The reason this took so long is because I accidentally deleted the first draft and had to start over. Ugh. I waited so long, I forgot everything I wrote. Going back through the chapters, there are a host of continuity errors in names and dates. If you can forgive those, I hope you enjoyed the tale.
*****
It was the day of our first swim meet, at home. Clearly, this gave us an advantage, competing in familiar waters. Other weeks we would be traveling, competing at other schools. I'd discovered that some of the ones in the tri-state area allowed boys to wear swim trunks, but here at home, none were given that privilege. Not even the visiting teams. The girls, of course, got to wear their school-sanctioned swimsuits if they chose, and most did, but male nudity was commonplace and expected here. Just my luck.
I was still angry that Coach Amanda Bradley and Dr. Tammy Wynn foiled the agreement we made. They promised if I could go the entire three weeks, prior to the meet, without getting an erection during practice, they would give me one night of "unadulterated" sex. They played me, though. At practice yesterday, Coach Bradley had the girls go to practice naked. Of course, I got hard!
Now, I had to go through with this swim meet, knowing I had nothing to look forward to. I'd been anticipating it every minute of every day, up until I lost the bet. I was furious, because I had worked so hard to get my problem under control. At first, I beat off constantly so I would be in a constant state of sexual exhaustion. It negatively affected my swim times, but I was still the fastest on the team, by far.
Eventually, I had become so accustomed to being flaccid around the girls, and during practice, that I began stroking off less and less. Especially, the last few days. When the girls showed up at practice yesterday, as naked as the boys were, I couldn't help but pop a boner.
I felt so dejected from the ordeal, I still hadn't bothered beating off before the swim meet today. I was undressing in the locker room with Pete Wilkins next to me. "Did you see how many people showed up for this?" he asked. "My whole family is here. And that other team must be big, because the visitors' side is packed, too.
"What?" I asked, dropping my shorts, throwing them into my locker.
"Yup. And they invited the girls squads from BOTH teams to watch, so they'll be staying on our side of the pool, because there's not enough room in the bleachers."
"Why did they invite the girls to watch? They could just stay in the locker rooms until the boys finish." It was a valid argument, I thought, as I laid it out.
"I dunno," Pete shrugged. "They usually do that, but maybe because this is the first meet of the season?"
Buddy Preston was passing by and snapped Pete with his towel. "No, you idiot. It's because we're swimming against Baldwin U. They're our arch rivals."
"Oh, no shit!" cried Pete. "Last year, didn't they beat us last year?"
"That's why we got him now," Buddy pointed to me. "Ragin' Woody is gonna smoke everybody."
I blushed, but wasn't really feeling up to it. I was nervous that I had to be naked in front of so many strangers. The girls team, I was almost used to it, by now, but there would be new girls from the other team close by, too. Things could get awkward again real fast. This, coupled with the fact that Coach Bradley and Dr. Wynn tricked me, had me feeling nauseous. I didn't feel like competing. "I'll do my best," I said, quietly.
Finally, ten minutes later, the Coach popped in. "Alright, everybody. I shouldn't have to tell you how important this is. Not just being the first of the season, but we're up against B.U. Give 'em hell, I say. Make 'em pay for last year."
The boys screamed and growled in fury, eager to prove themselves. I looked down to my crotch. My penis was dangling there, hanging low, feeling heavier than it usually does... but I wasn't remotely feeling sexually aroused. It felt like the feeling would stick, as I was in such a funk.
I ran out with the rest of the team, making our way to our side of the pool. The opposing team was also on our side, but we split it down the middle. Across the pool, they pulled the bleachers out from the wall and packed them with the attendees.
Shockingly, they put the opposing girls team on the far end of the building, nearest us, and our girls squad was on the other far end, opposite our rivals. Coach Roger Anderson said it was to keep us from being distracted. That otherwise the girls would be talking and distracting us. Strangers wouldn't do that, supposedly.
My eyes darted to the opposite wall to the bleachers. They were filled with so many people, they looked downright uncomfortable. I am pretty sure we exceeded the fire code. Good thing there was plenty of water around. A horn sounded and coaches and refs met near the blocks. A few heads nodded and then Coach blew his whistle.
Pete tapped me, "We're up."
We rushed over with one other teammate. I had the block nearest the bleachers' side, and Pete had block three. Tim was further down, along with three members of the opposing squad. This was the 100 meter. If I could get focused, I could crush it.
The thing is, I wasn't focused. I came off the block later than anyone, and barely made my way up to second place by the end of the race. I could see the coach looking at me with a mix of anger and perplexion. Never had I performed so poorly. I shrugged, walking past him, plopping onto one of the only open spaces on the bench, at the wall.
I wasn't there thirty seconds when Dr. Tammy Wynn approached. "Ryan, my office. NOW!" she screamed. It echoed across the room, even with it filled with so many people. I hadn't seen Tammy this angry since our second workout together. I followed her quickly, making our way to the hall exiting the pool area, to the offices in the Pilner building.
"Dr. Wynn, I have to compete again. Two more times!" I protested, as we neared her door.
"We have time. Get in here!" She grabbed me by the wrist and heaved me forward, pushing me into the office. "Explain yourself. Just what was that? We worked countless hours on the block."
"What?" I asked. I could barely look at her, I was so humiliated. Not by being naked, but from failing. "I missed the dive, I'm sorry! It's never happened before!"
"Are you purposefully sabotaging this meet, Ryan. Really? I would expect much more fro-"
"NO!" I shouted. "Of course not! It's not PURPOSEFUL. I hated that I sucked out there. I'll try and do better."
"I mean it, Ryan. You had better get your head on straight."
I lost it. "Tammy, maybe if you hadn't lifted me up, and slammed me down, I wouldn't be like this, you ever think of that?" It was a brave thing for a student to challenge authority in 1958. I wondered if I crossed the line.
"What?" she asked.
"You got my hopes up, KNOWING you would make me fail," I insisted.
"And you can't get over it? Is that it? You can't be a man?"
