Trouble Plus Trouble. - 9. Chapter 9

Double The Trouble.

Chapter 9.

 

"I'm starving."

"I’m wrecked. This is hard work."

"I'm cold. Why don't they heat the ocean?"

There was enough incentive finally built up to leave the beach and when they reached the station wagon they were amazed to find it was half past six. They pulled their cargoes and t-shirts on and headed for the hamburger place they'd been persuaded to try when Peter told them how good it was.

"Hey look, I want to see that. And it's on tonight."

They'd stopped at a billboard showing the local movie program and the feature was a spy thriller called the Bourne Identity that was meant to be good.

"The second one is even better Marty. We're definitely going to see that."

"Just because it's got cars in it?"

It took about ten seconds to decide and Peter was glad his mum had given him $60 for spending money. The movie started at 7:30 so they got moving. Andy and Marty wanted to have a look through a surfing type shop and Matthew wanted to get a postcard to send to Rob, even though he’d get back before it did, so Peter took the hamburger orders and arranged to meet them at a picnic table across the road. The orders were easy as everyone wanted the lot, except for Marty who didn't like pineapple. Peter went into the cafe, straight to the counter, gave the orders, then turned and walked towards the area where you could sit and wait.

Oh no! His heart sank.

At a table nearby were three of the people who'd always made his life miserable, and worst of them all was Malcolm Burns who he'd always tried to stay clear of. They were looking right at him and Malcolm had a nasty smile.

"Donkey Dick. I thought you'd run out on us?"

Peter was on the verge of doing just that, and coming back in five minutes when the burgers were done, but the comment stung and he decided to sit and ignore them. They wouldn't do anything in the cafe and he could put up with them for a couple of minutes. Peter sat quietly, not looking at them, except from the very side of his vision, wishing that the hamburgers would hurry. There was movement though, Malcolm standing up and walking over.

"What are you doing back here sucker? I thought we got rid of you."

Peter didn't answer, but he couldn't win because that was used against him straight away.

"Still a snob? Too good to talk to us are you?"

"I'm not a snob. I'm just back for the weekend."

There was a kind of laugh and Malcolm beckoned the other two over.

"He’s not a snob, he says, so we can talk. Isn't that nice of him?"

One of them sat down on each side and Malcolm stayed in front. This had happened so many times Peter knew exactly what they were going to do and he got ready for a stream of nasty comments.

"Do you still suck yourself?"

This got laughs from the other two and cued Malcolm into more.

"They tell me your mother got done over by a donkey and that's where you got your dick from. Is that right?"

Peter didn't answer. He wasn't going to say one more word to them. The burgers must be nearly finished and he decided to go to the counter. Bad move. He'd stopped worrying about this sort of stuff and wasn't as careful as he should have been. As soon as he stood up there was a shove from behind and a leg stuck in front of him so he went sprawling on the floor.

"Careful. Don't trip over."

When Peter got up the man behind the counter was watching, so at least he'd be able to collect the burgers and drinks and get out without anything else happening. He’d just reached the door when he heard Malcolm's voice close behind him."He's running off on us again. Let's see where he's going."

 

Peter headed straight out, crossed the street and made for the picnic table, all the time listening to the footsteps behind him. One of them, probably Malcolm, kept treading on his heels and they kept up a barrage of comments as well. He’d almost reached the picnic table when there was a sudden, powerful shove in his back, and for the second time he fell sprawling. A Coke bottle broke and the bag of hamburgers split open when his hand, which was holding it, hit the sand. At least two of the burgers flew apart, totally wasted, and when Peter gathered what he could there was only one left without sand on it. He sat at the table, upset and furious, and decided not to move or say one thing more.

"Hey Donkey! When are you going to answer us? We want to know if you still suck your cock."

"Don't be stupid."

Peter's anger was exactly what they'd been looking for and after the pleased smirks Malcolm pushed the taunt even further.

"He doesn't have to. His mother does it for him."

It was too much. His mum always told him to keep his temper but this time he didn't. He swivelled round and almost automatically lashed out with an angry punch at Malcolm who was right behind him. His fist sank right into relaxed and unexpecting stomach muscles, and Malcolm doubled over, clutching himself. Peter’s short, fleeting moment of satisfaction ended with a blow to his head, and shocked and kind of dizzy he felt himself dragged from the seat onto the ground. He curled into a ball, his hands protecting his head, momentarily expecting a kick or punch.

