Chapter 25
" I'm like fucking Gandhi, I swear "
Rochelle Quinn's POV:
"I'll have a glass of vodka with a side of lemons please, Blondie." I leaned on the door and grinned as Keegan jumped up in shock at my voice.
"I know it's late but I'm sure Mom will notice if anymore alcohol goes missing from the cellar." He grinned, tightening his grip on his coffee cup. He was hunched over and biting his lip harshly- something was obviously up with him.
"What's wrong, Keegan?" I asked carefully, not wanting to push him into telling me anything uncomfortable.
Despite all the issues I was using the Jensen's to fix, a part of me genuinely cared for Keegan and Kade and their innocence.
"Everything's just stressing me out, Rock, I don't know what to do." He puts the cup down and places his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair.
"Wanna talk about it?" Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.
"Yeah, okay."
Shit. I'm the worst at comforting people.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I gestured for him to speak, waiting patiently.
"I'm worried about Kade." He tangled his fingers together, cracking them. "I know how much bullying can hurt someone mentally and I don't know how it's going to affect him. And then Kace and Jackson hurting Sammy constantly. Kenzie be-"
"Kenzie?"
Keegan caught my eye then, I saw him tighten the grip on his hand as he spoke. "Kenzie's just...sad, I guess. He barely talks to us, he barely even looks at us. I've heard Dad say that he wants to send him to a Military school because of how he is. I already feel like I haven't got a brother, I don't know how I'll be if I can't even see him."
What the fuck?
"I know Kenzie has his issues but he seems relatively happy." Or at least he is around Keegan.
Keegan scoffed then, but it seemed more sad than disbelieving. "He's only like that around you. He's entirely different, I saw him laugh for the first time in years last week, Rock. He doesn't talk to any of us unless he needs to, he always speaks to Kace but that's probably because they both seem to hate Dad."
He's only like that around you.
My phone vibrated in my pocket after Keegan finished speaking, I checked it eagerly.
Jess
We're meeting up tomorrow. Meet me near the ring at 9
Keegan looked at me suspiciously as I beamed at my phone.
"Do you wanna come out with me tomorrow? I promise it'll be fun."
-&-
"Damnnnnnn girl that ass looks proper. Where she get it from? She got it from her momma. That booty talkin' to me. Girl hello. That booty talkin' to me. Girl hello."
Kenzie raised his eyebrows at me as I danced into my room, with two bottles of vodka in my hand.
"That booty talkin' to me, imma talk back to it." I sang, passing him one of the bottles and taking a swig of my own. The bitter taste ran down my throat as I drank it like water.
"You're crazy, Rae." He shook his head, a small grin on his face.
"You not gonna drink that?" I pointed at the bottle in his hands, slurring my words slightly.
"I never expected you to be a lightweight." He scoffed amusingly, taking a small sip of his drink.
"I'm not a lightweight, you dick!" I closed my eyes as a wave of exhaustion hit me. "You need to remind me to replace 5 bottles of wine that your Mom had in the cellar."
"What am I going to do with you, Rae?" He said it so softly that I almost didn't catch the words.
"What am I going to do with you, Gothy?" I questioned back, swaying slightly. "I thought you was okay, you didn't have a panic attack or nightmare for a couple of days. You had it under control."
"I found something to help me with the nightmares, Rock." His voice came out softer than before, I heard him take another swig of the bottle.
"And what was that, Mr Draculaaaa?" I slid down the wall, placing the bottle next to me and holding my knees to my chest.
"It's a secret."
"Noooo." I extended the last letter, grabbing the bottle again and letting the bitter taste hit my tongue. "No secrets, Kenz, I don't like secrets."
"Why don't you tell me what you want to forget then??" He pushed, sitting down across from me.
"I want to forget being in this house." I lost control of what I was saying. God, I really need to stop drinking. "I want to forget all of it. The homes, Bulldog, life."
"Bulldog?"
I felt like someone had tipped a bucket of iced water on me as the name left his mouth. My eyes opened instantly,
"That's sneaky." I gulped, trying to make sure he didn't notice my distress. "I already told you; Story for a story."
"What if I don't have a story to tell, Rochelle?"
I knew he didn't mean to say it harshly but it still cause me to flinch at the word. His eyes turned worried but he didn't speak.
"First, don't ever call me that again or I'll make everything I've ever done before look weak." I said through gritted teeth, trying to contain my heightened anger. "Second of all, everyone's got a story, Kenz. Every single person on this planet has something worth sharing."
"You speak wisely for someone drunk." He stated, not showing any other expression on my face.
"You should see me when I'm with Alec and the rest of them. I'm like fucking Gandhi, I swear." I chuckled quietly, downing another mouthful of the now tasteless liquid.
"How old did you start drinking?!" I closed my eyes again and smiled as I heard the disbelief in his voice.
I diverted my eyes to a spot next to Kenzie. "11 or 12. I don't remember the specifics. It wasn't just drinking though, we always had something else on us, whether it be a joint or a smoke."
"How aren't you dead?!" His eyes widened, "Surely you would've caused some damage to your body."
"Trust me, Kenz, I ask myself the same question everyday."
"You confuse me, Rock." He said idly, his voice not giving away anything.
"And why's that?" I tilted my head slightly, looking at him curiously.
"You're dangerous. But I don't feel like I'll burn if I get close to you."
I smiled, "You'll do more than just burn, Kenzie. I'll set the world on fire before I get close to a foster brother again."
*-*
Thank you all so much for reading!
QOTC: What would you like to see in the Christmas chapters??
All my love,
Laska xx