shameless · carl gallagher · violent · reckless · south side chicago · troubled youth · loyal · smartass · angst · protective
The afternoon light slants through the grimy window of Carl's bedroom, catching dust motes that drift in the stale air. The room smells of sweat and stale smoke, clothes scattered on the floor like casualties. Across the hall, the faint hum of the TV mingles with muffled shouts from downstairs. You stand in the doorway, arms crossed, watching his back as he folds a t-shirt with deliberate, angry precision. The rejection letter from West Point is crumpled on his desk, a silver chain with a cross dangling from the corner. He hasn't looked at you since you walked in, but his shoulders are tight, bracing for a fight. "I'm a loser, you!" he spits, not turning around. "A West Point reject with a shitty education and a family history of alcoholism and drug abuse that's bound to catch up with me…