addison and sydney entered the gallagher household, where the morning bustle was already in full swing. fiona was juggling liam while trying to coax him onto the potty, her voice filled with a mix of exasperation and affection.

"hey," addison greeted with a tired smile, taking in the familiar chaos. "morning." sydney chimed in, dropping her backpack by the door.

fiona's efforts with liam were met with half-hearted enthusiasm from the baby, who seemed more interested in the promise of candy and cars than potty training.

"come on, liam, let's give it a try," fiona encouraged, her tone coaxing yet firm. "ah, rewards for shitting. the good old days," carl sighed as he passed by the table, earning a chuckle from the others.

"hey, let me help." steve offered, walking over to her from the fridge. "okay, cool." fiona nodded, handing him liam and the baby toilet with a grateful smile. "when he starts holding his breath and squinting, put him on this," she instructed.

"the power bill?" he inquired, pulling out a crisp one hundred dollar bill. addison arched a brow, sharing a glance with debbie, who looked equally surprised. "damn steve!" sydney remarked, impressed by the gesture.

fiona huffed, attempting to move past him. she wasn't one to accept help easily. "come on, i'm almost living here," steve persisted.

"no, you're not." fiona firmly stated, rejecting his offer. "lip gave me enough to pay for it yesterday. i—i picked up a shift at the motel and forgot to walk it to the payment center."

"four hundred and thirty bucks? lip's a bit flush this month." steve remarked, eyeing the bill skeptically. the amount seemed unusually high for a teenager.

"that's 'cause it's sat season." addison explained with a knowing look, just as lip descended the stairs. "he's always flush during sat season." debbie added proudly.

"sat?" steve inquired. "college tests." ian clarified, joining the conversation. "he tutors?" the man assumed. "uh, no. takes." lip clarified, his tone carrying a hint of pride in his unconventional hustle.

"okay. go play with your cars." fiona instructed, smoothly passing the baby over to lip.

ian piped up, "oh, hey, i got another lead for you."

lip nodded in acknowledgment, "oh, set it up, douche. i'm taking it for someone else today, but, uh, there's another session in two weeks." he confirmed, deftly managing liam in his arms. "all right." ian agreed with a nod.

"don't take the phone today, okay? i need it." fiona called out. "i need it." debbie announced with assertion. "for what?" ian chuckled lightly. "cold calling for babysitting gigs. we sound more mature on the phone." sydney explained.

"i'm using the phone today. go. you're gonna be late." fiona commanded, ushering everyone out with efficient precision.

"i'll give you guys a ride." steve offered, stepping forward. "carl's not sitting on my lap!" addison announced, a mix of seriousness and amusement in her tone.

the kids began to shuffle out, each grabbing a banana from fiona. carl swiftly handed over a sheet before taking his banana. "teacher told me to give this to you."

"wait.. what did you do?" fiona inquired knowingly, immediately opening the letter. "nothing." carl protested innocently.

📸

outside lincoln grove high school, addison was stood at the bottom of the entrance steps with karen, lip, and ian, talking to a possible new sat client for lip.

"it's a buck fifty up front. when you get your sat results back and see how great lip did, it's another buck fifty." addison explained confidently, earning a proud glance from lip.

"and we do this today?" the boy inquired, seeking clarification. "no. today's session is booked. three weeks from now." she corrected him with a patient tone.

"..so i sit next to you while you take the test?"

"no. he's pretending to be you. you can't be there." ian clarified with a squint, clearly bewildered by the guy's lack of understanding.

"why would they think you're me?"

"well, i'll have an id that says that i am you." lip explained.

"but what if they ask me for my id?"

"i'm going to make a fake id." he told him, growing more annoyed with each word.

"but i'm tall?"