"What the hell?"

It was Andy's voice and Peter felt a huge wave of relief. They wouldn't hurt him any more now.

"You keep out of it. It's none of your business."

Malcolm was still holding his stomach and Peter could see that he was very angry.

"Why not? There's three of you and only one of him. What did he do to deserve that?"

"He was a smart mouth and punched me for nothing. The little cock-sucker."

By now Peter's head was starting to clear and he sat up. Andy, with a strange look, was facing Malcolm. Just arriving was Marty, and running across the lawn towards them was Matthew.

"Marty, see if Peter’s all right while I find out what's going on. You! Sit down there and tell me what really happened. I happen to know he'd never smart mouth anybody."

"You know him?"

Malcolm wasn't looking quite as angry and when he was physically forced to sit down he started looking more wary. The other two were looking worried. Peter was helped up and everyone's attention was now on him. He moved to the other side of the table and sat down. It felt better than standing up.

"I'm all right Marty. I just need a rest for a minute."

"So, what happened ass-wipe?"

Every head jerked back to Andy at this abrupt change in his tone of voice.

"Get f…t! We’re not talking to you. Come on Mark."

Malcolm went to stand but got nowhere and Marty, who was by now standing next to Andy, made sure the other two didn't leave. Andy stuck his hand out and Malcolm gave a puzzled look. Peter was puzzled too. It appeared as if he wanted to shake hands. He did, but not the way Peter expected and when Malcolm's hand reluctantly came forward in acceptance, the muscles of Andy's forearm tensed with the fierceness of his grip. Malcolm winced and tried to return the pressure but he was no match at all. The grip went on and on till Andy released him about fifteen seconds later.

"Now. Tell us what happened."

"Nothing. We were just mucking round and he couldn't take it."

"Couldn't take what?"

"Nothing, we were just saying things to wind him up."

"Like what?"

Peter was glad he wasn't the one sitting in front of Andy. He'd never seen him look so menacing. He was really getting to Malcolm too.

"Um. We made up stuff about his mother."

He was starting to sound polite.

"Tell me."

Looking like it was hard to do, Malcolm explained that he had said Peter's mother sucked his cock for him.

"Beth?"

Malcolm looked like he'd been hit with something.

"You know her too?"

"She's my friend."

Malcolm looked at his two mates, as if for support, but they didn't even look back at him.

"What about that treading on Peter's heels, and pushing him over? Was that just mucking round too? I saw it all from across the road."

Malcolm didn't even try to answer. Andy looked pointedly down at the ground.

"Is that my hamburger? Pick it up."

It was a pure and direct order and Peter watched as this tough acting guy who'd always bullied him remorselessly, acted like a kid being told off by an adult. The sand-smeared burgers were placed on the table and Malcolm waited to see what Andy would say.

"You don't expect me to eat that do you? Empty your pockets onto the table."

Malcolm started to shake his head.

"Marty, hold him upside down and shake everything out."

Malcolm's eyes bulged in disbelief, but seconds later he was hanging by his ankles, being shaken, with Peter and the others also looking on in disbelief. Nothing came out, his pockets were too close a fit, but he sure got the message, and when Marty dropped him on the ground he wasted no time in putting some money, a wallet and a set of keys on the table.

"What? ...What? ...Um. ...Do you want?"

"Nothing. Except four hamburgers and a bottle of Coke. It’s fair enough if you pay for them since it was your fault they got wrecked. You can have your keys when you get back ….and don't waste time."

Malcolm took his money and practically jogged towards the café, and attention now settled on the other two.

"What do we do with this one? Peter owes him a punch in the head."

"No Marty, don't. That's up to Peter."

"But he's gutless. Peter wasn't even looking when he hit him."

"Yeah! What you want to do Peter? Marty can knock him down or give him a head punch if you like."

Peter shook his head.

"I just want them to leave me alone Andy. I've never done anything to them and I don't want to hurt anybody."

"Well I do."

Matthew was speaking up.

"I want to take them to the police station. They assaulted Peter for no reason and said things they should be sued for. They could be up for $20,000 for saying stuff like that about Beth. We're all witnesses and they deserve it."

"The police?"

