THE GYMNASTS- CHAPTER 2About a month later the two tiny women were back at The Cabin for their second match. Lori wore a brilliant tire-die leotard and in a bit of gamesmanship Piper wore the leotard that she won off Lori in the first match. Lori was startled. “Don’t worry, I washed it first,” said Piper. They both laughed.
The second match was a bit different from the first in that the women wasted no time in coming to grips with one another. No tentativeness on their part. They had an idea what to expect and got right to it. This one was a bit longer because the women both knew they had to avoid the deadly scissor holds that they both relied on and defend them fairly well. But eventually one of them would lock on a scissors and they traded submissions back and forth until the score was tied 2-2. The final submission was a bit different in that Lori got behind Piper on the mat and executed a full nelson. She then rolled them both over and hooked her legs around the blonde’s waist. The full nelson/scissors combo was impossible for Piper to break and even after struggling for a good deal of time she had to submit. Lori won the match 3-2.
Piper was complimentary even in defeat. “You were too tough for me today Lori. I guess I’ll have to get you next time.” It was now understood that the women enjoyed the competition so much that they would have to have at least one more match.
“I’ll take my leotard back Piper.”
“I guess so. You earned it.”
A month later they were back at The Cabin for a 3rd match.
New leotards for both women this time. Lori went with a red and black number, cut high in the hips. Piper wore a rainbow zebra stripe combination. Lori was impressed.
“That’s gorgeous Piper. I’d love to have one of those.” She winked.
Piper joked, “Well you can come and take it off me if you are woman enough little girl.”
As they were stretching Lori made some polite conversation. “How’s Bill these days?”
“Bill? Oh jeez, I broke up with him weeks ago. We were never that serious anyway. I’m on to new and better guys! For some guys, Squeaks, a gymnast is the holy grail of sexiness. I exploit that as much as possible.”
The comment stopped Lori in her tracks. Not about Bill, or guys liking gymnasts, it was that Piper had called her “Squeaks.” How did she know that was her hated nickname? She had never mentioned it. Or had she, back at their first meeting at the get together at Tom’s boss’s house? She just couldn’t remember, and she let the comment pass.
This match wasn’t quite as close as the first two. Lori had begun to truly understand what moves worked best, and seemed have a better idea of how to defend against Piper. She even added a new move, a camel clutch which looked quite remarkable by how far back she bent the flexible blonde before she gave up and lost the match, this time 3-1.
After they changed and Piper brought out her leotard to surrender it to the winner, Lori asked Piper to sit and talk seriously for a minute.
“Look Piper, even though this is fun for us, I know from our the first match that losing still takes an emotional toll. I don’t want you to think you have to do it anymore. You can keep your leotard, winning the match was enough reward for me, I don’t want to seem like I’m rubbing it in.”
Piper thought to herself, “Is she saying that she can win anytime and I should quit before I lose some more? She’s got a lot of gaul to think that.”
The blonde fought to keep her composure and retain a friendly front. “Oh no Lori, win or lose I look forward to our matches. And I want you to keep the leotard, You won, you earned it. I just hope you give me another chance to get even with you.”
“Of course Piper. I just wanted you to understand that we can end this if you want.”
“No way,” said Piper. “Let’s get together next month for another match. OK?”
And exactly one month later the women met at The Cabin for their 4th match. On purpose Lori did not wear the rainbow leotard she had won in the 3rd match and instead wore the same red and black one, superstitiously thinking it brought her good luck. Piper wore blue and silver this time.
As they came together to start the match it was quickly apparent that Piper had changed strategy and intended to roughhouse and manhandle the brunette as much as the rules allowed. It was their most intense and rugged match, by far. Piper clubbed Lori with her arm as she wrapped her in a head lock. Piper wouldn’t try to take Lori down, she would try to throw her down and then pounce on her. And if an elbow or knee landed inadvertently, well this was not a chess match. To Lori’s credit she did not complain about this new roughness, but instead responded in kind when she could. Eventually Piper got a hammerlock on the brunette and twisted her arm and unbelievable distance so that Lori’s hand touched the back of her head. The pain was intense and Lori screamed out a submission.
“You are getting very rough Piper.”
“Sorry. I’m just trying to win the match. Let me know if I’m breaking any rules.” Was her apology sincere? Maybe, maybe not. Lori couldn’t decide.
Lori won the next two submissions with another full nelson, and then a neck scissors. Piper came back with what could be best described as a some sort of Boston Crab, folding Lori in half, the wrong way.
