A Different Kind Of Dysfunction - A Shameless Fanfiction (Book One)

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Adeline wanted to die.

People were openly staring now. Phones came out.

Teachers hovered near the back, whispering to each other.

Sophie’s name was called over the speaker.

She stepped up to the mic just as Sylvia yelled, “They’re nothing without me!”

Sophie didn’t blink.

She didn’t flinch.

She accepted the certificate, shook the principal’s hand, and turned to the audience.

Adeline expected her to cry.

Or run.

Or freeze.

Instead, Sophie looked directly at Sylvia, calm and clear.

“Thanks for the award,” she said into the mic. “Most of us had to raise ourselves, but... here we are.”

Applause broke out — scattered at first, then louder.

Sylvia blinked, stunned.

Sophie walked offstage, back straight.

The principal stepped in, awkwardly transitioning to the next student.

Sylvia stood there, swaying slightly.

Then, under her breath — just loud enough for Adeline and Rory to hear — she spat, “Ungrateful little whores. You’ll see. You’ll all see.”

And she turned and stormed out, knocking over a folding chair as she left.

---

The silence after she left wasn’t comfortable.

It was heavy. Sticky. Watching.

Rory sat down slowly, face red, fists clenched in his lap.

Adeline stayed standing for another second.

Then she turned to the vice principal, who was hovering nearby, clearly unsure whether to intervene.

Adeline forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said calmly.

“She’s... not well.”

The vice principal nodded stiffly.

“We’ll be following up.”

Adeline nodded. “Of course.”

She sat down. Didn’t say a word.

Rory leaned toward her.

“She just killed it,” he said.

Adeline didn’t answer.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

---

Outside, Sophie lit a cigarette with trembling fingers.

Rory appeared beside her. “Badass speech.”

Sophie laughed without humor. “I blacked out halfway through it.”

“You still burned her.”

Sophie exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl into the night.

Adeline stepped outside last.

They stood together, the three of them, in the cold under flickering parking lot lights, their breath clouding the air.

“You think it’s gonna be worse when we get home?” Sophie asked.

Adeline shook her head. “She’s not there.”

Sophie arched an eyebrow.

“I stopped by earlier. Flushed the vodka. Took her keys. She’ll end up passed out at a bar or in a parking lot somewhere.”

“Jesus,” Rory muttered.

“She made a scene,” Sophie said. “In front of the entire school.”

“Yeah,” Adeline said. “She did.”

“And now what?”

Adeline looked at both of them.

Her voice was steady.

“Now everyone knows.”

---

That night, Sylvia didn’t come home.

Adeline didn’t sleep.

The phone didn’t ring — not yet — but she knew it would.

A wellness check. Another visit. A threat.

They couldn’t hide anymore.

But maybe, she thought, maybe they didn’t have to.

Maybe if people saw the truth — really saw — they’d finally stop pretending everything was fine.

And maybe that was step one.

Not safety.
Not healing.

Just being seen.

[Word count: ~917 words]