Tickle Street Chapter 39 – “Learning Experience”

By Strelnikov
Copyright 2006 by the author


Dramatis Personae (in order of appearance)

Stephanie Miklajcyk
Stephanie will be a Senior at Tieson City High School this fall – she has just turned 18. She’s a former teen model – tall, drop-dead gorgeous, with a beautiful face, flawless fair skin, long , silky light brown hair, green eyes, an hourglass figure and long, shapely legs. She’s insanely ticklish, and great fun to tickle.

Alex Budanov
Alex is 20 yrs old. She still thinks of herself as Aleksandra Budanova – she was 15 yrs old when her family left Russia to come to America. She has just finished her Freshman year at Commonwealth University in New England. Long, silvery blonde hair, dark blue eyes, fair skin with a fit body and buxom figure. She thinks it’s fun to be tickled – it gives her an excuse to retaliate.

Julie Budanov
Julie has just turned 18 – she’ll be a senior at Tieson City High School this fall. She’s left-handed, slender with long, bright coppery red hair, high cheekbones, exotic eyes inherited from some distant Tatar ancestor, skin so fair that it almost seems translucent. Russian folklore associates her physical type with witchcraft and malign spirits. Her eyes are that indeterminate color that sometimes appears blue or gray, sometimes green or hazel. She has the most ticklish feet in the neighborhood.

Emily MacDonald
Emily is a fiery red-head, a petite girl with wavy shoulder-length hair and bright green eyes. The fact that she survived a major car wreck was near-miraculous. She’s a little older than her classmates – she missed a year of school after the wreck. She and her widowed father moved to Tickle Street last year. She’s super-ticklish, and that’s her greatest weakness, she feels that it makes her too girly and weak.

Brittany Righetti
Brittany is 18, almost 19, and has lived on Tickle Street all her life. She has long dark hair and brown eyes, a beautiful Italian face and features, curves in all the right places. She has a bit of an attitude, but her family and friends learned long ago that they can tickle it right out of her – which they do, at every opportunity.

Vicky and Veronica Righetti
They’re “mirror twins” – identical, but Vicky, the leader, is a lefty (Latin “sinister”) and Veronica is right handed. They’re two years older than Brittany, medium height, with very trim and fit figures that they maintain by martial arts. They have wavy dark brown hair worn shoulder length, dark brows and lashes, brown eyes. They’re extremely ticklish, but since they’re a team, they don’t get tickled much.

Anne Kincaid
She’s 19 years old, has a great body, light brown hair, long lashes and dazzling hazel eyes. She lives with her parents, grandfather and two brothers, Josh and Jim. No one talks about why they moved to Tieson City. Anne has a heavenly Southern accent and is extremely ticklish. Needless to say, everyone takes full advantage. She once had the typical Southern girl innocence… But she got over it long ago.

Sara Rosen
Sara is 18 years old. She’s built like Dolly Parton, a small girl with a slender waist and amazing upper body development. Sara has long dark brown hair, beautiful green eyes, a deep tan, and a fit, toned body. Her ticklishness is her greatest weakness. She’s an enthusiastic tickler, on the principle that it’s more blessed to give than to receive.

Sadistic Siblings…
Jenny Budanov (Evgenia Budanova) is 16, blonde and blue eyed and turning into a beauty like Alex. Katie Budanov (Ekaterina Budanova, Katya to her family) is the youngest at age 13 – she’ll look like Alex and Jenny when she fills out a little more. Nicholas Miklajcyk is 16 – he’s tall and fit-looking, with light brown hair and green eyes. He has been tickling his big sister since he got big enough to get away with it.



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Stephanie Miklajcyk shifted her weight and checked her watch – her relief should be here in just a few minutes. Sore feet aside, this job at Fourbucks Coffee wasn’t bad. The place was in the food court at Squander Mall, so it was a great venue for people-watching. And she had lucked out – she had been paired off with another girl who had since become a good friend.

Stephanie was tall, drop-dead gorgeous, with long, silky light brown hair, green eyes, a beautiful face and flawless fair skin. The shapeless uniform couldn’t quite conceal her hourglass figure and long, shapely legs.

Stephanie was a genuinely nice person with a sunny, open and friendly personality. She had a child-like innocence about her, without being the least bit childish – she regarded her exceptional beauty as a gift from God, and accepted it with gratitude and humility. Her tranquility came from an absolute sense of surrender of her innermost self to God – she accepted the processes and dictates of His power as her pattern for life, and put aside all worry and doubt.

“Another 10 minutes and we can clock out, Alex,” Stephanie said. “I’m ready for it – I thought this day was never gonna end.”

Alex Budanov had been 15 yrs old when her family left Russia to come to America – she still thought of herself as Aleksandra Budanova. She was 20 yrs old now, a Slavic beauty with with a fit body and great figure, fair skin, dark blue eyes and long, silvery blonde hair. She was new to Tieson City – her family had moved here from the Russian immigrant neighborhood of Brighton Beach in New York City at the beginning of summer.

