Part 5: Friday

It was a sunny day when Tom awoke in his new bed after a fitful few hours sleep. He turned over and sat up, rubbing his eyes and running his fingers through his disorderly red hair. Looking at the clock on his side table which hadn't gone off yet, he saw that it was only 6:44 in the morning. He'd only slept about six and a half hours but he was eager to get started on his last day in the Program.

Reaching over and turning off the clock so it wouldn't wake his mother, Tom climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to shave, shower and whatever before he got dressed. When he was dressed, wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with shoes and socks, it was a little after seven.

Getting breakfast was easy. Kathryn was up and had it ready for him when he came into the kitchen. She smiled and asked him, "Well, how was that new bed?" as she set his plate down in front of him.

"Great," he said, smiling. He felt good this morning. "There's too much room in it though," he quipped as he dug into his meal.

She laughed. "I"m sure Mandy can fill it up for you. Will you be coming home after school?"

"Sure. I'll need to give you your ticket, and I'll want to shower. I think I'll take my clarinet in this morning and store it in my locker. That way I'll have it there this evening. Umm, this is good. I like sausage," he said, complimenting his mom on her cooking.

After a little more small talk he kissed his mother and went to get his school things. Carrying his bag over his shoulder and his clarinet case he waved good bye to Kathryn and started over to Mandy's house. He gotten only about a block from his house when a hand grabbed him and pulled him into the bushes next to a deserted house.

"So, big man, think you're so tough, huh?" said a voice behind him. He thought that he had heard that voice before but he wasn't sure. Before he could act, though, Tom was hit on the head and he fell to the ground, semi-conscious and bleeding. He tried to turn around to see who it was but he was kicked in the side and chest and lost consciousness.

When he came to, a light was shining in his eyes and he was lying on a cold metal table. He blinked and mumbled, "What happened?"

"Easy, young man, you've got a concussion. We're taking you to the hospital. Try not to talk," a voice told him. He laid back and tried to remember what had happened. After a few minutes of thinking, it came to him. It was that boy in the corridor Tuesday afternoon who threatened Mandy. Now what was his name? After a few minutes of thinking hard, he gasped out, barely audible to the man next to him, "Mark Winters."

The man tending him leaned down and asked, "What, son?"

Tom opened his eyes and looked at him. A little louder he said, "Mark Winters, he did it. I had a scuffle in the hall at school with him and he was expelled for threatening a nude student. Tell my mom, please," and he fainted.

The next thing he knew he was lying in a hospital bed with nurses and doctors standing around him. When they saw him open his eyes they smiled, relieved. One of the doctors stepped closer to the bed and felt his pulse. Then he asked Tom, "What's your name, son?"

Tom blinked at the bright lights and said, "T-Tom Allen. What time is it? I have to get to school."

The doctor pushed him back down on the bed as he tried to get up. "Whoa there, young man, you're not going anywhere right now. You've got a concussion and a couple cracked ribs. You're going to be here a while."

"No, you don't understand," Tom cried as he struggled to sit up. "I'm in the Program this week. This is my last day and if I miss it I'll have to do another week. I can't be late, please," and he pushed himself up to a sitting position, only to fall back, crying out in pain as he grasped his side.

"There, see?" the doctor said. "Now will you do as I tell you?"

Tom nodded. "My mom..." he whispered when he got some of his breath back.

"She's been notified and she's on her way here. We've notified the school of the incident and they'll decide what to do when you are better. Now you told the EMT that the boy who attacked you," he said, looking at his folder, "was named Mark Winters?"

Tom nodded as he started to feel sleepy. "Yes," he said and laid back, closing his eyes.

"The police are looking for him right now. The school has given them his description which matches the one given by the woman who found you. It seems that you were lucky. A woman with a dog was passing by and heard a commotion behind some bushes. She checked and saw most of it. When she blew her whistle the attacker ran away after she threatened to sic her dog on him."

Tom laughed and coughed when his side started to hurt. "Mrs. McGowran. She lives across the street from us. She's got a chihuahua," and he coughed again.

