That night, neither Marie, Kyle nor their mothers left the hotel. The following days, the four of them continued living together. The two women would rotate as for who would accompany the kids to school. This was how the relationship between all of them grew.
However, the teenage boy was no fool, he understood that their happy family life was bound to come to an end eventually. After all, this wasn’t the first time something like this had occurred. Nevertheless, he was happy while it lasted, and he knew that he would always find Marie at school, even if things returned to normal.
One day, when Kyle and Marie came back from school together, they found Marie’s mother with a large smile on her face, currently talking with Kai’s mother.
“Are you sure about this?” The blonde woman Eleanor asked. It was a name that suited Kyle;s mother well. Still, at the moment she had a concerned look on her face. Just like her son, Eleanor Hamper had been dreading this day, afraid that her childhood friend might get fooled by that bastard once more.
“You saw his message, Ellie! He told me how he's been going to Anger Management Therapy. According to his therapist he’s already doing much better, and he promised me the second he raises his voice, that I will be free to leave him be.
“I didn’t believe him at first either, but he showed me the appointments and everything. This time really will be different. He was even crying on the phone. Thank you for always helping out, seriously. I promise we’ll pay you back for your help. Let’s have brunch over the weekend, and then, once you’ll see I’m all okay, you will have some peace of mind.”
One could tell that Eleanor’s face was still filled with doubt, but in the end she gave her friend a smile. She had tried convincing Kiki in the past not to fall for it, yet it had proven to be an impossible task.
“Make sure to keep your phone on you at all times, and promise to contact me at the first sign that he’s up to no good. I don’t care what time of day it might be, if he so much as just flinches at you, call me, text me or simply come to me, okay?” Saying this, she grabbed Kiki’s hand and looked her straight in her eyes. Marie’s mother nodded, and grabbed the few bags filled with her belongings, as well as those of her daughter.
Before leaving, she looked at Kyle.
“Thank you, for being such a good friend to my Marie. During these difficult times, it’s good to know that there is someone else who is looking out for her just as much as I am.” Mrs Degrace praised him, making him blush slightly.
When walking out the door, Kyle managed to catch a glimpse of Marie’s face. Unlike her mother who was all smiles, her daughter’s eyes were wide, and she looked a little shaken. Clearly, she didn't want to leave this place to return to her father’s side, not believing in his ability to change.
“Mum, we have lots of money, don’t we? Then why can't we help them? You’ve already been paying for a place for the two of them to live, so why can’t we just continue living like this?” Kyle asked dejectedly.
“Oh, Kai, if only it was that easy.” Eleanor sighed as she ruffled her son’s hair using the name she had wanted to give him, rather than the one his father had insisted on. “Even if Kiki would finally decide to break up with that bastard, he isn’t someone who would just let her go. He would make her life here in Slough even more of a living hell.
“Her best option might be to completely leave the town and run to the other side of the world to escape him, and that requires a lot of money. Even then, I’m afraid that man would just hunt her down. His reputation and ego wouldn’t allow him to become someone who was left by a woman.
“Believe me, I’ve thought long and hard how to help the two of them, but this simply is a problem that money can’t solve. Besides, the money I used to house them… it’s not really ours to use.”
Hearing these words, Kyle understood. Although he might not know all the details, his mother had told him about how his father was involved with the underworld. Part of him used to believe that this might have been the reason Damion had barely ever interacted with him. Then again, that might just be wishful thinking on his part, who had desired a fatherly figure in his life…
The last few times he remembered seeing his father, had been during his previous birthdays, and even that had been for only around an hour, before his father had left to take care of ‘business’. Eventually, he had grown used to being treated like a ‘chore’ rather than a priority in Damion’s life.
Kyle also remembered seeing Marie’s father on his last birthday, a burly fellow who might as well have been the picture of the word ‘brute’. Unfortunately, he wasn’t just an ordinary Underdogs member, but someone in the inner circle.
As for the reason his mother felt guilty, well that was because she was the one that accidentally introduced Kiki into the Underdog world. She had never expected that the two would fall in love, and have a child together, and although they weren't married, the man truly seemed to be obsessed with her childhood friend.
Regardless of his mother’s stance, Kyle still started to think if there was a way for them to get out of the whole mess, and he believed to have come up with a couple of possible solutions.
“Don't even think about getting involved, young man!” Eleanor chided her son, recognising his slight smirk as a sign that he just came up with an idea. “This is adult business, and you shouldn’t meddle with it. It’s far more dangerous than you seem to believe!”
Heeding his mother’s stern warning, especially since it was a rarity for her to raise her voice at him, Kyle decided to disregard his ideas. He trusted that she knew best. After all, while he might think himself clever, he knew exactly who he got his intelligence from.
Nothing unusual happened during the next week. He naturally spent time with Marie at school, and she recounted what was happening at her home. The teenage girl still had trouble believing it, but there was at least less anger in her father’s voice.
Marie had even been dragged into one of those Anger Management Therapy sessions, where her father had apologised to his daughter, as well as Miss Degrace. From what Marie had been told, her mother had accompanied him a few more times.
Then, on the tenth day, something strange happened.
When Kyle took his seat, Marie wasn’t there. He didn’t think much of it at first, until class started, and she was still nowhere to be seen. The teenager texted her whether she might have fallen ill, yet he got no reply. After the first period, he went to ask a teacher if they knew anything, only to be told that they were just as clueless as him. There had been no sick note, no call from her parents or anything.
Immediately, Kyle called up his mother, who informed him that she was looking after them, that they had booked the hotel once again. Hearing this, he was slightly elated, though at the same time a bit worried. It appeared that the cycle had just started over again, yet this time it had happened far sooner than before.
Last time, they had been at his side for a couple of months, yet this time barely any time had passed. Kyle wrote Marie another text about how he would excuse her and bring over their homework later.
After school was over, he reached the hotel room… where he immediately dropped his bag the moment he saw Marie.
The teenage girl had a bloody nose and a swollen eye.
****
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