Chapter 1
Summers in Michigan are hot, but they’re green. The dense woods in full bloom make the city of Ann Arbor beautiful and give it a deceivingly peaceful, small town feel. On this particular Sunday the city was all but deserted; the majority of its occupants having gathered in one place. It was graduation day at the University of Michigan. On the North end of the city a small two-lane highway stretches just over twelve miles connecting the college town to it’s much smaller neighboring city of Whitmore Lake. The City of Whitmore Lake, having been appropriately named after a beautiful reservoir tucked away within its woods, was home to a very well to do family by the name of Harper.
Mr. Harper is a prominent figure within the ranks of the University. The beloved professor and president of the Alumni Association was nominated for this year’s teacher of the year award and his lovely wife couldn’t be more proud. Mrs. Harper, a socialite at heart, spends most of her days planning elegant dinner parties and various fundraising events for the College. Together they are the perfect combination of pride and elegance within their high society circle. Though they have many reasons to hold their heads high, their most prize possessions are their two sons, Brian and Nicholas.
Brian is the older of the two boys and the first heir to the Harper legacy giving him the sole responsibility of living up to his father’s prestigious reputation. There are only three things that Brian Harper is passionate about, his family, classic automobiles, and a girl. A girl he’s watched carefully his entire life. And a girl, he’s convinced, is the only girl that could ever make him truly happy. But Brian is always playing the role of the responsible big brother and spends little time fussing over insignificant things like hobbies and matters of the heart. In fact, his knack for self-discipline and sheer will to make a name for himself other than the one built by his parents are slowly taking their toll on his mild mannered personality.
Nick, on the other hand, believes that hobbies and matters of the heart are his responsibility and is passionate about everything five minutes at a time. He idolizes the great James Bond and is the weakness of every teenage girl in three counties. Being blessed with extremely good looks and all of his mother’s elegance and charm makes this blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy the polar opposite of his brother. In fact the only thing the two have in common is their taste for expensive cars. Nick drives a shiny new red Corvette, which he refers to as his baby. It is his pride and joy and the only true love of his life.
On this beautiful graduation day Nick and his baby were attempting to make record time as they sped from one end of Whitmore Lake to the other. He flashed himself a crooked smile in the rear view mirror impressed at the way his hair stayed perfectly in place despite the speed of the convertible. His cell phone rang and he glanced at the clock on the dash before smirking at the predictability of his brother. “What’s up?” he said casually into the phone.
“Where are you?” Brian asked in an irritated fashion.
“Relax Bri, ten more minutes, tops.”
“I hope so for your sake. You’ll hear it for a week if you’re late.”
“I’ll get there as fast as I can.” Nick answered mindlessly as his attention was now focused on a group of girls walking down the street.
“Not too fast.” Brian replied with a laugh, “You’ll hear it for a month if you get another ticket.”
Nick brushed off his brothers warning and snapped his phone shut. With another quick glance at the clock he looked in his rear view at the girls on the sidewalk. A stunning blonde caught his eye with a flirtatious wave. Nick brought the car to a screeching halt and threw it into reverse while a devilish grin spread widely across his face.
Across town, Main Street rested peacefully as it typically did on Sunday afternoons. Whitmore Lake is a small quiet community but is in no way dirty or run down. Main Street is well maintained and has a somewhat historical feel to it. Squirrels scampered about in the branches of the fully matured trees that line the street. Other than the occasional bird singing the only sound that could be heard was the tinkering of metal on metal coming from the auto repair shop at the end of the strip. The garage door was up and a beautifully restored 1957 Chevy sat inside with its hood propped up.
Mr. Thompson, the owner of the quaint little shop stood hunched over the engine wearing a pair of grease stained overalls. The patch above his left breast pocket read Dave. He stood with a puzzled look and then tightened a few more bolts with his wrench. With one final clank he stood back from the car. “OK, start her up!” he hollered.
Mr. Thompson listened carefully as the engine roared to life. His puzzled look turned to one of satisfaction as he admired the beautiful purr of the classic beauty. He slammed the hood shut and smiled at his daughter who was sitting in the driver’s seat. “I think she’s finally finished.” He said as his daughter pulled the keys from the ignition.
Sarah Thompson stepped out of the car with a sigh. The skinny seventeen year old was as grease covered as her father. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail yet it still managed to fall into her eyes. She stood with her hands on her hips and took a minute to admire the car. “It’s almost a shame. I’ll be sad to see her go.”
Mr. Thompson smiled lovingly at his daughter. “Not as sad as I’ll be to see you go.”
Sarah’s smile faded at the mention of her one-way ticket to California, the serenity of the moment gone. “Then why do I have to go?” she asked defiantly.
Sarah peered at her father with a look of devastation that broke his heart. He took a moment to remember why he was choosing to send her away for her senior year of high school. “She just wants to spend time with you. Get to know you better.” He explained.
“That must explain the numerous visits.” Sarah replied sarcastically. “What is it now? Three times in the seventeen years of my existence? Or maybe it was four. It’s so hard to keep track.”
Mr. Thompson let go a heavy sigh. He’d been having this argument with his daughter for months now. At first he was sure she would warm up to the idea, the prospect of a place like San Francisco should be exciting for someone Sarah’s age but Sarah seemed dead set on making herself miserable over the opportunity. “She still loves you and she’s the only other family you’ve got so you should be a little more excited about going.”
