Until the end (Ian Gallagher x OC)

Chapter 55

"Yo! G.I. Jane, slow down." Lip ran to catch up to Ian who was walking down the street in his ROTC uniform.

"I don't want to be late." Ian waved him off.

"Hey. Glad to see you out of bed. Thought we were gonna have to put you on a suicide watch, take away your shoelaces and bed sheets." Lip commented as he finally caught up with his brother.

"No need. Moved on. How many times you gotta hear no, right?" Ian explained simply with a shrug.

"Yeah. Well, uh, I guess the good thing about falling for a Milkovich is you know you can always find someone better." Lip reminded him of the positive side.

"Catch up with you after school." Ian started off in another direction suddenly.

"Right." Lip came to a stop, waving back at Ian as he waved and continued on his way.

"Morning." A man greeted Ian as he marched into the enlistment office.

"I want to enlist." Ian stated matter of factly right away, standing at attention.

"Glad to hear it. Are you interested in active duty or army reserve?" He asked back.

"Active duty. Full-time." Ian took off his hat and followed the man back to his desk.

"All right. I'd be happy to help you find a specialty, let you know when they're classing up." He sat down in his seat.

"I don't want to wait for a specialty. I'm ready to leave now." Ian took off his book bag and sat across from him.

"Any reason why you're seeking out the army? Trouble at home? Running away from jail or a pregnant girlfriend?" The man listed thoughts.

"Here's my transcript." Ian handed it over, avoiding the question. "I already passed the vocational aptitude battery and physical exams. When's the next bus to basic combat training?" He asked finally.

"Tomorrow morning."

"What else do I need?"

"Photo I.D."

"I'll be there." Ian promised, taking back the papers.

"Hey, take some time to think on it." He warned Ian, knowing this was just a reckless decision.

"I'm ready now." Ian repeated, putting on his hat and walking out.

After school Ian had rushed around his room, packing up his duffle bag to leave.

"What are you doing?" Carl wondered, walking into the room to drop off his bag.

"ROTC retreat." Ian told him.

"Since when?" Carl sat in a chair, opening up his magazine as he chatted with his brother.

"Last minute. Hey, where's my knife?" Ian looked to Carl for the answer.

"I don't know." Carl lied, focused on his magazine more than his brother.

"Carl, my S.O.G. Seal team. It's the best fixed blade I got." Ian reminds sternly, knowing Carl didn't want to give it up. Carl sighed, closing his magazine and getting up to grab it.

"My samurai sword broke. Need a backup till it's fixed." He pulled it out from under his mattress.

"Yeah." Ian gave him a smile while taking it back, putting it in his bag.

"What if the zombie apocalypse goes down while you're gone? Who's gonna protect Debbie and Liam?" Carl questioned.

"Fine, keep it." Ian handed it back.