A/N: It has finally arrived! Here's the first part of the Carlinna series, Thank you for being so patient!
In which Korinna and Bonnie meet.
(Season four- Episode 11)
Carl was late.
It wasn't five minutes late, it was over an hour and some change. Korinna tried texting and calling a few times asking where he is but she was left with nothing but dead silence. The thirteen year old's patience finally wore thin, deciding to head over to Carl's to see why he didn't answer her calls or reply back to any of her messages. Korinna traveled up the steep front steps of the Gallagher's home and found herself panting a bit before her hands rested on the doorknob. She could hear what sounded like multiple screams from younger kids and wondered who that could possibly be since Liam didn't make nearly that much noise alone. She pushed the door open to find random kids jumping around on the couch and hitting each other with the couch cushions. Korinna spotted Liam standing off to the side with his hands pressed up to his mouth watching the kids jump around.
Korinna made her way over to the boy and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She could smell tomato sauce and lifted her head to hear the sound of echoing, "Is that your dad?"
The milk-chocolate haired girl lifted her head to see a blonde headed girl with her head dangling from the laundry shoot. Korinna stood up straight with a frown, "Who are you?"
"I'm Bonnie." She replied, getting pulled back up.
Who the hell is Bonnie? Korinna wondered as she crossed her arms to hear knocking at the front door, the sound of footsteps thumped down the steps and it was Lip who went to answer the door. He turned to everyone in the living room, "Uh...Play! Jump around, just do whatever the fuck you want."
Korinna pulled off her winter coat and hat tossing it onto the table off to the side in the living room. She didn't know who Lip were expecting and nor did she care, all she wanted to know was why Carl blew her off after school. The thirteen year old was just about to search the house for her friend as Lip led an Asian woman up the steps until Carl came down them. Right behind him was the same blonde headed girl who hung from the laundry shoot.
Carl lifted his head in a nod as he spotted his friend, "What up Ren?"
"What up?" Korinna restated with raised eyebrows.
Carl nodded his head as he dodged one of the kids who swung over him, "Yeah..."
Korinna took a deep breath keeping her arms locked tight against her chest. "Whose this?"
Carl licked his lips before he grinned turning to grab the blonde's hand and pull her beside him. Carl did not get the chance to introduce her because the girl did it herself. She held her hand out to Korinna with a smile, "I'm Bonnie. We sorta met from the laundry shoot up there, and I'm guessing your Ren. Carl's told me a lot you."
With a scoff and a look of amusement Korinna held her hands out, "That's funny because he hasn't told me shit about you," Before folding them back against her chest.
"Well you weren't at school today..."
"I was trying to keep low since Foster Care showed up at my door again, this morning when I was getting ready for school." Korinna bit back.
Carl frowned at Korinna before giving Bonnie's hand a squeeze, "I'll just tell you now then. Bonnie's my girlfriend."
Korinna felt like she just got punched in the stomach. All the air that pumped through her lungs felt like someone placed the pause button right on those organs. Her oval eyes faltered a little before her guard glossed over, and her chest felt tight. Korinna didn't like this feeling, whatever this feeling was. It was peculiar to her and it sorta hurt like hell. Girlfriend? When the fuck did Carl get a girlfriend and why did he wait so long to tell her? So he had a girlfriend and he thought that it was okay to blow off the girl that's been there before Bonnie even came into his life? From the outside Korinna felt bitterness shinning on her lips as she flickered her oval shaped eyes over to Carl's girlfriend. She had messy light blonde hair with hints of brown in it, blue eyes, button nose and Korinna thought she was cute. Not necessarily Carl's type but she was ight.
"You look like mutant from X-Men." Korinna stated on impulse.
Bonnie's mouth dropped before she closed it and spit back, "And you look like you keep up with the Kardashians."
Korinna laughed, "Bitch I down even own a TV."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "I don't either! Do you have a problem with me, Ren?"
"Right. What's up with you and your bitchy comments? Are you on your period or something?" Carl said with a frown on his face, he didn't know why Korinna started snapping at his girl. It wasn't cool.
Korinna took a step back with wide eyes and turned to Bonnie first, "Look sweetie, Don't ever call me Ren. You don't know me like that. Carl, Say something like that again and I won't hesitate to give you and your girlfriend a fat lip."
Korinna felt like her argument was over with the two as she spotted the social worker pull her eyes away from her and scribble something onto her notepad. Two other adults were now in the room with an Asian girl with glasses and ombré dyed hair and Lip were all watching her while the kids continued to scream and run around.
"What the fuck are you all looking at?" Korinna snapped, snatching her things from the chair and decided to leave from the back door.
She could hear Carl's footsteps stomping after her but she continued on walking, wanting nothing more than to get out of this house. Carl roughly pulled on her wrist, tugging her around to face him. Korinna glared at Carl hoping that her eyes were not watering. Carl paused his forest pine eyes met his best friend's angry black coffee colored one's wondering what was going on with her.