“Yeah, I’m real excited to be stripped away from the only home I’ve ever known just to be handed off to a total stranger so that she can feel better about herself by helping out her poor widowed brother.”
“Sarah!” Mr. Thompson said sharply making Sarah bite her tongue.
Mr. Thompson pressed his fingers to his temples in order to fight off the oncoming headache and then in desperation threw his arm over his baby girl’s shoulder. “This is not about me.” He said turning his daughter to face a large window. “And it’s not about your Aunt.”
Sarah stared at her reflection in the glass. She attempted to wipe the grease off of her face but her hand was too dirty so she used her sleeve instead. “I’ve raised you the best I can since your mother died, and you’re growing up so beautifully, but…”
Mr. Thompson’s voice trailed off and he held up Sarah’s sleeve pointing out the spot of fresh grease on it. “You could use a woman’s touch.”
Sarah gave up. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to poor from her stinging eyes. She stared at the messy girl in the window and sighed. There was no way to win this argument. “Ok,” she finally conceded, “But if she makes me paint my toes and go to the ballet, I’m on the first flight back!”
Mr. Thompson’s distressed look faded into a smile. “One look at your toes and she’ll help you pack.” He teased.
Sarah threw herself into her father’s arms. She knew how much he loved her. Mr. Thompson clung to her tightly dreading the moment he would have to say goodbye. He cherished these father-daughter moments more than life itself. Sarah soaked up the comfort enjoying the moment just as much until the sound of squealing tires could be heard coming up the street. A serge of excitement rushed through Sarah’s body and she freed herself from her father’s grip.
The lovesick girl ran outside before her father had a chance to protest. She made it to the curb just in time to watch a shiny red sports car whiz by. Nick honked the horn as he drove past. Sarah waved but the car was gone as fast as it had appeared and she quickly snapped back to reality at the sound of her father calling her name. “Coming dad!” she said and slowly made her way back inside.
~ ~ ~
Hordes of people began filing out of an auditorium, most of them wearing caps and gowns. Brian and Nick burst through the doors side by side. Brian looked well put together in his designer suit, while Nick had already shed his jacket and tie and was in the process of un-tucking his shirt. It’s easy to tell which of the two boys is the heartthrob. However both display very handsome physical features. Although blonde haired and blue eyed like his brother, Brian hair wasn’t a brilliant blonde, but sort of a sandy blonde and he stood just a couple of inches shorter.
At the sweet taste of freedom Nick stretched his arms letting the door close completely unaware of the elderly woman following close behind him. “I can’t believe how hot it was in there. I can’t believe we had to sit through that whole boring ceremony just to watch dad get some stupid little plaque.” He complained as he donned his favorite pair of sunglasses. “What a waste of such a beautiful day.”
Nick was surprised to find that his brother was no longer at his side. He turned around to see Brian holding the door as the elderly woman slowly pushed her walker through the opening. “Bless you dear.” She crackled.
Brian forced a somewhat impatient smile to the old woman. “At least there were a lot of interesting speeches.” He said as he trotted down the steps to catch up to his brother.
Nick gave his brother a curious look unsure whether he was being sarcastic or not. Finally he frowned and with sarcasm dripping from his every word replied, “Well you can put Dad’s at the top of that list.”
Brian attempted not to humor his little brother but still smirked at the remark. “Yeah, but have you ever seen him so excited?” He asked turning his attention to his parents.
Mr. Harper stood proudly in his faculty robes holding his plaque for teacher of the year. Mrs. Harper clung delicately on his arm laughing with the wife of the school’s dean. The two were interrupted and happily posed for a picture before being congratulated by someone else. Brian smiled at the couple that seemed so perfectly matched. “I don’t think the man was as excited on his own wedding day.” Nick joked, “I think the only time I’ve seen him giddy like this was the day you got your acceptance letter.”
Brian let a little laugh escape remembering the day he told his father he was receiving a full academic scholarship to the University of Michigan. “Imagine if we both end up here.”
“I’m sure he’ll see to that.” Nick replied.
Nick responded playfully but Brian detected a hint of irritation in his voice and it made him sad. Brian loved his father very much but there was no question that he wasn’t an easy man to live with. He was so set in his ways and rarely took the time to listen to an opinion that was not his own. Brian spent his entire life following in his father’s footsteps hoping that he might be able to create a little slack for his younger brother. Nick was a good kid, but he was such a free spirit. He wasn’t serious and motivated the way Brian was. Had their father not used all of his energy pushing Brian, Nick might have gone crazy from the pressure. Even as things were now Nick still had difficulties seeing eye to eye with his dad. Brian smiled at his silly little brother and playfully threw his arm over his shoulder. “You want to get out of here for a bit? I’ll show you out my dorm.”
“Is it co-ed?” Nick asked forcing a hearty laugh from Brian.
Story Notes:
Author's Chapter Notes:
I know I said no more stories, but I couldn't not have a Brian one in the works. My first attempt at and AU, so I'm not sure how much people will like this one. I origionally began it as origional fiction but thought it would be fun to make Nick and Brian the main characters... so... here goes!
ps... Yes, Sarah was named after you! (wink! wink!)
ps... Yes, Sarah was named after you! (wink! wink!)