Andy was clearly quite surprised.

"That’s serious, but it sounds like a good idea. What did you think Peter?"

Peter shook his head for the second time, wanting it all to be over.

"Do you know these guys Peter?"

"Yes."

"And do you know where they live? The other one too?"

Matthew sat next to Peter and fussed around, asking where he'd been hit and checking it out. The two guys, looking as if they were in a state of shock, waited with Andy and Marty guarding them till Malcolm came hurrying back with the new order of food. Peter almost felt like smiling when he saw there was an extra bottle of Coke and a packet of chips.

"So what happens now? Is it our turn for some mucking round? Peter won't let us hurt you so I've had another idea while we were waiting.

Ass-wipes! That's what I thought you were, so prove it to me."

They didn't know what Andy meant and looked blankly at him.

"Wipe your asses or we’ll make you."

Oh my God. Peter watched, incredulous, as one by one they went through the motions of wiping their backsides. Andy sent them off with warnings never to annoy Peter again and a threat that if they saw them again over the weekend it would be each other's asses they'd be wiping. At the edge of the road Malcolm turned round and gave them the rude finger. The effect of this defiant gesture was totally ruined when Marty started towards them and they ran like rabbits to an old Ford car and took off down the road.

There was an explosion of questions as everyone wanted to know everything from Peter's side, and he went through it all while they tucked into the hamburgers and chips.

"Is that what it was like all the time when you lived here?"

"Pretty much. I didn't usually get punched, but that was my fault this time for losing my temper and starting it. It was mostly just shoving and saying things."

"Did they do it in the main street like this?"

"No, they’d say things but that was all. It mostly happened at school."

It was pretty much all they talked about, and Andy started acting out what had happened and being all silly about it till it was time for the movies. It was purely to make Peter laugh and it worked perfectly. They both gave him a few treatments too, but were ten times as gentle as usual, which made Peter feel good. Matthew was laughing along with their antics, but he wasn't saying much.

The movies were both good. Peter liked the first one best and even decided to try reading the book it was adapted from to see if that was better. He liked the actor too.

It was after midnight when they reached their camping spot and they basically got ready for bed after sitting for ten minutes watching the ocean while Andy and Marty had a can of beer each, and Peter and Matthew shared one of the bottles of ginger beer they’d brought with them. A short while after they were all lying on their thermal pads and talking quietly, Andy got up and Marty followed him. Peter laughed and Matthew wanted to know what was going on.

"They did this at the river camp Matthew. I think they've gone to have a wank."

"Together?"

"Yeah, they're not shy about anything."

"They're amazing."

Matthew started tickling. The same gentle way he had the night before, and Peter responded with happy little wriggles of acceptance. It was a friendly tickle. Suddenly Matthew rolled over and gave him a powerful hug. It only lasted five seconds or thereabouts and then Matthew said he hoped it was all right but he'd wanted to do it ever since Peter had been hurt.

It was a kind of shock really.

No one hugged him except his mum, and this felt so different. A lovely warm feeling of closeness bubbled up inside and Peter lay there with a smile on his face while Matthew's tickle made his side tingle. It was giving him a boner too but he didn't care about that. The sheet was covering them and he slipped his right hand down to hold himself. It would be nice to sneak into the scrub and relieve his urges but he wouldn't. He wasn't so blatant. Andy and Marty arrived back and Peter couldn't resist.

"Wankers!"

"Cheeky brat. When are you going to do it? You must be bursting if you usually manage three times a day"

"Um, I'm all right."

"Sure, you've probably got your hand on it right now."

Peter went to roll on his stomach but he was too late. Andy checked him out and laughed.

"As long as a telephone pole and just as hard. Who’s the wanker now?"

Marty joined in.

"Randy Peter. That's what we'll call you. You should have come out with us."

"I don't know Marty. He might have caused a tidal wave."

"A water-spout."

"A blow hole"

Peters eyes closed. They were rude, and mad, and his friends.

And in the morning, when he woke to the murmur of voices and soft laughs, they were at it again. Peter kept his eyes closed and listened. He wanted to hear what they were saying.

"He must be like this every morning. What do you reckon Andy?"

"I think so. It's pretty normal though. I’m the same most mornings. I don't get so hard though. What about you Matthew?"

"Yes, me too. But I always wake up first and no one catches me."

