To Be Young And In Love In New York City

Chapter 25: "Miss Whatever-Your-Name-Is"

October's chilly weather had officially settled down in New York City. Almost everyone had brought out their thick sweaters and jackets that day, some pairing them with beanies and ear muffs.

Jesse watched people carry on with their lives from the little window in River's bedroom, lost in deep thought. Though everything had gone right with his father that day, he was distressed. Ernesto's living conditions was really bothering him; the tiny, messy, tarnished one-room apartment flashing in his mind every now and then.

How did he survive there for so long?

And why did it never once occur to him to go see Ernesto all these years?

He knew Ernesto worked for Jessica and Carl when he was living with them, they did tell him he was poor and led a miserable life but why did he never think to visit him? Had the money and luxuries he had from being Jessica and Carl's son blinded him of what reality was?

Though Jessica and Carl never treated him like a son, they gave him full access to all the money he ever wanted. Maybe they thought that if they distracted him with money, he would never find pay attention to how terribly he was being mistreated.

But nope, that plan backfired a long time ago.

And what did he do with all that money? Splurge huge amounts of it on big parties every weekend, buy alcohol and drugs and sex, all because he thought it would fill the void of childhood neglect.

If he had known Ernesto was living like that, he would've helped him a lot sooner. But no, he was too busy self-sabotaging and making plans on how to ruin River's life

God. What an idiot I was.

And here he was, with a compelling need to help his father but zero money, and sharing a room with a guy he had spent years hating.

Karma was a bitch alright.

The door opened and Nari and Jaden walked in. Jaden waved Jesse's guitar in his face, nudging him. "Nari wants you to play the guitar," He said, and she nodded.

Jesse shook his head. "Not right now, buddy, I'm not really in the mood. Maybe later?"

"Please?" Nari pleaded, her eyes growing big.

Jesse sighed. "Sorry bud."

"The request's from me too."

Jesse turned his head sideways to look at Colette and River standing at the doorway. Colette smiled and walked over to them, sitting on the floor before Jesse.

"Please," She smiled wider, as River joined her on the floor.

"Yeah, pwease," River mocked Colette, earning him a punch from her.

Jesse rolled his eyes at the couple, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Fine."

Jaden handed over the guitar to Jesse and settled down in Colette's lap, Nari copying him and sitting in River's.

Jesse sat the guitar in his lap, gently tracing the outline as though he hadn't felt it in a long time. Reaching for the guitar strings, he gently strummed them, provoking a soft melody to escape it. Picking up the pace, he added more fingers and the guitar sang out a melancholic tune.

He was amazing. Colette assumed he was a pretty good guitarist from what River had told her, but pretty good was an absolute understatement. She could see Jesse loosen up in a way he had never before, his fingers effortlessly strumming excellent tunes as he got lost in them. It was magical to watch him like that.

"He's so good," Colette whispered in River's ear and he nodded excitedly.

The moment Jesse finished, all four of them broke into a loud applause. He grinned, setting his guitar beside him.