CHAPTER TWO—The Classmates

Sally had noticed this guy in her drawing class. He sat several rows up from her. He had blonde hair, wavy at the ends, which he wore long enough to tuck a bit behind his ears. He had bright blue eyes and a fair face with a few freckles. He walked with the energy of an athlete and a swing in his gait. He didn’t look particularly strong but more light and agile. Some days he wore a smile on his face. Other days, he looked a bit preoccupied, as if he was dreaming of things far away. Although she knew he must be a sophomore or junior, he had a particular boyishness. especially when he smiled or laughed, he looked like he might still be sixteen or seventeen.

Since she had first noticed him several weeks before, Sally had been watching him. After a while, she discerned that his name was Peter.

One day, a couple of weeks after that “beginning of Spring” Monday, they were finishing up a series of abstract drawings and preparing to hand them in. People were walking around, gathering up supplies for finishing touches, and looking at each other’s drawings. Sally looked at Peter’s drawing as she walked past his desk to get more charcoal at the front of the room. He had made a unique collage of cubes and circles, intertwined with various natural shapes, such as leaves, fish, and such. She knew art instinctively and this was interesting. She couldn’t help herself from blurting out, in her usual cheerful and direct way,

“Wow! That is cool!”

Peter looked up at her, startled out of his thoughts. He was surprised to see her cheerful and friendly eyes looking into his with total abandon. He smiled, self- consciously.

“Think so?” he replied haltingly.

“Absolutely!” she declared, shaking her head a little and smiling. With this, Peter grinned. Others came by to have a look, and murmured their assent. The professor now came for a glance and also offered his appreciation. But then asked everyone to be seated so that they could get on with the rest of the session.

Peter left quickly after class and Sally didn’t have a chance to catch his glance again. But he had made an impression on her.

******************

The next day, Sally was out on her bike. It was in the sixties and another nice day. No way she was going to stay inside studying just now. She headed out the greenway trail, through the trees, and down towards the river some six-seven miles away. She rode hard and enjoyed the stretch of her leg muscles.

Sally’s mind wandered through all kinds of thoughts. She thought of how she had always enjoyed such rides, ever since she was little—the smell of the forest, the wind against her face, and the pull in her legs. She thought of how glad she was that she had come to this school in St. Louis. She liked her classes and the various friends she had. Yes indeed, she was lucky to have such a nice life right now.

She turned onto the path following the river. She could see the river ambling along through the trees and she smelled the mud from which it had receded just some days past. She steadied her pace a bit.

Sally thought about that Peter guy in her drawing class. When she remembered his grin and the brightness in his eyes, she smiled to herself. But he had left so fast. Surely, he didn’t think anything at all about her. He probably didn’t notice her. If he had, maybe he thought she was weird. After all, the way that she had just blurted out that “Wow!” was weird.

She turned around and started back; she should at least get some homework done today. She took a different trail back up from the river, which would pass by the library where she could pick up her assigned reading. As she got close to campus, she passed other students, some of whom she recognized. She waved cheerfully.

Then she saw Peter up ahead, on a red bike, riding in the same direction as her. Without any further thought, she quickened her pace to catch up with him. As she came close behind him, she rang her bike bell and yelled out, enthusiastically, but half out-of-breath, “Hello, hello!”

He looked behind quizzically. Suddenly she felt like a complete idiot and turned even more red-faced than she already was from her hard ride. “Hello, hello, indeed!” she thought to herself. She felt uncharacteristically flustered and foolish. But he smiled immediately and said,

“Hey! It’s that girl from drawing class!” He slowed up to a stop and dismounted from his bike. He stood watching her for a moment as she pulled over to the side of the road next to him. He wore a gray university hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of old jeans, and running shoes. He looked somehow fresh like the day—maybe it was his bare arms and open neck in the midday sun or maybe it was his clean-shaven boyish face. He smiled and his friendly look told her that he was happy to see her. She relaxed, looking at him as she let her feet down to the ground, with her bike between her legs.

“Yeah, an out-of-breath, and tired-out girl from drawing class!” she replied with a smile. She was flushed, hot, and sweaty. But he looked back at her invitingly. “So what brings you out on such a fine day?” she asked him.

“Same thing as you, I imagine—no way I could bring myself to stay inside and hit the books.” They both laughed.

