Chapter 4

"But ... but ... the whole point is that we're against the Naked In School Program!" Curt pointed out.

"She's right, Curt," Molly said. "I'm not against it on the basis of nudity being wrong. I don't like showing my body to strangers, but the problems with the Program go way beyond that. We've both said that it's a matter of human rights. If we go on TV naked, it would destroy the prude argument. Where would that leave them?"

"They would have to fall back on the psycho-babble and you two could tear them new ones," Gwen said, grinning at her own crudeness.

"So you would be willing to have your own son expose himself, Gwen?" Jason asked. "You know, depending on who picks up the show, hundreds of millions of people could see him?"

"Jason, I think you are just baiting me a bit," Gwen answered. "Look. Our society is on a destructive path. The Program and other ideas like it are eroding rights that were supposed to be guaranteed. It may already be too late. My Curt has the courage to do this. If there is any chance, any chance at all to make a difference by putting his beautiful body on display, this mother can only be proud!"

Jason jumped to his feet, walked over near Gwen's chair, took her hand, and bowed deeply over it. "I meet very few people that leave me in awe," he said. "You certainly are one of them."

"Uh," Curt started uncertainly, "I agree with Mom. Who sees me doesn't matter, if I could make a difference. But we can't decide this for Molly."

"No, you can't!" Molly added sharply, "but don't you dare try to leave me out of it because of chivalry. I appreciate your concern, really I do, but I'm just as willing to strip as Curt is. I'll be scared to death, but that won't stop me."

"What about all of the people who are just flat out against public nudity?" Curt asked. "Won't we risk alienating them?"

"That is a valid concern," Gwen answered. "I really don't have an answer there. It's not as if those people have been sheltered from nudity. Anyone who has left their home in warm weather has seen naked people. At some point during the interview, you would need to explain very carefully why you are doing it. Make it clear that it is only to get a point across. Perhaps apologize."

A very intense discussion went on for quite a while. One or the other of the four would act as devil's advocate, trying to think of as many possible objections or negative reactions as they could.

"I have a tactical question," Curt said. "Please don't think I'm trying to weasel out of this, but would it be more effective when school is in session? I mean, the word would get around with lightning speed."

That left them all thoughtful for a while. "That's probably true, Curt," Molly said, "but you have to remember the life-cycle of a news item. By the time school starts, there will be a new quarterback. You will be old news, and Ms. Arragon won't be interested in talking to you anymore."

"Curt, Honey," Gwen added, "Molly has a great point. I think there is something else to consider. When the kids are not in school, the Program has no way to fight back with their propaganda."

"We can think of ways to make sure that every possible kid hears about it," Jason assured them.

"Yeah, I see what you are all saying," Curt admitted. "I guess it's now or never."

"I have to say that I do not like the naked part," Jason said after the discussion wound down. "It goes so against the values that we are trying to resurrect. But I cannot argue with Gwen - she is absolutely right. It is a necessary tactic for right now. The big question is whether you two can really do this."

Molly and Curt looked at each other, nodded, stood, and began undressing. "Wait a minute, wait a minute," Jason said quickly. "You two are absolutely unbelievable. I, uh, almost hate to ask this, but would you still do it if I could get this live on a bunch of other stations across the country?"

"You want maybe the whole country to see us?" Curt asked in shock.

"Look, let me be perfectly honest with you - with what you are considering, how could I do anything less?" Jason said. "I think you know something of my political leaning. We, a group called Renewal, have been searching fruitlessly for some way to pry away some of the millions of reflexive Democratic voters."

"And you want to use us to try to do that? Our bodies?" Molly asked, her unease showing.

"Your minds, Molly. As we have just been talking, the only reason to display your bodies is to make sure that you get to use your minds on the real issues. Otherwise, it will just boil down to 'Why are you such a prude?'"

Molly nodded that he should go on. "Our studies indicate that dissatisfaction with the Program is widespread among voters. This is particularly true in ethnic enclaves where religious ties are still strong."

