My eyes sprang open then, just as a trickle of silvery light of dawn came into the dining area of Patsy's, and I immediately sat up then, looking around. Somehow, I'd managed to pull my panties, bra, and top back on, but my jeans lay in a heap across the room of the employee locker room, and I felt my cheeks flushing. Slowly getting to my feet, I crossed the room and picked them up, stepping into them, which wasn't an easy task, due to my sneakers attempting to hinder the process. I reached into my pocket then, relieved that my phone had no damage to it, and seeing that it was close to six, and my heart thudded in my chest then, knowing that Mom would likely be there in two hours to unlock the place.

Turning around, I saw Liam lying there on the floor, and my knees threatened to give way at the sight of him, in nothing but his boxers and black socks. Biting down hard on my lower lip, I made my way towards him then and knelt down, the floor cooling to my knees, despite them being covered in denim, and ran my hand carefully through his hair, which was slightly floppy, due to the romp we'd had, just hours before. My fingertips migrated from his hair down to his forehead, and I marveled at just how soft his skin was.

"Liam," I whispered, leaning down and pressing my lips to where my fingertips lingered. "It's close to six o'clock. We fell asleep. My mom'll be along in a couple hours to unlock this place for the breakfast rush."

Liam moaned slightly then, before opening his eyes and pulling me down beside him, making no moves to ready himself to run. He ran his strong hand over my cheek, and I flushed at the intimacy that one look could hold. "Good morning," he said.

I felt my lips automatically lifting in a smile; nobody had ever made me feel as good as Liam had, and the aches I felt all over were simply incredible. I remembered him slamming me repeatedly against the wall, before dragging me down to the floor, pawing at me, his lips touching every surface of my body available to him, taking me to the very precipice that I'd always heard about, but never knew existed. "Good morning," I said quietly to him, a slight gasp escaping my lips when he leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine.

Liam seemed to savor the moment, leaning down and brushing his lips with mine, before he suddenly stiffened and sat up, not bringing me up with him. "What time did you say it was, Iana?" he asked.

I blinked, the sudden jolt of formality replacing intimacy jarring to me, and slowly moved to sit up as well. I drew my knees down, so that my legs were stretched out completely, thus giving me easier access to my pocket, where I'd returned my cell phone. "It's just six," I replied. "My mom doesn't open the doors on Saturdays and Sundays until eight. Trust me, it's all okay," I told him, shocked as he stood up completely then, and made a grab for his pants, yanking them on like there was no tomorrow. "Hey, hey," I said, getting to my feet then, raising my eyebrows as he pulled on his shirt, buttoning it hastily, and missing the holes entirely. "Stop. Let me," I told him, my voice deliberately gentle as I stepped forward, moving his hands aside. Carefully, I made sure that each button was in place before I dropped my hands and looked up at him, trying to get a read on his expression. "Hey," I said, reaching up and putting my palm onto his cheek. "What's going on? Is something wrong? You can tell me..."

"What's wrong?" Liam asked, scoffing then, breaking away from me then and dragging a hand through his hair, before he bent down and made a grab for his shoes, leaning his perfect ass up against the set of lockers behind him and doing his best to get them on and tie them quickly. "I fucking broke the law, Iana. How could you possibly ask me what's wrong?"

"I gave consent," I whispered, my voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted you... Didn't you want me?"

Liam sighed then, finishing up his shoe-tying, and allowed his shoulders to slack. "Christ, Iana," he said, squeezing his eyes shut and dragging his hand down his face. "You know that wasn't what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" I cried out then, trying and failing to keep my voice from shaking as he raised his eyes to mine. "Tell me what you meant..."

"You've got to understand, Iana, that there are more complicated things at play here," he said, almost as if he was trying to calm me down.

"What's so fucking complicated?!" I demanded.

"Iana, I'm CEO of a fucking multi-million-dollar cooperation," Liam said, looking at me as if I had three heads. "How do you think any of this this would look if the press or the authorities got wind of it somehow? Sure, I've got a huge team of lawyers that have represented the Kennedy family for generations, but I could be charged with sexual misconduct, or harassment, or statutory rape..."

"I already told you, the authorities aren't going to hear a goddamn thing from me," I said, doing my best to keep calm. "You have nothing to worry about."

Liam shook his head. "None of this is that easy, Iana..."

"What are you so afraid of?"

Immediately, his eyes snapped to mine. "What?"

I didn't move from where I stood, and kept my arms crossed around myself, each hand gripping the opposite arm, as I literally attempted to hold myself together. "You heard me," I replied, and felt relieved when my voice didn't tremble.

"What am I afraid of?"

I nodded; the movement was stiff. I didn't want any emotions to attempt to filter into my voice. I had been hurt by the opposite sex before, and I was not about to be burned again. "Yeah," I replied, no emotion behind my tone.

"Getting caught?" he asked, spreading his hands.

