OldEnglish
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It's been a while since I've had time to craft a story. Katy & Amber will live on, but I wanted to give that a bit of a break as I struggled to come up with new and original ideas for them. This storyline developed from there. I hope you enjoy it. Going forward I envision the chapters not being as long, but I felt the length for this one was necessary to introduce and begin development of the characters.
As always, comments and suggestions are welcome. I hope you enjoy the piece.
KeriAnn & Company: Chapter 1 - Girls Night In (ff/f, barefeet)
KeriAnn carried the plates and the cups from the living room to the kitchen, placing them gently in the sink. She’d get to them later, she told herself, as she turned and made her way back to the living room where her guests had gathered. Indeed, it was Girls Night In, and as a single mother juggling two jobs with very limited free time on her hands, KeriAnn wanted to take advantage of every second of relaxation that Girl Night In would allow. Making her way back into the living room, she plopped herself back down on the couch in the same spot she had occupied a moment ago and listened in to see if the topic of conversation had changed in the brief time she had been out of the room.
Girls Night In had become somewhat of a regular occurrence, though surely not as regular as any of the attendees would have liked. Still, it was a welcome break for KeriAnn and her coterie of friends, even if the attendance list varied from Girls Night In to Girls Night In.
Tonight, KeriAnn had been joined by her friends Jackie, Laurie, and Kristina. It was a crisp Friday evening in the fall, and the girls - needing a break after working the entire week - had gathered at KeriAnn’s condo for an evening in, dining on pizza and sipping on wine as they enjoyed each other’s company.
In her late-thirties, KeriAnn was a single mother, her daughter Lea having recently turned eighteen years old. Life hadn’t necessarily been easy for KeriAnn, having had a child while still so young herself and spending the next eighteen years supporting and caring for Lea on her own, but she had managed to be comfortable. Her job as a classroom assistant teacher covered most of the family’s expenses, and KeriAnn picked up additional money with her side job as a dance instructor. An avid dancer since she was just a child herself, KeriAnn’s passion was dance, and “Miss KeriAnn” had become a beloved teacher to her students in both the classroom and on the dance floor.
Tonight, KeriAnn had ditched her work outfit for more comfortable attire, swapping out the dress she had worn to work for a pair of black leggings and a grey t-shirt. She had tied the t-shirt off the side in a twist. Her black hair was done up in a ponytail and hung behind her head. Barefoot, one could see that her toes shared the same white polish as her fingers, the sheen of the polish making it evident that the work had only recently been done. KeriAnn shivered a bit as she pulled her legs up closer to her body. KeriAnn’s propensity to getting cold clashed greatly with her ardent desire to be barefoot as much as she could, and it was this time of year - as the warm days of summer were giving way to the crisp nights of fall and soon to the frigid evenings of winter - where KeriAnn struggled with avoiding opening her sock drawer for as long as she could.
Jackie and Laurie were sisters, and were so similar that most in this group of friends often only referred to the pair as “Jackie and Laurie”, rarely mentioning one without the other. They had been childhood friends of KeriAnn, Jackie and KeriAnn being the same age and Laurie being just a few years younger, and the trio were almost inseparable. Naturally, Jackie and Laurie had very similar appearances, with Laurie just being a hair taller than her older sister. They both had long, black hair that both had left down today. Though neither were currently dance instructors themselves, the pair had been dancers with KeriAnn during their youth, and both had taught dance for a few years when they were younger before focusing on other elements of their lives. That combination of dance history, along with the natural rivalry of trying to one-up the other, had left both women remarkably fit and trim.
Now having similar jobs, as well, both in the business world, Jackie and Laurie were even dressed similarly tonight, as neither had time to go home to change before heading over to KeriAnn’s place for the evening. Both wore black business dress pants and a long-sleeve button blouse, Jackie going with a white blouse and Laurie choosing green. Jackie had brought a gray, open cardigan sweater with her in case she had the chills, and she now had that over her white blouse, as well.
Ever aware that she was a hair shorter than her younger sister Laurie - as Laurie would never let her forget about it - Jackie had worn a pair of heels this evening, opting for a four inch stiletto that she normally would never consider for work but had chosen specifically for this evening for the additional inches they afforded her against her younger sister. Despite her intentions, the real effects of spending an entire work day in four inch heels had taken hold, and those heels currently lay on their side next to the entrance door to KeriAnn’s condo, and Jackie was now barefoot like KeriAnn. Not needing the additional inches from a pair of heels, Laurie had opted for a more conventional flat this evening and despite all of the constant dangling and dipping that Laurie had been doing with those flats, they remained on her feet even at this point. As her job had strict guidelines and requirements related to dress code, Laurie was wearing a pair of off black nylons under her flats.
Finally, Kristina was the youngest of the bunch, still living life to the fullest in her mid-twenties. She had come to be assimilated into the group through KeriAnn, as she worked with KeriAnn both in the regular classroom and also as a dance instructor, as well. KeriAnn had informally taken Kristina on as a mentee during Kristina’s first year as a teacher, and as the pair found how many common interests they shared despite KeriAnn having about ten on Kristina, KeriAnn secured a part-time position as dance instructor for Kristina at the same studio.
Kristina had brown hair, which she, like KeriAnn, had placed in a ponytail behind her head. Kristina was the shortest of the four in the room, though still within average height range. Also like KeriAnn, Kristina was wearing a pair of black leggings that she had paired with a long floral tunic top, a black belt around her waist. As the epitome of the pumpkin spice generation, Kristina was wearing a pair of ankle boots with a slight heel, which she had not yet taken off.
“So when are you going to start looking for Mr Right?” Jackie asked KeriAnn without any trace of subtlety.
“You think I haven’t been?” KeriAnn asked, not really wanting to go into the “You need to find someone” conversation for the millionth time already.
“Lea’s eighteen now,” Laurie added, chiming in with her two cents now. “You’re running out of excuses,” she said.
“What excuses?” KeriAnn said. “I’ve looked. There’s nothing out there. You might find this hard to believe, but men aren’t lining up to get involved with a single mom nearing forty years old,” KeriAnn said with a slight sigh.
“Men would line up for you,” Kristina said, immediately embarrassed by her word choice and how eagerly they seemed to come to her.
Indeed, Kristina held KeriAnn in high regard, both professionally and personally. It was natural for Kristina to feel that way professionally, as KeriAnn had been an invaluable resource to Kristina in getting acclimated to work in both the classroom and the dance studio, but as the two had grown closer as friends, Kristina found herself looking up to KeriAnn, admiring everything that she had been able to accomplish in her life. Though she had never come out and actually uttered the words, Kristina had long felt that she would consider herself lucky if she looked half as good as KeriAnn did at her age when Kristina finally reached that age.
“I know a lot of men,” Jackie said, taking a sip from her glass of wine and placing it down on the coaster that KeriAnn had set out.
“Thanks,” KeriAnn said with a laugh, bringing her hands up in the ‘stop’ motion, “but I’m good, really.”
“What ever happened with that Mark guy you dated a couple of times?” Laurie asked.
“Mark? You mean over the holidays last year?” KeriAnn asked, surprised to hear Mark’s name mentioned for the first time in so long.
“Yeah, what was wrong with him?” Laurie asked. “He seemed normal enough,” Laurie said. “And wasn’t he rich?” she asked with a laugh.
“Yeah, that didn’t work out,” KeriAnn said quickly, not wanting to go into details about Mark if she didn’t have to.
“What was the reason for THAT not working out?” Jackie asked, used to KeriAnn coming up with any of a myriad of reasons to explain why she couldn’t continue seeing someone.
“He liked to tickle,” KeriAnn said quietly, almost in a whisper.
“Oooooh,” Jackie said, nodding her head, sharing a smile with Laurie.
“Wait, what?” Kristina asked, having not heard KeriAnn’s whisper.
KeriAnn cleared her throat, looked at Kristina, and repeated herself. “He liked to tickle,” she said once again.
“Tickle?” Kristina asked, confused and unsure what she was missing that would cause that one simple explanation to be enough of a reason for Jackie and Laurie. “You mean, like, he had a kink?” Kristina asked, trying to break apart the reason.
“No,” KeriAnn said, turning red in the face as she realized she’d have to explain further. “He just liked to tickle,” KeriAnn said.
“So?” Kristina asked, still not connecting the dots, as she had never heard of anyone breaking up with a person because of tickling.
“So?” Jackie asked with a laugh. “You don’t know?” she asked Kristina.
“No,” Kristina said. “Know what?”
“And she doesn’t need to know,” KeriAnn said, quickly interrupting and giving her long-time friend a death glare from across the room.
“I’m so confused right now,” Kristina said, feeling slightly embarrassed herself now that she was the only one in the room not included in the joke.
“KeriAnn has a secret,” Jackie began, ignoring KeriAnn’s death glare, the smile on Jackie’s face indicating the tremendous joy she had in the fact that she was about to reveal this secret.
“Don’t you dare, Jackie,” KeriAnn warned, not sure how much more she could threaten her friend.
“I like secrets,” Kristina said with a laugh.
“Well, it might surprise you to know,” Jackie said, pausing for effect and surveying the room as KeriAnn glared at her, Kristina hung on her words, and Laurie sat back in anticipation of what was about to happen.
“Surprise me to know what?” Kristina asked, anxiously waiting to hear what type of secret could be so juicy.
“That KeriAnn is arguably the most ticklish person on the entire planet,” Jackie said with a laugh. KeriAnn fell back in the couch as the words filled the room, not believing that Jackie had just shared that with Kristina.
“Reallllllllllly?” Kristina asked with a laugh of her own, looking for confirmation.
“Nooooo,” KeriAnn said, wishing more than anything for this conversation to come to a close.
“I’m calling your bluff,” Laurie said, standing up in her chair and making it look as though she was walking towards KeriAnn.
“You sit your ass back down in that chair,” KeriAnn said, leaping to a more defensive position as she saw her friend threatening to walk over to her.
“See?” Jackie said, laughing at KeriAnn’s response.
“Are you really ticklish?” Kristina asked KeriAnn. It was obvious what the answer would be, but Kristina somehow wanted to hear the words come from KeriAnn’s mouth.
“Isn’t everybody?” KeriAnn asked, hoping that was as much of a non-answer that she would need.
“There’s being ticklish,” Jackie said, modifying KeriAnn’s answer for her. “Then there’s being KeriAnn level ticklish,” she said with a laugh.
“I had no idea,” Kristina said, looking at KeriAnn and trying to reason in her mind that the woman that she so looked up to, so admired, could have also been so ticklish this entire time.
“Remember the time we all went for massages?” Laurie said out loud.
“No, come on,” KeriAnn said, turning redder and redder the more her ticklishness was being analyzed.
“What happened?” Kristina asked.
“Oh my word,” Laurie said laughing as she recalled that day. “I thought she was going to pee her pants,” she said with a laugh.
“That wasn’t my fault,” KeriAnn said, quick to defend herself. “I told you both that that massage was not a good idea, and I specifically told them not to massage my feet, which they ignored,” KeriAnn pointed out, acting as her own defense attorney.
“Are your feet, like, your weak spot?” Kristina asked rather timidly, recognizing that it might be a weird question to ask someone out of context but also picking up on the context clues from KeriAnn’s own words.
KeriAnn sank deeper into the couch, her momentary burst of gusto in defending herself a moment ago now dashed as she realized her very own words had outed even more about herself than she had intended.
“Yeah, I have ticklish feet,” KeriAnn said quietly, again wanting more than anything for the topic of conversation to change.
