The Boys of Hawthorne by Ashtyn Short

Chapter Nineteen 

Aspen 

I sit back, munching on my slice of pizza, and watch the show before me. My eyes keep pinging back and forth like I’m watching a Ping–Pong match as I listen to Pestilence relay what I caught a piece of the boys discussing during calculus to his dad. 

Apparently, he’d met with his mom, so definitely not a hookup. 

Oops. 

“She violated her restraining order,” Collin mutters after several moments of silence. “I’ll call our attorney after dinner. I don’t want to discuss this any further. Let’s finish eating this wonderful meal that Ashlynn took the time to make for us first.” 

“Hey, I love cold pizza!” Linc/Famine pipes up, stealing a piece of my chicken bruschetta pizza. “What the heck kind of pizza is this?” 

“Mine!” 1 growl, not liking the half–mocking, half disgusted tone he used regarding my favorite pizza. 

“Okay…but what is it?” He questions with a raised eyebrow as he holds it out above the pizza pan like it may contaminate his plate if it touches it before he knows what it is. 

“It’s chicken bruschetta,” I mutter, frustrated. 

I am so over this day, them, fucking all of it. 

“And what specifically is that?” he asks, trying to bite back a grin. 

“Pizza crust. Chicken, green onions, tomatoes, fresh garlic, mozzarella cheese, and basil. Some people add parmesan too, but I can’t do stinky feet cheese.” The thought of it makes me cringe. 

“Cool,” he says, taking a huge bite as Pestilence cracks up laughing. 

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Chapter Nineteen 

Apparently calling it stinky feeetcheeese is hilarious, who knew? 

War, who I’ve deemed to beefartsson, and Death aka Dallas, stay pretty quiet, which seemsst be more of just how theyyaree. 

Quiet, seemingly innocent loyal at least to each other and I do not doubt that there’s moce 

to them, but I’ve yetttooseeerything more and after today, I have no interest in gettinggt oo know anything more about them. Although, it would help me to get to know my enemyy 

better.. 

What’s that saying, Weep your friends close and your enemies closer“? Maybe that oughtabbe 

my new motto.. 

After supperrissdone help mom clean up and then head up to my room to finisshworking homework: Ilddont thbother locking my door because obviously, it’s not going tookkeppt the pes out if they wantim bad enough. 

Polling outtmy physics work, I plug my earbuds into my ear and get to workkailllowing myse to get loos in the music and equations and formulas. 

285 Aspring with unstretched length Li is hung vertically, with the top endlec t place, as showmningure 2, and the spring has a length L2 L when the blockings soon rest. The blocki then pulled downward and held in place so that the spring is stretchedat oordength L3 L2, as showniin/figures. 

Tikesstudent releases the block. Consider the time during which the block is moving upward towarth its equilibrium position and the spring length is still longer than 12/Indicate whether the totalmechanical energy is increasing, decreasing, or constant foreach of the systems listed belo and explain why. 

System 1: The 

(energy E1) 

IbSystem 2: The block and the spring (energy E2) 

CC)System 3: The block and the Earth (energy E3) 

“Ahh!” I scream startled as a hand lands on my shoulder, then quickly moves to cover my 

Chapter Nineteen 

mouth, stifling and noise from being easily heard. “What the hell?” I ask, ripping the hand: 

away from my mouth and turning on the person who thought it was a good idea to invade my personal space. 

“Sorry,” he says, backing up and burying his hands in the front pockets of his black jeans. “Do you…uh…can we talk?” 

“I’m busy,” I throw out, sitting back down on my bed with every intention to get back to my homework. 

“You have every right to be mad at me, but can I please try to explain…” I don’t answer him or even acknowledge he’s in the coom, but I don’t turn my music back on either, waiting to see what he’s going to say, “First and foremost, I’m sorry.” 

My door opens again, and another wine says, “We all are,” followed by Famine, War, and Death. 

“What is this?” I ask, looking between the four boys standing in my bedroom. 

“We all owe you an apology and want to explain today…” Pestilence says, sitting down at the corner of my bed..“we shouldn’t have treated you like we did today…” 

“You mean like shit? Like I’m nothing or no one? Or do you mean how you four managed to turn the entire fucking school against me in one fucking day?” I’m seething by the time I finish, my chest bewing and tears building at the back of my eyes. 

“All of it?” Eamine ways. 

“Are you apologizing for all of it or asking if you’re supposed to be apologizing for all of it?” I ask,, cutting my glare at him. 

“All of it.” Pestilence says, taking the lead once again. “We shouldn’t have tented you like we 

did..” 

“So them why did you?” I look from Pestilence who’s still sitting on my bed, to the man standing next to him, Famine. War is leaning against the wall by the dim and Death is leaning against the door, seeming to prevent anyone from making a quick escape. 

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Chapter Nineteen 

“So…we were actually trying to protect you.” Protect me? Is he shitting me? My face must give away my disbelief because he’s quick to explain, “we were, honest.” 