“Hey, follow me!” he cried and was off. She peddled hard to keep up with him. Up the hill he went, effortlessly. She kept pace but could feel her legs burn. They rounded the bend at the top of the hill and then she saw him slow down next to some picnic tables by the side of the road.

“Care for a cold lemonade?” he asked her. She tumbled off her bike, nodded an enthusiastic yes, and plumped down on a table bench, fanning her face gently. Peter came back with two lemonades and a happy-go-lucky look.

“I’m Sally, by the way,” she told him. He told her that he gathered that already and she looked back at him a little searchingly. She liked his open face—freckles and all —and especially the bright, laughing look in his eyes when he smiled. “You like our drawing class?” she asked.

Peter looked up at her from his lemonade and replied, “Sure. I’m a chemistry major, and most of my courses are math and science. I like the drawing because it takes a different kind of focus. You know...” He paused but felt reassured when he looked into her eyes. “I really wonder sometimes if I know what I’m doing at all. Maybe chemistry is the right thing for me, maybe it’s not. Maybe I should try other stuff more. I do like the drawing. But how does something like that figure into the future?” He drummed his fingers abstractedly on the table.

Sally chuckled lightly. “Well, I don’t know if I’m doing ‘the right thing’ or not either. But I do know that I enjoy just about everything about art. That’s my major. I’m happy working on different projects and learning new things. I think I’m decent at it. So…whatever. I don’t know what the future holds for me either, but right now, this just seems fine.” She stopped to sip her lemonade through her straw.

They talked on, enjoying themselves. They talked more about their class, some of the other students, and their projects. She liked something about the way he gestured with his hands when he talked enthusiastically. She liked the way his hair blew in the breeze while he sat at the picnic table.

After a while, they agreed they better get going. They rode back to the campus together. Peter had swim practice to go to. As they rode along slowly he told her about the team, Coach Tunney, and how he liked the sound of the water as he swam. She listened and watched him closely as he talked. When they reached the walkway to the pool, he said goodbye with a smile.

“See you around!” she called after him, waving when he looked back over his shoulder. She watched him bike away. As she rode on to the library, she found herself thinking happily back through the last few moments. That is an attractive young man, she thought to herself.

*****************************

Peter swam hard at practice, back and forth, lap after lap. He felt good and he felt strong. His thoughts were still; he just swam along with a happy buzz. As he showered and dressed, he thought back to Sally. As he walked to his dorm, he went through mental pictures of her standing at his classroom desk, riding her bike, and sitting at the picnic table.

She was flatly one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She had a welcoming, friendly face but with fine features—sharp, light-brown eyebrows, a small nose, and full, womanly lips. She had light brown, almost blonde hair, which hung down to her shoulders and looked especially light. Her hair blew around as she rode her bike but it seemed to straighten and sort itself out easily. She had a girlish, athletic figure. He liked to watch her ride her bike. But the most captivating part of her was her big, round, brown eyes. When he had first looked into them as she gazed down at him closely in the classroom, he had been startled by their beauty. But he also found her eyes totally disarming. Her eyes revealed an openness and fearlessness that he’d never come across.

She seemed so sure of herself, open and honest, and radiantly happy.

Peter spent the evening absorbed in mathematics. Later his thoughts again returned to Sally. They soon darkened. She was such an attractive girl—a real fox, actually. In the end, why would she want to have anything to do with a guy like him? If he allowed himself to get excited about her he was just setting himself up for a fall. Forget about her, buddy boy---she was unattainable. Maybe she would be friendly for a while but he better not get too interested. She would have lots of guys following her and he didn’t have much of a chance. He knew from experience.

He went to bed feeling gloomy. But better to be realistic, he told himself.

***********************

Sally had come early to the next drawing class session. She had been thinking at home as she prepared her books that it would be nice to see Peter again. In fact, she had run across some drawings in a New York art magazine that she was sure would interest him. She had carefully packed them in her book bag. She had felt a little excited as she walked over to the art building. She now sat in her chair and watched the doorway.

Peter came to class at the last minute. He hurried over to his desk and sat down without looking back at her. Oh well, she thought as class started, she could catch him later. She watched him from behind, occasionally paying more attention to watching him than to the professor. She observed how his blonde hair curled slightly as it touched the back of his neck. She noticed that he was wearing a beach tee shirt. She noticed that he had small, cute ears. But he never turned around.

