The Boys of Hawthorne by Ashtyn Short

Chapter Eighteen 

Boston 

Nerves hit me as we pull into the driveway. 

“You good?” Linc asks as we open the front door, the smell of homemade pizza hitting us in the face. Laughing, he mutters taking a deep breath of the heavenly aroma of tomato, basil, cheese, and homemade dough, “damn, that smells good. I think she’s trying to fatten us up.” 

“Just gonna have to put in some extra time at the gym,” I say as Ashlynn hollers from the kitchen. 

Linc. 

“Boys, supper’s almost ready. Can you go grab the others to come to eat?” 

“On it!” we both say at the same time, earning a chuckle and a punch to the arm by 

“You want Aspen or want me to get her?” he asks as we make our way up the stairs, him just a few steps ahead of me. 

You know that I want her, I think don’t bother saying it. I’ll likely never get to have her again after today. 

“Pll get 

get her,” I say instead, “You good to get Jax and Dal?” I ask as I pass him in the 

⚫ darkened hallway, my attention on the door at the end. 

With an ear–to–ear smile, he says “You go get your girl.” 

“She’s not my girl,” I mutter under my breath. 

“That’s what she thinks,” I hear him say just before he opens up the door to Dal’s room 

just as I reach Aspens. 

Reaching out, I try the handle first, but it’s locked, so I try knocking instead but still 

don’t get any sort of answer. 

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Chapter Eighteen 

Maybe her door to the bathroom will be unlocked“, I think as I head to my room and make. my way through the bathroom, stopping at the adjoining door, finding that that handle is locked too. 

Damnit! 

Walking back to my dresser, I grab the small screwdriver that I keep there when I’ve broken into one of my brothers‘ rooms to pull pranks on them. With the tool in my hand, I go back to the bathroom door and bend down, eyeballing the little hole in the handle. Placing the end of the screwdriver into it, I turn it until I hear the little lever click, indicating that it’s 

unlocked. 

Slipping the tool back into my pocket, I pull the door open, only to find Aspen glaring at me from the center of her bed. 

“I guess the locked door didn’t clue you in that I wanted to be left alone?” she growls as she quickly climbs off of the bed, planting both hands on her hips. 

“Your mom wanted for Linc and me to get everyone for dinner.” I tell her, taking a step towards her but holding my hands out in a gesture that says ‘I mean no harm.” 

“Fine. You told me. Now get the hell out!” her voice rises with each word as she closes the distance between us, stopping just before me and lifting her hand to point to the door 

behind me. 

Recognizing that now isn’t the time to have a discussion considering that we’re expected back downstairs, I concede, nodding my agreement and stepping back through the door, pulling it shut behind me and back out through my room before heading back down the hallway. I hear the click of her door shutting as I descend the stairs. 

T 

“Looks amazing. Thank you!” I tell Ashlynn as I take the empty chair next to Jax. 

“You’re very welcome. I hope you all like it.” She says with a smile before her gaze focuses on something or someone behind me. A moment later, Aspen pulls the chair out 

between Linc and her mom, taking a seat but, not meeting any of our eyes as we all watch 

her. 

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t 

Chanter Eighteen 

Hey, honey. How was your first day of school?” Ashlynmassks, grabbing a slice of pizza (covered with peppers, mushrooms, black olives, onionsspepperoni and maybe crumbled Hacon? The questions cause me to immediately tensesupp. 

Maybe I should have spoken to her before, afterall. 

Aspen glances at the four of us before turning heenattention to her mom, a smile on he face. “It was great! Everyone was very welcoming lddorf miss the intonation placed on the words very welcoming and from the way that earthodinylbrothers shifts in their seats, they 

don’t either. 

“Oh, that’s great to hear.” She says after chewing al bite of food as the rest of us begin: serving ourselves. “So, what all happened today??” 

“I think I made a new friend. Hermaneciis Alyssa. All of my teachers were really nice an welcoming. One of them actually looks like Hagrid from Harry Potter.” That earns a snort from Line and a chuckle from une, Dallanddox. 

Mr. Coltrane really does look like Tubbeus Hagrid. 

“He really does,” Line says saroondal bite of pizza. 

“I also think I unofficially made the cheer squad and was also told that I should join th track team come spring. Shechassan–car–to–ear smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, one that I haven’t seen all dayyasssherrelays this bit of information. 

Wait! 

She made the cheerissquad? 

Linc and I bottheothange a look. We both must be thinking the same thing. Thechee girls travel withhus sontthebust to away games and often stay in the same hotel footbeerreal far away gamess AudioAspen is very likely to be there too. 

