Shameless x Jeremiah Fisher (1)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Jeremiah started lining up beside Steven getting ready for the escort dance. His eyes staying on his mom as he watched her talking to Laurel and the others. He got a very bad feeling after following Belly's mom and dad into the hallway. Laurel was crying and she's not a women to cry for just any reason.

"Hey Steven, does my mom seem okay to you?" Jeremiah said finally gaining the courage to ask out loud.

Steven turned to look at Jeremiah from having a conversation with Cristian. "Sure, why?"

Jeremiah nervously fidgeted with his bow tie as him and Steven walked down the steps. "I don't know she's been sleeping a lot and smoking a lot more pot."

Steven shrugged his shoulders smiling around the room, "she seems fine to me."

Jeremiah sighed. Something was going on. He felt it. The way he recently noticed how Conrad has been acting so cautiously around their mom and the interaction just now between all the adults. "Yeah but I heard your parents talk about it and your mom seemed really upset."

Before Steven can reply to Jeremiah the lights began to dim down as the boys got in position for their routined dance.

~~~

"Has your dads hand always shook that badly," Cristian asked as he sat beside Angelina at their dads table. After the escort dance, the boys returned to their tables to eat with their family members. As Cristian spoke, Angelina however, had her mind and eyes focused on Jeremiah who was standing beside Susannah at the table next to theirs. After their escort dance, she saw the look on a Jeremiah's face as he watched his mom. Angelina could tell something was wrong with Jeremiah. It was like whenever he radiated sadness, she could feel it. "Mmh," Cristian cleared his throat. "Love struck?"

Angelina quickly turned to look at Cristian who was smirking. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly. "What no," Angelina answered a little flustered. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Cristian gave a small laugh as his smile slowly faded. His eyes growing stern. Angelina raised an eyebrow. Nerves slightly increasing wondering what Cristian had said that caused him to get so serious. Cristian leaned in near Angelina's ear as her breathe hitched. "Your dad's hand, did it always shake that badly," he nodded his head slowly towards Ramiro.

Angelina's eyes gazed towards her dad's hand wrapped around his glass. It was trembling just as it laid against the table. "No," Angelina let out lowly. Her mind had been so focused on Jeremiah, she hadn't been paying attention to her dad. Hand trembling is a new side effect she hadn't noticed before. Him being fatigued, the weight loss, and the increased coughing is all things she had noticed since finding out about her dad's cancer.

She felt an arm wrap around her back giving her shoulder a squeeze in comfort. "You look gorgeous by the way, Flores girl."

Angelina gave a small laugh. She loved that about Cristian the most. Whenever he sensed her being uncomfortable with a situation, he defused it into something else. "And you look handsome, Tello boy." She turned to look up at him. "I'm really glad you got to spend this summer with us. I have a feeling there won't be a next summer here."

Cristian gave her a curious look but decided not to dwell on that comment. "Nervous?"

"Me? Never," Angelina said. She had Jeremiah by her side.

"Cristian!" They both turned towards the dance floor seeing Belly call him over. Angelina scanned the area noticing all the other debutant girls getting up from their seats making their way onto the floor. Angelina eyes roamed the room and back towards the Fisher's table. Jeremiah was no longer standing beside Susannah. How did she miss when he left. "Where's Jeremiah?" Angelina whispered as her and Cristian stood up from their seats.

Cristian looked down at Angelina with concern, a slight pout forming on his lips not leaving her side. "Go on, go with Belly. Don't worry about me," Angelina said placing her hands on Cristian's back to nudge him forward. A strange feeling Angelina hasn't felt since she was child starting stirring inside of her. The feeling of abandonment, the same she would get whenever her mother wouldn't show up when she promised.

Angelina takes a deep breathe. "No. Jeremiah is nothing like my mother," she whispered to herself. Nervously putting a smile on her face as she straightened out her dress. "Mija, y Mr. Jeremiah Fisher?" She heard her dad call out to her with a worry expression. "Todo esta bien," Angelina grinned not wanting her dad to worry. "He'll be here."

She didn't see Jeremiah anywhere. Nerves starting to rise as she walked over to stand on the dance floor alone, peaking her head around looking for Jeremiah. "Jeremiah, you promised me you wouldn't leave my side. Where are you?"

Susannah scrunched up her eyebrows realizing Jeremiah wasn't standing beside Angelina. She turned towards Conrad, "where's Jeremiah? Connie, have you seen your brother?"

Conrad, who's eyes where already following a nervous Angelina, turned quickly to look at his mom. "Uh, he was just here a second ago."

Angelina had her arms wrapped around her stomach as she nervously tapped her finger nails on her arm. She couldn't spot Jeremiah anywhere within the crowd. As she looking around the room, her view is suddenly blocked by Steven and Shayla now standing in front of her. "What's going on A?" Steven said.

Angelina bit her lower lip. "Have either of you seen Jeremiah?"

Steven scrunched up his eyebrows in thought. "Jere? No but he was acting a bit weird before the escort dance asking me about his mom?"

Angelina's eyes grew wide. No. He couldn't. Did he find out? How can she not realize. All the signs were there. She had to go find him. He was more important then this dance. "I'm sorry dad," Angelina whispered to herself. She knew how important this dance was for her dad but she was alone when she found out about her dad's cancer and no one should go through that alone. Frantic, Angelina was about to walk off the dance floor when she bumped into a solid chest. Looking up she sees Conrad standing in front of her. Confusion running through her at first, but Angelina shook her head and tried stepping around him.

Still not looking at Conrad, she felt her arm being pulled closer towards his body, "Con, no. Jeremiah is more important than this stupid dance. I have to find him. I know something is wrong with him and he shouldn't be alone right now."

"Remember the promise we made Lina, the second one." Angelina heard causing her to come to a halt. "You'll choose me over him when the time came?"

Angelina sighed closing her eyes. She took a deep breathe and said, "right now, you're cashing in that promise right now?"

"Yes," Conrad said as his voice trembled slightly.

Angelina opened her eyes finally meeting Conrad's gaze. She slid her hand within his intertwining their fingers together as Conrad smiled down at her. "Lead the way." Angelina told herself she would never break a promise if she made one, she'll never be anything like her mother. Angelina Flores doesn't break her promises. So at this moment, even though she rather be searching for the younger Fisher brother, she chose to stand beside the older Fisher brother. Angelina's hatred for promises has never been greater.

End of chapter notes:

Hello loves! Surprise, this was the reason I chose Belly and Cristian to end up together for this scene to work. I needed Conrad available lol. It wasn't how i originally planned but I think it worked out well in the end.

Hope you enjoy.