TWO

"An act of kindness is what you show to me / It caught me by surprise in this town of glass and ice / Kindness, so many people pass me by / But you warm me to my core and you left me wanting more..." -BASTILLE

-X-

"All he ever wanted was to be a man / But he was always a little too cute to be admitted under marbles lost / He was always a thousand miles away while still standing in front of your face." -KURT VILE

"Korinna you're up." Viola addressed the dark haired teen across from her, checking Enzo's name off from the list.

Korinna kept her arms crossed as she stared at the stern dark-skinned woman across the room, "If I say pass again you're most likely going to kick my ass, right?"

"That's right." Viola sang as she turned her attention back to the clipboard in her hands.

Korinna knew that she asked to be skipped twice last week and that this would be the consequences. She's gotten better at engaging herself in this group-therapy shit but she didn't also feel the need to share her business all the time. However living at Edge Heart Grove nothing was too much of a secret around here.

"Okay..." Korinna mumbled as she stared down at the floor trying to figure out what would be worth sharing that showed improvement within herself.

Dove raised her hand up in the air almost bouncing in her seat as she did so. Viola turned to the blonde haired girl a few seats over from herself and dipped her head, "Yes Dove?"

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about Carl?" Dove grinned, her small little dimple appearing on the left side of her cheek, "Anything important happened?"

Monte and Cameron both rolled their eyes at this.

Cameron slouched down further in his seat beside Viola, "Don't answer that. Dove just wants some new material to write on her blog."

"Aha! So you do read my blog!" Dove yelled before clapping her hands in laughter.

Cameron rolled his neck around, "I need some sort of entertainment when there's nothing else to do around here."

"Yeah whatever, Cameron," Dove dismissed before turning back to Korinna, "Come on girl there's got to be something worth spilling!"

Monte crossed one leg over the other, "Geesh Dove. What is this high school? I'm pretty sure Korinna doesn't have anything else interesting to tell because she's simply just boring."

"I'm obviously not that boring if you continue to find ways to bitch about and to me every chance you get," Korinna argued as she turned to the lilac-haired nineteen year old.

Enzo choked on the iced-tea he were slurping on while Cameron instigated, "OOOO!"

Viola didn't bother to hide the smile on her face as she leaned forward snapping her fingers to get everyone's attention, "The purpose of this group-therapy isn't to judge one another, you all know that. If you have some issues with each other you try to solve it outside of therapy. Now Monte for at least five minutes keep your mouth shut and Korinna, find something to talk about so we can go on about our day. Thank you."

Korinna flicked her eyes away from Monte who didn't remove the glare from her shimmer brown eyes, "Actually the only thing worth sharing is about me and Carl." She started, annoyed that this was indeed a fact.

Dove squealed until Viola turned to give her a look. The bright eyed girl molded her lips and threw away the key as she sat back in her chair.

"Alright. What's up with you and mini Justin Bieber?" Enzo questioned around the ice he were currently chewing on.

Korinna tightened her crossed arms a little bit as she bluntly replied, "Well he's still seeing Dominique."

"What?!" Dove exclaimed with her mouth agape.

Korinna nodded her head, "Yup. He claims they're not dating or anything they're just friends with benefits."

"Uh can you say jerk much?" Dove voiced.

"So you guys still aren't dating?" Cameron summarized now leaning on his elbows.

Korinna stared at the freckled-faced boy, "Nope. Still single."

Cameron smirked at that as he glanced down at his hands before looking back at Korinna through his eyelashes.

"And you still agreed to be whatever it is that you are with him after all of that? After all the back and forth you two have been through?" Monte demanded, picking her nails as if she were uninterested.

Korinna browsed all the eyes that were on her right now, she really wished Janice were right beside her right now but she was out with James. "Carl and I aren't anything yet. I guess we're still friends, friends that act like they're a couple but they aren't. We both agreed that we didn't want to jump into anything right away because he broke up with Dom."

"But he's still screwing her! Yet he still comes around and acts like he isn't, that's fucked up. He's supposed to be your best-friend and he cares about you obviously but that's not being respectful to your feelings at all. Doesn't that make you a little pissed? Doesn't that make you want to do something to the both of them?" Monte challenged, now meeting Korinna's eyes.

Korinna held a frown on her face.

"Hey it's not the girl's fault here. Korinna should put Carl in his place not - what did you say her name was? Dominique? I agree with you Monte on Carl being wrong in the situation but it would also be wrong for Korinna to do something to Dominique because it's simply just her being petty. Knowing girls' like her she's going to be childish and most likely try and rub it in your face. If you really want Carl then girl, you better make a stand or else Dominique might just become Carl's girlfriend again instead of friends with benefits." Dove advised twirling her hair.

