―

Hannah and Elodie sat at the kitchen table, doing some extra studying for their history test later that say, the redhead raising an eyebrow at the state of her younger siblings as Fiona herded them down the stairs.

"I'd trade my left nut for one more hour of sleep." Carl groaned out.

"Charming as always." Elodie muttered.

"You're gonna be late for school." Fiona told them.

"Hey, I hope you're hungry. Most important meal of the day," Monica smiled at the pair as she fed Liam, the pair only standing like zombies, "Carl, sit."

"Jesus." Hannah muttered as the two of them loudly slumped into their seats.

"House could use a spring clean." Monica said.

"It's November," Fiona raised an eyebrow as Hannah waved her hand in front of Carl's face, gaining no reaction, "It's like Dawn of the Dead. What's with you?"

"Debbie, can you get your father up?" Monica asked the yawning girl, "He's out in the alley by the Chopiaks' garbage cans. Help him to bed. Uh," The woman said, putting her plate on the counter, "Ian left for work early. Did you hear? I kicked Terry Milkovich's ass."

"Not the first time someone's come in here fists first." Fiona hummed.

"Why was Mandy's dad here?" Elodie asked.

"Says Ian got her pregnant." Carl tiredly answered.

Elodie's movements froze, "What?"

"Baby in belly."

"Okay, Carl, she gets it." Hannah snapped.

The boy shrugged, "Hey, she asked."

Hannah turned to a frozen Elodie with a frown, "You okay."

"We should get to school." Elodie muttered, abruptly standing up and stuffing her things into her bag, Hannah copying her actions.

"What about Adam?" Hannah asked as they left out of the backdoor.

"He'll just have to meet us there." The brunette shrugged, walking quickly down the pavement.

"Hey, Ellie," Hannah called out to the girl, jogging to catch up to her and grabbing her by the wrist to stop her from working, "Elodie."

"What?" Elodie sniffed, wiping away a tear.

"We'll figure this out, okay?"

"Sure." Elodie muttered, continuing to walk again, Hannah following her with a sigh.

―

"Thanks for not letting your aunt shoot me." Elodie muttered as her hands nervously clutched onto the straps of her bag, glad she had an hour for lunchbreak.

"Yeah, well, she's already on parole, so." Mandy shrugged, sitting down on her bed.

"You're looking well." Elodie told her with an awkward smile.

"How'd you know I was here, Elodie?" Mandy asked.

"I, uh, I overheard you on the phone with Hannah." The brunette girl said.

"And why are you here?"

"I, um," Elodie cleared her throat, her knuckles turning white from the grip on her bag, "I heard about you being pregnant."

Mandy raised an eyebrow, "Okay?"

"Well, I wanted to see how you are." Elodie muttered.

Mandy let out a small chuckle, "Why?"

"Well, you, we, um. We're, uh." Elodie stammered out.

"We're what?"

"Well, we're kind of a thing."

Mandy shook her head with a laugh as she leaned her head against the window, "No we're not."

"But we- we've been having sex?" Elodie whispered.

"Yeah, for fun," Mandy scoffed, "Not because I have feelings for you. Jesus, Elodie, I'm straight."

"Oh," Elodie muttered, "Right. Of course you are."

"You can go now." Mandy told her.

Elodie nodded, whispering out an, "Okay." Before she scurried out of the room Mandy was staying in.

The Milkovich girl let out a heavy sigh, leaning her head back against the wall with her eyes tightly scrunched up, "Shit," She whispered, opening her eyes and furiously wiping away the few stray tears that fell as she looked out of the window, seeing Elodie quickly walking away from the house, her head hung low, "I'm sorry. But it's for your own good."

―

Hannah stood in the living room, arms crossed and eyebrows raised as she looked at the amount of dolls that were scattered around the room, "What the fu-"

"We're catching up on lost time," Monica grinned at the girl, "Is there anything you've had your eye on for a late birthday present?"

"Uh, maybe you having not abandoned us, but it's too late for that," Hannah shrugged, "And besides, Debs doesn't even play with-"

"Yes I do!" Debbie cut her sister off, giving the older girl a look as the sound of all the locks on the backdoor clicking alerted them and Ian came into the living room.

"Hey, sweetheart, is everything okay?" Monica asked him.

"Mandy's dad came looking for me at school." Ian told her.

"Shit." Hannah muttered.

"Are you all right?" Monica asked him.

