"Is she out yet?" I asked Fiona as she came into the room to grab some washing. "Debs is waiting too" she said. I followed Fi back into the hallway. Debbie was leaning against the bathroom door. "She still in there?" Fi asked Debbie. "You told Carl to bring in money for the winter squirrel fund" Debbie said to Fi. "I didn't tell him to rent out Franks room" Fi said. "Dad rented it first, to that Chinese lady" Debbie said. "The minute you kids start following franks example, is the minute I put a gun in my mouth" Fi said. "How did you expect Carl to get cash?" Debbie asked, "I got money without any issue" I said "legally?" Debbie asked "some of it, yeah. I figured he would just beat people up and take their money" I said. "That's really not any better" Fi said. The women coughed from the bathroom. "She moved in last night after you left for work" Debbie said. "Know what time Lip got home last night?" Fi asked. I had helped him home and got his vomit soaked top off after going to a party at his friends place but I kept quiet. The bathroom door opened and gently hit me, Debbie jumped out of the way. Bev one of the corner girls came out with a towel draped in front of her. "You need a new razor" she mumbled with a cig in her mouth. She saw me and took it out "got any more of these kid?" She asked me. "Probably, if you're buying" I said. Bev walked into Franks room without saying anything. "He rented the room to a hooker?" Fi asked as I pushed past her into the bathroom to brush my teeth. "Carl said she works checkout at the jewel- osco. That's why they call her double-bag bev" Debbie said. I laughed. "She doesn't work there and that's not why they call her that. Carl!" Fi said. "And how do you know her?" Fi pointed her toothbrush at me. "Corner girls are big buyers off rerolls" I said. I spat toothpaste into the sink. Carl and Little Hank came up the stairs. "Hi Little Hank" Debbie fawned. "Eww" I whispered to Fi. "Hey, I want her out of the house now" Fi told Carl. "75 a week" Carl said and walked up the hallway with Little Hank. "We'll charge a buck a peek, 10 if she's working" Carl said as he took the picture off the wall. Little Hank had a huge cement drill he lifted up. "Whoa! No peepholes" Fi said and grabbed it off him. Her phone rang. "That was actually a pretty good idea, should have waited until Fi wasn't here" I told them. "I know a few guys that wouldn't mind peeping at you" Little Hank said "I'm good, Bev wants some rerolls though" I said. "What?" Carl said. "Find old cigarette butts and take out any tobacco left then make new cigarettes with that. 4 for a buck. If you go into the city there's those big ashtrays around, just nick those. I got a spare cig roller you can use" I said "ok, get it" Carl said. I went into my room and got it from under my bed "you'll have to get more papers and I usually use filters too, just go to a tobacco shop" I told them and left.

Ian was in the kitchen pouring cereal into a bowl. I grabbed a pop tart and sat down at the table. Carl and Little Hank came downstairs. "Out of milk. Bev wants breakfast" Carl said and tried to grab the bowl. "Oh, come on" Ian said and grabbed the bowl back off him. "What about those house-sitting jobs?" Ian asked Carl. Carl ignored him and left with Little Hank. "People stop hiring you when they realise you're stealing their stuff" I told Ian. "They are both idiots" Ian said and started making coffee. "How's your money making going?" He asked. "Good, violin brings in the big bucks but not meant to busk with it so got to be careful. Guitars still good money too" I said. "Honest work? Lucy I'm proud" Ian said. "Told Carl about the rerolls and we can do another lemonade stand if needed, without little Hank." "Where can I get knives and blunts?" Debbie asked as she walked into the kitchen, "alley behind the OTB, ask for Raoul. But bring a rag, sometimes he doesn't bother to wipe the blood off the blade" Ian said "and Caramel candy, he really loves caramel candy" I added. "Which kind?" Debbie asked. Fiona came down the stairs with a basket of washing, "any, he isn't picky but don't be stingy." Fiona sighed as she looked at the washing machine, "carls boarder put a load in" Ian told her and came and sat next to me with a bag of crisps. "Lip up?" Fi asked. No one answered. Fi told Debbie to go check on him.

"I'm 8, you arsehole" I yelled at him as I pushed him away. "And I'm 11, this is normal. You show me yours and I'll show you mine" he said with a grin. "No, I don't want to see your dick" I said and went to walk off but he grabbed my arm. I swung around and punched him in the face. "Slut!" He yelled out as I ran off. "Perv! I'm 8" I yelled back at him. Des was watching the whole thing, I flipped him off as I went past him.

