Chapter 1: Monday

Stephen - Monday, August 28 - Morning

Scheist.

That was my reaction to being called to Principal Zeiss's office on Monday morning. That was a week ago, yesterday.

I'm Stephen Jacobs and this is my NIS journal. It was written retrospectively, as it was easier than writing while I was experiencing it. I hope it makes some kind of sense. The conversations relayed herein were recorded to the best of our abilities and memories and we trust and believe that they accurately reflect both content and tone.

My school is East Riverport High School — Home of the Fighting Otters. I play attack for our lacrosse team and I am in love. I turned 17 on July 31^st. Melrose, Mass., a little town north and just east of Boston is where I was born, though I don't remember it and have never been back there to visit. A year before the US—Iran war began my parents moved to East Riverport when I was five so my father could take a US government engineering job and my mother wouldn't have to work so much.

Anyway, East Riverport High sits right on a bluff overlooking the mid-point of a horseshoe bend of the southern most stretch of the Ohio River. I'm lucky, because the campus is a 10-minute walk from my house. The most of my walk to school happens under a verdant, green canopy and it is truly beautiful. The school itself is located in an area of town where the trees are lush and leafy almost year round. The weather here is warm a lot of the year and the location is beautiful and, in comparison to some of the schools in PA. or NY, just about perfect for the Naked In School Program.

9:50AM

Because it was Monday, school ran from ten to six. Sometime long ago the powers-that-be decided those hours were easier on the teachers, easier on the students, easier on everybody. And, despite the fact that it made so much sense, they actually did it. Go figure.

I was walking in the front door of school with my lacrosse buds — George, Greg, Carlos, and Timmy. We play attack for the Fighting Otters - undefeated the last two seasons - and we are damn proud of it. Laughing and joking, we'd just entered the lobby near the cafeteria when we heard the voice from the speakers.

"Mr. Jacobs to the office please," the voice instructed me. "Mr. Jacobs to the office."

George turned to me and said "Whad'ja do, Stephen? Sneak up on someone's daughter who ya shouldn'a oughta been banging?"

"George, get over it. No, I haven't been banging anyone, at least not lately. Jeesh, you know that."

"Yeah, right," he grinned, "Nobody yet today."

"No George, I'm serious. Now, between practice and AP class work, who's going to have the time? I have a weekend job at the food court in the Mall. We've been in double sessions since the first of August. I've been too tired to do anything with anybody!"

"Mr. Jacobs?"

Carlos suddenly looked at me with those dark wide eyes of his, then he looked through the lobby and down the hallway. It was the same look he gave us when Coach Werner was in a bad mood and Carlos noticed it first. I didn't like that look. It spelled trouble.

I followed his gaze, then I heard a door open, and then I heard the voice repeat my name. Only one person in the school had that commanding voice: Dr. Nancy Zeiss, our Principal. I turned and fell victim to her piercing evil eyes.

"Y-yes Dr. Zeiss?" I was a little bit scared and she didn't look at all pleased. She was wearing her 'dress-to-terrorize' high necked knee length form fitting black dress.

At forty-one years old Zeiss was a beautiful woman, beautiful, that is, when she wasn't trying to scare someone to death. She wore her luxurious brown hair shoulder length and it waved from one side of her neck to the other as she walked. It was a wonderful sight that inspired many a senior guy to lust. She was probably the finest looking educator on the east coast.

But, she was scary. She had ways of withering a student with a look and destroying the false pretenses of anyone who tried to stay below her radar. She also has a smile that could melt anyone including, as I would discover, the school board and the Superintendent.

She turned to my friends and said "Carlos, Greg, Timmy, George? You have classes to attend. Please don't be late for them. Your home-room teachers would not be pleased."

"Mr. Jacobs. Would you please come with me to the office? We have some things to discuss."

