The Colonel was proud of himself. It had only taken him to graduate college with a diploma to teach geography to a bunch of college students, but he'd done it. He'd saved up his money, buying in bulk when he bought food for his dorm in college and never going out to eat, save for a few occasions, such as a friend's birthday or something. He'd bought his text books used and kept them in perfect condition so he could sell them again and get his money back. He had been planning for this for ages and now, it was happening.
"Chip, for the thousandth time, where are ya taking me?" his mom, Dolores asked from the passenger seat of the green, beaten up car he'd been driving since he was old enough to drive.
The Colonel just grinned and, in the deep voice that had gotten deeper with age, said, "Just hang on. We're almost there." And they were. They were almost at Mountain Brooke, a high class place in Alabama that all the former Weekday Warrior's parents lived in, or had passed on to their kids and gone down to retire in Florida.
The drove in relative silence, the Colonel too jittery to say anything without his voice picking up speed and him talking at a million miles per hour. He thought back to that weekend that he and the gang had spent in the barn, regarded as a few of the best days he'd had Culver Creek, before the worst days came. Him and Alaska and Takumi and Lara and Pudge (Who was going by Miles again). God, did he miss all of them. He sure as shit did. He wondered where Pudge was right now. Probably trying to kick the cigarettes that the Colonel had gotten him addicted to. Takumi was probably off in Hollywood or New York trying to make a living as a rapper and either doing really well or failing. Lara was probably off working on getting rid of her Romanian accent. Alaska ... well, there was no question where Alaska was: Six feet under.
He wondered if anyone ever thought of him anymore. He was Chip, Colonel Catastrophe, the mastermind behind the pranks and the one with everything to lose. He hoped they did but he wasn't sure if they would. They hadn't exactly disbanded the following school year but to say that they were as close as they'd been the year before would be lying. The Colonel spent more time with his nose stuck in an almanac. Pudge smoked more cigarettes and played more video games and room number 43 grew a lot quieter. Takumi was hardly ever seen besides classes and meals but people could hear him rapping to a computer generated beat from down the hall. Lara's soft Romanian accent was something rarely heard that year.
Even the Weekend Warriors had sort of drifted, becoming less douchebaggy. The Colonel had still hated them though, because he had to because, simply put, they had money and a McMansion in Birmingham, and he was dirt poor and had to sleep in a ten when he and his mom had company.
He wondered when Hyde bit it. He wondered if Maureen's obesity had gotten the better of her and if she'd bit it to. He wondered if the Eagle had ever gotten any other shirts other than that one stark white button down. He couldn't help himself from thinking about Culver Creek, the place where he'd met his best friends and lost one of them. But he shook the thoughts away before he could let himself get too upset and ruin this day. This was a very important day that he'd been waiting for for a long time. He'd only been planning it since he was eight.
He parked in the driveway of a nice, two story house and got out before his mom could, pulling the door open for her and helping her out. Silently, he let her take in the white picket fence and the house with brick siding and the garage and just waited. When she looked over at him in confusion, the Colonel took his mother's hand, turned it palm up and opened it. He dropped the singular key to the new house in his mom's palm and closed her fist around them. He only said one word: "Thanks."
Dolores Martin wound her arms around her son and pulled him in for a hug. She was tearing up a little but didn't let them fall and they just stood there for a long moment before the Colonel broke away and gestured for his mother too look around inside. She went inside while he stayed outside, pushing himself up to sit on the hood of his car. He took a drag off a cigarette from the box he'd paid way more the five dollars for.
As he sat there and smoked leisurely, he couldn't help but to think, I was right. This was the best day of my life.