Alex slipped one foot out of her backless sneaker and massaged her bare toes. “Me too,” she said. She swapped feet and rubbed the other. “Was poor choice of shoes – my feet hurt.”

“Mine too,” Stephanie said. “I don’t think it matters what kind of shoes you wear on a job like this, they’re gonna hurt by the end of the shift.”

“Hi, ladies!” a voice called out from behind the girls.

Alex and Stephanie turned. “Oh, hi, Brandon,” Stephanie said. “You’re early.”

Brandon Wolfson was 16 – this was his first real job. He was a skinny kid with an unruly shock of rusty-red hair, hands and feet that seemed too big for the rest of him, a mouth full of railroad tracks, and a face like a pepperoni pizza. Stephanie had always treated him with decency and consideration – he knew she was way out of his league, but still he would do just about anything for her. “Go ahead and clock out,” he said with a shy smile. “Alex too. I’ll cover for you.”

“Thanks,” Stephanie said. Her smile was dazzling. “I owe you one.”

They had plans for the rest of their Saturday. There was a block party on Tickle Street – it had started already. The girls had conspired to use the occasion to introduce Stephanie’s brother Nicholas to Alex’s sister Jenny.

Stephanie went home to change and pick up her brother – Alex rode along to save someone else the trouble of picking her up.

At Stephanie’s house, Alex sat down on the couch and gratefully kicked off her shoes. “Back in a flash,” Stephanie said, and went upstairs to change. She shucked the uniform, selected a pink sleeveless top and a short, pleated summer skirt. Her flip-flops were by the back door – she started back downstairs barefoot.

Nicholas had already introduced himself to Alex – he was sitting next to her on the sofa. He was tall, brown-haired and green-eyed like his sister, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Stephanie noticed him checking out Alex’s bare feet. “Don’t even think about it,” she said.

“Who, me?” Nicholas said, the picture of wounded innocence. “I wasn’t gonna tickle her, honest I wasn’t!” His demeanor changed – he grinned evilly. “I’ll just wait ‘til later, and tickle you.”

“I’m sure you will,” Stephanie said, resigned to her fate. “He does that, Alex. He’s been tickling me ever since he got big enough to get away with it.”

“My sisters do same to me,” Alex said. She winked at Stephanie. “Is good idea, introducing him to Jenny.”

They found their shoes and headed out. Tickle Street was blocked off at Johnson’s Ferry Road – Stephanie drove around the barricade and eased slowly up the street toward the cul-de-sac at the end. The block party was going strong – it was almost time for the barbecued ribs and chicken. Alex’s mom told them that the other girls were on the back porch. They kicked off their shoes inside the front door – Alex went upstairs to change into shorts and t-shirt. She was back downstairs in a minute or so, then she and Stephanie passed through the house to the porch.

Stephanie and Alex made the introductions. Jenny Budanov was Nicholas’s age, blonde and blue eyed like Alex, and on her way to being a real beauty like the older girl. Katie was the youngest – she would look like Alex and Jenny in a few more years, when she filled out a little more. Julie was the odd one – just turned 18, slender with long, bright coppery red hair, high cheekbones, exotic eyes inherited from some distant Tatar ancestor, and skin so fair that it almost seemed translucent. Her eyes were that indeterminate shade that take their color from their surroundings.

The three younger sisters were wearing swim suits and beach sarongs – they hadn’t bothered with shoes. “Brittany’s having a pool party later on,” Julie explained. “Hope you brought your swim suits.”

“I’ll swim in my shorts,” Nicholas said. “How about you, sis?”

“Probably borrow one from Ashley,” Stephanie said. “We’re about the same size.”

“Use one of mine,” Alex offered. “Is stretchy – should fit you well enough.”

“Deal!” Stephanie said.

Julie was sitting in a white plastic porch chair, Jenny and Katie were on the porch swing. Jenny pushed Katie to one side, moved to the middle and patted the newly vacated space next to her. “Have a seat, Nicholas,” she said. Alex and Stephanie found vacant chairs and sat down.

“Wonder when the food will be ready?” Nicholas said. “My stomach thinks my throat’s been cut.”

“Last time I checked, they just turned the ribs,” Julie said. “Another 10 minutes, maybe. I guess we’ve got a little time to kill.”

Jenny whispered something in Katie’s ear – the younger girl grinned. Jenny turned to Nicholas and did the same. He laughed, stood up and gave her a hand up. They went into the house together, talking in low voices and grinning like thieves.

“Huh. Wonder what they’re up to?” Julie said suspiciously.

“Mischief, if I read the signs right,” Stephanie said.

“Maybe it wasn’t good idea to get them together after all,” Alex said.

“It’ll work out OK, Alex,” Stephanie said. “Mischief maybe, but there’s no meanness in my brother.”

“Jenny either,” Julie said. “Relax, Alex.”

Katie stood up. “Anybody else want a cold drink?” she asked. “C’mon, Julie, let’s find the cooler, put some Cokes in it and bring it out here.”

