Erica passed through the common room and knocked on Alicia's door. There was no reply, so Erica tried the handle. Locked.
She wondered where her friend could be. They had agreed to meet sometime this Sunday morning, and though they had not set a definite time, Erica had been certain that her best friend would not get up this early. It was only 10AM!
Erica left a short note on Alicia's white board, and started to back to her own room down the hall. But then, seeing the big screen TV in the common room, she decided to hang around for a few minutes in case Alicia was out on a short errand.
She plopped down in the comfy sofa across from the TV. With her soft flannel PJs and fuzzy socks, she was cozy and warm. She hunted around for the TV clicker, but didn't see it within reach. Instead of searching for it, Erica put her head down on a throw pillow and drifted off for a quick catnap.
She woke up, a half hour later, to the sound of the TV and a football game. Sitting on the opposite end of the couch, to her left, was Alicia's twin brother, Cam. Cam's friend Tom was in the Lazy Boy chair to her right. Erica rubbed her eyes.
"Hey Cam, Hey Tom. I must have dozed off.' Erica stifled a yawn, and sat up. 'Did Alicia get back yet?"
Cam continued to watch the game. "Haven't seen her. She said we could come over today to watch the game." He turned toward Erica, "Is that OK? I mean, if the TV is bugging you, we can go."
Erica smiled at him. "No problem, Cam. I'm up now. And I love football," she lied.
Tom laughed. "Yeah right. You love football."
Erica was a bit hurt by Tom's sarcastic tone.
She said, "As a matter of fact I *do* love football. I used to watch with my dad when I was a kid." Another lie. "Who is playing?"
Tom smiled. "Well, that team in the white and blue there, that's Duke. And the red and white team is North Carolina State University. Who do you like to win?'
Erica nonchalantly said 'Oh definitely North Carolina State.'
Cam grinned and nodded his approval. 'Well they were certainly the favorite, Erica. Undefeated so far this season.'
Erica stuck her tongue out at Tom. 'See, I do know something about football, Tom. So there.'
Tom shook his head. 'I call it a smug lucky guess. And even if they are favored by a mile, as a real aficionado of sports, I'm confident that Duke is going to win this game.'
Erica was becoming more annoyed with Tom. 'Seems like you're the smug one, Tom,' she replied. Looking at the screen, she saw that the score was 0-0. The game was still in the first quarter. 'Maybe you should put your money where your mouth is,' she said. 'Want to bet ten bucks on the game?'
'I could never take your money,' Tom declared. 'It wouldn't be fair, since I know so much more about the game than you do.'
'Sound's like you're chicken,' Erica smiled.
Tom shook his head, and looked over at Cam, who was snickering. 'She's got you there, Tom.
Tom said, 'OK, I can't take your money, but if NC State wins this game, I'll take those pom poms of the shelf over there and do a cheer for you in my underwear.'
Cam burst out laughing. 'I'd like to see that.'
Tom went on, 'But if Duke wins, it will be your cute butt shimmying out a cheer in your underwear.'
Erica looked at Cam. 'Undefeated? How about Duke?'
'One and three for the season so far, I think,' he replied.
Erica was ready to rub it in. 'How about if you make that cheer at intermission in your underwear if NC State is ahead, and then stay in your underwear until the end of the game. If they win the game, you give me another cheer, except this time buck naked!'
'Seriously?' Tom replied. 'First of all, it is called halftime, not intermission. Let's just stick to the underwear cheer. I'm telling you, I know a lot about these teams and this game.'
'No way, 'Erica replied. ' You dug this hole for yourself. And I am looking forward to seeing your floppy parts bouncing around. I might even invite some of the other gals to watch, unless you're nice to me. Now put up or shut up.' She held out her hand.
Tom reached over and shook it. 'You're on babe.' Just then, NC State scored a field goal.
'Yay!' Erica yelled out. 'Looks like I'm sitting pretty,' she sang out, cheerfully.
Tom grinned. 'We'll see, Erica.'
