The Boys of Hawthorne by Ashtyn Short

Chapter Twenty Two 

Boston 

The five of us step through the doors of Hawthorne High, Aspen in the middle between Linc and me. Jax is on my right, and Dal’s on Linc’s left. I can feel the unease flowing off of her in waves as we approach the other students in the hallway, her nerves getting the best of her. 

Reaching down and twining my fingers through hers, I give her hand a slight squeeze of encouragement and a wink, letting her know that it’s going to be okay. 

I lean down slightly and whisper so only she hears, “We’re all right here. It’s okay, we’ve got 

you.” 

We’re not going to let anything happen to her. 

We fucked up yesterday and we’re all feeling a fuck load of guilt because of it but we’re determined to make it up to her. Today. Tomorrow. For as long as it takes for her to trust us 

again. 

1 

As we begin passing by people, I see several take the five of us in, the looks on their faces. showing their confusion. Others, merely glance our way, then go back to what they were 

doing. 

“You have got to be kidding me!” A familiar voice says from down the hall. Looking up ahead. of us, Mallory and her group of cleat chasers are standing in front of their lockers glaring at Aspen. “This has got to be some sort of joke, right?” 

Aspen stiffens next to me and I’m two seconds away from putting Mallory in her place when Jackson pipes up, “The only joke here is you, Mal. Do you actually think that Boston would 

ever be interested in you?” 

“He sure seemed interested yesterday.” She haughtily replies placing her hand on her jutted- 

out hip. 

“And you were all too willing.” I scoff, narrowing my eyes at her, “trust me, I would never go 

1/5 

Chapter Twenty Two 

there. You were a means to an end and nothing more.” 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She screeches, lunging for me. 

“He was using you.” Linc says in an annoyed voice, as he intercepts her, pushing her back and crowding her, “get it through your thick head, he’s never liked you and he never will.” 

“But yesterday…” she says, her voice becoming whiny as her chin begins to quiver. 

“Yesterday was a dumbass mistake,” I say, lifting Aspen’s hand to my lips and kissing her knuckles as I turn my attention to her, “one that I’m trying to rectify.” I watch as Aspen’s teeth sink into her bottom lip and her cheeks turn rosy. 

“You’re going to regret this.” Mallory snarls, looking at Aspen, then turns her attention towards me, “You just painted a target on her back. 

“Do your worst. I’m not afraid of you.” Aspen says, standing tall as she takes a step forward until she’s standing next to Linc, facing the threat head–on. Unwilling to break our connection, I step up behind her, keeping my left hand still locked with hers, and wrap my right around her waist, pulling her back into my front. 

“I can make your life a living hell,” Mallory says seething, then whips around, her hair hitting Linc in the face as she turns. 

“You can kiss your chances at cheer goodbye, bitch.” Whitney hisses, then turns, following Mallory down the hall. The rest of her crew glares at the five of us and then turns around. following after Mallory and Whitney like good little minions. 

“I’m sorry.” I whisper into her ear, then begin trailing kisses down the column of her neck, while pulling her body tighter against me.. 

“I meant what I said,” she says breathlessly. Clearing her throat, she speaks more firmly as 

she finishes,” I’m not scared of her or them.” 

Stepping away from me, I drop my arms to my sides as she turns, looking at the four of us, “You guys may have started this shit yesterday but I’m not going to cower in the corner like some scared little girl.” 

2/5 

Chapter Twenty Two 

“She wasn’t wrong though,” I say, dropping my head, unable to look her in the eye as regret. washes through me all over again for our actions of yesterday, “we painted a target on your back, and for what? You did nothing to deserve it.” 

Stepping up to me, she places her hand against my chest and lifts my chin, making me look her straight in the eye as she says her next words, an obvious challenge glittering within her eyes, “Then help me make it right.” 

“Of course,” I say, bringing my right hand up to brush a stray hair from her face, then trailing. my thumb along her smooth cheekbone. “Anything.” 

“Come on, guys,” Dal says, clamping his.hand on my shoulder, “we need to get to class.” 

Instead of taking a seat in the last row with my brothers, I take the desk next to Aspen, sitting down just as Mr. Jeffries comes rushing into the classroom, looking worse for wear with his light brown hair unfixed and a coffee stain on his light green button–down. 

“Sorry I’m a little late this morning, class. Let me take attendance and then we can get started on what I will be looking for in the essay that’s due on Monday.” He pulls out a green. booklet and a blue pen and begins calling out students‘ names. 

Watching Aspen out of the corner of my eye, I watch as she leans forward, her elbows lain against the top of her desk, chewing on the end of her pencil. Taking her in, her dark hair falls over her shoulders, coiling against her English book that she’s already gotten out and opened on the surface of the desk. 

With her body leaning forward, the back of her black shirt lifts up, baring a stretch of smooth tanned skin. Her heel–clad feet are crossed at the ankles, and she taps her foot as Mr. Jeffries continues taking attendance. When he calls out her name, she straightens up and brushes her hair over her shoulder, “here,” she says. Glancing over at me, her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink, her teeth pressing into her lower lip, as if trying to conceal a smile when she catches me watching her. 

Winking at her, I call out “here,” when Mr. Jeffries calls my name next, not taking my eyes off of the beautiful girl seated at the desk next to mine. And she truly is beautiful, both inside 

and out. 

3/5 

Chapter Twenty Two 

I love watching as her face lights up and her bright eyes shine when she smiles a full, genuine smile. Not one of those fake, forced smiles that she kept giving everyone yesterday when she was trying to put on a brave face. 

Her strength is another thing that I admire. Me and the boys, along with everyone else, save for a few people, were truly awful to her yesterday, and yet she still handled everyone with respect. Yeah, she got snarky with me and my brothers a few times, but we deserved it, and I admire the way that she stood up for herself instead of backing down and letting everyone walk all over her. 

Even the tears that she’d shed yesterday, weren’t a sign of weakness, at least not in my eyes. 

And hearing her cry herself to sleep last night, fuck! I wanted so badly to crawl into her bed with her, wrap her in my arms and comfort her. But, I knew that was the last thing that she wanted. 

I still caved, ending up in her room in the middle of the night. 2 

I couldn’t stay away. 

She is so damn beautiful, even when she’s sleeping. 

She looked like an angel, even with her face puffy from crying. 

She definitely doesn’t realize the effect that she has had on the people of this school after only one full day, but the girls are being catty because they view her as a threat. And from the way I’ve caught many guys checking her out, it’s no wonder they feel that way. 

And then she came down the stairs this morning, looking like a wet dream, and fuck! There was no way I could keep my hands to myself. 

After yesterday, I needed to publicly claim her as mine, marking my territory and letting everyone else know that they need to back the hell off. 

I’m honestly surprised that she let me be as affectionate and touchy this morning as she did. I fully expected her to shrug me off every time I touched her or tried to hold her hand, but she never did. 

4/5 

– 4