Elizabeth Gallagher - Shameless US

Summer

Its almost the summer holidays, which means in three months I'll officially be in middle school, a 6th grader. I plan on spending the whole summer with Teagan and Artie, spending as much time away from my family as I can.

Teagan and I have started hanging out with Artie Pickett a lot ever since Nila died. He's real nice, and the three of us have become closer and closer over the past few months.

Teagan still thinks I have a crush on him, and I keep telling her I don't. I think she's just saying it to piss me off now.

I've just turned eleven, and the question I get most often is 'how does it feel to be eleven?' Which, if you've ever had a birthday, I'm sure you understand that it is the most annoying question ever. I don't feel any different, I feel exactly the same as I felt when I was ten.

Teagan, Artie, Carl and I stood watching an old building being bulldozed. I didn't even know what the building was, but it was fun to watch.

"Why are they tearing it down?" Debbie came riding along on her bike to meet us.

"Asbestos," Artie told her.

We watched as  wrecking ball smashed the left half of the building down comepletely.

"Alright, I'm leaving," Debbie began to turn away, "I've seen enough."

"Wait," Carl objected, "Give me a ride home on the back of that thing."

Carl hurt his leg riding his skateboard, and now he's on crutches. My friends and I have been taking the piss out of him and calling him 'cripple'.

"Why? Poor little crippled boy can't walk?" Teagan mocked.

Debbie ignored her, "I can't, I gotta run an errand then I'm going to school."

"I'm not," Carl said.

"It's the last day. You have to go," I told him.

"Why? So I can figure out how I flunked sixth grade again?" Carl retorted.

I groaned. I didn't need another reminder about how Carl and I are going to be in the same grade. That is, if he flunks. Which I'm pretty sure he will, he has the last two years.

"You know, your sister, who's two and a half years younger than you, isn't meant to be in the same grade as you," Teagan smirked, and her and Artie laughed.

I cringed slightly. Teagan isn't exactly one to talk. I only just discovered a few weeks ago that Teagan is actually twelve, and is meant to be in the seventh grade this year, but she was held back in the fourth grade.

Carl rolled his eyes. He doesn't know about Teagan being held back, nobody knows but me.

"Just give me a ride," Carl turned back to Debbie.

"You can't even fit on her bike with that giant gimp leg," Debbie said to him.

"These crutches are killing my wrists, I can't even jack off that well."

Teagan and Artie laughed, and I screwed my face up at the image.

"Come on," I said to my friends, "Let's go, we're gonna be late."

We weren't going to be late, but I wanted to put in my plan of avoiding my family into action as soon as possible.

...

The last day of school was over, and for the next three months I don't even have to think about that piece of shit 'educational' building.

Teagan, Artie and I were hanging out in my front yard with Carl, Debbie and Liam after school. Debbie was stabbing a barbie doll, repeatedly cursing 'stupid bitches! I hate you stupid bitches!' Over and over again. I assumed something had happened at school, but I didn't care to ask.