As class was dismissed, she was shocked to see Peter rise quickly from his chair and head to the doorway. He looked back at her from the front of the class, meeting her gaze with a little nervous fluster. In reply to her warm smile, he smiled quickly but suddenly left. She got up to follow, to see if he was nearby outside, but he was gone.

She was so disappointed! It was as if a shadow had come over her previous sunny mood. She suddenly felt unsure of herself and upset. Had she read their previous nice time together all wrong? She had been looking forward to talking to him and showing him her pictures. She now walked slowly back to her apartment, with the bounce in her step replaced with something closer to a shuffle.

Maybe he just had something urgent on his mind, she thought. She resolved to cheer up. She went through her day, putting the best face on things. But disappointment still nagged her underneath.

Late in the afternoon, Sally stopped by Brawley’s—her favorite little café on a side street off campus. The café was set back off the street in a clump of trees. The grass in front had turned green. Some pansies that had obviously been planted just recently added some cheerful color. Inside, there were various nooks and crannies, with wood tables and chairs on the hardwood floor, and big windows to look out of. The coffee was usually excellent and the staff casual.

Sally bought a large cup of black coffee, put milk in it, and set up at a table next to the window. She got out the magazines and two small picture books she had checked out of the library to browse through for ideas for her next big sculpture project. She sipped her coffee and became lost among the pages.

She heard what she was sure was Peter’s voice, ordering a cappuccino to go. She looked up and saw him buying a paper and waiting for his coffee. The coffee came and he paid for it. He turned around to leave and saw her by the window. He gave a little wave with his free hand and then turned towards the door, leaving.

Sally’s initial excitement at seeing him turned to an awful, upset feeling. How could he just walk away like that? Her face flushed and her stomach hardened. In her usual impulsive way, she just got up and went out the door after him, walking briskly. She saw him bent down to unfasten his bike lock to free his red bike from a tree in the front yard. She walked up to him, matter-of-factly.

“Hey Peter!” she said. He turned around a little startled but knowing instantly who it was. He looked at her a little sheepishly.

“Where are you going in such a rush? There are some things I’d like to show you,” she continued. But her look told more. Her ever-honest eyes and the tightening of her lips told him that she was hurt and the way she cocked her eyebrows asked, “What’s going on?”

Peter looked into those brown eyes and felt himself melting. She looked so sweet and he could not bear to think that somehow he had hurt her, his previous resolve for self-protection notwithstanding. He smiled a wide, open smile and asked if he could join her.

Sally nodded, looked back at him, and said clearly, “Duh! Of course!” They walked back silently together into the café and Peter sat down at her table. He was interested in the various picture books she had strewn around and they quickly fell into a lively discussion about them. Sally showed him the pictures she had saved from the New York art magazine. He did like them and he was impressed that she had thought of him and gone through the effort. As she talked, he watched the way she tilted her head and the enthusiasm in her expressions. When she asked him what he thought of this or that, she looked so directly into his eyes with those round brown eyes of hers, genuinely wanting to know what he thought. She seemed alternatively like a young girl and then like a beautiful, mature woman. He was fascinated watching and listening to her.

They talked on. Neither of them wanted to leave but soon Peter had no choice but to head back or miss his dinner hour. They exchanged friendly goodbyes and Sally watched Peter mount his bike and ride off. As he turned into the street, he waved, gave her an outrageous grin, and yelled out a cheerful “See you around!”

Sally felt much better and relaxed. She smiled as she walked home. But still, inside, she wondered why Peter had been so aloof earlier.

The next day, after the Tuesday drawing class, they talked for a little while outside. Peter was clearly happy to see her. She had to go to see one of her professors, but they parted cheerfully, each looking forward to seeing the other again.

***********************

Thursday after lunch, Sally sat thinking in the library. She was enjoying her class work a lot. She felt confident. She looked forward both to the lectures and to practice and projects. Ever since she could remember, she had always liked art—drawing, arranging things—bringing something imaginary into life. Her advisor had told her that she had talent in both of the most important areas—imagination and the skill necessary to render images and concepts into pictures or sculptures which could communicate an idea to others. She had always enjoyed drawing but sculpture was her favorite. She liked to observe images, including people’s faces, animals, and other objects which combined emotional feeling with complex features, and then try to translate the living package into sculptural form.

