Catherine, a Friend Indeed

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 1 - Suzy's Problem

Suzy was crying.

Suzy had every right to cry; she was terribly embarrassed.

And it was Jackie's fault once again. Well, at least partly.

It had all begun on Tuesday. And in Ms. Carpenter's class. History really did repeat itself. Suzy had had to stop in the washroom just before class, and somebody -- she was sure it was Jackie Keaton, her enemy -- had jammed a small piece of wood in the door of the stall. By the time she had got out and made her way to the classroom, she was late. She had slipped in the door while the teacher was writing on the blackboard, and made her way quietly almost to her seat when she heard the voice of doom.

"Suzy O'Brien, what are you doing arriving for class late?" Carpenter shrilled as she turned from the blackboard and saw the tardy student. Suzy sighed. She knew excuses were of no use.

"Miss Carpenter, Miss Carpenter, Miss Carpenter." Jackie was quietly whispering this mantra, and as Suzy was standing right beside her only she was able to hear it.

"I'm sorry, Miss Carpenter. It was-" Suzy stammered. Carpenter shook her head, horn rimmed glasses trained like radar on Suzy's blouse.

"You take off that blouse Miss O'Brien. Maybe a cool shock with remind you of the importance of punctuality."

It was a cool spring day, and Suzy shivered, only partly from the cold, as she walked up to the front, removed her blue blazer and dropped it on the teacher's desk. She carefully undid the bright tie, and let it fall on top of the blazer. Then she slowly unbuttoned her blouse, pulled the hem from the waistband of her tartan skirt, with a sigh let it slip down her arms, and deposited the white covering on the other items, leaving her in a lacy white bra. She shivered again as she realized just how thin the covering was; all her cotton bras had been dirty, and she had forgotten to do the laundry over the weekend, so she had to wear this thin excuse for a support and covering.

"And now, for addressing me as Miss instead of Ms., your bra please." Suzy gaped as she realized what she had done. Jackie's mantra must have had an effect on her, causing her to use the wrong honorific. She certainly knew better, as it was this very mistake that had caused her to spend a day in the nude, a day that included a visit to the city museum. She blushed at the very memory as she reached behind her back and undid the two hooks. Her two large, pale breasts popped into view. Pert and milky white. Her two large, pink erect nipples jutted out like exclamation marks, even as the first tear slid down her cheek, splashed to her breast and rolled off the end of her left nipple. She dropped the bra on the growing pile of clothing, and sniffed back the next tears. "You certainly know better than that. Therefore, I am extending the punishment to the end of the school day."

Suzy gulped, nodded her head, and stumbled back to her seat at the back of the room, carefully keeping her arms at her sides, so she would not be punished for covering up. Ms. Carpenter was a stern, humorless woman, who seemed to delight in humiliating her students, and she reveled in the tears of this pretty young thing. This student reacted properly to the humiliating punishments, unlike that little tramp Catherine, who almost seemed to enjoy the shame. That tramp was a friend of this student, she recalled.

Suzy sat with her head bowed, trying her best to ignore the cool draft that was causing her nipples to harden.

"Miss O'Brien." Suzy jumped to her feet, her bare breasts bouncing from the sudden movement. Jackie smiled as she got a close view of the pale orbs, since Suzy sat just behind her. "Is your report ready?"

"Miss Carpenter, Miss Carpenter, Miss Carpenter." Jackie again whispered her mantra, driving the phrase deeply into Suzy's subconscious.

Suzy took a deep breath; she would be very careful to get the words correct. "Yes, Miss Carpenter," she said, being very careful to emphasize the word.

"Miss O'Brien, are you being deliberately insolent?"

Ohmygod! Jackie had done it to her. Her chant had caused Suzy to use the dreaded Miss, and worse, she had emphasized it. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry. It was a total acci-"

"Obviously you don't feel you are being punished enough. Maybe, like your friend Catherine, you need more time to consider what you have done. I am extending the punishment for a week. You can pick up your clothes next Tuesday after the final class."