I scoffed then, shaking my head at his apparent stupidity. "If you were so worried about getting caught, then why the fuck would you come back in here last night, after I told you what I wanted?" I demanded. "I mean, I'm plenty strong, but you look as if you could bench a couple hundred pounds. You could've shoved me off you and run again, but you didn't. You didn't push me away last night, and yet, you're doing it right now..."

"Iana, please..."

I shook my head at him. "No, Liam, you please!" I cried out. "You fucking left, and then you came back, and I just couldn't..."

"Couldn't what?" he asked.

I looked away from him. "Nothing."

"See, this is exactly why I didn't want to do this," Liam said, and his voice cut me to the very core. "Teenagers constantly say one thing when they mean another or some shit... You're not old enough to make life-altering decisions, and so you act impulsively, thinking you know what you want, and then adults get dragged into the drama, and then there's no escape. They think there's something hidden beneath the surface, but there's nothing. Nothing but childish decision-making that only ends up getting people hurt, and making decisions that everyone ends up regretting in the morning..."

My eyes snapped to his. "Did you just say you regretted what happened?"

Liam shrugged. "I don't fucking know anymore, Iana. I don't know a fucking thing anymore, because, apparently, I'm totally delusional for letting a teenager get to me..."

I shook my head at him. "I can't believe you just said that..."

He sighed. "Maybe it's for the best. It's not like it'll be a memorable night for you in the first place, will it?"

"What the fuck's that supposed to mean?!"

"You implied that you've done it before..."

"Yeah? So?! Does that make me a fucking slut, or something?!"

Liam shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" I demanded, and I couldn't get the rage to leave my voice. "You're saying you regret it and that somehow I won't find last night memorable... Are you saying this because I've fucked people before?!"

"That's not fair, Iana..."

"No, it's not fair," I replied bitterly. "Lucky me that you're not the first person I've fucked in here, but you'll sure as hell be the last. Far too cramped back here, I feel. Maybe I'll just invite people over to my house, and into my bed. Then it'll really make the nights memorable, keeping all my conquests in one place..."

"Don't say that," Liam replied, his jaw setting.

"Maybe it's for the best," I told him, narrowing my eyes at him. "How am I supposed to know that last night really meant a goddamn thing to you, anyway? It probably didn't. A man like you could have a supermodel on his arm one week and a fucking ambassador the next. The last thing you want is to remember some indecisive teenager from the South Side that you only fucked to get another notch on your belt..."

"That's not what this was, Iana," Liam said firmly. "You've got to believe that."

"I'm not about to believe another goddamn thing," I told him, walking past him and deliberately hitting his arm with my shoulder as I passed. Why'd he have to be so fucking tall...?!

"Iana..."

"You know what?" I asked, turning around to face him again, my voice cracking in my throat then, as I tried and failed to stop the tears from leaving my eyes. "I really thought last night was going to be different. But you men are all the same, really. I wish it wasn't true, but it is. You meet someone and if they're fucked other people, they're automatically a slut. Sure, I've been around the block a few dozen times in the past two years or so, no strings attached, no emotions whatsoever, but that's all I know," I told him, knowing that I didn't have to tell him the details, but I just couldn't keep myself from allowing the words to spill from my lips. "Sure, I don't discriminate between men and women, but the real reason is because I wanted to experience every little thing there was out there. Just because I have no plans to settle down in my life doesn't mean I don't think I deserve a little fun. But that's all this was, wasn't it, Liam? A little fun. Fucking a fucking ghetto teenager... Must be some sort of sick bucket list you millionaires have, right?"

"Jesus, Iana. Why do you have to be this way?"

"If you're inferring that I'm a fucking cunt, you'd be right. Runs in the family," I told him.

Liam shook his head. "Guess you're just the same as all the teenagers out there from the wrong side of the tracks..."

I shook my head at him then, reaching upwards and slapping him across the face, angered when he showed no reaction whatsoever. "Fuck you, Liam Kennedy," I told him, malice dripping from my voice as I moved to leave.

"Was I right?" he asked. "Are you like all the teenagers?"

I faced him once again, and reached up to smack him again, but, this time, Liam caught my wrist and held it there, never breaking eye contact with me. "Don't you fucking..."

"What?" Liam demanded. "Don't do what?"

"You know what..."

"Obviously, I wouldn't know," Liam said, repeating my same words from last night, which sent delicious chills down my spine, "so I had to ask."

I felt my breath catching in my throat then as I stared up at him. My mouth went dry then, and my lips parted. I wanted nothing more to yell, to scream at Liam in a rage for what he was doing to me, but no words left my lips. And then, like lightning, Liam made a grab for me then, and I immediately wrapped myself in his arms again, the sensations, both emotional and physical, were beyond anything I could've imagined. His lips found mine almost instantly, and we devoured one another, never wanting to let the other go, but it was then that reality came to call, and I tore myself away from him, blinded by my own tears.

"Fuck you, Kennedy," I told him, shaking my head as I stumbled out the back door, got into my car, and drove off as the sun rose around me.

