Seeing Craig Heisner again, looking at that handsome face that hadn't changed much since high school...
Fiona was instantly hot and bothered. She got all flustered, her mind immediately jumping to fantasies of rolling around in the sheets with him.
But, since they were both civilized adults, they pretended to catch up first and grabbed some coffee.
About half an hour later.F
In the backseat of Craig Heisner's trash-filled ride...
Fiona, currently pinned underneath Craig, felt those beautiful fantasies popping one by one.
Two or three minutes later.
The "battle" ended in a rush.
With her fantasy thoroughly shattered, Fiona made up an excuse, said goodbye to Craig, walked alone to the L-train station, and hopped on a train.
At this time of night, the train was practically empty.
Fiona leaned against the window, watching the city nightscape blur by. She thought back to the encounter she just had and felt disappointed—even a little disgusted.
Women are strange, complicated creatures.
Fiona couldn't stop thinking about Tony, the manager at the clothing store, and Steve.
She had no feelings for Tony; if she didn't like him, she didn't like him.
The manager at the store was just a way to blow off steam.
But Steve...
She actually liked him.
Comparison really is the thief of joy. Fiona started thinking about how good Steve was, her mind racing...
Gradually, as the night scenery flashed past the window, Fiona suddenly wanted to stop this downward spiral. She suddenly felt that sleeping around with all these different men was pointless and empty...
She wanted to try making it work with Steve again, to really put effort into the relationship.
She missed him.
Driven by that longing, Fiona pulled out her phone and called him.
When the phone rang, Steve was sitting on a couch, enjoying some "service" from a beautiful woman. He looked at the caller ID, didn't rush to answer, and spoke to the woman whose head was in his lap. "Baby, hush for a second."
The woman heard him and paused.
"I didn't say stop. Keep going, just don't talk," Steve laughed.
The woman went back to working hard.
Steve pressed answer. "Hello."
Hearing Steve's voice, Fiona spoke softly. "Are you done with work? I miss you."
Steve smiled. "I'll be done in a little bit."
"Okay, come back soon. I want to have some fun," Fiona said tenderly.
"Alright, see you in a bit," Steve replied with a smile.
"See you."
The call ended.
Fiona gripped her phone, turned to look at her reflection in the train window, and smiled faintly. She felt a little better.
And just like that.
Fiona, who was just one guy away from hitting a triple-digit body count, felt like she was back on track.
---
Under the bleachers by the school field.
Ian and Mickey had finished their business.
Mickey grabbed a can of beer, chugging it aggressively before handing the rest to Ian.
Ian finished it off.
Mickey pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, took a deep drag, and finally spoke without looking at Ian. "So, what now?"
Ian leaned against a metal pillar and smiled. "We talk."
Mickey made a disgusted face. "Talk about what? What is there to talk about?"
Ian didn't mind the attitude and kept smiling. "Talk about your job. Are you planning on dropping out of school for good?"
"What's the use of school? I'm done," Mickey said dismissively.
"So you plan on working at that store forever?" Ian asked.
Mickey blew out a cloud of smoke. "I don't know. I figure I'll stick it out until I'm eighteen. Can't do shit out there if you're not old enough."
Ian thought for a moment. "Maybe you should go back to school. At least get your diploma."
"Heh, what do I need that for?" Mickey had zero desire to go back. "Don't bring up school, it's a buzzkill. How have you been?"
Mickey paused, then asked with feigned casualness, "What's the deal with you and the Arab guy? I knew something was off with you two a long time ago."
"You mean Kash?" Ian asked.
"Who else?" Mickey shot back.
"I ended it with him."
"Why?"
"His wife found out."
"Damn, looks like I missed a good show," Mickey laughed.
Ian laughed too.
They chatted for a while longer, and seeing that it was getting late, they started heading back.
At an intersection, they split up and went to their respective homes.
---
Outside the Gallagher house.
With no TV to watch, Fiona not home, and Lip busy texting Karen, Carl had snuck out with a paintball gun to shoot at random things and kill time.
Suddenly, a police car pulled up.
Carl saw it and quickly hid the paintball gun behind his back, standing on the curb, waiting for the cop to drive past.
