Chapter 1

I've seen the journal Carl kept about his week "in the barrel," as it has come to be called at Central High - the week a student has to spend in the nude. As you may have noticed, I'm prominently featured in it. I thought you might be interested in my side of the story.

Not that I have any serious issues with Carl's version. I think he did wonderful job. Oh, he made me seem awfully "giggly," at times. It seems every third paragraph I'm giggling. I do not "giggle." Ick!

Not that I'm given to big belly laughs! I'm afraid that's just not my style. But I don't giggle! It's more of a chuckle.

Anyway, the week that Carl spent naked in school marked a huge turning point in my life, too, as you might guess.

As he indicated, we're two of the "bright" kids, and boy, do I hate the way they categorize kids these days.

Okay, I'm good at math and science, and maybe I catch on to some of the academic stuff faster than some of the other kids, but Stephanie (you remember her from Carl's journal?) is a marvelous musician, while I can't even play chopsticks on the piano we have at home. And there's a guy named Steve Winter who's a wizard at fixing cars, but he doesn't read well because of dyslexia, which puts him on the non-college track, which I think is unfair.

People are smart in different ways.

But anyway, getting back to myself and Carl - and I love to get back to Carl. He's my favorite topic of conversation, I admit. I've had a crush on him for as long as I can remember. He hardly knew I existed for the longest time. Honestly, boys can be so dumb!

Not that I'd thrown myself at him. I mean, I'm not that kind of girl.

Okay. I'm shy. When he actually asked me out to the movies that first time I was practically a gibbering idiot. I didn't know what to wear. I worried about what we'd talk about. I didn't know what I'd do if he tried to kiss me! Which he didn't, much to my relief, and my disappointment.

So, when he came out of Miss Mitchell's office naked, well, you could have knocked me over with a feather! I'd heard about the program, too, but didn't really believe all I heard, of course. You learn that fast in high school. So seeing him all naked, right there in school, with an erection you could hang your coat on - well, that was a shocker, I can tell you!

Truthfully, I'd never seen a man, or a mature boy like Carl naked, ever before in my life, even though I have an older brother and a father. I suppose Jim, my brother, saw me naked when I was a little girl getting my diaper changed, but he's four years older than me, so by the time I was old enough to remember anything he was old enough to be modest.

And my parents were pretty modest, too, or at least I always thought so, until - but that comes later.

I'd never seen daddy naked, and even mom was pretty discrete, though we'd had the usual "facts of life" talk when I started to develop, with a little bit of "show and tell" on her part. And Michelangelo's "David" was a source of fascination when I was about 12, I remember.

So there was poor Carl, naked as a jaybird, blushing from head to toe as he fled to his first period class. He brushed past me without a glance, but all I could do was stare. I had no idea a man's penis got so big! Just the sight of it made me go all weak in the knees, I tell you!

So I was really looking forward to the first class I shared with him, which was French with Mademoiselle Duclos, so I could study this whole phenomenon in greater detail. It was purely scientific interest.

NOT! The sight of his - his hardon - there, I've said it - hardon.

Hardon, hardon, hardon.

Well, the sight of that did things to my insides that I'd never felt before!

Oh, I'd had sex ed, of course, so I knew the theory, and the dangers of unprotected sex and all that. And a friend of mine had found one of her mom's books that had some pretty graphic drawings, but I'd never seen it in living color, so to speak.

In my first period biology class that day the teacher explained the program a bit, and even went into the problems men have if they're aroused for a long period of time without relief. So when Carl walked into second period French still stiff as a board, I wasn't surprised when he admitted he needed relief.

Well, maybe I was a little surprised. I mean, to have to masturbate, right there in front of the whole class - I mean, I'd absolutely die! I'm glad girls don't have the same problem boys do with prolonged arousal!

I was in a total swivet, I can tell you. There's my heart-throb up there, blushing like a fire engine, stroking his dick. I was dying for him, while I was fascinated and horny - at least I think that was what I was feeling - at the same time. I had this crazy itch in my crotch and it was all I could do to keep my hands on my desktop instead of trying to scratch it!

Would you believe that I'd never diddled myself? Well, no, I didn't really think you would believe that, but it's almost true. Oh, I'd rubbed myself down there, of course. Sometimes after I peed I'd take a long time wiping myself, I admit. But I'd never really done it seriously, and I'd never put anything up inside myself, except tampons, and they don't count.

And then Carl started squirting semen into the tissues Mademoiselle Duclos handed him, and I wanted to lap it up! I was shocked at myself!

After class, poor Carl was walking all alone to math, while everyone stared at him, and he looked so woebegone I had to catch up to him. I'm like that - always taking care of the world's strays. I don't know how many baby birds I tried to rescue as a kid, until Daddy finally got it through my thick skull that either they'd be all right or they wouldn't - that was the way of the world. Our house suffered through an endless parade of stray cats and dogs, thanks to me.