Suzy nodded and gulped, while Jackie smiled maliciously. This had worked out even better than Jackie had hoped. So Suzy would not be nude today; she would have to spend a week topless. And since she was a day student, that meant she was now the first student that would have to be accompanied to and from home due to punishments. Goody-goody Suzy now had two claims to fame (or infamy). She was the first student to be naked on a trip to the city, and now the first student to be sent home with staff due to punishments. Jackie did not really hear Suzy's report, she was too busy gloating.

Tuesday night Miss Copoletta had driven the topless girl home, and she had also driven her both ways on Wednesday, so Suzy had been relatively protected from public view. Miss Copoletta had let Suzy know that she felt the punishment was too harsh for the crime, although she did not actually say anything that could be considered as a criticism of a fellow teacher. It was her attitude, and the way she protected her pupil that made Suzy so sure of the teacher's feelings.

This morning, however, had been different. Miss Copoletta had not been available, and her parents had told the school that they would see that she was accompanied to the gates of the campus, and she had been taken by her father. She knew it was too cold to drive with the top down today, so she had stepped out of the front door with her father quite happily, even though she was wearing nothing above the short tartan skirt that with her panties, shoes and socks was her entire uniform. She was shocked when her father turned away from the garage and walked down the driveway toward the street.

"What? Where? The car..." was all Suzy could get out, as she followed her father away from the safety of her home.

"Your mother needs the car today, so I am taking the bus to work. Taking the route that goes past your school will only add a few minutes to the commute."

Suzy took the bus to school most days, but she had never before taken it dressed like this. She shuddered as she started down the street with her father, silent in her humiliation, knowing that any complaint would result in a punishment by her parents. They were such wholehearted proponents of the Cronenberg system that they had adopted it in dealing with their daughter, but not, she thought bitterly, with their son.

Since it was the middle of the rush hour, there was a crowd waiting at the bus stop at the end of their road. Suzy blushed scarlet as the men and women on their way to the office gawked at her naked breasts, at her hard nipples. And she did not dare to cover herself, or she would be punished even more harshly. Once on the crowded bus, she was reminded of her nakedness as she pushed past the people standing in the aisle, her breasts rubbing on their clothes, the sensation merely increasing the hardness of her erect nipples.

They had to change buses once; again she was exposed to the open stares of both people standing at the stop, waiting for the next bus, and of pedestrians and motorists passing by. This was the busiest time of the day, so she was exposed to more strangers than she had been before, even in the city. Getting on this bus was just as humiliating, just as stressful, just as physically arousing as the previous one had been. Again she had to stand near the back, under the steady stares of the other passengers.

Eventually, the bus pulled up to the gates of the Cronenberg campus, and she jumped off the bus and hurried through the gates under her father's watchful eyes. Ashamed, humiliated, sobbing, she walked up the driveway to the grand staircase.

As she reached the first step, Catherine Higgins, who had been sitting on the stone balustrade at the top of the stairs, rushed down, hugged her, and said: "My God, Suzy. How did this happen?"

Suzy felt safe and almost happy again, as she felt herself being enveloped in her friend's arms. They had each supported the other through their punishments, Catherine when Suzy was forced to go to the photo exhibit naked, and Suzy when Catherine had been punished for hitting Jenny, and had had to be naked for over a month, during which she was on stage nude in front of a huge audience for thirty performances.

Since the two girls were in different years, they did not have the same classes, and Catherine had not seen Suzy this week.

"Wait. I heard that old witch Carpenter nailed a girl for calling her Miss. That couldn't have been you? Not after the other time."

Suzy poured out the story of how she had been tricked into it by Jackie, through the full humiliation up to today's shameful bus ride.

"Sounds like something your father would do. I still remember how he set me up for the reading in church, and again at the museum and coffee shop."

"But that's not the worst part. There's the dance tomorrow night. All the other girls have been, are being, very careful, and I'll be the only girl topless. Doug has invited me, and the teachers and my parents know I am planning to go, so I have to go. But I'll be the only...." At this point Suzy broke into sobs.