I did my best to focus on the road, but no such fortune was awarded to me more than necessary as I continued to drive home, the tears constantly blinding my vision. As I pulled up outside the house, pulling the keys from my ignition, I saw my parents in the living room together, and they seemed completely unaware that one of their children was missing. Shaking my head, I got out of my car and promptly walked across the street without hesitation, finding my key without a problem and unlocked the door, slamming it behind me. I walked through the living room and into the kitchen, opening up the fridge and staring at the abundance of beer bottles on the main shelf of the fridge, and just looked at the beautiful amber color within the glass.

"Kiddo?"

I gasped then, unhearing prior to the word that escaped from the familiar presence behind me as I shut the door to the fridge. I turned around then, and saw my father, my pops, just standing there, looking confused as hell as to why I was there so early. It only took a moment for the confusion to be replaced by rage, as he could tell when I was worked up like this that either I'd done something stupid, or someone had upset me. He usually guessed right, and today would be no exception to that rule.

"Who the fuck hurt you?!" he demanded. If there were two things Mickey Milkovich hated, it was someone hurting his family, or making him feel bad about his sexuality. "Say the word, kiddo, and I'll..."

"Dad, no!" I cried out then, the endearment escaping my lips before I could call it back, and ran towards him then, throwing myself into his arms. "You could violate parole or some shit, and then I... I can't have you going back there," I said, my voice shaking as we stood there in the kitchen, just holding one another.

However, he pushed me back after a moment, looking at me as if for the first time. He held my face for a moment, staring into my eyes, before he tilted my head downwards, pressing his lips briefly to my forehead. "You've never called me 'Dad' before..."

"You are my dad," I told him, my voice continuing to tremble. "You're my fucking dad. I'm so lucky to have a dad who cares so much..."

"What can I do?" he asked me then, his tone quiet. "If I can do anything, Iana..."

"God, I wish it were that simple..."

"Name it," he told me firmly. "Ian and I will do anything for you. You know that. You and him, you guys are my fucking family. Everyone else is, too, but you two... I think I'd only die for you, Ian, and Mandy. That's it."

I rested my head on his shoulder then; we were close in height, my father and I, which had always made things easier. "I'd die for you, too..."

"I don't want you dying, Iana."

I laughed aloud then. "Has to happen sometime..."

"Now," he said, bringing me over to the table and sitting me down, before moving to sit directly next to me. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

I swallowed then. "Remember the speaker at my graduation yesterday?"

He laughed. "Yeah. Good-looking guy... Why?"

"He came to the diner before that," I replied. "I got him a coffee refill and a slice of cherry pie and he and I..."

He raised his eyebrows. "You...?"

"May have exchanged some flirtatious banter, and he left me a huge tip, and his business card with a phone number..."

Pops looked concerned. "Kiddo, he's twenty-one..."

I nodded. "I know how old he is. He made it clear that he had no idea how old I really was when he first met me, and that, even though he was interested, he was going to wait for two years for me to turn eighteen..."

"Let me guess. You didn't wait."

My eyes snapped to his. "How did you know?"

"You're half Gallagher, half Milkovich. Trust me. I know."

"I just... Couldn't stop, I guess," I told him, biting down hard on my lower lip. "After we got the boys home last night, I called him up and met up at Patsy's..."

"So, that's why you're wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and looked like you spent the night having sex before you slept on a floor..."

I made a face. "Jesus, Pops. Call it 'fucking'. I'm sixteen, not six."

Pops tried not to laugh at my statement before he continued, "Be that as it may, Iana, I know you're prone to be reckless, due to being a teenager and constantly given all these privileges because you were so far advanced educationally, and god knows you didn't get that from my side of the family... All I'm saying is, I want you to be careful."

I sighed. "Trying to be..."

"Good," he replied. "So, are you going to see him again?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"What? You like this guy, don't you?"

I made a face like I was going to vomit and shook my head. "Pops, that's not me and you know it, deep down."

"What's not you, kid?"

"You know the whole white picket fence, husband, two-point-five kids..." I shuddered. "So not me. You know it, and I know it."

Pops looked off into space then, towards the staircase where, somewhere, Uncle Ian had to have been still asleep. "I was the same way until your uncle Ian..."

"Yeah?" I asked, leaning backwards in my chair and crossing my arms. "What changed?"

Pops turned and looked at me with a small smile. "We fell in love," he replied.

. . .

Love. Love was never something I never thought would be in the cards for me. After things went down with Principal Monroe, I moved on to public high school with a sense of trepidation, after one final year of eighth grade. I thought high school would be better; naturally, I assumed such a thing because I'd finally be away from Principal Monroe, and a shit ton of trust fund babies that I'd been subjected to over the years. Now, I'd be with my own kind, so to speak; kids from my neighborhood that I'd seen around town but had never spoken to. With Franny there, I knew that she'd have my back, no matter what it took...