I walked into my room and grabbed my violin. "What are you doing home?" Debbie asked me. "What are you wearing?" I asked her. "I asked first" she said "fine, Des's dickhead of a cousin is still visiting so I'm laying low. Still going to Independence Day party though. Mr Erving said I can help with the nail gun this year" Debbie walked out. I followed. Fiona joined us in the hallway while Debbie checked herself out in the mirror. "What are you doing with my top?" Fi asked. "Pheromones. I'm borrowing them" Debbie said as she tried to fix her hair. "Pheromones?" Fi asked. "It's the thing boys like about you" Debbie said. "You mean tits? Think you might be a year or two off" Fi said. "What does Holly Herkimer have that I don't?" Debbie whined. "Fiona already answered that, tits" I said. "You get to dress up" Debbie said to Fi "it's going back, tomorrow" Fi said and took the earrings off Debbie. "Lucy gets to dress up" "I don't see that as a good thing" I said. "No more playing dress up, hymen stays intact" Fiona said and walked off. "Maybe loose the braid and stop caring so much, I don't care at all and guys still try to be nice to me all the time" I said. "Not helping Lucy" Fiona yelled out. I went into her room "I don't get it" I told her "Good, at least wait a few more years before you do."

"Ian" Frank said as he rushed through the back door, he stank like vomit on top of his normal dirty balls, sweat, smoke and beer stench. He went over to Carl who was getting something out of the fridge. I continued to eat my sandwich, he didn't even glance at me. "Come here son, daddy needs an alibi for a few months ago" frank said. "Carl, and I can't. Bev said her moneymaker is on fire" Carl said and headed upstairs again, Lip came down at the same time. Frank turned his attention to him, "Son, I need your help" Frank told him as he grabbed Lips shoulders, Lip just pushed past him and went into the kitchen. "Not really in the mood to bail your arse out right now" lip said as he grabbed a container off the fridge. "Heh, I got a problem" Frank shrugged. "Karen's pregnant" Lip mumbled which shut Frank up. Liam started whining from the lounge room playpen. Lip went and got him, Frank followed. I continued to eat my sandwich.

"That's the Gallagher sperm. Ambitious, relentless. Everything we're not once we're born. Like heat-seeking, baby-making missiles. Won't be long before the whole country's nothing but Mexicans and Gallaghers" Frank said as they came back into the kitchen, Lip handed me Liam and put some food in front of him. "Son, it's time we had the talk" Frank said. "Little late for that, huh?" Lip said as he went back into the kitchen. "Different talk. She gonna keep it?" Frank asked. "Looks like it" Lip said. Frank whistled. "Big responsibility being a parent" Frank said. "Is that right" Lip said "that's what I'm trying to tell you, my philosophy: you gotta let kids learn for themselves" "you mean fend for themselves" "give a man a fish, you've fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you've fed him for a life time. I raise fishermen. The best gift you can give? Neglect. Neglect fosters self-reliance. Look at Lucy's friends, not a decent parent between them and they are out there surviving, making the most of it, smarter than any other kids around here" Frank glanced at me briefly then went back to talking to Lip. "Do the right thing, split. Not our fault she was careless" he changed topics. "Now, I need an alibi for Eddie Jackson's murder" Ian came into the kitchen while Lip brought over some Mac and cheese for Liam. "Why? did you kill him?" Lip asked Frank. "No" "eddies dead?" Ian asked. "Yeah" frank mumbled. "Hey, does Karen know?" Lip asked. I rolled my eyes at him, he hit me on the head with Liam's spoon. "Gotta swear we were on a camping trip. A long weekend in Wisconsin" frank continued. Lip ran out of the house, "Ian, watch Liam" he yelled. Frank set his eyes on Ian instead. "We were on a camping trip" he started again but Ian interrupted. "Perjure myself? Yeah, that'll look great on my West Point application. Try Mandy's dad. I hear lying to cops is his specialty" Ian said and sat next to me and spooned some more Mac and cheese into Liam's mouth. I heard footsteps on the stairs, Phil and Bev walked down them. "Hiya Phil" Frank said. Bev walked him over to the door, he gave her some money and left. She went over to the pot of Mac and cheese and helped herself, "still need some vagisil kid" she told me. "Send Carl, just write it down for him though" I told her. She nodded and headed back upstairs with the pot.