“I think they’re gonna like each other,” Stephanie remarked. “I’m glad you suggested we get them together, Alex.”

“Jenny does not make friends as easily as Katie,” Alex said. “Will be easier on her at school if she has friends already.”

“Especially friends who share a hobby,” Stephanie said with a crooked grin. “And from what you’ve told me– ”

Something narrow and black flashed downward horizontally in front of Stephanie. “Hey, what the hell!” she said, startled, and shied backward She tried to stand, but it constricted and bound her to the chair back with her arms pinned at her sides.

“Gotcha!” Jenny and Nicholas said in chorus behind her.

Stephanie strained against her bonds, but it was hopeless. “What are you up to?” she demanded. “And what is this thing?”

“Is luggage strap,” Alex said. Stephanie looked over, saw that Alex was caught too. “And I think you know what they are up to.”

“Yup. We’re gonna tickle you silly,” Nicholas said.

Jenny and Nicholas came around and faced Alex and Stephanie – they had more straps in their hands. “We used these straps to hold our suitcases closed on the trip to America,” Jenny said. She squatted down and strapped Stephanie’s ankles together. “Russian suitcases – you’d think people who build such good space rockets could make a suitcase that doesen’t fall apart.”

“I heard what you said about sharing a hobby, sis,” Nicholas said. He squatted next to Jenny and strapped Alex’s ankles together. “I suppose we ought to thank you both for introducing us.”

“Stop!” Alex commanded. “Let us go! You two khuligani should find something else to do!”

“As if!” Jenny scoffed. She pulled up a chair, sat, and trapped Stephanie’s ankles in a leg lock. “Just think of this as a learning experience.”

“Like, introducing you two to each other was a mistake?” Stephanie asked.

“Nope, not that,” Jenny said. “The lesson is– ”

“No good deed ever goes unpunished,” Nicholas completed the thought. He sat in another chair and trapped Alex’s ankles.

“We’re actually doing you a favor,” Jenny said, looking virtuous.

But the gloating they did was their undoing – they should have dug right in and tickled the older girls silly when they had the chance. Instead, dinner call saved Alex and Stephanie – a long blast on a car horn from the direction of the cul-de-sac.

“Tickle ‘em anyway?” Jenny asked.

“Nah, we can do that some other time,” Nicholas said – like most teenage guys, he was always hungry. “It’s time to eat – let’s turn ‘em loose.”

“Well, OK,” Jenny said reluctantly, and the two almost-ticklers started removing the bonds. Suits me fine, thought Stephanie – she wasn’t in the mood to be tickled.

Julie and Katie joined them, and they ate sitting cross-legged on the front lawn. Young people were starting to drift over to Brittany’s house next door by the time the sibs finished eating – Nicholas and the three younger sisters joined the crowd.

Alex took Stephanie indoors to change. Alex finished first and flopped down on her tummy on her bed, idly kicking her feet in the air. Stephanie tugged at the borrowed bikini – it was a little snug, but it would do. Good thing Alex has big boobs and broad hips, she thought.

“Hey, what’s this?” Stephanie said, and picked up a pinned button off Alex’s dresser, the sort of thing movie studios hand out to promote new releases. It was an old one – T3, it said. “You’re an action movie fan?”

Alex laughed. “Is club member button from college,” she said. “Nicole Wade has one too.”

“The Terminators?” Stephanie said, perplexed.

“No, Tee-Three,” Alex answered. “For Tennessee Toe Ticklers. I am member of Commonwealth University chapter of East Tennessee Songbird Society.”

“Why songbirds? Isn’t that a non-sequitur?” This is getting weird, thought Stephanie.

Alex grinned mischievously. “We make each other sing,” she said. “I have very nice singing voice.”

“Make each other sing?” Stephanie asked. “Oh, I get it – you tickle each other.”

“Yah, is fun,” Alex said. She stood up. “Let’s go to party.”

I just learned something, thought Stephanie – Alex likes tickling. We’ll have get together some time and explore a little.

The pool party was in full swing by the time they got there. This was a small town, so Stephanie had met most of the others at school, though she didn’t know all of them well. She and Alex got glasses of punch and hung out by the pool, passing the time with Julie. Emily MacDonald joined them – she was petite and youthful-looking, with a glorious fiery red mane that fell to her shoulder blades, jade green eyes and that lovely fair skin that only redheads have. She just missed being beautiful. She and Julie were members of another club, she said – the Red-Headed League.

Somebody had spiked the punch – it had a kick. Stephanie started feeling the effects. She ditched her glass and jumped into the pool.

Somebody started a water fight – the next 10 minutes were a kaleidoscope of splashing, laughing, dunking, shouts, girlish squeals and various foul blows. Stephanie changed sides twice – helped Alex dunk Emily, teamed up with Emily to put Alex under, then immediately ambushed Emily again. The two girls and one of the guys ganged up on her, and Stephanie went under.

She surfaced spluttering and blowing. The battle was over by then. Stephanie looked around. “Where’s my brother?” she asked.