"Then why do they still vote Democratic?" Gwen asked.

"The government and the Program administration have done a superb job of keeping it 'below the radar' as far as the voters are concerned. Even if people don't like it, they are less concerned about it than about other issues. Certainly not concerned enough to vote Republican. In most cases they know nothing of the negative side.

"I would prefer to leave the discussion for another time when hours are not so scarce. Let me just say that the electorate has been expertly 'managed'."

"So where do we come in?" Molly asked.

"The Administration does not want attention on the Program, or on any of its similar social experiments. We hope that by getting it in the spotlight, we can cause some disruption."

"So we would be letting it hang out for just the hope of some disruption?" Curt asked.

"That, and a chance to get your views in front of a lot of people," Jason answered.

"When you put it that way, it doesn't seem like we would be accomplishing much for quite a sacrifice," Molly mused.

"Let me say one other thing," Jason said. "Your generation is as docile and passive as any that I can remember. There has been nothing that has caused them to rise up and be heard."

"And you think that exposing the Program could wake us up?" Curt asked.

"The abuses could do that," Jason answered.

"You know, I would be skeptical if it weren't for the sudden turnaround in my own brother," Molly said. "The more he learned, the more upset he got. We have a big problem, though."

"Oh?"

"A huge percentage of kids think the Program is the biggest kick ever," Molly stated. "Despite all of the negatives that I know about, a vote of the teens would probably be a landslide for it."

"Even if that were true, does it make it right to force the minority to surrender control of their bodies?" Gwen asked.

Molly slapped her thigh loudly. "That's the whole point, Gwen. You are absolutely right! That's why I ran away. Jason, even if it is the longest of long shots, I will give the sight of my ass, my boobs, and my pussy to make a statement. If it's millions of people, all the better!" As she said that, she shed the rest of her clothes. "Maybe it will amount to nothing. But just maybe, it will start to wake up a few in my generation." Staring in unabashed awe at his new friend, Curt had to shake himself aware to finish his own undressing.

"I don't know how you expect to do it, but could you ... could you get it on a station back home?" Molly asked when she stood naked.

"I may have to buy a station in a hurry, but I will get you on the air in your town one way or the other. It's the least I can do," Jason promised. "Listen, I have to make some arrangements very quickly. Time is short. I'll be back as quickly as I can. See what other plans you can make."

Molly, Gwen, and Curt did not know what to say to each other for a while. Gwen broke the silence first. "Are you going to insist that Porter Arragon do the interview, Curt?"

"Her? Oh, no! Anyone but her!"

"Wait a minute, Curt," Molly said. "It's your chance to destroy her. We'll have all the weapons, and we'll have ruined her biggest argument. Hey! That's the ticket! She has to be naked, too! Oh, wow! That's perfect!"

"Oh, I don't think she would do it," Curt said.

"She won't have a choice," Gwen pointed out. "Remember what Jason said about condition of employment? Besides, she is always preaching about the wonders of nudity. How could she refuse and hope to have any credibility? Great idea, Molly!"

"You're right, Mom," Curt said. "Yeah, great idea, Molly. You know, Mom, there's one other person I'd like to stick it to. You know that whacked out professor at the college who's always on the air preaching about nudity and stuff. Wonder if we could get him included?"

"I have a feeling that Jason could do about anything he wanted," Gwen observed.

"Just about," Jason added as he walked back into the room. They filled him in on the latest ideas, and he was almost jumping up and down with glee at the prospect. "One of my people had the inspiration to do it at the football field. That's perfect. It's outside, we can make it private, and it fits the theme of Curt giving up his chance at a championship."

"Jason, you are having way too much fun," Gwen chided. "Are you always this spontaneous? Do you always make things happen in such a hurry?"

"It drives my people nuts, but I think that down deep, they love it," Jason answered. "Yes, this is how I prefer to operate. It keeps the opposition off balance."

