i was walking down the street heading to the gallaghers when i saw lip and ian running out of karen's house.

"what the fuck?" i asked myself wondering what those two idiots did.

"the further you run, the more i will kill you!" karens father shouted from the window.

i ran over to see lip was limping and i put his arm over my shoulder.

"where did you come from?" lip asked.

"i was going over to your place, what the fuck happened?" i asked them.

"long story short i jumped out of the window and i think i broke something." lip said as ian helped me carry him.

"you guys are real fucking idiots you know that?" i told them.

"yeah, thanks mel." ian replied.

once we got to the house, fiona was looking at lips foot.

"really? an old lady on the train?" fiona asked not buying the fake story lip made up.

"oh, yeah, yeah, the doors were closing on her walker. and lip barely got his foot in time to stop them from-" ian was cut off by lip screaming after fiona pressed too hard on his foot.

"ow! jesus, fiona." lip said in pain.

"i can't remember whether that's good or bad. more likely you two jumped the turnstiles again and he twisted it trying to outrun the transit cops." fiona said.

"no. always elevate extremities. move before you give him a fucking embolism. you okay, lip?" veronica asked taking over.

"please, don't touch it." lip begged.

"okay. wiggle your toes." veronica said but when he did, he let out a grunt.

"go to my house, top of the freezer. two ice packs. second cupboard above the sink, liquid ibuprofen, freeze spray, ace bandages." veronica said to me and ian.

"sure." ian said.

"got it." i said as we walked out of the room.

"oh, and mel. my bedroom on top of the tv, pack of smokes and a lighter." veronica said.

all the sudden they heard a knock at the door and ian and lip freaked out.

"you don't know us fiona." ian said hiding under the bed.

"oh, what have you done? what have you done?" fiona asked walking outside.

once she saw it was someone to set up a washer ian and i went over to vees.

"okay, so are you gonna tell me what actually happened?" i asked him.

"lip thought karen would help me determine whether i was actually gay or not." ian explained.

"jesus christ." i said.

we walked into the house and i went and got the medical supplies while ian got the smokes.

we went back with all the stuff and veronica healed lips foot but he has to take advil and keep his weight off it.

-

i went back to my grandmas house and saw she was cooking dinner.

"melanie dear nice to have you home, i'm making lasagna." my grandma said with a smile.

my grandma caroline was the only person allowed to call me melanie. i loved her dearly.

"oh that's great grams, i'm starving." i said sitting down beside emma.

"hey, how ya doing?" i asked her.

"i saw mom today." emma said.

"you- you saw mom?" i said in shock.

i hadn't seen my mother since she ran away after my father died. why the hell would she come back now?

"yeah, she asked if we wanted to live with her." emma said.

-

mike, emma and i went over to where our mom lives, apparently she lives in a trailer now by the trailer park. i can't believe she thinks that we're gonna move back in with her and act like she didn't completely abandon us.

"my beautiful children, hi, come in please." our mother cheryl said as she smoked her cigarette.

"wow, emma look how big you've gotten. how old are you now, 10?" she asked looking down at emma.

"she's 9." mike said crossing his arms over his chest.

mike was just as unimpressed as i was. he hated our mother almost as much as i did. she left mike alone at 14 to take care of a 10 year old me and a 5 year old emma.

"wow mom, you can't even remember our ages. well, what else is new?" i said in a sassy voice.

"look, i know you guys all feel uneasy about me but i promise you i've changed. i just want us to be a family again." cheryl said as i shock my head.

"you abandoned us. you left us to fend for ourselves why should we go with you now?" mike asked.

"because i can show you how i've changed, i can start being a real mother, to all of you. and after your father left i fell off the rails but i'm better now and besides your father was never around that much either, what with all his business trips and what not." cheryl said as my heart dropped.