“With my sister,” Alex answered.

“Did you see where they got off to?” Stephanie asked.

A sudden burst of ticklish laughter came from the direction of the porch.

“Oops! Never mind,” Stephanie said. “Maybe we should...”

The laughter got louder, wilder. “I’ll put a stop to it,” Julie said, and climbed out of the pool.

“Take your time,” Alex said. “Serves her right anyway.”

The laughter stopped after a while. “Seems to me they’re getting along just fine,” Stephanie observed. She shivered. “Let’s dry off for a while – I didn’t grow up swimming in ice water like you did.”

They got glasses of the spiked punch and went looking for their hostess. They caught Brittany in transit, carrying an empty plastic tub toward the house. Brittany was Alex’s friend and neighbor, but Stephanie didn’t know her well – Brittany had been a year ahead of her at school.

Brittany was unusual for an American of her generation – her ancestry was 100% Italian, through four generations all the way back to Ellis Island a century ago. It showed – she was a Mediterranean cutie with curves in all the right places, long dark hair, dark brows and lashes, brown eyes and a life guard tan.

“Great party, Brittany,” Stephanie said. “Thanks for having us.”

“Glad to have you,” Brittany said. She took a closer look. “Whose swim suit is that? It looks like it was sprayed on.”

Stephanie blushed. “I borrowed it from Alex,” she said. “I crashed your party – didn’t know about it until I got to Alex’s place.”

“Damn, I wish I looked that good,” Brittany said admiringly. She shifted her grip on the tub. “Excuse me – right now I need to get some more ice. Have fun.”

They went back to the pool and joined a game of water-volleyball. Stephanie supposed that there were rules, but nobody paid any attention to them. They weren’t even keeping score – everybody was too busy dunking and splashing each other – but it was fun anyway.

The game broke up, and the pool emptied out. The girls got fresh drinks and sat down on the edge, feet dangling in the water.

“Mind if we join you?”

Stephanie looked around, saw Brittany’s older sisters Vicky and Veronica. They were “mirror twins” – identical, but Vicky was a lefty and Veronica was right handed. It was just about the only way to tell them apart. They were two years older than Brittany, medium height, with wavy dark brown hair worn shoulder length, dark brows and lashes, brown eyes, summer tans. Their bikinis showed off their trim and fit figures and great legs to excellent advantage.

“Not at all,” Alex said. “Is your place anyway.”

“Thanks for having us,” Stephanie added.

The twins sat on either side of Stephanie and Alex. “Happy to have you,” one of them (Vicky?) said. “Any friend of Alex is our friend too,” her twin (Veronica?) added. This past spring, the twins had tricked and tickled Stephanie’s friend Kelly – Stephanie and a group of friends had ambushed and gang-tickled the twins in retaliation. But none of them held a grudge – getting tickled silly was just a normal hazard for the young women in this town.

They spent some time getting acquainted. The twins were decent enough, Stephanie supposed. But they had the disconcerting habit of sharing their half of a conversation with others. They did it rapid-fire, relay-style, finishing each other’s sentences and so forth. It was uncanny and disorienting, as though they were telepathic.

The twins excused themselves after a while and went to be with other guests. Stephanie and Alex stood up and went looking for fresh drinks. On their way back, they saw Brittany sitting at a table by the pool, playing some sort of card game. It seemed to involve just a few cards, and it was lightning fast. They drifted over to check it out.

“What’s she playing?” Anne Kincaid asked from behind Stephanie. She was Brittany’s age, a pretty girl with a Southern accent, a great body, long light brown hair, long lashes and dazzling hazel eyes. Like Alex, she was new in town – her family had moved here at the beginning of summer.

Stephanie turned, saw the twins and Sara Rosen with Anne. The twins shrugged. “New to us,” one of them (Veronica?) said.

“Dunno either,” Sara said. “Let’s wait and see.” Sara had long dark brown hair, beautiful green eyes, a deep tan, and a fit, toned body. Some quirk of her genetics had given her a Dolly Parton build – she was a small girl with a slender waist and amazing upper body development. Stephanie knew Sara by reputation – even the guys thought Sara was over-the-top.

Brittany looked up from her cards. “Anybody interested in a card game?” she asked. “With a little wager to make it interesting?”

“C’mon, Sara, let’s try our luck,” Anne said.

“Fine with me,” Sara said. “How does this game work, Brittany?”

Brittany spread her cards out on the table, face down – there were just three, bent and humped up along the centerline in the long direction. She turned them over, one by one – the King and Jack of Spades and the Queen of Diamonds.

“We play with the King and Knave of Swords and the Queen of Diamonds,” Brittany said. “Because swords and diamonds are a girl’s best friends. Your object is to catch the Queen – I’ll try to keep you from doing that. Each point is worth 5 minutes of tickle torture. We’ll play 10 rounds and settle up.”

“Side bets allowed?” Anne asked.

“Hey, why not?” Brittany said. “That’ll just be more fun for me and more tickle torture for you.”

