Chosen by a former Olympic swimmer to train for the 2016 Games as a pre-teen, Reed’s journey begins. Along the way, he develops feelings for two childhood friends: neighbor Cal and lifelong rival Mathias. Cal’s struggle with his sexuality brings tragedy. Mathias’s wealth makes Reed feel as if they’re from different worlds.<br><br>As Rio approaches, Mathias becomes a gay sports icon, while Reed must hide his sexuality for a lucrative endorsement deal important to his family’s future. Reed’s unresolved desires for both men remain, and so do the things that have kept them apart. Has Reed grown enough to navigate rougher waters, to find truth, pride, victory, and love?

Truth, Pride, Victory, Love

I was attracted to men, and I’d known it a long time. That meant my sweatpants were actually a blessing, as I sat there eyeballing the Albany Mountain Prep Pirates. Once I got past the fact that we were a water creature and they needed a ship—thus giving us an advantage—I started comparing package sizes, a definite no-no. I really didn’t want to pop a woody, so staying above the neck while checking out my rivals was a better bet. Cute, cute, meh…I went down the row of twelve guys, three of whom hadn’t bothered with sweats. That was when my focus moved lower down their bodies. Nothing to cover. Nothing to see there. Whoa! Stop, I told myself. My roomy sweatpants would only do so much to hide my hard-on, and soon I was going to have to stand and take them off, so I focused my leer above the guy’s navel, and finally to his face, a familiar one.


Chapter 8