"Hey, it's okay," she assured me for what must've been the trillionth time on that first day of freshman year. "I've got your back. And that upperclassman Miranda Hayworth has been assigned as your buddy. You don't have anything to worry about."

I shrugged, staring at myself in the mirror. My black denim shorts and simple black T-shirt were all in place, plus my scuffed Converse were all tied appropriately. I'd put my hair into a side ponytail, similar to Franny's, and bit down hard on my lower lip. I was only thirteen to Franny's fifteen, and all I could think about was running for the hills...

"This is not going to be like that sorry excuse for a private school," Franny told me, her voice firm as they interrupted my nervous thoughts. "All our family went to this high school. It's not like they don't know who we Gallagher's are..."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, if you say so..."

We headed downstairs shortly thereafter; Franny had spent the night the previous evening, and Aunt Debbie would be picking us up for school in twenty minutes or so. My parents were in the kitchen, getting breakfast ready, as Franny and I stepped inside, we immediately had both of their attention. I plastered a smile onto my lips, accepting their hugs, and watching as they both hugged Franny as well.

"What's for breakfast, Aunt Murphy?" Franny asked.

"First day of school pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs," Mom replied.

I rolled my eyebrows. "Jeez, Mom. You really went all-out, didn't you?"

"You should thank your mother," Dad put in, putting his arms around my mother's waist and pulling her against him, causing my mother to let out a small squeal of surprise. "She does a lot for her family, you know."

"Aaah, too much!" Franny cried out.

"I second that!" I said, turning my face away and trooping over to the table, Franny at my heels, whereupon we both sat down.

My mother scoffed then, and began serving up breakfast with Dad. "I'm surprised at you, Iana," she scolded me gently.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Well, I mean, you don't seem to care when your Uncle Ian or Mickey show public displays of affection..."

"They're sweet," Franny puts in.

"That's why!" I cried out, pointing at Franny.

"Hon, cut her some slack," Dad cut in, kissing Mom on the cheek. "We have a teenager on our hands, officially now. Besides, you know as well as I do that Mick is never one for witnessing affection, or receiving it. She's just like her father."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad," I muttered, spearing a couple of pancakes and bringing them onto my plate.

Aunt Debbie arrived on time, and dropped off Franny and me in the parking lot of the high school, and I found the nerves threatening to overtake me again. We still had a good fifteen minutes before we were due to meet our upperclassmen buddies, so Franny and I pulled out the copies of the school map and our schedules. I pondered the list before me: Algebra, physical science, English, Social Studies, Spanish, and drama.

"Feeling okay?"

I raised my eyes to Franny's, about to answer, when my mouth suddenly went dry. The trio of them came from the direction of the football field, and were all dressed up in their uniforms. It didn't take more than a handful of seconds for my knees to go weak, and my subconscious to turn entirely to mud. I was vaguely aware of Franny's eyes turning, following my gaze where it came to rest on the handful of jocks I was staring at.

"Oh," she said, almost as if she had it all figured out.

My face flushed then at the condemning nature of her tone, and immediately lowered my eyes back down to my schedule. "It's nothing," I assured her.

Franny sighed, but then she decided to play along. "Which one?"

My eyes immediately snapped to hers. "What?"

"Which one were you looking at?"

"The... The one in the middle," I said, my face flushing further as I raised my eyes once more to him, where he was talking to two of his football buddies. I was captivated by his chestnut-brown hair, as well as the deep green eyes that you could become lost in...

"That's Colin," Franny explained. "Senior. Football captain."

I swallowed then, knowing full well that Colin would never, under any circumstances, have anything to do with a freshman like me. "Oh..."

"What's with the face?" Franny asked, looking me up and down.

I let out an incomprehensive sound as I turned and looked at Franny. "What?"

She smirked. "Come on. You were clearly ogling Colin..."

I scoffed. "Yeah. Right. Me ogling the opposite sex," I said, shaking my head and pulling her towards the main doors. "Let's just get inside for the next chapter of this nightmare..."

"You mean high school?" Franny asked.

"Same difference," I replied.

. . .

The following day was Sunday, which was the day that Uncle Ian and Pops had everyone over for dinner. Well, everyone who could make it; that day it was all four of my parents, Clayton and Fionn, me, Uncle Lip and Mandy. Uncle Carl had taken his wife and kids on an impromptu weekend trip, while Carla and Charlie were at our grandparents' house again. Uncle Liam was on an assignment for the tech company he worked for in Los Angeles, while Frank was just loitering outside somewhere, hoping to be let in. Aunt Fiona and Uncle Jimmy were going to try and video chat with us at some point to touch base, and Aunt Debbie, Franny, and Ezra were on their way to the gathering.

"Feeling okay?"

"Hmmm?" I asked, barely moving from where I sat beside Pops at the kitchen table, due to be moved into the living room to accommodate everyone, as I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm okay, I guess..."

"Talk to that guy of yours? Liam somebody?"

