Jenny stood and performed a few quick stretches, flexing her knees, then bending over to touch her toes, warming up for the main event. She waved over to Ashley, her coach, who returned the gesture. Jenny was psyched. Her team had been doing well in all the day's events, and now it was her turn to show her stuff. She'd been practicing the obstacle course for weeks, going over the hurdles, through the tires, across the monkey bars, up and over the wall, across the balance beam, and through the long pipe to the finish line. She'd been amazed at her improvement, gradually shaving down her time. Her best was four minutes and 48 seconds, but Jenny felt confident she'd beat that today. Pausing momentarily to adjust her grey tube-top sports bra and matching elastic-waist running shorts, she continued her warm-up exercises.

Across the park, near the bleachers, Ashley watched Jenny, her dark sunglasses hiding the evil mischievous gleam in her eyes. She'd spent the last few weeks preparing for this, convincing Jenny to join the team, coaching and encouraging her, all in anticipation of humiliating her secret arch-rival today.

The announcer signaled the start of the obstacle course race, and the other team's runner, a small skinny girl in an orange outfit, took her position. When the gun fired, she took off, coming in with a time of 4:53, not quite as good as Jenny's personal best but enough to make her sweat. She'd have to give it her all if she was going to win.

Ashley met up with Jenny near the starting line for a final pep talk. "Okay, Jenny, that's a tough time to beat, but you've done it before. Just remember how we practiced it. I'll give you reminders."

"Thanks Ashley, you're a great coach."

"And be sure to pause and take a deep, full breath before each obstacle." Ashley patted Jenny between her shoulder blades, using the opportunity to tweak an errant thread on the back of Jenny's grey sports bra.

Jenny stepped to the starting line and awaited the shot. When it came, she sprang into action, sprinting the first short distance to the hurdles. "Remember your timing, Jenny!" called Ashley from the sidelines. Jenny counted off the steps between each leap, just as she'd practiced, and got it down perfect.

On to the tires. She took a deep breath, filling her chest with air. "Reach with your legs!" Ashley cried. Jenny did so, stretching so each foot landed perfectly inside the circle as she hopped through the series of tires. Breathed deeply again, in then out.

"Pull with your shoulders!" came Ashley's advice as Jenny grabbed the top rung of the monkey bars and began to shimmy across in record time. She dropped off on the other side, then ran to the wall. Another deep breath... and as her chest expanded Jenny thought she heard the faintest ripping sound, but pushed it out of her mind. No distractions, she thought, grabbing the rope that hung over the wall.

"Brace with your feet!" Ashley told her as Jenny began the hand-over-hand climb, her feet against the wall for added support and leverage as she hoisted herself up. At the top she gracefully swung over and slid down to the ground on the other side.

That was the hardest part, the rest was easy, Jenny told herself. Once more the deep breath, and again the curious tearing sound. But no time to think about it, on to the balance beam, and "Hold out your arms!" from Ashley. Jenny did so as she quickly placed one foot straight in front of the other, jogging down the long metal bar with perfect poise.

The blood was pounding in her head along with the sound of the crowd, so that she didn't even hear the rip a third time as she took her final deep breath before the pipe. "Now CRAWL, girlfriend!" called Ashley.

Jenny got down on all fours, and immediately noticed that this pipe looked considerably narrower than the one she'd been practicing with. Can't stop to worry about that, she decided, I'm going for the record! And she squeezed and wriggled her way into the pipe, pushing with her feet as she pulled herself through with her forearms.

From the sidelines, Ashley smirked, thinking how she'd switched the pipe with a narrower one the night before the event. Once she'd learned how small the other team's runner was, she knew only Jenny would have trouble getting through it. This should be very entertaining for the crowd, Ashley thought, and very embarrassing for Jenny!

The crowd cheered as Jenny's head and torso emerged from the other end of the pipe, but quickly dissolved into murmurs and scattered laughter when her bottom half did not immediately follow.

"Nnngh!" grunted Jenny as she struggled unsuccessfully to pull herself loose, then called out to her best friend and coach: "Ashley! Help me! I'm stuck!"

Ashley dashed over and grabbed her "friend" by the hands, and tugged with all her might. Jenny popped free, save for her gray elastic-waist shorts, which stayed behind in the pipe as Jenny slid out of them. As Ashley pulled her free, Jenny's bikini-cut panties, pink with purple polka-dots, were on display to the whole audience... but Jenny didn't yet realize it!

Blurting out a hasty thanks to Ashley, Jenny dashed the remaining yards to the finish line, met with thunderous applause the whole way. She raised her arms in triumph, once again missing the rip behind her as the crowd roared its approval. The scoreboard flashed her time, and Jenny was elated: Even with her previous predicament she'd come in at 4:47, winning the competition and setting a new personal record!

Jenny saw smiling faces, people laughing, pointing excitedly at her, even the opposing team. Some were watching through binoculars, and camera flashes were going off. Jenny thought everyone was proud of her accomplishment and just being nice, so she just basked in the glow of approval until Ashley came up and whispered, "Pssst! Jenny! Your shorts!"

"My shorts?" she asked, confused. "Well, what's wrong with them? I--"

Jenny patted both her hips where her shorts should be, but felt only soft cotton fabric and her bare legs. "I..." she trailed off as Ashley lifted her missing garment with one hand, dangling the shorts in front of her. Jenny's eyes widened and her mouth dropped agape. Almost afraid to look, she tilted her head downward and saw her embarrassing polka-dot underwear on prominent display to the entire crowd of grinning, laughing spectators.

"OHHHHH!" cried Jenny as a bright blush rose from her cheeks. She spread one hand over the front of her exposed undies, and with the other she reached for her shorts, held just out of reach by Ashley. Jenny heard one final, unmistakable tiny rip followed by a pop. "Ashley, please! Give me back my shhHHIIIIT!"

For at that moment, the back of her gray sports bra tore all the way, popping off her chest and letting her large round breasts bounce free. The crowd went wild at the sight. "EEEEEEEKKK!" wailed Jenny, clutching her exposed breasts in her other arm, her blush deepening to cover her entire face and neck. Panicked, her eyes darted about before she took off for the nearby trees, with everyone in the stands laughing at the sight of her jiggling, panty-clad, spotted bottom.

She sought sanctuary in some brush at the edge of the woods, but as she dove in the hem of her panties snagged on a twig and she felt a rush of cool air as they were ripped away, leaving her naked save for her shoes and socks! Desperate to cover herself, she grabbed a bunch of leaves from the nearest plant she could find and pressed them over her naked body.

As the first twinges of an itching sensation began to prickle on Jenny's bare skin, Ashley called out one last piece of advice from the finish line:

"Hey, Jenny! Your cover is made of poison ivy!"

(This story is Copyright © 2004 by ToddCheese.)