Catherine finally managed to comfort her friend somewhat, partly by suggesting that she would ask if Suzy could stay over at the school, share her room the night of the dance. Since neither had any classes on Saturday, she was sure it would be allowed. The two of them went straight to the office, and the headmistress, who also felt that Ms. Carpenter had gone overboard in her punishment of a girl who was an excellent student, agreed at once. She called Mrs. O'Brien and everything was arranged before the first class began.

Catherine spent the morning trying to think of some way to reduce her friend's embarrassment at being the only girl topless at the dance. The first period after lunch was phys. ed., and Catherine stopped to relieve herself after changing into her sports uniform. She thought back over the past several months at Cronenberg. In the middle of the fall term she had spent over a month naked because of her quick temper. While she had actually been turned on by the embarrassment of being seen nude, the embarrassment was also there, so she had had mixed feelings.

However, just before the end of last semester, she had gone to the woods one Saturday afternoon, and had stripped naked, then wandered along the trails. She had been seen by another hiker, and strangely she was not at all aroused. She was instead overwhelmed by the feelings of shame and of guilt for so blatantly displaying her nakedness, contrary to all that she had been taught. She decided that the turn-on must have been due to the novelty of the situation, and that it had now worn off. Since then she had been very careful to keep out of trouble.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 2 - Catherine's Plan

Catherine and Suzy had become even closer friends, becoming more physical with each other when Catherine stayed with the O'Briens during the break between the fall and spring semesters. She had used the hysteria around the "Millennium Bug" to persuade her friend to try things that they had both enjoyed, but that only the underlying fear that this might be their last chance allowed the younger girl to attempt so soon. Catherine now tried to think of a way to reduce her little friend's embarrassment, particularly to let her enjoy the dance with her boyfriend, Doug.

Catherine had hoped that she also would be attending with a boyfriend.

Doug had attended eight performances of the play, "Our Town", in which both she and Suzy had acted last fall; Suzy in full costume, herself, naked. She shivered again at the memory. Twice, Doug had been accompanied by another student from the Terence Gilliam School for Boys, Steve. A tall, rather gangly lad, about the same age as Doug, and very shy, he had met Catherine at the wrap party after the final performance of the play, when Suzy invited the two boys backstage. He had blushed furiously when he was introduced to the ever naked Catherine, and had stammered his appreciation of her performance in a manner that quite captivated her.

Steve had asked her out for a couple of movies, and had been invited to dinner at the O'Briens' during the holiday, an idea cooked up between Doug and Suzy. Catherine had been quite attracted to him, and had thought that he liked her, too; but he had not asked her out to the "Spring Fling" as they were calling this dance. She had decided that she would attend the dance anyhow, and on Tuesday had given her name to the dance committee as a food table attendant. This meant that she would spend an hour or more standing at the table, making sure that other students served themselves properly, and that the food and drink was kept replenished. At least it would give her an excuse to attend without a date.

Another reason that she had decided to attend, even without a partner, was the historic significance of this dance. For the first time since the school was founded, the students would be allowed to attend a school sponsored function out of uniform. The headmistress had decided to accept the suggestion made in a petition that had been signed by almost every student, and allow the girls to dress up for the dance. It was understood that the dance was not formal, and that ball gowns were out of place here. The girls would wear what are commonly know as "cocktail dresses" or other clothing of a similar informality if they decided not to wear their uniforms, although the uniform would still be acceptable attire.

Catherine had a green two-piece outfit, a light floaty skirt and a matching light jacket that could be worn either with or without a blouse. She had matching green high heeled shoes, and green stockings, all chosen to set off her auburn locks. She had brought it from England and had always hoped to have a chance to wear it. Now the perfect opportunity had arisen, and she was definitely going to use it.