"Managed to duck out before he saw me," Ian told her as he nervously looked out of the window, "What's with the dolls?"

"Took Debbie shopping," Monica smiled, "I missed her birthday. We couldn't decide which to get so we got them all."

Debbie stood up, "I'll get the other load."

Ian raised an eyebrow, "There's more?"

Debbie pulled her fellow redheads closer to her so that their mother wouldn't hear, "I didn't have the heart to tell her I don't play with dolls. She practically filled the car." She whispered before going out through the front door.

Ian and Hannah looked at each other, "Car?"

"Oh, Han, when's your drama club's play?" Monica asked.

Hannah raised a confused eyebrow, "Uh, in three weeks."

"You gonna get us all tickets?" Monica wondered with a smile.

"I'm only helping Theo and doing props." Hannah shrugged.

"Still, we'll come," Monica told her, "Besides, Elodie got a lead and Adam's doing the music, isn't he?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Great, so you'll get us all tickets?" Monica repeated.

Hannah stared at the woman, "Sure." She nodded, before turning and going outside to help Debbie with the rest of the dolls, a small smile appearing on her face.

―

"So, why did Elodie call me after school, crying?" Hannah asked Mandy as the pair of them lay on Mandy's bed, the girl now back at her own house.

"She's nice, Ellie," Mandy muttered, playing with her fingers, "Too good for someone like me in her life."

"And that's why you told her you're straight?" Hannah wondered, "Because we both know that's not true. You're bisexual as fuck."

Mandy let out a small laugh, before frowning again, "Yeah."

"She was falling for you, you know?" Hannah whispered.

"I know," Mandy nodded quietly, "And I-I think I might have been falling for her too."

"So why'd you hurt her like that?"

"Cause I'm scared," Mandy admitted, Hannah taking the dark-haired girl's hand in her own, "And I don't want to ruin her life. And besides, I'm pregnant."

Hannah let out a small sigh as Mandy moved to rest her head on the redhead's shoulder, "We'll figure this out."

"We will?"

"Somehow. I promise."

―

"Ah, shit." Hannah muttered with a small laugh as she looked at her ink covered hands.

"How the fuck did you manage that?" Adam laughed, grabbing some kitchen towel.

"Ask the markers," Hannah shrugged, the pair laughing as Adam cradled her hands as she delicately wiped the ink off of her hands, "Ellie still not feeling well?"

Adam shook his head with a small frown, "Still won't get out of bed or open her curtains.

"Must be a bad bug, then." Hannah hummed, watching as the boy cleaned her hands.

"I'm not stupid, Han," Adam told the girl, making her look up at him with a raised eyebrow, "She's my twin. I know the difference between her being ill and feeling low."

"She'll tell you when she's ready." Hannah assured him.

"But she's okay, yeah? She's not, like, so depressed that I shouldn't have left her at home alone?" Adam asked nervously.

Hannah shook her head, "No. I promise."

"Okay." Adam nodded as he wiped in between her fingers.

"No, that tickles." Hannah giggled.

"Well next time, don't go all Seamus Finnigan on your pen." Adam laughed.

Hannah pointed at him with a wide smile, "You read the books?!"

"Of course I did," Adam nodded, "You said you loved them."

Hannah blushed, lightly biting her lip as the boy threw away the kitchen towel, her hands now clean, "You know, we're gonna have to watch the movies together now."

"A movie marathon?" Adam asked with a grin, the pair smiling at each other, "I can't wait."

"Ugh!" Carl groaned, "Would you two not flirt in front of me? It makes me feel sick."

"Shut up, Carl!" Debbie glared at her brother as the two teens awkwardly looked away from each other and continued to work on the posters.

"Okay, cool. Yeah, thanks, man," Ian said into his phone as he entered the kitchen, "Kev says we're all set for the Alibi. Thanks for asking him, Han."

Hannah sent him a salute, "No problem?"

"Why do we have to do this stupid fundraiser?" Carl rolled his eyes.

"Mandy needs our help." Debbie told him.

"We help our friends, Carl." Adam said.

"Alright, Gandhi." Hannah chuckled, making Adam lightly kick her under the table, the pair chuckling.

"Got more chocolate-chip cookies," Monica grinned as she came down the stairs, getting the fresh batch out of the oven, "Every buck counts, right? Who wants another batch? Peanut butter? Toffee?"

Adam perked up, "Toffee?"

