Shane walked to the door of Karen's house, said goodbye to Sheila, kissed Karen, and started walking back towards the Gallagher house.
Not far away, when he put his hand into his pocket to keep warm, he suddenly felt a piece of paper.
He took the paper out and unfolded it. It was Karen's handwriting:
"Shane Gallagher, you are the only certain good thing in my chaotic life."
Looking at this note, Shane couldn't help looking back.
Karen was lying on the second-floor window, staring straight at him. Shane waved, and Karen waved back.
Then Shane tightened his clothes, buried his head in the scarf Karen knitted, and began to leave quickly.
Walking on the way home, with the cold wind blowing, the warm scenes in Shane's mind gradually faded, replaced by gradually sober thinking.
He knew what Karen was like in the original show.
Karen in the show used her body as a weapon and currency, circulating among countless men, looking for some recognition that could never be filled, or "love."
She was rebellious, hurtful, self-destructive, like a fire burning everyone, including herself.
But this Karen now...
Shane recalled Karen's abnormal behavior just now.
In the original plot, Karen never obtained a stable, focused relationship cherished by her.
In terms of family, Eddie's control and indifference, Sheila's fear, made her only able to scream to prove her existence and obtain "love" through the most extreme ways—sex, provocation, harm.
But now, Shane confirmed the relationship with her very early on.
He gave her attention, respect, and love.
More importantly, Shane gave Karen an object to project all emotional focus on.
Those madness, craving, possessiveness, and desire for attention that should have been scattered among countless people were now all converged on him alone.
This could be considered a good thing. Karen no longer slept around, no longer deliberately hurt people, and there was sincere love in her eyes when looking at him...
But Shane only felt a slight chill on the back of his neck and his sphincter tightening slightly.
Combined with Karen's behavior just now... wasn't this fcking a pressure cooker? And one with the valve welded shut and the vent facing him!
Because Karen now used all the energy that would originally lead to self-destruction and harming others to revolve around him.
This declaration of "you are my only one" looked romantic, but thinking about it carefully made his scalp tingle.
What if?
What if he had to leave here temporarily for something in the future? What if he unintentionally made Karen feel neglected one day? What if there were any twists and turns in this relationship...
What would a Karen accustomed to expressing demands in extreme ways, a Karen who poured all her feelings onto one person, do?
Shane dared not think too carefully.
He couldn't help taking out a cigarette, lighting it, and taking a deep drag.
"Really fcking hell."
But this is the fcked-up world, this is the twisted South Side.
...
Shane walked to the door of his house. On the steps, that lump of rotten meat Frank had disappeared.
Shane didn't think much about Frank. He pushed open the house door directly.
The dining table had been cleared, dishes washed, and the TV in the living room was still playing.
Ian was slumped on the sofa, looking like he was about to fall asleep. Carl and Debbie were squeezed at the other end, Debbie still holding that new doll in her arms.
"Hey," Shane greeted them.
"Hey." "Shane, you're back?"
There were only three of them in the living room now. Kevin and V should have gone back. Lip and Fiona should have gone up to the second floor.
"What did you do at Karen's house?" Just as Shane wanted to go up to the second floor, Carl asked directly.
"Doing shameful things." Ian added half-awake.
Shane turned to look at them somewhat helplessly. "So, even if Fiona isn't here, can't you guys pretend to be kids in front of me?"
Carl ignored Ian's sentence completely and asked again: "So, you guys did it?"
Shane: "..."
Debbie said seriously from the side: "Carl, stop asking. Shane won't tell you even if you ask."
"Why not!" Carl was unconvinced.
Ian began to supplement expressionlessly.
"Because you will take notes while listening, then tell people at school after taking notes. Although there is no class tomorrow, you will tell other kids."
"I won't!"
Shane couldn't be bothered to argue with them anymore and prepared to go upstairs directly.
At this time, Fiona's figure appeared at the top of the stairs. She hadn't slept yet. Looking at the scarf around Shane's neck and the hat on his head, she said somewhat teasingly:
"Played enough?"
Shane was a bit speechless. "You make it sound like I went to commit a crime."
Fiona spread her hands with an expression of "that's exactly how it is." "You went to Karen's house. What you did seems similar to a crime."
Carl started to make a fuss again. "Fiona, did he kiss her?"
"Carl, shut up and go to sleep." Fiona roared back directly.
"No class tomorrow anyway."
"Even with no class, get the hell to sleep, I said so."
Seeing Fiona looking a bit angry, Carl immediately shrunk into the sofa, muttering:
"Dictatorship, this is dictatorship."
Shane couldn't be bothered with Carl anymore. He walked straight past Fiona and went upstairs.
Fiona instructed him: "Keep your voice down when you go up; don't wake Liam."
...
Shane pushed open Lip's bedroom door directly. Lip was sitting at the old desk with his back to the door, already running some code on the computer.
"Tsk, grinding code on Thanksgiving night, your way of celebrating is really unique."
Shane closed the door and sat heavily on Carl's bed.
Lip's fingers were still typing on the keyboard, not looking back. "Better than some people running out in the cold to deliver warmth. Why didn't Karen suck your whole person in?"
"Can't help it, my body is too strong, subdued Karen instead."
"Enough of that, I have serious business with you."
"If you want to borrow money, forget it. You are richer than me now. If even you need to borrow money, I definitely can't take it out. But if you say you want me to help you hack into the school system to change grades, the price is negotiable."
Lip finally finished typing the last key, then turned around to face Shane.
"More interesting than that." Shane organized his words, then cut directly to his main point this time.
"Have you heard of Bitcoin?"
"Bitcoin? That virtual stuff made by those crypto geeks?"
Lip was a bit confused.
"I glanced at it a couple of times when browsing a few geek forums. Where did you know about this ghost thing? It has nothing to do with fitness and selling breakfast."