Mickey felt his heart beat accelerate, beating as quickly as a hummingbird's wings.
"What the fuck did you just say?" He spat in Mandy's direction.
"You fucking heard me, Ian's gone. I don't know why you care, it's not like you two got along."
Mickey was reeling from the earth-shattering news and was deemed incapable of responding to his sister's observation. He felt as though a ton of bricks had just been dropped on his chest, crushing him and knocking the air out of his lungs.
After what felt like an eternity, he found himself asking, in a ghostly whisper, "Where?"
Mandy rolled her eyes, "Where the fuck do you think? To the army dumbass, like he's always wanted. I don't know why he went, if he wanted to get shot he could've stayed in this shithole city for a few more months and pissed someone off." Her tone was bitter; she was conspicuously distraught about her best friend's departure. Despite the fact that they had grown apart over the past few months, Ian Gallagher would always hold a place in her heart, a sentiment that was unheard of in the Milkovich family.
Mickey's blood ran cold. Mandy's words sliced through his tough exterior and penetrated him to the very core. He abruptly stood up, "I'm gonna go have a smoke," he announced, and was out the door before Mandy had a chance to respond.
Mickey was lost, and he fucking hated it; he couldn't handle not being in control. How dare that asshole leave without a fucking word? This was the real world, where war equates death. Death. That word, plagued with associations of darkness and despair, made Mickey Milkovich come to a halt. Ian Gallagher dead. The words couldn't align themselves in Mickey's fucked-up mind. He didn't care if he died, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but the thought that Ian now had the possibility of dying made Mickey double over, the now overwhelming thought crippling his very being.
He soon found himself stumbling up the steps of the Gallagher home, unable to recall how he arrived there. Just as he was about to knock, Ian's older sister Fiona opened the door, her eyes red and puffy.
"Mickey?" She croaked out. "What the fuck are you doing here. If you're looking for Mandy, she isn't here."
Mickey was leaning against the doorpost, breathing heavily. "Ian. Where's Ian?"
Fiona broke down and uttered a single word, "Gone."
And moments later, Mickey was gone as well.