Outside the Club.
Mickey inhaled the entire cigarette in just a few drags.
In the end, as a die-hard romantic (and masochist), Mickey couldn't let it go. He couldn't harden his heart enough to just leave. He chose to wait. He needed to know where Ian and Ned were going next, what they were going to do.
That wait lasted over an hour.
Just as Mickey was about to finish his entire pack of cigarettes, Ian and Ned walked out of the bar, talking and laughing.
Seeing them, Mickey's eyes sharpened instantly.
Moments later, Mickey started tailing them.
About ten minutes later.
Mickey watched helplessly as Ian and Ned walked into a luxury apartment building and disappeared from view.
Mickey might not be a genius, but he wasn't stupid enough to not know exactly what Ian and Ned were about to do.
And just like that.
The last shred of hope was truly crushed.
Mickey pulled the final cigarette from the pack, lit it, and took a harsh drag. As he smoked, he started to laugh. And as he laughed, he started to cry.
Mickey turned around and fled. He rushed to the curb, hailed a taxi, and headed back to the South Side.
Damn Ian...
Damn Gallaghers...
Fck!
In the taxi.
With red eyes, Mickey's mind was churning.
He thought about Ian. He thought about Fiona and her body count...
Heh.
Truly a Gallagher. Truly Fiona's brother. Willing to fck anyone. Turning around and screwing some old man just like that...
Fck you, Ian!
After agonizing over it for a long time, Mickey gritted his teeth and cursed viciously. Then, he pulled out his phone. To hell with it. He deleted Ian's contact info. Then he deleted everything on his phone related to Ian.
Goodbye!
Mickey finally hardened his heart and bid farewell to this absurd chapter of his youth.
Even though the tears kept flowing.
---
The Bar.
The handsome manager found Fiona, who was busy working. Under the guise of discussing work, he chatted her up, his movements smooth and natural as he "accidentally" brushed against her now and then.
Fiona might lack smarts in other areas, but when it came to men, she was sharp. She quickly picked up on the manager's intentions.
To be honest, the manager was hot, and he wasn't wearing a wedding ring. If Jimmy hadn't shown up, Fiona actually wouldn't have minded having a little fun with him.
But Jimmy had shown up. He was right there, not far away...
Faced with the handsome manager's flirting, Fiona realized she didn't feel a thing for him. Instead, she missed Jimmy more and more. She wanted to fck Jimmy's brains out.
In other words, the handsome manager inadvertently became a wingman, stoking Fiona's lust for Jimmy.
A while later.
Because she needed the job, she smiled and playfully brushed the manager off. Then, Fiona instinctively looked toward Jimmy.
She stared for a few seconds.
Fiona's self-control wasn't completely non-existent, but it was close enough to zero to make no difference.
Fiona walked up to Jimmy. Habitually, she adopted her high-and-mighty attitude. "You gonna wait here for me all night?"
Jimmy grinned. "Of course."
"You don't have a car. How are you gonna drive me home?" Fiona asked, not smiling at all.
Jimmy was smart. He immediately understood what she meant. He stood up decisively. "I'll go get the car!"
Fiona said nothing more. She turned around and went back to work.
Jimmy didn't waste a second. Zoom. He briskly left the bar to head back to the Gallagher backyard.
---
The Gallagher House.
Living Room Sofa.
Lip and Karen were in the middle of a "battle."
Of course, with Lip's leg messed up, Karen was doing most of the work.
Nearby, in the crib, Liam stared wide-eyed, his little head filled with big questions.
Battle over.
Lip lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and passed it to Karen.
Poor folks love this routine. Whether it's a spit-covered cigarette or a joint, they share it without a second thought. Not gross at all to them.
After the smoke.
With nothing else to do, Lip suggested going to the van in the backyard to organize some stuff.
This time, Lip learned his lesson. He made Karen bring Liam along so Frank wouldn't swoop in and snatch the kid if he suddenly came back.
Karen was playing the role of the perfect girlfriend to the hilt. Whatever Lip said, she did obediently, preparing for the moment she would announce her pregnancy.
Before long.
They reached the back door.
It was summer, and the moonlight was decent. Although there were no streetlights on the back road, it wasn't pitch black at this hour.
So, both Lip and Karen immediately spotted Jimmy's BMW parked outside the back fence.
The next second.
Lip's eyes widened. He was almost certain that was Jimmy's car. Rage erupted instantly. Veins popped on his forehead. He couldn't believe that bastard Jimmy had the guts to show his face here!
"Karen, put Liam back. Go to the stairs and get the baseball bat!" Staring at the car with fire in his eyes for two seconds, Lip spoke, his voice decisive.
Karen guessed Lip's reaction had something to do with the BMW, but she wasn't sure exactly how. She asked curiously, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Lip didn't hesitate. "That's Jimmy's car! Get the bat!"
Hearing this.
Whoa. Karen moved. No more questions. She turned and went back into the house immediately.
The moment she turned around, a brilliant smile spread across her face.
Karen moved fast. In the blink of an eye, she put Liam back in the crib. Then, checking over her shoulder to make sure Lip wasn't looking, she pulled out her phone as she walked toward the stairs. She found Jimmy's number and sent him a text.
[Lip saw your car. He's getting ready to smash it.]
Jimmy was in a taxi when he got the text. He didn't recognize Karen's number and was confused. [Who is this?]
Karen replied instantly. [Secret for now.]
"????" Jimmy was a bit baffled, but he decided to ignore the mystery for the moment. He immediately told the taxi driver to step on it.
Gallagher House.
Karen grabbed the baseball bat, wiped the smile off her face, and returned to Lip.
Lip was consumed by anger. Or rather, he was finally releasing the rage he'd been bottling up. Seeing Karen return, he immediately said, "Let's go! Let's go see that bastard!"
Dropping the words, Lip started down the back stairs on his crutches.
One step. Two steps...
Haha.
In this context, Lip looked ridiculous.
Looking like a crippled bird, yet wanting revenge...
Karen almost burst out laughing. She held it in with great difficulty, struggling to control her facial expression.
One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes...
It took five or six minutes.
Lip finally made it to the fence, separated from Jimmy's car by just a wooden barrier.
By this time.
The fact that Jimmy wasn't in the car was obvious.
Lip, blinded by rage, didn't really process this...
But Karen did.
And after her thoughts raced for a moment...
Ding-dong.
Karen's brain, for once, had a brilliant spark.
She realized a possibility. Without wasting a second, she said to Lip, "Lip, is this really Jimmy's car?"
Lip could vaguely see inside the car now. He was sure. Hearing her question, he nodded heavily. "Absolutely!"
"That's weird then. Where is he? And why did he park the car here?" Karen was secretly thrilled but asked a series of questions. Then, she threw out a possibility. "Is he here to see Fiona? Did he leave with Fiona?"
Thump.
Instantly.
Lip's body jolted, his face filled with shock. "!!!!!"