choices. // c.g. *2*

Ten

two weeks later...

Carl was putting Nick's things away. It's been a rough couple of weeks. There were nights the first few days that he just laid with me and cried over the fact that he wouldn't ever see his friend again. But since last week, he's been sort of standoffish. Carl bought back the house so he was redecorating but the decorations seemed a bit much.

"Hey, I'm gonna go downstairs." I told Carl.

"Yeah, sounds good." He told me. He didn't look at me. I ignored him and walked away. Unfortunately, I heard moans coming from Frank and Queenie.

"God, that is so bad." I said, walking downstairs. I went to the kitchen, grabbed a beer, and sat on the couch until I heard someone walk in.

"Uh, excuse me. What the hell are you doing?" Fiona asked. I turned around.

"Who are you?" The man installing the slide asked.

"This is my house." She said to him.

"The owner approved everything."

"The owner?" Fi asked, confused.

"Mr. Gallagher." He replied.

"Frank, you ordered all this stuff?" Fiona asked, annoyed.

"Wrong Mr. Gallagher. Your young brother's responsible for all of these improvements." Frank replied

"Carl?" Fiona asked.

"Yup." I replied.

"Only one around here I see making an honest living." Frank added.

"An honest living?" I asked. "Seriously?"

The liquor distributor walked into the kitchen.

"I need for someone to sign this liquor shipment." He said, looking at Frank.

"That would be me, sir. What's a father for if not to help his son acquire life's liquid pleasures?" Frank added. Fiona heard noises upstairs and walked away.

When she walked away, I walked outside to light a cigarette, Carl coming outside right after.

"Since when do you smoke?" He asked me.

"Around the same time you stopped telling me what's going on with you." I replied, not looking at him.

"So you started smoking?" He asked.

"I have to go." I said, tossing my cigarette. I walked away and began walking so that I wasn't stressed out even more.

"Iz! Wait!" I heard Carl shout, running toward me.

"What, Carl?" I asked him.

"Um, I'm having a party here soon so if you want to be part of it, let me know." He replied, kissing me, beginning to walk away.

"Carl, please just let me be here for you." I spoke up. He stopped and turned around.

"Not right now." He simply replied, nodding and walking away.

A few nights later, I was on my phone upstairs when I heard commotion downstairs, causing me to run down the steps. I walked over to Carl and Fiona arguing.

"Yo!" Carl shouted.

"Carl, what the hell?" I asked, looking at the joint in his hand.

"Yeah, Carl, what the hell?" His big sister asked him.

"I was listening to that." He told Fiona as she turned down the music.

"It's too loud. What is your problem today?" She asked him as he continued smoking his weed. "You're really gonna smoke this right in front of me?" She asked him, clearly annoyed.

"I'm minding my own business." Carl told her.

"Look, just because you're going through a thing or whatever it is you won't talk about does not mean you can act like an asshole. So if you want to talk—"

"I don't need to talk. Just stop stressin' me. Damn." Carl said, grabbing a jacket and walking out.

I walked outside, Sean following right after.

"Carl, she's your sister." I told him. "She's doing her best, here."

"I don't understand why everybody wants me to talk. I don't have to tell anyone shit." He told me. After a few moments of silence, Sean spoke up.

"Your friend's not coming back, is he?" He asked.

"Dropped a guy. But, I mean, that's the thug life, right?" Carl asked, causing me to cover my mouth in shock.

"Can I talk to him alone for a sec?" Sean asked me.

"Yeah." I told him. "Come to the room when you're done talking." I said to Carl. He nodded and I walked back inside.

"Everything alright?" Fiona asked.

"Yeah, I'll be upstairs." I said, smiling. I walked upstairs and sat on the bed. A few minutes later, Carl walked into the room with tears in his eyes.

"He killed someone, Belle." He said, calling me a name he hadn't called me since we were kids.

"Come here." I told him, causing him to sit down next to me and lean on my shoulder. Once his head touched my shoulder, he began crying.

"I don't know what to do." He cried.

"It's okay, Carl. You didn't know. Don't put this on yourself." I said, holding him and caressing his head.

"I can't keep seeing that." He said to me.

"You'll be okay. I promise." I told him, looking at him and kissing him.