"What do you do? Just lie there, or try to go back to sleep?"

"I never go back to sleep. But it's nice lying still. I think about things and I often read something."

"In the morning?"

"Yes, it's a trap though, because if it's a good book I can't stop and I end up in a rush."

"Who reads the most? You or Peter?"

"I don't know. I think Peter might normally, but he helps us so much now there’s not so much time left to read."

"How come he helps you? You don't really need it do you?"

"I suppose not, but it's fun when we work together and he makes me think better. I got an A for my maths last week."

"So did we. I don't think the teacher could believe it. We hated those surd things and he made them easy. Is he really faster than me at swimming?"

"Yes, he's a natural. No one on the team will be able to beat him in a week or two."

"Except you."

"Well I've done a lot more practice."

"Look at him. He’s still hard all this time."

"Do you think he's dreaming? When I’m like that in the morning I usually have fantastic dreams."

"Oh yeah? Tell us what they're about Marty."

"You're too young to know Andy."

There was a moment of quietness.

"Aren't you going to cover him up?"

"No way. He’s still too shy."

"He seems okay to me."

"Not really Matthew. He's all right with us, but he’s still embarrassed with the other guys. Do you think he'd be ready if Phillips challenged him to a shoot-off ?"

"A shoot-off?"

"Yeah, to see who can spunk the furthest."

"Phillips would do that? God! I wouldn't be ready either."

"Yes you would. I don't know about Peter though. The first week we were swimming he was so shy he even wore shorts while he was having a shower."

"He’s not really shy Andy. He's sensitive because he's so big and used to being ridiculed about it all the time."

"He looks like he is though, and that's why they’ll keep trying to get him going. We’ll work on him today and tomorrow and it'll make a lot of difference. He gets used to things quickly."

"Work on him? How do you mean?"

"Well there’s the grabbing. He needs to practice that, and we missed out yesterday. You need to practice it too."

"It's embarrassing."

"That just proves what I'm saying. The more practice the better. Marty and I are going to practice it with him whenever we get a chance while we're down here, and we want you to as well."

"It mightn’t work. I think he's better at it than me."

"Yeah, I reckon he'll be better than all of us before long. He’s got really quick reflexes."

There was more silence and then a couple of soft laughs.

"Go on Marty. You might give him those morning dreams."

Oh God! Something touched his balls and Peter felt them move and tighten. After a few moments it happened again. It was definitely time to wake up. He nearly rolled over to hide himself, but then had a better idea and made a little moaning sound.

"Marty. …Marty I love you. Mmm. ..Please Marty. Mmm."

There was silence and then a great burst of laughter. When Peter's eyes opened he just caught the end of Marty's shocked look as it changed to a grin.

"Brat!"

Peter curled up to avoid the onslaught, in particular the handle of the toothbrush Marty was poking him with, then died from forced laughter for a few minutes.

"Brat! How long were you awake?"

It was Andy calling him a brat this time.

"Um. A while."

He could see their minds replaying what they'd been saying.

"Little pigs have big ears."

"Ha, they've got big other things too Matthew. I think it's cooling off time."

The three of them firmly escorted Peter for his morning dunking. The routine of packing the tent and other gear went through, but when Peter went to put on his T and cargoes, Andy shook his head.

"Not yet. You heard us. You've got some practice first."

The whole three of them gave him a turn and by the end of it Marty was the only one without a stiffness problem.

"And you've got a lot more practices later in the day."

The day was marvellous. After a quick shower in the town they drove along the winding coast road. It was a real experience for Andy who’d never driven in such difficult conditions and they stopped at every lookout where the road hugged the cliffs and had a quick swim at several of the beaches along the way.

The Great Ocean Road took them to the holiday resort town of Lorne and for an hour they played at tourists, checking out the holiday specialty shops and walking to the end of the long fishermen's pier. Marty was really interested because it was the start of a famous yearly swimming event where hundreds and hundreds of people swam over a kilometre to the surf beach. He wanted to try right then but it didn't take much persuading to go in the surf for an hour instead. At two o'clock they had to leave. Andy had a fixation on reaching the beach they'd missed the day before, and when they pulled up in the car park he grilled Peter about it.

"Is there any water there? Fresh water I mean."

"No, there's none at any of the beaches round here."

"Is there a place we could camp?"