The others laughed as well as the doctor and then he said, "Well, be that as it may, you were lucky. Another few kicks and you would have been in here longer than a few days. The lady called 911 on her cel phone and help arrived in minutes. You'll have to thank her."

Tom said, "I sure will," and closed his eyes again as the lights were too bright.

The doctor patted his chest and said, "Good. Now sleep. We'll send in your mother when she gets here."

"Thanks," Tom muttered.

A short time later, Tom heard a girl's voice call out in the corridor, "But why can't I see him? He's my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry, miss, but he can't be disturbed right now. We're waiting for his mother. Now please take a seat in the waiting room."

'Mandy?' Tom thought? How could she be here? He looked at his wrist but his watch was missing and he couldn't see a clock. He also noticed that his clothes were gone and he was dressed in a hospital gown. He laid back and closed his eyes again, his head was throbbing.

He woke up when a hand touched his chest. Opening his eyes he saw his mother, Mandy and her parents as well as a policeman standing by his bed. He smiled. "Hi, everybody, what a way to end a week, huh?" and he dropped his head back to the pillow.

"Tom, are you all right? When I got the call at work I was so worried."

"I guess so, mom. Hi, Mandy, Mr. and Mrs. Collins." They all said hello and Mandy came over to the other side of his bed to take a hold of his right hand.

The policeman who was standing beside his bed on the right said, "I think you should know, Mr. Allen, we found your attacker hiding in a small shed a few blocks away and we'll need you to identify him when you are able. Your possessions are at the police station and can be reclaimed whenever you like."

Tom and Kathryn thanked him and he left.

Mandy came over and took his right hand in hers. Tom smiled at her and said, "I was attacked by that guy who bothered you on Tuesday. Remember, Mandy? In the hall? I remembered his voice and name. I told the guy in the ambulance. Oh, my head hurts," he said, trying to raise his hand but found he had a tube attached to the arm.

"I was so worried when you didn't show up at our house this morning, Tom. I just knew something bad had happened. I guess you won't be playing at the concert tonight after all," Mandy said, looking worried.

"No, I guess not," Tom said softly.

The doctor came in and asked for everyone but Kathryn to leave. Mandy begged to stay but her parents led her out. Tom told him about his headache and he asked the nurse to give him some kind of drug in his IV which she did.

"Okay now, Mrs. Allen, your son has a concussion and a couple of cracked ribs. He won't be able to walk for a couple of days so I'd like to keep him here for observation. He should be able to leave on Monday. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes, of course, doctor. Will he be all right afterwards, though?"

"Oh yes, quite all right. These injuries are quite quick-healing if treated in time, I assure you, and Tom was lucky. I don't foresee any problems in the future, although he will have to take it easy for a couple of weeks to let those ribs heal properly. No stressful activities, which includes no Gym."

When Tom heard that he moaned. The doctor turned to look at him. "Are you okay, Tom?" he asked as he looked into Tom's eyes with a small flashlight. The drug hadn't started to work yet, but the headache wasn't what made Tom moan. He smiled a little and said, "Yeah, I just remembered. This was my last day in the Program, and my last day to go into the girls' locker room with them. Damn! Sorry, mom," he said, looking at her apologetically.

She grinned. "I'll let it go this time, but watch it, young man," she said, smiling.

The doctor seemed puzzled. "What is this program he keeps speaking of? That's the second time he's mentioned it."

"They have a program called the Naked in School Program in his school," she told him. "Each week, two students from each of the classes are chosen to attend class, as well as special activities, in the nude. It's supposed to build character and respect for themselves and other people. Using the opposite gender's facilities is part of the requirements. It was Tom's week this week. If he doesn't finish the week for any reason deemed unacceptable to the administration, he has to do it all over again next week. He's been dreading it up until this week when his name was chosen. His partner skipped out, moving to another school, and Mandy decided to help him, like the nice girl we've come to know her to be," Kathryn said, explaining the situation.

"Thank God," Tom said, smiling at the thought of Mandy resting beside him in bed.

