tw: episode 4x05, drugs & underage use of drugs

★

"THAT IS THE UGLIEST fucking shirt I've ever seen," Amara stated, eyeing the article of clothing Mandy was holding out over her chest in disgust. The other girl rolled her eyes and put the hanger back up.

"Okay, Regina George."

"Y'know, I really do think blondes have it easier," she went on, sorting through the items in her hands. "I cant wait until we're rich enough so we can buy this stuff first hand instead of through thrifting."

"If you pull the 'I forget who you are card' when you're a famous author, I'm slitting your throat."

"You're so kind."

"Soo," Mandy nudged her as Amara began to look around. "How's Lip?"

"Better," she nodded, smiling because it was the truth. "He's not threatening to drop out anymore. I mean, it's been like a week with no problems so that is a step, I think."

"That's good. I would've kneed him in the balls so hard if he did. Hey, you know what I'm thinking about?"

"If you try to fatten me up with more pretzel dogs I swear to God my stomach will literally explode."

"Weakling," Mandy smirked. "You only had two."

"Yeah, and you had six. Honestly I'm surprised you haven't grown horns or anything yet."

"Pretzel dogs aren't bad!"

"Maybe not, but the concession stand we bought them from were definitely shady."

Mandy shrugged. "Okay, maybe a little. But no, I was thinking about how long it's been since we really hung out."

"It's been forever," Amara frowned. "I've wanted to sooner, obviously. But now that I've been cut from the Alibi I should have more free time."

"Mickey's starting a whore house," she announced randomly. "Up in the Alibi's second floor."

"No shit, seriously?"

"Seriously," came her reply, but it was barely audible when a loud voice sounded from behind.

"This thrift store sucks ass," Silvia stated, stepping up to them with Debbie on her tail. "Why the fuck did you bring us here again?"

"For one, I brought you," Amara gave her a sharp look. "Debbie was just an accessory. And secondly, you're the one who asked for new school clothes."

"This stuff counts as new?" Debbie murmured, looking around with a scrunched up face. Amara refrained from hitting her in the head with the new pair of heels she'd picked up.

"Look, if you don't like it just go," she pursed her lips. "I was trying to be nice but if you're gonna complain give me the fifty back."

"No," Silvia responded, raising her chin. "I'll spend it on useful things. Maybe I'll save it up for college so I can get away from you since you couldn't do the same. Sorry for keeping you here and ruining your life. But now you're ruining mine."

"You little bitch," Mandy glared at her when Amara bristled.

"It's fine," she assured, not taking her eyes off Silvia and Debbie as they walked out the door. "Guess that was her birthday present then." Mandy looked to her, and Amara met her gaze immediately before bursting out laughing.

"What a cunt."

She snickered some more. "Yeah, what a cunt."

★

The front door opened loudly from behind Amara, but she didn't look up as she placed the ham into the oven before turning to read the rest of the recipe Gloria had left on the counter. "Come to apologize after your bitch fest at the store today?" She asked, fully expecting a smart ass response while still scanning the list before two hands settled over her eyes.

"Guess who."

"Jesus Christ," she turned in his arms and punched his bicep. "I just shit myself."

Lip grinned at her. "Flattering."

"I didn't know you were coming home today."

"Uh..." He scratched the back of his head. "Had a little encounter at school."

"If you broke-"

"No! No, nothing like that," he leaned down to kiss her gently and she responded slowly before they pulled away. "You haven't heard from Ian, have you?"

"Definitely not," she tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"

Lip began to explain how he was approached by two men from the army—which was no surprise to her at first because she knew Ian had enlisted, but her eyebrows raised in surprise when he told her how Ian not only joined the army, but used Lip's social security number and tried to steal a helicopter.

"Out of everything I was expecting you to say, that was not one of them."

"Don't think anyone would expect that, to be honest," he ran a hand through his hair. "I have to tell Fiona. Wanted to see you first, though. Missed you."

She learned up to kiss him again. "I missed you too."

He peered around her. "What're you making?"

She pulled a face and looked back to the oven. "Gloria wasn't feeling good so she forced me to make ham."

"You hate ham."

"I know."

He poked her side, "you're the pickiest person I know."

She kissed him a little harder this time, and he stumbled back into the fridge. "Or I just have good taste."

He stared at her lips for a good thirty seconds before meeting her eyes and reaching to cup her cheek while kissing her at the same time. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened it just as he broke their contact. "Upstairs, now."

★

Fiona's party the next day was spent with loud blaring music (as any Gallagher party, so no shock there) and a drunk Amara balancing a giggling Liam on her hip as Veronica munched on some Doritos. She had been avoiding going into the kitchen—somehow Fiona had gotten her hands on coke, and was currently snorting a line of it.

Maybe it was because she wasn't completely drunk, or maybe it was because those shitty don't do drugs videos in elementary school really paid off, because she refused to even go near it.

"Fiona, get your ass in here I'm gonna show you how to break it down!" Veronica shouted, while Amara carefully spun Liam on the table, laughing as he started to do it on his own.

"Get it Liam!" Kev encouraged from behind her, pumping his fists and Amara laughed loudly.

Carl was busying himself with some of the other snacks they laid out before Silvia appeared in the doorway and walked over to him. Her younger sister didn't even spare a glance over in her direction, but Amara forced herself not to tense and turned her attention back to Liam.

"Hey," she picked him up and settled him onto the couch. "I'm going to the bathroom," Amara poked Liam's nose and he tried to grab her hand while giggling. "Be wary of the drunk adults who will try to step on you, okay?"

She stepped away and turned to walk up the stairs to the second floor bathroom—deciding that she was not going to try to maneuver her way around the other people in the room. Amara flicked on the switch and glanced at herself in the mirror, attempting to pat down her frizzy hair which was sticking out in a bunch of directions because she had yet to fix it after working all day.

She'd just flushed the toilet when someone shouted Fiona's name from downstairs, and the panic in Debbie's voice made Amara hurriedly shut off the water to jog back down.

Lip was there now, too, and she just barely managed to make out the top of Silvia's head before her gaze turned to the unconscious Liam on the floor, and she couldn't tear her eyes from him even as everyone crowded around him. Her breathing picked up as she realized what was going on, and she placed a hand onto the wall besides her to steady herself as Veronica attempted to wake him up.

Liam's face was covered in cocaine.

★

a/n

thank u for 100k!! that is insane omg