Catherine recalled the notice of permission the headmistress had issued. After announcing the permission to wear party dresses, the memo continued:

Therefore the regulations concerning the wearing of uniforms will be suspended for students who are attending the "Spring Fling" dance to be held in the Terence Gilliam School for Boys; the suspension to be in effect from the hours of four p.m. on the Friday afternoon until eight a.m. the following morning. However, any punishments in effect at that time shall be continued through the dance, and while party clothes may be worn by a punished student, said clothes shall be deemed to be a "uniform" for the application of regulation 146.

Catherine recalled that regulation very well:

146. If a change of uniform is required while a punishment is in progress, the student shall, in donning the new uniform, leave off the equivalent item or items that she was required to remove for punishment.

Poor Suzy could wear a party dress only if it did not cover her above the waist, a party skirt so to speak.

Suddenly, Catherine realized that while she was sitting on the toilet, reminiscing, the locker room had become silent. All the other girls must have gone into the gymnasium; she was going to be late. She hurried into the gym, and was unsurprised when Mr. O'Connor had her remove her T-shirt for being late.

As she ran laps around the gym with the other students, her breasts bouncing in her sports bra, she suddenly had an inspiration. Suzy was feeling particularly upset because she would be the only girl topless at the dance, and she had to go. All the other girls were being extremely careful this week, and would be even more careful tomorrow, but if Catherine could get herself punished just enough, she would attend the dance topless herself, and that would be great moral support for the younger girl.

No sooner decided than put into action. Catherine knew how much Mr. O'Connor hated people talking in class, so as soon as he started to describe their next activity, she started to talk to the girl next to her.

"Miss Higgins!" The short, sharp expression brought her up short. "You know better than to talk while I am speaking. Your bra, please." With her head bowed to hide a self-satisfied smile, Catherine removed the white sports bra, exposing her firm 34D's, amazingly firm, her large, dark nipples and areolae standing out against the almost white skin of her breasts.

She knew that Mr. O'Connor had adopted a policy of extending punishments, rather than adding to them, for continued disobedience. She had decided that he did it because additional punishments tended to be assessed for at least the time of the original; thus, if he kept her topless for three days and another teacher punished her, she would likely lose her skirt for the full three days, even if an unpunished girl would only have lost a single item for the duration of the class.

Therefore as she turned back from handing her bra to Mr. O'Connor, she made a snide comment to one of the girls, and heard: "Let's add a period to that punishment." Catherine had been in Ms. Tash's class last semester and for the first week of this one, only transferring to Mr. O'Connor's class when she transferred into an advanced French class. She had therefore missed the announcement that Mr. O'Connor had made about his new punishment regime. She did know, however, from what she had overheard, that he was going to assign punishment duration by period, not by regular time. She did a quick calculation and realized she had nine periods, including this, before the dance. Therefore, she needed to increase her punishment to ten periods for it to force her to be topless at the dance.

She continued practicing the vault, as she awaited her next chance, blushing as her breasts bounced and shook as she flipped over the horse, and particularly when she landed hard. As Mr. O'Connor started to give instructions about changing to the next apparatus, Catherine once again started to comment to the girl next to her, only to be informed that another period was added. Good, she was up to three now, seven to go.

"You realize that you will be topless until..." the girl beside her began, but Catherine interrupted with: "I know it's three periods."

"Miss Jacoby, your shirt please." As the girl removed her shirt, biting her lip in embarrassment, Mr. O'Connor continued, "As for you, Miss Higgins, since adding a period seems to have no effect on you -- maybe it's your previous punishment -- let's try doubling it to six periods total."

This was getting good. Over half-way now. As Ellen Jacoby returned to stand beside Catherine and Mr. O'Connor gave the instructions for the next rotation, Catherine made a stage whisper to her bra-clad companion. "Six periods, topless. That will be a breeze."

"If six periods won't keep you quiet, we'll make it twelve." Catherine very carefully kept quiet. Twelve periods; that would take her to Monday noon. As near to perfect as she could hope for. "And since topless is such a breeze, we'll take the bottoms as well."

