Chapter 1

It was my first week at Rutherford B. Hayes High School and already I was getting the shivers. As a 14 year old boy, a grade nine freshman, I felt intimidated by the upper grade kids some of whom were 18 years old. They were tall, strong and more physically and sexually, mature than I. Even though all the kids in grade nine in our district had reached the age of 14, some were further along in puberty and others. I was an early developer, but even I felt weak and vulnerable hearing about Frosh Week when 'ninny-niners' were put through Hell Week by 12th grade boys and girls.

Frosh Week would begin next Monday but already I had heard rumours from sophomore guys. All week the upper grade kids had been warning, teasing and gloating about what we would suffer. Maybe they were just trying to spook us, but maybe they were relishing the thought of our torment and humiliation just like they had to suffer last year.

It was Friday and at the end of the school day there would be an assembly of all freshmen with seniors from the student council and the principal on stage to read us our rights and responsibilities. I'd find out then.

Three o'clock could not come too soon for me. The anxiety and uncertainty were torture enough. Girls as well as boys from the upper grades had been picking on us freshmen all week with taunts and sneering, snickering remarks about how we were fresh meat, not fresh men, and how they were all going to enjoy our shame, humiliation the likes of which we could not imagine.

Some juniors left notes along the hallway where the freshmen lockers were. Notes saying things like, " This school is called Haze High for a reason " and " Get ready to be EM-BARE-ASSED " and " Your lockers are where your clothes go ... bye-bye " and " Being a freshmen sucks ... literally!"

A lot of niners shrugged it off as just bluffing and sophomoric bravado. But many of us were as scared as I was. I even pissed my pants in fear. If that wasn't humiliating enough, one of the senior girls was there when that happened and noticed the growing wet spot coming through at the crotch of my jeans. She smiled and then grinned and winked, but said nothing.

At lunch time, I heard other seniors teasing some of the grade nine girls. One guy went up to a table where these six young girls were having soup and ordered them to stand, which they all did. Then he shouted out, ' STRIP NAKED RIGHT NOW! ' The girls' mouths opened wide in disbelief and they were clearly shaking, but an upper class senior girl walked up and, in a sweet, quiet voice, assured them it was okay, they didn't have to strip. The younger girls were relieved and started to laugh until the senior girl turned around and said to her classmate, " Harry, you know you can't give freshmen orders until Monday. " Then the senior pair walked away laughing leaving us all wondering if it was a joke or not.

Three o'clock came and 45 freshmen found seats in the gym as we faced the stage where four senior student executives and the principal sat. A podium was centre stage. Student Chairs were filled by two boys and two girls who, later I learned, were President, VP, Treasurer and Secretary of the Student Council. Much to my embarrassment, one of the girls on stage was the very senior who had seen me pee my pants. One of the guys up there was Harry who had earlier (jokingly?) ordered six freshmen girls to strip in the cafeteria. As the hall quietened, the principal, Les Dewitt, approached the mic and greeted us:

"Boys and girls of grade nine, welcome to Hayes High" ( smirks on the faces of the seniors on the stage, a nervous giggle from us in the audience ) Ignoring the reaction, Dewitt continued:

"Frosh Week starts Monday next and I want you to be prepared and assured of the rules and the limits of this fine high school tradition. Each of you will be subject to an initiation regimen which will include humourous and humiliating antics carried out by senior students but seen by the entire student body. These rites of passage will include paddling, getting pantsed, and other playful activities. All freshmen will participate but not all at once nor doing the same things. That would take all the fun out of it. But each and every one of you will adhere to common rules of submission, discipline and dress code each and every day next week but some of you will be singled out and be made to do more humiliating things on specific days. Don't worry, you all get your turn in the spotlight of shame ... your day will come."

"For instance, a dozen of you, both freshboys and freshgirls, will receive notes in your lockers Monday morning, telling you of your specific dress code for the day ... actually, it will be more of an un-dress code ... just to give you a hint, those selected Monday will be leaving all clothing except underwear in their lockers for the day ... girls may wear only bras, panties and socks; boys just underpants and socks. Only those clothes ( or less ) may be worn to class, gym, field sports etc. ALL DAY. But that's not to say each of these freshkids will not be subject to, shall we say ... wardrobe adjustments that day, because some of them will."

( Blushes and nervous giggling in the audience again )