N'importe quel autre jour, n'importe quelle autre occasion, Leith serait debout et parti avant Jessica était même debout... Le garçon était un riser précoce et un travailleur dur. Il aimait son travail et il n'a jamais manqué un jour, la pluie, la grêle ou la brillance. Lorsqu'elle descendit l'escalier, en portant une robe chic nouée à la taille, elle fut surprise de le trouver assis à la table du petit-déjeuner, regardant abysmally aux fleurs fraîches de l'été dans la pièce centrale du vase.
N'importe quel autre jour, elle serait descendue et aurait commencé à préparer le petit déjeuner pour le reste de la famille, sa belle fille et son merveilleux mari, souriant au message laissé par Leith sur le frigo dans des aimants ou une note collante par le théier, avant qu'il aille au travail. Elle sortait au garage en allant chez Nicky, avec un déjeuner fait pour Leith, peut-être une tarte ou un gâteau pour lui et les gars au garage, mari et fille sur le chemin du travail ou de l'école tout le bonheur et l'agréable dans leur petite ville endormie...
Ils n'avaient pas eu de journée régulière depuis la mort d'Olivia.
Leith avait été pilote automatique, comme un automate, il n'avait vraiment pas été lui-même. Jess était en morceaux aussi, mais pour Leith et Nicky, elle a mis un visage courageux. Leith était toujours son bébé et elle avait besoin d'être courageuse pour lui, et Nicky... Pauvre Nicky... elle avait été une si merveilleuse amie, une bonne mère pour un bon enfant. La famille Ramirez était la dernière personne sur Terre qui méritait cela.
La nuit où ils ont eu la nouvelle, Jess "a fait les rondes" avant de se coucher, regardant dans le but de voir que tout le monde était bien rangé et douillet et bien dormir. Leith était enroulée et tremblante, elle grimpait sur le lit et enveloppait ses bras autour de lui pour essayer de calmer le sanglot étouffé et offrir une sorte de confort. Son cœur a saigné. Il était encore son bébé... même s'il était plus grand qu'elle maintenant, avec de larges épaules, les cheveux du visage même, un homme, pas un garçon... mais son bébé encore. Elle se sentait égoïste d'une certaine façon, embrassant son garçon et remerciant les étoiles, ce n'était pas lui qui s'était lavé sur les rives du bayou... Elle ne voudrait pas que sur personne, et cela s'était produit et au lieu de penser immédiatement au pauvre Nicky, elle s'est livrée à elle-même, en tenant son fils, sa fille et son mari et en se rappelant « Cela ne nous est pas arrivé... ma famille est en sécurité ». Quelle horrible amie elle était, quelle sorte d'amie pensait de sa propre famille d'abord après quelque chose comme ça sachant bien qu'ils étaient sains et saufs de toute façon?! Mais elle ne pouvait pas s'en empêcher. Cette nuit-là, elle avait besoin de sa famille et de sa famille. Le lendemain matin, elle était debout et préparait tôt la nourriture pour Nicky et sa famille, et même la police pendant qu'ils enquêtaient et menaient des entrevues avec les résidents locaux. Quand Jess a perdu son père, et bien, cuisiner et nettoyer était la dernière chose à son esprit, elle ne pouvait même pas imaginer combien c'était douloureux de perdre une fille, alors elle a fait ce qu'elle pouvait pour aider Nicky.
Ça fait déjà une semaine, les funérailles sont arrivées. Jess avait un bouquet de son jardin, rien de trop grand et flashy, juste une petite chose, assis sur le vitrail pour qu'ils s'imprégnent d'un peu plus de soleil et fleurissent très bien.
Leith était habillé de noir funéraire... il était tellement hors de sa place dans le soleil chaud du sud. Leith s'est senti hors de sa place. Il n'a jamais porté de costumes et c'était mal de porter du noir. Olivia a toujours été si brillante et pétillante. Elle n'aurait pas voulu ça...
"Lei... Est-ce que ça va, bébé?" Jess a demandé, en fouillant une main à travers ses boucles sombres trop familières, donc contrairement à ses propres cheveux... donc comme son père bien qu'elle ne pouvait pas en vouloir à Leith.
Il a lâché. "C'est tellement mal."
Jess a hurlé. Elle aurait admiré à quel point Leith avait l'air intelligent, portant autre chose que des t-shirts usés ou des salopettes sales, mais les vêtements funéraires n'étaient guère joyeux et peu importe à quel point il avait l'air bien rangé, elle ne pouvait pas apprécier sa misère. Olivia avait été un grand modèle pour lui, six ans de plus, ils n'étaient pas vraiment meilleurs amis, mais elle avait été comme une grande sœur pour lui parfois et ils avaient été proches.
"Est-ce que Robert et Aps arrivent?" lui a - t - il demandé.
Jess s'est serré la tête et a allumé la bouilloire. "J'ai pensé que c'était mieux si c'était juste nous, si c'était bien."
Leith a hurlé. "Tu as raison... Robert ne la connaissait pas vraiment... ni Aps, pas la peine de les traîner" soupirait-il.
"Avez-vous mangé?" Jess a demandé, se lever que la bouilloire a fini de bouillir.
"L'un des croissants dans le frigo" il se blottit, se blottit les pouces, regarda renversé. "Maman?"
-- Oui?
"Would... Est-ce que Nicky penserait si je-..." il a recollé vers le haut, roulait dans ses poches pour trouver une lettre pliée vers le haut, les plis du papier porté mince de lui ouverture et pliant vers le haut plusieurs fois.
"Tu veux dire quelque chose à l'enterrement?"
Il s'est ébranlé la tête. "Non... Je... Je veux le donner à Liv... Je n'ai jamais pu la remercier pour tout ce qu'elle a fait, tu sais quand j'étais en train de grandir 'n' stuff... Si Nicky ne me dérange pas, je veux dire."
"Je vais demander, je suis sûr qu'elle ne vous dérangera pas de laisser une petite lettre avec le cercueil. Je ferais mieux de m'habiller. Je ne peux pas aller au service en robe de chambre et pantoufles."
Leith lui offrit un petit sourire, s'effrayant légèrement, mais il était difficile de sourire et de se tirer l'un l'autre quand quelqu'un de si jeune mourut si horriblement dans leur petite ville.
Jess s'est discrètement changée, a mis une légère couche de maquillage et a lissé ses cheveux en place. Robert était en train de mentir, il avait finalement eu un jour de congé, Jess ne voulait pas le réveiller. Apsen serait probablement couché dans le lit pendant un moment aussi, mais il serait là pour prendre son petit déjeuner et voir ce qu'elle faisait quand elle s'est réveillée. Enfin, Jess s'est cramponné en bas, habillé en noir, brillant vernis chaussures noires brillamment brillamment brillamment. Elle a pris son sac à main et Leith a ramassé les petites fleurs soigneusement disposées de la fenêtre et ils ont fait leur chemin vers l'endroit où les funérailles ont lieu bientôt.
Leith

