The Nude Pioneer Ch. 02

It was May. The trees were fully leafed out, flowers were in bloom, and the air had that fresh, clean, fragrant smell to it. The weather was getting nice and warm, and days were getting longer. I love spring.

My name is Julie Johnson, or "J.J." as my friends call me. At this time I was eighteen years old, and an over-achieving high school senior. Up until a couple of months before I was very reserved and shy, especially about my body. Oh, I know now that I have a fantastic body: large, C-cup breasts, an hourglass figure, curvy hips, and a round, full ass. At 173 cm and 70 Kg (five-foot-eight and 155 pounds), I'm not exactly skinny, but my tummy is flat and my legs are shapely and smooth. As a high-schooler, however, I thought I'd have to lose ten kilos to be sexy, like my waiflike friend Sarah.

Recent events had begun to change my attitude about myself and about showing off my body. On my eighteenth birthday Sarah and my other friend Lana goaded me into a topless stroll through a park at night. I discovered the joy of outdoor nudity, and actually ended up totally nude for a brief, thrilling moment.

People do realize by now that this is perfectly legal, don't they? The Supreme Court ruled that nudity was protected free speech under the Constitution. I remember hearing the news back in seventh grade. There was a big uproar about it from some corners, but then everyone promptly forgot about it, and nothing really changed. Public nudity may have been technically legal, but social attitudes towards nudity had become more repressive, not less.

Anyway, that night started a slow, steady transformation. I hadn't repeated my outdoor performance. But a couple of times in the following weeks, when I was just hanging out at home with Lana and Sarah, I would strip off and lounge around completely nude, while both of my friends stayed clothed. This was always late at night, at my house, when the rest of my family were safely tucked away in bed. My friends weren't offended at all, and took it as an interesting little quirk I had developed. I had no sexual feelings for them, or for women in general, but I simply felt natural in my own skin, comfortable being that way in front of my two best, long-time friends.

I had also started wearing more revealing clothes, such as low-cut shirts and tight sweaters and jeans. I noticed that my prominent bust and voluptuous butt started turning the heads of high school boys - something I had never experienced before.

One morning I ran into Jason, a popular senior star athlete. Jason was about to pass me in the hallway without noticing me, as he usually did on the way to wherever his first class of the day was. This time instead of continuing on his way, he stopped and turned around.

"Hi there," he said. "You're... um... you're Julie Johnson, right?"

"That's my name, yes, Jason," I said, tilting my head down and batting my green eyes at him from over my glasses. I could see his gaze move up from the small amount of cleavage I had showing to meet my eyes.

He was like a deer in headlights.

"I... um... I..." he said, trying to find a topic of conversation. "I heard the principal on the P.A. yesterday talking about you. National Merit finalist. Congratulations."

"And congrats on your football scholarship to NIU," I said. I had no idea how good a football team Northern Illinois had, but they held a school-wide assembly to congratulate Jason. For my academic accomplishment I got quick blurb on the P.A.

"Listen, I, um..." just then someone walked in through a nearby entrance. The cool morning air blasted me for a moment, causing my nipples to stiffen. They became clearly visible through my bra and tight blouse. I was well aware of what this outfit displayed when I got cold, and while part of me was scared of this happening, another part of me became very excited at the thought. I fought a war within myself that morning when I chose to dress this way.

"...I was wondering if... you know, you and I..." Jason continued, and then his gaze drifted back down to my chest, just for a moment. While he stuttered and stopped, I took a furtive glance at his crotch. He was getting hard! I could see a definite lump forming in his jeans. It grew quickly, starting to poke down one leg. I thought for a split second I could make out the rim where the head met the shaft.

Yes! I had done it! I got a boy visibly turned on with my own body!

My moment of glory was short-lived, as Jason quickly moved his books to hide his erection.

"You were going to ask me something?" I said.

Jason gained his composure quickly. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to, you know, go for a drive with me sometime. I don't know, out to the ridge or something?"

The nerve!

"I don't know if Barbara would be all that crazy about that," I said. Barbara Van Caster was no dunce. Sure, she had blonde hair, blue eyes, enormous knockers, and from what my friend Sarah told me, a reputation as the school's greatest cocksucker. But she was also co-valedictorian with Yours Truly. I had to admire Jason's apparent taste for brainy women - it went against the jock stereotype. But still... I continued, "And that's not the sort of thing I like to do on a first date. But thank you for asking." I used the sweetest voice I could come up with, and smiled a coy grin at him.

