Chapter 86 — Bitch Jasmine Still Ends Up Crossing Paths with Fiona
Mandy's arrival wasn't a coincidence—it was arranged by William.
He needed Mandy to pass a message to Lip.
Of course, indirectly—through Ian's mouth.
"Hey, Ian. I'm heading to the juvenile detention center to see Mickey. Wanna come with me?"
The moment Mickey's name was mentioned, Ian tensed.
He glanced back toward the house, checking the two people inside.
When he saw they weren't paying attention, he finally let out a breath.
"Let's talk outside."
Ian grabbed Mandy by the arm, pulled her away, shut the door behind them, and left the Gallagher house.
Watching Ian get dragged off by Mandy, William knew everything was unfolding exactly as planned.
The show was over for today.
There was no point sticking around to watch Lip stew in silent rage, so William turned and left.
---
Meanwhile, Fiona wandered the streets alone.
She felt helpless.
Exhausted.
Completely crushed.
And, absurdly, she found herself missing the sting of William's whip.
But it was still daytime, so she didn't dare reach out to him.
Without realizing it, Fiona found herself standing in front of an elementary school.
Like a soulless corpse still capable of walking, she drifted into the classroom where preparations for the school party were underway.
"Hi—Fiona, right?"
A voice broke through the fog.
Fiona snapped back to awareness just a little.
"Yeah."
"Abby said you'd be coming. I'm Jasmine Holland. I live over by South Bishop."
"I think I've seen you around," Fiona replied. She vaguely remembered her.
The two began chatting.
Just like in the original storyline, things unfolded naturally.
As Fiona was about to leave, Jasmine reached out and stopped her.
"Want to grab a coffee together?"
Jasmine, too, swung both ways.
It was obvious she had an interest in Fiona.
Faced with the invitation, Fiona's insecurity flared instantly—self-defense kicking in hard.
"I don't drink coffee! I don't have the luxury to sit around in the daytime like you people do!"
"Hey—no need to be so sharp."
But Fiona's prickly defiance only made Jasmine more intrigued.
To be honest, Jasmine wasn't exactly a good person either.
In terms of sheer bitchiness, she ranked near the top even in the original series.
Put bluntly—she wasn't just self-destructive.
She liked dragging others down with her.
"You're right… I'm sorry."
Fiona realized she'd overreacted and lowered her guard.
Jasmine pressed her advantage immediately.
"How about I make it up to you by buying you a drink?"
As she spoke, her gaze lingered on Fiona's body, clearly appraising her, though what she was thinking was impossible to tell.
"So now it's drinks instead of coffee?" Fiona hesitated.
Truth be told, she did need a drink.
Otherwise, the whole house situation was going to drive her insane.
Seventeen hundred dollars.
Even if she sold herself, she wouldn't make that much.
On the South Side, girls working the street could give decent head for two bucks.
She might be pretty, but she didn't exactly have a competitive edge.
Still, pride kept her from agreeing outright.
Jasmine caught that hesitation instantly.
"I'll take that as a yes. Come on~"
---
At the Alibi.
Fiona and Jasmine were playing pool.
"How old are you?" Jasmine asked casually as she lined up a shot. "Did you start school five or six years after me?"
She was already laying the groundwork—thinking ahead to what came next.
"Uh… more like eight years, I think," Fiona replied.
She was only twenty-one, after all.
"Oh my God," Jasmine sighed theatrically. "So I'm officially an old woman."
Fiona, whose emotional intelligence was honestly questionable, nodded seriously.
"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing."
The conversation drifted to family.
"How many kids do you have?" Fiona asked.
"Three. More than enough." Jasmine took another shot.
"I had Hal get a vasectomy. That way, if I ever kick him out, I can always have kids with someone else."
Hal was Jasmine's current husband.
Honestly, Jasmine's values were even more unhinged than the Gallaghers'.
"So you're already thinking about throwing him out?" Fiona stared at her, stunned.
"Sometimes yes, sometimes no," Jasmine said lightly, as if discussing the weather.
"He's actually a good man. There's just one thing that bothers me."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Fiona asked, genuinely curious.
"No passion," Jasmine answered without hesitation.
"Wow. Yeah, that's kind of a big problem," Fiona agreed immediately.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept chasing disaster-level men in the first place.
Men who were stable and responsible usually lacked passion—and Fiona hated that.
"Ladies, your deep-fried artery-clogging fries are ready."
Kevin set a plate of fries on the bar.
Fiona reached for her wallet, but Jasmine waved her off.
"I've got it."
Fiona was strapped for cash and didn't pretend otherwise.
They sat at the bar, drinking, smoking, demolishing the fries.
Talking about fathers.
About William.
About Hal.
Time flew.
"Oh God, I have to go," Jasmine said, checking her watch. "See you tomorrow at the kids' party?"
"Once was enough torture," Fiona replied flatly. "I'm not going back."
She hated those parents—the looks, the judgment, the quiet exclusion.
As a poor South Side girl, she was always the odd one out.
"But now you've got a friend there," Jasmine said gently. "Isn't that reason enough to come?"
She played the emotional card.
Fiona actually liked Jasmine well enough.
"I'll think about it," she said, noncommittal.
Jasmine smiled.
"Okay. Bye."
Then, suddenly, she leaned in and kissed Fiona lightly on the lips.
Fiona froze.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
"O… okay… bye…"
She stood there, completely stunned.
"Damn," Kevin chuckled, walking over. "That kiss just lit the whole place on fire."
"Fuck off," Fiona snapped, still disoriented.
What none of them knew—
William was there too.
Sitting quietly in a corner, a beer in front of him.
"So she ran into Jasmine, huh?" he thought.
"If Fiona takes the 'job' Jasmine's about to offer her, this stops being fun."
That wouldn't do.
Either Fiona slipping out of his control
—or his weapons being passed around by idiots—
Both were unacceptable.
Which meant one thing.
The danger had to be eliminated before it ever took root.
William stood up calmly.
Without letting Fiona notice him, he followed Jasmine out into the night.
---