The Boys of Hawthorne by Ashtyn Short

Chapter Eleven 

Boston 

Fuc*k! 

She fuc*king cried, because of us. 

No, me. 

She cried because of me. 

I knew she was coming up behind us, which is why I grabbed Mallory as she was walking by and put on a show just for Aspen. I can honestly say that I hated every second of it, my skin was literally crawling as she was pressed against me, her arms wrapped around my neck. 

Not to mention how big of a fu8cking dumb–ass move it was. That girl has been trying to get a piece of me since the beginning of last year. 

I wasn’t expecting Aspen to lash out, telling us to go f8uck ourselves. That spunk, fuc*k, I think, groaning as I adjust myself, getting hard just thinking about it and how fuc*king sexy she looked with heat in her eyes and determination on her face. 

“Are you sure you still want to do this, Bos?” Linc whispers after the bell rings, releasing us from Mrs. Parrish’s class. 

“Yeah man, this just doesn’t seem right, Dal mutters, his voice low as we gather our stuff and then leave the classroom, not sparing even a passing glance at Aspen as she puts her stuff in her backpack. 

“F*uck, I know! I f*ucking know, okay.” I whisper growl once we’ve made it out into the hallway, frustration coursing through my veins, “It’s only day one. Hell, it’s not even been a full two hours,‘ I remark with a sarcastic chuckle, “and I already don’t want to do this anymore.” 

“To be fair, none of us actually wanted to do this in the first place.” Linc points out. 

“So, what do we do?” I growl, looking at my brothers as though they have all of the answers. 

After seeing her tears when I walked by her desk at the beginning of class, I felt fu*cking gutted knowing that they were because of me. 

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her throughout the entire hour of class. Hopefully one of my brothers took notes because I have no fu*cking clue what Parrish went over. 

“I don’t know. As much as it sucks, maybe we ought to keep icing her out until we figure something else out.” Jax says, not looking confident in his words at all. 

“Goddammit!” 

“We don’t want to do this anymore than you do. And think of how fuc8ked up things are going to be at home…” Line says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. 

1/3 

Chapter Eleven 

“Shit…” I groan and run my hands down my face. Not having even considered how much more complicated all of this is going to make things at home was a fu*cking stupid, and amateur, move, that’s for damn sure. 

“Yeah, shit is right.” Line agrees, letting out a sigh. 

“But…” Jax starts again but then stops. Taking a deep breath, he shakes his head back and forth like he can’t believe what he’s fixing to say, “What if this is the only way to keep the vultures at bay, Bos?” 

Shooting a glare at him, he’s quick to explain, “We both know that those girls would eat her alive if any of them found out that she has feelings for you,” Aspen had feelings for me, she very likely doesn’t anymore, and I can’t blame her in the last. At my glare, knowing that I’m fixing to correct him, he does it himself, “Had feelings for you, not to mention if they knew that you reciprocate her feelings…f8uck, man! Even if there’s nothing going on between the two of you now. I don’t think there is a place far enough to escape the wrath of your harem.” 

“I don’t have a Goddamn harem!” I growl, hating myself for having what could have only been explained as a moment of insanity because there’s no other reason to explain my momentary lapse in judgment last year. 

Damn Cleat Chasers. 

I made out with one. Fu*cking one of them, one f

ucking time at the end of last season, and suddenly, I’ve f*ucked all of them. 

And now, as if it couldn’t get worse, it’s affecting Aspen and my relationship, or lack thereof after Saturday and even. more so today, but I still wanted to be close to her. “You all know that Aspen is the first person that I’ve been with since…” 

“We know.” They all say at the same time. 

“That fact may make this even worse. It’s gotta be done, man.” Jax says, regret and understanding written all over his face. 

“Fuc*k, she’s going to hate me!” I say, wiping my hands down my face, feeling disgusted with myself for even considering continuing with this horrible charade. 

But, if we don’t do this, turn her against us and make her hate me, no matter how much I want her, those girls would do everything that they can to destroy her. E 

“Us.” Linc corrects, and I know that he feels a kinship towards her too. Maybe because he and I met her first. I don’t know. The other two like her, and get along well enough with her, but they don’t seem to feel about her the way that Linc does, and definitely not the way that I do. “She’s going to hate us.” 

“None of you are the one that slept with her, then tried to convince her to keep things going after we found out about our parents.” I grind out, my gut–churning, as I recall the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks, Regret washes through my entire body, “I am. And that’s on me,” I whisper as we head to our third class of the day. 

“You know she was listening in on us in class just a bit ago, right?” Line says, interrupting my pity party, as he turns around and begins walking backward through the hallway. 

And I’m a horrible brother because I hope like hell that he falls on his ass. 

2/3 

Chapter Eleven 

“Yeah, I figured, considering how slowly she was putting her stuff away,” I say with a shrug, “Nothing I can do about it 

now. 

“You guys got your stuff for psychology, or do we need to stop by our lockers?” I ask as we come upon the stairs that would take us to our lockers, otherwise we keep going straight to get to class. 

“I’m good.“, “Got mine,” “Let’s get to class. They each call. 

Alright, let’s get this over with.