I paled. I couldn't help it. I'd only been called to the Principal's office one other time and that was for fighting. Even though that hadn't been my fault — I'd been jumped right after lunch one Friday afternoon, going to her office wasn't something I looked forward to doing. I was counting on a perfect attendance record and a clean behavior record (as well as my grades, which were in the top 3% of the class) in order to impress the recruiters from Ohio State when they come in the spring.

Zeiss started walking and I followed behind. It took all of fifteen seconds to reach her office. I opened the door for her and let her step through first. That earned me a small smile but it didn't help with the butterflies in my stomach.

As the door to the front office closed behind us I saw the school secretary bend over, pick up the microphone and say. "Christiana Mellanson to the office, please. Christiana Mellanson to the office. Thank you."

Oh no! I already had a very bad feeling about Zeiss calling me to the office. Hearing Christi called as well opened a hole in the pit of my stomach. It could only mean one thing: The Program. My experience in The Program last year was, well, rough. I learned that being on a winning lacrosse team doesn't get you very far with the biker types and other rough elements in school. The biker gang decided they didn't like the way I looked at one of their girls and they jumped me when I came through a side door at school. There had been nine of them and they pretty much kicked and beat me into unconsciousness. Of course, they were expelled, arrested, and charged. Two of them are even doing time but that's not the point. Zeiss excused me from The Program for the rest of the year. But, none of that made up for spending a week in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and severe internal bruising, and then feeling like a punching bag for three more weeks. It just sucked. I was lucky that my time in the hospital was not held against me in terms of my perfect attendance record!! I guess someone in the administration recognized that it wasn't my fault, but rather theirs.

President Hillary Clinton had signed the legislation in December of 2016, just before the end of her second term. East Riverport High started with The Program in the fall of 2020 — only four years after the law's passage. Because we have only six hundred students in the three grades (our high school starts in tenth grade), students have to be naked for a week (Monday through the following Monday) once per school year.

In tenth grade, I was fine with the idea and paraded around for a week, almost begging the girls in the school to have their way with me. I was lucky and a lot of them to do exactly that. The school paired me with Lindsay Grebbins-Smith, a girl who'd been my friend and walking sexual fantasy since I moved to East Riverport. She started our Program week as a virgin and much to my surprise ended it in the same condition. That's not to say she didn't enjoy her time, though.

Lindsay and I both entered The Program as virgins, and in our own way, we preserved that. But despite that, we were firsts for each other and she and I discovered masturbation, oral sex and '69' together as well as anal sex (all of which she and I still love) as well as what 'toys' are for. Now she's as flirty and sexy as any girl could hope to be. She loves showing off her butt. When it's warm, she wears micro-minis over the prettiest, sexiest and (sometimes) teensiest panties a guy (or girl) could ever hope to see on a girl. The rest of the time, she wears amazingly tight shorts, tight pants, or Lycra dresses. She's a wonderful lover and friend but she's not my girlfriend. She's always said her studies are too important for her to get bogged down in a serious relationship. She's the number two student in the school, just after Christiana.

Oh yes, that's one more thing about The Program. It's now a graduation requirement. Lovely, eh? (not)

So there I was, sitting and waiting outside Zeiss's office, and in walks the only girl I've ever really cared for, dreamed about, or worried about, at least for anything beyond the physical. The girl is really, really special to me and it pained me that she didn't seem to know it.

Monday morning — Christiana

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. The office? That was the last place I wanted to call me. I knew what it meant, clear as day, and there was no fucking way that I was going to do it.

My name's Christiana Marie Mellanson and I'm a senior at East Riverport High. You're reading this because I have to write this journal about my time in The Program.

I'm also the top student in my year and a third degree in Chung Mu Doe and Shuaijiao. No one knows about my martial arts studies but so what? I keep my training and most of the rest of my life to myself.

I was half-way to my locker in the Colbert Austin Canfield Memorial Chemistry and Biological Sciences building when I heard the PA. Pretentious name for a building? Yes. Awesome facilities? Yes. East Riverside High has nothing if not really, really good funding and the chemistry building showed it.