I knocked on Shelia's bedroom door, "who is it?" she asked. "Lucy?" I yelled back. The door open. "Oh sweet girl, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Heard Eddie died, you ok?" I asked her. "Yeah, beautiful Lucy" she said with a nod. "You leaving your room?" I asked her. "Not yet, but I have everything I need here. Come sit" she said and went over to her bed and sat down. I heard someone knocking on the front door. Jody and a women came up the stairs, "mom, the detective wants to speak to you" Jody said. "Oh, oh, ok" Shelia said and stood up again and started to fuss with her hair. "Lucy, maybe you should go" Jody said. I glanced at Shelia but nodded and left.

I heard yelling, it sounded like Kev so I went to investigate. He was handcuffed to a chair in their lounge room. "What the hell did you do?" I asked him and chuckled. "Of course you're the one that heard" he sighed. "Chuck a pillow here and get these cuffs off" he added. I put a pillow on his lap, "where's the key?" I asked "V has it" "ok give me a second" I ran upstairs and found some hair pins then picked the lock. Kev jumped up "let me get dressed then I'm giving you the biggest hug, you fucking legend Lucy" he said.

I heard yelling upstairs and ran up to see what was going on. Ian and Lip where fighting. I yelled at them to stop but they didn't listen. They pushed each other into the bathtub, Ian got on top and grabbed Lips head. "Ian, stop!" I yelled again and grabbed his shoulder. Ian let go and stood up. He pushed me off him. "I'll make West Point on my own, I don't need you" he yelled at Lip and left. Lip just laid there. "I'm going to the party" I told him and left.

Mr Erving gave me the gun after running through how to use it yet again. I aimed it at the board with a man drawn on it and started it. The nails shot out in a nice line right down the middle of the drawing. Everyone cheered and clinked drinks. Mr Erving took the gun off me and I went and celebrated with everyone else. There was a piñata of the husband which kids where whacking at with sticks. A couple of kegs. Music. Decorations and of course plenty of food. I started piling up a plate with kfc, potato salad and donuts. "Ahh detective I smell bacon" Frank said "what do you want, Gallagher?" the detective asked, I recognised her from Shelia's house. "No hard feelings, well except for the one I have for your better half here" Frank chuckled and grabbed the plate off me "lesson learned, it's gonna take a lot more than that to bring down Frank Gallagher." "you're an arsehole" I told him and tried to grab my plate back. He held it up higher, the stink from him was enough to make me stop. I went and grabbed another plate. Carl was sitting next to Bev. I slapped him on the back of the head as I walked past.

I stopped chasing some kids when I noticed Lip talking to Benny. Liam was in his stroller a couple of feet away. Benny punched Lip. Lip got up "what? that's it? No wonder your dad beat the shit out of you" Lip said. Benny grabbed him and started beating him up though he stopped pretty quickly. I grabbed Liam's stroller and followed Lip out of the party, "you are an idiot" I yelled at him. "Fuck off Lucy" he yelled at me. "Arsehole!" I yelled back at him and stopped following him. Liam started grunting. "That's a poop isn't it?" I asked him. "Poopy" he yelled.

Fiona was getting out of some fancy car, an old guy started talking to her. I pushed the stroller right up to her and bumped her slightly with it. "Who's that?" I asked and pointed to the guy. "A friend" she said. "I'm Lucy and this is Liam" I told him. "My siblings" Fiona added "nice to meet you, I'm Richard. I better get going" the guy said. "Bye!" I yelled to him. "Was the wedding good Fi?" I asked as we watched the car drive away. "We left early" she said, got Liam out of the stroller and turned to go inside. I didn't follow. Jimmy/Steve was walking out of Tony's house. Fi noticed him when she got to the steps and just stared "looks like I missed the party" he said not moving any closer. "Is Tony around?" he asked Fi didn't say anything but kind of shrugged. "Can you let him know I stopped by?" Fi vaguely nodded and continued up the stairs. "You look great by the way" he yelled out. I flipped Jimmy/Steve off as I ran up the stairs and followed Fi inside.