She needed to decide on her semester sculpture project. She had been looking through resource materials for over a week. She had a variety of ideas—including an attempt to bring alive the face of a painting of a Cherokee woman’s face which she had seen in a downtown museum last winter. But she also thought of trying a full human figure. That would be a real challenge. She had some experience with human figures, but she wondered if she could really pull off a major project. She watched a young man walk by and observed his arms, hands, shoulders, legs, and the way in which his ankles and feet moved as each foot touched the ground. Could she capture the life and energy? Perhaps.

She picked up her books and moved along to her two o’clock drawing class. She liked the subject matter in this class too. The professor was fun and, although it wasn’t too hard, she was learning some new things. Of course, Peter was in this class and she looked forward to seeing him. She hadn’t run into him since the last class.

She arrived barely on time. She noticed that Peter was absent. She knew that he liked the class and she couldn’t imagine that he would just skip it. Maybe he had come down with something, she thought. She wished she knew where he lived, but she was not sure which dorm he was in, and she would feel funny just showing up on the guy’s floor looking for him anyway. Tuesday seemed like a long time away. Maybe she would run into him before that. But if not, she imagined she’d see him next week.

**********************

Peter had been working like crazy to finish his physics lab report. He had been behind and he was worried that if he didn’t get it together, he would flounder in this, his hardest class. He had lost virtually an entire night’s sleep worrying about it. Eventually, he had gotten up at some ungodly hour and put in some work on it, with mediocre success. He decided to let some of his other classes go a bit (including drawing), so that he could concentrate on the report. He worked hard through Thursday and was done late Thursday night. When he handed it in the next day, he knew it was good. It had been a major struggle, but as he left the science building, he let out a deep sigh of relief. He felt better.

He decided to head over to the pool. There was no practice on Fridays and usually, he didn’t swim right before Saturday meets, such as the one tomorrow. But he was in the mood for some laps and it was a warm day. The new swim center included an “indoor/outdoor” pool. Only the indoor pool was open, as it was still early April. But half of the pool was under a ceiling of windows and there was a sitting area there too, where people could sit in the sun even when it was still cold outside, among some big potted trees and plants. It was one of his favorite spots.

It was still only three o’clock, so it wouldn’t be crowded. He took a shower, put on his swim trunks, grabbed a towel, and bounded out of the changing room to the recreational pool for a swim and some relaxation. He threw his towel on a reclining plastic chair and dove into the cool water. All of the stress of the week seemed to wash away. He swam lap after lap and then stopped to catch his breath. Thinking how nice it would be to fall asleep in the sun, he climbed slowly out of the pool and walked back to his recliner.

As he started to sit down, he noticed that Sally was just walking over to the pool area, in a blue bathing suit, with a towel and cotton bag. What a happy coincidence! He felt a rush of excitement. He waved in her direction. When she saw him, she bounced over, breaking into a laughing smile and telling him that she was glad to see him. Peter pointed emphatically to the recliner next to his.

“Hey Peter, where have you been these days?” she asked, setting her things down next to the vacant chair. “I noticed you skipped out of drawing, eh?”

“Yeah, I had a lab report I had to finish and I guess I freaked out until I got it done. But it’s done now—and I feel great! I’ll be back in drawing class Tuesday. How are you doing?” he asked, looking closely into her face.

“OK, I guess,” she sighed. “I’ve got a monster project coming up too. I haven’t started yet. I’ve got four weeks to do it but it’ll be a biggy.”

“What is it?”

“My semester project for sculpture class. I need to design and create a completely original sculpture. I’ve got some ideas but I can’t quite decide yet,” she answered.

“Well, you’ve got some time yet. Take it easy this afternoon and something will come along,” he told her.

“Guess you’re right.” Sally looked up through the glass ceiling at the sun. “Hey,” she said quickly, “Could you please put some of this suntan stuff on my back for me? I can’t reach it well, you know.” She didn’t wait for him to answer, but handed him the plastic bottle of lotion, while she spread her towel over a flat plastic chair and laid down on her tummy.

Peter swallowed hard and looked down at Sally's body. Being something of an artist too, he was observant. She had a beautiful body. Her well-shaped and lightly tan neck and shoulders gave way to a thin but athletic waist and then curved out to form her hips. She had a small, round and cute bum. Her thighs showed the athleticism from her biking, looking girlish but strong. She had pretty feet with high arches.

