The Best Man. Jaymie Wright

      Chapter One

      You wake up in a panic, realizing you’ve overslept once again, and class starts in twenty minutes. You scramble to get yourself together, and try to think of the quickest route to class.

      There’s the elevator, but it’s on the other side of the building and trying to get there through the crowd is going to make it impossible to make it on time. The stairs are only three doors down, and at the bottom is a direct shot across the grounds to class, even though it’s four flights down.

      “Stairs…definitely the stairs…”

      You throw on a pair of jeans from your hamper and your favorite sweater, not even taking time to brush your hair. You just throw it up, and you make a mad dash out the door and to the stairs. Right as you’re getting to the top of the stairs, a door swings open, hitting you square in the forehead, knocking you to the ground.

      “Ouch… Seriously, who puts a door right next to the steps? Better yet, who just swings a damn door open right next to the step without paying attention?”

      Just as you start to rant about who opened the door, you hear an all-too-familiar voice. You look up and see Kevin. Kevin has desperately been trying to get you to go out with him for the past two years.

      “Crap, Alex… Are you okay? I didn’t mean… Here, let me help you up.”

      Kevin reaches his hand out to offer his help, but as aggravated as you are, you ignore his gesture to help and lift yourself back up to your feet.

      Kevin says, “I’m really sorry. Please, let me make it up to you.”

      You immediately think, I know where this is going, and I just don’t have time, and I really don’t want to go through turning him down again. I’m running out of nice ways to do it.’

      “Sorry, Kev. I gotta go. I’m running so late.”

      You rush down the stairs before he can even mutter out the word okay. You make your way to the bottom of the stairs and begin to sprint out the door, running across the courtyard between your dorm and your class. Just as you’re in your final stride, you feel a jolt hit from the side.

      What the? This is seriously not my day!

      As you stumble to get your balance, you hear two guys shouting at one another. Their voices sound familiar. You turn to them and realize that it’s your brother Nick and his best friend since kindergarten, Chase.

      You stand there in shock at what is happening. You’ve never really seen them argue before and especially screaming at one another. Screaming at the top of his lungs, you hear Nick say, “You’re being such a dumbass! You’re so close to finishing. Can’t you just wait until after graduation? It’s only three months. What’s three months? Do it then!”

      As soon as he takes a breath, Chase starts in to defend himself.

      “You’re not going to change my mind. You know if I wait, this chance will be gone, and who knows when another chance like this will come along. It’s an investment, and I know what I’m doing.”

      “Whatever. Do what you want,” Nick replies as he throws his hands in the air to surrender.

      As you stand there in utter shock of what is happening in front of you, Nick and Chase take off in opposite directions. You look at Nick, and he’s already too far ahead to catch up, so you yell for Chase.

      “Chase! Hold on a sec.”

      He turns and sees you coming toward him, and it hits him that you just saw everything that happened with him and Nick. A look of embarrassment and disappointment washes over him.

      Once you get within arm’s reach of each other, you ask him, “What the hell was that all about?”

      Chase lets out a low chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck and says, “So you heard all that, huh?” even though he already knows your answer.

      With sarcasm in your voice, you reply, “I’m pretty sure that everyone on campus just heard you two. Seriously.”

      Chase drops his head looking at the ground. You grab his forearm and give it a gentle squeeze for comfort and ask him, “Are you okay?”

      He looks up