I scoffed, making gagging noises, and I could feel Pops chuckling at my reaction. "No, and I'm not planning to."

"You seemed really affected by whatever it was he did to you..."

I shrugged, sitting up then and spotting my mother in the living room, where she was hanging out with Dad and talking to the boys. Casually, I reached out then and took Pops's beer, drinking a quick sip before I put it back. "What's to say? It's in the past..."

"What's in the past?" Mandy asked, stepping inside, a waft of smoke coming after her, as she plunked down beside me. "Lip's having another," she explained, her dark eyes shining as she uttered the name of my oldest uncle.

"Me fucking a guy too old for me," I muttered, loud enough for Uncle Ian to hear, but too quiet for Mom, Dad, or the boys to.

Uncle Ian's head immediately snapped up. "Wait. You did what?"

"Calm down, Fire Crotch," Pops said immediately, getting to his feet and crossing over to my uncle, and ran his hands up and down his arms. "It's all okay..."

"Not now, Mick," Uncle Ian said firmly, crossing back over to the table, Pops at his heels, and staring down at me. "What the fuck was that about, Iana?!"

"Christ, it's so not a big deal!" I hissed, peering around him, watching as my parents continued to have a conversation with Clayton and Fionn.

"How old was this guy?!"

"Twenty-fucking-one—who gives a shit?!" I demanded, getting to my feet as I saw my mother gesturing with her hands. "Oh, shit..."

"How the fuck could you let Clayton drink?!" she practically screamed at Fionn. "You're both thirteen-years-old! What were you thinking?!"

"Goddammit," I said, dragging my hands through my hair as I walked around the table, and into the living room. "You need to stop it," I said, narrowing my eyes at my mother.

My mother whipped around to face me then. "You fucking knew about this shit, Iana!" she yelled, her anger now directed towards me. "How could you not tell us?!"

"Because Fionn fucking called me!" I yelled back. "And do you know why he did? Because he's my son just as much as he is yours!"

"Don't you dare disrespect your mother, Iana!" Dad said, narrowing his eyes at me. "I won't have you speaking to her that way."

"Cry me a fucking river," I said, turning on him. "You know as well as I do that you could've stayed and fought the system, but you were ruled by your fucking dick and just let Mom tell you to run away!"

"That's not how it—!"

"Don't you fucking tell me how it happened!" I shouted, locking my eyes with hers. "You were so busy telling him goodbye and giving him a farewell fuck that you didn't take two seconds to even consider how any of us would be affected! You let Dad leave, then you hooked up with fucking Tommy, and then you fucking abandoned us—"

"That's not how it went down, Iana. I told you that—"

"I don't give a fuck if it was to clear your husband's name or not!" I screamed. "Bottom line, you gave us to Uncle Ian, who did a fantastic job. Sure, he couldn't be there all the time, and Uncle Liam was so busy partying in those days that it was left to me. I was five-years-old, Mom—five, and raising two kids. Did you ever think that I actually had a damn good reason to be fucking resentful of you for all these years?! Not even a thank you. Not one. And now that Dad's back and you're both working, who takes the kids when you're not around, or if Grandpa Hugo and Grandma Allie aren't available? Besides every Gallagher you can imagine," I said, my voice shaking then. "Me. It's always been me. These boys are my sons, too. I do so much for them, guys, and even though I don't expect shit in return, it'd be nice to get a little acknowledgement now and again for doing your fucking job!"

"I don't have to stand here and listen to this," Mom said.

I crossed my arms. "Maybe you should," I replied. "Although, if it were me, I would've listened to all this a long time ago."

My mother's eyes blazed with anger then as she stepped forward, and hit me as hard as she could across the face.

"Fuck you!" I screamed at her, itching to it her back, but made no move to do so.

Dad's eyes darkened then as he stepped around Mom and glowered down at me. "I told you not—" he began, raising his hand into a fist.

"Not today," came a voice from behind me, and I was shocked when Pops blitzed forward and made a grab for Dad, knocking him backwards and into the armchair. "If I still had any fucking rights, I'd ask the courts to reverse the adoption," he growled. "Nobody hits my fucking kid and gets away with it."

"Mick, get the fuck off of him!" Mom cried out then, and Pops does so, moving to stand beside me as a guard might. "Come on," she said, helping Dad up before she looks from me, to Clayton, to Fionn. "Time to go."

"You don't have to," Pops said.

"Uncle Ian?" I asked, turning around to face him.

My uncle shook his head, crossing over to me and standing on my other side. "She doesn't have to leave if she doesn't want to."

My mother looked shocked at this turn of events then, and stared imploringly up at Uncle Ian then, her dark eyes pleading. "Ian..."

"Save it," he said firmly. "Mickey and I will be over tomorrow morning to get her things. Iana's staying with us for a while."

