Rae was unaware that she had been followed as she stepped into the dirty, rundown bar. She found herself missing the Alibi Room and its familiar low-lives, but she needed a drink too damn badly to be picky. She waved the bartender over and ordered a shot of Jameson, demanding that he kept the shots coming. She slammed a hundred-dollar bill on the counter, not caring that that was supposed to go to Mandy for letting her crash with her. She had zero intentions of returning to the Milkovich house, especially since she was no longer dragging a toddler around with her. She downed four shots back to back, not caring that the warm liquid threatened to come back up. As she reached to pour herself another drink, a strong hand pulled the bottle from hers, causing her to look up with bitter, red-rimmed eyes.
"Jesus, breathe between shots," a gravelly voice grunted. She made out Lip's features, though her vision was blurry.
"Fuck off, Gallagher," she growled, though there was no bite.
"Listen, I totally get what you're doing, but this isn't the place," he hissed in her ear.
"Why the fuck not? Last I checked it's a fucking bar!" she growled, snatching the bottle back from him. She poured another shot and downed it before he could slap the shot glass out of her hand, causing the bartender to shoot them a dirty look.
"Let's go," Lip growled, his patience already worn thin.
"Get your hands off of me!" Rae yelped, pulling out of his grip. She mumbled something incoherent under her breath before storming out of the bar, her legs unsteady as she weaved down the sidewalk. Lip swore under his breath and chased after her, in no mood to deal with her stupidity, but somehow feeling obligated to do so anyway. He found he didn't have to chase her for long, as he rounded the corner of the bar, leading into a sketchy looking alley, he found her bent over, her shoulders heaving as she vomited violently. Lip swore again before slowly approaching her, this time his tone gentle.
"At least let me take you somewhere safe," he almost pleaded. Rae looked up at him, wiping her chin on her sleeve before shaking her head.
"Ain't no where safe," she muttered drying. Lip studied her face in the dim lighting, his heart thumping in his chest. She looked so much younger than nineteen, her eyes doe-like, her hair matted to her forehead.
"C'mon," Lip said without hesitation, wrapping an arm around her waist. She stumbled, but after a few blocks, the cool air sobered her up enough to walk relatively straight.
"I can get home from here," Rae said as they neared their neighborhood. "Don't need no babysitter."
Lip hesitated before nodding his head, tired of babysitting a drunk teenager in the middle of the day. "Suit yourself." Lip wasn't in a good place himself, and he certainly wasn't going to let her make him feel like shit for trying to help. He watched as she stumbled off, never once sparing a glance back at him.
"Fucking hell," he muttered. He slowly followed behind her, worried she was going to stumble into traffic or something. Once he saw her round the corner that led to the alley behind the Alibi, he realized she wasn't going to go home. He sighed and watched as she entered through the back, clearly knowing that Kev often left the door ajar during the day. He figured Kev would cut her off when she'd had enough so he turned towards his own house, no longer in the mood to deal with anyone, much less her.
"You're cut off," Kev said a couple hours later. Rae had been there all afternoon, throwing back shots and downing beers like she was a grown ass man. He had to admit, she could hold her liquor, but that didn't change the fact that he refused to aid in her quest to get alcohol poisoning. "Who am I calling this time?" Normally, Rae had Kev call Mitch when she was plastered, but he had a feeling she wouldn't listen to her older brother in the condition she was in.
"Ain't no one to call," she murmured, her head buried deeply into her arms.
"Call Mickey," Svetlana muttered from her spot at the bar, "He's her keeper."
"Ain't need no babysitter," Rae grumbled. She was about to stand up, but Kev's grip kept her seated.
"You're not leaving alone like this," he said, his eyes tracing her face.
"Can't hold me hostage," she managed to squeak out just as the devil himself made his way into the bar, a look of relief washing over him when he saw Rae sitting in a booth.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Raelyn," Mickey grunted, clearly irritated. Rae tuned him out as he said a few things to Kev before grabbing her by the elbow. "C'mon boozy, you've had enough."
