Taylor explains a few "traditions" first

The next couple of days of practice are fairly uneventful but pretty unproductive as well. While most of the girls have stopped actively giving you a hard time, Jessica and Debbie still act as if they can do whatever they want, most of them only seem interested in racing each other.

One day while having lunch with your new friend Taylor you talk about their compulsive desire to race each other.  ?Yeah the first week is always the worst for forfeits? she replies.

  ?Forfeits?? you ask.

  Her large blue eyes blink in surprise, ?Oh my gosh, you mean nobody told you about the forfeit bets??

  ?No, what are they??

Taylor slides her chair closer to yours and lowers her voice.  ?You know how everybody talks about the ?Cleopatra culture? around the school?  Well forfeits are a part of it.  The girls will bet each other, it can be about anything, and the loser forfeits or concedes to doing anything the winner wants.  Most times it?s harmless like having to buy the winner lunch or do her home work.?

?I wonder can teachers participate in these forfeits??

?What? Why?  I mean yeah, why do you ask?? Taylor responds looking a little startled and grabs the bottom edge of her skirt.

?Are you ok?  I was just thinking that if coaches could challenge their students I might be able to use these forfeits to get the girls on the swim team to do some actual training.?

?Oh?, she responds with a blush, ?I know some of the coaches have done that with their teams, and some teachers have tried that with some of the more difficult students, but it could backfire on you.?

?Backfire how??

?Well if you lose than you would have to perform a forfeit for whoever beat you, and you have to do it.  The administration says that if a teacher tries to get out of a forfeit they?ll have to go before the disciplinary committee.?

?Have any of the teachers tried to get out of a forfeit before??

?I?ve only heard of one since I?ve been here? Taylor says looking away for a second.  ?She got put on permanent forfeit status, so they say that she has to take any forfeit challenge that her team makes.?

?So it?s one of the coaches?? you ask intrigued.

?Well that?s what I heard but nobody knows who it really is except that teacher and her team.? 

?Have you ever tried a forfeit bet with the soccer team??

?Umm? yeah a few times? she replies biting her lower lip.

?So?, you ask with a smile, ?have you ever lost a forfeit??

?A couple?, Taylor replies taking a drink, ?I?ve had to have a few of the girls over for dinner at my apartment a few times.?

?They probably smelled your cooking passing by one night.  I know whatever you made last night sure smelled good when I was sitting out on my patio.?

?Thanks? she replies with a shy smile, ?I have gotten a lot of complements on it.  But be careful you know how crazy those girls can get.  Who knows what forfeit they?ll make you do.?

?Well I beat a couple of their best before so I think I?ll be ok.  Besides, at least one of them seems to be willing to work with me.?  You decide to ask Erin about this tonight when she joins you for your run.