"Well, this was not your fault, Tom," the doctor told him. "I really don't see how they can make you do a whole extra week when you're not to blame for missing the day."

"I'm sure they'll find a way," Tom said softly, disconsolate at the thought of another week naked in school. Then he said, "I was supposed to play in the band concert this evening, too. Now that's off. Mr. Crandall will be disappointed in missing his substitute clarinetist. Ohh, I think that stuff is working," he groaned, laying his head back on his pillow and closing his eyes.

"Is he all right?" Kathryn asked the doctor.

"Yes. The drug just dulls the pain and makes him drowsy. He'll sleep now."

Tom opened his eyes and asked his mother, "Mom, could you please get my things? Especially my clarinet. Please?"

She patted his arm and said, "Of course, Tom. Now you rest. I'll be back later."

She turned and stepped away from the bed and said, "Thank you for your help, doctor. This has been a traumatic week for my son and now this had to happen. What next?"

"Only time will tell, Mrs. Allen," said the doctor as they walked out of the small two-bed room.

Tom sighed and in a moment he was asleep.

A few hours later he awoke to find he was sitting up in bed. Someone had raised the top half of the bed into a sitting position and his tube was out. He looked around and there was no one there in the room. He was alone.

Moving about a few times, he felt a pain in his side but it wasn't as bad as before. The side bars on his bed were down and so he decided that he'd try to get up, even though he'd been instructed to stay where he was.

Swinging his legs around, he sat up on the right side of the bed. He just sat there a couple of minutes, expecting his head to swim but it didn't. 'Strange'," he thought. Standing up on his feet, he did waver a bit but then he stood straight and strong. He tried a couple of steps. Except for a twinge in his side he didn't really hurt.

Tom walked slowly over to the small cubicle in the corner and opened the door. It was a closet and his clothes were hanging there. In the other corner against the opposite wall beside the second bed was another cubicle with a door. He went over to that and opened it. It was a bathroom, and Tom suddenly realized he had to pee bad. That must have been what had awakened him. He went in.

He had been in there a few minutes and was washing his hands when he heard a knock on the door. He dried his hands and opened the door to find a nurse looking at him.

"Are you alright, Mr. Allen? I was concerned when I found your bed empty."

"Yes, I just needed to uh you know, and the tube was out so I thought," Tom said haltingly as she helped him back to bed.

"I see," the nurse said as she helped him back to his bed. When he was safely back in bed he asked her, "Do you know who put my bed up?"

"I did. Doctor's orders. It's supposed to help your ribs. How are they feeling now, by the way?"

"Not bad. It doesn't hurt like before, only a slight twinge. Do I really need to stay here as long as the doctor said? I feel fine. I promise not to exert myself."

"Good," said the nurse as she pulled up his covers. "Now get some sleep."

Tom managed to settle down in bed and eventually fell asleep.

He tossed and turned in his sleep for a while and then suddenly sat up in bed, his eyes wide open as he cried out.

"Yahh! NO! I can't!" and he looked around him.

He was still in his own room, in his new bed and his mother was sitting beside him, looking worried.

"Tom?" she said, putting her arm around him. "What's wrong? I heard you moaning and I came in to see what was wrong. You were tossing and turning like you were fighting something," she said.

He ran his hand over his sweating brow and looked at her. After the week he had just had, he barely noticed that she was nude. "Mom?" was all he said when he saw her. "I just had the worst nightmare. I dreamed I was attacked on my way to school and I was sent to the hospital. It looked like I would have to spend all next week naked in school again for missing tomorrow."

"You mean today?" she said. He nodded as he looked at the clock on the table by his bed. It was indeed Friday, almost 6:00 on Friday, his last day. He had slept less than six hours and he was not rested at all.

He slapped his hand over his face to wake himself up as he said, "Ohhh. This is going to be one horrible day. I don't feel like I've slept a wink all night."

"Maybe it was just your brain trying to think of a way out of that concert. You're concerned about the audience more than the music, aren't you?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I know some songs, but there will most likely be some songs playing that I don't know. It'll be bad enough, sitting there naked in front of the audience of strangers, but to blow the tunes. Oh man." He looked at her. "Do you think I can do it?" he asked her, looking concerned.