"Jason," Molly asked, "can I use a computer? And can you give me a list of the stations we'll be on as soon as you have it? I'm going to spread the word on all the chatrooms and blogs and have everyone pass it on. Oh, and be sure to set up a streaming feed."

"Brilliant!" Jason said. "Molly, I can't tell you how much I admire you for doing this. It's ... it's just ... I'm speechless."

"I just hope I'm not speechless tonight," Molly quipped.

"I think working naked with all of the people who will be involved getting things ready will give you an advantage over the interviewers. And remember one important thing. You are talking only to the reporter and the professor. There is no one else in the world. When the butterflies come, and they will, just think of that. The worst thing you can do is try to 'preach' to the thousands - or millions. Just make sure you destroy those two idiots.

"To make that advantage even bigger, Arragon and the professor won't be told they have to be naked until just before they go on the field," Jason said, rubbing his hands.

"Uh, give them at least twenty or thirty minutes," Gwen said. "You know, letting lines from bra straps and such disappear. A chance to touch up nipples, trim pubes, that kind of thing - at least for the woman."

"You're probably right. I'll have both of their superiors there to make sure they know that they don't have a choice," Jason assured them.

Molly was the busiest right away, pounding away on the keyboard to put the notice on all of the blogs and websites that she cared about. She warned people to stay online for a changing list of stations where the interview would be aired. The best they could do for time was eleven p.m., but she encouraged everyone to get their parents to watch.

How Jason did it, Molly had no idea, but one of the first stations listed was in her home town. She quickly put it on the web, then decided that she had better call Bert. It was not a time that he was expecting her to call, and she did not want to chance any interaction with her parents. After thinking about it briefly, she called the housekeepers' apartment. Gretchen answered and Molly instructed her to get Bert to call her special phone. She then told the unbelieving Gretchen about the scheduled broadcast.

Molly's phone rang in less than three minutes. "Molly, Molly!" Bert said excitedly, "Mom signed the exemption! You can come home!"

That stopped Molly only for a moment. "I'm sorry, Bert, but that doesn't matter any more. I could not be in school even if I was exempt. It would seem like I condoned it. And I don't. Listen, there's something I need to ask you to do." She went on to tell about the broadcast and urged him to start some chain calling to get as many people as possible to watch it.

"Bert, I am only telling you this. DO NOT tell anyone else. I will be naked for the interview."

"WHAT? You want all these people to see you naked?"

"Of course not, but..." Molly explained the reasoning, sharing her fear and her determination. She could hear her brother crying over the line. "What's the matter, Bert?"

"You make me feel like a spineless wimp. Here I am, just going along, and you're ... you're ... God, you're something else, Molly!"

"Hey, Bro'! You're not just going along. You can do a part right there at school. I'll bet there are some ways you can make a difference." After a pause, she asked him "Say, are you spending time on the Net? Here's an idea. Make sure that you know everything about what the Program can legally do. Then find out what you can about things they just do, whether they are authorized or not. Be kind of like a lawyer. Don't let what's-her-name get by with anything."

"You mean Hawkins? She probably has it in for me. I pissed her off pretty good at the party. That's a great idea, though. I already read about a few things."

Then, she tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, you still keeping that nice dick out in plain sight? Is it hanging more, or is it mostly stiff?" She had never talked like this to anyone, and she blushed at the reaction of Gwen and Curt.

"I decided to practice right up until school started. Did you know that Mom... ?" They only talked a few more minutes, then she urged him to get busy on the phone and the email, and they broke the call with promises to keep in touch.

The rest of the afternoon and evening were a blur of activity for Curt and Molly. More people than they could count talked to them about all of the details of a TV production. They joked with each other that Jason and Gwen were just trying to expose them to as many people as possible to 'break them in'.

Without saying anything about it, both teens refrained from making any comment about the other's body, and both tried not to gawk. They knew they could not let the undeniable mutual attraction interfere with the crucial evening ahead.