"Christiana Mellanson to the office, please." It shook me out of my reverie to hear my name being called again, because I was so far lost in my anger and frustration with The Program

I turned around and marched with full backpack to the office. The office is in the John W. Bricker Memorial Building - another tribute to another famous Ohioan. Oh well — at least he was a WWI hero and apparently, a pretty good governor.

My hand was shaking as I reached for the front door of the office. I told myself that I should be all right. After all, my parents had signed me out of The Program and my therapist had sent a letter to the school board on my behalf. But somehow, The Program had forced other students (especially the Mormon students, for some reason) to participate against their will. I told myself that no power on earth could make me participate but they don't call Zeiss 'the witch' for nothing.

I walked into the office and the secretary, Ms. Watz, told me. "She's expecting you, Ms. Mellanson. Please go right in."

I rounded the corner, started down the hall, and there was Stephen Jacobs sitting in the witch's outer office. He stood up when he saw me. He smiled as I approached and, without a word, took me in his arms for a hug.

I heard him or rather, felt him humming as he held me. "What are you doing here?" I asked him quietly as we held each other, enjoying the warmth of the hug. His arms felt so good around me that I really didn't want to let go anytime soon. I wished that he knew how much he meant to me!!

He whispered in my ear "Same thing as you, I expect. It's Monday, the day they spring the good news on Program participants. I didn't do anything wrong during double-sessions over the summer and I haven't hit anyone yet so I can't imagine any other reason."

"Good" I whispered back. "I'd hate to lose my best practice partner"

"You'll never lose me, Christi." He said very, very quietly and I felt him hold me tighter, as his hand caressed my back. That was new, but it felt really good and I certainly not complaining.

We eventually, reluctantly, separated from our hug and we both moved to the chairs outside the Principal's office.

"So, do you think she intends us to be partners? You must know that I have no intention of participating in The Program".

"You don't? How can you not? It's a graduation requirement."

"Stephen, my parents signed me out of The Program long ago. There's no way I'm going to strip naked in front of my classmates, or you for that matter. Zeiss knows it, too."

"Knows what?"

I whipped around and found Zeiss standing in her doorway staring at me.

"Knows what, Ms. Mellanson?"

I replied quietly, "That I'm not going to participate in The Program, Ma'am"

"Well, come in and have a seat, both of you. Apparently, we have things to talk about and that could take a while."

We got up, walked into Zeiss's office, and took our seats in front of her desk.

Zeiss stacked some paperwork on her desk as Stephen and I arranged ourselves and prepared for whatever the Principal had in mind. For two or three long minutes, Zeiss remained silent, either to gather her thoughts or raise her intimidation. When she finally spoke, her tone was quiet but strong.

"Mr. Jacobs, Ms. Mellanson, I've asked you both here, as you've probably guessed, because today we are notifying our first groups of Program partners from each grade. Because each of you is very prominent at East Riverport, we believe you would be a great 'starting' team and a positive example for the other students."

"Mr. Jacobs, you had a very, very unfortunate incident while in The Program last year and the school board is particularly proud and pleased that you've stayed within the school district and led the lacrosse team so well and in such a positive way this last year. We all hope that you will do it again this year and that your efforts will be rewarded when the Ohio State recruiters come to campus. Parenthetically, I might add 'thank you' for not suing us because of it, but you never heard that from me."

"As both of you know, college recruitment is largely about grades and extra-curricular community activities, as well as the new integrated SAT's. In order to have the highest grades coming out of school this year, both of you have need high marks from the coordinated educational committee for your Program participation. That means Program outreach, solid journal entries, and demonstrated school leadership while in The Program."

"Program participation is quickly becoming an area of peer-reviewed social testing. It's becoming a way for colleges and universities to find out how strong your personalities are and how you cope with stress, unfamiliar circumstances, and emotional challenges. More and more colleges, especially the elite ones, are seeing students who can't cope with the unique challenges of The Program as being unable to cope with the new, rigorous college curricula. The military is even considering using it as a measure of fitness for those accepted into the ROTC programs, believing that those who can adapt themselves to being unclothed and 'exposed' emotionally and physically for a week are the best candidates for military leadership."