Wait, you mean you didn't know Italian Spiderman was actually made in Australia? 

▾ Name: Leith
Leith Matteo Meyer
▾ Age:
19
▾ Gender:
Male
▾ Sexuality:
Homosexual
▾ Piercings, Tattoos, Scars:
Nope.

▾ Humble ▾ Indecisive ▾ Generous ▾ Unassertive ▾

▾ Personality:
Leith is a mommas boy at heart. A real sweetheart, he likes to help people out and most would say he's honestly the sweetest boy on earth. He's not without his shortcomings however. During his teenage years, Leith was disruptive in class and a bit of a troublemaker. His acting out was largely due to his conflicting feelings regarding his sexuality as he began to discover he wasn't attracted to girls. When he finally came out and learned to love himself a little more, he returned to the sweet boy he'd been before, heck, moreso even, he was now more humbled.
He's a bit of a prude in a way. Not that he's utterly virginal, but he absolutely can't stand foul language and can't help but cringe when someone swears, he himself never cusses. He generally keeps to himself but is also quick to offer a helping hand and be outgoing. He loves his friends dearly and he's a soft, old-school hopeless romantic at heart. His biggest issue is probably his indecision. Leith tries to please everyone and often fails to satisfy ANYONE by trying to keep everyone happy. He's easily manipulated because he tries to be a people pleaser. His relationship with his step-father is tense. He tends to have conflicting emotions regarding the men in his life and at times his rejection at the hands of his biological father rears its ugly head and threatens his relationships. 
▾ Hobbies & Interests:
Repairing engines. He doesn't care about fancy new models or luxury cars, he likes fixer-uppers. He likes reading comicbooks and watching low budget "awful" movies (the worse the movie, the better!). He's outdoorsy and sporty and would happily spend every weekend swimming in the creek or camping and singing round a campfire with friends.
▾ Likes & Dislikes:

+ comics
+ cars
+ cute boys
+ outdoors
- swearing
- taking sides/fights
- bad coffee
- stepdad (sometimes)
▾ Other:
He's left handed, bears a striking resemblance to his biological father, works in the local auto-repair garage. He was somewhat close to the victim (Olivia) because sometimes after school he would sit in Nicky's while his mom worked and she would help him with his homework and she was probably the second or third person he came out to (after his mom) because she had such a warm, kind temperament. He's been very unsettled by her gruesome and untimely death. 

▾ Biography:
The end-product of a teenage pregnancy ... Leith had a pretty decent childhood though, his mother Jessica, done a good job and she was heavily supported by Leith's maternal-grandparents.
His father (who was from an Italian family, hence Leith's half-Italian heritage) didn't stick around and this rejection at the hands of his father has always lingered with Leith.
Leith was about 12 when he began to think he was different and by 14 he was 100% sure he was gay and that made him miserable.
He was troublesome in school even though he was quite popular in his class and well liked by his peers. His mom didn't know what to do. Teachers said he was clever but kept causing disruptions and didn't do his homework. He fought with his step-dad and was disagreeable, so much unlike the sweet, quiet child Jessica had once known.
Things got a lot better when Leith finally confided in his that he was gay and was scared she'd kick him out and reject him like his father did, afraid his friends would turn on him and his life would be ruined. She accepted him and supported him although it wasn't always easy on her, especially in a small, religious town. Regardless, Jess put on a brave face because deep down, even though she didn't mean to get pregnant at 17, she was happy with her life, her family, and she loved Leith to death.
After coming out things began to look a lot better for Leith. He lost some friends in school, but surprisingly, he had a few supporters and homophobic bullying didn't really harm him. While he studied, he became an apprentice mechanic at the local auto-repair shop and thoroughly enjoyed it. Jess wanted him to go to college, she'd had a chance and lost it and didn't want it to happen to her son, but he seemed content Dixie fixing cars. It was his own real serious interest he didn't have any huge ambitions. She urged him to consider college, perhaps he'd like engineering. In the end, he was awarded a sports scholarship, but he could defer it for a couple of years.



