ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏʏs (Book 1)

ii. new girl

T U E S D A Y

Kaleb drummed his fingers over the smooth surface of the school desk. World-weary. As the class filled, and students took their seats, he stared dismally out the window next to him. Miss Patterson came in and called the students attention from the front of the room. She was dressed in her usual white button-down blouse and high waisted black pencil skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail with her thick-rimmed plum glasses that frame her cold grey eyes and she held her morning burrito and thermos of black coffee.

"Ok, class, let's jump right into today's lesson," She said as she frantically shuffled behind her desk to get her things together. As she started off with the lesson, she took a stack of papers stapled together and handed them to the new girl in the front row.

Kaleb's brows drew together in confusion and he sat up in his seat. He watched the new girl file through the pages, her eyes skimming over each word and image, before turning and writing in her notebook. Every now and again she'd glance up at the screen. But ultimately, she stayed in her own world.

His curiosity grew.

"What'd she give the new girl?" Kaleb asked the girl that sat quietly next to him.

Lily was slightly taken aback. All year Kaleb hadn't uttered a single word to her. The one time she tried to strike up a conversation he informed her she had something in her teeth. After the class was over and she'd already made a fool of herself! Welcoming the action, she took one look at Sutton and replied, "The daily lesson."

His frown only deepened. "Why?" Did she have bad eyesight? Could she not see? She was sitting in the front row.

"Cause she's deaf," Lily said matter-of-factly as she pushed her glasses up the slim bridge of her nose. "Can't very much listen and write it down at the same time."

"Lily!" Miss Patterson called out with an impatient gleam in her again eyes. "Would you like to teach the class, since you obviously already know what today's lesson is?"

"No, ma'am," she squeaked with a gulp. "I'm sorry."

As the class continued, Kaleb watched as the new girl read from her papers and wrote in her binder. Alternating back and forth. In her own world separate from the rest.

At lunch, Kaleb welcomed the others with the new. "We gotta deaf-mute," he blurted to his brothers when he joined them at their table in the crowded cafeteria. Ashton was trying to bribe Tyler for his chicken nuggets, Colton sat with Aspen under his arm and Spencer was quietly trying to eat his lunch. Looking as sullen as ever.

"Jesus Christ," Spencer muttered in annoyance under his breath. He continued to scoop at his cherry jello and shovel it into his mouth. Not interested in the slightest in what his brother was going on about.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Colton asked as he unlooped his arm from Aspen's shoulder and took a drink from his milk.

"Oh, hi Aspen," Kaleb barely acknowledge. Aspen had chestnut waves and freckled olive skin. Her eyes were a deep shade of coffee brown framed with thin lashes. She was Colton's current play-thing. Though, if asked, she'd say—without a doubt in her impressionable mind—that they were in fact together. It was clear she still carried a torch for him, even after he's made it blatantly clear he wouldn't stay faithful to her or anyone. Kaleb felt a little sorry for the poor girl. But not sorry enough to care. She was a big girl, she knew what she was getting herself into. "The new girl." He said.

"New girl?" Ashton inquired. Even Tyler see somewhat curious.

Spencer rolled his eyes and dropped his plastic spoon. "Great. That's just what we need."

"See that girl over there," Kaleb turned and his brothers followed his gaze. "that's her, Sutton Johnson," She was sat a couple of tables away from them next to Taylor and Madison and the others from their small clique. Talking and eating their lunch. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Not from her appearance. It wasn't like she looked any different from the others. But more so from the way she seemed to shrink into herself. While the others sat tall and proud. Speaking and laughing with loud voices. She kept her head down and picked at her cold turkey sandwich.

Ashton laughed. "Look who she's friends with." He said as he nudged Tyler. Earning a glare from Colton.

Tyler frowned. "She's a deaf-mute?" he questioned skeptically. "She doesn't look like one."

"And you would know what one would look like because—?" Ashton challenged and Tyler glowered at him. He only smirked and popped a nugget into his mouth. 

"Oh! I've heard of her." Aspen chimed in and turned to Colton. She had a mouth full of her salad and covered her lips with her hand. "That's the girl I was telling you 'bout. The one who lost her parents."

"Come again?" Ashton asked with raised brows.

Aspen wiped her hands on her jeans, quickly swallowed, and turned to the others. Her eyes shined with excitement. "So the story goes, one night, while everyone was tucked away and sound asleep in their cozy beds, some lunatic broke into their house and, like, brutally murdered her parents."

"Holy shit," Kaleb murmured. This was news to him.

"And how would you know any of this Aspen?" Spencer questioned. Spitting her name like bile.

"Because, Spence," She smiled and batted her lashes."I know everything." A muscle in Spencer's jaw ticked and his mouth set in a hard line. His hazel eyes darkened with a fierce glare. Casually, she continued. "But here's the really twisted part, she was in the next room over while the whole thing happened. But because she's deaf and all, she didn't hear a thing. Could you imagine?" She laughed. Finding humor in the irony of the situation.

"Babe, can you go get me some more ketchup?" Colton asked.

Aspen scoffed with a smirk. "Go get it yourself."

"Aspen," He bit in a chilling tone as he looked her in the eye. 

Aspen stared for a moment, trying to stand her ground. But—like always—she crumbled like a house of cards. She sighed heavily. "Fine." She muttered reluctantly. "I need more ranch for my salad anyway." She pushed off the table and left.

Ashton eyed his brother. "Colton?" he began when he noticed his brothers' intense gaze falling back to the new girl. A familiar look brewing in his eyes. "What're you thinking?"

Colton leaned back in his chair. One arm hung lazily over the empty seat next to him with the other outstretched to the table where he absently drummed his fingers against the surface. "I'm thinkin' we're gonna have fun with her."

Spencer sat, stiff in his seat. His hands fisted in his lap under the table. Clenching and unclenching repeatedly. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths trying to calm himself. His teeth gritted and his jaw bulged. She looked so familiar. So much like . . . her. 

No! Don't think about that. Don't think about her. 

When he couldn't rid his mind of the memories, Spencer suddenly pushed out of his seat, his chair crashing to the floor behind him, and stalked off. A few students turned at the unexpected sound. When Sutton caught the sudden movement through her peripheral vision, she found herself watching him as he weaved through tables filled with students and disappeared through the double doors in a rush. What's his deal?