Paparazzi//Grayson Hawthorne

Chapter Twenty

We are safe. We are not in danger. We are on our way back to Hawthorne House. We are in the car, safe. We are safe.

I feel my eyes tightly shut even more as whispers fill the car.

I wrap my arms around my head as I bring my knees to my chest, resting my arms atop my knees.

"Grayson, what was that?" Xander says, his voice muffled slightly by my arms.

"I had to do something, Xander. You cannot be mad at me for that," Grayson quickly spoke. I felt movement from beside me. Grayson was moving slightly closer to me, away from Xander.

"But you know we shouldn't do anything that would get a big headline. Now everyone is going to think the two of you are dating!" Xander exclaimed a little louder.

"God, Xander, if I hadn't done something, the headlines would be that she had a panic attack, we can deny dating rumors, but panic attack rumors are a hell of a lot harder to deny," Grayson quickly snapped back at his younger brother.

"Yes, but why didn't you just let the security handle it and cover us more? Instead, you, the most superficial one of all of us who the world even knows that you were going to inherit everything, but now they are just going to think you're dating, and then it'll get twisted into you dating her for the money or something" Xander spoke quickly, he always spoke quickly, his voice was just fast-paced, as though he spoke in double speed, I like it though, it keeps my brain focused on his words because if someone talks too slow I don't listen, but with Xander, I listen.

"God, can the two of you stop? Please? We can sort this out later, back at Hawthorne House, when Alisa is yelling at all of us," I quickly say. I know Alisa probably doesn't want to deal with us all. I've already caused her so much trouble. She probably wants to be done with me at this point.

"I'll talk to Alisa, and if that doesn't work, then I'll get Nash too. It's obvious she's going harder on you than she is, Avery, with everything she has said, but I will talk to her and explain everything. I'll try to get her to back off a bit, okay?" Grayson's voice is quiet. It's soft, as though if I had been a few meters away, I probably wouldn't have heard him.

I just nod a small nod, letting him know that I appreciate it without forming the words.

We quickly arrive back at Hawthorne House. I get out of the car as quickly as I can, standing straight as I stretch, wanting to get all of the stiffness from my body as quickly as humanly possible.

"I thought I said not to do anything dumb?" The Texan accent startles me slightly as I turn around to see the cowboy wanna-be standing there, hat on his head, as he looks over the three of us.

"Shove it, Nash," Xander quickly says, sending the older a short glare.

"What happened?" Nash quickly asks, his scrawl from earlier long gone as he senses that something has actually happened.

"We went into a store, and when we came out, the number of people had doubled, and all eyes were on us, Ash obviously isn't used to all of the attention and doesn't like it, so she started to have a panic attack, and I tried to help, but we got out of there as soon as we could" Grayson speaks, his voice isn't as soft anymore, it's professional, it's cold as stone.

I feel myself flinch slightly, maybe it was because he called me she, which I just don't like very much, or maybe it was because he mentioned my panic attack, but I felt myself flinch as I cringed internally.

"Are you okay, Ash?" Nash turned his attention toward me as he quickly looked me up and down, making sure I wasn't injured.

I feel all three of their eyes on me as I struggle to find words. It feels too hard to speak, as though it'll take twenty years off of my life.

I nod, it's not convincing, but it'll have to do.

We hear the front door open as we all turn to face it. Alisa walks out of the house, making a bee-line for us.

"Lee-Lee, not right now," Nash says, his voice stern, causing Alisa to look up at him, her brows furrowing as she glares up at him.

"Fine, the three of you go inside. I will talk with you later," She sighs as she points toward Grayson, Xander, and me, motioning for us to all go inside.

The three of us quickly walk to the door, entering the house as quickly as we can.

"Sorry about her. I don't know why she's been getting so mad about everything lately, but I'm sure Nash will talk to her, and if that doesn't work, I will try afterward," Grayson quickly speaks, looking out of one of the windows briefly to see the two adults talking.

I look out behind him. It looks like Alisa is mad. Nash is pinching the bridge of his nose as he moves her arms around quickly as she speaks.

I just shrug, trying to muster up words, any words really, but I just can't.

"Do you want to just relax for a bit? We can watch a show if you'd like. It usually helps me calm down and relax," Xander quickly suggests, nodding his head toward the stairs.

I nod, still not being able to find words.

"Okay, we'll go watch something. You don't have to talk, not right now. You don't have to say anything until you're comfortable and ready," Grayson says now, his voice back to being the soft tone he seems to always use when talking to me.

We end up going upstairs to a living room. It's luckily empty when we arrive.

Xander and Grayson quickly grab out blankets, spreading them across the couch.

"Give me two minutes," Xander quickly says before he quickly runs down the hall.

Xander arrives not even two minutes later, a piece of material in his hands, quickly handing it to me.

I quickly unfold the material, it being the hoodie he had let me borrow the day prior. I smile up at him quickly before sliding it over my head.

[Haha not me inserting my own habits into my character]