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    Bart & Jesse: a love story
    Bart & Jesse: a love story
    Bart & Jesse: a love story
    Ebook115 pages1 hour

    Bart & Jesse: a love story

    By Andre' Mwansa and Nicci Harris

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    About this ebook

    Jesse

    This is my final year of high school. On to bigger and better things. I can’t wait to get the hell out of this town and away from my brother and family as soon as possible.

    No one at my school understands how hard it is to share your youth with a disabled brother. Ugh, no one even knows I have a disabled brother! I hide Jake.

    I hide my imperfection.

    Even from him.

    Bart

    I couldn't care less about getting a college degree, hell, I couldn't care less about graduating high school, but I'll do it, because that's what is expected of me.

    Nothing has been the same since my father died, and my mother has moved on without me. I can’t move on. His memory still haunts me.

    I hide my imperfections.

    Even from her.

    **This is a short love story unlike any other. Written by two completely different people on opposite sides of the planet as a writing exercise. It started with a chapter. No direction. No agreed upon narrative thread. It turned into a unique and cute little love story about assumptions, self-awareness and above all trust.**

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAndre' Mwansa
    Release dateAug 20, 2020
    ISBN9781005331214
    Bart & Jesse: a love story
    Author

    Andre' Mwansa

    Born, August 28 1997An avid reader. Lives in Lusaka, Zambia. Love cats and writes short stories from time to time. You can contact him at andremwansa7@gmail.comAndre', writes for pleasure. His and yours.

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      Book preview

      Bart & Jesse - Andre' Mwansa

      Contents:

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Chapter Twenty One

      Chapter Twenty Two

      About NC Harris

      About Andre' Mwansa

      Chapter ONE: JESSE

      A whimper echoes through the house. "Help."

      I drop my mascara and race down the corridor, into the bathroom, where I see Jake, tugging on Mum's hair, laughing manically. He's in the bathtub, and has her strands knotted up in his fist. She sits beside him, eyes fastened shut, wincing at each tug of her hair.

      I breathe in sharply and take a controlled step into the bathroom. Jake, let Mum go.

      He sniggers, and scoots away from me, pulling Mum with him as he does.

      She cowers.

      I feign a smile. Don’t you wanna get dry, and watch TV?

      He laughs from his belly and I'm finding it hard to see the mental disability over the arsehole brother.

      I'm sick of this shit.

      'Let her go! I scream at him, and his face drops, his fingers loosen and free my mum. She scoots back and presses her palm to her scalp. She scowls at me and glances back at Jake lovingly as he wails hysterically. It's okay, my little love."

      Jesse! Mum envelopes him and scolds me.

      I'm the bad guy.

      "Oh Jesse, he cries, cuddling Mum and splashing water all over the floor. Jesse, yelled at me."

      Mum's eyes turn to slits. Jesse, why can’t you try to be pleasant.

      I just can’t today Mum. I turn from her and walk back to my room. I have to get to school.

      While I finish getting dressed, I clench my teeth and pretend not to hear Jake howling and cursing Mum. I walk out the front door and feel a sense of relief when I see Bart waiting for me in the driveway. I smile at him and it feels like freedom, and simplicity. I bounce into his BMW convertible and we drive away. I pull my sunglasses out and watch as the sunset strip goes by, big houses and beautiful cars, and everything I should be.

      Bart grips the steering wheel tightly. You okay, Jesse?

      I will be, I say, as a sort of challenge to myself.

      Chapter TWO: BART

      Last summer I went to the doctor after breaking out in hives when Dad died, and Mom found herself a new lover soon after that. The doctor said I had a stress rash, and then proceeded to accuse me of being depressed because I admitted I wasn’t sleeping lately. It made no sense, but she was adamant that I take a pill that combatted both depression and anxiety. I went home and researched the side effects: headaches, brain zaps, decreased libido. Life is already a challenge without those extra little extras, so I never called her back. Instead, I resolved to find something that really calms my uneasy psychological state. I’ll take anything if it means not seeing a shrink. I’ve never liked them. Don’t trust them. They’re snakes in the grass. Professional manipulators.

      Of course, Jesse doesn’t know about the whole shrink thing. That girl looks up to me. I don’t want her to start worrying about me. I don’t want her to start prying. I’m her Mr. Perfect and I plan to keep it that way. I like her. I care about her. Maybe she cares about me too and that’s enough.

      I feel different with this, I say to Ben. Not my best friend but one of the few guys I trust and come to when I’m not feeling like myself. We’re outside behind the school's main library with open books at ready in case we spot anyone approaching.

      Ben laughs. We’re smoking Lamb’s Breath today. It’s new to the area, just got it in last night from my east coast supplier.

      Lamb’s Breath, I smile and for a moment, I consider how something like this would’ve been stuffed and hidden to make such a trek. I decide I don’t need to know.

      It gives you more of a euphoric high, he says. Makes you introspective and creative and shit. Peter Tosh used to smoke this.

      I can’t help but laugh, and in doing so the smoke chokes me and I start coughing. Mr. Ken my biology teacher would be so honoured to explain this kind of reflex if he so happened to bump into me right now.

      Shit, shit, shit, I hear Ben say.

      Still coughing. I’m okay man, it’s just a weed cough.

      Fuck. No not that, I know you’re okay, He says looking straight ahead. That.

      I follow his gaze and see the new definition of adulthood walking slowly toward us. Big in the middle, halo like hairline, no neck and short. Speak of the devil. I sometimes wonder if Mr. Ken ever bends down to tie his own shoes. I reckon he ties them first before putting them on or maybe his wife ties them for him. That is if he even has a wife.

      I quickly drop the still burning joint and crush it with my left shoe before it even hits the ground. Ben quickly picks up his book, I pick up mine, and we both pretend to be studying but damn if this coughing will stop.

      Its class time, Mr. Ken says startling us. How did he get here so fast? He has a sharp voice for a man, I wonder how he sounds when he’s about to come. He’s breathing heavily and sweat is pouring down his face as if he’s just from running a marathon. What’re you two doing out here?

      No one says a word for what seems like five seconds.

      Uh. . .um. . . Ben starts. We were just. . .

      Cough, cough. Dammit, there is still a handful of smoke in my lungs.

      What’s that Bart? Mr. Ken asks. He’s always addressing everyone by their first names. It pisses me off. Trying to act all friendly when we all know what he’s capable of. Two kids got

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