It’s not tikkelit any intentions of trying to hook up with any of the cheeergids Pret sure the entire football, basketball, baseball, and wrestling teams have had a tonn with alm all of them saveeffon my brothers and me. Hasn’t stopped Mallory or Sylvie foonttrying.if 

Emergency calls only 

Chapter Eighteen 

anything, it’s made them want a piece of me even more. 

1. me. 

Always wanting what they can’t have. 

Boy do I know that one, I think as I look across at the one who falls into that category for 

“That’s awesome, Aspen!” My dad says as he places his hand on Ashlynn’s shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze, then rubbing his hand up and down her back. 

“Thanks,” she says, still beaming, “it’s not official like I said. The coach said that she still has to hold formal tryouts, but she sounded pretty sure from how she spoke.” 

“I’m so proud of you, honey,” Ashlynn says, a smile much like her daughters aimed at Aspen. 

“How about for you boys? How was school?” Dad asks, turning the attention to us. 

‘School was…it was one of those days that although I’m glad it’s over, I wish I could go back and have a do–over and not make the same choices that I made before.” I glance from my dad to Ashlynn and finally settle my gaze on Aspen. With a huff, she rolls her eyes and picks up her piece of pizza, and takes her first bite. 

“Practice was…intense,” I’m quick to add. Intense not even coming close to describing how practice was, and once I was able to get my head back into what I was doing, Coach laid it on even harder. 

“Coach worked us over and then some. School…I’m with Bos, it wasn’t one of my finest days, but tomorrow is a new day to start over and do better.” Linc says, he too turning his. gaze to the girl beside him as he speaks. 

Dad nods in understanding. 

Only, if he knew the truth of the matter, we’d be getting our asses beat. 

“And you two?” Dad asks, directing the question to Jax and Dal. 

“All I’m gonna say is that I’m glad it’s over,” Jax says. 

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Chapter Eighteen 

At the same time, Dal says, “I think we all had a day that we wish had gone differently but as Linc said, tomorrow is a new day, let’s do better.” 

“Is there something you four need to tell me?” Dad says, picking up on our obvious regret of how we handled things today. 

“Nah,” I say as my brothers all respond similarly. 

“Oh, um…” I’m hesitant to bring the subject up right now, but if they’re going to be in our lives, then they should be aware, right? “Mom, um…she found me this morning before school…” 

At the mention of her, dad stiffens in his seat, his arm falling from Ashlynn’s back. “She what?!” he grinds out, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “What the hell did she want?” 

I pin dad with a look that says, shouldn’t it be obvious? What does she always want? “Money…what else?” I spit in disgust. Our egg donor, because that’s all that she’s ever been to the four of us, 

been because shas never reached out to one of us because she wanted to see us. It’s always 

“That bitch.” 

wanted something- 

He growls, glancing at the four of us. 

“She looked bad, Dad. Like bad bad.” I say hesitantly, not wanting to anger him anymore. but figuring he needs to know, “I think she’s using again.” 

“Did she reach out to any of you other three?” He asks, turning his attention to my 

brothers. 

“No, sir.“, “Nope.“, “Haven’t heard a peep out of her.” They all say at the same time. 

“What did she say?” he asks, turning his attention back to me, his pizza forgotten. 

“I didn’t really have time to talk to her this morning and she said that she’d be back after school. She caught me before practice and informed me that she wasn’t going anywhere until she gets what’s owed to her.” I glance at Ashlynn, knowing what his next question is going to be and hating that I’m going to have to be the one to say it. 

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Chapter Eighteen 

“And what does that worthless cunt think she deserves?” 

“Shit.“, “Fu*k, and “Damn.” Come collectively from my brothers while I just gasp, staring wide–eyed at my dad for calling her a cunt. 

I mean she is, but I’ve never heard him call her one before. 

“This.” I say, indicating all around us, “the house, us, you and your money.” Taking a deep breath, I finish. “Ashlynn, I need to apologize in advance for what I’m fixing to repeat and need you to know that I don’t agree nor believe it.” 

At her nod I go on, “she said, and I–quote, ‘If that stupid bitch thinks that she can have what’s mine because she’s young and is spreading her legs for him, then she better think again.“” 

Turning my attention from Ashlynn back to dad, I finish, “She apparently thinks that she has some sort of claim over us be she has some sort of claim over us because she pushed the four of us out of her vagina.” A. shudder of disgust rolls through me as the words fall from my lips, the thought alone disgusting me. 

I’m not disgusted by birth or vaginas. 

I hope my future wife and I have lots of babies, and I’m going to enjoy the *uck out of practicing until that time comes, with whoever she may be. 

But she’s our f*cking mom and I’ve seen the things that she’s injected into her veins, 

snorted 

up her nose, and some of the real winners that she’s spread her legs for. 

“Motherf*cker!”