Should Korinna have reacted a little differently than she had? She hardly ever second-guessed herself but being at Edge Heart Grove she learned how to calm down her anger and her impulses, not saying that it had completely been erased from her being but she was learning how to be a better her now. Old Korinna would have made it her business to find Dominique and put her in her place but Korinna didn't feel like she had the hundred percent right to do something like that anymore. Yes she wanted to be something more than a best-friend to Carl, yes she cared that he was still going down on Dom and possibly still sleeping around with her but they weren't an item!

"Sounds like you speak from experience." Cameron commented, looking over at Dove who tilted her head.

"That was pretty much my entire senior year, honey." Dove sassed.

"Really?" Cameron said with a grin.

Dove nodded, "Oh yeah. Except my best-friend was the one who was sleeping around with this guy that she knew I liked; I had a thing for him since freshmen year of high school. We had homeroom together but never any classes together then sophomore year came around and my backstabbing ex-best friend had honors English or some crap like that with him and they suddenly became buddy-buddy. So much drama lasted until mid-junior year because they started dating at the end of sophomore year then they broke up during the middle of junior year because she was cheating on him with his best-friend! So he dumped her right in middle of the cafeteria and then she tried to blame me for getting caught because her video of her and Jackson getting freaky at a house-party went viral. I wasn't even at the party! She tried to make a bigger scene and poured milk all over me. However I won in the end."

"You won the fight?" Enzo asked in complete shock.

Dove fanned her hand around, "Of course I did. My dad wanted my mom and I take self-defense classes so I defended myself. But that wasn't what I was talking about. I won the boy in the end because we're engaged."

"Holy shit!" Enzo slapped his cold hands to his face with his mouth held in a O-Shape as he eyed the large rock on Dove's finger.

Monte beamed at that already knowing of the news as she turned back to Korinna, lifting her long thick brow.

While Enzo and Cameron gushed over Dove's engagement ring, Viola managed to get the group back together.

"So Dove what is your point for Korinna here?" Viola cosigned.

Dove smiled gently at Korinna, "I'm twenty years old and I've been in love with this guy since I were fourteen years old and now I'm getting married to him. I know you have been friends with Carl for years now and you have hidden your feelings for most of those years but now that they're in the light it's kinda like you never said anything, in my point of view. Through all the hurt that the both of you have been through, at least the pieces that you shared with us, you guys deserve to be in love. Hopefully together and I know you have a lot of impulse and anger issues but if you truly feel that Carl in the one for you, you have to make him yours. Don't let him get away."

"I would but-he...he circumcised himself for her." Korinna admitted through pursed lips.

Enzo jerked his head back as he leaned in his chair over towards Cameron, "Did she just say what I think she just said?"

"Yeah," Korinna chewed on her lips, "He circumcised himself for a girl that he's known for a few months. He changed his body for her, that really made me feel like shit ya know? I hid it the best that I could though, I would have never asked him to do something like that. I lo-I care about him a lot and he knows that but he still insists on being with her intimately and trying to be everything that she wants him to be, instead of just trying to love me."

"Tell him that." Enzo demanded, "Tell that kid that he's got to choose. To me it seems like he's trying to have drama."

"Carl's not like that." Korinna argued. "He's done a lot of questionable things in the past growing up but he would never intentionally hurt me."

Cameron shook his head, "Well he's doing it! He's continuing to do it, but hey we don't know him as well as you do. We only know what you choose to tell us about his character and so far I'm not liking this dude at all. I don't think he's right for you, he's known how you felt for the longest and didn't care to speak up on it until you took control of the situation. If he really cared about you like you say he does then he would have been made you his girlfriend. He's toxic, Korinna. You can do better than him."

"Who like you?" Korinna defied on impulse this time, not worrying about the reactions of those around her.

Cameron licked his lips as he focused in on Korinna, "I don't know because I'm a piece of shit too."