So that was what he had in mind.

"On the sand, or there’s a cave too."

"A cave? You never said anything about that."

"It's not a real cave. It's a big overhang of the cliffs."

That clinched it. Andy and Marty loaded up the two rucksacks they’d brought and Peter and Matthew carried a day pack each as well, and they headed off with stacks of supplies.

"Where is this track Peter? I can't see it."

"It's here. Gosh, it's all been blocked off. They must be getting more serious about keeping people out."

Once they found their way past the tangle of old branches and debris, the track was quite obvious and it didn't take long to traverse the kilometre of scrub and reach a viewpoint of their destination. Excited grins grew as they looked down at the hidden beach which only extended for about two hundred metres of beautiful sand and then was blocked in by reefs and cliffs at each end.

"Wow! Let's go."

There was only one way down and the track led straight to it. It was steep and you had to be careful. The last fifteen metres was a very steep, rocky, eroded cliff face which looked almost impossible. It wasn't, and Peter knew you could zigzag and use the ledges and protuberances, but they didn't need to because someone had hammered a metal stake into a crack in the rock and left a thick marine rope dangling almost to the bottom.

"Oh my God. You didn't tell us about this."

Peter had wanted it to be a surprise for them and it sure worked. One by one they lowered themselves to the sand. Peter went first, being the unofficial leader and showing the others the way. He’d done this twice before but there was still a strong kick of adrenaline lifting his excitement level by the time he finally let the rope go. Andy followed and let out a huge yell when he jumped down the last little bit.

"Hell that was unreal. Where’s this cave?"

It was only fifty metres along and as soon as they saw it there was no thought of camping anywhere else. Peter fished his speedos out of the day pack only to have them tossed away by Andy.

"What you want those for? No one's going to see us here."

There was a flurry as clothes and shoes landed on the sand and Andy and Marty were racing to be first in the water. Matthew was grinning at Peter.

"It looks like we're forgetting about clothes till we leave tomorrow doesn't it?"

In moments they were both nude as well and racing each other into the water, where they were met by Andy and Marty who splashed and dumped them before heading out to where the waves were breaking. Peter didn't have to show them anything now. They were all powerful swimmers and had quickly caught on to body surfing and for the next hour they caught wave after wave. Peter was stirred stacks about his anchor holding him back, but he just laughed at them.

As soon as they came to the shore Andy gave Peter his first practice at the grabbing game. The cool from the water seemed to have no affect in stopping his stiffening and at the first grab from Andy he was on the rise. After half an hour of relaxing in the beautiful warm sun Marty gave him a practice, and another boner. At least he was getting better at dodging and avoiding, and in fact he realised he was better than Marty.

They had another swim and it was Matthew's turn. This time it took ages because they were so closely matched and when Peter finally won they were both stirred by Marty for being so randy. By the end of the night they'd all had a second round and Peter realised he was doomed to get a boner whenever he was involved in this. Three times in a row he’d tricked Marty and not been grabbed himself, but he still put on a show for everyone.

On the point end of the beach you could clamber over the rocks for nearly 100 m before being blocked by the cliffs and they spent some time exploring. Peter was used to the starfish, crabs and other creatures which were everywhere in the rock pools but the others were fascinated. They had some food then sat in the sun talking for a while till Andy got restless and started mucking round.

"Come on Peter. I want to see who’s strongest out of you and Matthew."

"Matthew is."

"How boring’s that? Have an arm wrestle."

Everyone got involved, and everyone beat Peter. Marty was by far the strongest and you could tell he hardly had to try even against Andy.

"All right. Have a wrestle then. You should have a chance against Matthew because Marty taught you all those holds."

There was no getting out of it and soon he was rolling and struggling with Matthew, despite the awkwardness factor of being nude. There was no doubt that Matthew was stronger, his muscles felt very wiry, but Peter kept trying. Andy and Marty cheered him on till he managed one of the holds, and then it was Matthew who got the encouragement and advice. Peter was being careful not to let his groin press against Matthew and he could tell Matthew was doing the same, but it was inevitable and when Matthew’s thigh got trapped against him the familiar tingles started. They separated to a different position but it was too late for Peter and he steadily stiffened. Andy and Marty thought this was hilarious and kept stirring him about using rude tactics, but wouldn't let him stop. Peter felt ridiculous. How can you wrestle properly when you've got a boner? He kept going but without trying very hard and Matthew quickly had him pinned down. When Matthew moved off it was a kind of relief to see that he was partly boned as well. Andy and Marty wrestled next and then Andy picked on Matthew. Well, not really picking but he did put him through the same kind of treatment usually given to Peter till he was begging for release between all his bursts of laughter.