She patted his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him. "Of course you can. I have all the confidence in the world in you. Now go back to sleep."

She started to leave the room when she looked back at him. He had decided that he had had enough sleep so he sat up on the side of the bed, rubbing his eyes. "I think I'd rather not, mom," he said. "I'll take a shower. Maybe that will wake me up. Then I'll have breakfast and get dressed. You go back to bed. I can do things myself."

He stood up and stretched his arms. After rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes, he headed for the bathroom as his mom left the room ahead of him.

Going into the bathroom, he turned on the shower and waited a few moments while it warmed up. He stood before the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror. As he did, he asked himself as he ran his fingers through his red hair, "So you think you can really pull this off tonight?" and he thought he saw his reflection in the mirror nod its head yes. He grinned. "Sure I can. I can do this, and after tonight, I'll never have to go naked in public again, unless I want to." He smiled at himself and then went into the shower.

A few minutes later, Tom walked down to the kitchen to get his breakfast. He was still naked and since he was now relatively awake, he was surprised to see his mom fixing breakfast for each of them, wearing just an apron.

"Mom?" he said. "I thought you'd gone back to bed?"

"It was late enough, I thought as well," she said. "I figured a good breakfast would do us both some good, and we don't get to have breakfast together that much."

They sat there and ate. Tom discussed his trepidations with his mom about walking on stage naked with the other clothed musicians, many of whom were girls. Being naked in school among boys, girls and teachers he knew was different for him than standing up on stage in front of adults who were strangers.

Finally though he admitted that he was dead set on completing the job like he had promised Mr. Crandall he would do. That was the way he was raised and he would do as he promised, even though he really didn't want to.

After breakfast, Kathryn went up and took a shower while Tom got his things together for school. By the time both were dressed and ready for their day it was shortly before seven thirty. Too early in Tom's view to go to Mandy's. Kathryn had a different view.

"Come on, Tommy, I'll give you a ride over to Mandy's. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you. I'll drop you off and then go on to work from there. Maybe I'll stop for a coffee on the way," she said as she picked up her handbag and keys.

"Thanks, mom," her son said as he grabbed his bag.

They got into her car and they started down the road towards the corner. After turning the corner, Tom had looked out the window when he thought he saw something - or rather, someone. Kathryn was driving the same route that Tom had walked in his dream and as they passed the old abandoned house on River Street he thought he saw a figure dart into some bushes, a figure that resembled Mark Winters.

He blinked twice but the figure was gone. Did he see him? If he had been walking, he would have gone that very way. Eerie, he thought.

Kathryn pulled up in front of the Collins' house and Tom got out. "Mom, I'll fix dinner this afternoon before you get home. That way you can eat before you go to the concert. I'm sure I have to be there early, say a half hour at least, so I'll leave the ticket on the table. I probably will leave shortly after you get home. I love you. See you tonight."

"Okay, honey. I love you, too. Have a good day at school," Kathryn told him. They each waved bye and she drove off, leaving Tom standing there holding his schoolbag.

Walking over to the door he was about to ring the bell when the door opened and Mandy came running out and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, nearly knocking him to the ground. The very fact that she did this while wearing nothing but her non-participant necklace, not even shoes or socks on her feet, caused a rise in Tom's spirits to occur in more ways than one.

"Woe there, little lady," he cried, laughing as he tried to extricate himself from her lustful clutches. He did manage to get a feel of her buttocks before he pushed her away, though. "What's this all about? I thought that I was the one who was supposed to sweep you off your feet."

It took a few seconds to notice that she was crying.

He set her down and lifted her chin up. "Mandy? What's wrong?"

"Oh Tom, I had the worst dream about you. I dreamed..."

"Wait," he said, taking her arm and heading towards the house. "Let's go inside. I had a bad dream as well. I'm afraid to hear what yours was."

They went into the house where Margaret and John Collins were just coming down the stairs, all dressed for work. Geena was right behind them, dressed for school.