“Understatement of the year,” Jackie said, quickly correcting KeriAnn.
Instinctively, KeriAnn pulled her legs up closer to her body and tucked her feet under her body. With the topic of conversation now moving to how ticklish her feet were, KeriAnn now felt more barefoot than ever, if that was even a feeling. She felt as though her feet had just acquired giant bullseye targets for everyone in the room to see.
Kristina continued looking at KeriAnn, as if expecting her to expand on her earlier response to the question. Sensing Kristina’s gaze, KeriAnn looked over to her and saw her colleague and friend staring at her, almost as if a puppy might stare at its mother when looking for something. Just as Kristina had taken to looking up to KeriAnn as a mentor and a friend, so, too, had KeriAnn started looking at Kristina, as almost her second daughter. And the look in Kristina’s eyes at this moment as she looked towards KeriAnn was melting any resolve KeriAnn had in avoiding the question.
“Yes, fine,” KeriAnn finally admitted. “I admit I’m,” she continued, pausing to find the correct word, “absurdly ticklish feet on my feet,” she finally finished. “They are definitely my weak spot,” she said, hoping that now that that was out there that that would be the end of it.
Kristina smiled as she heard her friend finally admit the actual words. A flood of thoughts and emotions filled Kristina as she processed this admission. At the same time, she both couldn’t believe that KeriAnn could be so ticklish, but she also reasoned that it was only logical for KeriAnn to be so ticklish. First, she never could have imagined KeriAnn being so ticklish because KeriAnn always carried herself in such a way that made it seem as if nothing could topple her. An incredibly strong woman, both physically and mentally, KeriAnn had taken on the world - as a single mother, no less - and had thrived. She had juggled multiple jobs as well as the responsibilities of parenthood seemingly with ease - at least to those on the outside - and so never in a million years would Kristina have thought that something as simple as someone tickling KeriAnn’s foot would apparently be her undoing. On the other hand, as the epitome of the girl-next-door, cute-as-a-button even in her thirties, girliest-girl-who-ever-girl’d appearance that KeriAnn presented, it seemed natural that she would be so susceptible to tickles. For as much as Kristina was thinking that she couldn’t believe KeriAnn was ticklish, she was also thinking - duh of COURSE KeriAnn would be so incredibly ticklish. Kristina’s mind flashed to all of the times that she and KeriAnn had shared the dance floor, both dancing for fun on their own and also as dance instructors, and recalled how often KeriAnn had been barefoot on those occasions. How had it come to be that she had never noticed something brush up against KeriAnn’s foot, or someone take a quick swipe along the bottom of her foot, just as a test?
Kristina then found herself imagining what KeriAnn might look like when being tickled. KeriAnn was beautiful, no doubt, and possessed the combination of both sheer beauty and cute innocence, so much so that Kristina hadn’t been exaggerating when she said men would line up for the chance to date KeriAnn. Many people had remarked that KeriAnn’s smile could brighten an entire room, and indeed, on many occasions during Kristina’s first year of teaching when Kristina felt like her head was going to explode and questioned whether she was in the right profession, it had often been a simple smile from KeriAnn that had brightened Kristina’s day and helped get her through her troubles. And KerinAnn’s laugh — Kristina had actually found herself looking up jokes online to share hoping to elicit that laugh from KeriAnn’s mouth. KeriAnn was seemingly always in a good mood, so it wasn’t difficult to make her laugh, but Kristina couldn’t help but imagine what it must be like to be able to so easily call out that laugh from within KeriAnn by something as simple as a tickle.
“OK, the cat’s out of the bag now,” KeriAnn said, hoping to once and for all put an end to the conversation. “Is everybody happy?” she asked, looking around the room to poll her guests.
“Delighted,” Jackie said with a chuckle.
“Tickled pink,” Laurie said with a laugh, drawing more laughter from the room.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know KeriAnn was ticklish,” Jackie said to Kristina, clearly not picking up on KeriAnn’s cues in hoping that the conversation was drawing to a close.
“I’d never seen her tickled before,” Kristina said.
“Do you want to?” Jackie asked, the mischievous look in her eye suggesting there was only one right answer.
“No, come on,” KeriAnn protested, again taking up a defensive posture.
“I mean, she IS barefoot,” Laurie added, joining the fray as she pointed to where KeriAnn’s feet had been a few moments prior.
“I swear to God that if any of you even think of tickling me right now…” KeriAnn started, not finishing her threat since she genuinely didn’t know what she’d even be able to do if any of them had considered that.
Jackie, Laurie, and Kristina all shared a laugh as KeriAnn mounted her defense, none of the women having any idea even ten minutes ago that an impromptu tickle fight could break out.
“Oh my gosh, KeriAnn,” Kristina said, unable to contain her laughter at the hilarity of the situation. “Are you even kidding me right now? Is it seriously THIS bad?”
“I’m wicked ticklish, OK?” KeriAnn said flatly, finally coming to the realization that there was no way around making that admission. “It’s seriously my biggest weakness in life and these two brats,” she said, motioning to Jackie and Laurie, “use it against me any chance they get,” KeriAnn said with a sigh
“Wait,” Kristina said, taking in every piece word-by-word. “You guys still tickle her?” she asked Jackie and Laurie, not expecting to hear that antics like these were still occurring.
“Yeah,” Jackie said, her voice tailing off a bit.
“But only if she deserves it,” Laurie added.
“Or if we’re trying to get something from her,” Jackie chimed in.
“Or if we’re bored,” Laurie said, now smiling.
“Or if it just looks like she needs to be tickled,” Jackie added.
“Or if it’s a day that ends in ‘y’,” Laurie said, now laughing at the situation.
“See what I have to deal with?” KeriAnn said to Kristina as Jackie and Laurie outlined their tickling habits.
“Well, like you said,” Jackie said, beginning to defend hers and her sister’s honor. “It IS your biggest weakness in life,” she pointed out, repeating KeriAnn’s words.
“And what, we’re supposed to just watch you walking around barefoot, knowing how ticklish your feet are, and be expected to NOT tickle them at some point?” Laurie added.
Kristina couldn’t believe how convincing an argument Jackie and Laurie were making on their behalf. She also couldn’t help but notice that with Laurie’s last statement, Jackie had shifted in her seat so that now she, too, was sitting with her feet tucked under her body. KeriAnn and Jackie were technically the only two women barefoot in the room; a piece of Kristina wondered if that wasn’t all that KeriAnn and Jackie had in common.
“I’ve said it before, but you guys are crazy,” KeriAnn said with a huff, as she got up from her chair and started heading back into the kitchen. “Regardless of what you say, I am SO not getting tickled tonight,” she said matter-of-factly.
Laurie and Jackie waited until KeriAnn had left the room and was out of earshot to both say, in unison: “Oh she is SO getting tickled tonight” with a laugh.
“I can’t believe you guys,” Kristina said, shaking her head.
“What?” Jackie said in mock-disbelief that Kristina could find something wrong with their actions. “It’s just in good fun,” she said.
“You didn’t have a friend in your group growing up who was super ticklish that you always used to annoy?” Laurie asked. “Unless, of course, that friend in the group was YOU…” she said jokingly.
A sea of butterflies filled Kristina’s stomach as the attention had now unexpectedly turned in her direction. Fortunately for her, KeriAnn’s trip into the kitchen was short, as she had returned bearing big bowls of popcorn that she laid out on the tables in front of the women as she introduced a new subject of conversation.
This allowed Kristina some time to continue her reflection of what had just transpired. Her friend, her colleague, and her mentor KeriAnn was ticklish. Apparently insanely so. . KeriAnn had somehow kept this quirk about herself secret from Kristina all this time. Kristina, who just earlier this evening had still viewed KeriAnn as a strong, powerful woman who could handle anything that life threw at her, now saw KeriAnn as still that strong, powerful woman who could handle anything that life threw at her…except for one thing. A fatal flaw. A weakness. And as Laurie had pointed out a few moments ago, a weakness that was exposed at the moment with KeriAnn’s decision to be barefoot this evening. A weakness that KeriAnn had left open. Had left vulnerable.
And yet for as clear and as obvious as all of the above was to Kristina, there still seemed to be so much lurking under the surface. Perhaps it was coincidental that Jackie had so quickly tucked her feet under her body at Laurie’s mention of the possibility of KeriAnn being tickled because she was barefoot. But then again, perhaps it wasn’t so coincidental… Could there be more to Jackie than Kristina knew? After all, Kristina had had no idea of KeriAnn’s ticklishness until just a few moments ago. Could the same be true for Jackie? Jackie and Laurie were sisters, after all, so it would only make sense, then, that if Jackie felt Laurie was in a tickling mood - and specifically targeting those who were barefoot - that Jackie would know to place her own barefeet in protection. Who would know how ticklish Jackie was more than her sister Laurie, and thus who would Jackie fear would be the more likely to tickle her than her sister Laurie? Could there be some reverse sisterly effect there where it is the younger sister Laurie who owns the advantage over older sister Jackie in the tickle war department?
And then, of course, finally, there was Laurie’s question to Kristina herself - about whether Kristina had been the most ticklish person in her friend group growing up. Never before had Kristina been so grateful about such a seemingly inconsequential decision like leaving her shoes on as she was when those words were uttered. In a room full of four women with the subject of ticklish feet being thrown about, the protection afforded Kristina by those ankle boots was immeasurable. Though Laurie was also still wearing her shoes, Laurie had but just a pair of flats covering her feet, flats which would no doubt be easily removed should that be someone’s intent. Kristina’s ankle boots would at least require someone to unzip the boot along the inside of her shoe and then pull the boot from her foot. Now if someone were to be successful in doing that, Kristina’s line of defense would be evaporated, as the nylons she had on underneath her ankle boots would surely offer no protection from an incoming tickle attack, but at the very least, those boots offered the most protection of anything anyone in the room had.
KeriAnn, meanwhile, was successful in finding another topic of conversation with Jackie and Laurie, the sisters abandoning their ticklish conversation in favor of gossip about some of their other friends from days gone by. As she was new to the group, Kristina wasn’t familiar with the people the other three women were discussing, so she smiled and nodded and laughed at times that seemed appropriate based on the reactions of the others, all while still maintaining her previous thought stream.
What had caught Kristina’s eye, in particular, was the bottom of KeriAnn’s foot, which was staring directly in Kristina’s position. When she sat back down, KeriAnn had tucked her left leg under her right hip, and as such, her left foot was now sticking out from under the side of KeriAnn’s right hip. The extreme contrast of KeriAnn’s tan foot, combined with the striking white polish on the toes, stood out strongly against the black background of KeriAnn’s leggings. As if that contrast weren’t enough to catch someone’s eyes, KeriAnn instinctively wiggled her toes ever so slightly as she spoke, no doubt an unconscious reflex that she would do repeatedly in any normal day, but with all of the talk of KeriAnn’s feet being so ticklish today, her absent-minded toe-wiggling acted as a fisherman’s worm calling out to the fish to come pay attention to me.
Kristina couldn’t help but analyze KeriAnn’s feet. How could she keep them so flawless? Especially when dancing around so often? It hardly looked as if there were a dry spot on her foot at all, and certainly no other blemishes of any kind. It was a slender foot, yet still a strong foot. A foot that anyone would be proud to call their own, were someone inclined to take pride in the condition of their foot. And maybe KeriAnn was? She clearly put time and effort into her appearance, even if the end result was more subtle. Kristina smiled a bit to herself as she considered the irony in KeriAnn taking such pride in her appearance in maintaining such impeccable foot upkeep that she would also unknowingly be contributing to the continuation of her own personal weakness.
