Chapter Six – Lee and Jesse
Lee grabbed the remote from Jesse's hands and clicked off the television.
"You better get home," he said.
"Why should I?" Jesse asked in a cocky tone as he folded his arms over his chest. "Dad's gonna be pissed cause I wasn't at school and they'll probably just kick me out again tonight anyway. They say I'm a bad influence on 'the little ones.'"
Lee shrugged his shoulders. "You are."
Jesse gave him the evil eye.
Lee sat beside Jesse on the couch and looked at him. "You need to talk to them anyway, Jess. You need to—"
"I've already talked to you, Lee! You're the only one I can talk to. They've got enough to deal with; I don't need to burden them with this."
"You're only making it worse, Jesse," Lee said with worry in his voice. "You're just delaying the inevitable. The longer you wait, the more upset they'll be when you tell them."
Jesse stood up, grabbed his jacket off the recliner chair, and headed for the door. "You mean if I tell them," he said before he slammed the door shut.
Lee grabbed the remote from Jesse's hands and clicked off the television.
"You better get home," he said.
"Why should I?" Jesse asked in a cocky tone as he folded his arms over his chest. "Dad's gonna be pissed cause I wasn't at school and they'll probably just kick me out again tonight anyway. They say I'm a bad influence on 'the little ones.'"
Lee shrugged his shoulders. "You are."
Jesse gave him the evil eye.
Lee sat beside Jesse on the couch and looked at him. "You need to talk to them anyway, Jess. You need to—"
"I've already talked to you, Lee! You're the only one I can talk to. They've got enough to deal with; I don't need to burden them with this."
"You're only making it worse, Jesse," Lee said with worry in his voice. "You're just delaying the inevitable. The longer you wait, the more upset they'll be when you tell them."
Jesse stood up, grabbed his jacket off the recliner chair, and headed for the door. "You mean if I tell them," he said before he slammed the door shut.