After the heated group-therapy Korinna remained in her room closing everyone off for a bit. It was around one in the afternoon when Korinna decided to lock herself in the bathroom to take herself a warm bath, she stood naked in the bathroom wiping the fog from the mirror as she stared at her reflection. She had torn off the post-it notes that were in Dove's cute handwriting that had word of advice written on them. They were actually some good ones written down on the post-it notes, in the beginning Korinna thought they were cheesy but over-time Dove certainly got better with them. Korinna sat on the cool tile of the bathroom floor, the colorful notes surrounding her as she stared at one bright pink note that read:

be kind: to be good to others but most importantly yourself; also find a way to fit love in too :)

Korinna hadn't remembered the last time she had ever been kind to herself. There had been so much sadness and anger in her journey of this thing called life that lasted a lifetime, happiness and kindness only lasted for a smudge of a star that you'll see on the dark of a night. It's tragic ain't it? Korinna knew she was getting better she knew it, she felt it. If it were still a month ago old Korinna would have been taken the first ticket to whooping Monte's ass, she wouldn't allow herself to get attached to Enzo who had easily become a good friend and another-brother like figure to her. She wouldn't allow herself to become somewhat friends with Dove and actually put herself out there and be as energized as Dove was. She wouldn't continue staying in the same room that her mother slept in and become friends with Janice who her mother had taken a liking to. She wouldn't have distanced herself from Carl or Debbie for a bit because she would be back on the south-side always there when they needed her. So maybe Korinna was being kind to herself, she wouldn't have done a lot of these things if she weren't here at Edge Heart Grove. She wouldn't be as open. She was learning to be kind to herself and if it didn't pay off in the end at least she could say that she tried.

A knock at the door pulled Korinna out of her thoughts.

"Korinna you in there?" It was Enzo.

Korinna stood from the floor and made her way over to the tub, "Yeah Enzo what's up?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay after therapy."

Korinna smiled as she crouched down in front of the tub, her hand moving along the tile underneath it. "I'm okay."

"Okay. I know I didn't give much of an input on you and mini JB." Enzo started leaning against the door.

Korinna lifted the tile listening to the words of the twenty-four year old Brazilian.

"There are several kinds of love. I happen to know that because I've been in a few memorable relationships, not to sound like a total o rabo (Ass) here but I know what it feels like to be cheated on. Although you say you and mini JB aren't a real thing yet you're still best-friends and in a way it does feel like betrayal. I'm not going to totally bad-mouth him because I happen to like the Gallagher. If he can change his manhood for a girl that he's only known for a few months can you imagine what he'll do for you? Something is going to happen for you two, something big and my gut feeling is telling me this and it's never been wrong. The love you have for each other is endless and I know it can work if-if the both of you can stop relying on time to do it's thing, you have to give each other the extra push. Find the balance because the love is clearly already there." Enzo informed.

"Thanks Enzo." Korinna said now holding a substance in her hand.

"Anytime love, keep your head up." Enzo encouraged as his footsteps retreated from the door.

Korinna turned her attention back to powdered substance in the little bag which was in her grip. She didn't dare touch the needle and whatever else this consisted of from underneath the tile. She knew it wasn't the same as what her mother used to use but it was similar but less stronger. Today Korinna was going to be kind to herself so...she got up stared at herself in the mirror and dumped the substance into the toilet flushing the morphine away. Bending down she picked up the post-its and wiped the fog from the mirror again and placed the notes one-by-one onto the glass and gave herself an encouraging smile before climbing into the tub.

Later after Korinna's alone time just as she were going down the steps she heard a knock at the door. Korinna jogged her way down the steps as she got to the last step she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and called out, "I got it!"

Pulling the door open, it was no other than Debbie smiling at her and holding Franny on her hip.

"Hey Deb, Hi Franny." Korinna greeted the two.

Debbie reached over for a hug, "How are you? Are you busy?"

Korinna furrowed her brows a bit, "Good...and no."

"Great! Then you won't mind hanging out with Franny and I."

"Okay...why do I feel like there's something hidden behind your visit?" Korinna came right out with it.

Debbie shook her head as she stared at the bronze-skinned girl, "Do I always have to have a motive to hang out with my best-friend? You said you weren't doing anything anyways."

"Point made. Just give me a minute, gonna grab my shoes. You two can come in if you want." Korinna held the door open for her best-friend and her daughter to enter.

Korinna made her way up the steps just as Enzo and Cameron were coming into the room laughing. Debbie's eyes went wide at the two boys in the room and Korinna almost snorted at the expression on her face, "Enzo, Cam, this is my best-friend Debbie. Debbie, Enzo and Cam." She introduced before jogging up the steps to her room.

Enzo swayed over to the reddish-brown haired girl immediately making her blush, "So you're Debbie Gallagher?"

"Rinna's talked about me?" Debbie wondered with a small smile, shifting Franny on her right hip as the baby began to coo.

Cam walked over as well, "Yeah just a bit."

"Cool." Debbie laughed a bit brushing a few strands of hair back.