Kristina found herself wanting to reach over and trace just one finger down the bottom of that exposed sole of KeriAnn. Just to see what would happen. That wasn’t weird, right? It was almost as if it were an “it’s not real until I see it” type situation — like KeriAnn wasn’t actually ticklish until Kristina heard her laughter. It wasn’t something Kristina would ever have considered before this evening, and yet now, so much changed… And after everything that had been said, there was KeriAnn’s foot. Just sitting there. Bare. Unprotected. Vulnerable. Almost daring someone to tickle it.
“What about you over there?” Laurie asked in Kristina’s general direction, pulling her out of her inner thoughts.
“Huh?” Kristina asked. “Wh-what about me?” she fumbled, trying to make it not seem like she had just been staring at KeriAnn’s foot for so long.
“What’s your split game like nowadays?” Jackie asked with a sigh, frustrated that Kristina apparently hadn’t been paying attention.
“My split game?” Kristina repeated, having missed the context of the question.
“Yeah,” Laurie said, slightly annoyed that Kristina hadn’t been paying attention. “Let’s see a side split,” she said.
“OK,” Kristina said, hopping down to the floor to demonstrate. “I wasn’t expecting tonight to turn into a dance lesson or else I would have worn more appropriate shoes,” she said with a laugh as she extended her legs to the side and lowered her body to the ground, her legs extending further and further until she was in a complete side split position,
“Oooh, good technique,” Jackie said, congratulating Kristina on her form. “And while wearing boots, too,” she noted. “Extra points.”
“Too bad KeriAnn’s starting to slip a bit,” Laurie said with a sigh, giving KeriAnn a look to gauge her reaction.
KeriAnn’s jaw dropped in shock. “I am not slipping one bit,” she said in defiance.
“That’s not what I’ve been hearing,” Jackie said with a “tisk tisk” tone in her voice.
“Did you say anything?” KeriAnn asked Kristina, looking her over to see if she was the guilty culprit.
“I haven’t said anything,” Kristina said, clearly innocent.
“Well, just watch this,” KeriAnn said, putting her drink down on the coaster to her side and setting herself on the floor. As Kristina had done just a moment ago, KeriAnn lowered her center core as her legs spread to the side, her legs extending further and further until she was in a perfect side split - arguably, done even more technically sounds than Kristina a moment ago.
“Very nice,” Jackie said, coming down off of the couch to analyze and critique KeriAnn’s technique. “But can you hold it?”
“Yeah,” Laurie said, following Jackie down onto the floor, as well. “Anyone can get into the position. Can you maintain your focus and hold your position?” Laurie asked, knowing full well that those words were often repeated by KeriAnn to her students as she was teaching her dance class.
“Come on, guys, what am I, 5?” KeriAnn asked, shrugging off their challenge. She closed her eyes and took a zen-like position as she, indeed, maintained her focus and held her position.
In closing her eyes, though, KeriAnn was not able to see Jackie and Laurie changing their positioning. Now, instead of simply sitting on the floor near KeriAnn, each woman laid across one of KeriAnn’s out-stretched legs near her ankle, effectively trapped KeriAnn’s legs against the floor Given the position she was in - a full side split - KeriAnn was effectively immobilized by Jackie and Laurie’s actions.
“What are you doing?” KeriAnn asked, her eyes shooting open as soon as she registered the weight of Jackie and Laurie pressing against her legs. She rocked her body trying to pull her legs from their entrapment, but to no avail.
“Seeing if you can maintain your focus,” Jackie said matter-of-factly as she slowly and methodically dragged the tip of one of her fingernails along the exposed bare sole that was sticking out from under her body.
KeriAnn’s body jolted as if it had been electrocuted as she screamed in surprise. “No!” she yelled, recognizing her current helpless situation. “Not fair!” she screamed. “No tickling!”
“Tickling?” Laurie asked, pretending that she hadn’t already had that in mind when she took her position. “What tickling are you talking about?” she asked, playing dumb as she, too, now meticulously dragged the tip of one of her fingernails along KeriAnn’s foot that she had entrapped.
Again, KeriAnn’s body jolted as if it had been electrocuted, and again she screamed out loud in shock. “Ahhh!” she yelled. “That! That tickling!”
“What’s the matter?” Jackie asked. “Where’s that focus?” she asked as a tease.
“Come on,” KeriAnn said, entering the negotiation stage of her defense. “This isn’t fair. I can’t even move,” she said, pointing out the obvious.
It was true. Given her position, KeriAnn was truly immobilized. Laurie and Jackie were doing their part to hold KeriAnn’s legs in place, and KeriAnn’s own positioning in performing the side-split had left her with no means of mobility. She couldn’t even fall forward on her stomach or backwards on her back; all she could do was stand upright with her legs stretched out to each side.
Kristina watched intently from her seat, not believing what she was seeing. It was one thing to have simply found out about this aspect of KeriAnn earlier in the evening, but to now see it used against her? To get to see just how truly ticklish KeriAnn actually was? This was a show Kristina never thought she’d be able to witness, and yet here it was, unfolding before her very eyes.
Kristina smiled as she watched KeriAnn try to find a way out of her predicament any way she could, whether by frantically trying to pull her legs out from under Jackie and Laurie or by using negotiating tactics to try to talk her way out of it. To this point, all Jackie and Laurie had done to KeriAnn was a simple swipe up each foot, but it was evident by KeriAnn’s reaction that she knew she was in a bad spot. KeriAnn, whom Kristina had watched both in the classroom and on the dance floor face pressure and difficult situations without so much as batting an eye, was now wilting under the mere threat of being tickled.
“Can’t move, huh?” Laurie asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Quite the vulnerable spot you’ve found yourself in, eh KeriAnn?” Jackie asked, playing along with Laurie’s ‘bad guy’ act.
KeriAnn stopped trying to pull her legs free. She knew it was pointless. Jackie and Laurie had her legs pressed against the floor, and given KeriAnn’s positioning, there was little to no leverage for her to use. KeriAnn determined she was best to either save her energy for the struggle was sure to come or to try to catch either Jackie or Laurie not paying attention and pull a leg free by surprise.
KeriAnn looked over to Kristina and saw the smile that was spread across her face. She couldn’t believe that this was how the night was turning out. It was one thing for Jackie and Laurie to know how ticklish KeriAnn; the women had been friends for a lifetime so it was only natural that they would know. But now for Kristina to know, as well? For a work colleague, someone that KeriAnn had mentored, to know how ticklish she is? Not only just know how ticklish she is but also potentially see it used against her? To think that in just about five seconds KeriAnn could be a hysterical mess laughing her head off in front of her work colleague? How would she ever look at Kristina the same way again? She had to find a way to talk herself out of this. But how?
“Come on, ladies, you’ve had your fun,” KeriAnn said in the most disciplinarian tone she could muster in the situation.
“Have we, though?” asked Jackie, giving KeriAnn’s pinky toe a quick pinch. “Because I don’t think we’ve had any fun at all yet,” she said.
“Yeah,” Laurie said with an exaggerated pouty face. “I’m sure there’s plenty more laughs to be had,” she said, laughing at her own play on words as she, too, pinched one of KeriAnn’s toes.
Clearly the disciplinarian route wasn’t working for KeriAnn. Her mind raced as she thought of other tactics she could use.
“This really isn’t fair,” she said, now going for the sympathy angle again.
“Why isn’t it fair?” Jackie asked.
“Because I can’t move,” KeriAnn said directly. “And I’m barefoot,” she added, pointing out the obvious.
“Ooo,” Laurie said. “Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself into quite the ticklish situation here,” she said, again unable to control her laughter at her own joke.
“Just please let me go and we can ta-AH! Ahahahahahaha!” KeriAnn exploded into a fit of uncontrollable laughter mid-sentence.
“Sorry,” Jackie said looking over her shoulder to her sister Jackie. “I couldn’t wait any longer,” she said as she danced the tops of four of her fingers along the vulnerable sole she had in her clutches.
“Wait for me!” Laurie shouted, putting her fingers to their own assault of KeriAnn’s other trapped foot.
It took less than two seconds for KeriAnn to be hysterically laughing, the devilish fingers eliciting pure unbridled laughter as they moved their way across their targets. Her torso rocked back and forth, but with her legs spread apart as they were and trapped under the weight of her friends, there was simply no give - literally all KeriAnn could do was sit up and laugh as her friends took advantage of her situation.
“Please stop!” she tried to beg, but the words were lost amidst the relentless outpouring of laughter. KeriAnn's upper body shook with laughter, a stark contrast to her legs, which could do nothing but sit there immobilized, trapped in the clutches of Jackie and Laurie.
Kristina took in what was unfolding before her and chuckled to herself in disbelief. How could KeriAnn be so ticklish? If anything, Jackie and Laurie had understated just how ticklish KeriAnn seemed to be. Kristina watched as Jackie and Laurie continued their battle zone, one on each of KeriAnn’s feet. If it hadn’t elicited such disbelief in Kristina, it surely would have elicited sympathy. Jackie and Laurie each had one of KeriAnn’s feet at their respective mercy, KeriAnn’s barefoot vulnerable to whatever machination its captor had in mind. And right now, all its captor had in mind was a full-on tickle assault as fingernails danced across the exposed sole on each foot, the foot unable to do anything except accept the tickles.
KeriAnn was beside herself with laughter. There was literally nothing she could do except sit there and take it. And laugh. And laugh. And laugh. Jackie and Laurie had so expertly isolated KeriAnn’s weak spot that KeriAnn couldn’t even try to do the ineffective but useful strategy of trying to cover up one foot with the other. Instead, her bare feet were simply just there, exposed, vulnerable to attack.
And Jackie and Laurie were clearly experienced ticklers, or so it would seem. Their attack was unrelenting, their fingers never once pausing for a break nor leaving contact with the soft skin of KeriAnn’s sole. Their target varied, focusing first on KeriAnn’s arch before moving over to her instep and then dancing up towards her toes before finally giving her heel some attention. Laurie even took time to focus on the top of KeriAnn’s foot, which, to Kristina’s shock, was no less ticklish than the bottom of the foot.
KeriAnn was trying everything she could to free herself from this attack, but the laughter was quickly draining any energy reserve she may have had. Her prior strategy of trying to pull a fast one and pull her legs free by surprise was now no longer an option, as KeriAnn simply did not have enough strength left in her body to orchestrate such a move. She was surprised to see how extra humiliating this felt with Kristina watching it unfold.
Kristina was now taking a wider look at the event unfolding before her, taking in as many details as she could, when something caught her eye - something shiny that was reflecting the light from the ceiling fixture. It was the buckle detail that was on Laurie’s flat, the iconic signature initials that pinpointed the brand of flat Laurie was wearing. Only it wasn’t coming from where Kristina was expecting; it wasn’t a part of the skirmish that was taking place. Instead, it was a couple of feet off to the side, discarded from its former habitat. Turning her gaze slightly to the side, Kristina found that former habitat easily; Laurie’s sole was now tucked behind her, shoeless for the first time this evening, the bottom of Laurie’s foot sitting face-up for all the world to see. Only now the only thing separating the skin on the bottom of Laurie’s foot to the outside world was that thin pair of off-black nylons. In her current situation, Laurie was nearly as vulnerable as KeriAnn had been earlier; surely if someone dropped to the floor and lay across Laurie’s shin, she would have no defense against whatever might happen after. And as her attention was focused solely on her torment of KeriAnn, she would surely be caught off-guard such that she would have no time to counter any attack.