Monica gave him a wide smile, holding out the plate for the boy to take one, sending a wink to Hannah who only rolled her eyes and ducked her head, hiding her blush.

"Where's the tape?" Debbie sighed as she looked around the kitchen, "Can't find anything in this kitchen. When are we moving the furniture back?"

Monica let out a gasp, looking at Debbie's poster that was laid out on the couch - which had been moved into the kitchen, "Debbie, I love your poster. Who'd you get your artistic talent from? Who wants to sample a cookie?"

"Me." Frank said, entering the kitchen.

"Uh, they're for the fundraiser." Ian told him.

"Blood sugar's dipping trying to keep up with your mother," Frank said to his son, ignoring his comment, "She's wearing me out."

"I'm done with the flyer." Carl said, holding his up.

Adam raised an eyebrow and Hannah put her head in her hands, "Oh, Jesus fuck."

"Uh, it's 'fundraiser', not 'fun razor'." Ian told him.

"Want them to show up, make them think someone's getting cut." Carl grinned, mimicking the sound of a razor cutting someone.

"He's so right, but the incorrectness of the spelling makes my brain hurt." Hannah muttered.

Adam rubbed her back, "You sure you're not just hungover?"

"Well, there's that too."

"All right, make copies, man." Ian sighed, clapping Carl on the back.

"I'll take him. Come on, you and me, Carl," Monica jumped at the opportunity, abandoning her baking, "We can take the new car. Can't get enough Carl-and-Mommy time. Do you need some new clothes? We could stop at JC Penney." She squeezed his cheeks as they left to the car.

The three remaining Gallaghers all let out a sigh, Debbie and Ian leaning against the counter, staring at the rug cleaner that was stood in the middle of the living room.

"Mom's never gonna shampoo the rug, is she?" Debbie asked.

"No, Debs," Hannah shook her head lightly, "I wouldn't count on it anytime soon."

―

The fundraiser was a hit, loads of people had come due to Hannah, Debbie and Adam handing out flyers, telling each person it was for a different good cause to entice them to come.

"You enjoying the fun razor?" Adam grinned as he walked up to Hannah who was sat at the bar.

The redhead let out a chuckle, "Fuck off." She shook her head as the door opened and a nervous looking Elodie gingerly looked around the pub.

Adam followed the girl's gaze, "You or me?"

"Me," Hannah nodded, giving the boy her drink before she walked to stand in front of Elodie, "Hey."

Elodie gave her a weak smile, "Hi."

"Are you sure you're okay to be here?" Hannah asked quietly.

"Yeah," The brunette girl nodded, "I need to speak to Mandy, anyway."

"Want me to go with you?"

Elodie shook her head, "I'm okay, thanks."

"Alright," Hannah nodded, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek and squeezing her hand before she went back to join Adam, "She's okay." She assured him.

Elodie let out a deep breath, pulling the sleeves of her sweater over her hands as she made her way over to Mandy, "Hey."

The older girl turned around, her mouth suddenly becoming very dry at the sight of Elodie, "Hey."

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Mandy nodded, making Elodie lead her into the ladies' toilet.

"I just want to say thank you." Elodie said once the door closed behind them.

Mandy raised an eyebrow, "Thank you?"

"I know we were never a proper thing, I mean, you don't even like girls," Elodie shrugged, making Mandy look down and play with her fingers, "But you let me find out who I am. Thanks to you, at least I know that I do like girls. And, yeah, I was upset at what you said, but at least you didn't lie and string me along, right?"

Mandy gave her a small nod and a tight smile, "Right."

"And I'm happy to be here and support you," Elodie added, "Because you're my friend. And that's better than not having you in my life."

Mandy let out a small, tearful chuckle, "How'd you always know the right and smart things to say."

Elodie shrugged, "It's a gift. So, are we good?"

"We're good."

The younger smiled, "Great" She said with a nod, turning to leave.

"Wait." Mandy said, reaching out and taking Elodie's elbow in her hand, gently turning her around.

Elodie's eyebrows creased in confusion, "Yeah?"

"Just," Mandy sighed, stepping forward and pressing one last kiss onto Elodie's lips, before she stepped away again, "Take care of yourself."

Elodie gave Mandy a smile, giving her hand a squeeze, "You too." She nodded, before leaving the bathroom to join Hannah and Adam at the bar.

Mandy leaned her head back against the wall, wiping away a tear, "Fuck."