"What's going on?" John asked as they approached the couple.

"I'm not sure, sir," Tom said. "All I know was that I was about to ring the bell when she came flying through the door into my arms as soon as it opened. Not that I'm complaining, mind you," he said to grins from John and Margaret, "but she was crying, something about a dream. The thing is, I had a bad dream last night myself. I afraid to ask her about hers."

John looked at his watch. "We still have a few minutes. Let's go into the living room and talk."

They did. Tom said as they sat down, "Last night, I dreamed I was attacked by Mark Winters. You remember, Mandy, that boy who tried to harass you on Tuesday afternoon?"

"Yes," she said, her voice shaking. "That's what I dreamed, too. I dreamed you had a concussion and some cracked ribs." She started to cry again.

Tom's eyes were agape as he said, his face pale, "That's weird! That's exactly what I dreamed. What's going on here? My mom said it was a way for my brain to try and get me out of this concert mess I got myself into. I don't know."

"Your mother could be right. You don't want to do the concert nude but you are required by the Program regulations to do so since you agreed to do it during your week," Mrs. Collins said. Being a qualified psychologist, Margaret was able to see things Tom and Mandy couldn't.

"The thing that is strange is that you both had the same dream. I wouldn't have thought it possible that two people who had really just met five days ago would be so closely attached that they would have what is called sympathetic dreams. We really don't have time to discuss it like we should, though, right now," she said. "we have work and school to get to. Perhaps this weekend."

"That would be great," Tom said. "I thought maybe I had a real premonition since I saw Winters, or at least I thought I saw him, at the very same spot where he grabbed me in my dream this morning on the way here." He shook his head, not really understanding. He looked at his watch. It was almost five minutes to eight. "Oh gee, we're going to be late. Come on, Mandy," he said as he jumped up from the couch and grabbed her hand. After she slipped her feet into a pair of loafers, they were on their way.

They rushed across the street followed by Mr. Collins, while Mrs. Collins took Geena with her to the elementary school on her way to her office in town.

Tom quickly stripped along with the other late Participants and he and Mandy went inside to their homeroom just before the last bell.

After home room, Tom went to his locker and got out the texts he would need for the morning classes. Mandy went to her locker as well, then they headed to English class.

In English, Miss Bernhard asked Tom if he needed relief, but after the previous night, sex was the last thing on his mind. He said no. They finished their discussion of Gothic literature that had started with FRANKENSTEIN. Then the bell rang.

On the way to Chemistry with Dr. Smith, Tom and Mandy met up with Principal Evans. "Tom, how are you?"

"Fine, ma'am," he told her.

"Good. I bet you're glad this week is almost over," she said, smiling at him.

"Yes, ma'am. Unfortunately, it doesn't end at 3:15. I still have that concert to do," Tom told her.

"Yes, Mr. Crandall told me about you volunteering tonight, even though it's still your week in the Program. After your shaky start, that's very brave of you," she said and smiled at him.

Tom shrugged. "He needed help. I could do it so I said yes. Although I intend to keep my eyes on the music instead of the audience," he pointed out to her, grinning.

She smiled and let them get to their class just as the second bell rang. Thinking about that concert caused Tom to refuse relief a second time. It was beginning to look like his last day would be anti-climactic, at least in school.

As they were leaving Chemistry, Tom and Mandy met up with Todd who was racing to his next class to try and avoid people looking at him. They stopped him and Tom asked, "Todd, how is it going? Any problems?"

Todd looked around nervously when he said, "Not too bad, Allen. At least they're not making fun of me. Look, I gotta go. See you," and he was gone.

Tom shrugged. "He's taking it better than I did my first full day. I hope he can get through it okay."

Mandy grinned. "At least now he knows what the other participants go through and when his week comes, he'll know what to expect. Come on, let's get to French."

She took his arm in hers as they headed to French class third period. This time, due to some enthusiastic stroking by a couple of freshman girls out in the hall, Tom did request relief.

"Do you want help?" Mandy asked him.

"I think I'll try to do it myself. Maybe I will, maybe I won't, fail that is," he told her, grinning as he went to the front.