Most people were in the pool again, so there weren’t many onlookers – just the two friends, plus Julie and the twins. Stephanie and Alex got fresh drinks and watched the game.

Brittany started shuffling the cards around, picking them up and flicking them down – the action was so fast that the cards seemed to blur in Brittany’s hands. Anne and Sara made their bets, Brittany turned up one card. Each play took just a few seconds. And Brittany whistled some tune as she played – after a while, Stephanie realized it was the Monty Python theme, John Philip Sousa’s “Liberty Bell March”. The game lasted just 5 minutes, side bets and all.

“Hmm...” Brittany said. “Looks like... OK, I get to tickle Sara for 5 minutes,” she said. “And Anne gets 5 minutes on each of us. Settle up, or play again?”

“I feel lucky,” Anne said. “Let it ride. Sara?”

“I’m out,” Sara said. “I’ll just watch. Maybe make a side bet or two.”

“It’s more interesting with two players,” Brittany said. She looked over at the spectators. “How about you, Julie? Or Alex?”

“Nah, I’m a chess player,” Julie said. “Alex too.”

“Stephanie?” Brittany offered.

“C’mon, Stephanie, we can beat her,” Anne said. “This was my first time, and I’m already 5 minutes up on her. It’s not that hard.”

Stephanie wasn’t a drinker – the spiked punch had gone right to her head and affected her judgement. “I guess I could play one game,” she said. “Sure, I’ll play.”

“OK, step right up,” Brittany said. “You heard the rules, right?” She started moving the face-down cards around, slowly at first, then faster and faster. “Round and round, and around she goes, where she stops, nobody knows!”

Behind Brittany, Emily blew past, running flat out with Anne’s boyfriend Michael Gabreski in hot pursuit. Michael caught her – there was a brief struggle, then Emily ended up on her back with her feet up and gravity working against her. Michael was a big guy – he had both of Emily’s ankles trapped in one big hand.

“Tickle tickle!” Michael said, and flicked his nails on Emily’s upturned soles in a guitar-chording motion. Emily squirmed like a worm and laughed her head off, her fair skin turning pink from laughing.

Brittany stopped. “Hey, d’you mind?” she called out. “We’re trying to play cards here!”

“I don’t mind at all!” Michael called back. He picked up the pace – Emily’s helpless laughter went off the scale as his nails scratched and scrabbled. “Hey Anne, want some of this?” he asked. “You don’t mind, do you, Emily?”

But Emily was laughing much too hard to answer. She was completely overcome by the tickling – she couldn’t move, probably couldn’t form a coherent thought.

“We gonna play or not?” Anne demanded.

Brittany turned back to her cards. “You bet!” she said, and started the cards back in motion, faster than before.

“Side bet,” Sara said. “Brittany’s gonna win this time.”

“”I’ll take that bet,” Stephanie said, watching the cards closely and doing her best to ignore Emily’s ticklish laughter.

“Another side bet,” Sara said. “That Brittany wins by 2 points per player or less.”

“I’ll take it,” Brittany said. Her hands speeded up. “I’ll beat both of ‘em by better than 2 points. Get ready to laugh, Sara!”

Brittany finally won, but by only one point each. By that time, Michael had quit tickling Emily – Stephanie didn’t see either of them. The twins brought the players another round of drinks – Stephanie hesitated, but she had a buzz going already so what the hell. She ignored Alex’s warning look and downed half of it in a single gulp.

“OK, here’s our scores,” Brittany said. “I get to tickle Anne and Stephanie for 5 minutes each. Sara gets to tickle me and Stephanie for 5 minutes each. Anne, you’re the big winner – 10 minutes on Stephanie.”

“That’s rough, Stephanie,” Sara said sympathetically. “Brittany, could you play one more round, give Stephanie a chance to catch up?”

“I suppose,” Brittany said grudgingly. “Everybody else OK with that?”

“I’m out,” Anne said.

Stephanie finished her drink. “I’ll go for it. Set ‘em up.”

“Side bet,” Sara said. “On Brittany to win.”

“I’ll take it,” Stephanie said, and stifled a belch – the wine in the punch was having its way with her. “My luck has got to change.”

Brittany whistled a bit of “Liberty Bell”. “OK, here we go,” she said. “Find the lady!”

Stephanie didn’t. “Go again?” Brittany asked.

Sara must have lost interest – she was talking to Alex, not really watching the game. “Yah, my dad’s coming up on the Big Five-O too, just like yours,” she said. “I think getting old bothers him...”

“Oops!” Brittany said. “Shit! Look what I’ve done.” She had knocked over and spilled her own drink on the table top – it was flowing across the playing area. She scooped up the cards. “I guess the game’s over. Find me something to mop this up with, somebody.”

Stephanie looked away, trying to figure the score in her head, but she couldn’t quite focus. She saw Emily standing in the driveway, talking with her dad. The man shook his head, said something and walked away.