“We were,” 

“War says, speaking to me for the first time today. “I know from your perspective it may not seem like it. Hell, looking at it now, I can see how stupid of an idea it was. But at the time, it seemed like it was the only way.” 

“Can someone please explain how treating me like shit,” I say looking at Pestilence and Famine, then turning my attention across the room to Death and War, “and how making me a social pariah, was supposed to protect me. Because I’m failing to see what benefit any of that brings to the table, other than maybe making me hate the four of you. Because if that was your mission, kudos to every single one of you. Mission accomplished.” 

A muttered “God damnit,” comes from Famine, while one of the two boys across the room growls, “I knew it was stupid. 

“So, if I just heard that correctly, you’re telling me that you knew it was stupid, but yet you still did it anyway?” I say, turning my attention to War and Death because I don’t know which one it was that said it, “were you out to hurt me? To push me away and make me hate you?” 

“I knew, but I didn’t say anything.” Death says, and I’m pretty sure it’s the first time he’s spoken a word to me since I moved in. His voice is deeper than the other three’s. “I was supporting my brother.” 

“But you could have fucking spoken up!” Pestilence growls, turning to Death, then turning back to me, he says, “I didn’t want to hurt you. But when these two assholes pointed out that the girls at school would have it out for you if anyone were to find out that there was something between us, even the slightest hint of it, they would eviscerate you.” 

The torment and pain that’s written all over his face, tells me that he’s being honest. However, it still doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever how they thought that having them be the ones that broke me, would have been better than the girls at school doing it. 

Quite frankly, if anyone had to be a bully toward me at school, I think I’d rather it be the girls. At least then, I’d still have the guys but the way that they did things today? I have maybe one person, Alyssa, and I don’t even know if she can be trusted. That girl likes to spread gossip just as bad as the rest of them. 

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“I’m still failing to see how you guys thought that having you guys be the ones to bully me was better than, what, the girls who’ve been after you for God knows how long?” I look at each of the brothers, my attention falling on Pestilence last, “Did you not think that it would have been easier to let those biotches be catty? Which, by the way, I’ve dealt with my entire life. But if it were them I was up against, you four would still be on my side, maybe even having my back instead of y’all being the ones that put the target on my back. Because the result of that, if you haven’t figured it out yet, is that now everyone is against me, including the girls that you were supposedly trying to protect me from. I’ve already got being the new girl going against me as it is. Did I really need anything else?” 

“I really fucked up, and I’m more sorry than you will ever know.” Pestilence says, reaching out a large hand to take my much smaller one. Instead of allowing him such comfort after how much he hurt me today, I move my hand, shaking my head no at the same time. 

me, 

Instead, he drops it on the white comforter, using it to bear his weight as he leans toward 

“We should have just talked to you, had your back, and let the chips fall where they may. I really am sorry- 

1 

“We all are,” War cuts in. 

“Unfortunately, we can’t change what’s already been done, but will you give us a chance to make it up to you? To right our wrongs?” Famine finishes as he steps toward me, dropping to the ground kneeling before me, and placing his hand on the 

The 

top of my knee. 

Knocking off the unwelcome appendage, I release an audible sigh, “I’m still mad at you. guys,” I say, looking at each of them again, gauging their facial expressions, “your actions. today, or at times, lack thereof really hurt.” 

“You have every right to be mad, for as long as you need. We just…” Pestilence manages to get out before being cut off by War, again, “we want the chance to make this right. We never should have hurt you. We see that now.” 

will never understand how boys‘ minds work. 

“Is that all? Are we done?” I snap, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Releasing it, I try to hold back the tears that I can feel building behind my eyes. They can sit and wonder, they can work for my forgiveness. After today, I’m certainly not handing it right over. 

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When no one says anything, I open my eyes back up, having no doubt that they’re red as the pressure continues to build behind them. 

Famine, War, and Death are all looking at Pestilence, and at his nod, Famine sighs, and finally speaks, “Yeah, that’s all. Thank you for hearing us out.” 

I reach out for my physics book, placing it back onto my lap and turning my attention back to it, needing to get back to work, and also needing the distraction as they each filter out of the room. 

Well, they all leave but one. Without looking up from the problem I was working on before. he interrupted, I growl, “You can go, too, Pest. If there’s nothing more that you have to say, I’ve got nothing more to say to you and I have homework to do. I believe you know your way 

out.” 

With a sigh, he stands up from the bed but instead of walking towards the door, he comes to stand in front of me, “I am so sorry, Aspen.” He mutters and then presses his lips to the top of my head, causing one of the tears that I’d been trying so hard to hold back to fall, and slide down my cheek and towards my chin until it falls to the comforter, soaking into the 

white fabric. My body trembles with the amount of effort it takes to hold back the rest. 

Just go. 

Please, just go. 

I silently beg, knowing that I’m about to break down at any moment and that I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it’s because of him, or rather, them. 

As if in answer to my silent pleading, he steps back and retreats from the room. A few moments later, I hear his bedroom door shutting. At the sound, the dam breaks, the trembling in my body increases tenfold, and a wail that I can’t control rips from my throat. 

Goddamn assholes!