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Riding the Waves By: Sean Roberts
-- Chapter 11 --
Dylan's parents elected him the most sober, having assumed that he had not been drinking at all. He could not let on. He drove home, not even thinking about being drunk, but wondering what Alice had said to Tyler (or vice versa) after he had left. He fell asleep as soon as he got home, glad that they had not encountered any police. He woke up suddenly to the sound of his phone ringing.
"Hello?" he said groggily.
"It's Lisa. Why do you sound like you're still in bed? I'm in your driveway." Dylan climbed out of bed, rubbed his eyes and walked over to his window. He opened the shutters to a blast of sunlight. Lisa was standing outside her car, wearing her track gear.
"What are you doing here?" Dylan was still wearing his suit from the night before, and his mouth was very dry.
"You promised me a run."
"Right."
"And I'm here. You'd better hurry."
He hurried. His head was spinning, but he went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He dressed quickly, and grabbed a water from the fridge.
"Wow, you look like you shouldn't be out running," she said, as Dylan shielded his eyes from the unusually bright sun. At least he thought it was unusually bright. He had come to love the sunlight and the warmth, but on mornings like this, he missed grey Vancouver days.
"I'll be fine," he said, climbing into her car. She flew ahead of him as soon as they started running. It took a while for him to catch up; Lisa kept an impressive pace. They ran together along the ocean, the waves crashing against their heels.
"Good job Lewis," she said when they were done. He was not so sure. He was out of breath again, holding onto his knees. They walked slowly back to the car and he polished off another bottle of water.
"Hey, have you heard from Alice? I'm just wondering if they're okay after, you know, last night."
"Are you kidding me? I'm pretty sure she never gets up this early. I'll let you know if I do."
"Thanks." They walked to one of the food trucks on the beach and bought coffee and breakfast. They sat and ate while listening to the waves crash and watching the rest of the sun rise.
"So what are you up to today Dylan?" Alice asked.
"I don't know. I probably have a lot of studying to do."
"Right," Lisa said, looking downwards. She looked back towards the water and took a sip of her coffee. Dylan took a deep breath, then he yawned. "Sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have pulled you out of bed." That was not the problem. Dylan was feeling very overwhelmed. He needed to deal with school and he was waiting for his college acceptances. He was worried about Tyler and he did not want to hurt Lisa's feelings.
"I'm glad you did, it's a nice day. I would have just wasted it in bed. And you know what? Studying can wait."
"It probably can't. We both need to get into good schools."
"Yeah, but there isn't a chance in hell you can swim better than me.
--
Dylan changed faster than she did, as she needed to tie her hair. She came out of the locker room in a pale blue swimsuit. Dylan traced the outline of her body as she walked by slowly, smiling at him.
"Are we going to do this, or are you just going to stare at me all day?"
"I'm just going to—what?" She laughed.
They had agreed to twenty laps, and he finished when she still had two laps to go. He climbed out and watched her finish, hypnotized by her body's movements in the water. She was an excellent swimmer. He watched her legs kick as she pushed through the water. He saw, briefly, the outline of her nipples as they pressed against her suit when she pulled herself out of the water. He took a few steps towards her and put his arms around her. He kissed her.
She led him into the girls' locker room. He pushed her up against the lockers, but not in the same way he would have with Tyler. He kept his hands behind her, making sure that he felt the impact and not her. She kissed him slowly as he explored her.
He took a step back and pushed down the straps of her swimsuit. There was the smell of chlorine as he squeezed her small, round breasts. Her nipples became hard and he kissed her again as she reached inside his shorts, and when she felt he was hard, she pulled on the strings to undo the knot.
She took his hand and put it between her legs. He felt her become wet as his finger slid inside. It was un-intentional when she bit his lip.
She opened her legs for him and he entered her cautiously. She smiled, telling him to go further. He took her lips again, and held himself back as long as he could before he knew he had to pull out. This time he took her hand and put it around him. She stroked him as she felt him come; he rubbed her as well, feeling her trembling. She screamed and could barely hold herself up. Dylan smiled and held her up as he finished her off.
--
Dylan was studying by his pool. As he failed to concentrate on his books, the feeling that he had betrayed Tyler slowly crept over him. The next thing he knew, it was Sunday night. Whose bright idea was it to schedule swim practices on Monday? There was no way he could face Tyler.
Dylan and Tyler were both in English when they were called over the PA into Coach Baker's office. They sat down in the chairs opposite his desk.