My parents said nothing as they dragged the boys out of there, and I felt like pieces of myself were walking out the door. I said nothing, breaking away from Pops and Uncle Ian for a moment, staring out the window and watching as they all trooped across the street and returned to the house we all lived in. Biting my lip, I slowly turned around and towards the staircase, saying nothing, as I trudged upstairs, to the bedroom I often crashed in after a late night, and where I'd slept when the boys and I were temporarily living there. Even though I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, I climbed onto the bed, and just stared at the ceiling, arms over my chest, listening to the voices of my family as they crept through the old house.

. . .

I didn't know what it was about me but, for some reason, Colin, the football captain and the high school's "it-guy" randomly spoke to me one afternoon while I was in the library, studying for an algebra exam. Math and I had never been friends, and as I struggled with the take-home practice test we'd been ordered by Mr. Hernandez to complete, Colin suddenly arrived in my midst. He smiled and sat beside me, and initiated conversation.

In the end, he agreed to help me with my algebra, and it was after a few sessions of tutoring that he invited me to the homecoming game. I thought it was purely about school spirit, but when Colin told me that he wanted me to be his date to the dance afterwards, I eagerly accepted. He was seventeen to my thirteen, so it was completely taboo, I knew that, but I was so over the moon about it that I didn't care.

On the night of the dance, I had my new dress on and everything in place. I cheered louder than anyone in the student body did that night for the team, and for Colin. When the game was over, Colin met me outside the gym as arranged, and we headed inside together. We danced to the awesome playlist the DJ had for us that night, and I heeded his advice not to taste the punch, as it was likely to be spiked. Even though I was a drinker, and a smoker, I wanted to at least appear like a good girl to Colin, so I listened to him.

"It's pretty loud in here," Colin said during the lull between songs.

I nodded at him. "Yeah."

"Wanna go outside for a walk?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied.

We stepped out through the gym doors, after making our way through the crowd, taking in the beautiful moonlight through the trees. Most of our discussions surrounded algebra and football, with Colin explaining both to me. However, I could see in his expression that Colin wanted us to open up to one another, and I did not object to that.

"Have any siblings?" he wanted to know.

I nodded. "Yeah. One older half-brother, and then younger twin half-brothers, a half-sister, and then another half-brother."

Colin raised his eyebrows. "No full siblings?" he asked, not unkindly.

I shook my head. "No. My mom... Well, I was an accident," I replied.

"An accident?"

"Yeah. She and the guy were drunk at the time."

"Oh, my god. I'm sorry to hear that."

I laughed a little then. "Don't be. I have three dads now, so..."

"Three?"

"Yeah," I replied. "My uncle, my mom's twin brother, is married to my biological father," I told him carefully. "And then my mom's husband adopted me. My uncle also helped raise me, so then three fathers..."

"You ever think about the future?"

"What, like graduation and college and a job?"

"Sure, that," Colin said. "Or a family. Kids."

I shook my head. "I'm thirteen," I said with a laugh. "Not really ready to even entertain any thoughts like that..."

"Have you ever hooked up?"

Whoa, personal much, I thought to myself. "I was raped almost a year ago," I replied. "It's not something I really like talking about..."

"It can be fun. Sex. Not rape."

I felt my fingers knotting around themselves then as my heart hammered in my chest. "Yeah, so I've heard..." I broke off then, wanting to get to other topics. "What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"Two younger sisters," Colin replied.

"What do your parents do?"

"Dad's in prison," Colin replied. "Mom's a teacher."

"I'm sorry, about your dad," I replied.

Colin shrugged. "Shit happens."

"Why'd he get locked up?" I ask.

"Assault," he said quietly. "I don't know much about it."

I nodded. "Might be better that way..."

Colin turned towards me then, and just stared at me. "You're really pretty."

I blinked. "Thank you."

"I saw you staring at me on that first day."

Dammit, I thought to myself. You really need to work on being more subtle when it comes to checking people out... "Did you?"

"Yeah," he said. Colin continued staring at me for a moment then, before walking towards me, causing me to hit the side of the building as I attempted to get space from him. "I thought it was cool, a little freshman like you... I like a challenge."

"A challenge?" I asked.

"Sure," he replied, leaning down and kissing me.

This isn't right, I thought to myself then, and gently pushed him off. "Colin, don't. We shouldn't be doing this..."

Colin rolled his eyes. "Everyone hooks up at high school dances, Iana..."

I shook my head. "Not me. I'm not that kind of girl."

Colin narrowed his eyes at me. "I'm the football captain..."

"Doesn't matter," I replied. "I'm saying 'no'."

"People in my family don't take 'no' for an answer," he said firmly.

I snapped my eyes to his then and, in that moment, I saw Principal Monroe glaring down at me, as he had done that night in the diner, and my mouth fell open. "You're..."

Colin grinned evilly then, before he reached out and squeezed my breasts as hard as he could. "I see you've figured me out?"

"Don't touch me," I said, shoving him off me. "Don't ever touch me..."

Colin looked as if he would grab me again, but ultimately shook his head. "You're not even worth it," he growled, turning and walking back into the gym.