"Peter, help. I'm going to die of laughing if he doesn't stop."

Peter dived at Andy and managed to push him off, but that was all, because Marty grabbed him. It was diabolical. Andy came up with the idea of seeing which of them would laugh the most and they kept at it for so long Peter felt like Matthew's comment about dying was coming true. Finally they were released and Peter headed for the water. He needed to cool off in more ways than one. Ever since Andy had found out about his belly-button it seemed to be a feature whenever they got hold of him.

The time passed and when the light started fading they built a camp-fire with the small amount of driftwood they'd been able to collect on the beach. Andy reckoned it wasn't a real camp if you didn't have a camp-fire, and Peter couldn't help agreeing with him as he watched the glowing coals and the flicker of light on the overhanging walls. Matthew really got the works when Andy and Marty made him go through the swearing, drinking, smoking thing. Most of their fun was in making him do the things, because he knew they wouldn't really hurt him and his stubborn streak kept showing through. Finally they pronounced he was real enough and fit to be kept company with.

"What's happening?"

The fire was almost dead and Peter was feeling dozy enough to want to go to sleep.

"What?"

"The ocean sounds louder."

Marty was right and they all walked to the edge of the water to watch and listen to the roar of the breaking surf.

"There must have been a storm way out somewhere, and the waves are just reaching us now."

"They sound pretty strong. Can you surf when they're like this?"

"Andy, you're mad. We’re not going out there in the dark. A whale or something could eat us."

"Whales don’t eat people Marty. They eat tiny little things."

"Killer whales do. I saw a film with them in it."

"They don't have killer whales here, but I meant could you surf if it was daylight."

"You might be able to, but you need enough light to see properly or it would be too dangerous."

When they went back to the shelter Peter flaked out practically as soon as he was stretched on his thermal pad. The night passed in a blink and in the morning he was last to wake, as usual, and half an hour later they were hiking back to the station wagon, having decided to buy a breakfast at one of the eating places in the town. Andy and Marty had it in their head to try pancakes after hearing Peter's description of what Matthew put on them, though Peter could tell that Andy was wanting to check that his wagon was okay as well. Peter knew the best place with a reasonable price and they sat in a little outdoor courtyard waiting for someone to serve them.

"Peter, I heard you were back."

"Um. Hi Amy. It's just for the weekend. We've been surfing and looking round."

It was a little embarrassing when the young waitress gave him a hug with the others staring, but that passed quickly.

"How long have you been working here Amy? I didn't think your folks liked the idea of it."

"They don't, but I had my birthday and I argued so much they gave in."

Peter introduced everyone and said they'd come to try pancakes.

"Pancakes? No worries. I’ll make them for you myself."

She laughed at the variety of extras and when she went off to get it all going there was an instant barrage of questions from Andy and Marty.

"Oh my God, you dog! She's got the hots for you. I thought you said everyone picked on you?"

"Not everyone. Amy was in my class last year and I helped her sometimes."

Marty thought that was funny.

"Yeah, I'll bet. I'd be helping her too. Is she after you?"

"No, she felt sorry for me. She's really nice, but I don't think she’s your type Marty."

Marty looked at him like he was mad.

"She sure is. She’s better than anyone at our school."

"Well, when you get to know her you'd call her a geek. That's why we got on well."

"Peter, no one who looks like that is a geek."

Amy arrived with a big pot of coffee and a plate of toast.

"What's this for? We didn't order it."

"It's on the house. …To keep you going till the pancakes are done.”

She rushed off and about ten minutes later was back bearing plates with double pancakes on each and the extras sandwiched in between. Everyone's eyes popped at the size of their servings and Andy and Marty were really putting on the charm. Amy left again, but when they finished she reappeared with another pot of coffee and sat down at the table next to a surprised Marty.

"What happened the other day Peter? There's a rumor going around that Malcolm Burns got you."

