Chapter 91: Fucking Frank
The makeup job from the beauty salon turned out to be top-notch, and the thing Frank had been worried about didn't happen.
The clerk briefly glanced at Monica's ID, showed no suspicion, and didn't even ask any questions. After a quick look, she handed the document over for Svetlana to sign.
Once both of them had signed, the clerk handed Frank the check on the spot. As he held the check in his hand, Frank finally let out a sigh of relief—the weight in his heart had lifted.
"Thanks for helping me out," Frank said as they walked out of the office building.
"No need to thank me. Just be generous with the tip," Svetlana said, lighting a cigarette.
"Of course," Frank replied, pulling out several hundred-dollar bills and handing them over.
With the insurance payout finally secured—several thousand dollars, no less—it was all thanks to Svetlana's help. Frank knew he wouldn't have gotten a dime without her. The fee for hiring her went to her boss, but tips? Those she got to keep.
"That's almost two days' pay for me. Thanks, boss. If you've got more jobs like this, be sure to call me," Svetlana said, whistling. She folded the bills and tucked them into her bra.
"You heading back now?" Frank asked.
"I've still got over half an hour. I'll walk around a bit first. The pay's hourly anyway, and going back just means dealing with a bunch of old men," she said with a shrug.
While Frank and Svetlana strolled through the city, elsewhere, Lip and Karen had just finished a concert and were at their "secret base," doing what lovers do.
Karen casually reached for a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled slowly.
"I think... we can't keep doing this," she said suddenly, staring at the ceiling.
"What?" Lip blinked, thinking he'd misheard.
Karen sat up and began putting on her clothes.
Lip looked puzzled.
"I just feel like it'd be better if we went back to being friends. Just friends. Like before," she said.
"Why?" Lip asked, now realizing she wasn't joking. He sat up.
"I don't want our relationship to get any more complicated," she said.
"Wait—is this because I said 'I love you'? That was just something that slipped out, not a real confession," Lip hurried to explain. "I didn't mean it—I don't love you."
"I don't love you," he repeated, grabbing her wrist.
Karen pulled her hand free without a word and continued dressing.
"I swear, I don't love you!" Lip insisted and leaned in to kiss her.
"Stop. We can't do this anymore. We might become step-siblings soon, and siblings shouldn't be doing... this," Karen said, pushing him away. "Besides, I've changed. I've cut off all my other flings. I just want to focus on school and get into college."
"Step-siblings? Because of Frank? Are you serious?" Lip asked in disbelief.
"This has nothing to do with Frank," Karen said.
"Fucking Frank! What does he have to do with us? He's not your dad!" Lip shouted in frustration.
SLAP!
Karen smacked him hard across the face, cutting off his rant.
"I'm going home. We both need to cool off," she said, turning and walking away without looking back.
"FUCK!" Lip roared, punching and kicking everything around him in a blind rage.
Back at home, Lip stormed upstairs without a word. Everyone noticed something was off, and Ian followed him.
"You okay? Weren't you out on a date with Karen?" Ian asked after closing the door.
"She dumped me," Lip mumbled, lying face-down under the blanket.
Ian didn't need any more than that.
"You two were never really a couple to begin with. I told you this might happen," Ian said, sitting on the bed.
Karen and Lip had always hung out together, but they were never officially dating—just long-time friends with benefits. And as far as Ian knew, Karen had been with a few other guys, probably even closer to them than to Lip.
Lately, Karen had cut ties with all her other guys, except Lip. So Ian had suspected this was coming and had even warned him, but Lip hadn't listened.
It wasn't really a breakup because there was no real relationship. She just stopped hooking up with him. That was it.
"I know, but it still sucks," Lip said from under the covers.
"She's been with so many guys, man—this shouldn't be a shock. You weren't the only one," Ian said.
"I know. I'm not exactly innocent either," Lip admitted.
"Exactly. That's why you two worked so well. But she's cut everyone off, and now she's cutting you off too. You were just one of many flings," Ian said.
"Yeah... but I think I might've actually fallen for her," Lip confessed.
"That's fucked up," Ian said, lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah. Totally fucked. What's even worse? She said she dumped me because we might become siblings. Fucking Frank," Lip said, snatching the cigarette and taking a drag.
"Siblings? Cough cough!" Ian choked on smoke.
"What do you mean? Karen's Frank's secret kid? That can't be right—Frank didn't even know Sheila back then," Ian asked.
"Of course not! Don't be stupid. It's just that Frank's been sleeping with Sheila, and now that Officer Eddie's dead, who knows what kind of crap he's been feeding her," Lip said.
"So Karen thinks Frank's going to marry Sheila?" Ian asked.
"Looks like it. And Frank still hasn't officially divorced Monica, right?" Lip said.
"Who knows. But I wouldn't put it past Frank to marry her for money. I helped him sort out Eddie's inheritance—it's a huge amount. Frank would do anything for cash. He's fucking Frank, after all," Lip said.
"So if Frank and Sheila get married, we suddenly have a new mom? And Karen would be your sister," Ian said.
"Sheila's okay, but Karen... Fucking Frank!" Lip cursed.
"Fucking Frank," Ian echoed.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Somewhere, Frank sneezed several times in a row.
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(What? You thought this chapter had 'something', Hmph!)