Twenty-One

“The game is twenty-one.” Jim started. It was a simple enough game. The first one to score twenty-one points won. You got two points for each basket you made. And if you made a basket, you got to shoot up to three free throws. Each free throw was worth a point. If you ended up with twenty points, you had to go back to thirteen.

“House rules…” Joe continued, “A missed shot that hits the rim or backboard has to be brought back to the three point line. After the third free throw, whoever has the lowest score gets the ball.” You nodded. It was an interesting variation. It would help keep things close.

“And considering the stakes,” Jim added, “A flagrant foul counts as a loss.”

“And just what are the stakes?” you asked.

“You lose,” Joe said with a smile, “You strip.” You felt your jaw tighten. Part of you was concerned about losing. After all, while you had made the girls basketball team in high school, you hadn’t been a starter. Furthermore, the others had several inches on you. That would give them quite an advantage. You had no desire to end up naked in front of a total stranger. On the other hand, you wouldn’t have minded seeing either, or both the guys naked.

“And if you have no clothes,” Linda added mischievously, “Well, that’s when the fun begins.” Your eyes narrowed as you glared at your friend. A smile appeared on Linda’s face as she realized that despite your indignation, you had made no attempt to leave or even protest.

“Shall we begin?” Jim asked when you relaxed.

“I believe you said something about a suitable handicap…” Linda reminded the boys.

“Jim and I have only our shorts and jocks.” Joe explained, “While you have four articles of clothing.”

“That’s not much of a handicap.” you observed.

“Especially since we’re not exactly dressed for basketball.” Linda added. She lifted her left foot and wiggled her ankle. She was wearing a pair of moccasins; not the best shoes for playing basketball. The pumps you had on were even worse.

“We could play in our socks” Jim suggested, “It would at least neutralize the disadvantage of you playing without proper footwear.

“That should prove interesting,” Linda murmured. “But to be fair, we should play without our shoes as well.” Before anyone could respond, Linda kicked off her moccasins. Neatly trimmed toenails were painted a pale pink. You quickly followed her example. Your toes were only a couple shades darker than Linda’s. The nylons that covered them were definitely better the pumps you had discarded and the socks that men were wearing, but not as good as being barefoot. On the other hand, they did provide some protection against the cold floorboards.

“One question,” you started, “Who do you consider to be the loser? The person with the lowest score? Or everyone but the person with twenty-one?”

“Unless you’re in a hurry to lose,” Joe answered, “Just the person with the lowest score has to take something off.”

“Of course,” Jim added, “If more than one person has the lowest score, they both have to pay the forfeit.”

“And if they have nothing to remove,” Linda continued, “They have to do whatever the winner wants for up to two minutes.”

“Any other questions?” Joe asked.

“Yeah,” you answered as you grabbed the ball from Linda, “What are we waiting for?...Check!” You tossed the ball to Joe. Joe looked at Linda and Jim before tossing you the ball and telling the others ‘Ball In!’.

“Just one more thing…” you say with a smile.