Kristina’s mind started to race. Should she? Could she? The answer to the last one was obvious; surely she could. Laurie would have no idea it was coming. The greater question, though, was whether she SHOULD. There were so many reasons to do it. There were so many reasons not to do it. In big, bold-faced type and highlighted for emphasis, the main reason preventing Kristina from taking action immediately was simply the unknown. Was Laurie even ticklish? I mean, surely she must be, right? Isn’t everyone? But even assuming the fact that Laurie was ticklish, it was unknown exactly how ticklish Laurie was. Kristina had never seen her tickled before, nor had the topic of conversation ever come up before. So yes, while there was a strong likelihood that Laurie was ticklish to some degree, the extent of that degree was still a variable. And yet Kristina kept looking down at that upturned sole, fidgeting with each of Laurie’s movements as if calling Kristina’s attention to it. Kristina wondered if she might ever find Laurie in such a vulnerable position again.
And yet Kristina realized that one of the key components that had led Kristina to characterize Laurie as so vulnerable at this moment was also shared by Kristina. Kristina was fortunate enough to still have her booties on, but underneath those booties lay no more than what Laurie had on at the moment - nylons. As she would often do, Kristina had opted against wearing socks over her nylons, even within the booties, so the lone layer of protection that separated Kristina from being in Laurie’s exact position at this moment was a pair of ankle booties.
Thus, this was certainly a dilemma of high risk but potentially high reward. In the end, though, deciding to play it cautious and not wanting to draw any attention to herself as a potential target, Kristina opted to let Laurie lay as she was and not do anything, opting instead to sit back and enjoy the show.
And indeed, the show was turning wild. Though it had to have been, at absolute most, only thirty seconds since Jackie’s fingers had begun their assault on KeriAnn’s feet, KeriAnn looked as though she had been under attack for hours. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as laughter bellowed from her mouth. Unable to lean forward or backwards because of her positioning, KeriAnn could do nothing but simply sit there and laugh as the two dastardly sisters did their dirty work.
“Do you give up?” Jackie asked, knowing full well that KeriAnn was in no position to be able to for words in her present state.
Not that Jackie had expected KeriAnn to give up so soon, anyways. For above all else, what Jackie found most enjoyable about her friend’s weakness was how she was her own worst enemy with regards to it. For one, simply, the frequency with which KeriAnn was barefoot despite her friends being fully aware of how ticklish she was on the bottom of her feet left KeriAnn an easy target, to either a simple swipe along the bottom of her foot or a more calculated, drawn-out attack like this. The other element, though, wasn’t as obvious. It was KeriAnn’s personality, and specifically, her stubbornness and reluctance to admit defeat at anything. Ironically, the trait that had helped her advance in her careers, both in the classroom and in the dance studio, proved to be KeriAnn’s undoing in tickle wars like these. The question was simple - “Do you give up?”. And the answer should have been obvious. Looking at it from a purely objective point-of-view, the facts were clear. KeriAnn’s weakness was being exploited by her friends. That weakness was fully vulnerable to further exploitation with no sense of relief coming. It was clear that the only end to this ordeal would be for KeriAnn to answer that question with the affirmative. To say “Yes I give up.” Four simple words. Four words literally anyone in her position at the moment would gladly say. And yet KeriAnn’s pride and her stubbornness and her reluctance to admit defeat prevented her from saying anything like those words. Thus, the ordeal dragged on, with Laurie and Jackie both happy to continue their assault on their friend’s soles for as long as she could hold out.
Of course, just as unwilling as KeriAnn was to admit defeat in anything, so, too, were Jackie and Laurie just as persistent to always come out on top. Thus, for as long as KeriAnn planned on holding out and staying strong against their unrelenting tickle attack, the plain fact was that that was indeed exactly what this would be - an unrelenting tickle attack. It would be a battle of wills between KeriAnn and the tandem of Jackie and Laurie, but with KeriAnn’s weakness being exploited in such a way, it was an inevitable outcome.
Not that that was unknown to the three long-time friends. This same scene had been played out countless times across their friendship. Jackie or Laurie or both starting to tickle KeriAnn. Maybe for a reason. Maybe to extract information out of her - like new crushes back in their younger days. Maybe to get their way - like which fast food restaurant to order from in their college days. Maybe just for fun. But it always played out the same way. KeriAnn initially tries to stay tough, tries to fight it out and then, realizing she doesn’t have the strength to fight it, tries to simply endure it, to outlast Jackie or Laurie or both. But even that strategy comes with a finite timeline. Eventually, KeriAnn inevitably falls into her silent laughter phase, where she’s laughing so much that sound literally can’t escape her mouth. That is always the beginning of the end for KeriAnn. Once she is able to catch her breath again and restore sound, an inevitable flurry of pleas will come from KeriAnn - one last ditch for sympathy. But at that point, both Jackie and Laurie know victory is at hand - or rather, at foot - and it’s just a few more swipes or pokes before KeriAnn is finally giving up and admitting defeat. And once those words do come from KeriAnn’s lips, they’re usually followed by an impassioned plea for mercy, with KeriAnn having taken her body to its limits before finally breaking down.
As an outside observer witnessing this for the first time, Kristina had no inclination of the script that was being followed and sat in awe and amazement that someone as ticklish as KeriAnn seemed to be could hold out for as long as she was holding out. She thought back to the many tickle fights she had been in herself growing up and, regardless of which side of the ledger she herself had fallen on, the loser of the tickle fight generally gave in as soon as defeat was certain. And yet here was KeriAnn, fighting the fight, staying strong for as long as she seemingly could despite facing certain defeat.
Jackie and Laurie, meanwhile, had no intention of making this easier for KeriAnn. Their methodical, calculated tickle attack continued. Jessica had found her sweet spot in the arch area of the foot that she had trapped, occasionally drifting her fingertips a bit up and down to the ball of the foot or the heel of the foot momentarily before returning them to the ever-sensitive arch area. Laurie, meanwhile, took a more varied approach, her fingers still dancing across any inch of exposed skin on the foot that she had control of.
“I can’t believe how soft your feet are,” Jackie said to KeriAnn, not expecting any type of response.
“I haven’t come across a single dry spot yet,” Laurie added.
“It’s like you wanted us to tickle them,” Jackie teased.
KeriAnn shook her head back and forth to let them know how wrong they were.
“Why KeriAnn,” Lauie said in mock-shock. “Is that why you’re barefoot tonight?” she teased
Again, KeriAnn violently shook her head back and forth to suggest that was not at all why she was barefoot this evening. That was actually one of the questions she always considered internally - why was one being barefoot such an open invitation for others to tickle their feet? And why did it seem especially so for those whose feet happened to be extremely ticklish? Not that KeriAnn was innocent of that in her own right. KeriAnn’s daughter, who had taken after her mother and whose feet were also absurdly ticklish in their own right, was also one to be barefoot as often as possible, and KeriAnn couldn’t say that little devil horns didn’t pop out of her head as mischievous thoughts filled her mind when she would notice that. It was just the other day that KeriAnn had found her daughter asleep on the couch, her bare feet propped up on the arm rest, and KeriAnn was certainly guilty of dragging a finger or two… or ten… across the sleeping girl’s exposed sole. But this wasn’t a time for KeriAnn to be getting philosophical. This was a time for KeriAnn to laugh.
And indeed, the laughter increased, for Jackie and Laurie had tapped into the next level of weakness in KeriAnn’s mind. It was one thing to be tickled. It was an entirely different thing to be verbally teased while being tickled. The verbal reminder or analysis of what was going on was often more than KeriAnn could handle, and this was certainly no exception. It couldn’t even have been forty-five seconds when it finally happened - the room went quiet as KeriAnn fell into silent laughter, succumbing to the combination of the tickling and teasing.
Jackie and Laurie knew what was coming next and readied themselves.
“Ahahahahahahahaha oh my God, oh my God, I give! I give!” KeriAnn screamed in the few seconds she had between catching her breath and laughing again. To emphasize her position, she began tapping on the floor of the living room, tapping out to the attack that she had endured.
“There it is,” Jackie said, knowing the submission was coming by recognizing the signs.
“Please!” KeriAnn pleaded. “I can’t! Please stop!” she begged over and over again as her laughter would allow.
“Is KeriAnn giving up?” Laurie asked playfully, pretending to have not heard KeriAnn’s outburst, allowing herself a few more seconds of inflicting torture to KeriAnn..
“Yes!” KeriAnn shouted. “Please! I give! I give!” she repeated.
“Awww,” Jackie said in a semi-baby voice. “Is the tickling too much for Miss KeriAnn?” she teased.
“Yes!” shouted KeriAnn, needing this ordeal to be over. “I can’t take it! Please stop!” she shouted atop her laughter.
Butterflies began forming in Kristina’s stomach as she watched what was taking place. Her body didn’t know how to process what she was seeing. Here was KeriAnn. Friend. Coworker. Mentor. Mother. One of the strongest women Kristina had known. And just a short while ago, Kristina had learned of a secret weakness that KeriAnn had. That in and of itself was shocking to hear. But then to witness it used against her? And then not just that, but to watch how that had unfolded? To watch KeriAnn valiantly fight against the constant tickling, to see her hold on for as long as she could.. And then to see her reach her breaking point and, quite literally, crumble before her very eyes. To see KeriAnn be reduced to such a hysterical, defenseless state, a state where KeriAnn was literally begging and pleading for the attack to end… And to see Jackie and Laurie just toy with her as a result of that. Because they could. Because there was nothing KeriAnn could do to stop them. Because she was powerless. It had all caused these butterflies to flutter within Kristina as she struggled to process what was happening.
“I think she wants us to stop tickling her,” Jackie said to Laurie jokingly.
“Awww,” Laurie said in sadness. “Do we really have to ?” she asked.
“YES!” shouted KeriAnn, absolutely beside herself with laughter at this point.
“I think she’s too ticklish for this,” Jackie said with a laugh.
“Is that true?” Laurie asked KeriAnn directly. “Are you too ticklish for this sort of thing?”
“Yes!” KeriAnn pleaded. “Yessss,” she repeated. “I’m too ticklish! Please stop!” she said, falling back into another level of silent laughter.
KeriAnn was desperate. She obviously knew Jackie and Laurie and knew they wouldn’t do anything to intentionally put her in harm’s way. She knew this was just a playful game to them, nothing more. Something that, quite honestly - and unfortunately - they had done countless times over the years. But that still didn’t change the fact that this was pure ticklish agony for KeriAnn, each swipe of a finger across her bare sole sending her further and further down the road to hysteria than before. And, friendly fire or not, she needed the tickling to end. And now. She had pushed her body to the breaking point before finally succumbing, but now that those words had come from her mouth, she needed the ticking to stop.
“Fine,” Jackie said with a huff, releasing her grip on KeriAnn’s foot as Laurie followed suit.
KeriAnn pulled her legs away from the sisters as quickly as she could, which certainly was’t an easy feat considering she had been stretched in a side-split for almost a minute at this point. She rubbed the bottom of her feet repeatedly against the living room carpet hoping to get the residual tickly feelings off.
“Oh my God, I hate you both so much sometimes,” KeriAnn said to Jackie and Laurie as they each got back up, Laurie quickly grabbing her discarded flat before she sat back down.
“You love us,” Laurie said with a laugh.
“Whatever,” KeriAnn said, pulling herself up. “I need to go check myself in the mirror,” she said as she left the room.
“See?” Jackie said, looking over to Kristina. “Told you she was ticklish.”