"Damn, I went too far with that comment. I should have known better," Catherine thought as she slipped the tight red shorts over her hips, down her shapely legs to puddle around her ankles. She stepped out of them and handed them to the waiting teacher. She paused for a moment, looking appealingly at the man standing with her clothes in his hand, but he just stood there his other hand outstretched for her only remaining piece of clothing. Blushing furiously, she slipped her thumbs into the waistband of her simple white cotton panties and they followed the shorts to the ground and then into the waiting man's hand. She blushed even deeper as she saw his eyes check out her totally denuded pussy. The mass of red hair that had been shaven into the shape of a heart during the previous punishment was completely gone; her sex was totally visible to anyone who even glanced at her. She shivered at the thought that she would be like this until Monday. She gulped but then she continued to perform her routines for the rest of the period, trying to ignore her nudity.

"Miss Higgins, don't forget to come to my office as soon as you have showered and changed." Catherine smiled at the word "changed", after all, she would be wearing only shoes and socks, but she nodded as she headed to the locker room.

She kept nodding as the rest of the girls kept saying things like, "You poor thing, twelve periods naked," as she showered and dried herself. As soon as she had finished and put on her white knee socks and black shoes, she hurried to the teacher's office, the rest of her uniform in her hand, anxious to complete whatever business he had, and get to her next class; she certainly didn't want incur any further punishment by being late for class.

"Since you were not here when I described the details of my new punishment regime, I'll review it for you now. I noticed that a number of students were not responding to the single period punishments any more, and I decided that if I had to issue longer punishments, I wanted them under my total control. You are the first person to force me to issue such punishment. You have received a total of twelve periods." Catherine nodded as he said this, she had wanted at least ten -- if only they were topless, not nude. "I have prepared this sheet for you. There is a place for you to sign beside each of the twelve slots. I have put the date the punishment was assigned, today's date, beside the twelfth one. Please initial there to indicate that you understand that this is your punishment as of today.".

Catherine scribbled her initials beside the date, wondering where Mr. O'Connor was going with this.

"You will sign and date each period as soon as you have finished it. Since it is to your advantage to minimize your punishment, it is your responsibility to sign after each phys. ed. period, not mine to remind you. If you miss a class, or even if you just forget to sign, that period will not count toward the twelve. Do you understand?"

Catherine nodded, swallowing hard. She understood far too well -- now. She had not realized that the periods referred only to her gym classes; she would have been topless long enough for her plan if she had stopped as soon as he had increased the punishment to two periods. If only she had checked the facts before acting up. If only she had listened to Ellen when she took a punishment to try to warn her.

"Please sign beside the number one now." Catherine scribbled her signature on the sheet as she tried to get her emotions under control. "And don't forget to sign after the next class. I will not be reminding you. Now, you had better hurry so you won't be late for your next class."

Catherine hurried out into the hall, totally naked but for shoes and socks, blushing as she saw the eyes of her fellow students flicking from her bare breasts to her doubly naked pussy. She hurried to her next class, Miss Copoletta's art class, keeping her mind a blank until she dropped into her desk, the cold, hard, wooden seat on her naked buns reminding her of her nudity, and bringing back strong memories of her previous punishment, of the four and half weeks she had spent totally naked.

She took a deep breath and calculated her current punishment. She had a phys. ed. class on Monday, first period in the afternoon and, of course, the one she had just come from, first period Thursday afternoon. Two per week. Eleven periods to go. Lord God Almighty! She was going to be naked for the next five and a half weeks. A week longer than her previous punishment. And on top of everything, she had done it to herself. Catherine shuddered as the concept hit her; she was going to spend the next month and a half totally without clothing. Tears welled up in her eyes as the enormity of her punishment struck her.

Miss Copoletta had noticed one of her favorite students sitting at her desk, quietly crying as she worked on the assignment she had just been given, probably because she was totally naked but for her shoes and socks. As she moved over to speak to the young girl, she noticed her pupil's still damp hair and put two and two together.

