The Exchange Students - 3. Chapter 3

**
I felt fantastic. What an amazing day. It had a bit of everything: successfully performing my duties as a school ambassador, meeting Oscar and the other Norwegians, seeing a fun popcorn movie, getting mugged and living to tell the tale, and experiencing my first sauna and cold plunge.

My life is almost perfect - almost.
**

It was the longest weekend of my life. Monday couldn't arrive soon enough. Even my mom noticed I was preoccupied with something.

"What's the matter, honey?"

"Nothing, Mom," I answered.

"Boy, problems?" she asked.

My mom and I never talked about my sexual orientation, but we never didn't talk about it either. I guess it didn't surprise me that she figured it out. My little brother already had a girl he was sweet on, but at eleven years old, I'd call it puppy love. He was still a kid. My mom thought it was adorable.

"Yeah," I said. "There's a boy at school I like."

"Have I met him?"

"No, he's a transfer student from Norway. His first day was Friday."

"Hmm," she said. "Is he good-looking?"

I blushed and said, "Yes."

"I'm not surprised. I always liked the cute boys when I was young. Then I married your father."

"What?!" I said.

She laughed. "Just kidding, your father was striking when I met him. You might not realize it, but he still is. I see other women checking him out all the time."

"I can see it. You two are a hot couple for old folks," I chuckled.

She hit me lightly on the arm, and we both laughed. My mom knows how to cheer me up.

"What's his name?" she asked.

"Oscar."

"Is he staying with a host family?"

"No, he and three other exchange students share a house in San Francisco, not far from Brad's," I said.

"Poor things. I bet they haven't had a decent meal since they arrived. Why don't you invite them to San Mateo this weekend for a meal? We can grill something. If you like, you can invite Brad and Emma, too".

"That sounds great, Mom. I'll ask them!"

"Good, honey. It'll also allow me to meet this good-looking boy with whom my son is infatuated."

I was feeling much better and decided to hook up with some of my old friends from elementary school. Most of the boys in my class went to Junípero Serra High School.

Serra has long been a high school sports powerhouse. Notable alums include Barry Bonds and Tom Brady. I almost went to Serra, but I guess I wanted to try something different. I decided a parochial high school wasn't the best place to be loud and proud.

I caught a junior varsity football game Sunday afternoon. They were playing a traditional rival, the De La Salle Spartans. Two of my old classmates were on the team, but only one played. I met a few other classmates to watch the game. It was good hooking up with them. Some of them were dating pretty seriously. I was jealous, but not really. I hope someday to bring someone special to a Serra football game. By the way, Serra won.

My dad was working from home on Monday, so he dropped me off at the BART station, and I arrived at school a little early. I took a position in the school library with a window overlooking the atrium. I was excited to see Oscar but didn't want him to think I was stalking him. I didn't see Oscar or any of the other Norwegians.

Disappointed, and with only three minutes before the first period, I rushed to my classroom. The first period dragged on mercilessly until, finally, the buzzer rang. I flew down the stairways and nearly sprinted down the hallway to my second-period classroom. I opened the door, and there, sitting next to my desk from Friday, was Oscar. He'd moved his seat to be … next to me!
I beamed as he looked up and caught my eye, returning the most enchanting smile I'd ever seen. My legs felt weak. My uncharacteristic shyness came over me again. God, he was sexy.

I awkwardly made my way to my seat.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" he asked.

We chatted about nothing important until Don Larkin started the class.

"Did everyone read the introduction and the first chapter?" he asked.

About twenty of us were in the class, and of course, we were way too cool to offer an enthusiastic response. I knew everyone in the class and suspected almost everyone had read the assignment.

Don knew what to expect from us, smiled, and asked the class, "Researchers developed many of the cornerstones of DNA technology in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Why do you think that is?

Lucy Wong's hand immediately shot up. I had a couple of classes with her last year. She's smart.

Don looked at his seating chart and said, "Oscar, what do you think?"

It dawned on me that Lucy sat in Oscar's seat from Friday. She didn't know Don was calling on her, so she lowered her hand and remained silent.

Oscar, not knowing any better, said. "Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are similar in many ways. Austria, Germany, and parts of Switzerland share a language and, as a result, attend many of the same universities. Strong cultural ties lead to close collaboration."

"Are you sitting in Lucy Wong's seat? asked Don.

"I might be," answered Oscar. "I'm sorry if it's a problem."

"No, it's not a problem," said Don. "I'll make a note on the seating chart. By the end of the week, I should have a pretty good idea who most of you are."

Looking down at the chart and then at Lucy, he said, "Then you must be Lucy Wong? Do you have anything to add to Oscar's comments?"