I leaned back against the building then, my heart pounding in my ears, wondering how I could have been so wrong about a person...

. . .

I stayed with Pops and Uncle Ian for a few days, before ultimately deciding to face the music and return back home, which they fully supported. It was as if my family and I were walking on eggshells for the next four days, until I finally had a day off from the diner, which I'd already booked to help Uncle Lip and Mandy. They'd had an announcement the previous Sunday, and had informed Uncle Ian and Pops, who subsequently told me, that they would be moving in together. Normally, I'd say such a thing was pretty fast, but it didn't matter to me; all in all, I found the entire arrangement really sweet.

"Doing okay?" Uncle Lip asked as I trekked inside Mandy's apartment, carrying yet another box of his.

"Yeah," I replied, "managing, thankfully... Where do you want this one?"

"Here, I got it," Uncle Lip said, stepping forward and taking the box, before placing it beside the window in the living room.

"I'm glad you guys are back on," I said softly.

Uncle Lip turned to me and smiled. "Oh, yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. Sometimes, even though it might not seem right at the time, in the end, you can find your way back to that person..."

"Just wish I could've known then, you know?"

"You probably weren't ready to know," I said gently, moving towards the door to go and get another box of Uncle Lip's from the truck downstairs. "The point is, you found your way back to Mandy, and you're together now."

"Think it's gonna happen for you?"

I turned around then, eyeing Uncle Lip. "What'll happen for me?"

"You know... A permanent relationship. Kids."

I scoffed then, trying to forget when Colin had said the same thing to me. "Oh, probably not. I never really wanted..." I gestured wildly with my hands then. "...all that."

Uncle Lip smiled. "You sure?"

I nodded. "Positive," I said, feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, and took it out. "Oh, dammit," I said.

"What's up?"

"Oh, my mom had to close down the diner today for some deep cleaning later on tonight," I told him, dragging a hand through my hair. "I have to go down there and make sure the locker room is tidied up, and clean out my locker..." I let out a sigh of exasperation then, for I'd promised to be there for Uncle Lip and Mandy that day.

"Hey, that's your job," Uncle Lip said firmly as I raised my eyes to his. "You've been here almost three hours already; cut yourself some slack and get outta here."

I laughed then, crossing back over to him and hugging him. "You're amazing," I told him. "I'll come by soon, okay?"

"You're always welcome," Uncle Lip replied.

"Love you!" I called.

"Love you, too, Iana!" he called back as I ran out into the hallway and towards the elevator, and texted my mom, letting her know I was on my way and I had my key.

I sent a text to Uncle Ian, Pops, and Mandy next, who were out for a coffee run, and told them about the minor emergency and how I had to leave. I reiterated to Mandy that I'd be over to help soon, and Mandy seemed pleased at the promise. Once I got downstairs, I headed directly for my car, getting inside and slamming the door behind me. I buckled up and put my phone into its car charging port, before driving down the street and towards the diner. I made it there quickly and parked in back in one of the vacant spots, grabbing my slightly-charged phone and letting myself in the back door and grabbing a broom, where I would sweep out the area before the heavy-duty mops came that night.

Once I finished sweeping, I found the dustpan and drove the bunnies into the trash, before picking up the duster and getting the slightly-hard-to-reach spots around the room. Finally, I opened up my locker then and began sorting the shit inside. I always kept parts of work appropriate clothes in there, but I knew they were due for a washing, so I folded them up and put them into my duffel, on the floor of my locker, ready to take them home. There was also some trash littering my locker, which I quickly disposed of, before dusting out the metal surface. It was then that I felt my phone buzzing again, and I took it out of my pocket, seeing a familiar number staring at me, causing my knees to go weak and my heart to pound.

Was driving by and saw your car. Coming in any second. We need to talk.

Just as I read the words, the back door opened, and my mouth fell open when I saw Liam standing there, and I did my best to keep my cool. "What are you doing here?" I asked him, relieved that my voice didn't shake.

Liam sighed. "I said we needed to talk."

"Talking is so overrated," I replied, gathering my things and attempting to brush past him. "I'm through with you, Liam. I thought I made that clear..."

"Look, Iana, I came to apologize," he replied, and I stopped dead in my tracks, but I refused to allow myself to turn around and look at him. "I can't tell you everything, because there are other people involved here, and it's fucking dangerous. But I will say that my reaction was less-than-savory that day. I wish I could take it back..."

"I know," I replied, my lower lip trembling as the hot tears threatened to escape my eyes. "You made that abundantly clear the other day..."

"Jesus, Iana," he said, his voice cracking ever so slightly at the end. "That's not what I regret, once and for all. I don't regret what we did; I regret the consequences that could happen if it was found out..."

"What? Like your fucking empire? Your family's good name?" I asked bitterly.

