by Tia Siren
“Alright Casey, I have a punishment for you,” she had a wicked smile on her lips, and I knew nothing good was going to come of it.
“You have to do a lap around the ice rink,” she started.
I felt a sigh of relief, but then she continued.
“Wearing only your ice skates,” she added.
A sudden panic struck me in the heart, and my entire body tensed. All the small conversations around me stopped, and I was suddenly the center of attention.
“I don’t think I can do that,” I said, meekly, barely echoing my voice for anyone to hear.
Rick must have noticed because he sidled up closer beside me and whispered in my ear.
“Casey, have a sense of adventure. Everyone here is drunk and won’t even remember what you look like anyway. I have a feeling this is more toned down that what she was originally thinking,” he said.
I pondered the idea for a moment, getting naked in front of a crowd was probably my worst fear. I started thinking back to all the books I’d read; all of them full of heroes that fought against great evil, finding their way out of impossible situations. Then I realized I was pretty drunk anyway.
“Alright, If I’m to be a martyr so that this party might never be forgotten, let me be so,” I said chivalrously.
I saw many cocked eyes and awkward glances after I said it and now regretted saying as much.
The weight of the task weighed in my mind, and I wanted to force the crowd to turn around so I could change but knew it would make no difference. So, I started to slide my pants off over my slender legs; it probably would have been more difficult if I had been curvier but I’ve always been skinny.
The crowd began to hoot and holler, and my adrenaline was pumping again. I was too nervous to take off my underwear just yet, so I took off my sweater and felt the cold from the ice start to freeze my nipples under my small bra.
I pulled my beanie back down on my head, in a vain attempt to keep as much heat as I could inside my body. I plopped down on a bench near the entrance to the ice rink and peeled off my cotton panties. The excitement of being watched was turning me on, which increased my embarrassment. I hoped that nobody was paying attention to that.
I slipped my ice skates back on while doing my best to hide my girlie bits from prying eyes. I saw a few flashes go off in the crowd and just prayed that I wouldn’t see it on Monday.
With my skates on, I held one hand up to my recently shaved mound to hide myself, but it didn’t help in the slightest. They continued to holler, and I could tell the guys were excited for the free show; I wanted to smack them all.
I unclasped my bra and lowered it over my small, perky breasts, tossing it aside; using my hands to cover them and crossing my legs to cover my other parts.
“Start skating, girl,” said the girl. I would make her pay for this sometime.
I stepped onto the ice and inched my way around, trying to keep hidden while completing this ridiculous dare. But, as I did it I realized that the more time I spent inching around the ice, the longer I’d have to be naked.
I hunched over and began skating fast, taking bigger strides as I went in an attempt to finish quicker. I saw flashes from cell phone cameras and just rolled my eyes as there was nothing I could do to stop it now.
Then I just stopped caring. I let myself go and started feeling at ease on the ice. The motion of skating was warming my core, and the swooshing of the ice took away their screams at my naked frame.
In all the excitement, I could feel a dripping down my leg. I really was getting turned on from being naked in front of all these people. I hoped that it was just a one-time occurrence and that I wasn’t some kind of exhibitionist. Maybe it was all the drinks I’d consumed or the excitement of almost winning a game.
I rounded the other side and began to make my way back, my heart pounded the whole way, and I started to think of the characters from my book, and the things they went through while accomplishing their great deeds. I felt like a hero.
Rick stepped out on the ice, and my heart skipped a beat. I yearned to be kissed again; I could feel it in my bones. He pulled out a camera and started photographing the entire thing. I had some slightly naughty thoughts about what he’d be doing with the footage later.
My skate slipped below me, sending me tumbling to my back but still moving towards Rick. I tried to stop myself with my skates, but it just splayed my legs out, giving everyone a perfect view of my incredibly wet sex.
I came to a stop in front of Rick, whom apparently found it more important to take a picture of my womanhood than help me up. I whipped my legs closed as quickly as physically possible as Rick held out a hand to help me up.
I took it and hugged close to him to try to cover myself with something. He reached over for my jacket and threw it around my shoulders.
“I have a feeling you won’t be forgetting this for a while,” he said through a smile.
“Hey, I only did it because I’m drunk and had to follow through with the gamble. It’s your fault I’m her to begin with,” I retorted.
He handed me the rest of my things, and I don’t think I’ve ever dressed myself faster in my life. It felt as though I had never felt warmth before and was just feeling it for the first time as I got dressed.
“Please tell me you’ll get rid of that recording,” I said.
“Casey, I’ll remember this for years to come,” he replied.
I stuffed my skates back into my bag; I wanted to get away from the crowd of drunks, but they all felt the need to tell me how awesome I was. I did feel like the hero of the party.
I looked over to Rick, who handed a few dollars to the girl that challenged me to the dare. By the time I’d gotten over to ask what it was for, Rick was already gone.
“Why did he just give you a wad of cash,” I asked.
“Who do you think wanted to get you to skate around the rink naked? I guess the kiss was just a bonus.”
