Naked?
I walked into class, and I think I almost pissed myself. Sure Writers workshop has its perks, but nudity isn't usually one of them. I gazed around the room in horror, because the entire class was naked. Not bra and panties naked, I mean completely naked.
I stood there awkwardly for a moment, and thought that it must have been a strange dream. People were chatting and going through their bags just like they always do, and nobody was noticing that everybody was naked. I thought they were insane. The room was just as noisy as usual, and there was no sign of modesty. I looked to my teacher, and discovered that even Mr. Fairchild was sitting naked at his desk. And to add icing on the big naked cake, Brenan wasn't wearing his service jacket. A naked dog. Great.
I started to feel uncomfortable being the only person with clothes, and I noticed people starting to notice too. There were boys in the corner chuckling at me and pointing, and some girls were whispering behind their hands. It was creeping me out and I wanted to leave, but I didn't want my grade to suffer. Without making eye contact I asked Mr. Fairchild if I could go to the bathroom.
"Your not sneaking to the library to make copies are you?" he asked
"No, I have them already"
I left the room in a hurry, and paused outside the door. I waited a minute and then looked in. They were all still naked. A few people brushed by me, the usual stragglers late to class. I ran to the bathroom and shut myself in a stall. This must be a protest, I thought. But when I looked out of the bathroom I saw two hall monitors chatting in the nude. I shuddered a little. It's not exactly something you look forward to seeing. Actually its not something you want to see at all. Until that point I never put short wrinkly naked ladies in my school vision, and I didn't want to start then.
I thought I had collected myself enough to go back to class, so I left the bathroom, and made my way back down the hall.
"Hey come here!" the hall monitor said. "You aren't following the new dress code. You either have to change or go to the office."
Crap. Stupid dress code. What was wrong this time?
"Change?" I asked
"Yes, your shirt and pants are completely inappropriate. You have to take them off. And if you are wearing any inappropriate undergarments those must come off too."
I went back into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. This was freaky, but I shrugged. Hey if you can't beat 'em join 'em. Normally I wouldn't just strip down in school, but this was an extenuating circumstance. I had always wondered what it would like to be a nudist, and how much better hugs would be, without scratchy fabric and only soft skin. So naked it was.
That was all completely fine until I got back in the hall and to class. I had my clothes in a ball under my arm. I could feel the fire in my cheeks as a walked back to my seat, but nobody seemed to even look up as I passed. People were just reading their pieces to each other and of course talking in between. The backs of my knees were stuck to the seat.
I couldn't help but glance at the bodies around me. Some were quite attractive, others were average, but after a few minutes I started to notice a kind of natural beauty in all the nakedness around me. A girl stood up to read her piece to the class. I could tell she was nervous and fidgeting, but it was only in fear of public speaking, not nudity. She made no effort to cover herself, and as she read I no longer made an effort to look. Surprisingly I was actually able to comment on her writing.
At the end of class I was pretty excited to see who else was naked. I knew that I passed some particularly yummy looking people on the way to my next class and I figured that not only could I see more of them, but after that they would just be people again. Naked people, but I felt that I could focus more on them as people once calmed y curiosity about the rest of them. I was anxious to look around, but I actually did have to go to the bathroom this time. As I got into the stall I saw someone enter the stall next to me. I looked under the stall and saw her legs, clothes with blue jeans. Another girl in jeans waited in line for a free stall. Just when I was getting used to the whole naked thing, life was switched up again. I quickly redressed and left the bathroom. The halls were crowded again and somehow everyone was dressed.
I felt a little sad as I read logos and band names. Shirts mattered again and I received a few scratchy hugs from friends. There was no skin, and no freedom or the body. The monitors hassled some girl about her short skirt, and I continued on my way, wishing I was still naked.