Coach Strickland maintained a severe but indifferent demeanor about the freak accident and her student’s newest dilemma. However, this was going to make Eveline’s stay at her house quite interesting.
She was dead serious about retrieving Eveline’s books before leaving the building. She accompanied the blushing student to the hallway locker where she kept her textbooks and school supplies. Fortunately the second locker opened. Unfortunately, Eveline never kept any clothing in it, just her books and supplies.
Loaded down with a stack of books in her arms, the naked student was even more nervous as she accompanied her coach along a very long deserted hallway that led to the faculty parking lot. She desperately hoped no one would see her. Fortunately both the building and the parking lot were empty, but she felt the hot sun and a light breeze hitting her bare skin as soon as they exited the building, reminding her of her nakedness.
Eveline was surprised when she saw the car that Coach Strickland was driving, so much that she momentarily forgot that she was standing in the middle of her school’s parking lot with nothing on. The vehicle was an old Fiat, a very old Fiat. A detail that made the car even more unusual was the steering wheel’s location on the right side. Obviously the car had been made for use in Europe, not the US. Noting the student’s puzzled expression, the coach commented:
“Years ago I worked as an intern at the Belgian mission to the UN. When one of the diplomats left, he sold me his car for 50 dollars, just ’cause he was eager to get rid of it. I’ve had it ever since. Now, would you like to know why I am driving a 50-dollar car with a steering wheel on the right side?”
“I… uh… I ‘spose, ma’am…”
“Because driving an expensive car is stupid, that’s why. You never get your money back on a car. So… I drive my 50-dollar car year after year and invest what I’m saving.”
Eveline was not very interested in her teacher’s lesson about saving money. She was wondering when she’d finally get a hold of some clothing. Well, it looked like it wouldn’t be for a while. First, she’d have to endure a naked ride in the coach’s weird car.
Coach Strickland did not give her companion much time to worry about her lack of clothing. As they drove away from the school, the older woman barraged her passenger with questions about her studies and how she was doing in school. Eveline was forced to admit how badly she was failing everything.
“That’s total bull-shit and we’re gonna fix it. You’re a bright girl and you have no right to flunk anything. Anyhow, I’m not gonna let it happen. It’s that simple. It’s just not gonna happen.”
There was a threatening tone in the coach’s voice that seemed to say: “shape up, or else…”
Eveline swallowed and tried to keep calm.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The stressful ride seemed to take forever, but when it finally ended Eveline was impressed with Coach Strickland’s house. It was a very nice one, on an acre plot of land in a neighborhood mostly inhabited by corporate tax-evaders and scam-artists, in other words, people doing the same thing Eveline’s mom had tried to do, but with better outcomes because they were either more lucky or smarter. The Fiat looked totally out of place in the area, but it had paid for itself many times over. The house was proof enough of that.
Eveline hoped that finally her coach would have some clothing for her, even if it didn’t properly fit. However, as the older woman invited Eveline to walk around with her and bragged about the property, there was no mention of clothing, and Eveline was too nervous to ask.
Coach Strickland told Eveline to take off her shoes as soon as they entered the house. Instead of touring her around the residence, the hostess took Eveline straight to a guest room. As soon as Eveline set down her books, the coach placed her hands on the younger woman’s bare shoulders.
“This is your room. I hope you appreciate it.”
“Yes, ma’am, I do.”
“A peaceful place to study and sleep, I would say. You won’t have to worry about distractions in here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“OK, sweetie. Get some rest. I’ll be back up in an hour. You’ve got a lot to take care of this weekend, starting with your next chemistry test.”
Oh, crap, thought Eveline to herself. She must have talked to my chemistry teacher.
The student didn’t know what to say, but forced the words “yes, ma’am” to come out of her mouth.
After the coach left to change her clothes and go back downstairs, Eveline looked around the room. It was a nice room with a study desk and a dresser. She noticed there were some books, but no computer, phone, or television. She checked the dresser, it contained some hair brushes and manicure items, but not a single item of clothing.
Exhausted emotionally and mentally, she collapsed on the bed. She took a deep breath upon realizing her coach was not about to give her anything to wear. She wondered why, but increasingly she realized there was no point in asking because the answer would be “no”.
She wondered what to do. She didn’t have the nerve to ask for any clothes, let alone insist on them. She started to resign herself to the idea that she would spend the rest of the day, and possibly the entire weekend, in the nude.
———-
The coach called Eveline to the dining area and gave her a salad, a bowl of chopped fruit, and a glass of orange juice for dinner. The meal was lighter and healthier than anything she had eaten for a long time. It was a strange meal for someone used to eating mostly junk food and leftover pizza. She already could feel the difference in her stomach at the change of diet when she finished eating. Strickland then handed the girl a toothbrush and told her to brush her teeth and return to the guest room to study.
“There are two things I’m gonna let you do in that room. Study, or sleep. That’s it. If you’re too tired to study, I want you to sleep. If you’re not sleepy, I want you to study. And if I catch you doing anything else, anything other than studying or sleeping… well, let’s just say there’ll be consequences you wouldn’t like.”
