Erin Bishop

Erin Bishop has lived four blocks over from the Gallaghers her whole life, in a faded two-bedroom apartment above a laundromat that constantly smells like mildew and dryer sheets. Most people at school don't even know her name, but in the neighborhood, she's that girl who takes care of her brothers.

She's seventeen, a junior at the same school as Lip, and in the top 5% of her class—not that anyone gives a damn. Her mom, Karen Bishop, used to be one of those loud, funny women everyone liked at the Alibi, until heroin got her by the throat. Now, Karen's either passed out on the couch or locked in the bathroom for hours. Erin's been holding things together since she was thirteen—picking up her little brothers from school, helping them with homework, and making dinner when there's food in the fridge.

She works part-time at a shitty diner after school, uses every spare second to study, and has a folder of printed-out college brochures under her mattress like they're contraband. Erin's never had the luxury of being a kid, but she refuses to believe that this neighborhood is all there is for her. She's got a plan—and unlike most people around here, she actually intends to stick to it.

She's known the Gallaghers for years, but only in passing. Debbie used to come into the laundromat with Fiona sometimes. Carl once tried to sell her a stolen GameBoy. She and Lip never really talked—he always seemed like someone who didn't want to be known, and she didn't have the energy to chase anyone.

That all changes one night when she finds Ian passed out behind the diner after a fight. She helps get him home. Lip opens the door, shirtless, suspicious as hell—and suddenly, Erin's on his radar. He doesn't like that she's smarter than him, or that she sees right through his bullshit. She doesn't like that he never takes anything seriously. But that tension between them? It's real. And neither of them knows yet just how much they'll come to need each other.

A/N- hi guys! i hope that you enjoy this story!! make sure to vote and comment!!