The Boys of Hawthorne by Ashtyn Short

Chapter Thirteen 

Boston 

When we step into the open room that doubles as both our lunchroom and innovation center, the room is bustling with students standing in line to get their lunch, paying for their lunch, walking around trying to find an open space to cat, or sitting at one of the round tables, eating their food and conversing with their friends and tablemates. 

I spot Aspen almost immediately standing in line next to a girl with curly dark brown hair, a tawny complexion, and bright green eyes that are hidden behind a pair of black–rimmed glasses that I instantly recognize as Alyssa Jenkins. 

Alyssa is Senior class president, self–appointed head of our school’s National Honor Society, and a busybody who seems to think that everything is her business. 

Walking up to the front of the line, I knock my shoulder into Aspen just as she did to Mallory this morning and cause her to stumble and nearly fall. 

She definitely would have too, if it weren’t for Grisham coming to her aid. Which had him holding his hands up in a placating gesture when he caught sight of my glare aimed at him. 

He needs to get his filthy hands off of what is mine. Whether any of these assholes know it or not, considering I’m being an ass to her, even though it is for her own safety.. 

Aspen. 

Is. 

Mine. 

Regardless of whether she wants to be or not. 

I feel like an asshole that part of me hopes that things don’t work out between our parents so that she will give us a real chance. Another part of me hopes that things do work out between them because just as Aspen said with her mom, I’ve not seen my dad this happy since before mom split. 

But I hope that somehow, Aspen and I can still figure out a way to make things work between us. 

Yeah, it’s unconventional, and some may look at it like it’s wrong or incest or whatever, but I don’t see it that way. Like I told my brothers, there’s no blood relation and I don’t think that something between the two of us is wrong. 

Maybe if we’d grown up with one another, but becoming a part of each other’s lives at eighteen? I don’t think so. 

“What did you do to piss off the quads?” I hear Alyssa ask Aspen as we reach the front of the line, cutting in front of all the other students and eaming a scowl from lunch lady Harriet. 

“I wish I knew…” Aspen says in response, not bothering to hide the hurt and anger in her voice. 

“Those boys are usually pretty easy going,” she states, and she’s right, this is incredibly out of character for the four of 

us, “they get along with everyone. For them to have taken a dislike to you, you must have done something really bad.” 

1/4 

Chacter Thirteen 

Alyma amely matter, citing a glance in nur direction before turning her attention buelta A 

“Yeah, well, they cam go fuc*k themselves.” She growls, my skin prickling as I have no doubt she’s shouting diagrams at me might now. “Renow what. I’m just going to go. I’ve suddenly lost my appetite,” she mutters, getting out of the lunch lime 

She quieldy mules ther way names the lunchroom, as she squeezes through tables filled with other students, and them rashes out into the hallway pen glumes back in our direction as she turns left, and even with the distance between us. I can clearly see the radiness off her eyes, the overhead lights glinting off of the moisture pooling within them. 

Voices break out from students in lime behind me as they voice their curiosity over what they just witnessed 

“What the hell was that all about” 

“What did she do to piss there ut?” 

“Isn’t that the girl from the party Faithy might 

“I heard she booked up with one of them. What a slut?” 

“Slut or not, she’s hot. I’d do ber” 

“If the quads don’t like her, it’s game om” 

“Time to make the new girl wish she’d never speed fet in Hawthorne High.” 

“I heard she signed up to try out for the open spot on the other squad. Like her fat ass would ever make it. I bet she can’t even do a cartwheel.” 

Discussions about her filter throughout the cafeteria lite a mill was, conversations turning to the girl that got on the wrong side of us being heard from every direction.. 

They just keep going on. 

And on. 

And on 

By the end of the day, Aspen is going to be a social pariat 

Glancing around at my brothers, we all have the same lock on our fres 

Fu8ck 

This just completely went in the wrong direction. 

As soon as cer trays hit the table the four of us always at at Line is the first to speak, that just f*ucking backfired.” 

“What did you expect? Did you honestly think that we would be able to treat her like she’s nothing and that no one 

Chapter Thirteen 

else would decide to follow our lead?” Dal speaks up, voicing his thoughts on the whole fu*cked up ordeal. “This was fuc*ked from the start.” 

