Sebastian Smythe stretches out his muscles in the early morning.  Relishing the feeling of the cool ocean breezes on his warm skin.  This is something he missed during the school year, being at the beach. 

You see, Sebastian grew up in the French Riviera. Hob-knobbing with the children of the rich and famous Euro-trash set.  All good looks, money and WAY too much free time on his hands.  Essentially that lead to fast living, hard partying and the inevitable crash-landing into his early twenties.

The family money and name helped to score him that spot at Harvard, but it wouldn't have mattered if he didn't have the intelligence to back it up.  After all, despite what some of his friends and ex-girlfriends have said, he's more than just a pretty face and a platinum Visa card.

"Where you been Smythe?"

Sebastian grabs a water bottle out of the refrigerator as he passes through the kitchen of their rented beach house.  Taking a big swig before he addresses one of his housemates for the summer. 

"Running.  Trying to get a good start on the day before it got too unbearably hot.  I'm sorry I didn't leave a note for you, Mother."

The boy seated at the table gives off a snort of laughter, spoon in his bowl of cereal, hair still sleep disheveled.

"I prefer the term Daddy, hot stuff."

Sebastian flips Thad the finger before he retreats to his own room, the solitude of his ensuite bathroom where he showers to wash off the sweat from his early morning run.  And to think.

Its funny how he got mixed up with this crazy group of guys.

Jeffrey Sterling, straight from conservative Utah.  Oldest of five siblings.  FIVE.  That's major.  But you'd never think it if you met him.  The being a big brother thing and the from a conservative family part.  Seeing as he is like the biggest goof off in Sigma Chi, plus he's like perpetually connected to his boyfriend at the lips and sometimes more taboo body parts.

Said boyfriend is also on the trip with them, although he isn't a member of their fraternity. But Jeff refused come without Nick. And crazily enough Sebastian is okay with that.

Nicholas Duvall is actually kinda cool. And they're sort of real friends because of their shared love of the written word. So it's not so bad.

The real problems are the other two on the trip with him, the President and Vice President of the Harvard branch of the Sigma Chi fraternity.    He's only treasurer, good with money and all.  Plus he didn't want the added stress, especially with his double major in English Lit and Chemistry taking up so much of his time already. 

Vice President is Thaddeus 'call me Thad' Harwood, cocky soccer star / history buff from some backwater town in middle America.  Ohio or Oklahoma, Sebastian can never keep it straight.  He's all talk and very little action.  Liable to flirt with anything that has legs, gender be damned.  But mainly he's harmless.

The real master mind of the trip is Sigma Chi's illustrious President.  Who declared they all needed some wild and crazy fun before senior year and real life starts calling them away from their Cambridge, Massachusetts safe haven.  Hunter James Clarington, IV:  straight out of Manhattan's Upper East Side.  Like a diabolical combination of Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl.

Sebastian always thought his family was rich, but apparently he's got nothing on Hunter's.  He's heard plenty of rumors about their fearless leader.  And he's not sure which ones are really true but he'd rather not cross someone who claims his father is a member of the CIA.

Freshly showered and wearing just board shorts, hair artfully unstyled, Sebastian pads barefoot out of room to find all four of the other boys sprawled in various places around the room.  So he decides to have some fun with them.

"Hey Sterling, my eyes are up here!"

Sebastian motions from his bare chest up to his face as the blonde boy's cheeks go pink.  His brunette boyfriend kisses his cheek and pats his head.

"Bas, why must you antagonize him like that?"

Sebastian just shrugs as he plops down into an empty chair.

"Dunno, boredom I guess.  Don't worry, I won't steal him.  It's all in jest."

Hunter rolls his eyes. 

"Stop riling up Niff, Smythe.  You know they're just going to hole themselves in the house all day together.  What do you say we check out the scenery?  You, me Harwood?"

Sebastian's face splits in his signature Smythe grin.

"And by scenery I'm assuming you mean the hotties next door??  If so, I'm in."

(Little Sebby and the boys chapter.   You know, for the background info and stuff.  Hope you likies. ❤️ Shann)