Usual Disclaimer: If you are not 18 years old yet do not read. If you are offended by male to male sexual content definitely do not read. If the laws in your state or county forbid this type of material, do not read. Otherwise enjoy the story and genuine comments will be appreciated.
The author retains copyright (2007) to this story. Reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright.
This story is fiction.
Thank you Nifty for the opportunity to post this story.
Quiet and sensitive, Jeremy first appears halfway through Peter's Mistake, (ch 15). These chapters relate some events in his life prior to arriving at the house.
Jeremy.
Chapter 2.
The first day of College was going to be interesting. It was an orientation day, which meant there would be no lectures but they'd show you round and tell you all the sorts of things that happened there. There was a morning break for half an hour at 10:30 a.m. so Jeremy wandered into the student room and was looking through all the notices when he came to a section about swimming. He was reading a notice about the College team when someone spoke to him.
"Hi, are you interested in swimming then?"
Jeremy looked around to see a dark haired guy with a big smile standing next to him.
"Um! Hi! Yes, I do like it."
"Have you tried out the pool yet? It's a good one and they look after it really well."
"No, I haven't even had a chance to see it."
"First day! Come on. I'll show you."
Jeremy hesitated. He really did want to see the pool, but he didn't want to take up this guy's time.
"Come on, they pay me $1000 for everyone I drag down to the pool on orientation day."
Jeremy couldn't help smiling and found himself walking with the guy. He was nervous about what to say but the guy just chatted away and Jeremy soon relaxed completely. He called himself Pete and he was interested in swimming too, and he was doing a business studies course and what kind of course was.... "Jeremy".... doing?"
"It's mostly maths and science, but I want to do some electronics later on."
"Hey, another brainy one. I'm surrounded by them."
Jeremy didn't know what that meant but they'd reached the pool now and the sparkling clear water looked really great.
"Are you very good at swimming?"
"Well, not too bad."
"Let's have a swim at lunchtime then. You might be good enough for the team."
"I can't. I haven't got any bathers with me."
"Don't worry about that. I've got some spare speedos. We look about the same size and you can share my towel."
Jeremy couldn't help but agree. Pete sounded keen about it and Jeremy was looking forward to it anyway. They had to get back now and Pete showed Jeremy where his next activity was.
"Jeremy. I'll meet you at the student room for lunch."
When they reached the change room, Pete rummaged in a locker and found an old pair of red speedos.
"Here you are. See how these fit."
Jeremy stripped and put them on and was slightly embarrassed because they were small and he bulged. Pete grinned.
"They are a bit small aren't they? Would you like to wear my new ones instead?"
"No, of course not."
Pete stripped and Jeremy couldn't help looking. Wow! He looked so strong and fit and he seemed to be tan all over. They dived in, mucked around, and then Jeremy decided to swim some laps as exercise. Pete swam with him and then Jeremy knew he must be fit, because he seemed to keep up without any trouble at all. After a couple of laps Pete stopped him.
"Hey, you're good all right. You really should join the swimming team."
"No, I don't think so. They're probably too good for me and I don't think I can spare the time."
"Too good for you? Well, I'm on the team. Let's have a race for two laps and if you can beat me, that'll prove you're good enough."
Once again Jeremy was drawn by Pete's enthusiasm and found himself lining up ready to race. Pete asked another guy to start them off and away they went. When they came up from the starting dive, Jeremy realised that Pete was slightly in front. He poured in energy and gradually caught up till by the end of the second lap he was just ahead. His heart was pounding and he gulped great breaths of air to recover, but he grinned at Pete and felt really good about his effort. Pete recovered very quickly and grabbed Jeremy's arm.
"See, you'll have to join now. You really are a good swimmer."
"Does it cost much?"
"Not really. But I'll shout you anyway."
Jeremy protested and started saying he would pay for himself when he realised Pete was grinning.
"How much is it?"
"Nothing. You've already paid with your student levy."
They had to have a quick shower because the time was going. Pete chatted and laughed non-stop.
"I'm helping some friends tomorrow at lunchtime, so I'll meet you here after College and make sure you get joined up. Our coach is crash hot and I'll tell him about you. You'll come won't you?"
Jeremy couldn't resist when Pete asked like that. It might be interesting and he'd see more of Pete too. That night in bed Jeremy thought about Pete before he went to sleep. He was so friendly. Maybe he was just being kind because Jeremy was new? The next day was the first day of course-work. Jeremy had four out of his six subjects and he liked all of the lecturers. The Physics lecturer seemed to cover things very quickly and the Literature lady even talked about some of the novels the Jeremy had borrowed from libraries. He discovered that he had the same lecturer for all his maths subjects, but luckily he liked him most of all. He had a friendly approach and sounded keen about what he was teaching. The shock of the day was his booklist, which was going to use up the last of his emergency money. After the last lecture he went to the College bookstore and bought three of the texts on his list which the lecturers said were needed straightaway, then headed for the swimming pool. He changed into his speedos, carted all his gear out, and was putting it in a pile where he could see it easily when a voice called out.