"yeah, that's a chance we're just gonna have to take." lip responded curtly, squinting in disbelief at the guy's obliviousness. "yeah." addison muttered lowly, her eyes widening as she turned her head to share a glance with ian.

the guy nodded, handing over the cash. "saturday night, what time can i pick you up?" he asked, glaring at addison.

she looked around in disbelief, hardly believing he was actually talking to her. she shifted uncomfortably, feeling increasingly awkward under his persistent gaze.

"uh, sorry, i'm busy," addison muttered politely, hoping he would take the hint and move on.

but the guy persisted, his gaze still fixed on her. "oh, come on, it'll be fun," he pressed, clearly not taking no for an answer. before addison could respond, lip stepped in, his tone firm. "she said she's busy," he stated, his voice leaving no room for argument.

the guy hesitated for a moment, glancing between lip and addison, before finally relenting. "whatever," he muttered, clearly disappointed. then, as if nothing had happened, he turned to karen. "how about you? saturday night?" he asked, flashing her a charming smile.

karen's eyes lit up at the sudden attention. "yeah, i'm free," she replied with a grin, clearly pleased to be asked out. "get me at seven."

"done." he smirked, walking off confidently, leaving lip to shake his head in disbelief.

"you're dating oompa now, really?" lip quipped, raising an eyebrow at karen. "he doesn't talk, it's fun." she shrugged, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

📸

addison leaned against the sink next to lip in the empty bathroom at school, the sound of her friends' laughter echoing off the tiled walls. karen perched on the windowsill, taking a drag from her cigarette while ian was across from her.

"so, are you guys going to the parent-teacher conference tonight?" karen asked casually as she flicked her cigarette from the window sill.

the three teens erupted into laughter, the absurdity of the question hitting them all at once. "no, ha-ha-ha." lip chuckled, shaking his head.

addison chuckled softly, shaking her head. "yeah, because my mom is just dying to show up," she added sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"need a parent for that, don't you?" ian quipped, joining in the laughter.

"hey," the blonde started, turning to look at lip. "louise got an 'a' on the paper you wrote her for her english class. how do you keep doing that?" she asked with intrigue.

"well, to master the art of the book report.. you just take any novel, no matter when it was written, and you argue that the main character is a latent homosexual." lip explained, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"hmm." karen hummed in response, processing his explanation.

"no, seriously, seriously! now, most english teachers are either gay and agree.. or they're straight, but too scared to disagree and be labeled as intolerant." addison continued, her tone filled with amusement.

as the group continued their banter, the bathroom door swung open, and the sound of boisterous laughter spilled into the room along with two burly football players. their entrance was accompanied by the exclamation of "eighteen seventy!" bringing lip into a hug, interrupting their conversation with his exuberance.

lip reciprocated the hug with a grin. "all right!"
"thanks man, i appreciate it. perfect for the big ten," the football player expressed his gratitude

"happy to help, man." lip replied, exchanging a nod with the other boy.

"man, you more than helped. now i'll definitely be a beer swilling, roofie slipping, fighting illini next year!"

as the celebrating football player left the bathroom, a heavy silence settled over the room, punctuated only by the sound of his fading footsteps. in the midst of the quiet, addison's voice broke through with her incredulous question, "did he say roofie slipping?" her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she processed the implications of his words.

meanwhile, tire, the other football player, remained silent, his expression sour and disgruntled. "what happened, tire? not satisfied with your results?" lip questioned noticing his remained presence.

"haven't come back yet." tire responded, his tone tinged with frustration. "any day now." ian reassured him.

"i better not look stupid." tire muttered with a faint warning. he was a big guy, if lip wasn't a total genius he would probably be worried.

"impossible." addison interjected, her voice filled with assurance in lip's abilities.

"hey, listen, there's one last testing session this year, so tell your friends." ian advised. "don't tell me what to do." tire grumbled as he left the bathroom, his irritation palpable.

as they watched the boy depart, karen hopped off the windowsill, prompting a philosophical question, "why do we help the people that we hate?"

