Horse

“I’m not exactly dressed for running around,” Larry murmured. You snorted. You had little doubt that it was more than Larry didn’t like running around than the clothes he had on. Despite his bigger size and rather trim appearance, you were probably the better athlete.

“I donae t’ink Coach wou’ be happy about Pat’s shoes leaving scuff marks on the floor either.” Shannon added. Despite your desire to see Larry have to run around, you were kind of glad you wouldn’t have to. Your shoes were rather tight. Your blouse was not built for strenuous activity. And you really didn’t want to try to run around in a knee length skirt.

“No problem…” You said. You immediately kicked off your shoes. Your toes were glad to be free, but you had to move carefully to avoid slipping.

“Some sort of shooting contest then.” Marcus started.

“Horse is the only one I can think of.” Larry said.

“HORSE it is!” Tom exclaimed.

“Rules!” Marcus called out. “Standard game of HORSE. We take turns shooting the ball. If you miss, the next shooter gets to chose what shot they want to take. If you make it, we keep trying to make that shot until someone misses or the original shooter has made the shot a second time. Backboard and rim don’t count unless specifically called.” Everyone nodded their understanding.

“Strip rules.” the big man continued, “If you miss a shot that someone made; instead of adding a letter, you have to take off a piece of clothing. Shoes and socks don’t count.”

“That means any accessory Cindy!” Tom added. He ignored the tongue that she stuck out at him.

“What if you don’t have anything left to take off?” Larry asked.

“Then you’re out of the game.” Marcus answered.

“How about coming up with an alternative forfeit?” Cindy asked. Marcus frowned. It was clear that Cindy was up to something. Most likely she figured she could bat her eyes at the guys to get an extra try.

“Okay,” Marcus conceded, “The original shooter can have the person who missed do something for up to 10 minutes; 2 minutes for every person who made the shot. Of course, once you hear the proposed forfeit, you can decline. But if you accept and cum or fail to perform the task, you are out and your penalty for losing the game doubles. Any objections?” Cindy didn’t look happy about Marcus’ suggestion, but said nothing. You shrugged. It wouldn’t hurt to hear what it would take to stay in the game.

“Finally, you get up 30 minutes to do what you want from anyone you eliminate. And the winner or winners get an additional hour.” Marcus announced. “Any objections?” Any concerns you had disappeared as you took another drink from the bottle.

“Good!” the black man said as no one spoke, “The only question that remains is who gets to start.”