Korinna slipped her training sneakers on as she made her way back to the main area to see her housemates making Debbie laugh. It was obvious that Debbie was trying to get her flirt on but Korinna couldn't be mad about it as she squeezed her way in between the two boys. "I hope you've done enough harassing of my homie here."

"No they're cool. You never told me you had such funny and cute roommates." Debbie cheesed.

Korinna rolled her eyes, "They're not cute."

Enzo held offence, "Okay I don't know about Cam here but I've done some modeling in my day so I know I'm a good looking son of a bitch."

Debbie erupted with laughter making Korinna laugh a bit as well.

"Just because you're tall and have a not so bad looking face doesn't mean anything, we all know who the best looking one out of the two of us are right girls?" Cameron brushed off his shoulders until Enzo shoved him playfully.

Korinna snorted at the two as they began to playfully fight each other, "Now's our turn to run while we can."

"Bye Enzo and Cam, it was nice meeting you guys!" Debbie called over her shoulder as she made her way out to the porch.

"Bye!" They both called out as Korinna shut the door behind her.

Taking an UBER back to the south-side the three arrived at the park where Korinna could see Debbie spring into action. Now that Korinna was here she could hold Franny while Debbie went to work stealing carriages so she could sell them online. Korinna hurriedly placed Franny into the carriage, speed walking beside Debbie as she shook her head.

"This is what you wanted me to hang out for?"

"Yeah and it's a good thing you wore sneakers because there's a lot more I need to get."

Korinna stopped in her tracks causing Debbie to spin the carriage around to stare at her best-friend, "What?"

"Okay let me get this straight," Korinna scratched at the root of her hair, "You're a Klepto now?"

Debbie waved her hand around, "I like to think of it as a business. I can buy you whatever you'd like, I have a bunch of money from cards and cash. Anything you need I'm your girl, or if you have anything you want me to sell for you I can develiver the money to you."

"No thanks. I don't like jail. Plus James is helping me look for a job soon." Korinna declined.

Debbie shrugged her shoulders, "Suit yourself. You can get money much faster this way."

"You do know that you can go to jail for this right? That's theft, stealing credit cards that can be cancelled at any given time and what if someone catches you stealing these carriages one day?" Korinna tried to reason with her friend.

Debbie reassured, "I'm quick on my feet I haven't been caught."

"Yet."

"I have to support my baby and myself so I need to do what I have to do."

"I understand that but-"

"Then why are you judging me so hard right now?! You're supposed to be my best-friend, not stressing me out. I haven't judged you for the stupid shit you've done so do me a favor? Don't judge me. Also next time I won't bring you, I just thought it would be nice for us to hang out for old time's sake since you're away at rehab." Debbie bit as she pushed the expensive-looking stroller faster down the street.

Korinna did nothing but repeat her new methods that they taught her at Edge Heart Grove.

When the two returned back to the Gallagher household she rolled her eyes at the sight of Frank.

"Korinna Rokos, how's rehab treating ya? Do they give you pat and search every time you leave and come back for the day?" Frank Gallagher tried to get underneath the girl's skin.

Carl lifted his head from the couch to glare at his father, "Shut the hell up Frank, don't talk to her."

Frank just chuckled as he turned to pick with Debbie who silently showed her annoyance with her father before leaving the house with Frank and Liam right on her heels.

Korinna didn't say anything to her friend knowing that she was probably still pissed at her but she didn't care. Plopping down on the couch next to Carl, she noticed the boy shift and move away from her. Tilting her head she glanced at the television, "Why are we watching creepy Ted Cruz?"

"So I don't get a boner." Carl easily answered.

Korinna breathed out a laugh as she glanced at Carl's lap placing her elbow at the edge of the couch and resting her head on her hand, "How's your junk been treating you?"

"I never thought being circumcised would give me this much trouble." Carl took a chance to look at Korinna but regretted it, especially with the way she was looking on this evening.

Her dark hair tied half back, her black framed harry potter looking glasses that made her almond shaped eyes look more rounder than over and she was dressed in her favorite color: all black everything except for her trainers that had a little bit of white in them.

"That's why you shouldn't have gotten it done." Korinna casually said moving to rest her head against Carl's shoulder.

Carl scrunched up his nose as he got a whiff of her natural milk and honey scent. "You sound just like Lip and Ian. Fuck you, I did it for love."

Korinna pushed herself away from Carl and turned herself side-ways on the couch to give the short-haired boy a piece of her mind, "No, Carl. You didn't do that, for love," She pointed in between his lap, "You did that for lust. Your entire relationship with that girl was based on lust believe it or not."

"How do you know that?" Carl retorted.