Porter could not believe her good fortune. This could be Pulitzer stuff. She had no idea why the dumb kid had changed his mind, but she was sure glad that he had. And Merton (the professor) was going to be interviewing him with her. Interviewing them, actually. She wasn't sure why they wanted to include some prissy little girl, but that shouldn't detract from her dissection of the stupid jock.

She and Merton had spent almost three hours coordinating and polishing their questions. It was hard to imagine how the interview could even last a half hour, although the producer had said something about the time being open-ended. The kid should be a sniveling mess after the first ten minutes.

It was odd that some outside group was doing the actual shoot. She had never known the station manager to allow anything like that before. Maybe it was because of syndication. That could only be good for her. It was actually a relief to be able to arrive at the site only a half hour before air time. And the football field! What a perfect idea! She had been assured that extra lighting would be in place for proper production.

She and Merton walked into the stadium at ten twenty for the eleven air time, chatting jovially. They were shown to a makeup area that, strangely, was right out on the field. Her station manager was right there, so she did not say anything about the unusual setup. It was a gorgeous night with a perfect temperature, so there was really nothing to complain about. It was not her usual makeup woman, but a man who looked relaxed and competent. It should be no problem. She noticed that a woman would be attending to Merton, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

A teenaged boy walked up to her holding some clothes hangers and said "I'll take your clothes now, Ma'am, and he can start the makeup work."

"My ... my clothes?" She was never speechless.

"Of course, Ma'am," the boy answered in a very relaxed voice. "Since the broadcast will be done in the nude, you will want plenty of time for extra makeup."

"N ... nude? What do you mean?" Porter demanded. She spun toward her station manager who just nodded, without expression.

Porter stomped over to the manager. "What the fuck kind of shit is this? There's no way I'm doing this nude!"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," the manager replied in the same expressionless tone. "You had a pretty nice career started."

Porter Arragon was a very bright woman. She was about to launch into a passionate tirade, but certain clues dissuaded her. Her manager was acting in a completely unfamiliar manner. On his own, he would never threaten her that way. She was one of his meal tickets, and they had a good relationship. This was not his decision.

As she stood contemplating, her manager spoke up. "What's the problem, Porter. You're the big proponent of all the nudity. Time to practice what you preach."

"The kids?" she asked.

"Naked, too." That shook her up almost more than the request to undress. Most of their attack was built around the prudery angle. Someone, she could not imagine who, had lured her into a situation where, rather than being able to rip the kid apart, she was in grave danger of looking very, very stupid.

The kids must have been made up earlier, because they were just standing across the field, already naked. Damn! They were beautiful! That must be part of someone's plan, too. She and Merton could not compete at all physically. They were talking to - JASON PRITCHARD? Her mind told her that now was the time to cut her losses and start over somewhere else.

But wait! Why did she necessarily have to take a fall. Merton was there with her. He was the one always spouting off. Let him be the Program advocate, and she could just ask questions. It was certainly not the usual acerbic, arrogant, combative style that already had her in line for three much bigger stations. But suddenly, she was fighting for her professional life. Damn Pritchard, anyway! Stupid, Neanderthal bastard wasn't going to ruin her career.

"There's not that much time, Porter," her manager said, "depending on where you want makeup. If you can't do it, say so now. Your replacement is ready and waiting to go on."

She did not have to have that threat spelled out for her. Resigned, she turned and starting removing her carefully chosen ensemble while the kid just stared impassively at every newly exposed area.

Truthfully, she did not like baring her body, which was primarily a carefully toned clothes horse. To make her on-air outfits look like they did on the runway models, she had to look too bony to be truly sexy without clothes. And she could not selectively add weight to her boobs, either, except with the surgery that she had not gotten around to.

Oh, well. Her manager had been right. She had done a lot of rhapsodizing about the glories of nudity. Now it was time to show that she meant it. It irritated her that the kid's expression did not even change when she handed him her panties and then her bra. Probably gay, she surmised.