"Mr. O'Connor?" Catherine jumped at the sound of her teacher's quiet voice, the concern evident in the soft tones; she had been so intent on her own feelings of humiliation that she had not paid attention to her surroundings and had not noticed Miss Copoletta's approach. She did not trust herself to speak without breaking down entirely, so she just nodded. "And this was your last P.E. class of the week." Another nod. "You have already committed to the dance tomorrow night." This time the nod was accompanied by a choking sob, as Catherine thought of all the schoolboys who would see her nudity. Miss Copoletta had little hope, but asked the student anyhow: "I could appeal the punishment for you, if you think it's unfair."

"N- n- no. I was actually asking for it, ma'am." Catherine managed to gasp out the sentence. She actually smiled, albeit somewhat ruefully as she realized just how appropriate the wording was. She had been asking for the punishment; she had deliberately forced Mr. O'Connor into it. Of course, her teacher would not know that it was so literally true. "He gave me plenty of warning, but I just went too far. It was all my own doing." Once again she smiled at the double meaning to the last phrase. "It's just..." Miss Copoletta was always so kind to her, she wanted to make her less anxious, so she decided on a little white lie, or more accurately a half truth. "Well, it's just that I lost my only chance to wear my green dress..."

Miss Copoletta nodded sagely. She did not really believe the young girl; she was more upset than that. But something told her that this was not a prevarication told for self-benefit, so she pretended to accept the excuse. She smiled warmly at the youngster, and moved off to help another student.

Catherine was surprisingly buoyed by her teacher's concern, and her basic good humor was able to reassert itself. She now held the records for both longest and second longest punishments. Just over a month, and now about a month and a half. And she was going to start this particular punishment by going to a dance nude. Would the rest be as exciting as her acting stint had been? She doubted it; that had been a very tough punishment. She shivered again as she realized her nipples were hard, even though this room was particularly warm, and that the exposed area between her legs was becoming moist. She realized that she was once again turned on by her nudity.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 3 - Suzy Goes Shopping

Suzy smiled to herself as she started up the stairs towards Catherine's room, carrying a large but light box.. She had not talked to her friend since she had arranged for tonight's overnight stay, but after school yesterday, as she headed to Miss Copoletta's room for her ride home, she had caught a quick glimpse of a mane of auburn curls on the stairs just where she was now, a mane that sat atop a bare, white back, bare buttocks, bare thighs, knee socks, and shoes. It was a sight that Suzy had become very accustomed to seeing last semester, during Catherine's punishment. But she was so surprised to see it again now that she just froze in her tracks, and the vision disappeared up the steps. As Suzy took the same route tonight, she recalled yesterday evening's events.

As soon as she reached Miss Copoletta's room, she asked the young teacher about Catherine, and the reality was confirmed; Catherine had been totally stripped for punishment. The teacher also confirmed that the punishment time would include the dance, although she did not tell her young student just how long it would last. Suzy's first thought was, "Good, I won't be the only naked person at the dance. Not even the most naked." She blushed from shame as she realized how selfish she was being. Her friend was in trouble, and her first thought had been how it would benefit herself. Miss Copoletta smiled as she watched the youngster. She had been a teacher long enough to be able to guess at the thoughts; the teenager's look of relief, followed immediately by that pretty blush, made the thought process transparent enough.

Suddenly, Suzy had a terrible thought. She spoke up as Miss Copoletta started to put away the papers she had just finished marking.

"Miss Copoletta, Catherine will only be allowed to wear shoes and stockings to the dance?" The teacher nodded her agreement. "If she dresses up, will she be allowed to wear a garter belt, or is that prohibited?"

The teacher opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. A garter belt would be in an area that was supposed to be bare, yet it would not provide the student with relief from her exposure. "That's a good question, Suzy. I'm afraid I don't know the answer; it has never been a problem before. We would have to get a ruling from the headmistress, but she is away until noon tomorrow, at a conference. I think she would allow it, but I can't be positive."