"Because every time you're with her you guys have sex. I mean sure it's cool or whatever to have that in a relationship but what else is there? How much do you know about each other? Your deepest darkest secrets, favorite color, movies, music, the way you carry yourself and what makes each other themselves? It's not that deep of a relationship because it's only based on physical contact and being in a real relationship shouldn't just be based on sex if you don't know the person around that." Korinna said in all honestly, a mark appearing in between her brows which happens a lot when she doesn't agree with something.

Carl sighed, "You just don't get it, Ren. You don't get Dom and I."

Korinna glanced away from Carl before gripping his face so his dazzling rain-forest colored eyes could meet her black paint ones, "I don't want to get whatever bullshit you have with Dom. I don't want to listen or hear about you going down on her ever again. I don't want you thinking that it's okay that you can have her in your bedroom and then cuddle with me hours later because I lied, I'm not okay with it. You need love and I'm trying to give that to you so just...just forget about Dom and I'll forgive you if you choose us."

Carl parted his lips as he stared into Korinna's eyes seeing that there was nothing but hope in her eyes and that thought alone made Carl want to fix everything right then and there. So maybe his relationship with Dominique was way different than his relationship with Korinna's but was it really wrong? Was it really wrong to be horny and find another girl that's willing to take care of his needs? He wasn't trying to be disrespectful to Korinna and it's not like he's never envisioned Korinna like that before because he may or may not have once or twice, but that's not what their relationship was about at all. That's what made their friendship work, they could talk about anything and everything and it could only make sense to them. Now hearts were involved and everything else was more sensitive.

"You gotta go."

"Huh?"

Carl chewed on his lip as he pulled Korinna's hands from his face, "Don't argue with me can you please just leave?"

"No Carl, what the fuck? I just poured my heart out to you and now you want me to leave?!" Korinna roared.

Carl peeked over at Korinna's angry face which was high-key a turn on and he couldn't imagine hairy balls on a face like that, ever.

Korinna glared at Carl who winced and struggled to get up from the couch, "I'd explain it to you if I wasn't too embarrassed."

"Woooow okay. Now you're embarrassed of me?!" Korinna Rokos' zen was nowhere to be found today, "Fine. Keep screwing Dom if she's what you really want, you made that perfectly clear."

Carl held onto his front area gazing over his shoulder as Korinna got up from the couch, "Nah wait that's not-"

"Fuck you Carl!" Korinna screamed slamming the front door behind her.

Carl let out a low breath as he felt his stitches popping for what felt like the thousandth time today, he gripped onto the wall for support as he reached for his cell phone knowing that the doc would have to come to him this time. As Carl lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling above him listening to the ringing on the phone he knew he'd have to keep his distance a bit from Korinna until he was completely healed. Angry Korinna made his length happy but not his heart, not at all.

A/N: Yup so in episode two Carl was the only source of entertainment for me. Ian's biphobia was too strong and problematic that episode, okay I get it Caleb was definitely wrong for cheating on him and acting like it was okay for the two of them to be in an open relationship without having some sort of agreement with Ian. THAT WAS WRONG! And if Caleb is BI then why didn't he say that from the beginning because he obviously feels like there's nothing wrong with what he's done? So it makes me think he's BI which Carl picked up on. Ian was rude saying that you have to be 100% something, I mean that's clearly the case for HIM but not for everyone. That part I didn't like. Don't have much else to say for anyone else's characters in that episode but it looks like Dom is going to cheat on Carl probably so we'll see how that goes.

Carl got a hard on for Korinna HAHAHA ;P but she obviously took it the wrong way. I don't want to keep making Carl be the bad guy so we'll see what else is in store for my children huh? Thoughts on this chapter? Thoughts on the housemates at Edge Heart Grove's reactions to Korinna letting Carl's surgery out of the bag? Do you agree or not agree with their reactions? How do you guys like Cam? More drama along the way. Also there was major character development for Carl when those assholes tried to make fun of him for getting circumcised and he didn't punch them in the face. Also why did Dom have to open up her mouth to people at school about Carl doing that in the first place?! That's nobody's business but between the two of you? TF.

The funniest part was Lip and Ian trying to fight the Raccoon that was hilarious and Frank is still being annoying as usual lmao. AND let's not forget that ALL OF A SUDDEN Carl is sixteen when last season he was fourteen, I know I'm bad at Math but these writers man smh. It still wouldn't make sense if they say oh he was fourteen at the beginning of last season but his birthday hadn't arrived yet for him to be fifteen plus it's only been a month that's passed so they also can't say he aged up again, like this shit is sims lol.

Anyways...thanks for reading!

-ALES