Before Together After Forever

Chapter 1 - Rexford Trent, Jr.

Reflecting on the past fifteen years, I often marvel at how I've navigated through life's challenges. The milestones I've achieved would shock anyone. But you're probably wondering what I'm rambling about. I'm Rexford Oliver Trent, Jr., but most people call me R.J., and this is my tale.

It all began fifteen years ago – with a conversation...

"Dude... Claire's got a thing for you," my best friend William mentioned casually as we sat at our usual lunch spot.

At the time, I was a nerdy 14-year-old sophomore who felt out of place due to skipping a few grades. Somehow, I struck up a friendship with William, a 16-year-old junior I affectionately called Will. "Claire Rosemount is a senior. A gorgeous senior. There's no way she'd be into me," I responded, taking a bite of my pizza.

"Oh, she's not into you; she's into your money," Will quipped.

"In that case, I'd rather steer clear of her," I replied, standing to clear my tray.

"Come on, R.J.," Will persisted, trailing behind me. "She's a scholarship student, a hot one at that, probably a 'B' student to keep her benefits. And she might jump into things on the first date."

I halted. "I'm not interested in that."

"You know, physical stuff," Will continued, earning an elbow to the gut from me. "Okay, okay, backing off!"

The day continued uneventfully until the final bell rang, and as we headed to Will's car, there she was – waiting.

"Rex, right?" she asked, stepping away from the car.

I glanced around, feeling a sudden panic.

"Dude, she's talking to you!" Will hissed. "She's coming over!"

"Um, yeah..." was all I managed to say.

She smiled – or maybe it was more of a smirk – and took my hand, jotting her number on my forearm. "We should hang out sometime," she said in a voice that felt almost seductive.

I was dumbfounded, completely 'shook,' as they'd say these days. This had to be a prank.

Will nudged me toward the car. "You HAVE to call her, man. She's into you!"

"Are you crazy?" I muttered as we started our drive home.

"Any guy in school would kill to be in your shoes," he remarked. "If I weren't waiting for Conner to make up his mind, I'd go for it!"

I chuckled. William was the quintessential athlete and top-notch student who didn't confine himself to labels. He was open about his attraction to both genders, treating everyone like equals. "Fine, I'll give her a call. But isn't she like 17 since she's a senior?"

As we pulled up to my house, which I shared with my wonderful parents, Will dropped a bombshell. "Actually... she's 19... repeated a year, which shouldn't have happened, being a scholarship student, but that's how it goes in this affluent school."

"WHAT? No way... this must be a joke," I thought, unconvinced.

Surprisingly, from that initial phone call, I fell hard. Claire was incredible – she knew how to keep me happy and smiling.

"Claire," I began as she drove us to her apartment. She tilted her head in acknowledgement. "My parents are having their annual Christmas Gala, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me as my... um... date?"

Claire giggled, bringing her car to a stop. "I was hoping that after three months, I was more than just a date."

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, trailing after her like an eager puppy.

"I'm your girlfriend, right?" she said, opening her door and guiding me inside.

Before I could respond, her lips met mine, and from that moment, as they say, the rest became history.

Well... not quite.