Instead, the cruiser slowed down and stopped right in front of him.
Carl saw it was Tony inside, and since there were no other cops with him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Carl," Tony greeted him, stepping out of the car and walking over. "Is Fiona home?"
From last night until now, Tony had sent Fiona quite a few messages, but she hadn't replied to a single one. Tony was getting anxious.
Carl shook his head. "No, she said she went out to look for a job."
Tony was surprised, but then understood.
Fiona was broke, so it made sense she'd need a night job. He thought for a second. "Is Steve still living at your place?"
Carl wasn't one for complex thoughts; he just nodded directly. "Yeah. He fucks Fiona every night. It's noisy as hell."
Those words were like a sharp sword plunging straight into Tony's heart.
Tony put on his mask of pain and forced a stiff smile. "I see. Okay, go home soon, it's getting late."
"Yeah," Carl replied.
Tony didn't say anything else. He got back in his car and drove off.
Carl took his paintball gun, aimed at the tires of a parked car by the road, and started shooting.
After playing for a few minutes...
Veronica, who had just dropped Vivian off, walked up walking her dog. She saw Carl and was a bit surprised. "Carl? Why are you out here alone this late?"
Hearing her voice, Carl saw the dog and Veronica and ran over. "Someone took our TV. I have nothing to watch, so I came out to play."
Veronica: "?????? The TV got taken?"
Carl nodded. "Yeah. We couldn't pay the rent, so they snatched the TV."
Veronica: "...Tell me exactly what happened."
Carl's storytelling skills were limited.
Veronica got the gist of it and shook her head helplessly. She thought about how Dexter had bought the house, but realized they still had to pay rent, so she couldn't really say much about that. She thought for a moment. "So you guys don't have a TV to watch..."
Veronica had a TV at home. It was pretty small and old.
She had been thinking about upgrading to a bigger one anyway.
"How about I give you guys my TV?" Veronica asked.
Carl smiled. "Really?"
Veronica smiled and nodded. "Of course. Go get Lip or Ian to come carry it."
"Okay! Thank you, you're really nice," Carl was thrilled. "Fiona and Lip said that now that you and Kev have money, you look down on us..."
The words hit her ears.
Thud.
Veronica's expression changed instantly. "Wait, what did Fiona and Lip say?"
Carl was still young, had a limited IQ, and was purely innocent. He simply repeated what Fiona and Lip had said the night before. "Just last night, when I mentioned going to your wedding..."
After listening...
Veronica was so mad she wanted to curse, but she couldn't yell at Carl. He was innocent in this. She just let out a cold laugh. "Heh, is that so? Great. Just great."
Carl didn't think much of it. "I'll go get Lip to move the TV."
"Yeah, go ahead," Veronica replied as calmly as she could.
Of course, right now, Veronica would rather throw that TV in the dumpster than let Fiona and Lip have it.
But she had already promised Carl, and taking it back now wouldn't be right.
Ultimately, Carl was innocent.
"Forget it. I'll just consider it a good deed. One last time!" Veronica took a few deep breaths, muttering to herself, then led the dog back toward her house.
---
Inside the Gallagher house.
Carl found Lip and shared the good news. "Lip, hurry! Go bring the TV back from Veronica's house."
Lip frowned slightly and refused without hesitation. "No need, Carl. We don't need Veronica's charity. You should be in bed soon anyway, no TV tonight."
"Fiona and I will figure out a way to get you a TV tomorrow, I promise."
Heh.
The useless pride of the poor.
Kindness from others gets twisted into charity.
"?????" Carl was confused. His little head was full of questions; he genuinely couldn't understand Lip's refusal. "Why? Veronica is giving us a TV for free, why don't we want it?"
"We can't take it. If we do, those two will look down on us even more," Lip explained.
Carl: "????"
He didn't get it. He really didn't get it.
Carl thought about it, then decided he was too lazy to try and understand.
"If you won't go, I'll go get it myself," Carl said, turning to leave.
Lip was quick, grabbing Carl's skinny arm. "You're not going. Listen to me, we don't want that TV."
Carl wanted it and was just about to struggle.
Just then.
Fiona and Ian, who had met outside, entered the house together.
Before long, Fiona naturally took Lip's side and started lecturing Carl.
