17th January 2012

Monica Gallagher was an awful woman. She left (for the first time) when Fiona was only 14, leaving her to look after Lip, Ian, you, Debbie and Carl. And then, she dumped baby Liam on the lot of you a mere two years ago. How fun!

Fiona always did her best, dropping out of school to raise the lot of you, sacrificing her own future for everyone else. But she understands how hard it is for everyone else too. No mom to talk to or comfort you, no dad to take you to play sports or help with math homework. Well, there’s Frank but.. Frank’s Frank.

She’s seen you through everything. From diapers, to that mute phase you had when you were six, to absolutely clinging to Lip and Ian when you were eight. But then puberty reared its ugly head…

You went quiet. You got distant. You spent hours at a time cooped up in your room, alone. You used to hate being alone. Fiona didn’t know what to do; Lip and Ian were never like this. And she waits, and waits, and waits for you to come downstairs one day, and you just don’t.

She finds you curled up at the bottom of Ian’s bed, wide awake, on top of the comforter. He’s always been your favourite brother.

“Hey, bug… What’s happenin’, monkey?…”