The Vincent Boys (The Vincent Boys #1)(54)

Kayla raised her eyebrows. “I can think of one reason to lie. The bunch of crazies who think they need to defend Sawyer by making you their punching bag.”

“Maybe, but I’m not going to lie about Beau and me. He doesn’t deserve that. I have nothing to be ashamed of except ruining their relationship.”

Kayla opened the door to the nurse’s office. “You really are unique. No wonder you got the Vincent boys fighting over you.”

Other than an ugly welt on the side of my head there was no other damage. However, I was beginning to wish I’d at least needed stitches so I’d had an excuse to leave today. By lunchtime I’d had my books knocked out of my hands so many times I’d lost count. Kayla had stopped once to help me pick them up, saying again how I needed a bodyguard. The janitor had cleaned my locker and the entire school body had been threatened with school suspension if caught defacing school property. So they had gone to sticky notes with cruel comments being stuck on my locker instead. I stopped reading them once I realized they were just another form of punishment.

Sawyer had watched quietly as people had knocked my books to the floor all day. When our eyes met after I cleaned off my locker from the latest onslaught of messages and he said nothing but walked away, I decided I might hate him a little. He wasn’t the perfect guy I’d thought he was. Maybe I’d put him on a pedestal too. The Sawyer I’d known wouldn’t have stood by while someone was bullied like this. My eyes had been opened to another side of him. One that was real but one I didn’t like very much.

I was looking forward to getting a tray and heading outside to eat alone and enjoy some peace and quiet. Walking up to the lunch line, I ignored everyone around me. It had become my mantra to not make eye contact. That seemed to make them all worse. So instead I practised tunnel vision. Which was why I probably didn’t see the Coke before it was poured over my head. I squealed as ice ran down my face and Coke burned my eyes. It trickled down my shirt and my hair was plastered to my head. The lunchroom erupted into laughter. Nicole stood in front of me with her empty glass and a smirk on her face.

“Oops,” she said, loud enough for her audience to hear before spinning around on her heels and strutting toward her adoring crowd.

I stood there debating on how to handle this. Kayla said I needed to get tough but the fight was gone out of me. I just wanted Beau to come home. I reached up and wiped away the Coke in my eyes and smoothed my saturated hair back out of my face. Then, without giving anyone the satisfaction of a reaction, I headed back to the double doors leading into the hallway. I could go home now. This was a good enough excuse.

The doors opened before I reached them and I was face to face with Sawyer. His blue eyes I’d once loved widened in shock as he took in my appearance. It wasn’t his fault. Not really.

“Excuse me,” I said as politely as I could, stepped around him and headed down the hall toward the office. I didn’t look back even though I could feel his eyes on me. Maybe this would be a final straw for him. Then again, maybe not.

Chapter 23

Beau

Dear Beau,

I miss you. I miss your smile. I miss your laugh. I miss the way you look in a pair of jeans. I miss the wicked gleam in your eyes when you’re up to no good. I miss you. Please come home. I think about you all day and night. It’s really messing up my sleep, you know. I laid out on the roof last night and thought about all the nights we’d laid there and looked at those same stars. Back before life got all screwed up. Back before I chose the wrong Vincent boy.

Sawyer will forgive you. I think he’s realizing what he and I had wasn’t love. Not real love. He didn’t know the real me and I’ve found out I didn’t know the real him. The things I loved about him aren’t really holding up anymore. He isn’t you. He never was. But then there can only be one ridiculously sexy bad boy in town. I believe it’s a quota thing. I’m teasing. You’re not bad. You have so many good qualities. I admire you. I wish everyone saw the Beau I see. If they only knew how truly special you are. Please come home. I can’t say it enough. I miss you.

I love you,

Ashton

She misses me. I want to go back and take her away. Snatch her up and run. Facing my uncle now, knowing he’d never once even tried to have any relationship with me, wasn’t something I could do yet. I wanted Ash though. She could hide away with me. If I asked I didn’t doubt she would come. But I’d pulled her into an awful mess already. I couldn’t hurt her anymore. She had the safety of her home. Parents who loved her. She didn’t need to lose that. It was important. It was a gift. One I’d never had and I’d be damned if I ruined it for her. Instead of turning on my phone and seeing the text messages she’d sent me, I tucked the letter against my heart and closed my eyes. For now this would have to be enough. Maybe Mama would have another letter for me tomorrow. I liked knowing Ash was going to see my mother when I wasn’t there. Mama said they’d been talking. She’d decided Ashton wasn’t so bad after all. The admiration in Mama’s voice only made my chest ache more. Ashton Gray was too good for me. But I wanted her anyway. She wasn’t the selfish one. I was.

Ashton

“Don’t drop one. The damn things cost too much,” Honey called from the kitchen.

I stood drying shot glasses and beer mugs before putting them away behind the bar. I’d started coming here after school every day to bring Beau a letter and see if Honey had heard anything from him. My frequent visits had started growing lengthy—so much so that Honey had started putting me to work. I had gladly accepted. This way I could talk about Beau to someone who would listen and not have to go home to my bedroom, alone.