“I’d say,” Kristina said, still internally processing everything. ‘Understatement of the year,’ she thought to herself as she pondered how this would change her view of her colleague going forward.
As always, comments and suggestions are welcome. I hope you enjoy the piece.
KeriAnn & Company: Chapter 1 - Girls Night In (ff/f, barefeet)
KeriAnn carried the plates and the cups from the living room to the kitchen, placing them gently in the sink. She’d get to them later, she told herself, as she turned and made her way back to the living room where her guests had gathered. Indeed, it was Girls Night In, and as a single mother juggling two jobs with very limited free time on her hands, KeriAnn wanted to take advantage of every second of relaxation that Girl Night In would allow. Making her way back into the living room, she plopped herself back down on the couch in the same spot she had occupied a moment ago and listened in to see if the topic of conversation had changed in the brief time she had been out of the room.
Girls Night In had become somewhat of a regular occurrence, though surely not as regular as any of the attendees would have liked. Still, it was a welcome break for KeriAnn and her coterie of friends, even if the attendance list varied from Girls Night In to Girls Night In.
Tonight, KeriAnn had been joined by her friends Jackie, Laurie, and Kristina. It was a crisp Friday evening in the fall, and the girls - needing a break after working the entire week - had gathered at KeriAnn’s condo for an evening in, dining on pizza and sipping on wine as they enjoyed each other’s company.
In her late-thirties, KeriAnn was a single mother, her daughter Lea having recently turned eighteen years old. Life hadn’t necessarily been easy for KeriAnn, having had a child while still so young herself and spending the next eighteen years supporting and caring for Lea on her own, but she had managed to be comfortable. Her job as a classroom assistant teacher covered most of the family’s expenses, and KeriAnn picked up additional money with her side job as a dance instructor. An avid dancer since she was just a child herself, KeriAnn’s passion was dance, and “Miss KeriAnn” had become a beloved teacher to her students in both the classroom and on the dance floor.
Tonight, KeriAnn had ditched her work outfit for more comfortable attire, swapping out the dress she had worn to work for a pair of black leggings and a grey t-shirt. She had tied the t-shirt off the side in a twist. Her black hair was done up in a ponytail and hung behind her head. Barefoot, one could see that her toes shared the same white polish as her fingers, the sheen of the polish making it evident that the work had only recently been done. KeriAnn shivered a bit as she pulled her legs up closer to her body. KeriAnn’s propensity to getting cold clashed greatly with her ardent desire to be barefoot as much as she could, and it was this time of year - as the warm days of summer were giving way to the crisp nights of fall and soon to the frigid evenings of winter - where KeriAnn struggled with avoiding opening her sock drawer for as long as she could.
Jackie and Laurie were sisters, and were so similar that most in this group of friends often only referred to the pair as “Jackie and Laurie”, rarely mentioning one without the other. They had been childhood friends of KeriAnn, Jackie and KeriAnn being the same age and Laurie being just a few years younger, and the trio were almost inseparable. Naturally, Jackie and Laurie had very similar appearances, with Laurie just being a hair taller than her older sister. They both had long, black hair that both had left down today. Though neither were currently dance instructors themselves, the pair had been dancers with KeriAnn during their youth, and both had taught dance for a few years when they were younger before focusing on other elements of their lives. That combination of dance history, along with the natural rivalry of trying to one-up the other, had left both women remarkably fit and trim.
Now having similar jobs, as well, both in the business world, Jackie and Laurie were even dressed similarly tonight, as neither had time to go home to change before heading over to KeriAnn’s place for the evening. Both wore black business dress pants and a long-sleeve button blouse, Jackie going with a white blouse and Laurie choosing green. Jackie had brought a gray, open cardigan sweater with her in case she had the chills, and she now had that over her white blouse, as well.
Ever aware that she was a hair shorter than her younger sister Laurie - as Laurie would never let her forget about it - Jackie had worn a pair of heels this evening, opting for a four inch stiletto that she normally would never consider for work but had chosen specifically for this evening for the additional inches they afforded her against her younger sister. Despite her intentions, the real effects of spending an entire work day in four inch heels had taken hold, and those heels currently lay on their side next to the entrance door to KeriAnn’s condo, and Jackie was now barefoot like KeriAnn. Not needing the additional inches from a pair of heels, Laurie had opted for a more conventional flat this evening and despite all of the constant dangling and dipping that Laurie had been doing with those flats, they remained on her feet even at this point. As her job had strict guidelines and requirements related to dress code, Laurie was wearing a pair of off black nylons under her flats.
Finally, Kristina was the youngest of the bunch, still living life to the fullest in her mid-twenties. She had come to be assimilated into the group through KeriAnn, as she worked with KeriAnn both in the regular classroom and also as a dance instructor, as well. KeriAnn had informally taken Kristina on as a mentee during Kristina’s first year as a teacher, and as the pair found how many common interests they shared despite KeriAnn having about ten on Kristina, KeriAnn secured a part-time position as dance instructor for Kristina at the same studio.
Kristina had brown hair, which she, like KeriAnn, had placed in a ponytail behind her head. Kristina was the shortest of the four in the room, though still within average height range. Also like KeriAnn, Kristina was wearing a pair of black leggings that she had paired with a long floral tunic top, a black belt around her waist. As the epitome of the pumpkin spice generation, Kristina was wearing a pair of ankle boots with a slight heel, which she had not yet taken off.
“So when are you going to start looking for Mr Right?” Jackie asked KeriAnn without any trace of subtlety.
“You think I haven’t been?” KeriAnn asked, not really wanting to go into the “You need to find someone” conversation for the millionth time already.
“Lea’s eighteen now,” Laurie added, chiming in with her two cents now. “You’re running out of excuses,” she said.
“What excuses?” KeriAnn said. “I’ve looked. There’s nothing out there. You might find this hard to believe, but men aren’t lining up to get involved with a single mom nearing forty years old,” KeriAnn said with a slight sigh.
“Men would line up for you,” Kristina said, immediately embarrassed by her word choice and how eagerly they seemed to come to her.
Indeed, Kristina held KeriAnn in high regard, both professionally and personally. It was natural for Kristina to feel that way professionally, as KeriAnn had been an invaluable resource to Kristina in getting acclimated to work in both the classroom and the dance studio, but as the two had grown closer as friends, Kristina found herself looking up to KeriAnn, admiring everything that she had been able to accomplish in her life. Though she had never come out and actually uttered the words, Kristina had long felt that she would consider herself lucky if she looked half as good as KeriAnn did at her age when Kristina finally reached that age.
“I know a lot of men,” Jackie said, taking a sip from her glass of wine and placing it down on the coaster that KeriAnn had set out.
“Thanks,” KeriAnn said with a laugh, bringing her hands up in the ‘stop’ motion, “but I’m good, really.”
“What ever happened with that Mark guy you dated a couple of times?” Laurie asked.
“Mark? You mean over the holidays last year?” KeriAnn asked, surprised to hear Mark’s name mentioned for the first time in so long.
“Yeah, what was wrong with him?” Laurie asked. “He seemed normal enough,” Laurie said. “And wasn’t he rich?” she asked with a laugh.
“Yeah, that didn’t work out,” KeriAnn said quickly, not wanting to go into details about Mark if she didn’t have to.
“What was the reason for THAT not working out?” Jackie asked, used to KeriAnn coming up with any of a myriad of reasons to explain why she couldn’t continue seeing someone.
“He liked to tickle,” KeriAnn said quietly, almost in a whisper.
“Oooooh,” Jackie said, nodding her head, sharing a smile with Laurie.
“Wait, what?” Kristina asked, having not heard KeriAnn’s whisper.
KeriAnn cleared her throat, looked at Kristina, and repeated herself. “He liked to tickle,” she said once again.
“Tickle?” Kristina asked, confused and unsure what she was missing that would cause that one simple explanation to be enough of a reason for Jackie and Laurie. “You mean, like, he had a kink?” Kristina asked, trying to break apart the reason.
“No,” KeriAnn said, turning red in the face as she realized she’d have to explain further. “He just liked to tickle,” KeriAnn said.
“So?” Kristina asked, still not connecting the dots, as she had never heard of anyone breaking up with a person because of tickling.
“So?” Jackie asked with a laugh. “You don’t know?” she asked Kristina.
“No,” Kristina said. “Know what?”
“And she doesn’t need to know,” KeriAnn said, quickly interrupting and giving her long-time friend a death glare from across the room.
“I’m so confused right now,” Kristina said, feeling slightly embarrassed herself now that she was the only one in the room not included in the joke.
“KeriAnn has a secret,” Jackie began, ignoring KeriAnn’s death glare, the smile on Jackie’s face indicating the tremendous joy she had in the fact that she was about to reveal this secret.
“Don’t you dare, Jackie,” KeriAnn warned, not sure how much more she could threaten her friend.
“I like secrets,” Kristina said with a laugh.
“Well, it might surprise you to know,” Jackie said, pausing for effect and surveying the room as KeriAnn glared at her, Kristina hung on her words, and Laurie sat back in anticipation of what was about to happen.
“Surprise me to know what?” Kristina asked, anxiously waiting to hear what type of secret could be so juicy.
“That KeriAnn is arguably the most ticklish person on the entire planet,” Jackie said with a laugh. KeriAnn fell back in the couch as the words filled the room, not believing that Jackie had just shared that with Kristina.
“Reallllllllllly?” Kristina asked with a laugh of her own, looking for confirmation.
“Nooooo,” KeriAnn said, wishing more than anything for this conversation to come to a close.
“I’m calling your bluff,” Laurie said, standing up in her chair and making it look as though she was walking towards KeriAnn.
“You sit your ass back down in that chair,” KeriAnn said, leaping to a more defensive position as she saw her friend threatening to walk over to her.
“See?” Jackie said, laughing at KeriAnn’s response.
“Are you really ticklish?” Kristina asked KeriAnn. It was obvious what the answer would be, but Kristina somehow wanted to hear the words come from KeriAnn’s mouth.
“Isn’t everybody?” KeriAnn asked, hoping that was as much of a non-answer that she would need.
“There’s being ticklish,” Jackie said, modifying KeriAnn’s answer for her. “Then there’s being KeriAnn level ticklish,” she said with a laugh.
“I had no idea,” Kristina said, looking at KeriAnn and trying to reason in her mind that the woman that she so looked up to, so admired, could have also been so ticklish this entire time.
“Remember the time we all went for massages?” Laurie said out loud.
“No, come on,” KeriAnn said, turning redder and redder the more her ticklishness was being analyzed.
“What happened?” Kristina asked.
“Oh my word,” Laurie said laughing as she recalled that day. “I thought she was going to pee her pants,” she said with a laugh.
“That wasn’t my fault,” KeriAnn said, quick to defend herself. “I told you both that that massage was not a good idea, and I specifically told them not to massage my feet, which they ignored,” KeriAnn pointed out, acting as her own defense attorney.
“Are your feet, like, your weak spot?” Kristina asked rather timidly, recognizing that it might be a weird question to ask someone out of context but also picking up on the context clues from KeriAnn’s own words.
KeriAnn sank deeper into the couch, her momentary burst of gusto in defending herself a moment ago now dashed as she realized her very own words had outed even more about herself than she had intended.
“Yeah, I have ticklish feet,” KeriAnn said quietly, again wanting more than anything for the topic of conversation to change.
“Understatement of the year,” Jackie said, quickly correcting KeriAnn.
