Chapter 2

Kevin followed Double D down the gym hallway toward the locker rooms. His hips twitched in the pair of swim trunks that he had insisted on putting on in their room, saying that locker rooms have germs everywhere and it was much too unsanitary to change into their required attire. Kevin had complied and they walked into the pool room already changed and ready for class. The coach was already in the water, treading and waiting for the class to show up. She looked at the boys as they walked in.

"Sign in on the sheet by the door then get in here and warm up your muscles."

Kevin started walking over but realized Edd was not following. He walked back and noticed how much wider the nerds eyes had become. "Double D? What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I—well that is, I didn't realize that we would be starting off over there and I can't, that is I never actually learned—"

"You signed up for swimming without knowing how to swim?"

"I thought perhaps they would be teaching us…"

Kevin tried to think of a way to calm the boy whose terror of the water increased with every passing second, knees shaking and his breath coming short. It occurred to him that there was a perfect solution. "Well, since it's the first day, it will probably be a light day. Maybe after we can work on it together. And I bet we can work on the coach, see if she'll let your progress establish your grade? Maybe I could even teach you myself, kind of like a class project. You could stay in the shallow end til you're ready to move on. What do you say?"

Looking slightly calmer Edd nodded.

"Okay, let's sign in then. Come on."

The water was cool as it crept up Double D's legs and chest. Most the class tread water by the coach, but Edd and Kevin stayed in the shallower end, Kevin giving Edd assurances that he'd be fine.

"Just give me a second. Stay right here, I'm going to talk to the coach." He swam off in the direction of the others, his strong arms sweeping up out of the water and propelling him forward. Double D made a mental note to research human anatomy to learn more about how the muscles worked together to create such a wonderful effect. Kevin tread water next to their coach for a few minutes, speaking in a low voice. She glanced over at Double D, nodded, then followed Kevin back to him.

"You Edd?" she asked.

He nodded. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Coach."

"Coach Crandal. And Kevin here says you don't know how to swim."

Edd looked to his feet and nodded. "That would be correct. I thought perhaps this would be an excellent opportunity in which to learn the art of swimming."

She nodded and looked at Kevin. "You say you know how?"

"Yes ma'am. I was on the swim team in high school for three years, was a life guard at the local pool, and taught swim lessons at the Y during the summers since I turned 14."

"Alright then. Teach him to swim and you'll both get A's for the semester. I'll be working with the rest of this lot the majority of the time, so do what you can here. You'll most likely need to find a time to practice that is not during this class, as I'll need the length of the pool most of the time. The schedule is posted on the locker room doors with free swim highlighted, you'll have to practice then. I'll administer a final at the end of the semester, show up both swimming and you pass," she said with a nod, before swimming back to the rest of the class.

Kevin grinned. "You ready, Nerd?"

"I didn't know you were such a well qualified teacher."

He shrugged. "I spent a lot of time at the lake as a kid. When I needed a job in high school, life guarding and teaching kids to swim seemed like a no brainer."

"Okay teacher, where should we start?"

A small shiver of excitement pulled up Kevin's spine. "Well…with kids we usually just start getting them used to the water. I uh—usually have them blow bubbles. It helps you get used to having your face in the water."

Edd eyed him nervously. "Are you really going to make me blow bubbles in the water? What if some of it gets in my mouth? Some of our classmates look like they didn't shower before entering the pool, per the rules posted on the wall."

Kevin smiled indulgently. "Come on, I'll do it with you." He knelt down in the water, blew up his cheeks, and motioned for Edd to do the same. Edd looked at him warily but didn't move so Kevin stood back up. "Look, Double D, if you want to learn to swim, your face is going to have to get wet. That's a part of swimming. There are enough chemicals in this pool that I really don't think you have to worry about being contaminated with whatever it is you think everyone else has. And you can shower afterward. If you really don't think you can do it, you can drop the class. But if you want to learn to swim and to get your physical education credit out of the way, then you're going to have to trust me." With a blush that Kevin found endearing, Edd sunk into the water at chin level. He grinned and sunk back down with him. "Alright then. Just blow a few bubbles, then I'll try to think of something better to do for this part."