At halftime, NC State was down 10-14 after a last second interception and touchdown by Duke.
When time expired, Tom jumped up from the couch. 'No way!' Erica exclaimed. 'I can't believe it.' Tom and Cam laughed hysterically. Tom stood up and pumped a fist in the air.
'YES! I told you. Now let me get those pom-poms for you!'
He walked over to the shelf, and tossed the pom-poms to Erica. 'off with that kit, girl. And I want a real cheer here. Nothing half hearted.
Cam applauded the unfolding scene. Tom said, 'OK, Erica, a promise is a promise.'
She stood in front of the TV, and put the pom poms on the floor in front of her. 'This will be you in an hour, Tom,' She said, but without as much confidence as she had a few minutes earlier, when she had foolishly taunted Tom just before the unexpected turn of the game.
'Yeah, yeah, we'll see,' Tom said. But I'll tell you what. 'If you do the cheer naked now, I won't gather all of our friends for the your next cheer at the finale when the Wolfpack lose this game. In fact, if you do it naked now, we can call the rest of the bet off.'
Erica considered that. No. It would be too humiliating. And it was evidence that he was worried. He was trying to get out of the bet.
'No, thank you tom. She said. 'Let's just play this thing out.'
Erica unbuttoned her flannel Pajama top, and let it fall from her shoulders to the floor. She wore a modest white bra that adequately covered her petite breasts. (In truth, she had slipped off to her room just after the first quarter of play and put this bra on. Cam and Tom needn't know that her underwear at the time of the bet did not include a bra.) Nevertheless, she felt quite exposed to these two ogling men. She then slipped her fingers into the waistband of her pajama bottoms, and pushed them to the ground. Her underpants were also white and modest. She lkep on her fuzzy pink socks, and picked up the pom poms.
Erica had been a cheerleader in high school, so she knew what to do. She pushed aside her embarrassment, stared directly at a spot on the wall in the back of the room, and juped in the air, spreading her arms and legs immodestly: 'Gimmee an N!....'
She proceeded to spell out 'NC State,' flailing in her underwear and cheering enthusiastically. Cam and Tom laughed uproariously from their perch on the couch. When it was over, they gave her a standing ovation.
'Bravo,' Cam yelled, 'Well done, Erica. I can't wait for the second half! Want to watch in your underwear?'
'Doesn't seem like I have much choice,' she replied, flush from jumping around. She put her pajamas in a pile by the TV, and settled back onto the couch between the two men. She strategically placed a throw pillow in her lap, to regain just a smidgen of modesty.
As the third quarter began, Alicia arrived.
Alicia stopped short after opening the door to the common room to find her brother and his friend on the couch, bookends for her nearly naked friend. 'Hi Cam, Hi Tom. Erica, baby, what are you doing in your underwear?'
Erica blushed deeply, and Cam spoke up. 'Tom and Erica made a bet on the game. Erica lost the first half of the bet, and you jus missed her giving us a halftime show of cheerleading in her underwear!'
Erica shot back, defensively 'But I'm going to win the next half, Alicia, and we're going to get to see Tom do some naked cheerleading at the end of the game.'
Alicia's mouth hung open. 'Well I'll be darned.'
Tom added, 'Actually, I think it's going to be Erica doing the naked cheerleading. But it will be fun for you either way.'
You can say that again, Alicia replied. I'll be right out to join you. Alicia went over to her dorm suite door and unlocked it. Erica jumped up and said. I'm so glad you got back, Alicia, I was afraid they were going to make me go down the hall in my undies to pee. Now I can just use yours. She raced past Alicia and into the bathroom.
After Erica had closed the bathroom door, Alicia turned to Cam and asked quietly, 'Did you tell her that the game was recorded, Cam?'
Cam and Tom grinned broadly. Well no, that never came up, Cam replied, shrugging.
'Just checking,' Alicia said, settling into the Lazy Boy and shaking her head with a giggle. 'She certainly is a gullible one, my Erica.'