Chapter 1
A slap of paper on desk and a sigh from Professor Martin prompted a groan from Peter. On the top of his returned quiz stood a letter 'D' followed by a 'see me after class.' How could he have gotten such a poor grade? He had studied for so many hours!
Peter gazed at himself through the reflection in his laptop screen. He appreciated his ocean blue eyes and his light brown hair, which he was beginning to let grow and was curling around the sideburns and neck. Although the reflection didn't show it, Peter was quite tall at 6' 3" and very muscular. He made a point of going to the gym every morning.
At the end of class Peter walked up to his professor's desk. Peter looked at him for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"If this pattern persists, Peter, I'm afraid you are not going to pass my class."
"I don't get it, Professor Martin! I study more and more before each quiz and test and I don't seem to be doing any better!"
"Maybe you need to improve the quality of your methods rather than the quantity," he replied with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm not sure how to do that."
"Talk to people you know who excel in school. Maybe they can teach you a thing or two about studying. Do you have any successful friends or family?"
Peter thought for a moment. "My aunt did pretty well in school I think."
"Try talking to her," Professor Martin suggested, "and surround yourself with brighter friends. Your current ones obviously aren't since you didn't think of them first."
Peter grinned at his professor, catching his joke. Despite his difficulty, he enjoyed having Professor Martin as a teacher.
After leaving the academic building, Peter glanced back and read the entrance sign. The Michael P. Williams Hall of Health and Exercise Science. He read that sign every morning when he arrived for class. It reminded him why he attended college in the first place- to get a degree in physical therapy so he could help people who were injured.
But his first semester wasn't going so well. He had a B- in two classes, but a D+ in the other two. College was a lot more difficult than he had imagined.
Luckily, Peter grew up a few blocks away. The college was a decent size- about 16,000 students- but it was surrounded by neighborhoods and a charming suburban downtown area. The walk from his house to campus was only twenty-five minutes, and Peter and his mom both agreed it would be better for him to continue living at home. He would save money and have less distractions than he would in a dorm room.
Peter's mother was unaware of his academic performance. She knew he didn't put in the effort he should be, so that's what she always pushed him to do. Peter had done average in high school in terms of grades, but college asked a lot more of him. He didn't have the discipline or patience to sit down for hours every night and read the same material over and over again.
Peter finally made it home after walking through a breezy autumn day. Their house was somewhat small, but it suited them. Baby blue vinyl with a touch of brick along the bottom, a small porch with a swing bench, and just two floors. They had moved here when Peter was five, after his father had passed away from cancer.
"Mom, I'm home!" Peter called as he walked through the front door. He heard a faint response that sounded like a hello, but was probably muffled by her bedroom door. Peter made his way through the hall and into the kitchen, determined to make some lunch. To his surprise, he found a sandwich waiting for him at the table. Peter smiled. He loved his mom.
Within seconds the sandwich was gone and Peter was satisfied. Now it was time for him to call his aunt to see if she was free to talk. He wasn't really looking forward to this, but he loved his aunt just as much as he loved his mom. Peter hoped she would be cool about his grades. He didn't want his mom to know he was close to failing a class necessary for his major.
He called and Aunt Julia and she picked up after the second ring.
"Peter! How are you?"
"Hey Aunt Julia, I'm doing okay. How about yourself?"
"I'm going great Peter! I just finished a nice yoga session and I'm about to have lunch before I get a massage. What's up?"
"Ok, can you first promise not to tell my mom what we're going to talk about?"
"That depends on what you're going to tell me."
"Ok, well I'm not doing so great in school right now and one of my professors suggested I find someone smart to talk to about my study habits and I thought of you. Do you think I could come over sometime this weekend to talk?"
"Oh, sure! When you said not to tell your mom I thought you were in trouble with the law or something," she laughed, "I won't tell her a thing. Today is a little busy for me so how about tomorrow around noon?"
"That sounds good to me! Thanks Aunt Julia!"
"See you tomorrow Peter!"
"Bye!"
As Peter hung up he heard the creaking of someone walking down the stairs. His mother entered the kitchen a moment later and smiled at Peter.
"Who was that?" she asked.
"Aunt Julia. She just wants to get lunch tomorrow and catch up. Thanks for the sandwich by the way!" Peter stood up and gave his mom a hug.
"You're welcome!" She smiled as she dug her head into Peter's chest. The 43 year-old wasn't short at 5' 9" but Peter was tall enough that she felt small in his arms. Ever since he started to grow she was able to find love and security in him, which she had lost with the death of her husband.
Peter appreciated how beautiful his mother was. She had auburn hair that fell just past her shoulders and beautiful hazel eyes that sparkled in the light. She made an effort to stay fit just like Peter did; her thin body and heavenly curves drew a lot of attention from men. Yet after his dad died, Peter rarely saw her with other men. She was too focused on Peter.
Despite the fact that she was his mom, the feeling of her breasts pressed against body was giving him a reaction down south. He pulled away and kissed her forehead before it got out of hand.
"I love you, mom," Peter said as she blushed. She was always very appreciative of his love. She giggled and went over to the fridge.
Peter picked up his phone to text his aunt. 'If my mom asks, you invited me to lunch to catch up.'
Aunt Julia responded quickly with a thumbs up emoji.
"How was class today Peter?" his mom called out without looking away from the fridge.
"It was fine. I have some homework this weekend but hopefully nothing too time consuming."
