Katie smiled at me as we left school the week before the prom. The smile had been constant all day and while I had an idea of what the smile represented, I also didn’t want to guess.

“Something showed up at the house yesterday…” Katie said as we got into the Chevy Cobalt that she had replaced her Corolla with. I decided that morning when I got in the car that wearing an ankle length skirt was a lot more hassle when it came to getting into and out of a car than the miniskirts that I was used to wearing.

“Oh?” I asked, pulling the door shut on the car, and catching the hem of my skirt. I opened the door and pulled my skirt in and then shut the door again.

“Yeah. Our dresses, or more specifically, the parts of our dresses arrived.” Katie put the car in gear and pulled into the line of traffic that was waiting to turn out onto Chattfield Lane.

“So, when do I get to see our dresses?”

“Tonight. We’re going to try them on, and I think you will like your dress.”

“Ok.” I replied, grabbing on to the handle that was built into the roof of the car as Katie took a corner. “I’ve been waiting to see the dresses since you figured out what we were going to wear.”

“Remember when you asked if they involved corsets?” I nodded, and when Katie said nothing, I glanced over at her. She was grinning like the cat that ate the canary…

“Am I going to like this?” I asked.

“I think you will. It’s going to take you a little bit to adjust to being squished, but I think that after a while you will find the feeling comfortable. You did ok with the dresses that I have with the corsets built in. I think that was a three inch reduction when it was all said and done. I don’t think that six inches will be too much.”

I was grabbing the bedpost as Katie pulled on the laces on the back of a burgundy over bust corset.

“How much tighter?” I asked. Katie tugged some more, and I felt the corset close around my ribs just a little bit tighter. She worked her way down to the middle and then repeated the process starting at the bottom of the corset. I felt her stop pulling and then felt her tie off the laces.

“Hmm… I’ll need to come up with something to tuck this mess of laces into. It’s an ungodly sight.” Katie said, picking up a white taffeta skirt that went poof and looked very much like something a ballerina would wear. Katie helped me step into it and then led me toward the hallway where there was a large mirror attached to the wall. I looked at my self. The combination of the reduction of the corset and the poofyness of the skirt made my waist look really small, and it drew your eye. “What do you think?”

“I like it. How did you come up with the idea?” Katie grinned and shook her head.

“I’m not going to reveal all of my secrets.” She giggled. “I came up with this idea after I read a story. Thought it would work well for our prom dresses.”

“I agree. This was worth the wait. I’m not going to say anything and let everyone see us saturday night. I have a feeling that dinner is going to be difficult…” Katie giggled.

“Maybe. I don’t know how much you will be able to eat if we lace you down all the way…”

“How much further can I go?” I asked. Katie smiled and held her hand above my head. I reached up and grabbed her hand and twirled. I stopped with my back facing the mirror and that was when Katie handed me a small mirror. I looked behind me and saw that there was still quite a bit of space between the two sides of the corset. “I don’t think I ready for that…”

“I don’t think so either.” Katie said. “Lets get you out of it. You may not want to look at a corset after Saturday night. If you don’t I will understand.”

Tuesday afternoon I walked into Dr. Franklin’s office for our weekly appointment.

“Good Afternoon, Morgan.” She said as she got up from her desk and walked over toward the chair that I had lowered my self into.

“Good Morning, Julie.” I smiled.

“How has your week been?”

“Remarkably good. Katie and I drove the route that Miranda and I used the day that Carl Paskly tried to kill me. Nothing happened. I’m just glad that door isn’t one I use on a regular basis.”

“So you equate everything to the door?” Dr. Franklin asked. I nodded. “You haven’t had any nightmares or anything like that in the last week?”

“No, surprisingly. I think that part of it is that Katie got me a teddy bear to sleep with.”

