Chapter 1

Chapter One

Liam

“ Y ou know, Murph, it’s funny—four years here, and I still can’t tell if you’re the guy who’s always got a plan, or the guy who’s always one bad day away from chaos.” Jack muttered.

The room felt too small with all the boxes, and everything in it smelled like dust and stale carpet—a fitting last impression for a dorm I’d called home for four years. My cap sat awkwardly on my head, and I felt suffocated by the robe, as if I was wrapped in an oversized trash bag. Jack was squinting at his phone, fishing it out from the pocket of his slacks under his robe.

“Family’s here,” he said, eyes still glued to the screen. “They’re meeting me downstairs.”

“Same,” I said, checking the time. Any minute now, my parents would bust through the doors of the dorm like they were reclaiming their kid from a hostage situation.

Jack shoved his phone back in his pocket. “What about you, Brad?” he asked.

Bradley just shrugged, a casual half-smile playing on his face. “Dad’s in Paris for some important meeting or other,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Mom should be around here somewhere, though. Probably making her grand entrance as usual.”

I kept quiet, but I felt the same jolt of surprise I always did when I heard Bradley talk about his parents. Four years, and not once had we met his folks. Meanwhile, they traveled the world like some kind of jet-setting socialites, flitting between exotic locations as if his life was just another item on their to-do list. They took care of his tuition, made sure he wore brand names, but beyond that? It was like they were more his sponsors than his family.

It was so different from my family. My mom would probably cry when she saw me in the cap and gown, and my dad would pull out his phone to take a hundred pictures. The Murphy clan didn’t have much, aside from the old neighborhood pub they poured their lives into back in Boston, but they cared. Too much, maybe. They’d probably tracked every class, every project I’d had in the past four years, just so they could say they knew what I was up to.

Jack’s phone buzzed again, and he glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. “They’re getting impatient,” he said, slipping it back into his pocket. He gave us a grin, full of that boundless energy he always had, even on days like today. “C’mon, guys, it’s our last day here. Let’s rock our graduation.”

“Right,” I said, standing up straighter and slapping a hand on Brad’s shoulder. “Can’t keep everyone waiting.”

“Stop staring at Jack,” Bradley grinned, nudging me. “He’s gonna think you’re in love or something.”

His words cut through the hum of anticipation, the air thick with that electric, unspoken current that always seemed to buzz between us. I tried to brush it off, but my gaze stayed glued to my two best friends. Jack and Bradley, draped in their graduation robes, were tussling like little kids, each pretending to adjust the other’s gown but really just jostling each other. Anyone else would think it was nerves, but I knew better.

“Knock it off, you two,” I said, trying to sound serious. “Save the wrestling match for after we’ve got our diplomas.”

“Brad started it,” Jack drawled, his Southern accent just thick enough to make the whole ‘innocent’ act laughable.

“Did not,” Bradley shot back. All of his high-society airs stripped away as he elbowed Jack in the ribs, which only earned him another shove.

“Children, please,” I sighed, shaking my head. “We’re about to become esteemed college graduates. Can we at least pretend to act the part?”

Bradley just grinned, a knowing glint in his eye. “Where’s the fun in that?”

As the ceremony dragged on, the dean’s voice a constant background drone, my mind drifted. I thought back to our first day here, freshman orientation, when Jack—with that casual, magnetic charm of his—roped Bradley and me into a game of frisbee on the quad. That was it. That was when the three of us became inseparable.

“Remember when Jack lost that bet and streaked across the quad sophomore year?” Bradley whispered, his grin widening at the memory.

“How could I forget?” I chuckled, swallowing back a full-throated laugh. Jack, red-faced and committed, sprinting across the grass while everyone watched—all limbs, Southern pride, and nothing to cover it but a pair of sneakers. That was also the first time I realized how attractive he was, though I’d never act on it and risk our friendship.

“Hey now, let’s not bring up ancient history,” Jack protested, though he looked more amused than embarrassed.

“Or the time Liam stress-baked at 2 a.m. during finals,” Bradley threw in, nudging me. “Kept insisting sugar was the key to peak coding performance.”