Instinctively, KeriAnn pulled her legs up closer to her body and tucked her feet under her body. With the topic of conversation now moving to how ticklish her feet were, KeriAnn now felt more barefoot than ever, if that was even a feeling. She felt as though her feet had just acquired giant bullseye targets for everyone in the room to see.
Kristina continued looking at KeriAnn, as if expecting her to expand on her earlier response to the question. Sensing Kristina’s gaze, KeriAnn looked over to her and saw her colleague and friend staring at her, almost as if a puppy might stare at its mother when looking for something. Just as Kristina had taken to looking up to KeriAnn as a mentor and a friend, so, too, had KeriAnn started looking at Kristina, as almost her second daughter. And the look in Kristina’s eyes at this moment as she looked towards KeriAnn was melting any resolve KeriAnn had in avoiding the question.
“Yes, fine,” KeriAnn finally admitted. “I admit I’m,” she continued, pausing to find the correct word, “absurdly ticklish feet on my feet,” she finally finished. “They are definitely my weak spot,” she said, hoping that now that that was out there that that would be the end of it.
Kristina smiled as she heard her friend finally admit the actual words. A flood of thoughts and emotions filled Kristina as she processed this admission. At the same time, she both couldn’t believe that KeriAnn could be so ticklish, but she also reasoned that it was only logical for KeriAnn to be so ticklish. First, she never could have imagined KeriAnn being so ticklish because KeriAnn always carried herself in such a way that made it seem as if nothing could topple her. An incredibly strong woman, both physically and mentally, KeriAnn had taken on the world - as a single mother, no less - and had thrived. She had juggled multiple jobs as well as the responsibilities of parenthood seemingly with ease - at least to those on the outside - and so never in a million years would Kristina have thought that something as simple as someone tickling KeriAnn’s foot would apparently be her undoing. On the other hand, as the epitome of the girl-next-door, cute-as-a-button even in her thirties, girliest-girl-who-ever-girl’d appearance that KeriAnn presented, it seemed natural that she would be so susceptible to tickles. For as much as Kristina was thinking that she couldn’t believe KeriAnn was ticklish, she was also thinking - duh of COURSE KeriAnn would be so incredibly ticklish. Kristina’s mind flashed to all of the times that she and KeriAnn had shared the dance floor, both dancing for fun on their own and also as dance instructors, and recalled how often KeriAnn had been barefoot on those occasions. How had it come to be that she had never noticed something brush up against KeriAnn’s foot, or someone take a quick swipe along the bottom of her foot, just as a test?
Kristina then found herself imagining what KeriAnn might look like when being tickled. KeriAnn was beautiful, no doubt, and possessed the combination of both sheer beauty and cute innocence, so much so that Kristina hadn’t been exaggerating when she said men would line up for the chance to date KeriAnn. Many people had remarked that KeriAnn’s smile could brighten an entire room, and indeed, on many occasions during Kristina’s first year of teaching when Kristina felt like her head was going to explode and questioned whether she was in the right profession, it had often been a simple smile from KeriAnn that had brightened Kristina’s day and helped get her through her troubles. And KerinAnn’s laugh — Kristina had actually found herself looking up jokes online to share hoping to elicit that laugh from KeriAnn’s mouth. KeriAnn was seemingly always in a good mood, so it wasn’t difficult to make her laugh, but Kristina couldn’t help but imagine what it must be like to be able to so easily call out that laugh from within KeriAnn by something as simple as a tickle.
“OK, the cat’s out of the bag now,” KeriAnn said, hoping to once and for all put an end to the conversation. “Is everybody happy?” she asked, looking around the room to poll her guests.
“Delighted,” Jackie said with a chuckle.
“Tickled pink,” Laurie said with a laugh, drawing more laughter from the room.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know KeriAnn was ticklish,” Jackie said to Kristina, clearly not picking up on KeriAnn’s cues in hoping that the conversation was drawing to a close.
“I’d never seen her tickled before,” Kristina said.
“Do you want to?” Jackie asked, the mischievous look in her eye suggesting there was only one right answer.
“No, come on,” KeriAnn protested, again taking up a defensive posture.
“I mean, she IS barefoot,” Laurie added, joining the fray as she pointed to where KeriAnn’s feet had been a few moments prior.
“I swear to God that if any of you even think of tickling me right now…” KeriAnn started, not finishing her threat since she genuinely didn’t know what she’d even be able to do if any of them had considered that.
Jackie, Laurie, and Kristina all shared a laugh as KeriAnn mounted her defense, none of the women having any idea even ten minutes ago that an impromptu tickle fight could break out.
“Oh my gosh, KeriAnn,” Kristina said, unable to contain her laughter at the hilarity of the situation. “Are you even kidding me right now? Is it seriously THIS bad?”
“I’m wicked ticklish, OK?” KeriAnn said flatly, finally coming to the realization that there was no way around making that admission. “It’s seriously my biggest weakness in life and these two brats,” she said, motioning to Jackie and Laurie, “use it against me any chance they get,” KeriAnn said with a sigh
“Wait,” Kristina said, taking in every piece word-by-word. “You guys still tickle her?” she asked Jackie and Laurie, not expecting to hear that antics like these were still occurring.
“Yeah,” Jackie said, her voice tailing off a bit.
“But only if she deserves it,” Laurie added.
“Or if we’re trying to get something from her,” Jackie chimed in.
“Or if we’re bored,” Laurie said, now smiling.
“Or if it just looks like she needs to be tickled,” Jackie added.
“Or if it’s a day that ends in ‘y’,” Laurie said, now laughing at the situation.
“See what I have to deal with?” KeriAnn said to Kristina as Jackie and Laurie outlined their tickling habits.
“Well, like you said,” Jackie said, beginning to defend hers and her sister’s honor. “It IS your biggest weakness in life,” she pointed out, repeating KeriAnn’s words.
“And what, we’re supposed to just watch you walking around barefoot, knowing how ticklish your feet are, and be expected to NOT tickle them at some point?” Laurie added.
Kristina couldn’t believe how convincing an argument Jackie and Laurie were making on their behalf. She also couldn’t help but notice that with Laurie’s last statement, Jackie had shifted in her seat so that now she, too, was sitting with her feet tucked under her body. KeriAnn and Jackie were technically the only two women barefoot in the room; a piece of Kristina wondered if that wasn’t all that KeriAnn and Jackie had in common.
“I’ve said it before, but you guys are crazy,” KeriAnn said with a huff, as she got up from her chair and started heading back into the kitchen. “Regardless of what you say, I am SO not getting tickled tonight,” she said matter-of-factly.
Laurie and Jackie waited until KeriAnn had left the room and was out of earshot to both say, in unison: “Oh she is SO getting tickled tonight” with a laugh.
“I can’t believe you guys,” Kristina said, shaking her head.
“What?” Jackie said in mock-disbelief that Kristina could find something wrong with their actions. “It’s just in good fun,” she said.
“You didn’t have a friend in your group growing up who was super ticklish that you always used to annoy?” Laurie asked. “Unless, of course, that friend in the group was YOU…” she said jokingly.
A sea of butterflies filled Kristina’s stomach as the attention had now unexpectedly turned in her direction. Fortunately for her, KeriAnn’s trip into the kitchen was short, as she had returned bearing big bowls of popcorn that she laid out on the tables in front of the women as she introduced a new subject of conversation.
This allowed Kristina some time to continue her reflection of what had just transpired. Her friend, her colleague, and her mentor KeriAnn was ticklish. Apparently insanely so. . KeriAnn had somehow kept this quirk about herself secret from Kristina all this time. Kristina, who just earlier this evening had still viewed KeriAnn as a strong, powerful woman who could handle anything that life threw at her, now saw KeriAnn as still that strong, powerful woman who could handle anything that life threw at her…except for one thing. A fatal flaw. A weakness. And as Laurie had pointed out a few moments ago, a weakness that was exposed at the moment with KeriAnn’s decision to be barefoot this evening. A weakness that KeriAnn had left open. Had left vulnerable.
And yet for as clear and as obvious as all of the above was to Kristina, there still seemed to be so much lurking under the surface. Perhaps it was coincidental that Jackie had so quickly tucked her feet under her body at Laurie’s mention of the possibility of KeriAnn being tickled because she was barefoot. But then again, perhaps it wasn’t so coincidental… Could there be more to Jackie than Kristina knew? After all, Kristina had had no idea of KeriAnn’s ticklishness until just a few moments ago. Could the same be true for Jackie? Jackie and Laurie were sisters, after all, so it would only make sense, then, that if Jackie felt Laurie was in a tickling mood - and specifically targeting those who were barefoot - that Jackie would know to place her own barefeet in protection. Who would know how ticklish Jackie was more than her sister Laurie, and thus who would Jackie fear would be the more likely to tickle her than her sister Laurie? Could there be some reverse sisterly effect there where it is the younger sister Laurie who owns the advantage over older sister Jackie in the tickle war department?
And then, of course, finally, there was Laurie’s question to Kristina herself - about whether Kristina had been the most ticklish person in her friend group growing up. Never before had Kristina been so grateful about such a seemingly inconsequential decision like leaving her shoes on as she was when those words were uttered. In a room full of four women with the subject of ticklish feet being thrown about, the protection afforded Kristina by those ankle boots was immeasurable. Though Laurie was also still wearing her shoes, Laurie had but just a pair of flats covering her feet, flats which would no doubt be easily removed should that be someone’s intent. Kristina’s ankle boots would at least require someone to unzip the boot along the inside of her shoe and then pull the boot from her foot. Now if someone were to be successful in doing that, Kristina’s line of defense would be evaporated, as the nylons she had on underneath her ankle boots would surely offer no protection from an incoming tickle attack, but at the very least, those boots offered the most protection of anything anyone in the room had.
KeriAnn, meanwhile, was successful in finding another topic of conversation with Jackie and Laurie, the sisters abandoning their ticklish conversation in favor of gossip about some of their other friends from days gone by. As she was new to the group, Kristina wasn’t familiar with the people the other three women were discussing, so she smiled and nodded and laughed at times that seemed appropriate based on the reactions of the others, all while still maintaining her previous thought stream.
What had caught Kristina’s eye, in particular, was the bottom of KeriAnn’s foot, which was staring directly in Kristina’s position. When she sat back down, KeriAnn had tucked her left leg under her right hip, and as such, her left foot was now sticking out from under the side of KeriAnn’s right hip. The extreme contrast of KeriAnn’s tan foot, combined with the striking white polish on the toes, stood out strongly against the black background of KeriAnn’s leggings. As if that contrast weren’t enough to catch someone’s eyes, KeriAnn instinctively wiggled her toes ever so slightly as she spoke, no doubt an unconscious reflex that she would do repeatedly in any normal day, but with all of the talk of KeriAnn’s feet being so ticklish today, her absent-minded toe-wiggling acted as a fisherman’s worm calling out to the fish to come pay attention to me.
Kristina couldn’t help but analyze KeriAnn’s feet. How could she keep them so flawless? Especially when dancing around so often? It hardly looked as if there were a dry spot on her foot at all, and certainly no other blemishes of any kind. It was a slender foot, yet still a strong foot. A foot that anyone would be proud to call their own, were someone inclined to take pride in the condition of their foot. And maybe KeriAnn was? She clearly put time and effort into her appearance, even if the end result was more subtle. Kristina smiled a bit to herself as she considered the irony in KeriAnn taking such pride in her appearance in maintaining such impeccable foot upkeep that she would also unknowingly be contributing to the continuation of her own personal weakness.