“Katie got you a teddy bear to sleep with?” I nodded. “Well, that is something that a boyfriend will do for his girlfriend, no reason why girlfriends can’t do the same…”

Two days after my appointment with Dr. Franklin, Katie and I were sitting in Math when the fire alarms went off. Katie and I grabbed each other’s hand as we headed for the stairwell. The air smelled slightly of smoke, which told me that this wasn’t a drill. I was fine until I got to the bottom of the staircase when I just froze. In my mind, I watched Officer Evans and Detective Cassingham pull up. The entire incident started to play in my head. The squeeze that I gave Katie involuntarily caused her knees to buckle. She managed to stay upright, and tried to pull me toward the door. I wasn’t budging, and I had one of the linebackers from the football team behind me. He, seeing there was a problem, simply picked me up and carried me outside. Katie had to move at the speed at which he was carrying me because I hadn’t let go of her hand. Once outside, my new linebacker friend gently sat me on the ground and made sure I was modest. He stayed there and helped with some crowd control as other members of the class realized that something was wrong. Katie was trying various things to bring me back to reality. Nothing was working, so she attacked another pressure point. This time I knew that she went after the one behind the ear.

“Ow. What the hell was that for?” I said, as I rejoined reality. Katie’s face was full of concern and compassion and I knew instantly that I had flash back.

“Are you ok?” Katie asked.

“I think so. How did I get out here?” I extended my hands so that Katie could help me up. I stood up and looked around.

“Matt Andrews picked you up and carried you out side. I tried to pull you, but you were rooted to the spot. He was right behind you and just picked you up and carried you like it was nothing.” I supposed my one hundred twenty pounds wouldn’t be much to a football player.

“He carried me?” Katie nodded. I turned to Matt. “Matt, Thank you. I didn’t hurt you or anything, did I?” He chuckled.

“A little thing like you? No. What happened though?” I looked up at him. He stood five feet eleven inches tall, seven inches taller than me and I had on two inch heels.

“Remember the incident with Mrs. Paskly’s husband?” He nodded. “I was reliving that. For some reason that door will just incapacitate me… When it happens, it’s so real.”

“Do you need the Doctor?” Katie asked, reaching in her bag and pulling out her phone.

“No. I think I’m good, although curious to know if going through the door the other way will have the same effect..” Katie nodded.

“I’ll stay with you. We know I can carry you if need be.” Matt said. Katie smiled at him.

“Thank you.” I said. Matt was true to his word and walked back in the school with Katie and I. Going back in did not pose the same issue as leaving did. Once we had returned to our classroom the PA system came alive.

“May I have your attention please. I know that some of you smelled the smoke as you exited the building. Somehow, someone left a pie in one of the ovens in the Home Ec room and the smoke detectors picked up. I want to thank everyone for a quick and calm exit despite the fact that we had an actual situation. This is why we hold fire drills, so that you all know what to do and can be orderly and calm and get out safe. That is all I have, now back to our regularly scheduled classes.” The current principal said.

Katie and I were sitting in a coffee shop after school. We had gone to the nurses office between math and our business management class because Katie’s hand was in still in pain where I had squeezed during my flash back. The nurse didn’t think that I had broken her, just injured her.

“Are you ok?” I asked after she had taken a drink of her latte.

“I told you, yes…” Katie said. “I’m just glad that Matt was there. He picked you up like a small child and carried you outside.”

“I am too. I should let Julie know about that flashback. I think it was worse than the one when we tried to just use the stairwell to get from math to business management.” I sipped my own latte. “He picked me up like a small child?”

“Yep.” She said. “I would do it if I could, but I probably couldn’t pick my self up if I had to, at least not in these heels…”

“I bet that was a sight to see.” I chuckled.

“It was. The part that surprising to me was that the entire time, he made sure that no one could see your panties. I would have thought that a guy would have not cared and shown everything to the world…” My phone rang and I looked at Katie as I pulled it out. Mom was calling.

“Hi Mom.” I said as looked at Katie, wondering why she was calling me.

“Officer Mullin called. He said that you had an issue when the fire alarm went off. Everything ok now?”

“Yeah. I had a flashback. The door that I was supposed to go out was that one. A nice linebacker picked me up and carried me outside. I should also do something nice for Katie since I almost broke her…”

“How did you almost break Katie?” Mom asked. Katie giggled.

“When I flashed I squeezed her hand and hurt her. It was involuntary…”

“I know. Have you told Dr. Franklin yet?”

“Not yet. I was thinking about calling her right before you called. I think she should know.”

“I agree. I’m making a casserole for dinner, it’s something you and Katie like, so come home soon. The casserole should be done by six.”

“Ok. We will.” I said, and put my phone in the pocket in my purse. “Mom said that she is making a casserole that we like. It should be done by six.”

“Ok. Lets go knock out some homework before dinner is done.” Katie said.