Part 2: Tuesday

The next morning I ate a light breakfast, then went to the Y for an hour of laps. There were only a few other swimmers and like myself, most of them were on swim teams. Everyone wore suits and used separate locker rooms. I enjoyed the sheer normalcy of it.

After heading back to the locker room, I found that my PDA had a message waiting. So, after showering and getting dressed, I strapped it onto my wrist and told it to read the message.

Hi Adam, this is Ben. I'm at registration here with Dan and Teah. Nadia is here too. We saw Vivian and Crystal leave earlier, so you probably won't run into them this afternoon. Man, this is going to be some kind of weird school year. When you get here, be sure to pick up the list of new rules. Uh, we're all going to lunch now; talk to you later. Oh man.

Well, thanks Ben, I thought. Raise my curiosity but tell me nothing. Such is life. I showered, went home for lunch, ate a sandwich, checked my clothes, grabbed my keys, and headed for school. The parking lot was full and I had to leave the car on a side street three blocks away.

Registration was in the new gym, which seemed to be a really nice building except that the air conditioning wasn't working. As a result, the place was hot, stuffy, and smelled like, well, a gym.

Maybe it was the lack of air conditioning or maybe it was something else, but there seemed to be more people strutting around naked than usual. Ms. Sprite, the girl's swim team coach, and a couple of other people who looked like teachers were even naked. I got in line to pickup my schedule from a girl with clothes, then tried to avoid textbook and supply tables being worked by naked students. I was gratified to learn that I did need some gym clothes.

I was almost done when I sensed a tap on my shoulder and a feminine voice behind me.

"Hi, Adam," she said. "Did you get one of these?" It was Nadia Blosser, a girl Dan dated as a sophomore. But that was before Nadia did time in The Program and later adopted a short skirt and nipple shields as normal attire. Today's was a red and black pleated tartan. Skirt, that is. Unlike most girls, she also carried a purse. It was black, with a shoulder strap.

"Uh, no, what?" I asked, concentrating on her face. That, however, was difficult because Nadia was about a foot shorter than me. She had nice shoulders, a cute perky hair style, and a pack of handouts.

"This is a list of new rules for the year. You need to read it before the first day of class. By the way, how's Dan doing?"

"Oh, he's fine," I told her. "He's still got the same PDA address. You could call him."

"No, that's over. I just wondered if he kept the piercing."

"I never knew he had one. Well, thanks for the set of rules."

"I'm almost done here. Would you like to get a Coke somewhere?"

"Do you a shirt or something you could wear?"

"No, after I got pierced I gave away all my tops and bras. They kept getting snagged. Are you sure that's a problem?"

"Maybe some other time, eh? I hafta work out."

Checkout was uneventful. A sophomore girl wearing a cotton blouse and slacks rang up the total. I told my PDA to transmit the credit memo my mom had authorized, and the checkout girl charged it.

After being in the hot stuffy gym for an hour, being outside was truly a breath of fresh air. So, I found a bench, dumped my load of books and supplies, and started reading the new rules.

• Parking passes this year will be yellow rather than red.

• The school nurse will no longer be present from 8:00 AM to 4:00PM every day, The new hours are 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

I yawned. This was pretty boring stuff, and I wondered what Ben had got so excited about.

• In accordance with the Equal Access To Facilities Act, all school washrooms and locker rooms will be gender neutral.

• The blanket prohibition on personal displays of affection is abolished. However, such displays must not occur during class and must not disrupt any class.

• All previous dress codes are abolished.

• BMHS will continue and expand its affiliation with the Naked At School Association.

Now I could understand why Ben had been upset. If some people thought it was cool to be naked, fine, let them find somewhere to be naked and stay there. Let the rest of us be normal. The proof was in the numbers: even though every crowd contained its percentage of naked people, most still preferred wearing clothes. Why wasn't that good enough?

As I mulled this over, I notice more printing on the back of the handout. Here's what it said:

Dress Policy for Activities

Each spring, the members of the cheerleading, pom-pom, and majorette squads (other than seniors) will vote on the issue of uniforms for the coming year. As a result of last spring's vote, all three squads will be naked this year.

Whoa. Last year it was just the cheerleaders. It was unbelievable how things were going to hell.

Members of other performing organizations, such as band, choir, and debate, will vote on uniforms and dress prior to their first public event. Drama will vote for each production.

Pfew! Thank goodness I wasn't affiliated with any of those.

After consultation with many college scouts and recruiters, the East Central Athletic Conference has decided that all competitors must, to the maximum extent possible, be naked. However, in the case of contact sports like football and wrestling, some equipment may be allowed, and some rules may be altered.