Anyway, he seemed awfully glad to have someone to walk with, and I was glad to do it. I mean, aside from the fact it got my maternal instincts perking to comfort the afflicted, I also was happy to be with him 'cause of my crush on him, too. And then, I admit, it gave me a chance to study a naked boy close up, though I was really careful not to let him see me doing it.

He was hard again of course, after what Mademoiselle Duclos did to him. I thought that was really mean of her to use him as a living model while she taught us French slang! And the way she touched him, well, that was really uncalled for. I know she's French, and maybe they're more open about this stuff over there, but this is America, after all!

If you think objectively about it, naked boys look pretty weird with all that equipment hanging down there, all out in the open. Girls are much tidier.

But then, when it comes to sex, any kind of thinking, objective especially, pretty much goes out the window, doesn't it? My powers of reasoning were pretty much inoperative when I was just talking to any boy. Now, with Carl, it was even stranger because I had this crush on him - and I'll try not to keep saying that, but it's true, I do have a crush on him.

Except, now I think it's turned into something more. But that's for later in my story.

Anyway, here he was, right beside me, totally naked, except for his shoes and socks. And he had this hardon that just demanded attention, I tell you. When I wasn't watching it myself, I was noticing how everyone looked at it while trying not to look like they were looking at it. Boys and girls both, that is, were looking.

It was pretty impressive, I thought, not that I had anything to compare it to. It was proud! I mean, anchored in this bush of pale red hair it stuck out like the bow sprit of a ship. The shaft was pale, ribbed with veins. The cap was rounded, sort of pink, with a little slit at the tip that kept seeping this clear stuff.

I kept having this crazy urge to wrap my hand around his cock - there, I said that, too - cock, cock cock. I wanted to grab it and just hold it! It was crazy! We'd never even held hands, and I wanted to grab his cock!

Below it, though I couldn't really see too well walking beside him, was a dusky sort of sack that had his testicles in it, I knew. I wondered what that would feel like, too.

Well, I know I'm into biology and chem, and I'm thinking of becoming a doctor, but this whole scene was opening up new vistas for me. I was seeing boys, or at least Carl, in a whole new light. It's easy to understand why they're so obsessed with sex, with that thing constantly there to remind them.

It seems to have a mind of its own, because I'm sure Carl would have preferred it to just lie down and be quiet. But no, it had to stand up and salute everyone in sight.

So, when Miss Gallison stuck Carl up there in the front of the class, it did give me another good look at the equipment, so to speak. And when she asked for suggestions on math exercises we could do, well, my hand went up.

I couldn't help it! I absolutely HATE it when a teacher asks a question or asks for volunteers and everyone sits there like a dunce.

I don't think Carl appreciated it very much, though. I cringed when Miss Gallison got out a tape measure and measured his penis. I know she's a lesbian, of course. Everyone does, but she's a super teacher and has never hit on any of the girls, so that's a non issue, as they say. And I wish that could be said about all the male teachers at Central, but it can't. Ick!

And then that - that - that - that asshole ... Well, I'm sorry, but that's what Freschetti is! He's always sneering that girls don't belong in the sciences. I mean, he is positively Neanderthal! It's like he never heard of Marie Curie or Lisa Meitner and the like or something!

Anyway, that asshole Freschetti opens his fat mouth! What a jerk. Talk about testosterone overload! Sheesh! It served him right that he had to reveal that the great jock had a dick the size of a cocktail frank! Carl and I both enjoyed that, I can tell you!

But I kinda felt bad about Carl having to stand up there while all this went on, and I sort of added to his agony by volunteering my suggestions.

Those were the only classes Carl and I have together, darn it, so I didn't see him for the rest of the day. He rides his bike to and from school, and I walk, so sometimes he passes me, but I guess he beat me out on Monday.

I had a lot to think about, though. I mean, there's my dreamboat showing his stuff all over school, stuff I'd not even dreamed of seeing! I mean, I'm just not that kind of girl!

And then, he's using the girls' locker room at gym? How would you feel if your heart throb was consorting with a whole bunch of naked girls in the shower? And anytime he needed relief he could ask anyone to help, if he wanted to, which certainly did not make me happy! If anyone gave him relief, it should be me.

Only the thought of just touching him "down there" gave me the absolute willies!

I was - uhm interested - well, okay, fascinated to see him naked, of course. But, at the same time, I knew he was going to be going through hell for a whole week, so I ached for him at the same time.

I guess you could say I was seriously conflicted by the whole situation.

Naturally, I couldn't wait to see what went on on Tuesday, so I wound up getting to school early. And, of course, I had to be around by the entrance where Carl was supposed to undress. I mean, where would you have been if the object of your crush was stripping down naked in public?

I was sort of lurking, peeking between people. Being short has its disadvantages, but then, it makes it easier to hide, too, because I didn't want Carl to know I was there.

So I saw the whole unveiling process through a thicket of torsos and elbows, I guess you could say.