𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 || Jameson Hawthorne

heights country day!

༄ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐒 𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃.

Questions about the mystery Heiress were spiraling out of control, and I only hoped Avery could handle the press. When caught in the world of Texas billionaires, what were you supposed to say?

I was still trying to process the fact I had gotten more money than Tobias Hawthorne's grandsons. One question lingered in the back of my mind: What does Tobias Hawthorne want with me?

But that question would lead to more, and eventually I would find Jameson and try and solve this mystery with him. He and Avery already seem to be doing that.

I shut my locker and saw Xander leaned against the other ones beside me. I flinched.

"Xander! What the hell?"

He smirked. "She speaks?" he pulled out a jolly rancher from his bag (blue raspberry, of course) and popped it in his mouth. "I was wondering if you'd seen my lovely brother?"

Me too. "Nope. Doesn't he ride to school with you?" And now, apparently Avery. I didn't say that part though.

"Yes, but you know Jamie," he used two of his fingers to display a person running. "always running off places." Xander pulled his Jolly Rancher bag out and wiggled his eyebrows. "Want one?"

I licked my lips, eyeing the bag in front of me. God, it was so tempting. "What colors do you have?"

Xander narrowed his eyes at me. "What kind of idiot would I be to not have all the flavors?" he pulled a Blue Raspberry one out of his bag and dangled it in the air. "I know you want one."

I reached forward and grabbed the candy out of his hand. "Stop teasing me." I unwrapped it and popped the blue (sacred) Jolly Rancher in my mouth. "For the record, I don't keep tabs on Jameson."

"I wish you would, then we would know where he is."

Avery appeared from around the corner, and to say she looked lost was an understatement. Before I could make my way over to her, somebody else beat me to it.

Thea.

Avery and Thea looked at me and Xander who were both currently feasting over candies. We looked ridiculous.

"Avery, i'm sure you've met Elizabeth." Thea gestured toward me, but the look on her face was anything but inviting.

Xander leaned forward and placed his head on my shoulder. "Also known as Liz, Lizzie, Lizzy with a Y—"

"Ignore Xander," Thea said, "he's feeling a little talkative today." Xander rolled his eyes and slugged his bag fully over his shoulder.

"I'm out, see ya guys!"

I took a mental note to remember to cuss Xander out later.
—
༄

I left Avery to roam with Thea, because she made it clear she wasn't going to let Avery go with me. I was only a junior, but I had a couple of free periods because I was ahead of schedule— meaning time alone. Rebecca spent almost all of her time with Xander in the lab, and I if things were normal, I would've been with Jameson Hawthorne.

Damn myself, because here I was looking for him during lunch. We had a class together before this, but he was absent. Like always.

The privileges of being a Hawthorne.

Jameson Hawthorne could act like a mystery— or a puzzle to be solved, but I had cracked a few of his walls down to know where he does in the day.

Today was the library.

"Thought i'd find you here." Jameson snapped his head up and looked at me, a smirk painting his face.

"Are you stalking me, Elizabeth?"

My cheeks burned red. "No," papers were spread out all over the desk in front of him. "What is all of this?" I inched closer to him and attempted to read the words on the paper.

Westbrook. Davenport. Winchester. Blackwood.

"Surprised you wanted to see me."

I looked at him. "What?"

He smiled, but it quite didn't reach his eyes. At all. "Come on, Lizzie, you know why."

"I don't." The words came out harsher than I had intended.

"You made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me on the roof." He said, his tone too firm and his gaze too estranged. If everything were different, I would've reached out and put my hand on his cheek, but doing that would remind me of everything we can't have. We can't do.

What we can never be.

"Emily—"

"You've really outdone yourself, Liz." She didn't call me Lizzie. I fucked up bad.

"Really? You think you have a right to get mad at me over this?"

"Yes," Emily said, "You don't give a shit about anybody but yourself. All these years you act so innocent and reserved because you're fucking afraid— but it's just you being sneaky."

Do not cry. "That's not true."

"Or," Emily inched closer to me, "maybe you finally realized in order to get people to notice you, you have to be more like me."

Get out of my head. But that night? It'll never go away. I'll always feel the guilt of what could've been and the what if of Emily Laughlin.

You are not Emily Laughlin.

I wrapped my hands around my wrists, soaking in every memory— remembering every single moment of that day.

"You're right."

Jamesons eyes softened. "Lizzie—"

"I should go." I turned on my heel and walked toward the door as quick as my feet would carry me. Apart of me didn't even know why I had gone after Jameson, why I still cared to know if he was okay.

But I still did.
—
༄

Once the school day was over, I waited for Rebecca by the side door of the school. I hadn't expected to see Avery walk over to me.

"Hi," Avery said, "um.. I was just looking for you or Rebecca."

I sighed, knowing what this was about once again. Tobias. "Rebecca is probably off with Xander while i'm here waiting for her. What's up?"

Avery's whole demeanor changed. "Could you maybe help me? Maybe fill in the blanks of Hawthorne House?"

In other words: Emily.

I wanted to say no, but the pushover Liz in me felt compelled to say yes. Avery was a helpless seventeen year old who had just inherited billions of dollars.

Standing up, I brushed off my pants and looked at Avery. "What do you need?"

a/n:

guts tour has started and once again I have no tickets. Yay!
😁