When the makeup guy had her turn around slowly for him, she felt like a hunk of meat. She had been through makeup hundreds of times and she understood the need. Still ... When he knelt in front of her and began snipping at her pubes, it was all she could do to hold still.

That was only the start, though. He began touching her very casually, applying various bases and powders, giving a running dialog as he went. "In this particular light, we need to brighten the inward portion of every curved area so it picks up as much light as possible. Here, where your hips turn in toward your waist, for example.

"We have to do the same thing in your cleavage and on the undersides of your breasts." He seemed to spend a lot of time considering their modest size. "It's particularly important down here where your thighs curve inward toward your labia, too." He did not seem to hurry there, either. "The last place is the cleft of your bottom."

His next question did not help her self-confidence at all. "Now, do you want to make your ribs a little less, uh, prominent? We can't disguise them completely, of course."

Merton had just been introduced to his makeup woman when the girl stepped up to him, holding some coat hangers. It was hard for him to think enough to try to determine her age. She was shaped like a cartoon fantasy, with brief shorts seemingly painted on her lush hips and bottom. The tube top was hopelessly overmatched by her eye-popping, sagless mammaries. Her impossibly small waist emphasized the navel ring nicely. The body was that of a mature woman, but the braces, the bubble gum, the pony-tail, and the toe rings screamed teeny bopper.

"I'll take your clothes now, Sir, so she can do your makeup," the mirage said in a voice approximating a ten-year-old.

"Wh ... what? Clothes?" Merton stammered.

"Since the broadcast will be done nude, you'll, like, need more time to cover all the parts." The girl popped her gum as she stared impassively at Merton's crotch.

"N ... naked? What do you mean. No one said anything about that!"

"We're saying it now, Merton," his department head told him, the grin on her face infuriating him.

"You can't order me! I've got tenure!" Merton shouted.

"Merton, how would it look for you or the department if you refused to do this nude? After the way you have espoused nudity for almost every situation! I guarantee you would never get another TV gig, and I doubt that the students would be clamoring for your classes any more. Carlisle is standing by ready to go if you just can't do it. I dare say he's more photogenic than you, anyway."

Merton turned to look at the girl holding the hangers and waiting for his clothes. He knew he could not refuse. His bluff had been called, and he had to preserve his credibility. He reluctantly undressed.

The woman doing Merton's makeup declared that with his skin pigmentation, they would have to do him all over. He had heard that in other makeup sessions, but then, it had only been his face and hands. As her hands worked near his mid-section, he exerted every bit of control that he had to prevent the blood from running to his penis.

When both Merton and Porter were finished with makeup, they were brought, still somewhat dazed, to stand behind a table. The director for the interview stood in front of them and spoke.

"We have reviewed interviews that both of you have done, and we will not tolerate some of the unconscionable tactics that you use." When both started to object, she held up her hand in commanding fashion. "We have a warning device that we will use. It will only be used for the most flagrant violations. That means not allowing the interviewees to answer questions fully and completely, trying to talk over their answers, or completely evading the stated issue. Is that understood."

In the face of their protests that they never did those things, the director laughed out loud. The makeup people placed small devices under the hair on the backs of their heads, in the depression at the base of the skull.

Both were shocked and indignant. Composure was Porter's stock in trade, but it had rarely been stretched so thin. The director held up a small control with two buttons and pressed both of them for two or three seconds. The jolt they felt could not be called painful, but it would definitely stop them in the middle of what they were saying.

"Do the kids have these, too?" Porter managed to ask, after a supreme effort to reign in her temper.

"No. They have no need of them?"

"How can you say that?"

"Because of the kind of people they are," the director snapped. "You have almost fifteen minutes for final consultation. Ms. Arragon, are you ready with the intro?"

