Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 18:39:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: Sean R <seanr_13@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Riding the Waves - 11

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seanr_13@yahoo.ca

-----

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.