"Electric bill."
Fiona said it concisely.
Lip immediately groaned, "Electric bill..."
Ian sighed right along with him, "Electric bill..."
The two little ones mumbled like parrots, "Electric bill... electric bill."
It was time to pay the Piper.
Shane found this weird and couldn't help but speak up: "Didn't I... find some money yesterday? Can't we use that?"
Fiona turned around, leaning her hands on the table, her expression serious.
"No, we can't. Shane, listen. That windfall was great; it saved our asses. But we can't get sloppy. If I use it for the electric bill this time, what about next time? And the time after that? You guys will start thinking there's always going to be some 'lucky money' to bail us out. I have other, more important plans for that cash. So, same old rules: everyone chips in."
Ian's face fell instantly. "Oh, come on, Fiona! Shane even said..."
"No, no, no way."
Fiona wagged a finger righteously. "No bill money, no power. No lights, no TV, no hot water. Hurry up, you little monkeys. Cough up your allowance."
Lip reluctantly pulled a crumpled twenty-dollar bill out of his pocket and stuffed it into the tin.
Ian dragged his feet but eventually dropped in a ten.
Seeing this, Shane made a show of reaching for his back pocket, but in reality, he used his mind to convert twenty dollars of system credit into cash, which appeared in his hand. He tossed it in.
"OK." Fiona's expression softened.
Debbie contributed her saved-up coins and skillfully forged "Frank Gallagher" in fancy cursive on the signature line of the bill.
Electric bill handled. Fiona let out a breath, then threw out the next problem:
"So, who's watching Liam today? I have two shifts to cover this morning; I can't do it."
Lip immediately said, "I have a huge math test."
Ian shook his head. "I have to go straight to ROTC, then work."
Just then, Debbie raised her hand and volunteered:
"I'll do it! I can take Liam to Janet's house after school. Her mom will be home."
Fiona looked at Debbie, then at Liam looking around curiously in her arms. She weighed the options and finally nodded.
"OK, Debbie. He's yours. But remember, if anything happens, call me, Lip, or Shane immediately, understand?"
"Got it!" Debbie nodded vigorously. Taking care of Liam was practically part of her daily routine anyway.
Breakfast storm over. Electric bill crisis averted. Babysitting duty assigned.
The Gallaghers scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind, grabbing backpacks and coats, rushing out the door to face another day of unknowns and challenges on the South Side.
Walking out the door, Shane instinctively started to follow Lip and Ian.
Lip patted him on the shoulder, looking confused.
"Hey, bro. Don't you always go to Karen's first and walk her to school? What, did you change your personality today?"
"Oh, right, right!"
Familiar memories flooded back. Unless something special happened, the original owner went to Karen's house every single morning, rain or shine, to walk her to school.
"OK, I'm going." Shane tapped his head. "Read too much last night, brain's a little fried."
Lip flashed his trademark smirk. "Just reading?"
Shane gave him the finger. "Fck off." Then he turned and walked toward Karen's house.
He didn't have a phone or a watch, so he wasn't sure of the time. He just ordered a cheap digital watch from Temu for a little over a dollar.
The watch appeared instantly in his coat pocket. He put it on. The screen was on, but the time wasn't set.
"Whatever, just get moving."
Walking down the chilly, quiet morning streets of the South Side, looking at the dilapidated houses and the occasional beater car driving by, Shane's brain was still racing.
"The fitness influencer plan needs infrastructure support..." He realized a problem.
First, he needed a smartphone and a SIM card.
The original Shane naturally didn't have one. Most people were still using flip phones or basic feature phones, though smartphones were starting to take off.
He needed one to manage his future social media accounts, take photos, etc.
A future smartphone from the system would be too conspicuous, but buying the latest model of this era (like an iPhone 4) would be fine. It wouldn't raise too much suspicion, and the performance was enough for his initial needs.
Second, a computer.
The ancient laptop at home was slower than a snail and was basically communal property.
He needed at least one high-performance computer of his own to write fitness plans, edit photos and videos, and manage his future "online business."
"Maybe I could build a few myself?" The thought flashed through his mind.
Lip was a genius. If he had a good computer, it would be much easier for his studies and his online "projects."
Also, getting Fiona familiar with computers early would avoid the embarrassment in the show where she couldn't even keep up with a basic office software class.
This would be a small investment in the family's "soft power."
"Money isn't the problem. The problem is the source... and keeping Frank from stealing it to sell for drugs." He pondered.
He could explain the phone and computer by saying, "The wallet had more cash than I thought, so I invested in the future," or "I got paid for a big project helping someone."
Fiona might be suspicious, but as long as the money came from a "clean" source (in her eyes) and was used for something productive, she would eventually accept it.
As for Frank... just have to guard against him. Or maybe just break his legs? Nah, just guarding is fine for now.
"Decided." Shane planned in his head. "I'll research it when I get home after school. Order two iPhone 4s and two or three high-performance laptops from the system."
Following the familiar route in his memory, he arrived at Karen's house and knocked on the door.
Not long after, the door opened. Karen, already ready, bounced out like a happy bird, a smile plastered on her face.
She stood on her tiptoes and gave Shane a big smooch on the cheek, then turned back to yell into the house: "Mom! I'm going to school!"
Sheila's voice came from inside: "Okay, sweetie! Have a safe trip! Be careful!"
Shane glanced inside and saw Karen's father, Eddie, sitting at the dining table holding a newspaper. His face looked like he'd just eaten a lemon, staring at Shane with a mix of resignation and annoyance.
Another memory surfaced: Freshman year. He and Karen were on a date in the back row of a movie theater when Eddie "raided" them and caught them red-handed.
But the expected breakup didn't happen. Maybe because Shane's Asian face looked a bit more "reliable" than the foul-mouthed South Side thugs who just wanted a quick hookup.
Or maybe because Shane had acted restrained and "devoted" enough (at least in Eddie's eyes) to make the anxious father pinch his nose and begrudgingly accept him as a boyfriend.
Better him than Karen running wild with actual gangsters.
On the way, Shane and Karen held hands, chattering about nutritious but happy nonsense.
At the school gate, Karen waved.
"Bye, sweetie! See you at lunch in the cafeteria!" (Their classrooms were in different buildings).
"Bye." Shane waved back, watching Karen run off before turning to walk into the South Side high school that felt both familiar and strange.