Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
With that, his hands fall away from the wall as he backs up, putting more distance between us.
The truth sits perched on the tip of my tongue.
“Austin…” My voice dies as Jasper steps into the room.
“Hey.”
He glances at me and then Austin. The dark-haired boy straightens to his full height as if expecting a fight to break out. If I’m being honest, I’m bracing for it myself. Especially after what happened Friday night at the game. But instead of going off the deep end and losing his shit, Jasper actually smiles.
My mouth falls open in surprise before I snap it shut.
He shifts, his gaze settling on Austin. “Thanks for making sure Delilah got home safely the other night. I was acting like an asshole, and she had every right to take off.”
Austin’s dark brows slide together as uncertainty flickers across his face. Like me, he’s thrown off balance by Jasper’s strange reversal.
“It wasn’t a problem. Guess I was just in the right place at the right time.”
“I’m glad you were.” There’s a pause as Jasper plows a hand through his short blond strands. “I know it’s a little late, but I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you. Instead of welcoming you to HP, I went out of my way to make you feel like you didn’t belong. Hawthornes get a bad rap in this town, and I allowed my preconceived notions about your family to dictate my thoughts and feelings. It was crappy on my part. You’re not your ancestors. At least, not the ones who founded the town or company. And you’re certainly not your grandmother either.” He glances away as if embarrassed by his own behavior before looking Austin square in the eye. “If you’re willing, I’d like the chance to start over.”
This time, when my mouth crashes open, there’s no shaking off the shock. I can’t believe I’m hearing all this. By the stunned expression marring Austin’s face, he feels the same.
When the other boy remains silent, Jasper forces out a self-deprecating laugh. “After all, we’re on the same team and have a lot of friends in common. We should probably try to get along and let the past stay where it belongs—in the past.” He thrusts out his hand. “What do you say, Hawthorne?”
Austin’s narrowed gaze drops to Jasper’s outstretched arm. For a long, silent moment, he remains still. My heart pounds a painful staccato against my ribcage as air gets clogged at the back of my throat.
Just when I think Austin will tell him to go to hell, he grasps the other boy’s hand and gives it a firm shake. “I’d like that.”
“Cool.” Jasper grins.
My gaze flickers from one guy to the other before sliding back again. No matter what I thought might happen, this wasn’t it.
Not only am I at a loss for words, it feels like I’ve entered a parallel dimension.
One where nothing makes sense.
Jasper’s undergone a total personality transplant, and Mom is having a secret affair with the headmaster of my school.
The only thing I know for certain is that I can’t take any more weirdness.
DELILAH
Mom keeps up a steady flow of chatter as we drive from our house to Jasper’s palatial mansion where the Hawthorne Prep annual charity function is held each year. There’s a mile-long line of expensive cars parked along the street outside the estate.
“It’s such a shame that Jasper didn’t have a good game last night,” Mom says, breaking into the whirl of my thoughts. “I feel bad for the poor guy.”
Much like last week, Jasper made several errors that cost the team both yards and points. The coach yanked him out before halftime, sending Austin in to take his place.
And just like the previous game, the other boy turned things around within the quarter and they won by a field goal. It doesn’t matter if it was by the skin of their teeth. A win is a win in everyone’s book. As soon as Jasper was pulled from the game, I held my breath, waiting for him to lose it on the sidelines.
It never happened.
In fact, he clapped and cheered when Austin threw a touchdown to one of the receivers. It's like an internal switch has been flipped and his behavior is the complete opposite of what it’s always been. And not just with Austin, but me as well. He’s been sweet and considerate this entire week. At lunch on Friday, he even joked around with Austin.
It was bizarre.
“He seemed to take it in stride.”
She nods before peering up at the stone mansion that’s lit up like a Christmas tree as we crawl up the weathered brick drive.
“I can’t believe how gorgeous their house is,” she murmurs as if the occupants might overhear her whispered comments. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in such a huge place.” A wistful edge creeps into her voice.