Curt was still feeling a bit weak as they took their positions to start the broadcast. Gwen had firmly but lovingly told him to relieve himself twice. "You are seventeen years old. You can manufacture semen at about a gallon an hour. Just eliminate the pressure so you can concentrate on the discussion." He had been led inside the stadium to a bathroom, where it took him only a few minutes.

"Do you need to get rid of some tension, too, Honey?" Gwen asked Molly. Molly just nodded and Gwen led her to another bathroom. It did not take her much longer than Curt.

Gwen and Jason had taken up positions within easy signaling distance of where the interview was to start. The party of four was going to do quite a bit of strolling around as they talked. Their voices would be picked up by tiny microphones taped under their jaw lines and made invisible by the makeup artists.

Hidden under the stands of the stadium and covering all possible entrances was a squad of Jason's security force. There was no reason to suspect interference of any kind, but that was Jason's way - cautious to a fault. Some onlookers would quite likely appear around the stadium as the broadcast went on.

Curt had an almost sick feeling in his stomach as the director started the countdown to on-air. Right then, he was wishing that he had not been so damned brave. At that moment, Molly grabbed his hand and he sensed her need for support. She had volunteered for this when she certainly did not have to. If she needed support, he could not let her down. Thinking about someone else eased the queasiness and gave him a burst of confidence.

Molly was lost in that feeling of unreality. This just could not be happening! How had she gotten herself into this, anyway? Without thinking, she reached for Curt's hand. It had been so many years since she had held her mother's hand. There had been no one else since. She and Bert were close, but the handholding just had never happened. As soon as Curt realized that her hand was there, his grip became firm and she could almost feel the strength flowing through her.

In the warm August night air, Porter felt a chill run through her as the countdown ended. She felt tricked - trapped, but she would not fold. She was stronger than that. Besides, nudity was a good thing. She was proud to promote the cause with her own body. She should have done this before. With a deep breath, she launched into her intro.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman. This is Porter Arragon from KCLY-TV in Crosley. I am speaking to you from the football field in nearby Hooverton. The field is an appropriate site because of the subject of our interview tonight, rather one of the subjects. He left the starting quarterback position at Crosley High School and a great chance for a state title to transfer to Hooverton. Curt Valez, why did you do that?" Feeling the ever-present zinger at her neck, waiting to zap her, Porter decided to play it straight. She still remembered how.

"Crosley High School just adopted the Naked In School program. I believe strongly that the Program is so wrong, so immoral, that I could not condone it by being in the same school."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Porter exclaimed. "You leave your place as the big man on campus because you don't want to go naked in school, yet here you stand naked. There are probably thousands of people watching you right now, rather than just a few hundred at school."

"You're wrong, Porter. There are quite likely millions watching us live. This broadcast has been picked up by thirty-nine stations across the country, and it is streaming on the Net," Curt told her.

Porter staggered visibly at that revelation, but she was a pro, and she was determined. "Th ... that's just makes it all the more incongruous. How do you explain it?"

"It's not just because I didn't want to go naked in school. I could have handled that with no problem. You and other sycophants like you," Curt started out, watching Porter's face flush as he purposely used the inflammatory word, "insist on treating every objection to the Program as simple prudery or religious bigotry. I had to..."

"Now wait a minute," Merton shouted, "you can't call ... Unghhhhh!" The producer had given him a short zap.

"As I was about to say," Curt went on smoothly, "We had to do this naked to keep this interview from deteriorating into the same old diatribe against prudery. Professor, I believe you had a comment."

"Excuse me viewers," Porter interrupted. "I failed to introduce my partner, Merton Nolan, Professor of Psychology. You regular viewers have heard him speak about the Naked In School Program on several occasions, as well as other trends in nudity and sexual practices. Go ahead, Merton."

"I resent being called a sycophant by an uneducated high school jock."

"Pardon the interruption," Molly said. "I looked up your IQ, Professor. I've got you by seventy points. Am I qualified to call you a sycophant?"