"My freedom," he replied, and I shut my eyes, knowing that freedom could not always be taken for granted, and hating myself for sounding so bitter a moment ago. "And then there's my mother and younger sister to consider. I love them more than anything, Iana, and the last thing I'd want is to see them hurt..."

"No," I said, acknowledging that. "I understand, really..."

"I don't think you do, fully," Liam replied then, and placed his hand gently upon my shoulder, and I gasped and stiffened immediately at his touch. "I hate hurting people I care about. There aren't many, I'll be up-front about that, but... I do care about you."

"No, you don't..." I whispered, brokenly.

"I do care," he told me, his voice firm as he turned me around, and my eyes snapped open at the prospect of gazing at him again. "I do care, Iana."

"I'm sorry," I said then, my voice shaking, "if I forced you into anything..."

Liam shook his head. "You didn't force me. I should have never implied that you did. I was just as culpable in what we did as you were."

I nodded. "I'm glad. I wouldn't have wanted you to...not enjoy yourself or to regret..."

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I could've phrased myself better. No wonder you thought I regretted what happened between us. I'm sorry..."

"Thank you."

"I promise, I'll never act that way again..."

My eyes snapped to his. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I can't get that night out of my head," he replied. "I just..."

"You really don't regret it, do you?" I asked, slightly loathing myself for sounding so goddamned melodramatic, all because of a guy.

Liam shook his head. "I don't," he assured me. "I don't regret it."

"So, what does...?" I asked, questioning him.

He smiled down at me. "It means, whatever you want, I'm down for..."

No sooner did those words escape his lips then I dropped the duffel I was holding, a literal barrier between us, onto the floor, and kicked it away. I latched onto Liam then, anchoring my mouth to his, a sharp breath escaping his throat as our lips mutually parted to meet the others wanting mouth. There was no hesitation, no back and forth that time, as I fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, and he with the zipper of my jeans. My hands dove down then, unzipping his own jeans as quickly as I did, and we mutually yanked down our bottoms. Liam lifted me then, and I drew my legs around his torso, digging my heels into his perfect ass, allowing him easy access into me, the gasp that escaped my lips one of absolute pleasure, pleasure that I never wanted to end...

. . .

A little over a week had passed, and July had officially begun, and hot summer weather was now in fully swing. It had been nine days since Liam and I had come to our understanding at Patsy's, and he'd even snuck over to my bedroom on a few of those nights. My parents were either none the wiser, or they just didn't see it as a problem anymore. I shrugged it off, knowing that they knew I knew how to take care of myself, and so began my summer vacation, working less shifts at Patsy's as I waited for my future to come knocking.

"Mail come yet?" I asked casually that Saturday morning as I headed downstairs, barefoot, wearing shorts and a breezy tank top, my raven mane tamed for a moment, as I'd managed to pile it atop my head.

"On the coffee table," Dad called, not looking up from his paper.

I crossed over to the table in front of the couch, sifting through it, until I came to a large, cream-colored envelope. I was vaguely aware of Dad putting the paper down, and Mom standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching me. As I took in my name, printed in bold on the front of the envelope, I quickly saw that it was from Northwestern University.

"Guys..."

"Open it," said another voice and, looking up fully then, saw Pops and Uncle Ian were sitting at the breakfast table as well.

I smiled nervously at them all before flipping the envelope over, and pulled open the tab to allow myself access to the thick paperwork inside. Heart in my throat, I pulled out the paper and gazed at it, hardly believing my eyes. "'Dear Miss Gallagher," it read, for that was the name in which I'd applied under, "congratulations and welcome to the Class of 2038 of Northwestern University! We understand that this university was your first choice, and we understand that you must be very excited...' Holy fucking god!" I cried out then, my eyes widening far beyond any measure than they'd done before as I raised my eyes to my family, who were all grinning from ear to ear. "Holy shit! I got into college!"

"That's my baby!" my mom cried out then, our animosity suddenly dying down in this moment of celebration, as she rushed towards me. She threw her arms around me then, holding me against her, before ultimately pulling back and kissing my forehead. "Now, for your surprise and reward for getting in..."

"Surprise? Reward? What...?" I asked, shaking my head.

"We've agreed," Dad said, stepping forward, as did Uncle Ian and Pops, "that your hard work shall not go unnoticed or unappreciated from now on. I want you to know that we heard you the other day, Iana, and our lackluster attitudes won't continue."

I blinked. "Thank you."

"And because of that," Mom continued, reaching into her pocket and drawing out a piece of paper, "here is a round-trip, first-class ticket to New York."

I gasped, taking the ticket and looking it over. "New-fucking-York?!" I cried out.

"To see Fiona," Uncle Ian put in.

"You've gotta try a New York dog for me," Pops said eagerly.

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to force myself not to laugh as Mom, Dad, and Uncle Ian gave Pops an annoyed expression. "Now I'm not sure if I even want to have that particular food group ever again," I said, and, finally, threw my head back and laughed at the amazing moment I was having in the first phase of what I felt was to become my adult life.

TO BE CONTINUED