“OK, here’s what we’ve got,” Brittany said. “Last game, I won 5 minutes of tickle torture on Sara,” she said. “And Anne won 5 minutes on each of us. This time, Sara beat Anne and me by one point each on side bets, and I beat Anne by one. Huh – it all cancels out.”

“How about me?” Stephanie asked. “I’ve lost track.”

“The final score after the last round gives me... Mmm... 10 minutes of tickle time on you, and Sara another 10 minutes,” Brittany said. “Anne already has 10 minutes coming. Stephanie, looks to me like you’re in for some serious tickle torture.”

“Is too much,” Alex protested. “Brittany, can’t you...”

“Never mind, Alex,” Stephanie said. “I can take it. I’ve had lots of practice.” They don’t know the half of it, she thought.

“Way to go, Little Sis!” Vicky said.

“We never thought you’d pull it off,” Veronica added.

“Pay me,” Brittany said smugly. “You first, Vicky. Over here – we’ll do a chair tie. Another side bet,” she explained to the others.

“You too, Stephanie,” Sara said.

Brittany was prepared – she dumped a collection of nylon straps out of a canvas tote onto the table. She strapped Vicky’s wrists together behind her back. Vicky sat in one of the white plastic poolside chairs, put her ankles up on the arm of another. Brittany strapped Vicky into her chair, tied her ankles together and tied them off to the chair arm.

Sara did the same with Stephanie, side by side next to Vicky. Brittany sat at Vicky’s feet, Sara at Stephanie’s.

“Ready for a dose of misery?” Sara asked.

“Hee! Ah-haha! HAHA! HAHAHA! HAHA-HAHA-HAHAHAHAHA!” Vicky laughed as Brittany started in on her, flicking her nail tips in Vicky’s arches and tickling like crazy.

“Not too much, Sara,” Julie said. “Go easy on her.”

Veronica made a rude noise. “Get her good,” she said. “I want to hear her laugh.”

“Coming right up,” Sara said, and held back Stephanie’s toes. Stephanie felt fingernails just touching her soles – Sara was teasing her. Then Stephanie felt Sara’s nails flick her soles – suddenly she was laughing her head off, squirming and straining against her bonds, trying desperately to escape the tickling. She heard Vicky’s laughter through a haze of tickle torture – Brittany was really getting Vicky good! But Sara’s tickling fingernails forced wave after wave of ticklish laughter from Stephanie, and the tickling sensation crowded out all coherent thought.

Sara tickled a stretched out sole in the exact middle, along the crease. Stephanie howled with forced mirth as Sara tickled across the balls of both feet to the other sole. Sara drew fast, looping figure-eight’s on the balls of both feet, covering every square inch of sensitive skin with unbearable tickling. Sara tickled her soles, from the left to the right and back again, fingernails flying, while ticklish laughter poured out in a flood.

Streams of laughter poured out of Stephanie as Sara tickled down the arches with her nail tips, making little contact but tickling like crazy. Then onto the sweet spots – Stephanie’s heels, where it tickled unbearably – and Stephanie laughed at the top of her lungs. Sara kept it up, and Stephanie laughed and laughed – it didn’t last forever, but it seemed that way.

Vicky was still laughing beside her, harder now, as Brittany’s tickling fingernails roamed her sensitive soles. “OK, I guess your time’s up,” Stephanie heard Brittany say through her own helpless laughter. “But first...” She gave Vicky’s arches another burst of tiny nail flicks, tickling back onto the heels, and Vicky’s laughter went off the scale. Brittany speeded up and tickled Vicky’s breath away.

“You too, girlfriend,” Sara said, tickling Stephanie’s heels at warp speed. Stephanie’s laughter went off the charts – she ran out of air, and mercifully, the tickling stopped.

Stephanie took long deep breaths, eyes closed, tears of laughter running down her cheeks. It tickled so much! And there was lots more coming...

“Are you OK, Stephanie?” Alex asked, sounding concerned.

“Yah... Couldn’t... be better...” Stephanie gasped out. False bravado for the audience – the tickling scene had drawn a crowd of onlookers.

Anne traded with Sara. “Sara went easy on you,” she said, ignoring Sara’s indignant expression. “I won’t.”

“Good luck, Veronica,” Vicky said – her voice was a little rough from laughing. “Brittany outdid herself on me – you’re in for a real treat.” Stephanie blinked away tears and looked over – the twins had traded places, now Veronica was tied up in the other chair.

Veronica looked back at Stephanie. “Brittany’s just getting warmed up,” she said. “I’ll get it worse than Vicky, but you...” She shook her head.

“Veronica talks too much,” Anne said. “See what you can do about that, Brittany.”

“Bring it on,” Veronica said, and winked at Stephanie. “Anne, you too. Tickle us sill– Eee! Hehe! HAHAHA-AHAHA-HAHAHAHA!”

Veronica laughed at the top of her lungs as Brittany tickled her, fingernails flicking the sensitive soles. Anne spread Stephanie’s right little and next toes and scratched between them – Stephanie let out a startled yelp, and then she was singing a ticklish duet with Veronica, laughing in two-part harmony.