"Jeremy."
It was Pete and he came straight over.
"Beauty, you turned up. I thought you would. Put your stuff in my locker. It'll be much better than leaving it out here."
They carried everything to the locker then headed back to the pool.
"Come and say hello to the coaches. Kevin's in charge, but Peter's the one who knows everything."
Jeremy was surprised to see that the coach who Pete was calling Peter, was really Mr Bonner, his Maths lecturer. He was even more surprised to see that he was wearing the most revealing pair of light blue speedos he'd ever seen.
"Peter. This is Jeremy. I persuaded him to join our team because I think he's a really good swimmer."
"Hi Jeremy, didn't I see you in a couple of my classes today?"
Jeremy was embarrassed about greeting his lecturer by his first name.
"Hello Mr Bonner, yes, and I'm in another one tomorrow."
"Well, I hope you don't get sick of me if you have to see me that much."
Pete gave Jeremy another shock when he piped up.
"Of course he'll get sick of you. All that maths! It'll probably drive him mad."
Jeremy blushed and felt very awkward.
"No, Mr Bonner, I like maths really."
Mr Bonner laughed.
"Don't worry about Pete and his mouth with his foot in it. When he gets cheeky I just give him extra laps to swim."
Jeremy relaxed and wondered what was going on. They didn't talk like a lecturer and a student. Perhaps they knew each other well from the swimming team?
"Now Jeremy, would you swim a couple of laps for me so I can check you out?"
Pete started grinning again and Jeremy puzzled even more about what was going on.
"Um! Do you want me to go as fast as I can, or change styles or something?"
"Sorry Jeremy, Pete's getting cheeky again. Just swim steadily and change style a couple of times, then speed up for the last twenty metres."
When Jeremy finished Mr Bonner grabbed his hand and helped him out of the pool.
"I'm glad you're joining our team Jeremy. You're going to be very good if you want to be."
Jeremy felt great to hear this and wondered exactly what Mr Bonner meant by very good.
"You look nice and fit. Can you manage twenty laps without a break?"
"I think so."
"Good. I'd like you to do at least that much every day, changing style every hundred metres. We'll work on your technique when I'm taking your group."
Jeremy got very tired but he pushed hard and managed to finish. Pete swam the last ten laps with him and then they went to the locker rooms for a shower.
Pete sounded really pleased.
"Hey Jeremy, that's great. Peter says you could be very good. For him to say that really means something."
"Is he a good swimmer himself? I mean lots of people can be good coaches when they're not that good themself."
"Jeremy, you should see him. I reckon he'd have a good chance at getting to the Olympics if he worked at it, but he's got too many other things happening in his life."
Pete gave him a lift home in his car. It was a red van and he was really proud of it. When he saw how far Jeremy walked to college he offered to give him lifts if ever he needed them.
"That's a pretty long fifteen minutes. Hey, here's my phone number. Let me know if you need to get somewhere in a hurry."
Pete drove off without coming in and Jeremy flopped on his bed for a rest. Twenty laps every day was going to be hard work. He thought about Pete and how friendly he was. This was the first time since Daniel that he had someone so friendly in his life. He liked Mr Bonner too. Jeremy dozed for half an hour then rushed off to his job at the supermarket.
The next day Jeremy saw Pete for three quarters of an hour at lunchtime.
"Come and swim with me Jeremy. I can't be here after College and I'm leaving early on Friday afternoon to go surfing. Peter's joined me up with his Surf Club so I won't see you till next Monday."
Jeremy met another guy at the pool who came to swim with Pete. Pete introduced him as Sam and Jeremy couldn't help staring because, strangely, he was wearing a pair of light blue speedos identical to the one's Mr Bonner wore, and he was so good-looking Jeremy kept glancing at him.
"Jeremy's just joined the swimming team Sam, so you better watch him or he'll be taking the back-stroke away from you."
Sam gave Jeremy a friendly smile and Jeremy liked him straight away. They swam for almost half an hour then had a quick shower and dressed.
"Make sure you swim that twenty laps each day. Peter's a real tyrant if you don't do what he says."
Jeremy saw Sam stare at Pete.
"Jeremy, don't take any notice of him. Peter isn't anything like that at all. Pete, you'll frighten Jeremy away from the team if you say things like that."
