Page 1 of The Significance of Moving On

Summer

Chantal

Chapter One

“Okay—okay girls, settle down.” Looking around at my three best friends I raise my shot glass of contraband tequila. End of junior year. We’ve lived together, the four of us, since the first day of sixth grade.

Braids, school uniforms and no Tom, a.k.a. the best big brother a girl could ask for. God, I was scared living that far away from Tom, my rock, for the first time. Then these girls happened.

“Tonight we toast to destiny,” I start the toast we’ve done at the close of every school year since we overheard it from a group of senior girls and discovered the glories of fake IDs freshman year.

“That brought together one plus three,” Pamela, or Pam as she goes by, continues.

“And though for summer we must part,” Ann takes her turn.

“It’s just ’till fall and trouble starts.” Kelsey, my actual roommate and best friend, finishes.

“Too-rah!” We all shout and shoot back the golden liquid, then break down in a fit of giggles, falling all over each other.

Collapsed on the bed, I hiccup and reach for the bottle. We’ve got twelve hours before I have to be on my flight home to Michigan, and I plan to spend the next five to six of them sloshed with my girls. One last hoorah before we head our separate ways. I’m pulled in two very different directions. The one that doesn’t want to leave these girls even for the summer, and the other way whichcannot waitto get back to my older brother.

It’s incredible, I turned eighteen a couple months back and Tom promised me a trip to the casino when I get home. The girls wanted to take me, but Kelsey doesn’t turn eighteen ’till the end of summer and I’d never go without Kels.

Then, there’s Tom.

For something this special, for the first time being on (almost) equal footing as my brother, going to the casino together both as adults, well it’s a moment I want to share with him first. Because I wouldn’t be the person I am now if not for him.

Hell, I wouldn’t have ever met these three amazing women if not for him. A hot-shot photojournalist could hardly cart a twelve-year-old around the world with him.

My poor brother, what did he know about bourgeoning junior high hormones and periods?

Enter Edgewood Prep Academy. I never thought I’d love shipping off to boarding school, but it grew on me quickly.

We drink until we empty the bottle of tequila and two bottles of sparkling white wine from the Sonoma region of California.

Kelsey lays sprawled across our Dijon mustard yellow suede sofa, three of the four bottles lay tipped on their sides, scattered over the floor of our common room—it’s a nifty name for a living room that connects the two bedrooms in our dorm—along with Pam and Ann.

My best friend Kelsey lifts her head to look her unfocused eyes into mine.

“I won’t last the summer without you, Al.” Her words slur and she punctuates her statement with a giggle-burp.

Drunken giggles aside, I understand. Her family might have more money than… than…—shoot—I hiccup.What was I saying?

Oh yeah… Kelsey’s family might have more money than God’s half-sister, but her home is about as warm as a Russian nuclear winter.

“Then come visit, babe. Tom loves when you visit. We entertain him.”

“I don’t know if I can. Mom has all those cotillions booked. It’s time to auction me off to the family with the most power and influence.”

“I didn’t even know people still held cotillions. That’s kind of archaic.”

“It’s all about business,” she says, slurred words muffled from her hands vigorously rubbing over her face.

“We’ll figure it out.” That’s my promise to my best friend.

We slowly start to drift off into drunken sleepyland. My eyes dip closed, staying closed longer each time until they pop open after I don’t know how many minutes and I grab my phone to check the time. With all our end of the year celebrating I forgot to set the alarm, but there’s still four hours until I have to be at the airport for check in.

Maybe we have to skip showers and only have time for a breakfast of orange juice and aspirin. At least Kelsey gets me to the airport on time.

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