Anne tickled between each pair of toes, each time getting a wild burst of laughter from Stephanie. She tickled down Stephanie’s soles and arches, onto the heels, and back up to the soles. Stephanie felt her toes twitch and curl as musical ticklish laughter poured out of her. She heard Veronica laughing helplessly beside her, blinked away tears to look – Veronica was red-faced, sweaty, her cheeks streaked with tears. But Anne tickled Stephanie’s heels two-handed, and Stephanie lost it. She laughed at the top of her lungs – it tickled horribly!

Still tickling the heels with one hand, Anne held Stephanie’s toes back with the other. Stephanie laughed helplessly as Anne shifted her tickle target, flicking and scratching the stretched out soles. Anne made a Peace sign and scratched the balls of both feet at the same time, just behind the big toes, until Stephanie thought she would go crazy. Anne eased off – Stephanie dropped back to normal rated laughter as the tickling moved down her soles and into her arches. Anne lingered there, drawing wavy lines and other tickling shapes – beside them, Veronica’s ticklish laughter went off the scale. Then heel tickling again – Anne tickled the sweet spots, fingernails flying, and tickled Stephanie into gasping, red faced silent laughter.

“Not bad... at all...” Veronica said. She took a deep breath. “Woo! That really, really tickled!”

“We taught you well, Grasshopper,” Vicky added.

“How many times did you two tickle the shit out of me?” Brittany asked rhetorically. “I know all about tickling from the inside – it was a real learning experience.”

“Glad we could help,” Veronica said.

“Want some more lessons?” Vicky asked, making tickling motions in the air.

Brittany blew a raspberry at them – a juicy one, with tremolo.

Anne stood up, cracking her knuckles. Stephanie was gasping for air, red faced and sweaty, cheeks streaked with tears. She blinked away tears and looked around. Brittany and Vicky were untying Veronica. There was still a crowd of onlookers. Alex and Julie were still watching, Nicholas and Jenny had joined them, Emily looked on expressionlessly from the back of the crowd.

“Don’t you think she’s had enough?” Nicholas asked. “You’ve been tickling her for 20 minutes now.”

Stephanie had her breath back by then. “Like you don’t?” she said.

“Not like that!” he said. “It’s too much!”

“I lost fair and square, Nicholas,” Stephanie said. Emily frowned – what was that about? “I owe Brittany 10 more minutes,” she continued. “It won’t kill me.”

“Whoever named this street must’ve had ESP,” Brittany said. She sat down next to Stephanie’s feet. “Well, you’re in for a treat too, Stephanie,” she added. “I’m a much better tickler than Anne and Sara.”

“Oh, just get it over with,” Stephanie said. I’ve been tickled by experts, she thought. Just 10 minutes more, and we’ll be finished.

“Coming right up,” Brittany said. She flicked her nails on Stephanie’s ticklish heels, and Stephanie burst into wild helpless laughter.

Brittany tickled two-handed up the arches to the soles, then spread Stephanie’s toes apart two by two, tickling between each pair. Stephanie laughed like a madwoman, tears of laughter running down her face. Brittany held Stephanie’s toes back and scrabbled her nails on the soft skin underneath, then across both soles, side to side, over and over. Then two fingernails, drawing circles around and onto the balls of both feet, and Stephanie laughed at the top of her lungs.

Brittany had a delicate touch that kept Stephanie laughing wildly but didn’t tickle her out. She tickled the centers of the soles and onto the arches behind, forcing a solid stream of ticklish laughter. Stephanie laughed and laughed as Brittany tickled her arches two-handed, drawing circles, figure-eight’s and other tickling shapes. Brittany kept it up – Stephanie was in the zone now, all she could do was laugh like mad.

Brittany spider walked her nails down Stephanie’s arches onto the ticklish heels – each heel got four fingernail strokes in succession, three times a second. Stephanie went crazy, bucking and squirming, laughing her head off. Brittany eased off and prolonged the tickle torture – arches, heels, under the toes, heels, soles, heels again. Brittany speeded up, tickling the heels mercilessly, and Stephanie’s laughter went off the charts – she laughed wildly, helplessly, at the top of her lungs, and ran out of air. Brittany had tickled her breath away.

“Good one, Brittany!” Vicky said.

“Couldn’t do better myself,” Veronica added.

“I do my poor best,” Brittany replied with false modesty. Stephanie sat there gasping, trying to get her breathing and heart rate normal again. Brittany really was a better tickler – Stephanie knew she couldn’t have taken much more.

The crowd of spectators dispersed. Brittany untied Stephanie – Emily and Nicholas helped her to stand up. Stephanie wobbled – she was a little shaky. Her throat was dry, her face was streaked with tears, her abs felt like they had been beaten with a board.

“You OK?” Brittany asked.

“Yah,” Stephanie said. “But I need a drink bad.”

“You know where they are,” Brittany said. “I need a bathroom – back in five.”

