VANILLA, BABY • KENICKIE

EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT - BOY CALLED JACK

Biology on a Wednesday morning was always a drag. Marty sat beside Ducky, twirling her hair and sighing dramatically as their teacher scribbled something about photosynthesis on the blackboard. Biology was an absolute bore.

"You know what's better than plants, Ducks?" Marty whispered, leaning in. "The Christmas dance. It's only three months away. Think of all the new dresses I could buy."

Ducky smiled, resting her chin in her hand. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll have fun."

"You've got the legs for it. Imagine showing up with a new guy on your arm. Just think of Kenickie's face."

Ducky's lips curved into a sharp grin. "Now that's an idea I can get behind."

Before Marty could tease her further, a ruckus erupted in the corridor. A group of freshmen were banging lockers and shrieking like animals. Mr. Davis groaned, muttered something about "children these days," and marched out of the classroom to deal with it, leaving the room unsupervised.

The second the door shut, the volume in the room went up. Kids whispered, laughed, a paper airplane shot across the air.

"Ducky."

Her name cut through the noise. She raised her head, cocked it to the side and found herself staring at a tall boy standing just a few feet away. Dark brown hair, sharp jawline, varsity jacket slung over his shoulders.

"Yeah? And you are?" she drawled, blowing a strand of hair from her face.

"I'm Jack," he said with a small grin, confident but not cocky. "Tom said you were maybe interested in a double date with him and Sandy. I wanted to ask you out, you know... in person."

Marty's eyes went wide, and she elbowed Ducky under the desk like she'd just been handed front row tickets to a show.

Ducky arched a brow, letting her gaze sweep him from head to toe. In her head, she thought, I can work with this.

He was handsome as hell, broad shoulders filling out that jacket, and she'd bet money he had abs under that white T-shirt. What impressed her most wasn't the muscles though, it was that he'd actually had the guts to approach her.

Most boys wouldn't dare.

"You've got nerve, I'll give you that," she said finally, lips curving into a smirk. "Asking me out in the middle of biology, huh? That your game plan?"

Jack chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I figured if I waited until after class, half the school would be listening in anyway. This way, you've only got an audience of one." He nodded toward Marty, who was practically vibrating with excitement beside her.

"Smart boy," Ducky said. "And what exactly are you offering, Jack?"

"Dinner, dancing, the works. But for now, a double date at the diner, Friday night with Tom and Sandy." He said smoothly. "I don't half-ass things."

Ducky tapped her pen against the desk, cocking her head again as if she was thinking about it.

"Alright, varsity boy. You've got yourself a date."

His grin widened, bright and boyish in a way that almost disarmed her. Almost.

"Could I walk you to your next class?" He asked and she nodded.

As he walked back to his desk, Marty grabbed Ducky's arm, whisper-squealing. "He's gorgeous! And he asked you out like it was nothing! You're so lucky."

Ducky leaned back in her chair, a smug little smile tugging at her lips. "Lucky's not the word, Mart. I'm just getting started."

In the back of her mind, though, she thought about Kenickie leaning against his car, Rizzo pressed against him. For the first time in weeks, the memory didn't sting as sharp. If Jack was willing to step into the fire with her, then maybe, just maybe, she could burn the past right out of her system.

But life had a funny way of working out.

The bell rang, and the classroom exploded with chatter. Ducky slung her bag over her shoulder, but before she could slip out the door, Jack was already there, waiting.

She raised a brow, lips curving into that slow, dangerous grin. "You always this eager, varsity boy?"

"Only when I know it's worth it," he shot back, falling into step beside her.

They moved down the hall together, the crowd parting around them.

"So," he said, "I was thinking I'd pick you up, maybe—"

"Mm, no," Ducky cut him off, not in her usual snapping way, in a nice way. "Better if I meet you at the diner."

He blinked, caught off guard. "Oh. Uh... sure. If that's what you want. I just thought—"

"My dad's strict," Ducky interrupted, eyes narrowing. "Real strict. You show up at my house, and he'll be the one answering the door. You don't wanna deal with that."

Jack visibly gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing as he tried to recover. "Right. Got it."

Ducky smirked, amused by the way his confidence faltered. She leaned in, her voice dropping low enough just for him. "Relax, I'm just messin' with you. Truth is, I just don't like my parents in my business. Easier if we keep it simple, yeah?"

She wasn't just messing, she fully believed if a guy turned up at the house for her, her dad was best the poor boy to a pulp.

Jack exhaled, laughing nervously, and nodded. "Yeah. Simple works."

They rounded the corner and that's when the air shifted.

The T-Birds were standing by the lockers,  Kenickie leaned against the metal, arms folded, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips before he moved it to sit behind his ear, keeping it for later. His eyes flicked up just in time to see Ducky walk past with Jack at her side, her laughter ringing out at something Jack said.

For once, she didn't notice them. She was too busy tossing her hair back, too busy teasing Jack about whether varsity boys could actually dance.

Doody elbowed Kenickie with a grin. "Looks like Ducky's trading' up."

Kenickie didn't answer.

Ducky brushed past them without a glance, her hand brushing Jack's arm as she kept walking, her laughter echoing down the hall.

If she'd seen the way Kenickie's eyes followed her, she might've smiled even wider. But she didn't look back. Not once.