Grace

Chapter 57

"This?" Sally asked. "We have to row in... this?"

"Unless you want to look a fool on the fourth of July – yes," Coach Onion said.

"You're kidding," Narinda deadpanned.

"No."

"You've got to be," she said.

"Nope," he grinned.

"But –"

"Put the corset on, Narinda," he said sternly. "Or you won't be rowing."

She sighed and turned to me. We had all turned up with thin t-shirts or vest tops on as ordered and had theorised about the change in rowing uniform on the way. None of us had ever thought the headmaster would be cruel enough to make us row in corsets. I was already in mine knowing that the only way we could change this was to faint as we rowed or something like that. I wouldn't have been so bothered if it was a corset that simply made sure your modesty was intact.

Oh no. We weren't that lucky.

It was one of the waist reducing, bust enhancing kinds of corset.

As if my boobs weren't big enough.

It was already a little difficult to breathe, I couldn't bend at all. Rowing was not going to happen. Fortunately, at least I think it was fortunately, we were in the gym and not on the water. Of course, the other C block eights thought it all rather hilarious and were asking one another if there was a pocket knife handy for when we fainted and needed getting out of them quickly.

I realised it was Ben who'd said that and shot him a glare.

I helped Narinda into her torture device and then we all went over to the rowing machines. It was a good job we didn't need to bend our backs when we were rowing, so we wouldn't have to change our physical technique that much. We just had to figure out how to breathe.

It was with great reluctance that we sat down to row. We went slowly for a while and that wasn't so bad as we'd set no resistance what so ever. But then we thought, well, this ain't so bad. Let's row properly.

I put the resistance up to a modest four, went a bit faster and instantly regretted it. Breathing enough was all but impossible, the thing cut into me and I was light headed after only a few strokes. On either side of me Sally and Narinda were muttering curses and further down the row someone stopped rowing and lay on the floor panting as much as she could.

I had some water and then got back to it.

An hour later I was gasping for breath after taking the damn corset off.

"Why did we agree to this?" someone asked between breaths.

"We didn't," someone else grumbled.

"More fool us."

"Go on, ladies," Onion said. "Get going."

We struggled up amid groans and complaints and staggered out of the room. I crashed into one of the guys and nearly fell over. It was Harry.

"Alright, Grace?" he asked.

I glowered at him a little, it was all I could manage, and went over to Ben. He was talking to Carl and they both looked fresh as a daisy.

"I wanna go home," I said.

"Ok," Ben said. "I'll catch you up."

"Nuh uh," I said. "You're giving me a piggy back."