"Any questions so far?" she asked. Hearing none, she said "Good. I'll go on."

"I am asking you, Mr. Jacobs, to be my ambassador again this year and show the school that neither nakedness nor sexuality are things to fear, and that those who are strong mentally and physically can overcome anything. You've already shown that on the lacrosse field and I'm asking you now, during your final year with us, to step up and help lead the other students in this as well. Will you do that?"

Stephen hesitated for a moment and then looked up at Zeiss. "Ah, yes, I guess. I don't see what the big deal is. The school board removed the idiots who attacked me and I've got a great group of friends here, so I don't see why not."

Then Stephen's eyes became distant for a moment. When he recovered, he looked at Zeiss and said "May I ask you a question though, before I do this?"

Zeiss looked back at him, unsure I think of what might be on his mind, but said "You may, but keep it within the bounds."

"OK. Here it is. It's in three parts. First, you have all these students wandering around, being touched, and in some cases, almost abused or callously treated, and no one says, 'Boo.' Last year I saw a number of tenth and eleventh-grade girls being ordered to do some pretty debasing things. I told off a number of guys last year because of that kind of behavior, but I don't think the message is getting through. Do you have any plans at all to teach self control, self respect, or even, God-forbid, respect for others while you have all of these naked students wandering around? That's my first question."

"My second question is this: There have been a number of cases of teachers in other school systems crossing the line and having sexual relations or inappropriate contact with Program students. Are you going to do anything about that?"

"Third, why is it that only guys are allowed to ask for relief? Doesn't that create a severely antiquated double standard? And what about the rule against public displays of affection? If Program partners fall in love or in lust with each other, are you going to try to prevent them from having emotional and physical contact with each other or with others in The Program, outside the classroom?"

Zeiss sat back in her chair, looked at me, looked at Stephen, and then looked down at her lap for at least a full minute. I knew that Stephen's questions were right on the mark, and that Zeiss knew it as well. It had been pretty obvious for a while that The Program needed a lot more guidance and oversight than it had been given I was glad that Stephen had the courage to step forward and talk about the issues. It didn't change my mind at all, I was still determined not to participate, but had to admire Stephen for making a stand.

"Mr. Jacobs. You have just asked the same questions that the student advisors on the school board began asking about The Program in June."

She stopped and swiveled halfway in her chair, so that she could look out her window for a moment, then she turned back to us.

"Well, first, they were somewhat blunter than you about the way that young women, in particular, have been treated. They were adamant that something had to change. As a result, I will be announcing a number of changes at the first-period assembly tomorrow. One is that all health, wellness, and personal growth classes will focus on the meaning of personal respect and personal responsibility and how those things relate to the goals of The Program."

Stephen and I sat motionless, essentially dumbfounded. We hadn't heard any of this from the student advisors we knew.

"Now, you must understand that The Program, when first created, was never intended to be the sexual free-for-all that it's become in some places. It's not going to stay that way here. With the blessing of the school board and the state, I've made some changes for this year, but I'll explain those in a moment"

Huh? I wasn't sure what she was getting at, but I sure wanted to. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been. It made sense even though the 'changes' wouldn't be popular with most of the students!

"As both of you probably know, many teachers and administrators believe that personal responsibility and personal self respect are keys to a successful education. They also believe that while learning about your own body, your own desires, and your own sexual reactions are positive areas of learning, learning how to respect boundaries and differences is also critical to the student's future success. In other words, it's not just your parents who are getting on your cases about it."

Christiana looked at the Principal with a quizzical look she sometimes gets. Zeiss sensed the question on her face.

