Chapter 38
" Fuck being a gang member, I should've been an actress. "
Rochelle Quinn's POV:
I drove Rowan back to his foster families home, the car ride was entirely silent.
Kane didn't comment when I basically forced him to give me his car keys, ignoring Doyle's attempt of argument.
I turned to my brother, making sure he could see the sincerity in my eyes. "You go into that house and you make sure they know who the fuck they're dealing with."
He hesitated, "Rock, what if they try to do anything?"
I paused, "Do you want me to come in?"
He nodded his head.
I gestured to the door, following him as he walked into the house and went to the living room. I stayed back out of sight, listening to what he was saying.
"So the little shit's finally back?" Mrs Moore's voice sneered, slurring slightly in a way that was almost unnatural.
I halted my breath, clenching my fists as a wave of anger almost possessed me.
"If you do anything else to me ever again, my sisters gonna walk through that door and kick your motherfucking ass." Rowan threatened, his voice taking over a dangerous edge. Pride consumed me as I heard the wrath and threat leak through his tone.
"Rochelle? You're betting on Rochelle? The girl who gave up on you years ago?" Mr Moore commented disbelievingly, scoffing at my little brother.
"I always have, and she never gave up on me." My heart warmed at my words, I needed my brother to realize he wasn't alone.
I needed to repair all the damage he had faced.
A sharp slap echoed throughout the house, followed by a crash.
My brother must've fell to the floor.
Some bitch is gonna die today.
I shot into the room without hesitating, taking one glance at my brothers beaten form and grabbing Moore by his neck. I slammed him up to the nearest wall and put pressure on my grip, a blazing fire of fury lighting my eyes.
"If you ever," I spat the words at him, blocking his airways further. "Ever touch my brother again, I will kill you."
I dropped him, letting him fall and nurse his sore neck.
"Are you threatening my husband?" Mrs Moore looked at me in shock.
I almost vomited at the sight of her.
Her hair was greasy and dirty, the once vibrant locks lacked life and nurture.
It was disappointing seen as she used to be quite a beautiful woman.
I clenched my fists, "Certainly."
"We can hurt you worse than you can hurt us." She said with uncertain confidence.
I scoffed darkly, staring at her with a volatile glacé of disbelief. "Then I guess you won't mind if I fight back, will ya?"
I kneeled down next to Rowan, ignoring Bitch 1 and 2.
"Listen to me." I whispered under my breath, keeping my gaze locked in his in a bid to avoid looking at the red mark blossoming on his face. "Keep your head down, get out of the house as much as you can. I'll sort you money out so you can get food and stay somewhere else. We just need to wait until I'm 19 and I promise I'll get you the fuck out of this place."
I always keep my promises.
"Okay." He breathed out, a hopeful undertone in his iris'. "I love you, Rock."
I ruffled his hair, staring at him sadly. "I love you too, little bro. I'm sorry."
*-*-*
"I'm just a bachelor. I'm looking for a partner. Someone who knows how to ride. Without even falling off." I sang, causing Alec to stare at me weirdly.
"Gotta be compatible. Takes me to my limits. Girl when I break you off. I promise that you won't want to get off."
Oh Channing sing to me, baby.
Raising my voice with Beyoncé-like confidence, I sung. "If you're horny, let's do it. Ride it, my pony. My saddle's waiting. Come and jump on it!"
Sky turned around, glaring at me. "Do you ever learn to shut the fuck up?!"
I narrowed my eyes playfully at him, sticking my tongue out. "Don't ruin my fun."
He huffed, walking out of the room. Ivan was playing on Keegan's PS4 so I could only assume that he was going to play with them.
"Can't you just try to fit in with them?" Alec crossed his arms as I glanced at him, slowly shaking my head.
"With who?" I asked slowly, noticing his gaze resting on the family photograph of the Jensen's.
I continued, understanding who he meant. "I don't want to 'fit in'. I don't have any plans to become a stereotypical American Princess. I am me and it has taken me years to realise how important that is. So no, I won't try to fit in. I refuse to change for anyone. I'm nothing like them, why should I act like them?"
"You don't have to change, Rocky, you just have to be a normal kid."
"What is a normal kid, Alec? A kid who didn't grow up in care? A kid who has a Mom and Dad? We're not normal, Al. We'll never be normal." I scoffed, since when he did side with them? I'm not a Jensen. I didn't grow up like them, life wasn't easy.
They grew up together. Alec always had Ivan and Sky. The Jensen's always has each other.
For a very long time, I had no one but myself to rely on. I had to care for Rowan alone.
"Why can't we be?" I didn't answer him. He raised his voice. "Because of the home? Because we don't have parents? Because of Bulldog?"