"Yes, he hasn't changed. He wrecked all our hamburgers and Mark Jones punched me on the head."

It was easy talking to Amy. She’d often been a listener for him.

"They’re pigs. I don't know what's wrong with this place. I wish someone would do something to stop them."

"They did Amy. I don't reckon they'll ever do it again."

"They won't?"

"No, Marty and Andy saved me. They were fantastic."

Peter went on to explain what had happened and by the end of it her face was alive with laughter.

"Wiping their backsides. Oh wow! That is so good. Wait till I spread this around. …..And you held him upside down? You must be so strong."

Marty was enjoying this attention.

"It wasn’t much. I felt like punching him but Peter's mum said we weren't meant to fight and we had to do something else. It was Andy's idea really."

Now it was Andy who received the big smile.

"That's so clever. Much better than fighting. They're never going to live this down. Everyone in the town will find out about it."

She bit her knuckle lightly, in a gesture that was familiar to Peter, asked what his new school was like, then started collecting the dirty plates.

"I'll have to go. My boss is great but I feel guilty if I talk too much. Did you like my pancakes?"

There was a storm of assurance and then she was gone.

"Wow! You kept her a secret Peter. She really likes you."

"Not that much Andy. It's just that we've known each other for years. I think she likes Marty though. She was smiling at him enough."

"Yeah, did you hear her? Marty you must be so strong."

"Dork Andy."

They paid for their meal and as soon as they were in the car there was a chorus of what became the catch phrase of the day.

"Marty, you must be so strong."

They drove around for half an hour and Peter showed them the flat where he used to live, his old school, and some of the other features of the town that stood out for him. By the time they'd seen all this it was nearly eleven o'clock and they headed for the surf which kept them going for the next three hours. It was a nuisance having to stay between the flags because there were so many people making the most of the Monday holiday and it was really crowded.

"Let's go somewhere else. What about that back beach Peter?"

"It's great. There's stacks of places to surf and the people won't be crowded together like this."

They grabbed their gear and headed off, then were all surprised when Andy turned into the car park for the Point.

"What are you doing? There's no surf at this beach."

"I know. We won't be long. I want to have this race with Peter, and when we rushed off this morning he missed out on his practice."

Practice? Not the grabbing again, surely? There were six other cars in the park.

"Andy, there’s people everywhere."

"Don't worry Peter. One look at you will scare them off."

The race went first and Peter was quite surprised, and very pleased with himself, when he led the whole way and finished about three metres ahead of Andy. What an effort. They were both gasping for breath and Peter felt his heart pounding. As they waded towards the shallows Andy grabbed him in a headlock and started knuckling him.

"Brat, you're used to the salt water and I'm not."

Matthew and Marty came over, and between friendly thumps and pokes, Peter enjoyed their expressions. Marty was looking quite surprised, as if he’d never really believed Peter was faster, while Matthew looked totally pleased. Andy wanted to know why Peter could get so fast in such a short time.

"He hasn't even done any speed work Matthew. It doesn't make sense, while I work my guts out."

"I told you. He's a natural, and he’s faster because we've got rid of most of the bad habits that were slowing him down. He'll get better too, when he builds up his strength but you'd still beat him if it was over 100 m."

Andy thought this over.

"What? Does that mean he’ll be able to beat me over long distances as well if he keeps training? Brat. And I was the one who talked him into joining swimming. How’s that for gratitude? …..Can you show me how to be faster?"

"Yes, a bit. But you won't catch up to Peter though."

"Well how would I go against you then, over the longer distances Matthew?"

"Um. I don't think you'd have a hope Andy."

"Really? I'm a lot stronger than you."

"I know. But it doesn't count as much as endurance and my coaches really built that into me."

"I do stacks of laps."

"I know. But you stop lots of times too. I’ve watched you."

Andy laughed at this.

"Spying on me hey? You're right though. Does that mean you do your laps without stopping?"

"If I want to."

"How many?"

"How many do you want?"

"Marty and I do twenty sometimes, but not without stopping. Could you do that?"

Matthew nodded.

"Yes, that's not very hard."

Marty and Andy looked at each other and Peter was totally impressed. He'd been pleased with himself the other day when he managed six laps without a stop.

"Are you saying you can just keep going?"

"Sort of."

"What? If you got in here, you could swim back to the town without stopping?"

