VANILLA, BABY • KENICKIE

FIVE

CHAPTER 5 - Hell

It was after 6 in the evening, her father hadn't been home all day. He had been at work, putting the hours in like he always did. Her father was a workaholic but he had always been. He was very high up in his career and he brought home a lot of money which kept her mother happy.

"French, I'm meeting Kenickie tonight. After mum and dad go to sleep." She admitted to her sister, not wanting to say goodbye. If she said goodbye, that meant that Frenchy would know and she wouldn't understand. Her father and mother didn't like Kenickie, they thought he wasn't good enough for their little girl but he was perfect. He supported her, he calmed her soul, he loved her. She couldn't wait to tell him her good news.

"You guys are too horny! Sneaking out, doing god knows what." French rolled her eyes.

"We just like to spend time with each other, that isn't a crime..." she giggled.

"I'm going to marry him one day." She stated and smiled thinking about him. She would marry that man one day and they would start a family together. She couldn't think of loving anyone else, he was it for her.

Her father had come home later the expected, looking stressed with his tie loose, it must of been a hard day for him. They were sat at the dinner table when her father joined them. He sat down looking towards his wife and smiled weakly.

"How was your day, daddy?" Ducky smiled, her father looked up and almost stared her out but she hardly noticed.

"It was good, my love. How are my girls?" He asked looking between his daughters.

"I got an A in my exam results." Ducky smiled and nudged Frenchy to gloat childishly.

"Dad, I wanted to ask you something. Don't freak out." Her sister began, oh god.

"Francesca-"

"I want to go to beauty school, I think it would be really beneficial for me, daddy." She awaited the raised voices but they never came.

"Of course, anything for you."

Frenchy raised her eyebrow, shocked but she didn't question it, her father had agreed which was strange. Ducky had been practically forced to get good grades to try and get into Harvard University to study law. Her father wanted his daughters to be well educated, he didn't like the stereotypes of a woman staying home and raising children, he wanted his daughters to have a good career and he wanted his daughters to continue the wealth. Of course, he would never deny his children what they wanted. If they didn't want to work, he would support them and give them an allowance but Frenchy and Ducky wanted to work.

They attended public school which was what their mother wanted, if it was up to their father, they would have been put into a private school. But what his wife wanted, she got. He was a good husband and he was a better father, he wanted to put his girls on the right path but sometimes they made it difficult.

"Lorenzo, my sweetheart, is everything okay?" Their mother called out to their father.

"Everything is taken care of, I'm going to head to bed early, girls." He abruptly stood up, held the bridge of his nose with his fingers and went upstairs to his shared bedroom.

"He must of had a rough day, mum why don't you have an early night. Me and French will clean up." She smiled to her mother.

Their mother had left the girls downstairs, she was grateful as her daughters were good girls. Ducky had waited an hour and a half to make sure her parents had gone to sleep for the night and Frenchy helped her climb down the drainpipe from her room on the first floor to the ground. To say she had down this a lot of times would be an understatement but she was excited. She had her bag in her shoulder with some money in it and she supposed she would try and find a job when they left town. She was nervous but she couldn't wait to see her man.

They had agreed to meet just down from her street so her parents wouldn't wake up to the sound of a car stopping outside their house, just like they did normally.

She walked faster as she approached their meeting destination but his car wasn't there, she bit her lip and checked her watch and he was late. She stood for a further half an hour, sitting on the curb of the sidewalk, patiently waiting for Kenickie but he never showed up.

He always showed up. Always, for her.

She sighed, letting out breath as she stood up and decided that she would walk to his house. It wasn't too long a walk but it was far enough that she would have liked to have a car to get herself there quicker. It took her near enough an hour to walk to his street. She felt angry and disappointed but maybe he couldn't leave his house, maybe he couldn't escape his mother or little brother. He would clear up the misunderstanding to her when she saw him.

The first thing she saw was his light in his bedroom window, he was awake. Maybe he just forgot? How could he forget, he never forgot about her.

She tapped lightly on his bedroom window, she saw a shadow moving away until it wasn't there anymore. She heard the front door open and close and she moved in its direction. Kenickie was standing there with a bloodied lip and a bruised face, with a white vest and jeans on.

"Baby, what happened?" She went to fuss over him, confused at his state.

"It doesn't matter, Ducks." He mumbled. She tried to move closer but he held her wrists to stop her from touching his face to assess the damage.

"The hell, it doesn't."

"Listen, Dulcibella. We need to stop this. I can't do this anymore." He announced as he looked at the ground beneath them, he couldn't look her in the eyes or he would break.

"Baby-"

"Go home, Dulcibella. I've let this go on far too long."

And that was the night that the love of her life shattered her heart into a million pieces.