Читать книгу The Best Man - Jaymie Wright - Страница 5

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 at you with warmth in his eyes but hesitates to say anything. You give him a serious look and cross your arms.

“Chase, I’m not leaving until you tell me what is going on,” you state.

He finally answers you, “I’m leaving…”

In absolute confusion, you start rambling before he even has a chance to finish,

“What? I’m so confused. Leaving? What do you mean leaving? Wait. Why are you leaving? Where are you going? When are you coming back? What the hell is going on?”

Chase begins to laugh and throws up his hand to catch your attention and says, “Whoa… Alex, breath. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just not graduating. There is a business opportunity, and if I’m going to do it, then I need to do it now. It can’t wait.”

You catch your breath as Chase laughs at you. “Well then, now that that’s settled, what is it? What’s this big investment that has Nick jumping down your throat about?” you ask.

“It’s going to be a nightclub.”

You raise an eyebrow

“It’s going to be?”

“Yeah. It’s an abandoned warehouse right now. It’s just a few blocks from here. I’m going to renovate it and make it a spot for the younger crowd. With it being so close to the college, it’s perfect. If only I could get your stubborn-ass brother to realize that.”

You let out a sarcastic laugh as you say, “That the understatement of the year.”

Chase can’t help but smile and then he says, “Well, now that you know, what do you think? Are you going to yell at me too, tell me that I’m being a dumbass and that I’m throwing everything away?”

You roll your eyes as you say, “No. If this is what you want, then you should do it. Plus, it sounds like your mind is already made up, so it really doesn’t matter what I think anyways.”

Chase gives you a stern look and grabs your shoulder, sending a shiver down your spine, and says, “Alex… It matters. It always matters!”

You take a hard swallow and say, “Chase, I believe in you, I’ve always believed in you. If anyone can do it, you can.”

He starts to grin ever so slightly while letting go of you. He rubs the top of your head, making your hair even more of a mess than what it already is, and then says, “Thanks, kiddo. Now I’ve got to go and close the deal on the warehouse. I’ll see you later?”

You wave goodbye but can’t help thinking to yourself, Kiddo? I’m so tired of everyone seeing me as a kid. I’m only a couple of years younger than him and Nick. I may be Nick’s little sister but come on.