Lucy sounded a little put out when she said. "No, what he said."

The class flew by. I was constantly aware of Oscar sitting next to me and fought the temptation to turn and stare at him. He is so sexy.

The end of class buzzer rang. As we left the classroom, Oscar asked. "Will I see you at lunch at our regular table?"

He didn't need to ask. I floated to my next class.

The Norwegians, Emma, Brad, … Donnell, and I met at our usual table in the dining hall. I sat on one side of Oscar, and Donnell sat on the other. Emma flirted with Frank, and Brad joked with Jakob. Those two seemed to have a lot of fun together.

I forwarded my mother's invitation for a meal in San Mateo on Saturday to Oscar, Frank, Carson, and Jakob. I already invited Emma and Brad separately. I didn't think asking them while excluding Donnell would be polite. I know I'm being petty, but I didn't want Donnell around Oscar more than necessary.

"I can come up to the city on Saturday and show you how to maneuver the public transit," I offered.

That won't be necessary," said Carson. "We have a car."

"Really?" I asked. "Do one of you have a driver's license?"

Frank said, "I'm sixteen. I have a license."

"That's cool. I'll give you the address. There's plenty of street parking in my neighborhood," I said.

The invitations were offered and accepted. I was excited and nervous at the same time. This was the first time I would bring a boy I liked, in 'that way,' home for dinner.

Wrestling practices start next week. Brad suggested we get a few workouts in to get into better shape. It sounded like a good idea, so on Wednesday afternoon, we headed over to the oval track to run a few miles and sprints.

Coach Krebs is the track coach and a good guy. I got to know him last year during gym class. I was a little surprised when he asked me. "Matt, do you know the four Norwegian guys?"

"Yeah, coach, I showed them around the school on their first day."

"What do you know about them," he asked.

"Not much, besides that, they are exchange students and are friendly. I have a class with a couple of them."

"It's just that they've been working out on the track every morning before classes," Coach Krebs said.

The Norwegians' morning workouts explain why I never saw their arrival in the mornings.

"I didn't know that. Is it a problem?" I asked.

"No, no, it's not a problem. I'd like them to join the team, but they told me they weren't interested. They were very polite about it. Do you think you could convince them to run for the school?" the coach asked.

"I don't know, coach. I can talk to them. Why do you want them to run on the team?"

"Can you come by before classes tomorrow? I'll show you."

"I guess so," I said. At least it would allow me to see Oscar before science in the second period.

"Meet me in my office at eight tomorrow morning," said Coach Krebs.

I convinced my dad to drive to work early on Thursday. All he said was, "Are you feeling OK? I thought teenagers liked to sleep in every opportunity they got. I know, I did when I was your age."

I assured him I was feeling fine.

Coach Krebs was in his office when I arrived.

"Care for a cup of coffee?" he asked.

"No, I'll pass. I don't really care for coffee."

"Suit yourself," he said. "The Norwegian boys arrived a few minutes ago. I heard them changing in the locker room."

The coach's office window overlooked the soccer pitch and oval track. No one else was around as the four stunning youths exited the sports pavilion and walked onto the track. Frank led the way, followed by Carson, Oscar, and Jakob. The four began to run in a single file.

I never ran track, but even I could tell they were running at an impressive pace, particularly for high school kids. The coach was timing them as they ran.

At the beginning of the second four hundred meters, Jakob moved to the next lane over and gradually picked up his pace, passing Oscar, Carson, and Frank over the next four hundred meters. After he passed Frank, Jakob pulled back into the left lane ahead of Frank. The other three boys increased their pace to match Jakob.

The coach said, "That was a sixty-four second four hundred."

I nodded. I had no idea whether that was a good time or not. It looked fast to me.

Then, it was Oscar's turn. He pulled right and accelerated, passing Carson, Frank, and Jakob. The other tree matched his pace when he reached the front of the line.

"The coach elbowed me and said, "Sixty-one seconds."

Carson ran a fifty-eight second four hundred and Frank, fifty-five seconds.

We watched in amazement as they started the cycle again, with Jakob pulling into the next lane and passing Oscar, Carson, and Frank over the four hundred meters.

By the time Frank finished the second cycle, the four Norwegians ran just under forty-four seconds.

"They just broke the high school record, and that's after already running two miles!" said Coach Krebs. "Hell, the men's world record is forty-three seconds. I wouldn't be surprised if they threatened that time if they were fresh. Look at them. They aren't even winded. They're astonishing."

Coach Krebs was so excited I was afraid he'd pee his pants.

We watched the four boys run toward Lake Merced to log more miles.

I thought, 'Who are these guys!'