“Got time to talk, Stephanie?” Emily asked. “C’mon, let’s get you a Coke and go for a walk.” Stephanie downed the Coke in two long gulps – she was that dry.

The sidewalk felt rough under Stephanie’s bare feet, with a lingering trace of the day’s warmth. She shivered a little – the sarong just covered her from the hips down, and the bikini top provided no warmth at all.

“Brittany worked all three of us over pretty good,” Stephanie said. Was it her imagination, or did her feet still tingle from the tickling? “I’ve heard her sisters tickle her a lot,” she continued. “They’re gonna want revenge after this.”

“They don’t need an excuse,” Emily said. “They tickle her all the time anyway, and Brittany deserves it. Are you OK, Stephanie?”

“I’m fine,” Stephanie said, though she really wasn’t. She was hoarse from laughing, and her abs and ribs ached. Well, it could’ve been worse. It has been worse... “I just had some bad luck, that’s all,” she said.

“That wasn’t bad luck,” Emily said flatly. “You poor wide-eyed innocent, you fell for the oldest scam of them all.”

Stephanie looked at Emily sharply. “Scam? What do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean Three Card Monte,” Emily said. “It’s a variation on the Shell Game – “find the pea” – and that one’s as old as agriculture, 10,000 yrs or more.” Emily looked exasperated. “Look, Three Card Monte isn’t a card game, it’s all sleight of hand. Brittany probably played it honestly with just three cards – she’s a good enough card mechanic. But it wouldn’t surprise me if there was an extra card in the game – palm the Queen and substitute another black King, swap them back and forth. Would you have seen it if she had?”

“N– no, probably not.” Stephanie admitted.

“Damn right you wouldn’t,” Emily said. “I didn’t, and I was looking for it.”

“But the others...” Stephanie started.

“Were in it up to their necks,” Emily interrupted. “Not the twins, though they did have a bet going with Brittany – probably over whether she’d get away with it. But Anne was the roper – she sucked you in. Sara was the lookout, and both of them were shills. Notice how their “winnings” canceled out? Except with you – you were the big loser, just like they planned. And Michael was the muscle – Anne gave him a sign, and he tickled me silly so I couldn’t warn you.”

“Why muscle, and why a lookout?” Stephanie asked.

“Because Three Card Monte is illegal everywhere,” Emily explained. “My dad’s a cop. Notice how Brittany folded the game when he showed up?”

“How did she know he was there?” This was getting stranger all the time!

“Sara told her,” Emily said. “Remember she said “Five-O”? That’s as in, “Book ‘em, Dano,” from that old TV cop show. Five-O is street talk for The Law.”

“Then why didn’t– ”

“He let it pass because no money changed hands,” Emily said. “And because no harm was done.”

“No harm!” Stephanie said indignantly. “They just about tickled me to death! Why did they do it?”

“Sara, because she has a reputation to live down to,” Emily said. “Anne, because she’s full of mischief. Brittany? Just because she can. She’s a lot like her sisters in that respect.”

“Because she can?” Stephanie asked. “That’s why she tickle tortured me?”

“Nothing personal, could’ve been any of the girls there,” Emily said. “It just happened to be you they scammed. And Brittany’s an honest grifter,” Emily continued. “She gave you fair warning. Remember the tune she was whistling?”

“Yah, Monty Python,” Stephanie said, and then the realization hit her, like a cartoon light bulb over her head. “Monty Python. Three Card Monte.” She shook her head. “And I fell for it anyway. Geez Louise, I feel dumb.”

“Sousa almost called that tune “The Devil’s Deputy” – “Liberty Bell” was an afterthought,” Emily said. “Care to bet that Brittany knows that too?”

Stephanie laughed, then winced – her ribs and abs were pretty sore. “No bet,” she said.

Emily laughed too. “You’re learning,” she said.

“C’mon, let’s go back,” Stephanie said. “My brother’s probably wondering where we got off to.”

“Now tell me,” Emily said. “What’s the take-home lesson?”

“Don’t play cards with Brittany?”

Emily sighed and shook her head. “No,” she said. “That’s just part of it, and the smallest part at that...” And suddenly Stephanie was on her tummy on the grass, with Emily sitting on her facing aft. Emily grabbed Stephanie’s ankles, pulled, and wrapped a leg around Stephanie’s shins, tucking the foot under the upraised knee of the other leg in the figure-four leg lock. The redhead was unbelievably fast – Stephanie was laughing her head off before she quite knew what happened.

“Have I got your attention yet?” Emily asked, raising her voice over the ticklish laughter. “The real lesson is Trust No One.”

Emily made a claw of her right hand, then raked it down Stephanie’s right foot, making four fast zig-zag parallel lines and applying just enough pressure to tickle unbearably. Emily repeated on the left foot, then the right, then left again – Stephanie laughed with wild abandon.

“Really tickles, doesen’t it?” Emily asked again. She tickled Stephanie’s heels two handed, and Stephanie’s laughter went off the scale. “Think of it as a learning experience.”


***THE END***


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