Sally lay silently on her recliner expectantly. Peter squirted suntan lotion on his hands and began to gently work the lotion into her neck and shoulders. Her skin felt soft and warm, and her muscles seemed to melt into his hands as he gently massaged the lotion into them.

“Umm,” she said softly, “that feels great.”

Peter mumbled something in return and began to work the lotion into her back. He pushed down and rubbed the broad muscles of her upper back. He added more lotion to his hands and rubbed it into the smooth skin of the small of her back. He rubbed lotion with his thumbs gently into the soft tissue where her back rose to form her bum at the top of her bathing suit. Although he felt it somehow improper, he couldn’t help but gaze at her wonderfully rounded buns. He felt himself beginning to harden and instinctively shifted so that it would not be noticeable in his bathing shorts. My gosh, that part of him just had no sense of timing or propriety, he thought with disgust and embarrassment. He glanced down at her beautiful thighs and legs and swallowed again.

“All done,” he exclaimed.

“Hey, thanks,” she said, a little huskily. She then sat up, swung her legs onto the chair, and began to apply lotion to her arms and front. He watched her as they chatted, trying to appear nonchalant. He noticed her breasts, which seemed to match her buns in their cute, small roundness. He watched her as she applied lotion to her stomach, and around her belly button. She worked the lotion into each of her legs carefully and then lay down to soak in the sun. As she rubbed her eyes and face, Peter glanced at her bikini bottoms. She wore a small bikini and looked great in it. He noticed how soft the skin looked between her belly button and the rim of her bikini. He sat up straighter to hide his mature erection.

“Umm, I love the sun,” she said sleepily as she finished up with her lotion and smiled at him. She lay back again.

“I’m jumping in to cool off,” he exclaimed a bit abruptly. He dove into the pool.

***********************

Sally dozed in the sun for a few minutes and then sat up. She gazed lazily out at the pool and found Peter, swimming laps steadily. After about ten minutes, he stopped, lifted himself out of the pool, and sat by the side, gently kicking his legs in the water. She watched him closely as he played idly. He was an attractive boy, she decided, almost pretty. She liked his playful way. She observed his young but grown and broad-shouldered body. He was lighter in color than her, and his skin looked smooth, with very little body hair.

He got up and started to walk around the pool. She watched his arms swing, his legs move out, one by one, and his feet touch the pavement and go. As he turned the corner of the pool, she gazed at his chest and firm stomach. Although not intentionally, she couldn’t help but observe his bathing suit. However, he was wearing long shorts, and she couldn’t detect anything revealing there. He saw her watching him presently, smiled, and waved as he walked towards her. Suddenly, she had an idea. Being the slightly impulsive girl that she was, she didn’t wait to reveal it.

“Hey, Peter, I’ve got an idea about my project!” she exclaimed excitedly. She proceeded to tell him all about how she was interested in doing a human body sculpture but was worried that it would be too challenging. However, maybe, if Peter would tolerate posing a time or two for her, and moving around in several key motions (like walking slowly), she could attempt it. “Oh, Peter, what do you say?” she blurted out.

Peter laughed. “If your sculpture looks like me, it’ll be pretty ugly!” he said.

“No, no, young man,” she said. “You are an attractive fellow, you know. But what I really need is basic ideas, and the sculpture probably won’t look too much like you anyway.”

“Well, if I don’t have to stand in one place for hours like some painters seem to require, I suppose I could do that. Could be fun, actually!” he answered. She proceeded to tell him all about her class. She also told him how they were taught to not only observe their subjects, but feel them, smell them, and get to know them. They laughed about that. She promised at least to not take a bite out of him.

They went for a swim together and ended up chasing each other around playfully. At one point, Sally succeeded in catching Peter around the middle, holding him tightly around the waist. But he broke free and there was no catching him after that. They sat on the rim of the pool as Peter told her about his upcoming swim meet. Maybe he would place second or third in the freestyle this time, he told her. They resolved to have a coffee together at Brawley’s after drawing class next Tuesday. And they agreed that Wednesday afternoon might be the best time for him to help her with her sculpture project.

After they had each dressed back into their street clothes, they met up briefly outside to say goodbye. Without thinking about it, Peter gave her hand an affectionate squeeze as he told her he hoped she had a good weekend. She liked that. Later she also remembered the nice smooth feeling of his waist when she had held him briefly in the pool.