"And how, exactly, are you planning on getting into college?" Coach Baker said, staring directly into Tyler.
"I'm not," Tyler replied.
"What?" Coach Baker yelled.
"What's the matter Coach?" Dylan interjected.
"What's the matter? The matter is that your friend over here, who you were supposed to be tutoring, isn't going anywhere with grades like this!" Coach picked up a stack of paper from his desk and threw it onto Dylan's lap. Dylan began to look through it. They were copies of recent tests and assignments. The grades were certainly not outstanding, but they were better than before. Every single one of them was, at the very least, a passing grade.
"But they're good enough to stay on the team, right?" Tyler asked.
"Of course they aren't!" Coach Baker yelled. "Why the hell do you think you're in here? Lewis! Why are these grades not better?"
"I'm not sure Coach," Dylan replied. "Have you tried talking to his teachers? Obviously they aren't understanding the importance of giving Harris good grades." Coach Baker looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. "Okay, okay," Dylan said. "We'll work harder, I promise. Next test, I promise at least an A." Coach Baker seemed to relax. Tyler turned to Dylan, his eyebrows raised. "I mean an A minus," Dylan said. "Or a B plus. Well let's just say a C plus at the very minimum."
"That's what he's getting now!" Coach Baker yelled. "It isn't good enough! What don't the two of you understand about that?"
"Uh, we understand," Dylan said. "And by C plus, I really meant a B minus. Like a very low B minus. The absolute lowest you can go before hitting a C plus." They were promptly kicked out of the office.
"Well, Lewis, this certainly feels like a familiar situation, doesn't it," Tyler asked him in the deserted hallways.
"So how are we going to handle it this time? Are you finally just going to tell everyone?" Dylan said.
"I have a better idea. We're just not going to handle it, okay?" Tyler walked off and went back to class. Dylan stood in the hallway for a few more minutes, trying to figure out what he should do.
The captain was in a foul mood. He was barking at the team (even the ones who were, admittedly, swimming at their best). Tyler kept them for double the time. Dylan looked over to Coach Baker, who was letting it happen. They were all exhausted by the end of it. The team showered and dressed quickly, nobody talking in the locker room. They went out into the hallway.
"For fuck's sake," Dylan heard Alice say. She was sitting with Lisa outside the school.
"Hey Dylan," Lisa said.
"Where the hell have you been? My parents are waiting for us!" Alice said to Tyler.
"It's not my fault. If these fucktards could swim worth a damn, I wouldn't have to keep them late!" Tyler said, pointing straight at Dylan who had stopped to talk to Lisa. Lisa put on an angry expression. Dylan reached out, touched her shoulder, and subtly shook his head at her. She let it go. They picked up a coffee before going home.
"Where have you been?" Paul Lewis asked. "We've been trying to call you!"
Dylan reached for his phone. "I guess I forgot to turn it on after class."
"Well, it would be nice if you could let us know when you're going to be late. Especially when you're expecting things!" his dad bellowed in his usual deep voice. Paul produced an envelope.
Dylan's hands shook as he opened the Harvard letter. He knew this was how it worked; it could go either way. The letter, from the outside, would not look any different no matter what was inside. He pulled it out, his hands shaking. The Dear Mr. Lewis at the top meant nothing; it would have said that no matter what.
There was never much doubt that he would be accepted, but he experienced an immense feeling of relief. "Where's mom?" he asked, not able to take the smile off his face.
"She went to the spa; she'll be home soon. We're going to take you out for dinner."
"Great! Can I invite Lisa?"
"Sure."
They were about to walk into the restaurant when both Tyler's and Alice's parents walked out; Alice and Tyler behind them. They all said hello, and congratulated Dylan once they found out why the Lewis' were there.
"Guess the acceptances have started to come out!" Jonathan said cheerfully, clapping Tyler on the back. "Yours should be here in no time Tyler!" he said proudly.
"Yeah dad, any day now," Tyler said. He looked at Dylan, who looked back at him with a stare of utter disbelief. Alice whispered something in Lisa's ear.
The wine had arrived, and Dylan looked at it longingly, wanting something to get his mind off Tyler.
"Oh just don't tell anyone," Dylan's dad said to him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"What?" Mr. Lewis poured a glass of wine for each of them. Dylan's mother objected, but not very much, and Dylan took a large sip. Dylan had stopped thinking about the acceptance. Though he knew it was none of his business, he had to do something about Tyler.