Until Forever Comes - Jerry Cole Page 0,2

most well liked among others in their grade. He was personable and got on with everyone, boys and girls alike.

Physically too, Bryce was a cut above his other friends. Where Zac was overweight, Cameron was far too skinny and Alan had red hair paired with the whitest skin in the country, or so the boys always claimed. Bryce though, he was tall without it being too much. All the surfing he did widened his shoulders, filled out his arms and tanned his skin. And where his facial features were still developing, his jaw was sharp, his cheekbones high and his teeth were big and white. He was a looker and ‘the most handsome boy in school,’ his mum claimed.

That night though, Bryce had been happy to sit to the side of the room and be ignored. Whenever girlfriends came into the equation, he liked to stay silent, otherwise they would all circle back to their favorite topic: why is Bryce single.

“I don’t know,” Bryce had shrugged and pretended to adjust his covers.

“Of course he doesn’t,” Cameron had smirked. “Bryce wouldn’t know a pussy from a piece of fruit.”

“He would too!” Alan had argued in Bryce’s defense.

“How?” Cameron rebutted.

“I still think you should ask Liana out,” Zac had then climbed to his feet to speak up. “Dude, have you seen her tits.”

“Her tits!” Alan had howled.

“God they are something – I would motorboat those things every night before bed if I was with her.” Cameron had then pretended to motorboat the air right in front of him.

“And she likes you!” Zac had continued. “You’ve seen her talking to him,” he said, nodding to Cameron.

“She would so say yes,” Cameron had agreed.

“She turned me down,” Alan had muttered. “Maybe she wouldn’t?”

“Yeah, but you’re butt ugly,” Zac then blew through his lips. “Bryce is a S.T.U.D. -- even Imogen thinks he’s the best-looking guy in our year.”

“At least now we know who she’ll be thinking about tomorrow night when you two fuck,” Cameron had joked.

“Yeah! Go fuck yourself!” Zac shouted.

“Can your mum join in?” Cameron then shot back.

From there it devolved into a mass of yelling, shouting and play fighting as the favorite topic of why Bryce was single quickly became forgotten. Bryce, of course, was grateful for this. Although he knew his friends didn’t mean anything by it, he really, really hated when they brought it up.

The simple truth of the matter was that Bryce just wasn’t into girls. Not yet anyway. He knew he would be one day... or at least he was pretty sure he would be one day. Because that was just what happened. One day you didn’t care, then the next you woke up and found girls hot. It had happened to all of his friends, so it was bound to happen to him.

He just wished it would hurry up already. Bryce had been fine not being into girls when his friends weren’t. But right now, on this bus, forced to sit alone as each of his friends paired off with their female counterpart, he was reminded of how out of touch he was. What the heck was wrong with him?

“Are you excited for today?” Mr. Scrivner tried next as Bryce continued to stare out the window. The bus was just entering the city now, with the tall skyscrapers shooting up all around them like blades of grass.

“Huh?” Bryce half responded as he craned his neck upwards to try and see the top of some of the buildings. It really was incredible how big they were.

Mr. Scrivner nodded his understanding. “I’ve heard you plan on moving down here when you graduate? Have you given any thought to what you might do? Mr. Glee says you’re one heck of a writer.”

“Oh... yeah, maybe.” Bryce shrugged his non-committal response. “I’m okay.”

“He says you’re better than that. He told me you’re the best writer he’s had in over five years – your story about the loneliness of being Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars apparently moved him to tears... or so he claimed.”

Bryce was a good writer. In fact, he was better than good. He was also of an age now where he had to start thinking of his future seriously, and what he was going to do with himself. If he’d had his way, his absolute dream, he’d be a sportswriter. He had no idea how he’d go about becoming one, but he loved cricket more than life itself and if he was able to write about it as his career...