brite-full-story

very charismatic. Konstantin was
happy to push his buttons when
given the chance.
Colin slugged him in the shoulder
and said, “No playboy worth
mentioning ever snagged the hottest
girl by hanging out in libraries, sir.”
They both laughed. “Well, I’m headed
to class. If you change your mind you
know where to find the crew,” said
Colin as he turned to leave.
“Same here,” answered Konstantin
while unlocking the door to his room.
He still had an hour to kill before
his first class. After a quick shower
he finished getting dressed then
went to his favorite campus café
and ordered a breakfast sandwich
with a coffee. As he ate his meal
he studied the people around him.
Groups of friends chatting and
laughing. Couples sitting close
being affectionate and whispering
to each other.
He sometimes wondered why he
never felt the need to socialize as
often as other people his age. He
would often evaluate his life trying
to find where things may have
gone wrong.
Questioning his behavior always
troubled him as it was hard to
accept the thought that he may be
the one with the problem.
He was raised by his mother, Elise
and father, Aksel. When they met
his father was 20 and his mother
was 18. His grandparents had
always warned him and his older
brother, Erwin, that a love like theirs
was rare. They discouraged the boys
from following in their parents’
footsteps as often as possible telling
them marriage could wait.
His parents were married 6 months
into their courtship and his mother
became pregnant 3 months later.
They always held each other in such
high regard. Their house always
felt warm and full of love. The
relationship his parents had was
one he’d often see people attempt
and fail at. He admired his parents’
relationship but also didn’t like
the idea of submitting himself to
another person. To him submission
was another word of losing and that
was not something he did or enjoyed.
His brother Erwin and he always
had a close relationship. Although
competition and egos were a
challenge at times as any household
with 2 boys would have, they always
had each other’s backs. They knew
how to press each other’s buttons
and would as often as possible for
mere amusement but it was always
good natured.
The only area in his life he felt
sore about was how his father and
brother at times seemed to have
a closer relationship. One that
was only between them and never
shared with him or his mother.
Konstantin had always assumed it
had to do with respect and favor
naturally given to the eldest.
As he got older he realized how
successful his brother actually was.
He was adored by friends, family
and especially women. Erwin
managed to have a new gorgeous
woman every month it seemed. His
colleagues worshiped him and he
was the apple of their fathers’ eye.
Konstantin began to form a life plan
for himself to prove to his father
that he too was capable of the same
amount of success if not better
and he wouldn’t allow anyone or
anything to stand in his way.
Maybe that was when he started
separating himself from everything
he saw as a distraction including
friendships and relationships. He sat
back and let his thoughts wash over
him as he continued to sip his coffee.
Meanwhile, on the other side of
campus Naomi Brite was flustered
at herself for running late. It was
nearing the end of her first year at
Kansas State and she had no plans
on letting herself slip. She took one
final look in the mirror, her wild
blonde hair was somewhat tamed
into a messy bun on the top of her
head and her big brown eyes were
accentuated with a little mascara. A
dash of blush on each cheek and a
berry colored lip balm would have
to do. It had been a cold winter
and the last bit of her tan had
disappeared back in November.
Grabbing her backpack and slinging
it onto her shoulders she looked
disdainfully at her alarm clock
once more before heading out the
door. “I know I set that stupid thing
last night,” she huffed as she sped
walked to the stairs. Her roommate
Cyndi had already left for the day
and she was slightly annoyed that
she hadn’t taken the time to wake
her. Although she didn’t typically
need help as she was usually very
organized and punctual. Still, Cyndi
could have at least double checked!
Naomi mounted her bike and
started pedaling to the other
side of the campus. As a pre-med
student she had really enjoyed her
first year at a university. She also
enjoyed being away from home.
Although she missed her father
dearly, this had been her first taste
of independence since…ever and it
was delicious.
She was born and raised in Crested
Butte, Colorado. Population 1,487
last she checked. Bottom line, it
was way too small for her and her
dreams of becoming a big city
pediatric physician. Manhattan,
KS was not her final destination
but she was happy to have been
accepted into their program and
stay somewhat close to dad. She
had gone home to visit during each
break this year and was grateful for
the time spent with him.
She had decided to stay in town
for a couple years after high school
to help her dad at the hardware
store he owned. He was only 55
but the years of raising a daughter
on his own and running his own
shop seemed to have aged him
tremendously. She took classes
locally before submitting for a few
pre-med programs. All out of state.
Kansas had been the only one she