"Uh... ok... well, gotta get to class. Seeya." And Jason scurried off to class with a curious gate that didn't escape my attention.

As soon as he was out of sight, I leaned against the cool, cinderblock wall of the hallway, short of breath and my heart pounding in my chest. This was the first time I tried consciously to turn a guy on. And it worked!

OK, here's the thing: I had never actually dated before. Except for a few school dances, but that hardly counted. I had never had a boyfriend. I didn't know how. Throughout high school I kept mostly to myself, hanging out with my friend Lana, and sometimes Sarah when she wasn't busy with the popular crowd. I didn't think I was all that attractive, and I kept my body hidden under layers of loose clothes. But now... I just got one of the most popular boys in the school to proposition me!

Not that I ever would have accepted. I may not have dated, but I wasn't born yesterday, either. Jason wasn't interested in a relationship. I mean, I wasn't either, with college just a few months away. But, thrilling as it was to get that reaction from him, I felt more than a bit miffed that he never once took any notice of me in my flannel and cargo pants days. No, I wouldn't let him fuck me, but I didn't mind teasing him.

What a filthy thought! I never would have thought anything of the sort before my Birthday Suit Night.

I knew my pussy was just dripping at that point and wondered if I had time to sneak off to the bathroom. Just then the warning bell for first period went off, and I knew I didn't have time.

It was a long and frustrating day. I kept picturing that bulge in Jason's pants in my mind. What did it look like out in the open? Would it spring up out of his pants if he took it out? Would it point straight out? Upwards? How long was it? I had never seen a real live... penis on a man before. Only on my baby brother. Oh, I had seen pictures in sex-ed books. I knew more or less what to expect, but it wasn't the same as seeing the real thing, up close and personal. I wondered what it felt...

Ok, ok, ok, no more of this! I had a lesson on the Taylor Series to pay attention to. Mrs. Farley insisted we needed to know this if we wanted a perfect 5 on our AP Calc exam. No more imagining dicks!

Anyway, I did manage to get through the day. When I got home Mom handed me two letters: one from Harvard, one from Yale. I had already been accepted to Wisconsin and Northwestern, but I was hoping for something better. "I'll leave you alone open them, if you'd like," she said.

I ran to my room with them. My hands trembled as I opened the letter from Harvard. I pictured myself strolling through Harvard Yard, surrounded by old red brick buildings and the nation's intellectual elite. Or walking along the Charles with my dashingly handsome boyfriend, whoever he may be, as the dazzling Boston skyline lit up the night. I unfolded the letter...

"Dear Ms. Johnson, we regret to inform you..."

My academic record was perfect. My essay was immaculate. My test scores were perfect. They were very impressed. But I didn't "demonstrate the leadership characteristics this institution values in all of its students." What the fuck? So I wasn't a popular girl. I didn't win student elections and run homecoming committees and all that fucking meaningless high school bullshit. It didn't occur to me at the time that a few extra-curricular activities and some volunteer community service would have been all I needed to put me over the top.

I opened the letter from Yale and it was nearly a carbon copy of the Harvard letter.

I cried in my room for a long time. Mom and Dad both did their best to comfort me, but there was very little they could do.

For the rest of the week I went back to my baggy clothes. I didn't feel like being sexy and teasing the boys anymore.

Friday after school I got a call from Sarah. She and Lana had both been accepted to Wisconsin and Illinois, and they were taking an impromptu trip up to Madison to visit the UW campus. I was still in a blue funk about the Ivy League schools, but I knew that I had to choose between Madison and Evanston, and soon. And I knew I should at least visit Madison to get a feel for the place before making my decision.

Northwestern University was in Evanston, just north of Chicago, on the Lake Michigan shore. It was a beautiful a beautiful setting, with a popular beach not far from campus. I had visited there several times. Their law school was very highly regarded, not that I would necessarily go on to study law at the same place I did my undergrad. I was pretty sure I wanted to become a lawyer, though. There was an old TV show from back in the '00s, "Boston Legal." I used to watch reruns of that constantly.