Kristina found herself wanting to reach over and trace just one finger down the bottom of that exposed sole of KeriAnn. Just to see what would happen. That wasn’t weird, right? It was almost as if it were an “it’s not real until I see it” type situation — like KeriAnn wasn’t actually ticklish until Kristina heard her laughter. It wasn’t something Kristina would ever have considered before this evening, and yet now, so much changed… And after everything that had been said, there was KeriAnn’s foot. Just sitting there. Bare. Unprotected. Vulnerable. Almost daring someone to tickle it.
“What about you over there?” Laurie asked in Kristina’s general direction, pulling her out of her inner thoughts.
“Huh?” Kristina asked. “Wh-what about me?” she fumbled, trying to make it not seem like she had just been staring at KeriAnn’s foot for so long.
“What’s your split game like nowadays?” Jackie asked with a sigh, frustrated that Kristina apparently hadn’t been paying attention.
“My split game?” Kristina repeated, having missed the context of the question.
“Yeah,” Laurie said, slightly annoyed that Kristina hadn’t been paying attention. “Let’s see a side split,” she said.
“OK,” Kristina said, hopping down to the floor to demonstrate. “I wasn’t expecting tonight to turn into a dance lesson or else I would have worn more appropriate shoes,” she said with a laugh as she extended her legs to the side and lowered her body to the ground, her legs extending further and further until she was in a complete side split position,
“Oooh, good technique,” Jackie said, congratulating Kristina on her form. “And while wearing boots, too,” she noted. “Extra points.”
“Too bad KeriAnn’s starting to slip a bit,” Laurie said with a sigh, giving KeriAnn a look to gauge her reaction.
KeriAnn’s jaw dropped in shock. “I am not slipping one bit,” she said in defiance.
“That’s not what I’ve been hearing,” Jackie said with a “tisk tisk” tone in her voice.
“Did you say anything?” KeriAnn asked Kristina, looking her over to see if she was the guilty culprit.
“I haven’t said anything,” Kristina said, clearly innocent.
“Well, just watch this,” KeriAnn said, putting her drink down on the coaster to her side and setting herself on the floor. As Kristina had done just a moment ago, KeriAnn lowered her center core as her legs spread to the side, her legs extending further and further until she was in a perfect side split - arguably, done even more technically sounds than Kristina a moment ago.
“Very nice,” Jackie said, coming down off of the couch to analyze and critique KeriAnn’s technique. “But can you hold it?”
“Yeah,” Laurie said, following Jackie down onto the floor, as well. “Anyone can get into the position. Can you maintain your focus and hold your position?” Laurie asked, knowing full well that those words were often repeated by KeriAnn to her students as she was teaching her dance class.
“Come on, guys, what am I, 5?” KeriAnn asked, shrugging off their challenge. She closed her eyes and took a zen-like position as she, indeed, maintained her focus and held her position.
In closing her eyes, though, KeriAnn was not able to see Jackie and Laurie changing their positioning. Now, instead of simply sitting on the floor near KeriAnn, each woman laid across one of KeriAnn’s out-stretched legs near her ankle, effectively trapped KeriAnn’s legs against the floor Given the position she was in - a full side split - KeriAnn was effectively immobilized by Jackie and Laurie’s actions.
“What are you doing?” KeriAnn asked, her eyes shooting open as soon as she registered the weight of Jackie and Laurie pressing against her legs. She rocked her body trying to pull her legs from their entrapment, but to no avail.
“Seeing if you can maintain your focus,” Jackie said matter-of-factly as she slowly and methodically dragged the tip of one of her fingernails along the exposed bare sole that was sticking out from under her body.
KeriAnn’s body jolted as if it had been electrocuted as she screamed in surprise. “No!” she yelled, recognizing her current helpless situation. “Not fair!” she screamed. “No tickling!”
“Tickling?” Laurie asked, pretending that she hadn’t already had that in mind when she took her position. “What tickling are you talking about?” she asked, playing dumb as she, too, now meticulously dragged the tip of one of her fingernails along KeriAnn’s foot that she had entrapped.
Again, KeriAnn’s body jolted as if it had been electrocuted, and again she screamed out loud in shock. “Ahhh!” she yelled. “That! That tickling!”
“What’s the matter?” Jackie asked. “Where’s that focus?” she asked as a tease.
“Come on,” KeriAnn said, entering the negotiation stage of her defense. “This isn’t fair. I can’t even move,” she said, pointing out the obvious.
It was true. Given her position, KeriAnn was truly immobilized. Laurie and Jackie were doing their part to hold KeriAnn’s legs in place, and KeriAnn’s own positioning in performing the side-split had left her with no means of mobility. She couldn’t even fall forward on her stomach or backwards on her back; all she could do was stand upright with her legs stretched out to each side.
Kristina watched intently from her seat, not believing what she was seeing. It was one thing to have simply found out about this aspect of KeriAnn earlier in the evening, but to now see it used against her? To get to see just how truly ticklish KeriAnn actually was? This was a show Kristina never thought she’d be able to witness, and yet here it was, unfolding before her very eyes.
Kristina smiled as she watched KeriAnn try to find a way out of her predicament any way she could, whether by frantically trying to pull her legs out from under Jackie and Laurie or by using negotiating tactics to try to talk her way out of it. To this point, all Jackie and Laurie had done to KeriAnn was a simple swipe up each foot, but it was evident by KeriAnn’s reaction that she knew she was in a bad spot. KeriAnn, whom Kristina had watched both in the classroom and on the dance floor face pressure and difficult situations without so much as batting an eye, was now wilting under the mere threat of being tickled.
“Can’t move, huh?” Laurie asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Quite the vulnerable spot you’ve found yourself in, eh KeriAnn?” Jackie asked, playing along with Laurie’s ‘bad guy’ act.
KeriAnn stopped trying to pull her legs free. She knew it was pointless. Jackie and Laurie had her legs pressed against the floor, and given KeriAnn’s positioning, there was little to no leverage for her to use. KeriAnn determined she was best to either save her energy for the struggle was sure to come or to try to catch either Jackie or Laurie not paying attention and pull a leg free by surprise.
KeriAnn looked over to Kristina and saw the smile that was spread across her face. She couldn’t believe that this was how the night was turning out. It was one thing for Jackie and Laurie to know how ticklish KeriAnn; the women had been friends for a lifetime so it was only natural that they would know. But now for Kristina to know, as well? For a work colleague, someone that KeriAnn had mentored, to know how ticklish she is? Not only just know how ticklish she is but also potentially see it used against her? To think that in just about five seconds KeriAnn could be a hysterical mess laughing her head off in front of her work colleague? How would she ever look at Kristina the same way again? She had to find a way to talk herself out of this. But how?
“Come on, ladies, you’ve had your fun,” KeriAnn said in the most disciplinarian tone she could muster in the situation.
“Have we, though?” asked Jackie, giving KeriAnn’s pinky toe a quick pinch. “Because I don’t think we’ve had any fun at all yet,” she said.
“Yeah,” Laurie said with an exaggerated pouty face. “I’m sure there’s plenty more laughs to be had,” she said, laughing at her own play on words as she, too, pinched one of KeriAnn’s toes.
Clearly the disciplinarian route wasn’t working for KeriAnn. Her mind raced as she thought of other tactics she could use.
“This really isn’t fair,” she said, now going for the sympathy angle again.
“Why isn’t it fair?” Jackie asked.
“Because I can’t move,” KeriAnn said directly. “And I’m barefoot,” she added, pointing out the obvious.
“Ooo,” Laurie said. “Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself into quite the ticklish situation here,” she said, again unable to control her laughter at her own joke.
“Just please let me go and we can ta-AH! Ahahahahahaha!” KeriAnn exploded into a fit of uncontrollable laughter mid-sentence.
“Sorry,” Jackie said looking over her shoulder to her sister Jackie. “I couldn’t wait any longer,” she said as she danced the tops of four of her fingers along the vulnerable sole she had in her clutches.
“Wait for me!” Laurie shouted, putting her fingers to their own assault of KeriAnn’s other trapped foot.
It took less than two seconds for KeriAnn to be hysterically laughing, the devilish fingers eliciting pure unbridled laughter as they moved their way across their targets. Her torso rocked back and forth, but with her legs spread apart as they were and trapped under the weight of her friends, there was simply no give - literally all KeriAnn could do was sit up and laugh as her friends took advantage of her situation.
“Please stop!” she tried to beg, but the words were lost amidst the relentless outpouring of laughter. KeriAnn's upper body shook with laughter, a stark contrast to her legs, which could do nothing but sit there immobilized, trapped in the clutches of Jackie and Laurie.
Kristina took in what was unfolding before her and chuckled to herself in disbelief. How could KeriAnn be so ticklish? If anything, Jackie and Laurie had understated just how ticklish KeriAnn seemed to be. Kristina watched as Jackie and Laurie continued their battle zone, one on each of KeriAnn’s feet. If it hadn’t elicited such disbelief in Kristina, it surely would have elicited sympathy. Jackie and Laurie each had one of KeriAnn’s feet at their respective mercy, KeriAnn’s barefoot vulnerable to whatever machination its captor had in mind. And right now, all its captor had in mind was a full-on tickle assault as fingernails danced across the exposed sole on each foot, the foot unable to do anything except accept the tickles.
KeriAnn was beside herself with laughter. There was literally nothing she could do except sit there and take it. And laugh. And laugh. And laugh. Jackie and Laurie had so expertly isolated KeriAnn’s weak spot that KeriAnn couldn’t even try to do the ineffective but useful strategy of trying to cover up one foot with the other. Instead, her bare feet were simply just there, exposed, vulnerable to attack.
And Jackie and Laurie were clearly experienced ticklers, or so it would seem. Their attack was unrelenting, their fingers never once pausing for a break nor leaving contact with the soft skin of KeriAnn’s sole. Their target varied, focusing first on KeriAnn’s arch before moving over to her instep and then dancing up towards her toes before finally giving her heel some attention. Laurie even took time to focus on the top of KeriAnn’s foot, which, to Kristina’s shock, was no less ticklish than the bottom of the foot.
KeriAnn was trying everything she could to free herself from this attack, but the laughter was quickly draining any energy reserve she may have had. Her prior strategy of trying to pull a fast one and pull her legs free by surprise was now no longer an option, as KeriAnn simply did not have enough strength left in her body to orchestrate such a move. She was surprised to see how extra humiliating this felt with Kristina watching it unfold.
Kristina was now taking a wider look at the event unfolding before her, taking in as many details as she could, when something caught her eye - something shiny that was reflecting the light from the ceiling fixture. It was the buckle detail that was on Laurie’s flat, the iconic signature initials that pinpointed the brand of flat Laurie was wearing. Only it wasn’t coming from where Kristina was expecting; it wasn’t a part of the skirmish that was taking place. Instead, it was a couple of feet off to the side, discarded from its former habitat. Turning her gaze slightly to the side, Kristina found that former habitat easily; Laurie’s sole was now tucked behind her, shoeless for the first time this evening, the bottom of Laurie’s foot sitting face-up for all the world to see. Only now the only thing separating the skin on the bottom of Laurie’s foot to the outside world was that thin pair of off-black nylons. In her current situation, Laurie was nearly as vulnerable as KeriAnn had been earlier; surely if someone dropped to the floor and lay across Laurie’s shin, she would have no defense against whatever might happen after. And as her attention was focused solely on her torment of KeriAnn, she would surely be caught off-guard such that she would have no time to counter any attack.