It was 2-2 and things weren’t quite as friendly as they were usually with these matches. Piper was still playing rough, using her forearm to press hard on Lori’s face and throat. With the blonde on top she released her forearm and simply took her hand and covered Lori’s face with it and pushed her head hard into the floor. She was pretty successfully wearing Lori down. Piper then locked in a scissors around Lori’s waist and began to rhythmically squeeze. Squeeze, relax, squeeze, relax. Lori struggled against the hold, but it was hopeless.
“I give,” said Lori.
And then something happened that changed the course of history for these two women.
Piper did not release the hold. Instead she grabbed Lori’s ponytail and yanked it roughly towards her, bending the brunette’s head at an odd angle. “Had enough for today, Squeaks? I’ll take that leotard.”
Lori screamed, “I told you I give. Let me go! Let me go now!”
Piper released the hold and let go of Lori’s hair, and rose the winner, 3-2.
“What the fuck was that, Piper? I told you I quit, and you kept hurting me? And where the fuck do you get off calling me ’Squeaks’. Where did you hear that?”
“Oh God Lori. I’m sorry. I just got carried away. I meant no harm. Are you OK? My bad! And you told me your nickname the first day we met. Don’t you remember?”
“Why would I tell you a nickname I hate? I only let Tom call me that. And only when I’m in a very good mood.”
“Really?” replied Piper. “I swear you mentioned it at the party. But anyway, are you OK?”
“I’ll survive.” Lori was angry. “And if you want hair pulling, just say the word. I can pull with the best of them.” And with that she stormed off to change. Piper tried to smooth things over, but was mostly unsuccessful. Lori tossed her leotard at Piper as she was leaving and didn’t say another word.
Common sense told Piper that her matches against Lori were now over, and it was her fault. The next day she texted Lori, “I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I’ll be good a good girl next time, promise.” The text went unanswered.
Lori actually enjoyed the competition with Piper too much to give it up, but life dealt her a hard blow. A few days after the match with Piper, Tom broke up with her. It was ugly. Lori did not take it well. She still loved Tom and thought they would someday be married. Tom just simply told her that he didn’t love her anymore. It hit Lori like a ton of bricks. She had no inkling it was coming. She cried, begged, pleaded and then accused Tom of seeing someone else. Tom was firm in his denial of that.
Lori was a pretty pathetic mess for weeks. She would usually meet Piper for a match once a month, but 3 months passed before she even considered it. So much time had passed that Piper just assumed that her contests with Lori were over and they both could claim some satisfaction since both had won twice.
And then out of the blue Piper got a text.
“If you want another match, I’m game. But we need to meet and talk first.”
A few days later they met each other, as before, in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch sooner,” said Lori. “But I broke up with Tom and it’s taken some time to put that behind me. He sort of blindsided me.”
“God Lori, I’m sad to hear that. Break-ups are never easy.”
“Well a decent match against you might give me something else to think about. So I’d like to do that, but I think we need to modify the rules a bit.”
“I’m all ears, Lori. What do you propose?”
“Well I think that hair pulling should be in play now. Of course if we go with bunheads instead of pony tails, that might be a challenge.”
“Sounds delicious! I’m pretty good at fixing a bun. Years of practice. We will see who’s better at bun making! Let’s do that!”
“Cool! But if I get to add one thing to add, it’s only fair if you get to ad something too. Anything you would like to change?”
The blonde thought for a moment. “Yes! There is something that I wanted to try since we started our matches, but never had the courage to mention it.”
“What is that?” asked Lori.
“I think we should do it topless.”
“What?
”
Piper replied, “You don’t like the idea, do you?”
“I didn’t say that, Piper. I just want to know why you think it’s a good idea.”
These two women were very similar in so many ways, but it’s become clear that the blonde was the more adventurous of the two, and Lori the more restrained.
“It just seems more fitting and natural to go at it bare chested. We are alone when we wrestle. We really can do it anyway we want. It’s just a suggestion. What do you think”
Lori thought for a moment and then asked, “If we go topless does that mean tit grabbing is in play?”
“Only if it’s necessary,” said the blonde slyly.
“Piper, you do realize that if we allow hair pulling and tit grabbing, it’s not really wrestling any more. It’s just a fight.” In the months that these two women had been competing against one another this was the very first time that the word “fight” was ever used by either one.
“Well we are pretty much tied in wrestling. Maybe we need a little bit of catfighting to break the stalemate. The primal nature of it intrigues me. I’ve never been in an actual catfight.”
“Me neither.”
If Lori had not broken up with Tom she probably would have rejected the topless idea immediately, but she was reeling from Tom dumping her and really did need something special to bring her out of her funk. Maybe this would be the thing.
“OK Piper, hair pulling and tit grabbing. May the best catfighter win. Boy shorts?
“Oh yes! I love my boy shorts!”
The women both got goosebumps thinking of what they had agreed to.
Chapter 3 on Wednesday
