Page 96 of Princess of Hawthorne Prep

The woman is formidable.

And a little bit scary.

A few more people join our table, filling up the spaces. Halfway through lunch, I glance around, surprised to find myself surrounded by my classmates. There’s so much laughter and chatter. The loneliness that’s always plagued me is conspicuously absent. Even though I was never really alone and always surrounded by people, I never felt like I belonged. I was still an outsider with my nose pressed against the glass, wishing things could be different.

That’s no longer the case.

If it still feels like something, or more accurately,someoneis missing, I shove that thought away before it can take root inside my brain and focus on the conversations taking place around me.

When Summer clears her throat, my gaze flickers toward her.

“I, um, wanted to say that I’m sorry for how I treated you. You didn’t deserve my anger. I was stupid and bought into the lies Jasper was spewing.” Her normally strong shoulders slump under the weight of her apology. “Honestly, I should have known better.”

The conversations taking place around us grind to a halt as people turn and listen.

I blink, surprised that she’s making such a public apology. Kingsley throws his arm around her shoulder and tugs her close before whispering something in her ear.

Summer and Austin have been so protective of each other. Neither wants to see the other get hurt. And the students of Hawthorne Prep haven’t exactly been welcoming to them since their arrival.

So…I get it.

And I can forgive.

Her behavior was never malicious.

“It’s all right.”

Her eyes soften as she shakes her head. “It’s not.” There’s a pause. “After what happened with Jasper at the beginning of the school year, I assumed you were playing games.”

“I would never deliberately hurt him,” I whisper.

I want the best for Austin and care more than I’m willing to admit. Even privately to myself. I can only hope that with enough time, my feelings will eventually fade into nothingness.

“I know. It’s why I was so angry. I couldn’t understand how I could have been so wrong about you.”

Air leaks slowly from my lungs. After more than a month of tension, it feels like Summer and I have finally come to a place of understanding. Maybe now, we’ll be able to bury the past and start fresh.

Just when I assume she’ll drop the topic, she says in a low voice, “I know Austin made a lot of mistakes, but he really does care about you.”

Even though I try to stomp out the sadness before it can wreak further havoc, I’m not quick enough. It rushes through my veins, suffusing every cell.

My teeth rake across my lower lip as I contemplate a response. What I won’t do is give her false hope where there is none to be found. As painful as this separation is, it’s been good for me. I’m standing on my own two feet and finding my own way in the world. I’ve become my own person.

One who isn’t afraid to branch out and take a few risks.

What I’m not doing is lurking in the shadows, hiding behind either of these boys.

Unable to hold her searching gaze, I glance away. My attention is immediately ensnared by dark green eyes, and my heart stutters to a standstill before thundering in my chest.

No matter how much time slips by, my reaction to Austin Hawthorne is always the same and just as visceral. It’s as if he became an integral part of me and I have no idea how to purge him from my system.

What scares me most is that the longing I feel deep in my soul will never fade. It’ll always be a part of me.

AUSTIN

With my arms folded behind my head, I stare at the ceiling as my mind tumbles over the past month. All the ways I fucked up and hurt Delilah.

The distance that now separates us is as wide as an ocean and impossible to cross.

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