HIRAETH [1] || Grayson Hawthorne

Chapter 23- Soy Milk

"Come on, ya still got school." -Nash Hawthorne

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Avery and I had school today. She was already in the car, unless she decided to runaway with Jameson and start a cult.

I had my school uniform and backpack on as I walked down the long hallway, Mike followed behind me somewhere and didn't need to lead me around. I knew the way from my room to the entrance of the house, I also knew how to get to the bowling alley and swimming pool. 

Someone cleared their throat behind me, I turned around expecting Mike. It was Nash. "Hiya." he tipped his hat towards me. I gave a polite smile and continued walking, facing the front again. "So I see you've forgiven Libby." he continued with awkward small talk. "Yes I have." I wasn't really in the mood.

Nash walked faster to reach me, soon we were walking side by side. The air was tense and neither of us spoke. I tried to speed up but Nash would always manage to match my pace. I turned left and so did he. 

We entered the hallway I hated the most, the walls were lined with paintings of the boys, individual ones, group, pair, whatever. Every painting here consisted of at least one Hawthorne brother. 

Every time I walked here I felt like someone was staring, I wouldn't be surprised if the eyes on the paintings were cut out for peepholes. Nash sighed as he examined the pictures he's probably spent hours posing for. 

We passed by an individual painting of Grayson, "You betta' be careful around my brother." he broke the silence around us. I glanced at him then at the painting before placing my gaze on the ground, "I know." I replied lamely.

Nash didn't speak anymore. This hallway seemed to go on forever, I checked behind me for Mike but he was like a ghost, I couldn't see him but I felt his presence and that was enough. 

The cowboy beside me stopped walking. I kept my pace though with the intention of leaving him behind. "We all have a picture of this painting." Nash said so quietly that I would've missed it if I walked any louder. I paused and turned around to see, I was a few feet away from him.

I recognized that painting. It was the same one I had seen in Xander's room, the picture with braille on the back. Nash looked at it longingly, like he missed the time they were that young and childish. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked. He looked at me, "No reason." he said then walked towards me. 

He kept his eyes on the walls, "We have a picture of this painting too." he nodded to a painting of the boys in tuxedos, they looked older in this one. Nash finally reached me, "Come on, ya still got school." he said. "Yeah." I drew the word out and resumed walking.

The picture I saw in Xander's room lingered in my mind. 

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Avery and I sat in the back of the car. She was quiet but I could practically hear the gears of her brain churning. "What are you thinking about?" I asked her. Avery snapped out of her thoughts and looked at me with surprise, "Nothing." she answered instinctively. I frowned and faced the window instead.