Chapter 3

I took a deep breath and let it out in an attempt to clear my head. I knew that I was on the edge of panic and that couldn't happen. Slowly, I finished my approach to the front door.

Heather made eye contact with me. This tipped off Mom that I was behind her. Mom looked over her shoulder, curled her hair behind her ear and smiled. I tried to smile back. But, even I knew it must have looked fake.

Heather took a sideways step so that she could see all of me past my mother. She looked me up and down.

"Cute outfit", she said as she halted her scan to focus on my new shorts. Heather then returned her gaze to Mom's face and with a giggle said, "So is yours".

Mom looked down at her nude self, "It's comfortable around the house. I hope I haven't shocked you".

"Not at all. It suits you. Not many people are as brave", Heather answered. Then she looked back at me and asked, "All set?".

I wasn't, but my head nodded 'yes'.

Heather turned to walk to her car. Mom spun around and hugged me goodbye. My mouth ended up close to her ear. I whispered, "It's so good to smell your perfume instead of alcohol".

Mom gave me one extra squeeze before letting me go. I noted how different a naked hug felt compared to a clothed one. "See you later", she said as I stepped around her and out the door.

The first part of the ride was eerily quiet. Finally, Heather spoke. "Do you want to talk about your mother? Or would you rather talk about your little research adventure with Susan tonight", she asked without taking her eyes off of the road.

This caught me way off guard. My head snapped ninety degrees to the left in a split second. Heather was wearing a grin that showed that she was very pleased with herself. She was enjoying my discomfort!!

"Susan and I have been friends for quite a while. As you experienced at the last party, we don't keep any secrets from each other. If you're going to be best friends with us, you have to do the same. I'm really interested in your Mom's sudden change in wardrobe", Heather announced as we turned into Susan's neighborhood.

I was still at a loss.

"But hold that thought", Heather continued, "Susan told me that if you were wearing a top, I was to tell you to put it in my purse before we got to her house. You'd better hurry, we're almost there".

My mind was now racing. All that I could conclude was that control was slipping through my fingers. I very much wanted to be part of a world like Susan's. But to do so, I've just been told that my most personal decisions were no longer mine.

I came out of my fog for enough time to see that we were one hundred yards from Susan's driveway. I could feel the panic start to swell again. It must have overwhelmed me, because the next thing I can remember is stuffing my lime green tank top into Heather's purse.

I still can't believe I'd made that decision. I've never removed my top in public since as far as I can remember into my earliest childhood. It felt both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

The car came to a stop in front of Susan's house. Heather put the shifter into 'Park', but left the motor running. She looked to her right at me.

"Oooo puffies. You're going to be very popular tonight", Heather remarked. She the repositioned herself so her back was against the driver's door and her right leg was curled under her. Heather openly stared at everything above the waistband of my shorts.

This made me very uncomfortable. I kept glancing nervously from Heather's face to Susan's front door and back again.

"If your waiting for Susan to come out here on her own, it will be a long wait", Heather remarked. "She's expecting you to go to the door and get her", as a grin re-appeared on Heather's face.

Instinctively, I reached out for the small portion of my tank top sticking out of Heather's purse. But, Heather's hands were faster than mine. She clutched the bag tightly against her chest with her arms crossed over it. The grin was still there as she slowly and deliberately shook her head 'no'.

There must have been a look of horror on my face, because Heather's grin broke into a brief giggle. I didn't know what to say or do for a moment. So I looked at the front door to Susan's house another time.

"That's it. Go to the door and ring the bell. Soon, the three of us can be on our way", Heather said encouragingly.

I didn't see this ending differently, so I unbuckled my seat belt and opened the front passenger door. My hips swiveled and my legs went with them until my feet made contact with the driveway. I looked down at my legs as if they belonged to someone else, because I don't remember telling them to leave the car.