Until Forever Comes - Jerry Cole

Chapter One

Bryce Taylor should have been excited to see Sydney. It was after all, his first time ever seeing the largest city in the state and indeed, the country. Oh sure, he’d seen movies that featured the great metropolis, and he’d seen enough photos to boot, but he’d never actually seen the city in the flesh... until now.

It really was something else too. From the direction that the school bus was approaching the city, Bryce had a perfect view of its iconic outline; skyscrapers so tall that they pierced through the clouds and kissed the sky above; more buildings in a single block than the entire town in which Bryce grew up; and of course, Centrepoint Tower right in the middle of it all, that lightning rod that the rest of the city seemed to gravitate around.

Yet despite the awe that the city inspired, despite its grandeur and beauty and foreignness, all of which Bryce did appreciate... he still couldn’t get excited about seeing it. But that was just because of how alone he was feeling.

It was a high school excursion that brought him to Sydney for the first time. At seventeen years of age, Bryce and the rest of his grade eleven classmates were being treated to a once in a lifetime trip to Sydney for three whole days. Again, this might not seem like a big deal to some. But it had to be taken into account that Bryce came from a small town some nine hours north of Sydney, with a population of roughly five thousand people. To him and the rest of his friends, Sydney wasn’t just another city, it was the entire world.

Technically, Bryce wasn’t actually alone. The bus he was on held sixty kids, all his age, all brimming with unbridled enthusiasm at the sight of the city, and many of whom Bryce counted as his closest friends. In fact, right in front of him sat Alan Ezzy, his redhead best friend who he’d been close with since preschool. And two seats over was another good friend of his, Zac Hayes. And right in front of Zac was a third close friend, Cameron Porter.

Bryce had plenty of friends, all of whom were as close as any friend at his age could be, but that didn’t help with the loneliness. Especially when considering who it was that his friends were sitting with.

“Sitting alone, Bryce?” Mr. Scrivner stood in the middle of the aisle, leaning against the back of the seat as he indicated to the empty one beside Bryce.

“I like to stretch out,” Bryce joked.

“Mind if I...” Mr. Scrivner indicated to the empty seat.

“No -- of course not.” Bryce shuffled over so that Mr. Scrivner could climb on in.

Tall, lanky and with a head that was comically large for one so skinny, Mr. Scrivner was also awkward and made sure to look as such as he fell into the seat next to Bryce. “Comfy,” he nodded as he settled in.

Bryce nodded but didn’t say anything. He was still feeling down, so he turned his attention again to the city. The bus was fast approaching, and soon they’d be in the city’s great belly. It should have been the most exciting day of Bryce’s young life.

“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?” Mr. Scrivner indicated to the city. “I still get a little gobsmacked whenever I see her. Heck, some of these buildings have more people in them than our entire town.”

“You’ve been here before.” It wasn’t even really a question. Bryce liked Mr. Scrivner enough. He might have even been his favorite teacher. But right now, Bryce didn’t feel like talking.

“Aye, plenty of times. But it doesn’t change...” Mr. Scrivner trailed off for a moment, as if reminiscing on better times. He then gave his head a shake and focused back in on Bryce. “You must be excited though? Don’t think I haven’t seen you boys planning all the shenanigans you’re getting up to – as a teacher, I have to ask that you try and keep it civil and within the manner that’s expected of you... relatively anyhow,” he finished with a cheeky wink.

Bryce didn’t bother humoring Mr. Scrivner with a feigned chuckle. He just wasn’t in the mood today. Instead, he dared a glance toward his friends, and their new companions, and soon found himself glaring.

Mr. Scrivner noted the glare immediately. “Ah yes... these are um... it’s not easy being a... I remember when I was...” Mr. Scrivner gulped and sucked through his teeth awkwardly as he