So they both puffed out their cheeks and blew bubbles into the water. "There, not so bad right?"

Edd grimaced. "The idea that I put my mouth in this water is disgusting."

I can think of somewhere else you could put your mouth, Kevin thought. He shook his head. "Okay well let's just work on getting your face wet then. How would you be most comfortable getting used to it?"

"In my shower. Where it's clean."

Kevin shook his head. "Not an option. Come up with another."

Edd hesitated. "Perhaps—perhaps I should just—"

Kevin thought he would say quit, but surprising him Edd sunk down on his knees and pushed himself completely beneath the water. He came back up quickly with a gasp of air that would make a person think he had gone under for five minutes, rather than five seconds, but it was a start. "Good. We'll work on that more, but let's move on to flutter kicks. Come over to the edge and grab hold."

Edd showered as soon as they returned to their dorm, using the hot water to remove any residue the pool could have left on him. He pushed his face completely under the spray and scrubbed at his skin. He soaped his hair three times and washed his body twice before getting out. When he returned to the room Kevin was sprawled out on his bed, reading a text book and taking notes.

"Homework already, Kevin?" Edd said as he pulled clothes on.

Kevin glanced over his shoulder with a smile that made Edd's knees feel weak. "Yeah. Got practice tonight and this chapter is due Wednesday. I don't want to get behind already."

"I didn't realize you were so studious."

He shrugged. "I try to keep on top of it all. Sports are only going to get me so far." He returned to the book laid out in front of him.

Edd was surprised at the good sense of that statement but said nothing. Instead he pulled out his own textbook and started in on his math homework. After about an hour his stomach was growling and he stood, stretching his arms behind his head.

Kevin looked up and closed his book. He rubbed his eyes. "Finally done with that. Goddamn that was a long chapter. Want to get some grub?"

"I was thinking precisely the same thing. The muscles in my stomach seem to be pushing at nothing creating the most unpleasant noise. A bit of lunch seems to be just the cure."

They walked down the stairs of their building and across campus. Edd followed behind Kevin on the stairs and couldn't help but notice that Kevin had a nicely shaped backside. He pinched the inside of his wrist. He had never had those thoughts before and didn't want to start now. Not when he finally had the opportunity to start his life. He didn't need the messiness of emotions to distract him from the ultimate goal.

But much as he tried, while he followed Kevin to the dining hall, he couldn't stop watching the way that Kevin's hips swayed and the way the musculature of his legs and lower back played into the movement of his hips and posterior. He tried thinking of a difficult math problem that had given him a bit of trouble, or of a way to learn to swim without having to be in the pool with other people, but the math problem didn't distract him and thinking of being in the pool only reminded him of the proximity to Kevin's shirtless form and the way the muscles in his shoulders flexed when he swam to talk to their coach.

Kevin felt pretty sure that Double D was checking out his ass on the way to dinner, but tried to think of another possible reason that the boy would be so focused on his backside. It was possible the boy was so caught up in a thought he didn't realize where he was looking. The dork often lost himself in thought. He would be acting completely normal but would suddenly be lost looking off at something Kevin couldn't see.

They sat at a table toward the front of the room and ate quietly. "What happened to your wrist? That wasn't there this morning," Kevin said pointing to a bruise on the inside of his left wrist.

"Oh um I must have knocked it against something. In the shower."

The image of Edd knocking anything in the shower flooded Kevin's mind briefly. He just nodded and looked out the window. He looked back at Edd to see him gazing in his direction. "So which lab section were you placed in for chemistry?"

"I believe section C, Thursdays at two in the afternoon, though I would have to consult my schedule for absolute certainty. In which section were you placed?"