Ian couldn't be bothered to get involved; he thought both Lip and Fiona were delusional, so he stomped upstairs.
Carl couldn't handle the double-team nagging from Lip and Fiona, so he finally gave up in frustration.
"You guys are sick!" Throwing down that line, Carl sprinted upstairs, not wanting to waste another breath on them.
First floor.
Fiona and Lip, who didn't see anything wrong with what they did, glanced at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
"How was the job hunt?" Lip asked.
"Didn't work out," Fiona sighed.
A lot had happened today, so Lip decided not to tell Fiona about dropping out of school just yet. "It's okay. You'll find something."
They chatted for a bit.
Time passed slowly.
Steve came into the house.
Not long after that.
Lights out at the Gallagher house.
In the small room, Fiona and Steve rolled into bed together and started their "battle."
---
In Bianca's apartment.
Bianca was cuddled up against Dexter.
They had already drifted into dreamland.
No drama, just peace and quiet.
---
It was a new day.
7:30 AM.
The Gallagher house was chaotic as usual. Fiona was busy making breakfast in the kitchen, completely unaware that a storm was about to hit.
A few minutes later.
Bang bang bang~~
A knock at the door.
Debbie opened it.
Craig Heisner's wife, Lucy-Jo, with a baby strapped to her chest, saw Debbie. Not recognizing her, she asked in a tone that was still relatively polite, "Is Fiona here?"
Debbie nodded. "Yeah. What do you need her for?"
"Just a small matter," Lucy-Jo said, suppressing her rage.
Debbie didn't suspect anything. "Come on in, she's in the kitchen."
Lucy-Jo strode in, heading straight for the kitchen. The moment she spotted Fiona, she accelerated, rushing right up to her face. "Fiona, remember me?"
Hearing the voice, Fiona blinked, recognized her, and instantly panicked. "Shit!"
Cursing, Fiona's instinct was to run.
Unfortunately, Lucy-Jo was faster. She swung a fist, knocking Fiona to the ground. "You slut!! You fucked my husband last night! Did you enjoy the FUCK?! I'm gonna kill you!!"
The storm had arrived.
Lip and Ian, who were sitting at the table, immediately jumped into action, rushing over to grab Lucy-Jo.
They didn't dare use too much force, though, since Lucy-Jo had a baby strapped to her.
Fiona seized the opportunity, scrambled up, and bolted.
"You better run fast, bitch!" Lucy-Jo broke free from Lip and Ian with surprising strength, screaming as she chased after her.
In the blink of an eye.
Fiona and Lucy-Jo sprinted out of the house, one after the other.
In the dining room.
Lip, Ian, and the attracted Debbie and Carl were speechless for a moment.
The next second.
All four of them silently looked toward the living room at Steve, who was standing motionless. He had clearly heard exactly what Lucy-Jo had shouted.
In that moment.
The atmosphere on the first floor of the Gallagher house was incredibly awkward.
A few seconds later.
Steve let out a dry laugh. "Last night."
Dropping those words, Steve turned and walked toward the door.
"Steve..." Debbie couldn't help but call out. But what could she even say at this point?
Steve didn't look back.
It was actually kind of funny.
The main reason Steve left was that he had to—otherwise, he'd look like a total fool. It wasn't really because of Fiona's betrayal.
After all, Steve had been out playing around too.
They were even.
Steve got in his car, slammed the gas, and drove away.
At the same time.
Kevin and Veronica, drawn by Lucy-Jo's screaming, had walked out to their back porch. holding coffee mugs. They watched the chase scene unfolding nearby, unable to stop sighing.
"Good thing we didn't try to set Dexter up with Fiona back then," Kevin took a sip of coffee, sounding a bit relieved. "Otherwise, if this kind of thing happened, Dexter would definitely hate us."
Veronica agreed wholeheartedly. "Yeah, good thing... Bianca is a million times better than Fiona."
Kevin nodded in agreement. "Definitely."
Veronica sighed. "Fiona is sick."
Kevin corrected her. "She's been sick for a long time. Now she's just sicker."
They chatted until Lucy-Jo and Fiona ran out of sight, then turned and went back inside to continue their increasingly good life.