A Cold Wet Wardrobe Malfunction

Please note that this is chapter 5 of Running Down the Rabbit Hole. I recommend you start at the beginning with Three Girls Screwing Around.

Well, Wednesday came around all too soon, and I was dreading what was to come, but at the same time kind of liking the feelings it was stirring up. I had considered having a practice, but then I decided that if it was as bad as I thought it might be, that might make it even harder to go through with the real thing. Besides, if that wasn't the case and practice made it easier, wouldn't that kind of be cheating?

I made sure to get to the sports centre promptly -- I didn't want to risk missing out on Amy's extravaganza, if you could call it that. I'd got changed into my club kit, and was standing outside chatting to Zoe and some of the other girls when Amy arrived together with Melanie.

'Hey, isn't one of you going to be doing a lap in bra and knickers?' Zoe asked, looking from Amy and Melanie to me.

'Sorry to rain on your parade, Zoe,' Amy answered, 'but unfortunately Hannah came in last and decided to do her laps on Sunday night when it was just me and Melanie watching. A bit unfair on the rest of you, if you ask me, but she wouldn't be persuaded otherwise.'

'Come on Hannah,' Zoe said, turning to me. 'How about a repeat performance, just for our sakes?'

I wasn't really sure how much Zoe believed any of our bets were for real -- maybe she thought we were just talking crap.

'Well,' I began, not quite sure of the best way to explain, 'there is a bit of a silver lining. The good news is that Amy did come second, so she is going to do a lap right now wearing just her pyjamas, and the bad news is that I lost another bet with Amy, and I'll be paying up after training if you want to stay and watch.'

'Yes, I'm sorry that my stunt will be a little bit humdrum -- but I think you'll find Hannah's much more entertaining -- I know I will.'

While Melanie and Amy were inside changing, the girls tried to get me to tell them what my bet with Amy had been about, but I told them just to wait and see. Amy soon emerged wearing the same purple and white checked cotton pyjamas she'd worn at the weekend, her feet bare. Around the field, I saw a few heads turn our way, no doubt attracted by the somewhat unusual sight, but no one seemed too bothered.

'Right, here goes,' Amy announced, and immediately jogged onto the field and began running around the track. There weren't too many people around as our club had the whole site booked for the next hour, just a few people kicking a ball about or sitting around trying to make the most of what was left of this year's sun. Soon enough Amy was racing up the home straight to the finish line. It was all a bit of an anticlimax really, but I couldn't help wondering what the reaction would have been like if she'd been doing it naked. That would have caused a stir, for sure.

'Maybe we should do this after every meet,' Amy suggested as she approached us, 'but I think we have to up the level of difficulty a bit.' She gave a pointed look and a smile in my direction, but didn't say anything more.

Amy headed back into the sports centre, and the rest of us seemed to take that as a cue to get started. Some people followed her inside to get equipment, but I just went onto the field to begin to warm up.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten that another dare had been promised, perhaps so underwhelmed by the first one that they weren't expecting anything much. I talked to a few other girls in between running and exercises, but none of them mentioned anything -- not even Amy's performance.

Soon enough it was the end of the session, and I helped a couple of the other girls carry the hurdles back. Amy, and most of the rest of the club, were waiting for me outside the sports centre. She was carrying a long, plain white T-shirt, a beaming smile on her face.

'Do you want to tell them, or shall I?' she asked.

'We'll do it together,' I said, putting the hurdles down and taking hold of the T-shirt. 'I made a bet with Amy -- if she'd lost, she'd have been running round the track this afternoon, not in her PJs, but stark bollock naked.'

That got a reaction -- I saw everyone's eyes swivel to look at Amy.

'The thing is,' Amy interjected, 'when I make a bet like that, I make sure to win it. So while what Hannah says is true, no way was I actually going to end up doing it.'

'Let's just say, she got lucky this time, but it was a close call. Unfortunately, I can't say that my end of the bargain is going to be anywhere near as entertaining, but you're all invited to come watch anyway.' I stopped and turned my head towards Amy.

Talking the cue, Amy explained, 'Hannah is going to pay for her attempt to embarrass me by spending two and a half minutes in the shower with it turned all the way to cold. I know it's going to be fucking freezing, but I think she deserves such a punishing experience given what she tried, and of course failed, to inflict on me. She's going to be wearing this T-shirt to preserve her modesty, so you're all welcome to come watch.'

No one seemed to know what to say to that, so I just headed off to the bench where my stuff was and stripped to my undies. Once I was done, I turned round to see basically the whole room watching me. I'd decided my towel was an unnecessary encumbrance, so I just picked up the T-shirt and walked towards the showers saying, 'If Amy thinks she can defeat me with something like this, she's got another think coming.'

