Middle Child Syndrome- Ian Gallagher

college applications

The Gallagher's were in danger of losing their house. Frank's cousin, Patrick, already had a will that said the house belonged to him. So, we needed to think of a plan. Mandy, Troy, Persephone, and I were at the kitchen table brainstorming with Lip, Ian, Debbie, and Carl, when Fiona came in. 

"We've reconvened the cousin Patrick war council," Lip said.

"No luck on the legal front?"

"Turns out it's pretty hard to prove that someone had dementia when they signed a will," Lip explained, "In our case, really fucking hard."

"Because she was already dead," Ian chimed in. 

"What was option two again?"

"We're on option three now," Persephone said, "Convince Patrick to back off."

"Or option four: Kill Patrick," Carl said. Lip nudged him.

"Back to three," I said.

"Convince him how?" Fiona said.

We looked at Mandy, and Mandy turned around, "We get my brothers to go around and scare him a little."

"No way!" Fiona said, "Enough with the brothers Milkovich."

I told Mandy she'd say no, but it wasn't a good moment for I told you so.

"Nothing fatal. Hit him with a bat a couple of times, pistol-whipping. They'll want 500 for it, but if I help Mickey move some meth next week, I'll settle for 200."

"Discount beating. What do you say?" Lip said.

"Guys, we can't-

"We need a house," Ian said.

"I'd say go for it," Troy said. 

Fiona sighed and gave Mandy a few dollar bills, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go scrape blood and shit from under my fingernails, and then I'll be getting drunk at V's pretending I didn't just order a hit on a relative."

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Long story short, it didn't work, and the house kept getting torn up. However, thanks to Debbie telling a white lie, they saved the house. 

But with another problem being solved comes another being made, and Lip and Mandy's relationship was falling apart. 

Karen Jackson came back after running away to fuck knows where. She and Lip talked briefly and then she told Mandy about it. When Mandy confronted Lip, he acted like a dick and said he never asked her for anything she did for him. After that conversation, she went to my place and just cried to me. 

And that wasn't all of it. She applied to colleges for him too. MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Northwestern, Stanford, and Penn.

At school, Ian and I walked behind Lip and Mandy as they bickered.

"You really don't get why I have a problem with this?"

"No."

"Really?"

"NO!"

"Ian, Athena, do you understand why I have a problem with this?!" Lip said.

"Not getting in the middle of this," Ian said while I shook my head. 

"Why are you being such a dick about this?" Mandy said, "Those applications are like ninety pages long. Took me forever to fill them out."

Karen walked towards us and Mandy immediately shot her down, "Walk the fuck away!"

I lowered my eyes at Karen too. Fucking hated that bitch. 

"Wow, you're-

"What? I'm what?"

"You're not my mother, you're not in charge of who I talk to or who has a picture of me on Facebook, and you're sure as shit, not in charge of if I go to college!"

Lip stormed off. 

"Think he's right?" Mandy said, "Men are never right. That's why women were invented: To think for you assholes. I mean, look at Mickey, marrying some whore he knocked up."

Ian stopped in his tracks, "What?"

"Men are weak and stupid," Mandy said, "Even the good ones. Especially the good ones. And I'm not gonna let Lip fuck up his life the way Mickey's fucking up his."

Ian stood there speechless. I snapped my fingers in his face, "Hello?"

"I have to go to class," Ian said abruptly.