"no, fuck you. dad was still there for us more than you ever were." i said as i stormed out of the trailer not looking back when i heard my deadbeat mother calling my name.

i couldn't believe what i was hearing, i couldn't believe what she said about my dad. how fucking dare she, after all the pain she's caused me and my family.

i don't think i saw anyone for two days after that, not like anyone is worrying about me, why would they? i just had to be away and get my head together so i wouldn't kill my mother.

stuart had been calling me, probably for more drugs. whatever he wanted i didn't answer either way. i just couldn't get myself to talk to anyone.

i was never the type of person to open up and talk about my feelings. when i talked about them, it was only with people i felt drawn to.

i was making my way to the train tracks for some peace and quiet when i heard a voice.

"mel?" i turned around, it was lip.

"mel, oh my god, i didn't see you for awhile i was starting to get worried." lip said.

he was worried? about me? why would he be worried about me?

"hey, uh franks missing do you think you can help me find him?" lip asked and noticed i wasn't responding.

"hey, you okay?" lip asked noticing something was wrong.

"i saw my mom." i said quietly.

"you saw her, where?" lip asked me walking closer to me.

"at the trailer park. lip, she wants me to move in with her and she wants us to be a family." i told him as he let out a sigh.

"wow, that's- that's fucked." lip replied.

"she told me to forget about my dad." i said feeling tears well up in my eyes.

"mel, i'm so sorry." was all lip could think to say.

he saw that i was about to break so he pulled me into his chest, making me cry even harder. he didn't say anything, he just stood there, holding me.

i finally calmed down and let go of him, locking my green eyes with his blue ones.

"let's go find frank." i said as he nodded and grabbed my hand holding it in his gently.

we walked over to the alibi to talk to kev. once we got there, lip threw his cell phone on his table.

"you can shove your phone up your ass. no more freebies from me like doing your taxes every april cause you can't understand the instructions." lip said.

"woah, woah, woah! hey, take it easy. take it easy, all right? look, frank isn't far, okay? he never goes far." kevin said.

"i know, but it's the last friday." lip said.

once i heard it was the last friday, i squeezed his hand. i knew that now it was serious.

"last friday? so what? disability check day. oh, jesus. fuck me. hey, jess. uh, frank gallagher, did he leave with anybody when we kicked him out last night?" kevin asked her.

"name me one person who would be caught dead with him in that condition." jess replied.

"and steve was definitely gone by then, so frank wasn't with him. anybody seen frank the plank?" kevin announced.

"which steve?" lip asked.

"you know, steve steve. fiona's new steve." kevin explained.

"he was in here?" i asked.

"talking to your dad. friendly enough. it was hours before closing." kevin told them.

"right." lip said nodding.

"thanks, kev." i said as me and lip walked out of the bar.

"unfuckingbelieveable." lip said.

"what do you think steve did?" i asked.

"i don't know, but i'm gonna find out." lip said as we walked into the gallaghers home.

i saw that everyone was standing by debbie trying to calm her down.

"it's holly, sweetheart. she's been in third grade for four years. i'm gonna deck that little bitch." fiona said.

"does that even make sense, debbie? i mean, why would your dad be in halsted when he lives in the opposite direction?" steve asked.

"well, it depends how was he looking when you, uh, left him at the alibi room last night, steve?" lip asked as everyone turned.

"when?" fiona asked.

"uhh, ten. ten thirty. went to apologize, bought him a drink, then went home." steve explained putting a cigarette in his mouth.

"why didn't you say?" fiona asked as i turned and saw kevin walking in.

"hey, can i talk to you for a sec?" kevin asked.

kevin told her that they found a body under the el. they all quickly ran over there to see cops around the place.

"do you know who that is?" fiona asked in a panic.

"stay back, okay? stay back." the officer told them.

they all looked and saw a man with a jacket like franks dead on the ground. debbie started crying more and i rubbed her shoulder, i looked over at lip and saw fear in his eyes and i put my other hand on his shoulder.

when they flipped over the body they saw it wasn't frank and everyone was relieved.

"where the hell is frank?" i questioned.

i hope you guys like the second chapter, leave any questions or suggestions you may have or anything you'd like to see and i'll try to make it happen!