I felt like an idiot.
3.
The drive home was long and boring, nearly 200 miles of farm land and snow as far as the eye could see. A measure of beauty came out of the old place, seeing the rolling hills covered in something as pure as snow; it looked so surreal in its monotony.
I came to a stop in front of my mother’s house. As I pulled up, I could make out her silhouette behind the front door waiting for my entry. I didn’t have much to bring in, but it was enough that I could barely see where I was going.
“Casey, you’re home!” she shouted from the porch.
I followed the sound of her voice while doing my best to stay on my feet on the icy walkway. She took a couple of my larger bags and ushered me inside with the biggest of hugs.
“How’s school,” she asked.
“School is keeping me busy, that’s for sure,” I replied.
“Have you done anything fun this year?”
I didn’t want to say a thing to her about my exploits around the ice rink recently, so I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“How have you been? I really should call more often,” I asked.
“Well, I have some great news, but I was hoping to save it for dinner time. In the meantime, I just finished boiling some water. Would you like some tea or cocoa?”
“Tea, please,” I replied.
We sat about, making polite conversation. We hadn’t seen each other for a few months, and I was the worst at keeping in touch. It sounded like she had stayed busy while I was gone, going to local meet-ups for adults, and meeting more new people to spend time with. It seemed she was doing all the things that I was distracting her from. She and I were best gal-pals, but as I grew up, we grew apart. I found solace in my books, and she took to practicing piano anytime it suited her fancy.
When I found a lull in the conversation, I excused myself to return to my room to put away my things. I had almost a month off from school and wanted to keep away from the vitriol of the school. The videos of me and the rink continued to make their
way around the school, and thankfully I never saw the video that Rick took.
I had become something of a legend on the party scene, which was great for my popularity, but not for my solitude. There were so many people interested in having me come to their event, and I had even less interest than before.
I heard mom stamp up the hardwood steps of the tiny house, walking towards my bedroom. She knocked on the open door.
“Hey Casey, company will be here shortly,” she said.
I nodded but was still curious about this mysterious company that she’d be keeping. No matter, though; as it was probably just a few friends from a knitting group coming by for dinner.
I pulled on my comfiest sweater and joined her downstairs, with my book in hand. She knew my habits and had already cleared off my favorite chair for reading.
The doorbell rang loud in the living room, and I did my best to look casual. Mother hurriedly paced to the door and tore it open. The frame of the figure standing at the door was much larger than I expected.
“Hello, Gladys. I hope you don’t mind if I brought my boys along. They’re going to have to meet sooner or later, I figured now is as good a time as any,” said the man.
Such an odd way to phrase it, and I wondered what he meant by ‘sooner or later.'
I stood from my chair, attempting to peer around the door to see who might be talking. Then I saw Rick walk inside the house.
Rick.
“What the hell are you doing here,” I asked, with my mouth agape.
Rick turned to find the source of the voice and squared up when he saw me.
“You’re the last person I expected to see here, how do you know Gladys?” he asked.
“I’m her daughter,” I replied coldly.
I gave him a stare that would kill a rhino in its step, but he looked unfazed by it. Then another young man strode into the house hoisted up by a pair of crutches.
“Who’s this, Rick?” I prodded.
“You could just ask me,” he started, “I’m Trenton, nice to meet you.”
He seemed so upbeat; I reached out to his outstretched hand and gave it a shake.
“So, this is your brother, Rick?” I asked.
They did look quite similar, but Trenton was younger and had more childish features, but still the same piercing blue eyes.
“Did you want to sit down, Trenton,” I asked.
He nodded, so I showed him to my reading chair. I think he liked it quite a bit as he sat his crutches beside the fireplace.
I stood partially alone with Rick in the walkway.
“If you tell my mom about what happened I will seriously kill you,” I said.
“I haven’t told a soul and don’t intend to start now,” he replied.
I stormed off to the kitchen to click off the stove. Steam billowed from the noisy kettle, so I removed it from the burner and started pouring myself a glass. Then I remembered my manners.
“Trenton, Rick, would you guys like some tea,” I asked curtly.
“Just me,” replied Trenton.
I fixed him a nice warm cup and brought a glass of water back for Rick. As I walked into the living room where they sat, I saw Trenton holding Rick inside a headlock. Rick was doing his best impression of being stuck, but it didn’t fool me.
“Geez, Trenton, you keep working out and you’ll be laying everyone flat.”
Trenton giggled.
I handed them their drinks and sat on the couch opposite them. My mother and the stranger at the door continued to chat in whispers until she finally came into the living room.
“Okay, we’re just going to come out and say it,” my mom said.
“We’re getting married!” added the man I’d never seen before.
I stared at the two with an expression of disbelief.
“Okay, mom, whatever you say,” I said.
Rick stood up and walked over to his dad, taking him in for a big hug.
“I’m sure mom would be proud that you’ve finally moved on,” he said.
I couldn’t tell from the distance, but I thought I caught a glimpse of tears forming at the edges of his eyes.