“Hey, those cookies got us through Systems Programming, didn’t they?” I said, feeling my cheeks heat. What they didn’t understand is that coding didn’t come easily to me. When I first arrived at school I was an art major. But when I confided to Jack that I didn’t want to end up working at my parents pub for the rest of my life, he steered me in a different direction. Major in something techy, and you’ll always have a job. He was right. Jack always steered me in the right direction.

“Can’t argue with that,” Jack drawled with a smile.

“Speaking of nerds,” Bradley continued, laughing, “remember when you rigged the dorm room door with that ridiculous alarm system, Liam?”

“Because someone,” I said, glaring at Bradley, “kept sneaking in to steal my Pop-Tarts!”

“Guilty as charged.” He winked, not even a little apologetic.

“Never did figure out how you bypassed it that one time,” I mused, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Wouldn’t have survived this place without you two,” I admitted, my voice softening as the weight of it all hit me. Jack, and to a lesser extent Bradley—had been my rock through all the ups and downs.

“Right back at you, Murph,” Jack said, nudging my shoulder with his. The quiet sincerity in his voice surprised me.

“Here’s to us,” Bradley added, lifting an imaginary glass.

“Here’s to us,” I echoed, sharing a moment of silent triumph as the names continued droning on around us.

“Murphy, Liam!” the dean’s voice rang out, snapping me back to reality.

“Guess that’s me,” I said, standing and glancing back at my best friends. I walked toward the stage, grinning at the thought of the next chapter waiting for us in New York City.

When I returned, Jack was up next, and the dean called his name for the Valedictorian speech we’d all been waiting for. I gave him a thumbs-up as he got to his feet.

“Go get ’em, Jack,” I murmured, feeling a swell of pride.

“Thanks, Murph,” he murmured. Then, with a last grin, he strode toward the stage, every inch the confident, Southern charmer who had won over everyone who crossed his path. The sunlight hit him at just the right angle, catching gold highlights in his hair. And as he started his speech, his voice rolling over the crowd with that familiar ease, it was impossible not to admire the man he’d grown into.

“Life,” Jack said, his voice carrying over the crowd, “is about the families we’re born into—and the ones we choose along the way.” His eyes landed briefly on Brad and me, and he smiled, warm and genuine.

It struck me then that, in some unspoken way, we’d built our own little family here.

When the speech ended, I clapped till my hands ached, watching as Jack made his way back to his seat. Bradley leaned over with a grin.

“Our boy’s all grown up, giving speeches instead of frat party toasts.”

“Terrifying, isn’t it?” I smirked, knowing we were all thinking the same thing—these were our last moments here, in this place that had shaped us.

When the ceremony finally wound down, we found ourselves released into the sea of families and friends, navigating through hugs, photos, and cries of congratulations. Brad’s arm slung around my shoulders as he pulled me through the crowd.

“Can you believe this?” he said, his voice tinged with disbelief.

“Not really,” I replied, trying to shake off the weight of nostalgia. “Feels like yesterday we were running around campus like idiots.”

“Exactly,” Jack said, appearing on my other side, his hair slightly mussed. “And now we’re headed to New York City. Can you imagine?”

“It’s gonna be epic,” I said, grinning. “The three of us in one apartment—no more dorm-size fridges, hot plates, or Bradley raiding my Pop-Tarts.”

Brad rolled his eyes, his grin widening. “Hey, someone had to make sure they weren’t expired.”

Jack laughed, giving him a playful shove. But there was a quietness in his gaze when he turned back to me, his Southern charm momentarily slipping to reveal something deeper.

“Ready to take on the city, Murph?” he asked, his voice low.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, my heart racing at the thought of the unknown. But I wasn’t about to let on. If Jack knew how scared I was he might think less of me.

Brad wrapped an arm around both of us, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. “Then let’s give New York a run for its money.”

As we headed toward the future—my two best friends beside me—I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were all playing our parts in a movie, walking off into the sunset. And maybe we were just three kids who had no idea what the future held. But that was a worry for another day. Today, we were finally free of school and ready to begin our real lives.