Anyway, Madison was still an option. Very impressive law school there, but I didn't know much else about the place. My little brother told me they won the national championships in football, basketball, and hockey, all in one year, but of course that meant zilch to me. What did mean something was the fact that Sarah and Lana were considering it. I had taken it as given that the three of us, best friends since kindergarten, would go our separate ways after graduation. But my failure to get into the Ivy Leagues meant a change of plans.

My friends had arranged for two nights in a youth hostel. I could stay with them and we'd split the room cost three ways.

"Do you think there's still room on the rail up to Madison?" I asked.

"Last I checked the Amtrak website, the 6:15 from Rockford still had ten open seats," Sarah said. "I'm sure if you just show up and buy a ticket, you'll be fine. Are you in?"

"I'm in!" I said.

A little after 6 PM we were boarding the train. Because I bought my ticket separately from Lana and Sarah, my seat was several rows ahead.

"We could ask whoever's sitting next to you to switch seats with me," I said to Lana.

"You know what?" said Lana, "Why don't I just switch with you, and you can sit and chat with Sarah on the way up." She grabbed her bag and tromped angrily off to my assigned seat.

Incidentally, I noticed for the first time that she had been losing weight. She wasn't quite as chubby as she had been as recently as my birthday party.

"What was that about?" I asked as I sat down next to Sarah.

"It's nothing," she said, staring at the seat in front of her. "Just... just don't worry about it."

Sarah was very quiet during the trip up. I spent most of my time watching the countryside zoom by the window. These high-speed trains did better than 200 kph out in the open. It was definitely the best way to travel, and with gas up over $3 per liter, a lot cheaper too. People tended not to drive further than their battery range if they could help it.

I noticed Sarah had been tanning. She's one of those people who easily goes from very pale to very dark. Her skin was a beautiful bronze tone which, with her dark brown eyes and long, straight, black hair, gave her a wonderfully exotic look. Besides envying how thin she was, I envied how easily she took on a tropical glow. It takes me several days out in the sun to go from pale white to a light tan.

In less than an hour we were pulling into the Madison terminal, directly beneath the UW Memorial Union, one of three student unions on campus. As we walked up the steps onto Langdon Street I got my first glimpse of the school. The Union was a beautiful building dating back to the early 20th Century, but it was the place next door that caught my eye: a red castle with bastions and everything.

"Look at that building, the red castle, isn't it cool?" I said.

"It's beautiful," Sarah said.

"Whatever," Lana said blandly.

Behind the Union and the red castle was a lake, several miles across. "So THAT's Lake Mendota," I said.

"Yep," Sarah said. "The Union has this place, the terrace, that's like an outdoor restaurant and bar right on the lake. You can have a beer and just sit and watch the boaters out on the water."

"That's... that's kinda nice," I said. In fact it was a gorgeous setting. Aside from the lakeside terrace, there were pedestrian malls with flowering trees all pink and white. The air was fresh and fragrant. Students, relieved at the semester being over, were just hanging out, playing frisbee, or snuggling with their significant others. A fountain was running in the middle of one of the malls, with kids sitting around the edge, their legs dangling in the water. Still feeling bummed that I might have to "settle" for this school, I failed to appreciate the beauty around me.

A warm front had come through that day, and it was over 30 degrees (or "in the upper 80s" as my parents might say). Being the space case I was, I hadn't checked the weather forecast and was still dressed in a sweatshirt and long pants. I stripped off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist. Underneath I was wearing a rather thin, plain gray t-shirt and a bra. The t-shirt hugged my form nicely, emphasizing my breasts and slimming my waist. The sweatshirt around my hips also emphasized my hourglass figure. I did have a small duffel bag with me (we each did), but it was full of clothes and toiletries.

We decided to see some of the campus while there was still some daylight left. Afterwards we made our way back to State Street, towards the capitol, and hit a few bars. Several years back Wisconsin lowered the drinking age from 21 to 18, so we wanted to be sure to take advantage of it while we were there. We didn't drink all that much. For Lana and me it was our first time drinking and we didn't want to overdo it. None of us had that much money to spend, in any case.

Still, I could definitely feel the effects after that last "Long Island Iced Tea," a wicked concoction of who-knows-what served up in a mason jar. I stumbled just a bit as we headed to the hostel. Lana had the map and was guiding us through the confusing maze of streets to our destination, on the other side of the "isthmus" that was downtown Madison. She was still being quiet and sullen; drink had not opened her up at all.

