The Gallagher House, Backyard.
Lip turned his head slowly, shock plastered across his face, and looked at Karen.
Was what Karen suggested even possible?
Lip was smart. Almost immediately, he concluded that it was.
After all, Jimmy's car was here, but Jimmy was nowhere to be seen... In a shithole like this, where could Jimmy possibly be wandering around? There was no reason for him to ditch his car and walk somewhere else unless... he walked somewhere with Fiona.
Combine that with the fact that Fiona left through the back door tonight...
It made perfect sense!
But if that was true...
How was Fiona treating Jimmy?
If she had rejected him harshly, Jimmy would have driven off ages ago...
So, Fiona might have said no, but definitely not firmly enough. Hell, Jimmy might still be somewhere near her right now...
In fact, Lip knew Fiona's personality too well. Thinking about it, he was basically certain that Fiona and Jimmy weren't far apart. Jimmy was likely right there at the bar where she worked!
"Fck!"
Piecing it all together in his head, Lip instantly felt like he was going to explode with rage.
The reason was simple.
In Lip's eyes, Fiona having any contact with Jimmy was an intolerable betrayal.
Think back to when he thought Dexter would have a bad, irreversible influence on Fiona and the family. Lip forced Fiona to quit that job, believing that accepting it was a betrayal of the Gallagher clan...
You can imagine just how turbulent his anger was right now.
A second later, Lip couldn't hold it back anymore. He didn't want to hold it back. Furious beyond measure, he tossed his crutches aside and held out his hand to Karen. "Bat!"
Karen nodded obediently. Without wasting a second, she handed the baseball bat right over.
Just then.
A sht-yellow taxi suddenly turned into the alley from the left, not too far away.
Lip had just grabbed the bat. Purely on instinct, he glanced at the taxi.
The taxi was moving fast, heading straight toward where Lip was standing.
Jimmy, sitting in the back seat, saw Lip and Karen illuminated by the headlights. He grinned decisively, stuck his head out the window, and greeted them enthusiastically. "Hi."
Lip saw him. "!!!!"
Thump-thump-thump-thump...
His heart rate skyrocketed, and Lip felt his blood literally boiling.
Seeing that bastard Jimmy again with his own eyes after all these days...
Instantly.
Rage bulldozed over reason. Without hesitation, Lip hopped on one leg towards Jimmy's car, raised the baseball bat, and swung it down on the windshield with all his might.
Crash!
With a loud shattering sound, the windshield cracked.
The taxi slammed on the brakes.
Jimmy casually tossed a hundred-dollar bill at the driver, pushed the door open, and got out. He immediately pulled out his phone and started recording video. He didn't approach; he just let Lip smash the car.
---
2118 North Wallace.
Dexter happened to be in his living room on the first floor. Hearing the loud sound of shattering glass, he judged the direction and realized it seemed to be coming from behind the Gallagher house. A little curious and a little confused, he decisively moved to the back door and looked out.
Whoa.
What's the situation?
In the original show, Lip smashed cars like a raging idiot twice around his MIT days... Now it was happening early? Before college, before the real world beat him down, he was already unlocking the achievement of "Grand Theft Auto Vandalism"?
Truly a classic Lip move.
Dexter smiled and muttered silently. His gaze shifted slightly, and he saw Jimmy not too far from Lip, holding up his phone, seemingly recording a video.
Seeing Jimmy.
Everything became clear.
Dexter pulled out his cigarettes, lit one, and watched Jimmy. He felt a twinge of concern about one thing.
Lip had a lengthy record, including a burglary charge. If Jimmy decided to call the cops, with that video evidence, the court would very likely try Lip as an adult...
If that happened, Lip could be looking at serious prison time. Years, easily.
Although, to be honest, Dexter genuinely felt that a few years in prison might do this arrogant idiot some good. Let the inmates teach Lip what reality is, grind down his ego and arrogance... a little "reform" might be the best thing for him...
But...
Debbie was already in juvie.
Ian had bipolar disorder—God knows what kind of mess he'd create in the future.
If Lip went to prison now and stayed for a few years...
What was left of the Gallaghers?
Just Fiona and Liam.
Where's the fun in that?
Would the show just end right there?
Dexter thought about it and felt genuinely concerned. So, he took out his phone and texted Karen, asking what was happening.
---
Karen received the text and subconsciously looked toward Dexter's back door.
Seeing Dexter, she flashed a dazzling smile—a smile full of manipulative charm—and then quickly typed out an explanation.
By this time.
Lip was not only smashing the car like a madman but also screaming hysterical insults at Jimmy.
Jimmy kept grinning and recording. He really didn't care about the car.
It was a stolen vehicle anyway. He'd just go steal another one later. No big deal.
Actually, Jimmy was pretty happy.
Because he believed that later, when Fiona saw this video and witnessed Lip's insanity, there was a high probability she would understand why he treated Lip the way he did before. It might even push their relationship forward.
Thinking this, the smile on Jimmy's face grew even brighter.
Lip, raging like a bull with mad cow disease, suddenly saw Jimmy's smile. He was so angry he almost couldn't breathe.
"Motherfcker!" Lip roared. Then, disregarding everything, he hopped on one leg, charging toward Jimmy. "You bastard! I'm gonna break your fcking legs today!"
Jimmy chuckled. He wasn't scared in the slightest.
Lip had one good leg. He couldn't move fast. What was there to worry about?
Jimmy found the sight hilarious. He was practically laughing as he slowly backed away, keeping his distance from Lip. Because he was recording, he didn't say anything, just letting Lip rage.
Twenty seconds. One minute. One and a half minutes...
As everyone knows.
Hopping on one leg is hard to balance, especially when you're swinging a baseball bat.
Case in point. Hop, hop...
Lip lost his footing and face-planted onto the ground.
---
Pfft~~
Having fully grasped the situation thanks to Karen's text, Dexter watched this unfold and couldn't hold it back. He burst out laughing.
Too funny.
Comrade Lip should really go into comedy. He's a natural clown.
Thinking this, Dexter texted Karen: [Go help him up. You're his girlfriend.]
Karen, who hadn't moved a muscle, received the text. Without a second of hesitation, she immediately put on a worried expression and ran toward Lip. She helped him up and urged anxiously, "Lip, forget it. Let's go back..."
Lip was naturally arrogant, and right now he was blinded by rage. He wasn't listening to anyone. He shoved Karen away hard, trying to charge at Jimmy again to settle the score.
Jimmy decided that was enough. He tapped his phone, saved the video, and then smiled at Lip, phone still in hand. "Lip, what are you freaking out about? Did I do something to you? You wanna kill me?"
Lip: "!!!! Fck you!"
Jimmy was definitely provoking him on purpose. He smiled even wider. "I genuinely suggest you see a shrink. You are mentally unstable."
"Forget it. I can't deal with crazy."
Dropping those words, Jimmy took a few more steps back. Then, he tapped on his phone a few times and sent the video to Fiona.