I stood and joined my mother. I had questions that needed answering.
4.
“It was incredibly cute; we were at a singles dance night at the community center. My partner had wandered off and was flirting with another girl, so I found myself raiding the punch bowl.
“While I was over there, I noticed Bill looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody was looking. I did my best to look like I hadn’t noticed but apparently he knew I was watching.
“He pulled an entire bottle of Vodka from his coat and dumped it in the bowl. I laughed so hard that people started staring. And, when people started staring at me, they saw Bill still pouring the bottle.
“We ended up both getting kicked out of the dance, but we still spent the evening talking about old times.”
My mother kept her gaze on Bill the entire time she told the story; I did think it was, at least, a little cute. Still, they’re getting married, and that was difficult to wrap my head around.
“Why are you guys getting married so quickly? It’s only been a couple of months,” I asked.
“When you start getting up to my age, you start to realize that every second you have is a gift, and getting to send all those seconds with people you care about is worth more than gold,” added Bill.
I toyed with the glass of wine my mother poured for me for dinner. I hadn’t had any alcohol since my escapade at school, but I made a special excuse to drink with her as a toast.
“I’m happy for you, mom, I really am. But, this is going to take a little while to get used to. I think I’m going to turn in for the evening. Goodnight everyone,” I said.
Mother cleared her throat.
“Sweetie, Bill and the kids are going to spend the night tonight. Don’t be surprised if you wake up to strangers in the night,”
I sighed deeply.
“Would you prefer I sleep in my car,” I asked.
She shook her head.
“No, you sleep in your bed. I just want you to know that the toilet seat might be left up, so you should keep an eye out.”
“Goodnight, mother,” I said while rolling my eyes.
She giggled and sipped on her wine, as I made my way back upstairs.
5.
I woke to a cry in the next room over; it was Trenton in the guest bedroom. I heard Rick’s voice softly speaking in the darkness to his brother, but couldn’t make out what he was saying. I stepped from my bed and leaned against the door of my room, hoping to make out what he was saying. It was no good; there was too much between us.
I creaked open the door of my room and tip-toed down the hall. Every step made raised the volume of the voices.
“So you’re having a bad dream, buddy,” I heard Rick’s voice say.
“I swear I heard a monster under the bed, can you check again,” Trenton asked.
I heard shuffling around the bedroom.
“I saw one, but I scared it off with my ugly face. Most monsters are scared of me.”
Trenton laughed in the bedroom.
“Alright, get some sleep, pal,” Rick added.
I heard footsteps coming towards the door of the bedroom, and turned to rush back to my room, but I was unfortunately caught. The door to the guest room screeched open in the dimly lit hallway, exposing me in my pajamas.
“Casey?”
I stood still, hoping he hadn’t seen me, but my better judgment helped me realize that was impossible.
“Rick,” I stated casually, “I was on my way to the bathroom when I heard you guys talking. I didn’t hear anything, I swear.”
He exited the guest bedroom and pulled the door closed.
“Hey, when you’re done in the bathroom, do you think we can talk?”
“I don’t really need to go to the bathroom,” I said sheepishly.
He nodded and wandered down the nearby staircase,
I followed. I had a lot of questions for him that I needed answered as well.
He propped himself on the couch, and I in my favorite chair.
“I don’t know what to say,” he started.
“I’m going to make some tea,” I said as I stood up and made for the kitchen.
“What happened to your dad,” he asked bluntly.
I hadn’t thought about it since it happened, and it felt odd talking about it with him. But, I think he knew loss about as well as I did. He might be one of the few people to understand.
“My dad always had a weak heart. It was a matter of time before the stress caught up with him. He passed away from a stroke a few years back. Mom’s always kept jobs for herself on the side, so it wasn’t hard for her to step up and take over the finances.
“I think about him from time to time. I miss his stupid smile and the way he’d watch hockey games.”
Rick laughed.
“So you were always a stick in the mud?” he asked.
“I was always what I am right now,” I said.
I offered him a cup of tea, and he accepted it but showed little interest in drinking it.
“Why did you pay that girl to force me into that stupid challenge?” I asked.
“Straight to business,” he replied, “very forward of you. I would have thought you’d ask about my mother first.”
“I was about to, but certain things came to mind first. What did you do with the video?”
He laughed.
“I suppose you would want to know what happened to that,” he said, “I kept it in a safe place so nobody would be able to watch it.”
“You’re not going to hold it over my head, are you?”
“I’ve no intention of doing that,” he replied.
“Then what are you going to do with it,” I asked.
“I have no idea. I haven’t even watched it at all. I felt guilty after taking it.”
“You felt guilty? Why?”
“Because, after you did it I couldn’t help but admire your adventurous spirit,” he said.
I didn’t think I had an adventurous spirit.
“Why don’t you just delete it,” I asked.
“Because it’s a masterpiece, I think. Watching you fall flat on your butt on the ice was quite a nice view,” he said with a smile.