"No I won't. Jeremy knows I'm stirring."
Jeremy did know, but he was wondering again because Sam called Mr Bonner `Peter' the same way that Pete did. It must be the swimming club. Jeremy didn't see Pete again till the next week. He spent his weekend going through the books he'd bought and doing all the work he'd been set. He realised that he'd have to use the weekends for most of his study because by the time he'd done his swimming and his supermarket job, all he wanted to do was go to bed. On Monday Jeremy had lunch with Pete and Sam. Pete was full of life and excited about the surf club and he had some special news for Jeremy.
"You'll find out this afternoon at swimming, but they've organised us into three training groups of eight, and Peter told me that you're in the top group with Sam and Michael and me."
"Michael? Who's Michael?"
"You'll meet him this afternoon. He lives at our house."
"Oh! Do you and Sam live at the same house?"
"Yes. Didn't I tell you? We all live at Peter's house."
"Mr Bonner?"
"Yep! It's the best."
At swimming Jeremy had new surprises. He liked Michael straight away but he was also wearing the same style of speedos as Mr Bonner and Sam. He felt like asking Pete about it but didn't want him to think he was a sticky beak. Mr Bonner spoke to him when he'd started the others swimming.
"Jeremy, I hope you're pleased to be in the top group. It will be hard, but you've got the potential and I'll be able to give you more help this way."
Jeremy was actually very excited that he was in this group, mostly because Pete was in it, but also because it felt good.
"I don't mind if it's hard Mr Bonner. I've done the twenty laps each day and I think I'll be able to manage thirty by next week."
"That's great. Now, I hope it won't upset you if you're not as fast as the others for a while."
Jeremy was surprised by this and he thought he should be open.
"I wouldn't be upset at all, but I wouldn't be the slowest. I've already beaten Pete in a race."
"You beat Pete?"
Mr Bonner look surprised.
"Yes, we had a race the other day to see if I'd be good enough to get on the team."
"I see! Well, everyone's welcome on the team even if they're no good at all. But you really can be good Jeremy, and I hope you want to stay."
Jeremy didn't quite know what that was all about but he went off and did the special exercises that Mr Bonner showed him. When he finished and climbed out of the pool Pete was waiting for him.
"How's it going Jeremy? Are you happy with the swimming team?"
Jeremy couldn't have been happier. Everyone seemed so friendly.
"It's great. But it's hard work."
Pete pushed his shoulder towards Jeremy.
"There, punch me on the arm."
Jeremy just stared at him and Pete laughed.
"Go on. I won't break."
Jeremy gave him a light punch which made Pete laugh even more.
"Well, can I shout you to a pizza for tea tonight then? Peter told me I have to say sorry for tricking you into joining the team. I thought you were interested but you looked nervous about it so I didn't swim as fast as I could. If you think I'm a bad guy then you can give me a real punch and you can have two pizzas."
Jeremy couldn't help smiling and as soon as Pete saw this he grabbed Jeremy's arm.
"Come on, I'll give you a real race. Just one lap."
Jeremy saw Pete finish nearly ten metres ahead of him and he felt silly when he climbed out, but then Pete made him feel good again.
"You're about as fast as I was before Peter showed me how to swim properly. I bet he does the same for you."
Every day Jeremy did his laps and after only two weeks he found that forty laps felt like the twenty he'd started with. In the third week of College Pete found him on Monday and was full of excitement about his plans for the coming long weekend.
"The Surf Club's great Jeremy, and I want some of our swimming team to meet up with them. It'll be a real adventure with the surfing and then we're going to camp at some special places. You'll come won't you? I know you'd love it."
"I don't think I can afford it and I haven't got any camping gear."
"Jeremy, it'll be cheap as. You can get a sleeping bag from the Outdoor Education section at College and it'll only cost you five dollars for the three days. We'll have tents and everything else with us. It's like a holiday for nothing."
Pete talked more about what they might do and Jeremy wanted with all his heart to go. He really should do his study on the weekend and try to get ahead, but the thought of going to the ocean was exciting. He'd been to the Bay but that wasn't the same. It did sound like it wouldn't cost much and he mightn't get another chance like this.
"How would we get there?"
"You'll come? Great! I'm taking my van so you'll come with me."
Peter told Jeremy the things he'd need to bring. He said just his speedos at first but then worked out a more detailed list.
The end of chapter 2.
Author's Note. Any comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Please note my changed email address - iarwain@aanet.com.au
Should you be interested, my other stories can be found by looking under 'Iarwain' in the authors section on Nifty.
Contact me if you'd like to read the stories in their original Word format.
Iarwain.