"Who? Well, in particular, Mr. Humphries the athletic director, Ms. Blanchette the guidance counselor, and Ms. Semyonova the Russian languages and history teacher have become advocates for a greater focus on personal responsibility and for a focus on respect. They and others focused on getting the school away from the 'show-and-tell' and 'exhibitionist' aspects of The Program before it got out of hand and caused serious problems. Does that answer a part of your question, Mr. Jacobs?"

"Yes, I think so" Stephen replied quietly. I think he was taken a bit aback by her answer and I'm not sure that he knew what to make of this sudden shift in the way the school board was viewing The Program.

The Principal seemed taken aback as well. Curious and analytical, she watched as the flow of Stephen's thoughts played across his handsome features.

Wait! What did I just say?

Did I actually think Stephen was handsome? Well yes, I realized with a start. I did! In fact, he seemed absolutely sexy! What was that about? Was it him taking on Zeiss? Was it his objections to the past abuses and impersonal aspects of The Program? Or was it his way of speaking, or his scent, or his tall muscular body, or the prospect of him exposing it, or of me inspecting it at close range? My resistance was crumbling. The dam was breaking. I was losing control. I panicked. How could finding the right person to love be so traumatic yet feel so good? How could I be so glad it was happening?

Wait! Did I just say... love?

Zeiss apparently wasn't finished. "All right," she continued. "Here are the changes I've made to The Program this year. First, there will be no stripping in front of school each morning. Students must either arrive naked or change in the second conference room down the hall, which we've remodeled as a 'Program' student room. There are five such rooms around the school. Before you leave the office today we scan your palm into the computer and that will be your 'pass' into any the of Program student rooms. Hold your hand on the scanner plate and the door will open."

Stephen almost shot out of his seat "What! Are you serious? No stripping in front of school? The other students are going to be really unhappy about that."

"Yes Mr. Jacobs. Now, please sit back down and I will tell you why we did this."

Stephen threw me a look and then reluctantly sat back down and waited for Zeiss to continue.

Damn, he was gorgeous!

"Ready? OK. I eliminated the 'before-school strip' because too many young women were being coerced into sexual acts that they weren't prepared to handle, either physically or emotionally. Before you object, remember that the 'reasonable request' rule applies only during school hours. That means from the start of first period to the end of the last. This eliminates one part of The Program that's become increasingly problematic. You'll both recall there was a near-rape last year and we just can't have that."

At that point I had a question: "Dr. Zeiss, do the students who arrived naked have to go home naked, and do those who undressed in the Program room have to get dressed there again?"

Zeiss looked back at me. "I don't see why students have to change before leaving. The rule regarding Program outreach and school events is still in place, irrespective of my personal feelings on the matter. Of course, we wouldn't want large amounts of clothing piling up in the Program rooms, and we couldn't be responsible for theft and damage."

"All right. Here's the second part. Reasonable requests for contact and posing will still be tolerated. However, there will be no further tolerance of requests for penetration. In other words, actual intercourse, vaginal or otherwise, will no longer be tolerated as coercive acts. The only exception will be among Program participants and only in the officially designated Program rooms. Students who choose to do Program outreach can also participate in such activities."

"Dr. Zeiss?" Stephen's voice was much quieter as he said it.

"Yes?"

"Dr. Zeiss, how do you personally feel about The Program? I get the sense you don't entirely support it."

Zeiss sat still for a moment, and she set her jaw and stood up. "Mr. Jacobs? Please stand up for a moment."

As she said this, she walked around to the front of her desk. "Mr. Jacobs, I want you to reach down and take the hem of my dress and lift it up until I tell you to stop." Zeiss then turned to face the desk and bent over, so her back was towards Stephen.

"Are you sure? I mean..."

"Yes, just do it. You'll know why in a moment."

"OK," said Stephen, then he reached down, gently grasped the hem of Zeiss's dress and started lifting it as if he were trying to look beneath. For a moment, I thought he was trying to look beneath.

"That's enough, Mr. Jacobs," Zeiss called out with her face on the desk, but Stephen didn't seem to hear. In an instant, the skirt of Zeiss's dress was up around her waist.