We checked in and found our room: less than three meters on a side with two single beds and a one dresser. It wasn't much, but it was cheap. Someone would have to sleep on the floor, though. It also was extremely warm, with no air conditioning (kinda rare in this day and age). I quickly changed into shorts as soon as the door was closed.

"Let's go out and DO something!" Sarah said. "It's too early to go to sleep."

"I agree," I said, "but what? I don't want to spend any more money on booze."

"I want to take a walk back over to the Union terrace. It looked really nice there. I'd like to see the lake at night," said Sarah.

"You guys have fun," Lana said. "I'm staying here."

"Lana?" I asked. "Don't you want to..."

"I'm staying HERE. YOU TWO have FUN." Lana sat on one of the beds, holding her legs against her chest.

"J.J., will you excuse us?" Sarah said. "I have some things I need to say to Lana."

With that, Sarah nudged me into the hallway and closed the door. I couldn't really hear the conversation inside, but a few minutes later both Lana and Sarah came out.

"I guess I'll join you," Lana said.

"Don't do us any favors," I said under my breath.

We locked up our bags in our room and walked over to the Union, back on the other side of the isthmus. It was about a fifteen minute walk. None of us really said a whole lot. I asked Sarah what Lana's deal was, but all she'd say was "Don't worry, she'll get over it." This was not the fun night out that I had hoped for.

We went around to the back of Memorial Union to find a live band just wrapping up their performance. There were several dozen people out on the terrace - not bad considering the semester was over and a lot of students had probably left town by this point. It was still maybe 27 or 28 degrees out and a pleasant breeze was blowing off of Lake Mendota.

"It isn't bad here," I said. "I could get used to this."

Lana mumbled something under her breath, but I had no idea what.

I really was starting to appreciate the beauty of downtown Madison, and my week-long depression was starting to abate. I could also still feel the alcohol in my system, though it was really just a mild buzz at this point. I felt... I don't know, playful. Just then I heard laughing and splashing coming from somewhere out in the lake. I noticed that there was a swimming pier that extended some 10 or 20 meters from the boardwalk.

"Let's check it out," I said.

The three of us walked down the pier to find three college guys treading water.

"Well hello, ladies," one of the guys said.

I noticed what appeared to be three piles of clothes stashed around one of the benches, though it was hard to tell at night. I looked at the guys, their heads and shoulders visible above the water, but the rest of them hidden. It got me wondering. "Say, you're not... um... well, you're not..."

"Not what?" asked another of the guys.

"You're not skinny dipping, are you?"

"Skinny dipping??" Sarah said to me with disbelief.

"Skinny dipping?" the third guy asked. In the dim light I saw the three of them look at one another. "Yeah," he said. "You caught us. You're not going to turn us in, are you?"

"No, of course not," I said. "Nothing wrong with skinny dipping."

"Then you wouldn't mind joining us, would you?" the first guy asked.

The question hit me like a ton of bricks. My stomach jumped into my throat and then fell back down into my guts. I had just been invited to get naked in front of three college guys! Now, as you know I had been nude outdoors before, for one brief moment, and I had been nude several times in front of Lana and Sarah. I had even single-handedly re-introduced the practice of group showers with the girls in gym class. But since I was a toddler, no male had ever seen me naked! The idea got my heart racing. I could feel myself start to moisten.

They were naked, too. They were naked, too. I just had to tell myself that. And they had to come out of the water sooner or later, I thought with a smile. If I let them see me, I was sure of getting a chance of seeing them!

Well, here was the big test. I had to get naked in front of three guys, total strangers. I turned my back on the guys, towards the bench, where Sarah and Lana were sitting (they clearly had no interest in joining me). Slowly, I pulled my shirt over my head. I tossed it at Lana's feet, under the bench. After slipping off my shoes and socks, next came my shorts. Those I also tossed under the bench. I heard one of the guys whistle and turned to face them. I was standing in my underwear, my white bra and panties catching all of the ambient light of the evening. The warm air caressed my body as I let these men in the water drink in my figure. I was certain they could see my hard nipples under my bra, and my panties probably were showing just a bit of "camel-toe." In some ways this was more exposed than being naked. The nude body is natural, simple, unadorned. They were seeing me in my private garments.