"i believe we're just taking our cue from american foreign policy," lip quipped, eliciting chuckles from the group. with their laughter fading, they began to trickle out of the bathroom one by one, leaving addison as the last to exit.

📸

after school, addison sat at reece's kitchen table, surrounded by a fortress of textbooks and notes, their pages adorned with scribbles and equations.

as they delved into studying, addison couldn't shake the feeling of awe and envy that washed over her from the moment she stepped onto the cameron's street.

the spacious, well-decorated room felt a world apart from her own cluttered, rundown living space. she glanced around, noting the framed family photos on the walls, the neatness of the room, and the fresh scent of flowers in a vase on the table.

but it wasn't just the tangible differences that struck her—it was the sense of stability that seemed to permeate every aspect of his home.

while her own household often felt like a constant battle against the odds, the cameron household exuded an air of calm assurance. as addison took in the scene before her, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to belong to a family like the cameron's. a family where the days weren't filled with anxiety about paying bills, managing an alcoholic parent, or balancing countless responsibilities as a teenager.

but as quickly as the thought entered her mind, addison pushed it aside, reminding herself of the love she has for her mother and sister, no matter what she's been put through.

"so, if we integrate both sides of the equation..." addison began, her voice trailing off as she glanced up from her notes to find reece staring at her intently, a playful grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"what?" addison asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "nothing," reece chuckled softly, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "just thinking about how cute you look when you're all serious."

addison felt a blush creep up her cheeks, and she rolled her eyes to hide her embarrassment. "focus, reece. we're here to study, remember?"

reece chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "i am focused. it's just hard to concentrate when my tutor is so distracting."

"nice try," addison replied, smirking as she pushed the math book closer to him. "now, if we integrate both sides..."

reece leaned in, his eyes still twinkling with amusement. "alright, alright. but you can't blame me for getting distracted by you."

addison couldn't help but smile, even as she shook her head in exasperation. "you really need to work on your pickup lines, man."

"they're not pickup lines if they're true," reece said with a smirk, picking up his pencil to follow her explanation.

addison raised an eyebrow, not buying into his flattery. she knew he was just trying to distract her. "do you see this book?" she retorted, holding up her math textbook with a smirk. "because this book is me. i am math."

"what's that supposed to mean?" reece inquired, genuinely curious.

"it's supposed to mean that you can work your whole 'i'm reece cameron, mr. bigshot, scoring my touchdowns' on somebody else because i'm not—" addison explained, her words tumbling out in a rush.

"i don't even play football." reece interrupted with a grin, trying to suppress a laugh. the boy was on the basketball team, but hey, close enough.

"whatever." addison huffed, "the point is, at the end of the day, all your bluster and b.s. don't mean anything to math, cause math don't care, and neither do i!" she punctuated, declaring her statement.

"well, i guess math has a way of keeping us humble then." he conceded with a resolute tone.

addison couldn't help but smirk at his comment, "flattery will get you nowhere, cameron." she teased.

despite his playful flirting, addison noticed how quickly reece grasped the concepts once he put his mind to it. they worked through the problems together, and the atmosphere became more relaxed and enjoyable.

as the afternoon sun began its descent, casting golden hues over the neighborhood, anne cameron arrived home with her youngest son, justin, in her arms. the door swung open to reveal the bustling kitchen where reece and addison were immersed in their studies.

"hey, mom." reece greeted, rising from his seat to help with the groceries. anne smiled warmly at her son, her eyes crinkling with affection as she glanced around the kitchen. "hi, sweetheart, i just came from the store. how was your day?" she asked, balancing justin on her hip.

reece stepped forward to take some of the grocery bags from his mother. "it was good, i'm just going over some stuff with addison." he replied, gesturing to the shy girl who offered the woman a wave.

anne's gaze shifted to addison, her eyes brightening with recognition. "ah, you're the tutor!" she exclaimed with a playful grin. "reece has told me so much about you!"

