Against the Tide

by Meredith Taylor

  “Okay, just go all the way down this hallway,” she pointed to her right, “and turn left. You’ll have to go down for about ten minutes. There is a tram if you’re not up for all the walking.”

  “Thank you!” Darryn said, and sped away like lightning. He knew that he might get in trouble for running in an airport, but he didn’t care. He had to try and catch JP before he left. Maybe he would be late to board the plane or there would be some other sort of delay and Darryn could still talk to him. He didn’t really know what he would say if he caught up with JP. He couldn’t ask him not to leave. But he had to take the chance to see him one last time before he left, maybe for good.

  Darryn looked up at the gate markers as he continued to rush down the incredibly long hallway leading to the gates. Gates 5A to 5E were just to his left. He turned the corner quickly and before he knew it he was crashing to the floor with a loud bang.

  “Watch where you’re going!” came the voice of the security guard that Darryn had bumped into. Darryn sat on the ground looking up at him. He had been knocked back off his feet by the force of the impact with the burly man. “Why are you running around here anyway? You can get into a lot of trouble for stuff like that, do you know?”

  Darryn thought quickly and jumped up to his feet: “Sorry, my flight is boarding. I have to get to gate 5E.”

  “5E? It looks like it’s closing in five minutes. I don’t think you’ll make it.”

  Darryn looked down the long hallway. Each gate was at least a hundred meters apart. “I have to try,” he said, and took off down the hallway again.

  The security guard shouted behind him, “Hey, don’t run into anyone else!” Darryn was barely listening to him. He felt sweat drip form his forehead. He was so out of breath that his chest felt tight. But he had to press on.

  He ran past gates 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D, realizing that it had already been more than five minutes, but not ready to give up. He had to see it with his own eyes. Finally, completely exhausted, he came up to gate 5E. He went up to the staff at the desk in front of the gate, and asked one of the men standing there, “Is the flight still boarding?”

  “Sorry, we just closed it. About to take off. We can’t let anyone else on. If you missed your flight you can speak to someone at the airline’s help desks”.

  Darryn felt like he wanted to collapse and cry. He had missed his chance. JP would start a new life in Munich not knowing how he felt. He could try getting in touch with him, but what would be the point? There was no way they could be together now. JP had moved on.

  He looked at the airline staff with a face drowned in sadness. “Thanks,” he said, and he turned around to walk away, looking at the ground as he went.

  He walked for a few steps and realized that he was about to walk into someone. “Woah, watch where you’re going there,” the figure in front of him said.

  “Sorry,” Darryn said, and looked up. And suddenly he gasped deeply, barely able to breathe. He couldn’t believe who he saw in front of him. There, smiling broadly, his blue eyes alight with happiness, was JP. “What are you doing here? I thought I was too late. Why aren’t you on your flight?”

  JP shrugged. “I was in line, ready to go, but I couldn’t do it. I told my dad that I had to stay to try and talk to you again. I have too much to lose by leaving here. So imagine my surprise when I’m on my way to the exit and I see you running through the airport like a mad man. I followed you back here, trying to call to you, but you didn’t seem to hear me.”

  Darryn was overwhelmed, barely getting his words out as he said: “I had to come and find you. I’m so happy you’re still here. I can’t believe it.” He embraced JP in a tight hug, feeling elated.

  JP returned the hug and laughed at Darryn’s enthusiasm. “I’m happy too,” JP said. “Really happy.”

  “I thought I’d missed my chance. I thought I would never see you again. I’ve been walking around feeling numb since I read your letter. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to see you, but I thought you were moving on.”

  “So you came here to find me? To say goodbye?” JP asked.

  Darryn gathered his courage and spoke from the heart: “I came here to tell you that I feel the same way about you. I want you to stay. I want to be with you. I’ve never met anyone who’s made me feel this way before. I don’t want to lose you. I’m here, acting like an idiot, being hopelessly and openly crazy about you. I want to ask for what I want for a change. And I want you.”

  JP smiled, reaching to touch Darryn’s arm. He said, “Well, in that case…” and he pulled Darryn close to him, and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. Darryn was walking on air. He felt like his heart stopped beating. He kissed JP back, feeling closer to him than he even thought possible. As their lips locked, Darryn realized that he had found someone who made him happy and who understood him. Darryn heard cheering behind him, and broke the kiss with JP to see who it was. Mario was there, smiling and cheering ecstatically. Darryn smiled and kissed JP again. This time he was determined to never let him go.

  Chapter 28

  The stands at the swimming stadium were abuzz with chatter and excitement. There were more people at the Ridgemont University swimming championship final than there had been in years. Everyone was there to see one of the most competitive finals in recent history, and many were predicting that the previous records for lap times at Ridgemont championships would be broken. The national scouts were given special seats at the front of the stands, close to the action. Coach Tyson was treating the scouts like royalty, talking to them about the star swimmers he had been training for the year so far, and how he was confident that they would be able to recruit some fresh talent.