“So what?” I ask, looking at the three of them as we all glance at one another, “what do I do now?” 

“The way I see it, you’ve got two options,” Dal says, holding up two fingers. Dropping his middle finger and just holding up his index one, he ticks off the first one and says, “We keep up what we’ve started and if the rest of the student body follows our lead, then so be it. Or two,” he says, raising his middle finger to join his index finger, “you go to her, explain the situation. You hope like hell that she’s in a forgiving mood and can see past the hurt that we’ve inflicted on her today.” 

“There is a third option,” Linc states. When our attention turns to him, he continues, “we back off. But Bos, you can’t parade her around as though she’s your girl like I know you will do. At least, not if you don’t want all of the girls that are after you dick to make her public enemy numero uno.” At my glare, he’s quick to amend his statement, “Right, she called it all off.” he practically scoffs the words out. The way he says it indicates that he doesn’t believe that Aspen and I are over any more than he believes in Santa Claus or the Easter bunny. 

“Okay, well you can’t be giving her longing looks then. Yes, I’ve seen them, we all have,” he says, gesturing between himself, Jax, and Dal. “If she says hi, we respond. We are cordial to her but do not go out of our way. Obviously, from the looks of what’s happened today already, everyone else is going to follow our lead. If we back off, maybe they will 

too.” 

“But then what about…” I start but Linc cuts me off. 

“Your harem?” he says with a smirk. 

“Asshole!” I growl, shaking my head because he knows that I don’t have a fu*cking harem. “But yes,” I continue, ‘isn’t that the whole reason we started this in the first place was to, as you said earlier, Linc, ‘keep the vultures at bay,” but clearly, that went to shit in a handbasket really fast because in case you haven’t noticed, the vultures have found ther! next meal and are already circling.” 

“Well, how do you want to play this then Boss Man?” Jax says, “we’ll follow your lead. You know we have your back.” 

“Always.” Line and Dal both agree. 

Would she even forgive me for being an asshole? 

I’d deserve it if she didn’t. 

I don’t deserve her forgiveness but f*uck, all I’ve wanted since the moment I saw her in the hallway this morning was to pull her into my arms and k*iss her, feel her tight little body pressed up against mine even though I can’t–and beg for her to 

understand. 

Then beg for her forgiveness. 

I hate seeing her hurting. 

I especially hate knowing that I’m the reason that she’s hurting. 

“Do you think it’s too late already?” I ask after several seconds, “damage is done.” 

3/4 

Chapter Thirteen. 

“You won’t know unless you talk to her, flos,” Line says with a shrug. 

Looking from one of my brothers to the next, I ask what I should have asked from the very beginning. “If you guys were in my shoes, what would you have done? What would you do now?” 

Jax is the first to speak up. “Honestly, I’d probably still ice her out. Or, at least while we’re in public. After seeing what’s gone down today though, maybe you should have given her a heads up? But at the same time, would she be able to fake the hurt and actually make it believable? Would it even matter or make a difference?” he glances between each of us, and we all shrug our shoulders, none of us having the answer to his question. He doesn’t say anymore, 

seeming to now be lost in thought. 

“I don’t know that I’d have done things the way that you have,” Line says, nodding at me, “or how you would,” he says to Jax. “Instead, I’d probably do as I mentioned as a third option. At home, we could be whatever–behind closed doors of course–cordial, in a relationship, fuc8k buddies, whatever we both agree to… But here, or in public in general, I’d be cordial to her instead of going all caveman and staking my claim, or hurting her by icing her out.“, 

“Well, Dal says, the last to give his take. “I don’t think I would have gone about it the way that any of you would have if I’m being honest.” 

He looks at me and nods in my direction, “You care about her. It’s clear for anyone who knows to look close enough to see, and that’s what should matter. Screw everyone else and what they think. If you want to be with her, then fuc*king be with her, man. Don’t play games.” 

Then looking at Jax and Line, “I see where you’re both coming from.” he says. Then with a sigh and he continues, “Hell, I see where all three of you are coming from. But, I still think this has all been gone about in the wrong way. What good is hurting her going to do for any of us? If those girls want to go after her, they’re going to, regardless of what we think of her, or what she is or is not to you, or any of us for that matter,” he finishes, shaking his head in disappointment.D