Chapter 1 â The Appointment
It was Wednesday, five days after the opening game and the horrific events that followed, and Ella had been summoned to Mr. Anderson's office from her first class.
"Ella, every student who participates in athleticsâand cheerleading countsâhas to have a physical exam from a school doctor, it's required by the insurance company," Mr. Anderson said in a matter-of-fact tone. He shook his head slightly. "You keep putting this off, but it has to be done."
"But Mr. Anderson, I don't even know if I am going to continue, after what happened last Friday with my outfit. I won't be wearing that again you can be sure!" Ella replied, raising her voice slightly. Over the weekend, she had poured herself into her Physics project, trying to push the game night events out of her mindâand almost succeeded.
She
knew
what had happened at the game,
knew
what had happened at Jenny's house,
knew
that it had all happened to herâbut it was as if she viewed it all through the eyes of an observer, like it happened to someone else. She couldn't ignore the discomfort in her vaginaâit was still a bit soreâand she had been ready to give her resignation from the cheerleading squad first thing Monday morning, perhaps even withdraw from the school, butâŚ
Everyone had acted as if absolutely nothing had happened. The girls on the squad had been very nice; Mr. Anderson guaranteed that her new suit would arrive in time for the next game; and her stature among the other students as a cheerleader had elevated her position considerably. Guys gave her a wide berth now (though not for any reason she would have liked) and everywhere she went other students were careful to nod and give her every courtesy anyone could ever ask for. It was almost like the story of the topless cheerleader had never happened⌠at least, not when she was in earshotâŚ
"Ah, so glad you mentioned it Ella, I have something for you here," Mr. Anderson said, reaching for something under his desk. He pulled out a plastic wrapped outfit and handed it to Ella with a nod. "I called them first thing yesterday, and had them send us another with Audrey's measurements. I think you two are fairly close in size, though she may be just a little taller. Regardless, we got it sent express and it just arrived this morning, so that little problem should be all cleared up."
Mr. Anderson looked at Ella expectantly, motioning her to take a look at the suit. Ella removed the outfit from the plastic wrap and looked it over, scrutinizing every inch of the blouse and skirt. These articles certainly seemed bigger, much more satisfactory than her now mangled outfit from the week before. She looked back up at Mr. Anderson again, considered, and decided: I'll give this one more shot.
Ella spoke in her light, airy voice, twirling a lock of her medium length auburn hair between her fingers, "Okay, but I don't know when I can get in to see a doctor, Mr. Anderson, every time I try to schedule an appointment, they say they are backed up."
Ella's mind again drifted back to the events of the last Friday. 'The girls must have been too drunk to notice what was going on in that closet,' she reasoned, excusing them from any blame for what had happened. 'Stone and the guysâŚwell, they had a lot to drink too, maybe it's just better if I try to put it out of mindâ'
"âhear me, Ella? I'm talking to you!" Mr. Anderson had raised his voice, trying to break through and get Ella's attention.
Ella shook her head, focused her attention on Mr. Anderson. "I'm s-s-sorry, Mr. Anderson, I wasâŚthinking about the project I am doing for my Physics classâŚ"
"I was saying, the school has a doctor on call for athletics, I can schedule you an appointment any time. Basically, they just check your vitals, give you a Health Certification and send you on your way. I don't think the whole thing would take longer than ten minutes. Would you like me to set it up?"
Ella felt her shoulders hunch over when Mr. Anderson said ten minutes, thoughts of last Friday again insinuating themselves into her mind; she straightened her back, took a depth breath and resolved to be strong.
She was riding an emotional roller coaster, highs and lows following each other in rapid succession.
Standing tall, she proclaimed, "Well, if that's all it is, sure. What is the deadline?"
"As soon as possible, Ella. If something happened before you got your Certification, things could get ugly. I thought you had done this already, so I didn't even know about it until today when the folks down in the athletics department called. They did an internal audit, since the JNCAA audit is coming soon, and your lack of a physical was one of the findings. Listen, I hate to be pushy, but this has to be done. Can you do it today?"
"Today? But I have Math Team this afternoon, I won't have time."
"I'll have the doctor do it on a standby basis, find out if he can see you in the school infirmary at lunch, if that is agreeable. We really need to get this done."
Ella looked at the walls in Mr. Anderson's office, a small frown on her face. Finally, she looked back at him, putting on her game face.
"Sure, let's do it today. I better have time for lunch after!" she added, chuckling.
"I'm sure you will, this is nothing."
Ella beamed a smile. "Goodâ'cause I'm kind of hungry today."
Mr. Anderson laughed, picked up the phone, and called the doctor.
Chapter 2 â The Infirmary
Right after third hour, Ella rushed to the infirmary. There she found the college nurse, Mr. Burton, reading the latest Sports Illustrated.
"Heya Mr. B," Ella said, walking in.
"Oh, hi there Ella. How are you today?"
Mr. Burton was an older man, in his late 50s, and he loved his job. Basically, students came to him sick, and he told them to take a couple Tylenol and get some rest. It was the easiest 20 bucks an hour he could imagine making anywhere.
And the females were nice to look at, too.
Mr. Burton looked Ella up and down with his eyes, pausing at the full, round breasts with the slightly hard nipples that shifted lazily beneath her plain green t-shirt. She wore a denim skirt that fell below her knees, and those weird soft rubber shoes all the young people were wearing these days. He looked back into her eyesâsea green, arresting, they captured his attention and just would not let go.
'Thoroughbred material,' Mr. Burton thought to himself, wishing he were a few decades younger so he could make a play for a filly like this. He smiled, a twinkle in his eye.
"The doctor should be here soon. He didn't answer his page, so Mr. Anderson gave the Health Department a call, and they are sending over a sub. He told them it was important so somebody should be here any minute."
Ella nodded absently, placing her books on a shelf by the door. Just then, the door to the office opened and a young man walked in.
'He can't be more than 22,' Ella thought, wondering if this was the doctor who had been summoned. 'He's got to be an intern or something!'
"I'm Dr. Tarsal. I got a call to do a physical for an athlete," the doctor said, looking around.
Dr. Tarsal was dark complexioned, of medium build, black hair, brown eyes, and wore sweats. He looked down, realized how he was dressed, and looked back up sheepishly.
"I was about to go to the gym when I got the page. I hope my attire is ok?"