"That's enough, Mr. Jacobs," Zeiss repeated, then Stephen froze with his hands just an inch away from her hips.

"Back away, Mr. Jacobs," Zeiss commanded sternly, and once again he followed orders. Only then did I grasp Zeiss's point, and so did Stephen.

"See that, Stephen?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Stephen said very, very quietly. "Is that why you don't like The Program?" While he said this, he looked at me and then back at Zeiss's legs. From just below her bottom to just above her knees were the most horrible-looking scars I'd ever seen. It looked as if someone had taken a scraper and ripped off the skin in back of her legs. The flesh had healed, but only as the skin of a burn victim heals. It was gruesome. I felt myself gagging at the sight of it.

"You may lower my dress now, Stephen. I've made my point."

"Yes, Ma'am." With that, he carefully lowered it and tried to smooth the fabric a bit, as if self-consciously.

"Thank you, Stephen. It's nice of you to be considerate but you needn't worry about it just now," said Zeiss, and then I swear she winked at him.

"Huh?" he stammered.

"I really don't care if the fabric's wrinkled," Zeiss explained, then she strolled back to her chair, tucked her dress with a sweep of the hand, and gracefully slid into place. It was, I thought, a very feminine movement and it surprised me for a moment, that such things would concern her, given the extent of her injuries.

Zeiss cleared her throat, glanced at me and Stephen, and then smiled. "Can you tell me what you two are thinking? Do you know why I showed you my burns? How about you, Stephen?"

Stephen hesitated for a good long moment, cleared his throat, and then stated candidly, "Well, I'm wondering what happened to you, but if those injuries happened when you were young, you must have had a rough time growing up. I suspect that you showed them so we'd think about what others might be going through, and that not everyone is so perfect."

I thought someone had turned on the sun when Zeiss spoke a moment later. Her smile was that wide. "Not bad. You got it in one, or at least close enough for today. The point is that learning empathy and understanding for others should be an integral part of the Program, especially for non-Program students. Everyone goes through it once a year and your growth in each instance depends partly on whether others are empathetic towards you and how you react."

"I have one last thing to talk about before I let you both go. You've both read the pamphlet that the government puts out. It's simplistic and it provides no specific warning or preparation for the experience here at East Riverport.

"Among other things, the Superintendent and I both agree that relief is taking too much time at the beginning of classes. With class running only an hour, it leaves barely enough time to get anything done. Voyeurism, exhibitionism and sex shows have no place in the classroom. As a result, we're doing away with it. It's disruptive and takes student's minds entirely off the intended class work. We have precious little time already to cover the material that we're all mandated to cover for the state achievement exams that have been imposed here in Ohio. I will tell every pair of Program partners this same thing.

"Instead, we're encouraging the eight Program participants from each grade to provide relief for each other, and to do so in one of the designated Program rooms. If this results in being late or absent from class, you will be excused."

"What we've decided to do is to give Program students a great deal more leeway in their arrival to class. In other words, for the next six school days, you will not be marked as 'absent' or tardy if you are not in class when the bell rings. We are going to encourage the eight Program participants from each grade to 'take care' of each other, to the extent that each of you is willing and to use The Program rooms to do so. Obviously, this policy is open to abuse, if you do abuse it; we'll have to revoke it. Are we clear on that? The expectations, attention levels, and needs of Program student are obviously different from those of others. Because of that, the school is providing flexibility in its attendance rules. Please don't make us regret this. Do you understand?"

"Yes," we stated together.

"I have two more instructions for both of you. First, you must still use the locker-rooms of the opposite gender. Get your things moved today to an appropriate locker. I'll send a note to all the coaches and gym teachers explaining that.

"Second, each Program room is equipped with a yellow 'panic button' pushing the button will bring a nurse, the police, and any and all teachers in the area. It's intended to prevent rape or assaults. We hope no one ever has to use it, but it had to be there."