  JP was in the stands next to the rest of his teammates, cheering on the four finalists. Of course, he was mostly cheering on Darryn, who stood nervously shaking out his muscles at the edge of the pool. JP had asked Coach for permission to let Billy sit with him and the other teammates, and Billy was cheering excitedly next to him, jumping and clapping his hands while shouting, “You can do this, Darryn! Wooo!” Billy was flourishing at his new school, and the improvement in his functioning and temperament were really showing.

  JP patted him on the back and gave his shoulder a squeeze, saying, “One day you’ll be out there too. I know it!”

  Billy smiled back. “Thanks JP! The swimming lessons with you are really helping! I’m getting a lot faster already!” Billy mimed his swimming technique to demonstrate what he had learned.

  JP smiled, and looked back to where Darryn’s father and Allison were sitting in the stands. Allison blew a kiss in the direction of the players, and JP turned to see that Mario was catching it in the air and putting it to his lips. He rolled his eyes at the sugary display of affection, but he was happy that he had gotten to know Mario and Allison more since he had started dating Darryn. He had been present when Allison won her award for best new actress at the Ridgemont Community Achievements in the Arts prize giving, where all of the local artistic projects were considered. She had already received offers from talent agencies, and after seeing her receiving a standing ovation at her performance in Twelfth Night, JP was sure that she would go far. He waved at her and Darryn’s father, and they both waved back and gave him a thumbs up.

  Coach Tyson walked over from the seats where the national coaches were, coming up to JP. He looked nervous, and came close to JP, whispering to him, “This is it. The national scouts seem really interested. They say they’ve seen some great talent this year. But they were wondering why you weren’t there. I told them it was just a technicality, but that you’d be back next term. They say that when you come back next term, they want to keep an eye on you.”

  “Thanks, Coach, but I don’t think the national team will be right for me. I’ve finally decided what I want to do. I’m glad to be back on the swim team, but I’ve decided to change my course to Sports Science and pursue coaching. I was actually wondering if you’d be able to mentor me.”

  “Of course, JP!”
Coach said, seeming genuinely delighted by the idea. “I think that would be a great fit for you. You’ll be a great coach!”

  JP was happy to hear it. “Perfect! Thanks Coach Tyson! I’ve actually got some ideas I’d like to talk to you about, like Ridgemont starting some community swimming lessons with the children from local schools who can’t afford private lessons. I’d like to be in charge of that if you agree. What do you say?”

  Coach Tyson seemed taken aback, but then his eyes came alight, “That’s an amazing idea! We’ll have to talk about this after the finals. It’ll be good training for you if you’re going into coaching someday. You can count on me to help you in any way I can, JP.”

  JP shook Coach Tyson’s hand, and felt a new sense of purpose and direction. He was excited about his life, and about coming back to Ridgemont the following semester and doing something that he really wanted to do instead of something that his grandfather wanted of him.

  JP’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out to read the message that he had received. It was from his father, and read, Please send my best to Darryn and wish him luck from me on his race today. I can’t wait to have you guys here during your winter break. I love you, son. JP smiled and put his phone away. He was grateful that his father had invited them to visit for a week and do some training courses for extra credit. He had to twist Darryn’s arm to accept it, but JP was eventually able to convince him using his very reliable methods of persuasion.

  Finally, JP saw the referee take his place and the voice over the loudspeaker announced that the race was about to begin. JP saw Darryn looking in his direction, and mouthed: You’ve got this. He held his hand over his heart. Darryn mouthed something back to him and smiled.

  JP was tense. He felt his heart beating fast. Everyone on the stands seemed to collectively hold their breath as they waited for the bang of the starting gun. Suddenly it sounded and the swimmers were in the water. JP cheered enthusiastically as he watched Darryn’s perfect strokes, his strong, muscular arms pushing through the water, his body rhythmically accelerating. He had perfect form, there was no doubt about it. Darryn took a decisive lead. Billy jumped up and squealed, grabbing JP’s arm, and shouted, “He’s gonna win!”

  JP watched as Darryn reached out and touched the opposite edge. It was all over. Darryn had won the finals in a commanding victory, and the stands erupted in cheers. JP and Billy were both jumping, hardly able to contain their joy. Darryn got out of the pool and saw his winning time, smashing his personal record and the previous record for Ridgemont finals. He ran over to the stands, past the national scouts who were giving him a standing ovation, and went straight to JP. They embraced and kissed.

  “I’m so proud of you, Darryn. This is what you’ve been working towards for so long, and now it’s happened.”

  Darryn looked completely content, and through tears he said to JP, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Against the Tide

  Ridgemont University Book 2

  Darryn & JP

  Darryn and JP will return in future Ridgemont University novels.

  To get updates as soon as a new book in the series is released, and to stand a chance to receive free copies, sign up for the mailing list at meredithtaylorbooks.com.

  The next book in the series follows the story of Darryn and JP, two swimmers for the Ridgemont University team, whose bitter rivalry in the pool leads to complicated feelings for both of them. Find out more at meredithtaylorbooks.com.

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  Ridgemont University Book 1

  Hot Off the Press

  Get it now at getbook.at/hotoffthepress

  Read the first chapter on the next pages!