Noting the student’s scared expression, Coach Strickland continued:
“There’re two things you said you couldn’t do at your brother’s place. You couldn’t sleep, and you couldn’t study. So you’d rather go back and deal with that big party he’s having tonight?”
“No, ma’am.”
“OK, then you know what you need to do.”
The teacher slapped her right palm against her left hand in a spanking motion as a warning, then left the room.
So… for the next twelve hours Eveline’s time alternated between sleeping and catching up in her class material. If she was to save the semester, the task ahead of her was daunting, but if she put in enough time in the quiet room, she realized she might be able to pull it off. It was the first time she had ever studied in the nude, but by that time she already had been naked non-stop since the middle of the afternoon and the strangeness of her situation was starting to wear off. She did as she was told, alternating between sleeping and studying while her hostess worked on her computer in the living room.
She was studying at 2:00 in the morning when she heard the faint sound of police sirens coming from somewhere that must have been several miles away. The sirens were barely audible and never got any closer, but it sounded like there were a lot of them and their noise continued for over an hour. At the time she didn’t think anything of the distant emergency. At 4:00 a.m. she was tired enough to go back to sleep.
———-
By the next morning Coach Strickland could see that Eveline was no longer tired, but was starting to get restless from hours of reading and needed to do something more physical. She decided to have her player work her upper body. No, that did not mean going to a gym, it meant spending the morning gardening. And, of course, no mention of clothing. It turned out Eveline’s gardening outfit would be the same as her study outfit.
The coach surprised her student by wearing nothing but a cheap apron, her work boots, and a gardening hat. She was totally naked in the back and in the front was naked from the waist up. On hot days that was her normal gardening outfit. The coach was not modest about her body at all. Eveline couldn’t keep her eyes off he hostess’s exposed breasts and blushed with embarrassment every time Strickland caught her looking. Inwardly Strickland smiled with satisfaction as Eveline struggled not to stare. This is just too easy, she thought to herself. The coach had plenty of time to turn Eveline’s fascination with her body to her advantage and plenty of time to think how best to do that.
The teacher rolled an old-fashion push mower into the yard and showed Eveline how to push it.
“Here’s the deal. Since we’re not going to the gym today, you’ll be working your upper body, pushing the cutter like I showed you. I’ll come after you with the rake and pick up the grass. You’ll be sweating before you’re finished, but that’s what you need right now.”
Eveline pushed and pushed that damn mower for more than an hour. Finally her muscles gave out and she could barely lift her arms, let alone move that piece of equipment any further. The coach moved behind her with the wheelbarrow, irritated that the progress in the yard had come to a stop.
However, she handed the student a bottle of water. The younger woman drank greedily, then gasped:
“I… please, Coach… Coach Strickland… I can’t… I can’t…”
“So you’re claiming you’ve hit total muscle fatigue, young lady?”
“I… yes, ma’am… I can’t…”
“You know, I really hate the word ‘can’t’. I totally hate that fucking word, because that’s what loses games. It pisses me off.”
“I… sorry…”
“And that’s another word I fucking hate. ‘Sorry’. What does that even mean, anyway?”
Eveline broke down crying.
“Please… I just wanna go home. I can’t…”
“Fine. You got it. Just to let you know, I use that mower as a training device for upper body strength to help both me and some of my players in the game. That’s why I put you on it. But if you ‘can’t’ train, then I’ll take you back. You can spend the rest of the day cleaning up after your drunk brother. That’ll really help your GPA.”
Eveline immediately regretted what she was doing, but she was exhausted and felt she couldn’t back down. When she continued crying and didn’t respond, the coach snapped:
“Get your books and get in the car.”
Eveline obeyed and got in the car while Coach Strickland put on a sweat-suit. Perhaps it was hypocritical that the coach would be dressed while Eveline remained naked, but the coach had clothes in her house and the student did not.
Eveline resented the difficult choice given to her. She didn’t want to return to her brother’s house, but she didn’t see how she could live under the strict regimen of non-stop homework, exercise, and chores that Coach Strickland was demanding of her. Still, she realized that Strickland’s house was the only place where she had any chance of salvaging her future.
The two women were silent during the trip. The coach maintained a neutral expression as she drove. Her attitude was that whatever happened would depend on Eveline’s actions, not hers. It was up to Eveline to meet the demands of Coach Strickland. The teacher was willing to accommodate the physical and educational needs of her guest, but was unconcerned about her desires or convenience. Her offer to the student was what it was, and would not change. Eveline could accept or reject it, but not alter it.
Eveline was increasingly stressed and miserable as she sulked and tried to ignore the occasional honk or whistle from surrounding drivers who noticed she was not wearing anything. She really didn’t want to go back to her brother’s house, and certainly not go there in the nude. She could only hope that everyone would still be passed out and she could slip into her room and get dressed unnoticed. Then she’d have to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. Maybe she could walk to the library.