"What's your deal?" He started off in a low-tone, "You can't be that pissed 'cause I forgot to meet up with you after school to go to the arcade? Usually you'll just cuss me out and I'd find something better to do next time."
Korinna desperately tried to pull Carl's hand from her wrist, his skin was burning her skin and she felt panic washing in like an open shore. Breathe Korinna. Just breathe.
"Where were you?" Her voice was so quiet that it Carl had to do a double-take to make sure that she actually did say something.
Carl scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, "I uh...Bonnie lives in a van with her siblings so I invited them to come and stay with us since it's ya know winter."
Korinna nodded her head, "That's nice of you." She answered, She knew Carl would have offered even if it wasn't winter. This was the boy that told her that he wanted to cure cancer someday, this was her friend that came knocking on her front door twenty-minutes after they took Dacey to jail to stay in her dark home with her, this was the boy that she secretly loved.
"Yeah...so you wanna tell me what crawled up your ass and died?" Carl questioned, earning a small smile from his best friend.
"Nothing."
"You don't make that big of deal for nothing."
"Carl! I don't feel like arguing anymore, I just want to go."
"Nah...you can't just come into my crib and start bitchin' then decide to leave all calm. That's not you."
Korinna tilted her head to the side, "It is today. I said what I needed to and now I'm done. Let go of my wrist and go back to your girlfriend." She snatched her wrist back and Carl decided to let her.
Carl was at lost for words frowning at his friend who shoved her arms into her winter coat and pulled her hat over her head. Those same angry brown eyes met his and he saw something flash before they went cold again, "Tell Bonnie it was nice meeting her." With that said she left Carl standing in the middle of his kitchen unsure of where there relationship now stood.
The thirteen year old fought against the cold of December as she sped walked down the streets of Chicago. That's when the sniffles began, tears began to roll just to get frozen against her sand and cream skin, and she finally figured out what this strange feeling was: Heartbreak. There's so many songs about it and they described this feeling plenty of times and Korinna Rokos sure felt it on this Winter day.
Korinna pushed the front doors open to the Alibi/Rub & Tug knowing that this was just the time that everyone would start rolling it. The smell of hard liquor, sex, and smoke is the usual smell at the Alibi that hits Korinna's nostrils. She walks alongside of the bar stools as Kev greets her, "Hey! You lookin' for someone?"
Kev had this rule about having kids her age or younger not allowed into his bar. It's not like she or anyone around her age listened since Kev reminded all of the kids as a cool older brother or something. Korinna tossed her things onto a stool mumbling, "I want a Jack and a Dr. Pepper when I get back."
She heard Kev laugh as she made her way into the bathroom as tears started to drip onto the floor. With a slam of the stall bathroom, Korinna rested her hands against the stall and let reality sink in.
Carl had a girlfriend. But Korinna figured that it was her own fault for not admitting her feelings sooner, these things just happened. Although that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less.
When Korinna got herself together she opened the stall to find Svetlana waiting patiently. Korinna stares up at the older woman and waits for her to say something. Svetlana takes in the young girl's appearance, "You look like shit." Her accent coming off a bit strong at the curse word. Korinna shrugs her shoulders and walks pass the woman but she calls out to her, "Malyutka, If you were crying your eyes out over a man then the best revenge is to make him suffer."
Korinna turned to the Russian woman, "I wasn't crying."
"Then you do drugs?" Svetlana stated.
"No." Korinna answered immediately.
Svetlana smirked and waved her hands out, "Like I said...you cry over man you make him see what a big fuckin' mistake he made messing with you, Yeah?"
Svetlana led Korinna over to the mirror and sink, she turned on the sink and ripped a few paper towels from the metal holder and ran them underneath the water. Once they were drenched enough she handed them to Korinna to wipe off her running mascara and nude eye-shadow. Korinna stared back at her natural face and peered back at Svetlana who studied the girl. She reached over to run her fingers through her milk-chocolate hair, "You'd look hot with dark hair no?"
"Never thought about it." Korinna replied, trying to vision herself with dark hair.
Everyone in her family (When's the last time she used that word?) had dark hair and Korinna was left with coco beans mixed with milk colored hair and her father used to tell her when she asked why her hair was the lightest out of everyone he would say, "My mother's hair was the exact same color and it was passed down to you."
Svetlana stepped back, ran her tongue over her teeth, played with her hair, and pushed her breasts closer together if that were possible. She then turned Korinna around to face her running her fingers over her hair, "When you want a change you come see me and I'll do it for you, Free of charge. Malyutka don't ever let a man be the reason for your tears." Svetlana patted Korinna's chin sending her a wink before leaving the girl alone.
Korinna stared back at herself in the mirror letting Svetlan's words sink into her skull. Korinna wiped her dried tears from the bags underneath her eyes and gave her reflection an encouraging smile.
Carl was not worth her tears.
A/N: That's the end of the first one-shot. How do you guys feel about it? Feel free to give me some requests/ Ideas on what you would like to see throughout this one-shot series.
See you soon.