Kristina’s mind started to race. Should she? Could she? The answer to the last one was obvious; surely she could. Laurie would have no idea it was coming. The greater question, though, was whether she SHOULD. There were so many reasons to do it. There were so many reasons not to do it. In big, bold-faced type and highlighted for emphasis, the main reason preventing Kristina from taking action immediately was simply the unknown. Was Laurie even ticklish? I mean, surely she must be, right? Isn’t everyone? But even assuming the fact that Laurie was ticklish, it was unknown exactly how ticklish Laurie was. Kristina had never seen her tickled before, nor had the topic of conversation ever come up before. So yes, while there was a strong likelihood that Laurie was ticklish to some degree, the extent of that degree was still a variable. And yet Kristina kept looking down at that upturned sole, fidgeting with each of Laurie’s movements as if calling Kristina’s attention to it. Kristina wondered if she might ever find Laurie in such a vulnerable position again.
And yet Kristina realized that one of the key components that had led Kristina to characterize Laurie as so vulnerable at this moment was also shared by Kristina. Kristina was fortunate enough to still have her booties on, but underneath those booties lay no more than what Laurie had on at the moment - nylons. As she would often do, Kristina had opted against wearing socks over her nylons, even within the booties, so the lone layer of protection that separated Kristina from being in Laurie’s exact position at this moment was a pair of ankle booties.
Thus, this was certainly a dilemma of high risk but potentially high reward. In the end, though, deciding to play it cautious and not wanting to draw any attention to herself as a potential target, Kristina opted to let Laurie lay as she was and not do anything, opting instead to sit back and enjoy the show.
And indeed, the show was turning wild. Though it had to have been, at absolute most, only thirty seconds since Jackie’s fingers had begun their assault on KeriAnn’s feet, KeriAnn looked as though she had been under attack for hours. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as laughter bellowed from her mouth. Unable to lean forward or backwards because of her positioning, KeriAnn could do nothing but simply sit there and laugh as the two dastardly sisters did their dirty work.
“Do you give up?” Jackie asked, knowing full well that KeriAnn was in no position to be able to for words in her present state.
Not that Jackie had expected KeriAnn to give up so soon, anyways. For above all else, what Jackie found most enjoyable about her friend’s weakness was how she was her own worst enemy with regards to it. For one, simply, the frequency with which KeriAnn was barefoot despite her friends being fully aware of how ticklish she was on the bottom of her feet left KeriAnn an easy target, to either a simple swipe along the bottom of her foot or a more calculated, drawn-out attack like this. The other element, though, wasn’t as obvious. It was KeriAnn’s personality, and specifically, her stubbornness and reluctance to admit defeat at anything. Ironically, the trait that had helped her advance in her careers, both in the classroom and in the dance studio, proved to be KeriAnn’s undoing in tickle wars like these. The question was simple - “Do you give up?”. And the answer should have been obvious. Looking at it from a purely objective point-of-view, the facts were clear. KeriAnn’s weakness was being exploited by her friends. That weakness was fully vulnerable to further exploitation with no sense of relief coming. It was clear that the only end to this ordeal would be for KeriAnn to answer that question with the affirmative. To say “Yes I give up.” Four simple words. Four words literally anyone in her position at the moment would gladly say. And yet KeriAnn’s pride and her stubbornness and her reluctance to admit defeat prevented her from saying anything like those words. Thus, the ordeal dragged on, with Laurie and Jackie both happy to continue their assault on their friend’s soles for as long as she could hold out.
Of course, just as unwilling as KeriAnn was to admit defeat in anything, so, too, were Jackie and Laurie just as persistent to always come out on top. Thus, for as long as KeriAnn planned on holding out and staying strong against their unrelenting tickle attack, the plain fact was that that was indeed exactly what this would be - an unrelenting tickle attack. It would be a battle of wills between KeriAnn and the tandem of Jackie and Laurie, but with KeriAnn’s weakness being exploited in such a way, it was an inevitable outcome.
Not that that was unknown to the three long-time friends. This same scene had been played out countless times across their friendship. Jackie or Laurie or both starting to tickle KeriAnn. Maybe for a reason. Maybe to extract information out of her - like new crushes back in their younger days. Maybe to get their way - like which fast food restaurant to order from in their college days. Maybe just for fun. But it always played out the same way. KeriAnn initially tries to stay tough, tries to fight it out and then, realizing she doesn’t have the strength to fight it, tries to simply endure it, to outlast Jackie or Laurie or both. But even that strategy comes with a finite timeline. Eventually, KeriAnn inevitably falls into her silent laughter phase, where she’s laughing so much that sound literally can’t escape her mouth. That is always the beginning of the end for KeriAnn. Once she is able to catch her breath again and restore sound, an inevitable flurry of pleas will come from KeriAnn - one last ditch for sympathy. But at that point, both Jackie and Laurie know victory is at hand - or rather, at foot - and it’s just a few more swipes or pokes before KeriAnn is finally giving up and admitting defeat. And once those words do come from KeriAnn’s lips, they’re usually followed by an impassioned plea for mercy, with KeriAnn having taken her body to its limits before finally breaking down.
As an outside observer witnessing this for the first time, Kristina had no inclination of the script that was being followed and sat in awe and amazement that someone as ticklish as KeriAnn seemed to be could hold out for as long as she was holding out. She thought back to the many tickle fights she had been in herself growing up and, regardless of which side of the ledger she herself had fallen on, the loser of the tickle fight generally gave in as soon as defeat was certain. And yet here was KeriAnn, fighting the fight, staying strong for as long as she seemingly could despite facing certain defeat.
Jackie and Laurie, meanwhile, had no intention of making this easier for KeriAnn. Their methodical, calculated tickle attack continued. Jessica had found her sweet spot in the arch area of the foot that she had trapped, occasionally drifting her fingertips a bit up and down to the ball of the foot or the heel of the foot momentarily before returning them to the ever-sensitive arch area. Laurie, meanwhile, took a more varied approach, her fingers still dancing across any inch of exposed skin on the foot that she had control of.
“I can’t believe how soft your feet are,” Jackie said to KeriAnn, not expecting any type of response.
“I haven’t come across a single dry spot yet,” Laurie added.
“It’s like you wanted us to tickle them,” Jackie teased.
KeriAnn shook her head back and forth to let them know how wrong they were.
“Why KeriAnn,” Lauie said in mock-shock. “Is that why you’re barefoot tonight?” she teased
Again, KeriAnn violently shook her head back and forth to suggest that was not at all why she was barefoot this evening. That was actually one of the questions she always considered internally - why was one being barefoot such an open invitation for others to tickle their feet? And why did it seem especially so for those whose feet happened to be extremely ticklish? Not that KeriAnn was innocent of that in her own right. KeriAnn’s daughter, who had taken after her mother and whose feet were also absurdly ticklish in their own right, was also one to be barefoot as often as possible, and KeriAnn couldn’t say that little devil horns didn’t pop out of her head as mischievous thoughts filled her mind when she would notice that. It was just the other day that KeriAnn had found her daughter asleep on the couch, her bare feet propped up on the arm rest, and KeriAnn was certainly guilty of dragging a finger or two… or ten… across the sleeping girl’s exposed sole. But this wasn’t a time for KeriAnn to be getting philosophical. This was a time for KeriAnn to laugh.
And indeed, the laughter increased, for Jackie and Laurie had tapped into the next level of weakness in KeriAnn’s mind. It was one thing to be tickled. It was an entirely different thing to be verbally teased while being tickled. The verbal reminder or analysis of what was going on was often more than KeriAnn could handle, and this was certainly no exception. It couldn’t even have been forty-five seconds when it finally happened - the room went quiet as KeriAnn fell into silent laughter, succumbing to the combination of the tickling and teasing.
Jackie and Laurie knew what was coming next and readied themselves.
“Ahahahahahahahaha oh my God, oh my God, I give! I give!” KeriAnn screamed in the few seconds she had between catching her breath and laughing again. To emphasize her position, she began tapping on the floor of the living room, tapping out to the attack that she had endured.
“There it is,” Jackie said, knowing the submission was coming by recognizing the signs.
“Please!” KeriAnn pleaded. “I can’t! Please stop!” she begged over and over again as her laughter would allow.
“Is KeriAnn giving up?” Laurie asked playfully, pretending to have not heard KeriAnn’s outburst, allowing herself a few more seconds of inflicting torture to KeriAnn..
“Yes!” KeriAnn shouted. “Please! I give! I give!” she repeated.
“Awww,” Jackie said in a semi-baby voice. “Is the tickling too much for Miss KeriAnn?” she teased.
“Yes!” shouted KeriAnn, needing this ordeal to be over. “I can’t take it! Please stop!” she shouted atop her laughter.
Butterflies began forming in Kristina’s stomach as she watched what was taking place. Her body didn’t know how to process what she was seeing. Here was KeriAnn. Friend. Coworker. Mentor. Mother. One of the strongest women Kristina had known. And just a short while ago, Kristina had learned of a secret weakness that KeriAnn had. That in and of itself was shocking to hear. But then to witness it used against her? And then not just that, but to watch how that had unfolded? To watch KeriAnn valiantly fight against the constant tickling, to see her hold on for as long as she could.. And then to see her reach her breaking point and, quite literally, crumble before her very eyes. To see KeriAnn be reduced to such a hysterical, defenseless state, a state where KeriAnn was literally begging and pleading for the attack to end… And to see Jackie and Laurie just toy with her as a result of that. Because they could. Because there was nothing KeriAnn could do to stop them. Because she was powerless. It had all caused these butterflies to flutter within Kristina as she struggled to process what was happening.
“I think she wants us to stop tickling her,” Jackie said to Laurie jokingly.
“Awww,” Laurie said in sadness. “Do we really have to ?” she asked.
“YES!” shouted KeriAnn, absolutely beside herself with laughter at this point.
“I think she’s too ticklish for this,” Jackie said with a laugh.
“Is that true?” Laurie asked KeriAnn directly. “Are you too ticklish for this sort of thing?”
“Yes!” KeriAnn pleaded. “Yessss,” she repeated. “I’m too ticklish! Please stop!” she said, falling back into another level of silent laughter.
KeriAnn was desperate. She obviously knew Jackie and Laurie and knew they wouldn’t do anything to intentionally put her in harm’s way. She knew this was just a playful game to them, nothing more. Something that, quite honestly - and unfortunately - they had done countless times over the years. But that still didn’t change the fact that this was pure ticklish agony for KeriAnn, each swipe of a finger across her bare sole sending her further and further down the road to hysteria than before. And, friendly fire or not, she needed the tickling to end. And now. She had pushed her body to the breaking point before finally succumbing, but now that those words had come from her mouth, she needed the ticking to stop.
“Fine,” Jackie said with a huff, releasing her grip on KeriAnn’s foot as Laurie followed suit.
KeriAnn pulled her legs away from the sisters as quickly as she could, which certainly was’t an easy feat considering she had been stretched in a side-split for almost a minute at this point. She rubbed the bottom of her feet repeatedly against the living room carpet hoping to get the residual tickly feelings off.
“Oh my God, I hate you both so much sometimes,” KeriAnn said to Jackie and Laurie as they each got back up, Laurie quickly grabbing her discarded flat before she sat back down.
“You love us,” Laurie said with a laugh.
“Whatever,” KeriAnn said, pulling herself up. “I need to go check myself in the mirror,” she said as she left the room.
“See?” Jackie said, looking over to Kristina. “Told you she was ticklish.”
“I’d say,” Kristina said, still internally processing everything. ‘Understatement of the year,’ she thought to herself as she pondered how this would change her view of her colleague going forward.
