You Are My Beautiful Soul (A Jesse McCartney fanfic)

Chapter 26

            For almost two weeks, Jesse went through the routine life of the small town folks, but he seemed to like it. There was no pressure, no flashing lights and best of all no false pretences with the people around him. Kayla was treating him better when he stopped picking on her, and her parents seemed to have accepted him as part of the family. He felt like staying here forever but he knows that it is not possible. He still has to go back to his old life and clear up his name once the issue that was brought up by Victoria had died down. Who knows he might even retire from the world of celebrity.

            “What do you think I should do if I quit show business?” he asked Kayla once when they were watching the local junior baseball game. Kylie was a cheerleader and one of Kayla’s little cousin brother was playing in the little league so the whole family came to support them. After the game, while Kayla’s family enjoyed some barbeque, Kayla sat with Jesse at a corner watching the antics of her family.

            “Why do you want to quit?” Kayla asked him, watching him by the light of the fire.

            “I’ve been in it for some time,” he replied, “But I feel like doing something else – something that matters.”

            “Your music matters,” Kayla said softly, “It matters to your fans. They are moved by the words that you sing – it feels so deep and it connects to them.”

            “Really,” Jesse asked looking into Kayla’s eyes searching for the sincerity in it.

            “Yes,” she replied, nodding her head, “If you quit, who is going to be their role-model?”

            “Well there are many new faces coming up now,” he said, “I even heard Kylie talking about her crush on that Justine Baby kid.”

            “Yeah they’re young and famous right now, but they lack the maturity that you possessed at their age,” Kayla said, “If I was younger, I would have been your fan, rather than Justine Baby’s.”

            “Are you sure you’re still not my fan?” Jesse asked, smiling and nudging Kayla with his elbow. She smiled at him uneasily and looked away.

            “So, if you don’t sing, what do you want to do?” Kayla asked, changing the subject.

            “I don’t know,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

            “What interests you?” she asked him, as he looked at her family.

            “Of course I’d say singing had been my interest since I was young,” he said, “But I want to do something else more meaningful to the world – something that not only helps others, but also helps me.”

            “What about charity?” Kayla suggested.