Sports day (F+/f+)

[Janbound]

A response to a Request by @boundgaggedgal

"Pass me that roll, will you?" Mrs. Henderson held out a hand without looking up from the knot she was tightening. Her fingers moved with quick, practiced efficiency.

A group of Year 10 students huddled near the equipment table, giggling nervously as they watched Miss Davies cut lengths of thick, rough hemp rope. The ropes coiled like sleepy snakes on the grass. "Right then, who's volunteering for the three-legged race first?" Miss Davies called out, her voice bright and businesslike. A hesitant hand went up, then another.

Sarah Jenkins stepped forward, her usual confident stride faltering slightly as Mrs. Henderson order her to remove her shies and socks. She then gestured her to stand back-to-back with her best friend Chloe. The rope felt surprisingly heavy and scratchy against Sarah's bare calves as the teacher began winding it around their legs, pulling it taut just above the ankles, then a second just below knees, and a third abive. Chloe wobbled, grabbing Sarah's shoulder for balance. "Hold still, girls," Mrs. Henderson murmured, her focus absolute as she cinched the final knot with a sharp tug that made both students gasp.

"Arms behind your backs now," Miss Davies instructed, holding up a further length of rope. Sarah complied, pressing her wrists together behind her. The rough hemp rope snaked around her forearms, then wrists, each loop tighter than the last, binding them firmly. She felt the familiar bite of the cord digging into her skin, the restriction absolute. Beside her, Chloe squirmed as her own bonds were secured.

"Open wide, Sarah," Mrs. Henderson said, her tone matter-of-fact as she pised a recently removed sock into each girls mouth then tore a strip of silver duct tape from a large roll. The sticky surface gleamed in the sunlight. Sarah hesitated, a flicker of unease crossing her face, before parting her lips. The cold, pungent adhesive pressed firmly over her mouth, silencing any protest before it could form. The tape stretched taut across her cheeks, sealing her lips together. Chloe received the same treatment, a muffled whimper escaping before the tape silenced her too.

Next came the scarves. Miss Davies unfolded two squares of thick, navy-blue cotton. The soft fabric descended over Sarah's eyes, plunging her world into muffled darkness. The knot tightened securely at the back of her head. Beside her, Chloe's head turned instinctively towards Sarah's faint shuffling, her own blindfold secured just as firmly. The familiar sounds of the sports field – distant chatter, the thud of a ball – suddenly felt distant and distorted.

“Right who’s next?”

Miss Davies’s cheerful call sliced through the muffled quiet around Sarah and Chloe. The blindfold pressed the scratchy darkness deeper against Sarah’s eyelids, amplifying every sound. Footsteps crunched on dry grass nearby, hesitant at first, then gaining resolve. A low murmur, quickly stifled, suggested another pair volunteering. Sarah strained against her bonds, the ropes biting into her wrists and legs with each tiny shift. Beside her, Chloe’s shoulder nudged hers – a silent, frantic question in the void.

Out on the sun-baked athletics track, Maggie Phillips stood perfectly still. Her bare feet felt the heat radiating from the rubberized surface, a stark contrast to the cool breeze brushing her arms. Thick ropes crisscrossed her body: bands cinched tight above and below her knees, another binding her ankles together, and her arms were pulled firmly behind her back, wrists lashed together with rough hemp, amd further ropes at her elbows shoulders and chest. A knotted cloth gag filled her mouth, its corners digging into her cheeks and holding ine of her socks inplace, while a dark blue scarf, identical to Sarah’s, was knotted securely over her eyes. She tilted her head slightly, listening for the starter’s call, her breathing shallow and quick through her nose.

Miss Archer crouched beside Maggie, her voice low and steady. "Remember. Listen sharp now." Maggie gave a stiff nod, the blindfold shifting against her skin. The silence around her felt thick, punctuated only by distant, muffled cheers from the field events and the rhythmic thump of her own heartbeat in her ears. She focused on the remembered feel of the runway underfoot, the precise spot where she needed to takeoff.

With faltering suffling wriggles shenstarted , then becoming little hops getting bigger until she felt the surface change under hervfeet and launched herself through the air, coming down in the soft sand as teachers ran to lift her up and measure the distance cleared.

Meanwhile, on the football pitch, bare feet kicked up tufts of dry grass as two teams shuffled in tight formation. Arms bound securely behind backs, the girls in green shirts and blue shirts nudged the ball with awkward, determined taps of their toes, ankles held in shacles with about 50cm of chain link. Silver duct tape sealed their socks in their mouths , pressing lips into tight lines, muffling any shouts of "girl on!" or "pass!" into urgent, nasal hums. A defender in blue stumbled sideways, unable to use her arms for balance, and landed hard on her hip with a muffled grunt. Play surged past her.

Nearby, Mrs. Henderson surveyed the chaotic scene, a clipboard held loosely against her hip. Her gaze lingered on Sarah and Chloe, still tethered back-to-back like a single, bewildered creature. Chloe shifted her weight, causing Sarah to stagger slightly against the ropes binding their legs. A faint, frustrated sound vibrated against Chloe's gag. Sarah responded with a sharp nudge of her elbow into Chloe's ribs – a silent, irritable *stop it*.

[RopeBunny]

Brilliant what a great variation on a race most of us probably actually have done.

Great writing, great idea.

Loved it, thanks for posting.

[BoundGaggedGal]

Not too bad some typos.