No! I mean, swimming was hardly a contact sport! Did they really expect me to swim naked? Maybe there was still some kind of exception! There had to be!

In general, practice for all student activities will follow the dress code of the performance or competition.
Example: If cheerleaders are naked for games, they must be naked for practice as well.

Oh shit. They want us to practice naked as well!

Teachers, coaches, and staff will follow the same dress code as students.
Example: If cheerleaders are to be naked for practice, the cheerleading coach must also be naked.

That explains Ms. Sprite being naked this afternoon, I decided with a sick feeling in my stomach. Or did it? This was school registration, not swim practice! I dreaded going back into that overheated gym, and I had no idea how to deal with a naked teacher. But I needed answers, and that meant I had to go back. So, I picked up my load of stuff and headed back in.

Only to find Nadia Blosser guarding the entrance. "Adam, did you forget something?" she asked.

"No, I just need to talk with Ms. Sprite," I replied. "Do you know where she is?"

"Uh, you can't bring that stuff back in, Adam. They'll charge you for it again when you leave," Nadia explained. "Is everything OK?"

"Yeah, I just need to talk with Ms. Sprite. Is there somewhere I can put this stuff?"

"Well, you could put it in your locker," Nadia suggested. "Your schedule shows your locker number and you just bought a lock, right?"

Duh. Like I couldn't think of that. "How did you know I bought a lock? Where you watching me?"

"No, silly. Everyone has to buy a new lock this year. Here let me see where your locker is, and if I see Ms. Sprite, I'll tell her you're looking for her. Are you sure you don't want a Coke?"

Naturally, my locker was in the gym building. They do that for athletes. I told Nadia I'd think about the Coke and headed toward my new locker.

I found the locker and was fitting my stuff into it when I head the slap of naked feet behind me. Fortunately, it was Ms. Sprite and not Vivian Vivichelli. But she was still naked.

"Were you looking for me, Adam?" she asked.

"Uh, could we go somewhere and talk?" I asked. "And, uh, do you have any clothes?"

"My office isn't furnished yet but we can sit in the quad," she replied. "Sorry about the clothes, but I need to get used to this just as much as you do. I left every thing at home. Now, what's up?"

"Is Mr. Bythos around?"

"No, Adam, and he won't be. Finish putting that stuff in your locker and I'll be waiting in the quad. Is that OK?"

I guessed that it was. It took me a few minutes to finish putting everything away, and then I followed the direction Ms. Sprite had gone.

The quad was an open, rectangular area near the center of the campus. There were lots of sidewalks leading here and there, but grassy areas with benches as well. Ms. Sprite was seated on one of the benches, with one ankle on her knee and one arm along the backrest. I sat on the next bench, diagonally across from her.

"Oh, hi, Adam. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah. Could you be, like, not sprawled out so much?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It really is a beautiful day and I was just enjoying the breeze. Is this better?" She crossed her legs and folded her hands.

"Uh, yes, sorry too. Uh, Ms. Sprite, do they really expect me to be naked during swim meets?"

"I'm afraid so, Adam. I'm sure you watch college swim meets on television, and the swimmers are always naked these days. Otherwise, the TV ratings drop to zero and the colleges can't afford to keep up the teams. So now, the college scouts want to see high school swimmers complete naked. A swimmer who chokes up or doesn't look good naked is a poor prospect."

"Well, I've never wanted to be naked, and it embarrasses me to look at naked people. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Not when it comes to television and college scouts, apparently. Adam, listen to me. I don't like this any more than you do. There was no public nakedness when I grew up. Not in grade school; not in high school; not in college. They taught us, especially the girls, that showing your body was demeaning. Everyone was supposed to admire our brains, and they couldn't do that if they saw our bodies. Does that make sense?"

"Well, yeah, that's almost exactly how I feel. Except that I think people can be naked and smart at the same time."

"Well, that's part of this crazy age we live in. In more and more jobs, you have to look good and be naked in addition to being capable in all the traditional ways. But those other capabilities still count. And I think people realize that."

"Maybe I'll just quit the team," I mused.

"I'd hate to see that, Adam. You're a talented swimmer, and I think you can get a full scholarship. Would you really give that up over a pair of Speedos?"

"I dunno. I'll think about it. What happened to Mr. Bythos?"

"He'd rather have pants than a job, I guess. I'm not sure where he's going to find work, though. The same thing is happening everywhere."

"Is there a new coach yet?"

"For now, it's just me for both the girls and boys teams. But the school is still looking. We have enough swimmers that we really need two coaches. Anything else?"