Jessica

Come on in, make yourself at home, there's always room here. 

▾ Name: Jessica
Jessica Grace McAdam
▾ Age:
36
▾ Gender:
Female
▾ Sexuality:
Heterosexual
▾ Piercings, Tattoos, Scars:
Nope.

▾ Homely ▾ Sometimes Strict ▾ Loving ▾ Smothering ▾

▾ Personality:
Jess tries to be Super-Mom, and for the most part, she doesnt' do half bad, but she's certainly not perfect. She's not as mature as other mums, at least, she wasn't when Leith was young, but now she's older and wiser but sometimes she still finds herself out of her depth. She relies a lot on her husband for support, advice and insight. Sometimes she can be a bit of a soft touch, particularly with Leith because they have a unique bond. She loves her family and her home and is very house-proud. Sometimes she can be a bit bratty to the neighbours, they are roughly the same age, except instead of having teenagers and young adult kids, their kids are just starting school (in the 2-10 age range), she feels she has a lot to prove because she's still trapped in the 80's when people looked down on girls getting pregnant at a young age, or having kids with different fathers. 
▾ Hobbies & Interests:
Baking, pinterest, making crafts, gardening, animals, her "Book Club" (which involves more wine/tea and gossip than actual books ...)
▾ Likes & Dislikes:

+ Her home
+ Husband
+ Family
+ Community events
+ Book club
- Resents Leith's father
- Sometimes struggles to deal with Leith's sexuality
- Offensive music (rap/metal)
- Arguing with the kids
▾ Other:
Makes the best peach cobbler in all of Dixie!

▾ Biography:


Jessica was a pretty, popular young girl. She was the cheerleader with the hot (Italian) quarterback boyfriend and the whole world ahead of her was gleaming with promise. She was going to get a cheerleading scholarship and go to a fancy city university and everything would be just dandy ... Until she found herself pregnant at 17 ... She had her first child, a boy, Leith, when she turned 18.
Jessica found it hard to bond with Leith at first, but her mother and father were supportive, they insisted she stick it out and be proud and raise Leith to the best of her ability. Leith's father stuck around for about 8 months before abandoning them and disappearing to another state or europe or WHO KNOWS WHERE, never even sending a card or a penny of support. This made Jess furious, but it also made her very protective of her little boy.
Although they had a rocky start, Jess became an utterly devoted mother and gave Leith the very best life she could, with the help of her own parents. When Leith turned 5, she was able to work again, taking part-time hours while he was in school. She developed a bit of a social life and some independence. When Leith was 7, Jess's father took a stroke and eventually had to be taken into residential care. Her mother left to go to the next town over to stay close to her father and the title of the house was turned over to her. With a part time job and a busy young son and now a house to do up all of her own, Jess found herself very busy indeed.
Eventually, waitressing at the Nickys restuarant she'd worked in since Leith was 5, a regular, a solicitor from the city, finally worked up the courage to ask her on a date. For the first time since she was a teenager, Jess was getting dolled up and going out on dates. Leaving Leith with a child minder on date night, she enjoyed the attention and the brief feeling that she wasn't all alone. Robert was successful, hardworking and kind and he didn't even mind that Jess had a child.
After a few months of courting, Jess introduced him to Leith and the couple began considering moving in together, if he could find a way to work closer to Dixie. SUCCESS!!! and so Leith got a new "dad", although he didn't really take to him much, after spending his entire childhood with only Jess, he was standoffish and distrustful of suddenly having a father figure. Regardless, Step-Dad Robert tried his best.
When Jess found herself pregnant once again, she feared she'd be left alone with the child again and asked Robert where he stood with this "family" she had. Fortunately she got a much deserved happy ending and they got married very quickly and then Jess's daughter, April was born. Jess left her job in the diner to raise April and become a full time house wife, her husband could comfortably support them, especially since they didn't have a mortgage to worry about. Now, Leith is a man (though he's still her baby) and her daughter is quickly growing up too, Jess happily maintains her home, keeping kids and husband happy and instead of work, she gets involved in various community projects and parent groups. Although he is long in the past, she still painfully remembers Leith's father, since he looks so strikingly similar to him.

SUPPORTING CHARS
Robert McAdam, Jessica's loving husband, April's biological father and Leith's stpe father.
April McAdam, Robert and Jessica's 11 year old daughter, Leith's little sister.