"Fuck off, Mikihailo," she growled. Mickey tensed, his grip tightening on her elbow. She only ever used his full name when she was trying to get him to back off. Under normal circumstances, it worked. That day, that day he felt nothing but pity for the distraught woman. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he knew it was his job to get her back to Mandy in one piece.
"I'm not having Mandy up my ass because of you," he growled as he pulled her to her feet. "I'll carry you out like a sack of potatoes if I have to."
Rae grumbled but fell heavily against him, her vision dimming in the corners. She struggled to make her legs work, unable to comprehend why the room was spinning so damn fast.
Mickey managed to get her outside before her legs gave way completely. Mickey swore angrily as they both slid on ice that he hadn't seen until it was too late. It was late October, but for some reason, it was colder than usual, the sidewalks slick with ice.
"Get up," he moaned as he tugged at her arm.
"Can't," she managed to mutter, her voice trembling. Mickey studied her face, taking in the greyish hue that had settled on her normally rosy cheeks.
"Hey, keep your eyes open," he muttered, suddenly overtaken with concern. "Rae?"
"Can't," she slurred again. She went limp against him, causing Mickey to swear bitterly. He scooped her up in his arms and carefully made his way over to the beater, grateful he had had the sense to drive to the damn bar instead of walking. He carefully pushed her into the passenger seat before quickly rounding the car and sliding in. He turned the car on, one eye still on Rae, who looked all but dead beside him. He peeled away from the curb, one hand on the steering wheel, the other dialing Mandy's cell.
"Did you find her?" Mandy's voice practically screamed through the phone.
"Yeah, yeah, I found her," Mickey said, his voice shaking just slightly. "She's bad, Mandy."
He didn't need to say more. Mandy was waiting for them the moment Mickey pulled up in front of their run-down house. As soon as Mandy caught sight of her friend, she felt like she was going to be sick. Rae looked completely lifeless, all color drained from her face. If it wasn't for the soft moaning coming from her, Mandy would have thought she truly was dead.
"We need to sober her up," she said quickly as she helped Mickey get her inside. "Fuck, her hands are like ice!"
"Stupid bitch doesn't own a fucking coat," Mickey grumbled as he shifted Rae's weight in his arms, her head resting carelessly against his chest. He was overly aware of how incredibly light she was and found himself wondering when the last time the damn bitch ate anything was. Mickey shoved his way to the nearest bedroom, which just so happened to be his. He dropped her carefully into the bed, removed her shoes and threw as many blankets as he could find on top of her before looking at Mandy with lost eyes.
"Now what?" he asked, hoping Mandy had a plan.
"Get water and a bucket," she instructed as she sat down next to her friend, her fingers tracing her face. "Rae, you gotta wake up," she murmured softly, concerned with how incredibly cold her friend's skin was. A moment later, Mickey came in with both items. He sat them down before rubbing his hands through his messy hair.
"She's okay, right?" he asked, his tone softer than Mandy had ever heard it before. "She's just plastered?"
"I don't know," Mandy admitted. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at her older brother. "I hope so."
Mandy and Mickey took turns staying awake with Rae that night. She didn't stir once, her breathing coming in raspy, strains gasps. Halfway through the night, she finally started to come around, startling both of them as she groaned, her face turning a slight shade of green.
"Don't you fucking dare," Mickey yelped as he jumped up for the bucket, getting it under her chin just in time. Mandy held her hair back as she threw up violently, gagging so hard, for a moment, she felt like her lungs were going to explode. Once finished, she leaned back heavily, her head throbbing. Mandy offered her some water, but she stubbornly shook her head, a decision she quickly regretted. The cycle repeated for the next hour, before Rae had finally lost all of the liquor that was in her stomach. Every muscle in her body ached as she leaned back, her eyes shutting against her will. She vaguely heard Mickey and Mandy talking, but she couldn't make sense of their words. The last thing she remembered was someone gently pressing something to her forehead before sleep took over. Even in her dreams, she couldn't escape the hellish reality that had become her life.
