School on Friday was nothing but a blur. All she could think about was the performance that evening and the chance to wear her holoku again.
She ate lunch with three of her friends who had sat in on many of the boys-and-sex talks. One, she knew, was also a hula dancer who had specialized in the slow, romantic style, and Shelly recalled seeing her dance in satin holokus at several school assemblies. She felt a strange glow of excitement edged with fear knowing that the girl sitting right next to her had felt the same wonderful sensations and no doubt the huge turn-on. Luck was looking after her, because the other two girls ate fast and split, claiming a need to hit the library to research a project, leaving Shelly and the other dancer all alone.
"Barb," Shelly began. She had quickly planned out her question, word for word, but as soon as she spoke the words in her head evaporated.
"Yes, Shelly. What, you just see Jimmy walk in or something?"
"Uh, no. Actually, well, I want to ask you something. Only you've got to promise not to tell anyone else!"
"Oooo, sounds hot. Come on, Beany, you know you can trust me."
"I mean it, Barb. Really. I'd die of embarrassment if anyone else found out about this."
"On my word."
"OK. Well, I've seen you dance in a satin holoku a few times, and I was wondering. How does it feel?"
Barbara sucked the last of the milk from the cardboard carton that had hovered near her face and mimed a big swallow before replying.
"Foolish. Well, not entirely. I used to think it was sooo neat to get all dressed up like that, like a princess or something. Now, well, I feel sort of silly, but a part of me still enjoys it."
"Oh. Yeah, well, that's not exactly what I meant," Shelly stammered. "I didn't mean how it felt like that. I meant, like, how does it feel to wear. You know, against your skin?"
"Oh!" Barbara laughed, "that kind of feel. Funny you should ask. Until a month ago I would have said hot and clammy. I mean, even if the place where I was dancing was cool, like air conditioned, it felt really weird touching me all over. If it was not really cool, well, it makes me sweat a lot."
"Weird? How was it weird?" Shelly asked.
"That's all. Not bad, really. Just weird. Anyway, a month ago I danced with a different halau, and the kumu hula had me wear one of their dresses"
Barbara leaned closer and grasped Shelly's hand in hers. When she spoke, her voice was a whisper but charged with delight.
"You cannot believe what that was like! I thought maybe I was on drugs or something. It felt so good, I thought I was going to have an orgasm right there on stage."
Shelly lowered her eyes and stared at the bit of bench between them.
"Did it feel ticklish?" Shelly whispered.
"Did it ever! I thought I would die. Worse yet, these two bratty little girls from that halau kept sneaking up on me and tickling me. I would have whacked 'um good except they were the kumu hula's nieces. Some old guy was making a long speech, so I had to be quiet, and I had to stay close to the stage to watch for my cue. Over and over they sneaked up behind me and tickled me, right on the ass. It was really strange, how intense that felt."
Shelly was breathing hard and her heart was pounding like a pahu drum.
"What was the name of the kumu hula?"
"Auntie Marge. You must know who she is. And she didn't give it to me. I wish she had, though."
"What color was it?"
"Blue," Barbara replied, quite matter-of-factly.
"Light blue?" Shelly asked breathlessly. Her heart was pounding and she felt a bit dizzy.
"No. Dark blue. I guess you'd call it royal blue."
Shelly exhaled deeply without saying anything. Several seconds passed by before Barbara picked up the thread.
"When we started it was me who had to promise not to tell, yet I've done all the telling. What's this all about?"
"Uh, well, I'm dancing for my brother in his new show, and his manager's sister is Auntie Marge, and she picked out a holoku for me."
"And?" Barbara smiled.
Shelly laughed. "And I can't hardly stand to wear it! It tickles sooo much. I thought maybe it was just me, yeah? Like I was going crazy or something. Hallucinating even."
"I know what you mean. Like your head going blow right off your shoulders and then. Only for me, it was so weird. I really loved it. It felt so good I didn't want it to stop."
"Oh yeah, that's it all right," Shelly said. "I thought I would die if I didn't take it off, but I didn't want to take it off. Maybe 'cause I knew I wasn't going die, really. You know what I mean?"
"Did it turn you on?" Barbara asked slyly.
"Did it ever!"
Just talking about it made Shelly's cunt warm and tingly.
"What is it about her holokus?" Barbara wondered out load.
"Yeah, and who else has had the same experience?" Shelly pondered.
They both sat for a moment looking at each other, fused by the bond of having experienced the inexplicable. A thought flashed into Shelly's mind, a picture of the two of them playing around together. Both in satin holokus, tickling each other.
"Hey, I've got an idea," said Shelly. "Why don't you come down this afternoon, before the show?"
Shelly's heart began to pound while waiting for Barbara to answer, driven first by the excitement of the thought behind the question, then by the realization that came into focus a split second after she had said the words that Barbara would probably guess what was on her mind.
"Sorry, gotta' pick up my nephew at soccer practice. I sure wouldn't mind another chance to wear one of those dresses, though. Where is it?"
"At the Shore Break room."
Shelly didn't push it, but she hoped her friend could find some way to get there.