I chose the cubicle at the far end of the shower room, mainly because that would give the most people the chance to see. I went in and closed the door behind me and quickly stripped off, hanging my undies up on a hook, before dropping the T-shirt over my head. It was long enough to cover the bottom of my bum, but only just. I opened the door again to see the space outside packed full -- it seemed everyone had come to watch, but Amy and Melanie were in prime position right at the front, grinning from ear to ear.

'I don't want everyone to think I'm a sadist,' Amy said, holding up a stopwatch, 'but a deal's a deal. I'm not starting the timer until the water's fully on and Hannah's right under it. If you move, we'll have to start again.'

The bitch, I thought, though I think I managed to avoid saying it out loud. I moved aside so everyone could see me turn the dial to cold, then unscrewed the flow control as quick as I could. Thankfully, I'd got it all the way open before the water burst out of the shower head. 'Ahh!' I couldn't help squealing as it hit me, but I forced myself to stand right under it and face everyone, even putting my hands on my hips in a bit of a defiant gesture.

It was bloody Baltic! I don't think I've ever been so cold in my life -- I really don't know how I avoided ending up in hospital with hypothermia. After a second or so, I couldn't stand still any more, but just instinctively hugged myself and danced around on the spot. All thoughts of trying to act cool had gone out the window -- I just concentrated on staying under the water so Amy wouldn't have an excuse to start the time again.

Most of the girls looked more shocked than anything -- but Amy and Melanie were still grinning away. I would have liked to taunt them by suggesting that it was pleasantly refreshing, but the shock of the icy water was making me breathe in and out in tiny gasps, so I don't think I could have got an intelligible word out if I'd tried. Besides, everyone could see that I wasn't enjoying the experience one bit.

'I don't think there was much point bothering with the T-shirt.' That was Zoe, who was gesturing with her hand.

Looking down I saw what she meant -- the T-shirt was clinging tightly to my body, but it had turned almost totally transparent -- you could clearly make out my nipples and the broad pink areolas that surrounded them. Further down my slit was clearly visible too, but at that moment I couldn't have given a shit -- preserving my modesty wasn't a major concern compared to the incessant torrent of frigid water.

I was bent forward, still hugging myself like my life depended on it, and I wasn't sure I could still feel my feet. I've got to hold on, I've got to hold on, I repeated endlessly to myself in my head. I don't think Amy would really have made me start again if I'd jumped out of the frigid downpour, but if I was going to suffer this much, I didn't want her to be able to add to my misery by griping that I'd not done it properly.

Most of the girls were still watching intently, but one or two kept glancing at Amy, maybe wondering if she really was going to let this go until the end. I realised then that my breathing was back under control, and I willed myself to stand upright.

'Ten, nine, eight.' Amy started counting slowly, and soon everyone was joining in.

I forced myself to let go of myself and let my arms drop to my sides, doing my best to appear, if not relaxed, at least in control of myself. As soon as the count got to zero, I jumped aside and turned the heat up to maximum, before getting back underneath. I ignored my audience -- they could wait until I was feeling a lot more comfortable.

Eventually I got myself composed enough to announce, 'That was refreshing. Now don't anyone say I don't pay my debts.'

'That's very true Hannah,' Melanie said, 'but that T-shirt really isn't doing much -- you might as well take it off.'

She was dead right -- but I think there might be a difference between baring all because of a wardrobe malfunction and deliberately stripping naked, so I closed the shower door instead. I could hear everyone starting to talk as they made their way back to the changing room. I quickly took the T-shirt off, rolled it into a ball and, standing on tiptoes to see over the top of the stall, I threw it at the retreating back of Melanie.

It landed splat in the middle of her back, leaving a wet mark as it fell to the floor, but otherwise inflicting no damage. I immediately felt stupid -- not cause I didn't think she deserved it, but just because it was such a futile, childish gesture.

'And I was going to offer to bring you your towel, too,' Melanie said, picking up the T-shirt and wringing it out.

'Yes, thank you,' I said -- realising that I needed help from someone or other.

While I waited, I stepped back under the shower, and tried to make the most of the warm, comforting water. I had survived, and yes, I did feel stronger. And while I had inadvertently shown my whole body to the club, it really didn't bother me too much -- no one saw anything they didn't know was there anyway, and it would have been quite clear to everyone that I hadn't done it on purpose, though I had little doubt that Amy had known exactly what would happen with that T-shirt when it got wet. The bitch.