𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 || 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

hope ur ok.

༄ 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋, 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆.

My birthday was the day after. I was turning seventeen, which was a hard pill to swallow.

Emily would be eighteen. She would still be here, and her memorial was a reminder of the past mistakes I had made— things I could've done to prevent what happened.

After Sheffield Grayson rudely talked down his son, Jameson thought it was best if he and Grayson had some drinks alone at the bar. I was more than happy to get away from the Hawthorne Brothers for a while.

Any attempts to talk to Grayson never worked, and I had already proved to myself I couldn't be around Jameson without weird dreams popping up in my head.

"Lizzie, wake up," A voice that sounded sweet like honey called. I felt soft fingers brush hair out of my face. "We're here."

"Hmm?" I mumbled.

"We're at Hawthorne House."

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. Jameson was inches away from my face, and if I leaned in just a little bit I would be kissing him.

"Where?"

Jameson smiled. "I'll take you inside."

"Wait," I said. "I have to go home." Rebecca and Lottie were expecting me to be home tonight, and not coming home would result in.. I didn't want to think about that.

Lecturing.

"They'll understand." Jameson wrapped his arms around me, and he threw my arms around his shoulders. "We can even have an unofficial Hawthorne sleepover."

"Sure," I said, but the words came out as a whisper. I was already falling asleep in his arms.

When I opened my eyes again, I was being placed on a bed. Comfy. I didn't care whose bed it was, but I was not leaving anytime soon.

Despite being half asleep, I was still in some consciousness. And what I noticed was Jameson Winchester Hawthorne taking his shirt off.

Oh my God.

I remember him placing me on the bed, but I didn't think we were in his room. The last thing I need is to have another in detail dream about him. Kill me.

There was a soft click, and the lights turned off. The weight of the bed dipped, and within seconds Jameson was next to me.

I pulled the covers over my body.

Jameson let out a soft laugh. "I'm not going to bite, you know." He shifted to face me. Even in the dark, his features were prominent.

"Rebecca is going to kill me."

"They also know i'm not going to bite." Jameson paused. "Though i'm still not sure you know that."

"Maybe, but if she found me sleeping in a boys bed?" I shivered at the thought. "Not looking too good for you."

Jameson didn't say anything. Instead, he shifted to be on his back and stared at the wall. That's when I saw it.

The scar.

I always knew it was there, though I didn't know from what, but regardless, I never asked. Jameson was touchy about these kind of things. He never told anyone the full truth, because that kept people wanting more.

At least, me.

But something felt different now.

Maybe I could've asked, and maybe he would have told me, but the peace between us was too good. Anything could have ruined it.

So instead, I moved closer to him until my face hit his chest, and the last thing I remembered was his arms wrapping around me.
—
༄

Jamesons touch lingered into the day following.

Standing in front of my mirror, I smoothed my outfit, brushed my hair, and let out a big breath. I knew I should've been more excited to honor Emily in a sense, but now that I was coming to terms with the past, it was hard.

It was hard to forgive her for everything she did.

There was a soft knock at my door. I turned around to see Rebecca. "Ready to go? Lottie and Andrew are in the car."

"Yeah, i'm coming." No, I wasn't ready. I don't think I'd ever be ready for this. Not completely.

Tying a black ribbon into my hair, I grabbed my phone and walked out of my room.

When we got to the foundation, there were already countless amounts of people there. Social anxiety.

Rebecca opened the door for me, and when I got out she said, "Relax. It's gonna be okay."

I laughed. "Tell yourself that, you're the one that's shaking." I pointed to her shaky hands, to which she covered them.

"I'm serious," she said. "It's fine to be upset, you know, about her."

Emily.

I shook my head. "I know." I reached for Rebecca's hand and squeezed it tight. "I know," I repeated.

When I walked through the door, all eyes fixated onto me. Of course, being Emily's sister, I knew this was going to happen. But it doesn't make it any easier.

I spotted Avery in the crowd. She's my out. "Hey! Avery!" She turned toward me and smiled.

"Liz!" She gestured for me to come over to her. I made my way through the crowd, ignoring all the whispers. Once I was in arms reach, Avery gave me a hug. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," I said as she pulled away from me. "I wouldn't miss it. Hey, where's Jameson? Or any of the Hawthorne brothers?"

"I wouldn't count on seeing Grayson a lot today." Avery sighed. "He has his own way of dealing with this stuff."

That I knew. "Mhm."

Looking around the room, I couldn't help but search for the boy with brown hair and green eyes. I hated that he was the first person I looked for, but against my better judgement, he always was.

And then I found him, perched against the railing above me, drinking. Something about it made me laugh. Maybe it was the way his hair fell in front of his face? Or his sharp jawline. Either way, something about it was mesmerizing.

And when he caught my gaze, I felt my cheeks burn. Was I red? Oh shit.

Jameson raised his bottle. "Hey, Lizzie," he yelled. "Come up—"

"Lizzie," Rebecca's voice called from behind me. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." Turning around to face her, I was met with my sister and..

A guy.
—
༄

a/n:

jealousy...