Chapter 13: Cox and Stroke?
Being stuck in a closet alone for thirty minutes was less fun than being stuck in a closet for three hours with Father Garrett, but I survived. He and Mother Ester eventually left the classroom to retrieve supper, giving me a chance to escape. I was late for my supper with Candice and Trinity, but they didn't grill me about it. Noah graced us with his presence as we discussed topics for our Tuesday meeting with the Women's Group.
"Sorry to impose on you ladies again, but I need a favor," he whispered as he wedged his chair between Trinity and me.
Trinity blushed and didn't make an effort to scoot further away like I did. It was the first time I noticed her admiring Noah.
"We were kind of busy, Noah. Can this wait?" Candice asked.
"Sorry, no. Please hear me out. My future rowing team put me up to this. Trent did, actually. He is the current freshman Stroke, and he's as good as a senior. I need to impress him if I want a chance at being a Stroke."
"A Stroke? Is that important?" I chuckled.
"Yes. It's the power seat in rowing. The Cox sits in front of the Stroke."
The whole table burst into laughter at that point, drawing the ire of Mother Ester. She shushed us from across the cafeteria. We contained our laughter and looked at Noah in disbelief.
"Is this a joke?" Candice whispered, trying not to laugh again.
"God, girls are perverts. Those are seating positions on a rowing team," Noah grumbled.
He pulled up a picture on his smartphone to show us the names of the eight-man rowing team. The Coxswain sat at the back of the boat and called out orders. The Stroke faced the Coxswain and set the pace for the rest of the team. The Stroke was the power position of the team.
"Wow, those are real names. Sorry we laughed," Trinity chuckled.
"You're forgiven if you'll come to the Lake Dash party this Friday night. It's a mid-semester tradition, and the boys guaranteed me a position as auxiliary Stroke if I could convince you ladies to come."
"Seriously? We're not cool and sporty. Why us?" I asked.
Noah looked at me like I was crazy.
"You're hot. That's what matters. The boys want a sexy audience to witness our feats of endurance in the lake. It's also harder to impress our female counterparts. We seriously outnumber the women athletes. That's another reason why I'm inviting you. We'll be swimming and rowing to the lake island in the dark. Trent said Father Garrett will be there to chaperon the event," he noted while looking at me.
"Oh, well, if it's chaperoned, I think it will be okay," I nodded, looking between Candice and Trinity.
They both smiled and nodded.
"Excellent, thank you, ladies. I'll fill you in on more details later. Also, I know it's only spring and a bit cool, but... could you wear your swimsuits like the other women? All the men will be in shorts or speedos."
My eyes went wide as Candice and Trinity burst into giggles.
"Uh, sure," I nodded.
I got up early the next morning to catch Father Garrett in his office. We shared hugs and kisses before I attempted to get into his pants. He sighed and gently pushed me away.
"I'm sorry, Zoe, but I don't have time. Father Douglass is still on the mend, and I volunteered to help Sister Tonya start his practice exams this morning. I need to be out the door in the next two minutes."
"That's no fun, but I understand. You left me extra horny yesterday."
"I know. I'm sorry. Did you play with yourself to relieve it?" he grinned.
"I tried, but I'm not very good at it."
"I'll have to make up for it sometime today. Maybe after lunch?"
"Sure."
"Good. I'll leave the lunchroom first. You follow ten minutes later. Walk down the east hall and slip into the janitor's closet behind the water fountain."
"Oh, you've been planning this date, haven't you?"
"I have. We should avoid meeting in my office every morning. Someone might notice. I'll make a list of less obvious places for us to meet. See you after lunch."
After an arousing goodbye kiss, we parted ways to head to our classes. I caught myself daydreaming about Father Garrett more than once that morning, but I somehow managed to keep up with my notes. The last thing I needed was to let my grades slip and set myself up for midterm failure. My excitement was growing as my last morning class ended. I met Candice and Trinity in the hall before we entered the cafeteria. I gave Father Garrett a discrete smile from across the room. Seeing him instantly aroused me. I loved it. Noah sat at our table again with all his books in tow. I felt bad for him. He had to keep his grades up to even be eligible to join the rowing team. We helped by quizzing him on essay questions as we ate, and I promised to help him with statistics later in the afternoon. My stomach fluttered when I noticed Father Garrett making his exit. I played it cool and helped Noah with another essay question before excusing myself early to avoid the after-lunch hall rush. I went to the water fountain for a drink before I ducked into the closet nook and slipped into the closet. Father Garrett was casually leaning against the janitor's sink. I locked the door and made sure it was locked before I stepped over to him.
"Sorry, Zoe. I know this isn't as glamorous as our last two closets, but at least Mr. Johnson isn't working today," he smiled as he pointed at a uniform shirt in the corner with the janitor's name tag on it.
"I have no complaints. It's a little bigger than the last closet. The fluorescent lighting is better too."