"Is the pool going to be open Tuesday morning for workouts?"

"I don't know. They're still checking the equipment and the water quality. Should I send you a message if it's ready?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Anything else?"

"No, that's all."

"OK, Adam, but here's some advice from me. It's very nice that you keep looking into my eyes, but it's OK to look at the rest of me, too. Otherwise, I'm going through all this anxiety for nothing. OK?" And with that, she got up and offered me her hand.

All right, I'm human. I gave here a good up-and-down, and instantly developed a massive erection. "Thanks," I offered. "I think I'll sit here a while and think about it."

"Stand up, Adam."

"I'm embarrassed."

"I know. Stand up, stick your hands in your pants, and arrange yourself. C'mon now. I'm married, you know. There's nothing new to me in there."

Maybe it was because she's a coach, but somehow I got up and did what she wanted. At least, it got her tits out of my face.

"You have a lot of potential, Adam," she said. "Don't let a little patch of fabric hold you back." And with that, she turned around and walked back to the gym. I watched her butt jiggle and got even stiffer, but I also thought about what she said.

I stood alone in the quad for a few moments, but eventually it felt safe to walk again. I got the stuff out of my locker and began walking to the car.

"Last chance for that Coke," came a voice from (where else) behind me. I turned around.

"Hi, Nadia," I said. "OK, you talked me into it. Let's go."

"Do you want me to wear your gym shirt or something?" she asked.

I sighed. "No, my mom would get pissed if you snagged it," I replied.

"Can I carry some of that?" Nadia wanted to know. "Or are you too macho?"

"What? Uh, no, this is kind of awkward. I mean, yes, can you take a couple of these bags? I don't think they'll chafe or anything."

"Are you sure you're OK with me?" Nadia wanted to know. "I just thought, you know, we used to see each other a little bit. Because of Dan. But he and I are both over that."

It was obvious Nadia was picking up some kind of negative vibes from me. Scratch it up to ignorance, but I thought I should explain myself.

"Uh, look Nadia, it's not Dan. I'm just not used to being with someone who doesn't wear all the normal clothing, that's all. I'll get over it."

"So why today?"

"Well, because you asked me, and I used to know you, and I need to get over this if I'm going to stay on the swim team. I hope you don't mind."

"You were never in The Program, were you?"

"No."

"Well, it gets you over those hurdles. You could try it any time, you know."

"What, The Program? They have to call you down to the office."

"No, being naked. You could try it right now, if you wanted. I'll do it too, if you want."

"I don't think I'm ready for that today," I replied. "Or for you to do that today."

"How about your shirt, then? Would you take off your shirt? I mean, you do that for swimming. That should be OK, right?"

"Yeah, OK, if you want me to," I assented. By then we were at the car, so I opened the trunk, dropped in all my school stuff, and then peeled off my shirt and threw that in too. Then, I opened the door for Nadia. She threw in her purse and sat down, then we were off.

"You're very smooth," Nadia remarked.

"What, for getting talked out of my shirt?"

"No, your skin. Did you nuke your body hair?"

"Yeah, most of the swimmers do that. It saves shaving."

"So, all you guys are smoothies? How cool!"

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't like guys with pubic hair. They feel rough."

I couldn't believe she said that. "Nadia, what makes you think that getting rid of other body hair gets rid of pubic hair?"

"I have the same factor in my injection," she replied. "Here, see?"

At that, she flashed me. For the second time in a day, I did the human thing and looked. For a second. No panties. No hair. Just lips. And something metal. I returned my eyes to the road.

"So, where do you want to go?" I asked. "Raul's? Wolfgang's? Bubbas?"

"Raul's is OK," Nadia replied. We were only a few blocks away, so there was little to say as I headed that direction and pulled into the parking lot.

Raul's strongly resembled a classic hole-in-the-wall Mexican cantina. In fact, it had been exactly that before losing its liquor license. That's when they cleaned the place up, brought in some fake dirt, and started catering to the high school crowd. We sat on two bar stools positioned at a tall café table.

"So," I began, "It's been a while since we talked. What's been happening?"

"Well, I broke up with Dan. You knew that, right? Then I hung out with my girlfriends for a while; then it was summer and I started helping at the hospital. I used to talk with some of the guys there, but they were really too old for me. Then I did my Junior year and here I am! Oh yeah, last fall I was in The Program."

"What do you do at the hospital?"

"I'm a candy-striper. I visit the patients; I give them newspapers and books; I hand out peppermint candies; sometimes I just talk with them and try to cheer them up. It's obvious, of course, but some of those people get really bummed out. I can't cure them but maybe I can brighten their day."