Going up to the front of the class, he sat down in the chair and looked at the class. Turning his attention to Mandy, he grasped his penis in his fingers, nearly hiding it from those watching. Its size was no longer important to him, the only important thing to him was that Mandy didn't look at it as something ridiculous.

Concentrating on Mandy's slim beautiful body as she sat in her seat, he began to stroke himself. He was startled, though, when Mandy stood up at Miss Simpson's request and cupped her breasts as she spread her legs. That caused his heart rate to quicken as well as his breathing. The view of her standing there was all it took. His body jerked in the chair, his eyes closed and sperm shot out of the tip of his white cock. As soon as it stopped he relaxed and took the tissues from Miss Simmons, thanked her and cleaned himself off.

After a few quick breaths, his face flaming red both from exertion and no small embarrassment, he grinned and went back to his seat. Leaning over, he whispered to Mandy, "I am never doing that again."

She giggled and said, "Why not?"

"It's so embarrassing. At least with you up there with me, I could have concentrated on you instead of the class."

She grinned and patted his shoulder. The class proceeded. As it did, Tom thought that with each successive period gone, that was one less he would have to be naked in. The bell rang. Gym time!

"Come on!" Tom said, grabbing Mandy's hand and jumping out of his chair after grabbing his bag. "Let's go! We don't want to be late!" and he pulled her out into the hall.

"Tom? What... ?"

"Gym class!" he said excitedly. "My last one with the girls. Come onnn," he said, pulling her along the hall. She stopped and laughed. "Oh you silly," she said and they went to their lockers to get their gym things.

"You are really a goof sometimes, Tom, you know that?" she said, laughing as they hurried down the hall. He just grinned at her.

"I can't help it. It's not every day that I get to be in a room with twenty six naked girls, now is it? Remember when you had your week, Mandy? You had to go into the room with all those naked boys pointing at you, and not with their fingers either, I'll bet," Tom said to her, grinning.

She grinned as they entered the Gym. "Yes, I remember. They were more scared than I was that first time. Boy, was that fun. Okay, I understand. You're eager to see the girls again. I suppose that's understandable. Come on," she said and she grabbed him this time. "At least from now on, I'll have you all to myself," she said as she pulled him through the door and into that room filled with girls undressing for class.

"Girls, Tom is anxious to be with us today. It's his last day in no-man's land so let's show him a good time," Mandy exclaimed.

They all crowded around and would have given him a very good time if Miss White hadn't come in to see what the commotion was. Tom hurried over to her and pretended to cower behind her. "Oh please, Miss White, protect me. They want to kiss me," he said, all the while making faces at the girls and making them laugh.

"Okay, girls, that's enough. This poor boy has had a rough week and you should give him a break. At least wait till after class in the showers. Now hurry up, class starts in two minutes," and she smiled at Tom, patted his shoulder and walked out.

By the time they finished undressing and getting into their gym suits, they girls were settled down. Tom and Mandy were already outside sitting on the bleachers, laughing.

The coaches decided to have a volleyball game that period, the boys against the girls. Both sides were pretty evenly matched - each had one nudist playing. The two sides lined up against each other, with the large net set up between. After the work-out the day before, a game of volleyball was welcome. The two coaches were the referees.

By the end of the class period the teams were even in points until Fred Herbert made the winning point by spiking the ball over the net where the girls couldn't get it, causing a big cheer on the boys' side.

As the girls rushed into the shower, Tom lagged behind to wait for Mandy who also seemed to be lagging. When she got up to him, he grinned and said, "Sorry about that, Fred's a good spiker. Given a chance, he'll get it over the net every time."

"That's okay, we'll get him next time. Come on," and she led him into the locker room. He managed to get his sneakers and socks off before she dragged him into the shower with her. They spent some time washing each other, although Tom was still thinking about that dream he had had.

Stepping out of the shower, he took one last look at the room-full of naked girls, engraving it on his memory before Mandy jerked him into the locker room. He heard some of the girls laugh, those who had seen him looking at them and also had seen Mandy's reaction.