1.

Everything is more fun when you do it naked. I learned a long time ago that the most ordinary, everyday activity — a visit to the school library, a walk in the park, a trip to the corner store — can be a moment of high drama if you take off your clothes first.

I made a believer out of my friend Saanvi the night she came to my house for a sleepover. She was a sweet, shy girl until I got her out of her nightgown. When we got ready for bed, for instance, she changed in the bathroom while I helped dad put the dishes away. She didn’t want us peeking, I guess. I’m not that bashful. I didn’t get undressed until we were upstairs in my room, and I made a production out of it, tossing my clothes piece by piece into the laundry bag: Jeans, down. T-shirt, up. Socks, peeled. Bra, gone. And last and best of all, my panties. I love getting rid of my panties. They always start to feel tight and sweaty after a while, like they’re made of rubber, and I can’t wait for that first cool rush of air between my legs when I finally slide them off my butt. It’s a ritual I have. Some kids say their prayers. I liberate my pussy.

“Oh,” I announced, “it feels so good to strip!”

I held the fragrant rag up high, between my thumb and forefinger, and ceremoniously dropped it into the laundry bag. Saavni was turned away, facing the closet. It was cute: she thought she was giving me some privacy while I put my pajamas on, but I didn’t care about privacy, or my pajamas. I was curious how long it would take her to turn around and look at me, and I did some nude stretching while I waited. I bent my knees, one after the other, rolled my neck, and raised my arms. It used to be, when I did that, my nipples would go flat against my ribs, but this year I’ve started to get boobs — real, honest-to-God, white little dunce caps I can squeeze and jiggle. I admired them in the dresser mirror, waiting her out. I even did a little breast exam, pressing the Pepto-pink nipples and watching them stand up again. They stick straight out, and the circles around them have gotten wider and puffier. I don’t know why boys find tits so fascinating. Sometimes I miss the straight lines of my little-girl chest.

Finally, Saavni realized I wasn’t about to cover up, and she turned around.

“Stuck on yourself?” she said.

“I don’t like my boobs,” I said, flicking my fingers over them. That felt good, but I didn’t let on.

“Why not?”

“I can’t go out without a bra now. It’s so confining.”

“They’re nice, though.”

“They stick out like sausages.”

“I think they’re supposed to get more shape as you get older.”

“I hope so. Are yours like that?”

“Mine are rounder.”

“Let’s see.”

She made a face, and I realized I’d gone too far. Saanvi wasn’t the kind of girl who was interested in comparing boobs. We’d never talked about sex, or boys or anything, and of course I never told her I have a thing about running around naked. My being nude didn’t seem to bother her, but she was probably still expecting me to put my pajamas on. Technically, I was still “changing.” She didn’t tighten up until I hopped into bed with nothing on.

“Don’t you wear pajamas?” she said.

“Not all the time,” I said. “You ever sleep naked?”

“Ew!”

“What ew? It’s nice.”

“What if your dad finds out?”

“He doesn’t care. I go naked in front of my dad all the time.”

“You do not.”

“Sure,” I said. “In fact, I’ll bet you I can go downstairs right now and he won’t say a word.”

“Go downstairs—”

“Yeah.”

“In front of your dad.“

“Yep.”

“Naked.”

“Yes.“

“That’s sick,” she said.

“Why? It’s just my body. You dare me?”

“Yes, I dare you.”

“You double dare me?”

“I D-double dare you with a cherry on top.”

“What’ll you give me if I do?”

“I’ll give you a dollar.”

“I have a dollar,” I said. “If I do it, you have to sleep naked.”

“But he can’t say a word.”

“Well, he might say hi, or good night. But he won’t yell at me. He won’t even mention it.”

She had to think about that. It was obvious she didn’t want to strip, but she was in too deep. If I wasn’t going to chicken out, she couldn’t, either. Under her gown, I could see she was standing with one foot on top of the other while she thought. The gown hung almost to the floor. It was a dazzling saffron color that glowed against her brown skin, with aqua-blue embroidery around the collar and cuffs. It was so pretty on her it I almost felt bad she was going to have to take it off.

“Come on,” I said. “If I’m that crazy, you got nothing to worry about.”

“If I win you put on your pajamas.”

“Fine,” I said, and, bouncing my bare ass off the bed, I breezed past her and opened the door.

At first, I thought this was what my Uncle Teddy would call a sucker bet. I’ve been going naked around the house since I was little, and Dad is totally used to it. But then I thought he might get upset that I was letting my girlfriend in on our secret, and if Saanvi heard that, she might call a foul or something. That didn’t occur to me until I reached the bottom of the stairs.

Dad was sitting on the sofa in the living room with his laptop open on his knees. I couldn’t see the screen, but I guessed what he was watching from the fire-red ball poking out of his sweats. Poor guy. He’s been spending more time online ever since Mom moved in with her sister to “think things over.” He was just surprised enough to see me in the nude that he froze for a second, leaving the tip of his dick out in the open. I put my finger to my lips. He looked puzzled, then suddenly he understood what I was looking at, and he yanked his sweatshirt down.

But he didn’t say anything.

I went to the kitchen and poured out two tumblers of mango seltzer. Dad was still covered up when I returned, but he had his hand pressed below his stomach. Probably all he wanted was to take his wiener out again. I knew what he was going through. A couple minutes ago, I’d been dying to get out of my panties. I made a kiss-face at him. He cocked his head, signaling to me to hurry up, but I just lifted the tumblers, letting him know I had to go slow so I wouldn’t spill any. Now he scowled at me, but in a playful way. He kept his eyes on my bare ass as I padded back upstairs. I bet it was nicer than anything he’d find online.

“Here, I brought you some water,” I said to Saanvi, who was rooted to the spot where I’d left her. I handed her the tumbler and tugged at her saffron sleeve. “I’ll take this.”

“No, come on.”

“A bet’s a bet,” I said. “Hand it over. — Come on, Saan. It won’t hurt.”

I think that helped — being nice about it instead of teasing her — because as soon as I saw the decision come into her face, she didn’t hesitate. She handed me the water back and looked directly at me while she crossed her arms, grabbed two fistfuls of the gown, and lifted.

It was weird: she was doing something for the first time that I did every night, and I was the one getting excited. Suddenly, my heart was suddenly racing. The gown came off over Saanvi’s head, revealing she was totally nude underneath. I had to sit down. I thought she’d have panties on at least, after what she’d said, and it was a shock she didn’t. But it was also a good sign. It meant she liked to get a little naughty.

She wadded up her gown threw it on the floor like she was spiking a softball.

“Happy now?” she said.

Well, yeah, I was. I didn’t say so, but she could tell from the way I was looking at her body.

Suddenly she smiled, and she let her arms down, like it didn’t matter she was naked in front of me. Because it didn’t, really, except for how I was looking at her. I love that we’re such opposites. I’m blonde and light-skinned. Saanvi is a smooth golden brown all over. I’m white bread, she’s honey wheat. She’s like the perfect grilled-cheese sandwich. Her hair is black as a cat’s, and she wears it long, with bangs in front and a single thick braid that almost reaches her butt. Her pubes are so black you can’t make out the curls — they’re like a triangular hole in space. She’s smaller than I am. Her legs are thinner, and she shows more rib, but she wasn’t lying about her tits. It was hard to tell under that roomy gown, but her titties are nice and round. They don’t poke out like mine, but from the front, they’re perfect circles, with black nips dead center, like tiny onyx bolts.