Forever & Always - The College Years

Forever & Always - The College Years

Written by Boston Jay

Authors Note: 

This book is the prequel to the book - 'Brothers at War'. It focuses on the adventures of Gerard, Hailey, Claire and Chase as they experience the years after High School. 

Chapter 1: Chase

The end of summer was looming closer and 18-year-old Chase Taylor was making the most of the last of it. Skipping stones in the pond near his house as his twin brother Gerard leaned against a tree drawing on a sketchpad. In two weeks time Chase would be heading to Brown University, moving into his dorm room and starting his Freshman Year of College but for now there was summer and time to do nothing. He'd gotten a job of course and made some money working for an old man named John Richards but after a while he'd done all the work that needed doing she’d spent some time with his Grandparents on Nantucket Island fixing up an old cabin. When he got home from the island he'd spent his days swimming or tossing a ball around with his friends or going on dates with his girlfriend Hailey. It was summer and the possibilities were endless. 

It made Chase sad that all his friends, especially his 3 closest friends, Gerard, Hailey and Claire would soon all be in different states, and that they wouldn't all really be together again until Thanksgiving and that was months away. He had tried not to think about it until as he was skipping rocks on the pond. He realized that it was because of the fact that they were all leaving for College, that it was entirely necessary that they have one last adventure to conclude the summer. He turned to his brother after this thought occurred to him.

"Ger, don't you think we should do something before we go to College? With the girls I mean?"

Gerard didn't look up from the page of his sketchbook where he was sketching the trees around the pond but answered his brother, "We could".

Chase skipped another stone, "Something cool I mean, like a trip somewhere or go camping. Something big that we have to plan out."

"Like a road trip?" Gerard replied, having stopped drawing and was now looking up - the idea of a summer road trip building in his mind. 

"Yeah - you think the girls would be keen?" 

                                                   *

After the boys walked back to their house they each called their girlfriend. Standing across the room from each other they got a sense how the others conversation was going. "But Claire you've been getting ready for College since we graduated, you've already read all the books for your first semester, I'm sure you have time to go on a road trip... no I won't be driving, not the whole way anyway - hey what's wrong with my driving!?...we were thinking sleeping outside would be fun...yeah of course I know what ticks are.." Was more or less what Chase heard from Gerard’s conversation with Claire that evening. He couldn’t help laughing as he talked to his own girlfriend Hailey about the trip.