Kevin felt the heat in his chest. "I was put in C too. Want to be lab partners if we get the choice? I mean I'm not great but I'll try not to slow you down. And my grades aren't terrible."

"That would be quite agreeable," Edd said with a nod. "If you wouldn't mind, perhaps we could propose a knowledge trade? I obviously need your assistance to fulfill my physical education requirement, and if you need assistance in chemistry or perhaps another class, I would be amenable to tutoring you. That's not to say that you do need help but if—"

"Don't worry, Nerd. I understand what you're saying. And I was gunna help you with swimming either way, but I'll definitely let you know if I get stuck in any of my classes. I need to keep a three point oh to keep my scholarships and stay on the teams."

"I am certainly available for tutoring. And you will always know where to find me."

Kevin laughed a little. "Yeah. If you're not in our room I'm guessing you'll be at the library."

"Most probably."

"You done eatin'?"

Edd nodded and picked up his tray. Kevin took the lead out of the cafeteria back to their dorm room. He was distinctly aware of Edd's eyes on his ass again. He smiled to himself and wondered if he should pursue his feelings or wait for the dork to come around on his own. He wondered if Edd had ever kissed another person. Or if he had ever even considered dating.

Edd had never given much thought to his sexuality before. If pressed he might have said he was asexual. But the development of his feelings for Kevin pushed him to wonder. After copious amounts of research he was well assured that sexuality was much more fluid than the media would have had him believe. After dinner he spent numerous hours researching in the library and on any database he could think of that explained human sexuality in any detail. He learned that it was normal, even if one identified as completely straight, to perhaps have an exception for another male. With that in mind he surmised it was possible to believe oneself to be unburdened by the throws of human sexuality, and find instead that one did see exception in his roommate.

He was relieved to have given into his sense of embarrassment and taken up occupancy in an individual study room, for at least half the websites he attempted to view were actually pornographic materials. The first three showed a woman being pummeled by a man while she moaned and groaned. Eddy had shown him plenty of that as they reached their pubescent years, never managing to catch his interest. Edd quickly left those pages, color rising in his cheeks each time. But when the forth showed two young men engaged in various sexual positions, Edd watched more closely, wondering if his own body would respond to another's in such a way. Specifically if what he was feeling for Kevin was more akin to the sexual endeavors which he watched with growing interest, or if he merely had never thought to have a friend who did not demean his every thought yet depend on his intelligence.

At ten o'clock he left the library and returned to the dorm. He walked to the elevator and stood patiently while it descended back to the first floor. The doors opened and he entered. Just as they were starting to close a voice called, "Hey, hold the elevator!"

Edd pressed the door open button and waited. A sweating and mud streaked Kevin got into the elevator, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and his red hat covering his strawberry blond hair.

"Oh, hello there, Kevin," Edd said, feeling more shy than usual.

"Hey, Dork." The doors closed.

Edd looked anywhere but at his roommate, while Kevin tried not to eye him in the reflective doors. "You uh—coming back from the library then?" Kevin finally said while they waited to reach the fifth floor.

"Yes. Soccer practice, I might assume?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah. First real game is Saturday."

Edd tried to remove the freshly remembered pornographic imagery from his mind, but he could only replace one of the men's faces with Kevin's, making him blush bright enough to match his t-shirt. "That must be very—very daunting."

Kevin shrugged. "I'm not starting. I might go in after half-time, but we'll see how coach feels."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. They walked down the hall silently and once back in the room, Kevin left almost immediately to remove the mud and sweat.

Edd tried to bury his thoughts in piles of homework. When that didn't work, and the image of the mud sliding off Kevin's toned body still pervaded his every thought, he did what he had always done in crisis at home: he cleaned. He borrowed some cleaning solutions from the housekeeper's closet at the end of the hall and began scrubbing the floors, windows, desks, bed frames, and everything else that he could possibly think to clean.