addison couldn't help but tease reece, her eyes widening in astonishment as she nudged  him playfully with her elbow. "oh, has he now? what have you been saying about me reece?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

reece's cheeks flushed slightly as he shrugged, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. "just that you're insanely smart." he replied, trying to play it cool.

his mother chuckled, clearly amused by the exchange. "well, it's lovely to finally meet you, addison."

as anne settled justin into his high chair, addison couldn't resist the urge to engage with the adorable baby. she leaned over, making faces and gently tickling his chubby cheeks, eliciting delighted giggles from justin.

she knew her son has had a crush on addison for some time, and now, witnessing her natural charm and kindness firsthand, it wasn't difficult to understand why. there was something undeniably endearing about her genuine nature that drew people in.

anne watched with a fond smile as addison interacted with her youngest son. "are you parent's coming to the school tonight? i'd love to meet them." she inquired, kindly asking out of curiosity.

addison's smile faltered slighty, "ah, sadly no." she replied with a touch of reluctance. reece's mother's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "why not? it's parent's day."

"mom." reece shot the woman a warning glare. he didn't know much, but he wasn't exactly blind to addison's home situation.

"um.. well," addison hesitated, unsure of how much to disclose. "my mom just isn't feeling well." she explained, choosing her words carefully. she knew she wasn't fooling anyone, but how else was she supposed to respond?

anne's expression softened with concern. "i'm sorry to hear that. is there anything i can do to help?"

addison shook her head, offering a faint smile. "thank you, but i'll be okay." she replied, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "i do have to get going though." she added, glancing at the time.

anne nodded, her eyes filled with sympathy. "of course, dear. take care of yourself."

"thanks," addison replied, managing a small smile before turning to reece. "i'll see you tomorrow for more torture, i guess." reece grinned, a hint of playfulness in his eyes. "looking forward to it."

as addison packed her things and prepared to leave, anne's gaze lingered on her with a mixture of concern and reservation. she had heard whispers about the jones family, enough to understand that it wasn't the picture-perfect existence she wished for her son.

after addison had left, anne turned to reece with a furrowed brow. "reece, honey," she began, her tone gentle yet firm, "i know you care about addison, but you have to be careful."

reece's brows knitted together in confusion. "what do you mean?"

anne sighed, her eyes reflecting a mixture of worry and maternal protectiveness. "i've heard.. things about that girl's family."

reece's jaw tensed, a surge of annoyance rising within him. he didn't like where this conversation was heading. "and?" he prompted, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"and," anne continued, her voice soft but resolute, "i just worry that she might not be the best thing for you right now. you're still young, you shouldn't have to deal with someone else's problems."

"so, what? you want me to stop seeing her?" he demanded, his voice sharper than intended.

anne's expression softened, her heart aching for her son's struggle. "no, no, i just want you to think about what's best for you," she replied, her tone pleading. "i don't want to see you get dragged down by someone else's baggage."

he wanted to lash out, to defend addison, but he didn't want to continue the back and forth. instead, he forced himself to take a deep breath, his resolve hardening like steel. "okay, mom," he replied, his voice steady despite the frustration raging within him. "i hear you."

anne's eyes softened with relief, her maternal instincts telling her that she had made the right decision. "thank you," she murmured.

⛵️

as addison stepped through the front door of her house, the familiar scent of alcohol hit her senses like a wave. she hesitated, bracing herself for what she might find. sure enough, there was her mother, slouched on the couch, a half-empty bottle of whiskey clutched loosely in her hand.

the stark contrast between her own chaotic home and the warm, orderly atmosphere of the cameron household couldn't have been more apparent.

where reece's family was filled with love and support, addison's home was shrouded in the heavy silence of dysfunction.

with a trembling hand, she reached out to gently shake her mother, but there was no response. "mom, wake up," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "please."

but her mother remained motionless, lost in a world of her own making. the sense of helplessness overwhelmed addison, and she sank into the nearby chair next to the couch, burying her face in her hands in