Matthew's eyes turned to look along the beach.

"I'm not used to swimming with waves but yes, I reckon I could."

"I don't believe you."

"All right. I'll show you."

Peter looked at him with the same amazement that Andy and Marty were showing.

"What do you mean? You'll swim all that way?"

"Have we got time? I’ll have a rest for half an hour first though. We’ve been in the surf for a fair while."

"Sheba! You mean it don't you?"

They walked up the beach and found a shady spot in the scrub where Matthew stretched out. They left him with his eyes closed.

"God, can you believe it? Just like that, he says he’s going to swim all the way to the town. Come on Peter. We’ll practise till he’s ready."

"For half an hour? Andy. That's a lot of practice."

Andy just grinned and wanted to know what Peter was worried about. He knew very well what Peter was worried about and he and Marty took it in turns with the grabbing. Peter got a bone within a minute and stayed that way for a quarter of an hour till he got panicked at the feelings he was building and refused to keep going. He was beating Marty at this all the time now, but Andy was still too tricky and with every grab Peter felt more desperate. They were both stirring him about being so randy and they were right. Andy was too, and he didn't deny it.

"I reckon it's time we had a wank Peter."

Peter changed the subject as quickly as he could.

"Um. What are we going to do about Matthew? We'll have to walk along the beach to make sure he's all right."

Andy saw through this, but Peter was right.

"We should take it in turns to swim with him. I wonder if we can keep up. And what about the wagon Andy? Why don't you drive to the town and walk back to meet us?"

They stayed in the scrub for another ten minutes, organising the logistics and waiting, while Peter unsuccessfully willed his boner away. It got more and more embarrassing as the time went by and it just wouldn’t. Andy and Marty, totally enjoying his embarrassment, were absolutely no help at all with their rude suggestions and when Matthew appeared on the beach near where they'd left him resting, the only thing he could do was pull on his speedos, stuff himself in as best he could and head out. At least the water was effective, not fast enough to avoid Matthew noticing when he joined him, but after a short discussion they were in deep enough water that it didn’t matter and then he quickly normalised.

Marty was watching from the shore and Andy was already disappearing up the access track.

"Matthew, are you sure you should be doing this? What if you get a cramp or something?"

"I'll just come in to the shore. There’s nothing to worry about Peter. I've swum further than this before."

"You have?"

"Yes, there was a lap-a-thon thing at my club and I went five kilometres that time. This shouldn't be too hard."

Peter went till he felt like he needed a rest. It wasn't really hard and since Matthew didn't set much of a pace they could talk whenever they wanted to.

"Go on Peter. I'll see you when you come out again."

It felt like he was deserting, but after he caught a wave and was able to stand up it was a great relief. Marty, who’d been keeping pace along the shoreline, saw him and came rushing out.

"What's happening? Is he all right Peter?"

"He's all right. It's me who’s conking out."

Marty went straight off and angled out to keep level with Matthew. Peter made his way into the shallows where he ambled along, keeping pace with the two swimmers, thinking about all the happenings and giving an occasional wave in return to Matthew or Marty. Marty stayed with Matthew for ages. It was at least a kilometre and before he came in Andy had joined Peter from the direction of the town. Andy was all excited and eager to swim with Matthew, saying he was going to try and make it the rest of the way. Peter thought he would, especially with the slow but steady pace Matthew was setting. For another kilometre Peter wandered along, chatting with Marty and watching the two in the water and then for the last four or five hundred metres it was all of them. Andy was weary and so was Peter. Marty seemed to have a second wind, and Matthew, apart from being cold, looked the same as when he started. With a hundred metres left, Andy let out a yell and said he was going to be first but Matthew changed to freestyle and finished with a lead of twenty metres. Peter just swam steadily without racing. Finishing would be enough for him.

Matthew moved in till he could stand then waited till Peter, who was last, caught up. As they waded slowly ashore Peter was so proud of Matthew he couldn't help himself and gave him a big hug. Andy and Marty had a better idea and spontaneously lifted a hugely grinning Matthew onto their shoulders for a victory ride. All the way in, people smiled at the spectacle and when they passed one of the patrolling lifesavers Peter responded to his querying look.

"He’s just swum all the way from Point Roadknight without stopping."

"Hell! Really?"

The end of chapter 9.

Iarwain.