  Chapter 1

  It was a blistering summer’s day and Ridgemont University was alight with excitement. There was a large crowd gathered in the University’s amphitheater waiting anxiously as they chanted: “Harry! Harry!” The regal beauty of the University was the perfect setting for the occasion: tall Grecian columns surrounded the amphitheater; rows of poplars just outside cast shade onto the crowd of more than a thousand students who held signs with wording like Take South Africa Forward and Prosperity for All. Harry Baleka, the presidential candidate who was inspiring a revolution amongst many young people in the country, was visiting the University to speak to students about their role in building a stronger country. It was obvious from the sea of sweating but excited faces that he was striking a chord.

  Simon Northbrook stood next to the stage fastening the last of the posters which read Baleka for President. He was happy that he was able to be a part of such a pivotal moment by organizing the rally along with the rest of the staff of the Ridgemont Weekly News. He felt sweat stain the front of his shirt and fanned himself with one of the flyers bearing Mr. Baleka’s face. Despite the unbearable heat and all of the hard work over the past few weeks to pull it off, he felt nothing but excitement and satisfaction. This was, after all, his baby, and as subeditor of political news at the paper he took the responsibility very seriously. He had made sure that all of the details were meticulously ironed out and that nothing could possibly go wrong. He knew that only if he showed the editor of the paper, Ian Peters, how dedicated and professional he could be under so much pressure could he be sure that he would be selected as the next editor-in-chief of the Ridgemont Weekly.

  Ian, Simon noticed, was looking impeccable as always, not even seeming to feel the heat as he strode around amongst the other staff of the paper and made sure that all stations were go before Mr. Baleka arrived. Simon always admired the way that Ian seemed so unfazed by any stress or pressure, and could be the consummate leader in any situation. He found himself wanting to emulate Ian, but he knew that he could never be as relaxed; there was too much to do, and every team needed a worker bee like Simon. He was the one who made sure that nothing was forgotten. He sometimes worried that the other staffers at the paper would not respect him after having such a great leader as Ian, but he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

  Ian turned to Simon and waved, smiling his big, handsome smile. He had short, brown hair and eyes that were filled with kindness, the type of eyes that made everyone feel like they could immediately trust him when he looked at them. Simon saw the way that Ian’s shoulders were pulled back as he approached him; he had a broad, strong chest and the way he carried himself made it seem like even though he demanded respect, he was always ready to give someone a hug if they needed it. His soft, handsome features made him all the more approachable, and the rosy, almost feminine glow on his cheeks gave him just the right touch of vulnerability to take away the sting when he had to be a tough leader.

  Simon fidgeted with the poster one last time even though he knew that it was already perfect. His face felt flushed and he was suddenly embarrassed that his shirt was wet with sweat when Ian came closer to him. He adjusted his glasses on his nose and pushed his dark curly hair out of his face.

  “Simon, we have a problem,” Ian said, his expression suddenly deathly serious. He had a way of giving an intense, penetrative stare when he needed Simon’s help. It filled Simon with a mixture of anxiety and satisfaction because he knew Ian always relied on him in a crisis.

  “How can I help, boss?” Simon said with a smile.

  Ian bent in closer, and Simon looked up into his handsome face as he spoke: “One of the tape recorders just died while Dennis was interviewing some of the students. He forgot to bring his spare again.”

  Typical Dennis. He was the one staffer that Simon often had to babysit the most; even though he was a good writer, he was careless and clumsy. Simon bent down and reached for a box of supplies under the stage. He felt Ian’s presence over him, and enjoyed the closeness. He beamed with pride as he held up a spare tape recorder, “Luckily I al
ways come prepared.”

  Simon stood up and handed the tape recorder it to Ian, feeling suddenly silly for saying this and worried that he was coming across as arrogant. He shuffled his feet and scratched at his hair.

  Ian put his hand on Simon’s shoulder and smiled his usual encouraging smile, “That’s why I always keep you so close. I know you’re always there to have my back. Thanks Northbrook!”

  Simon felt the weight of Ian’s large, masculine hand on his scrawny shoulder, and felt the comfort which Ian so easily inspired. He was slightly self-conscious about how short and skinny he was next to someone as muscular as Ian, but he had always been the slight and geeky type, and he was comfortable in that role. Ian squeezed his shoulder gently and turned to walk over to Dennis, who had just dropped his notes on the opposite side of the stage and was shuffling to pick them up. Simon shook his head, adjusted his glasses and decided to get some sound bites from students, just in case, moving into the crowd with his own tape recorder.

  A few rows into the crowd Simon spotted his friend Zuko. Zuko was waving excitedly, his big afro, dark skin and colorful African-print shirt clearly visible in the sea of mostly white students. Zuko was doing a movement that was a mixture between a shuffle and a dance as the music blared and the crowd continued to swell. Simon was glad that Zuko was adjusting so well to life at Ridgemont University. Even though it was the best and most prestigious university in Cape Town, it was still very conservative. Zuko was a year younger than Simon and they had met at high school when they both worked on their school newspaper. Zuko had been openly and outspokenly gay since the tenth grade. Simon admired the way his friend could be himself with seemingly no fear. He wished that he could be so brave…