The Cole Brothers

Way Back When

POV Dylan 

   "You know, y'all really don't have to go." Alex says to all of us sitting at the table. We're currently discussing the awards ceremony that's being held at the school next Thursday. Alex is smart, like straight A smart, so apparently he's getting some kind of award in one of his classes for being the most outstanding student or whatever. He brought it up at dinner about him needing a ride to the school, so naturally, as big brothers are, we're nosy and needed to know what exactly for. 

   "Of course, we're going, it's a big deal." I tell him while shoveling some more rice onto my plate. My brothers and I haven't exactly mastered cooking that doesn't involve a grill yet, so about 80% of our meals are take-out of some sort. 

   "It's really not." Alex says, pushing around his food on the plate with his fork. 

   "Yeah, do I really have to go to his nerd thing? It's gonna be after  practice and I'll be all tired and stuff." Brad comments and I roll my eyes. 

   "Yes, you do, we're all going. It's not too often one of us Cole boys gets recognized, at least not for something legal." We all laugh at that one. "It may be a nerd thing, but it is a big deal and when you receive something other than a detention slip, then we'll all go to that awards ceremony, too." Travis directs that comment towards Brad with a smirk.

   "Well, I'll just get a ride with Nathan, really." I wonder why Alex keeps pushing for us not to go. Maybe he's embarrassed? Or maybe he's just afraid we'll give him shit for it, which I know we're not innocent of teasing him and stuff, but I mean, I won't really give him shit for it, I don't think that Travis will either. That just leaves Brad, of course. Even after we told him to leave Alex alone for a while, I know he hasn't. Granted, Alex has been seeming more like himself lately, so maybe it was just a phase anyway? He looks like he's feeling back to normal, or at least as normal as you can get in this house. 

   "We're all going, we'll drive you, end of discussion." Travis says definitively and that was that, I change the subject. 

   "So, let's talk vacation this summer."  Ever since we were young we've always gone on a family vacation during the summer, it didn't always have to be something big, but just somewhere to get away and preferably near water. We live in the south, so it's pretty easy to find a body of water to visit. We've kept up our tradition of family vacations even after our parents passed, Travis did a good job of making sure of that. Although, I would never tell him he did a good job to his face. 

   "Let's rent a beach house." Brad chimes in, we're about 3 hours from the nearest beach, so going there is usually a trip and we haven't been in while so that doesn't sound like too bad of an idea.

   "I think we should float the river this year." Alex says; I like to float the river, but we go all the time. I'm thinking I'm gonna veto that idea.

   "I was thinking more like Fort Lauderdale?" Travis looks at all of us with an eyebrow raised. Ding Ding Ding.

   "No shit?" I respond, I've been wanting to go to Florida for a while now. I was supposed to go over spring break with some friends, but I had some work things come up. 

   "Really?" Brad and Alex say in unison, they seem just as excited as me.

   "Yeah, I've been thinking about it for a while and we haven't been out of state in a few years, so I was figuring that we could make that trip this year. It'd be cool, right?" Travis says with a smile, finishing up his plate.

   "Hell yeah, I'm down." Brad responds.

   "Me too."

   "Fuck yeah, there'll be fine ass girls and plenty of booze. Sounds like a good time to me." I'm beyond excited. Ft. Lauderdale would be cool as fuck. We haven't gone on a trip like that since we went to Port Aransas in Texas when we were in high school a few summers ago. That was just a huge party on a beach and I'm expecting even more from this next trip.