everything. He was always by my side ready to protect, comfort, and help me. He understood me and I, him.

Carl Gallagher was everything I needed to keep going in life. As long as he was by my side.

———

"Carl Gallagher."

He strutted into the room looking handsome as ever, even with the couple of bruises and cuts he earned from fighting with Sammi. He wore a button down shirt, khakis, and glasses that made him look adorable as ever. But he still wore that infamous smirk, per usual.

"Ya know if I hadn't known him I'd say he looked like a respectable, young man." Lip said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Respectable? Remember that time with the Flaming Bag of Dog Shit on Mr.Henderson's porch?" I retorted, instantly making Lip bite back a laugh, causing his face to go red.

"Shhh!" Fiona hushed, turning back to the Judge.

"Do you truly regret what you've done Carl?" The Judge asked, sincerely.

"I did something really stupid, that I shouldn't have." He spoke blankly, earning nods of pride coming from V and Fiona, but I stayed silent, fidgeting with my hands. I was nervous, and I couldn't help it. I was hoping to God he made this easier for himself. "I trusted a fucking idiot to do a man's job. Next time I move a bunch of drugs, I'll be smarter."

Fiona looked at all of us worriedly, 'what the fuck is he doing' look drawn onto her face.

"Fucking dumbass." I muttered under my breath, sinking deeper into my seat between Lip and Fiona.

"If you want to come to my chambers and speak off the record, your time is now. Otherwise you'll be sent off to juvenile prison." She paused, giving him a second chance to rethink what he was saying, "Is that what you really want?"

"Yes, please." He answered looking back at me, that stupid smirk plastered to his face.

"What?" Fiona freaked in a whisper, V trying to calm her down.

"That's not what I was hoping to hear." The Judge sighed. A snarky grin was on Sammi's face as she turned around to stare down Fiona, only to be met with a death stare from yours truly.

"I know what you were hoping to hear. If Your Honor would lose 20 lbs, maybe I'd consider tapping that." Immediately a gasp escaped everyone's mouths as he said this. Lip and I being the only ones to put our heads down, trying to stop ourselves from busting out into a laughing fit.

"I've heard enough!" She slammed her gable, "I sentence you to the maximum of one year at the Illinois Department of Corrections Juvenile Justice Division. You're remanded, court is in recess."

Before her gable could even touch the podium, I was already up and standing, making my way to the front of the rows.

"Why the fuck did you do that, Carl?" Fi asked, right behind me.

"When Paulie Madison came out of Juvie, he knew how to make IEDs and where to launder money. I ain't gonna pass up on an opportunity to get that kind of education." He shrugged it off as if it were nothing.

"You are such a fucking dumbass, you know that right?" I smiled, trying to refrain from laughing.

"Don't encourage him," Fiona nudged my back.

"Don't worry shortcake, I'll be out quicker than you know it." He winked, doing the kissy-face, before being dragged off into custody.

"I'm gonna make Juvie my bitch!" Were his last words to us before he was taken away.

"Such an idiot," Debbie shook her head, appearing by my side and I only nodded in response.

"You think he'll get scared straight?" V asked Fiona.

"Nope." We all responded at once.