I tensed as the name slipped out of his mouth, quickly taking a step back as though the word hit me.
"You're so busy trying to be tough that you've forgotten how to be brave, Rock. You can fight, I'm well aware of that. And there's no way he'll ever hurt you again, but you're still scared of his name. Why?"
I paused for a second, my finger unintentionally skimmed over the risen scar on my wrist. "I thought you'd be able to understand without me having to say the words, Alec." I smiled sadly. "You should know that who we are and who we needed to be in order to get through that hell are two very different people."
"You're not surviving though, Rocky. You're not fine either, you've never been fine." He interrupted me again as I opened my mouth to argue back. "You're never going to be fine if you carry on the way you are; Hateful, distrustful, angry. If we allow ourselves to be filled of hate and anger then they have won. They took our childhood, Rock, we can't let them take our hearts too."
"That's a bit rich coming from you." The sarcastic comment slipped from my lips before I had the chance to stop it. Regret consumed me instantly as a wave of pain flashed through his eyes.
He shook his head at me, "We're not hateful, Rock, I promise you. We just prefer to stick with ourselves, people get hurt if they get close to us. You should understand that after the life you got dragged into as a kid."
"You know, I spent the last five years trying to find closure from everything that happened. The things I seen, the things I did, the person I became. But through all them attempts to find peace with myself, all them attempts to despise you and everyone else, I figured out that the hardest part was not being able to hate you. And I wanted to hate you, Alec, I wanted to hit you until I couldn't feel my hands anymore, I wanted to blame you, and Ivan, and Sky for everything that happened to me. But I couldn't because, despite it being the worst part of my life, it was one of the best."
"I'm so sorry about that, Rock, it wasn't right."
"Don't apologize for that stuff, Alec because in the end, I'd do it all again without a second thought." I turned away from him, walking through the doors to find the basement.
Walking down the stairs, I was greeted instantly with shouts of competition.
"The fuck are you doing shooting me?! I'm on your team." Sky complained loudly.
I grinned as I noticed them sat all around the television. Sky, Keegan and Ivan were sat on the gaming chairs, in full concentration with the round they were playing. Kade was sat idly in the corner of the room, scribbling notes onto paper with his headphones shutting him out from the world. Kace and Kane were playing snooker on the other side of the room.
Maybe I could fit in with them.
Maybe I could be normal again.
"You're such a dick!" Sky exclaimed, not breaking concentration with the screen.
Ivi smiled smugly, shrugging. "Yeah well, you are what you eat."
Everyone froze at his sentence, looking at him in shock.
I wanted to scream and shout from the top of my lungs.
I haven't heard him make a sex joke since we were younger.
I grinned, deciding to take the joke even further. I raised my eyebrows. "So does that make me a dick or a pussy?"
The expression on everyone's faces was Oscar worthy. And I still managed to keep a straight face.
Fuck being a gang member, I should've been an actress.
Ivan kissed his teeth, examining me jokingly. "Definitely a dick."
"Well, aren't you just delightful." I smiled, shaking my head at the blatant sarcasm.
"Rocky?" I turned around at Keegan's voice, waiting for him to continue. "When did you lose your virginity?"
I froze, trying to look as normal as possible despite my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. "I was 14."
I continued, noticing Kace's gaze on me. "And no I'm not a slut, I lost it to someone I thought I loved. It just proved I was wrong."
Sky's eyes darkened, his protective instincts taking control. "Who?"
I swallowed, "You know who." I said bitterly.
Confusion. "Remind me."
"Killian."
"What?" A menacing voice sounded from behind me, sending shivers down my spine.
Shit.
Alec and Kenzie stood in the basement entrance, both staring at me.
"You betrayed us?" Alec glared at me, shock cascading his exterior.
"No." I shook my head, without offering any further comment.
Alec ignored me, going to sit next to Sky and Ivan. I felt a sharp pain in my chest as he walked past me without looking once.
Kenzie sat down next to me; We glanced at everyone across the room.
"So you lost your virginity young then?" He stared down at his knees, waiting for my answer.
I shrugged, my voice not coming out any louder than a whisper. "I know who people who lost it younger than me."
Kenzie appeared to relax at that, "Why was you so young? Did he force you?"
My brows furrowed at the question, force me?
I'd never let a man put his hands on me without my consent. And if they did, I'd break them.
"It was consensual, Kenzie. As I said, I thought I loved him." I explained, looking down at my lap and twirling my fingers together.
He grabbed my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, Rae."
I squeezed his hand, I promised, "And I won't let the person who gave you the nightmares ever hurt you again."
Kenzie just smiled at me sadly.
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Hi Everyone!
Thanks for reading this chapter!
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All my love,
Laska xx