Falling Down(101)

"What?" she asks.
"You can't ignore Joey."
"Oh sure I can. I've learned how to tone all of you out. Every last one of you including your friends you had over in high school. Take Jace, for instance."
Jace squirms a bit in his chair, being put on the spot.
"No more than thirty minutes ago he started talking to Kennedy about the… sluts they… entertained a few nights ago. I toned that right out. There are some things a mother doesn't need to hear and she learns very early on how to make that happen."
"Wow," Jace says blushing.
"I'm not going to even lecture you men on the importance of respecting women," she says and they all shift in their chairs, all besides Jesse who smirks.
"And you, Jesse Kingston. You better be the most respectful of them all. You are, after all, involved with my daughter--"
"And Nana Russo taught mama how to put hexes and curses on people," Sera says straight-faced.
"That she did. While I believe my mother-in-law was spawned from the devil incarnate, she has taught me many useful things."
Jesse takes a sip of his beer, totally relaxed. He shrugs. "I'm not concerned," he says. Everyone raises their eyebrows. "You know why?" he asks.
"Why's that?" I ask.
"Because I do respect you and if there comes a time when I treat you disrespectfully I damn well deserve whatever your mom and nana bring on me."
I pat his cheek with my hand. "Oh you brave, stupid man."
Sera laughs.
I kiss his lips and he smirks. Oh, those dimples. My gaze zeroes in on them and his smirk turns into a knowing grin.
I lean forward and whisper in his ear, "Lick."
"Anywhere you want," he whispers back.
Evil. I shouldn't be thinking of licking Jesse's body from head to toe with my mama and daddy sitting no more than ten feet away, but damn if I'm not. Pure evil, that is Jesse Kingston.
Earlier Sera and I brought out the journals of songs we'd all written before, during, and after high school. Meggie and Trace were thumbing through a few of them, as were Xander and Ben.
"Who wrote this one?" Ben asks, trying to show me the page.
"I can't see that without my glasses. What's the title?"
"Blush."
Everyone gets quiet and I feel my cheeks heat up, my heart is pounding in my chest. "I did."
"Thought so," he replies. "It needs to go on your album."
"Why?" I ask incredulously.
"You know why."
"Now I want to hear it," Jesse says.
"No, really, you don't."
"Oh, I don't know," Sera says running her tongue over her teeth. "I think he probably does."
"Bitch."
She laughs.
"What's going on?" Jesse asks.
"Nothing."
"If it's nothing, then you can sing it for me."
Shit. I sigh.
"Do you mind if I borrow your guitar for a few minutes, Kennedy?" Sera asks.
"Nope," he says, as he stops strumming the chords and willingly hands it over to her. "Have at it."
Sera pulls up a chair next to mine and strums a few chords.
"I should really wait to sing until--"
Jesse shakes his head. "You're evading. Now you have to sing it so I can see what you're hiding."
I look down at my hands. "I apologize in advance."
"For what?"
"You'll see," Joey says with a chuckle.
"Shut up, Joseph. It's a lovely song," my mother says.
Well then. Here we go revealing… everything.
"Ready?" Sera asks. I nod and close my eyes, going to the place where nothing exists but music. I start to sing, with Sera singing backup on the chorus.