"In any case, there is something I would like to do for Catherine, but I will need your help to do it, ma'am." She continued to outline her proposal to the teacher, who was more than happy to help the young girl. After a short telephone call to Suzy's mother, to get permission for her to come home later, the two set off in Miss Copoletta's station wagon. They drove to the outskirts of the nearby city to the largest mall in the region, as Miss Copoletta knew that the best chance of finding what Suzy wanted was at this shopping center.

The mall was very busy this evening, and Miss Copoletta had to park far out in the lot. While in the car, Suzy had been able to ignore the fact that she was dressed only from the waist down, but as soon as she stepped out, the cold wind that had sprung up reminded her immediately, her nipples springing to attention from the cold caress. As they walked across the wide lot towards the mall building, Suzy found herself kept very busy keeping the hem of her school skirt from blowing up in the brisk wind. As they approached the mall building, Suzy could not help but start chuckling to herself. She was being very careful to prevent anyone from seeing her panties, yet her breasts were in full view of anyone who passed by -- her bare breasts, not just her bra. The incongruity struck her as funny; that is until she realized that the mall had a sidewalk sale on this week, and was even busier than normal. She would be showing herself off to a large number of people tonight. She shuddered at the thought, and blushed slightly, even as she thought: "I am doing this for Catherine, and she is worth it." Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, then preceded her teacher into the giant space.

She stopped to look at the map of the mall, partly to calm herself down from the emotions engendered by displaying her large firm white breasts to the mob in the mall, and partly to find out just where the food court was. "Miss Copoletta, my mother said that as I would be so late home this evening, that I should eat supper here at the mall." She gulped as she thought of sitting topless for an entire meal, in the midst of the hurly-burly of the shopping center, but was sure she could find a dim restaurant and continued bravely. "She also said that as you were being so kind to help me like this, I must treat you, which I would very much like to do, anyhow."

"Thank you, Suzy, that is very kind of you, but I couldn't accept. I'll be happy to sit with you while you eat, but I can fix myself something at home."

"Oh, Pleeeease, Miss Copoletta. I really would like to buy you dinner. Besides, Mum said I must do it, and if I don't... I'm sure Mum's punishment will last through tomorrow night. Oh, pleeeease!"

Miss Copoletta could not help but smile at the earnest, anxious look in the girl's eyes. She truly liked this earnest youngster, even loved her as she might her own daughter, and she could not refuse her this. "Very well, but you must keep it as inexpensive as possible. We'll just have a light meal in the food court."

Suzy gulped again. "OhmyGod!" she thought as she visualized the bright, crowded food court with every table visible to all, but she did not wish to have the offer withdrawn so she forced herself to smile, and nodded as happily as she could. "Should we eat first, or go to the store you recommended?"

"I have to check whether a book I ordered came in, and that store is just past the food court. The other shop is the other direction. Why don't we stop at the book store first, then eat, and do your errand after?"

This seemed like a good idea to the youngster. She did not stop to think that it was now between five and six o'clock, and that the food court might well be at its busiest at this time. Together the two ladies started down the crowded passage, made even narrower by the stalls set up for the sidewalk sale that was in progress. The two stopped at almost every second table, checking out the items for sale. Suzy was trying to ignore her exposure, but the continuous murmur could not hide the comments about "great tits" and "topless" that were being uttered by the other shoppers, or the gasps of astonishment. Since the mall was close to the city, and not to her town, people did not have the constant stories of the schoolgirls nor the sight of youngsters naked at a school function such as track and field to remind them of the Cronenberg punishment system; therefore, they found the sight of a topless schoolgirl more surprising than the residents of the town, and expressed the surprise more volubly. Suzy found herself blushing furiously, and realized she felt as exposed here as she had walking along the street, naked, on her way to the Art Gallery.

Miss Copoletta stopped at a bookseller's table, a floating dealer who set up for a week or two in a mall then moved on, selling new books at less than normal retail, as well as some used ones. The teacher checked the books on all five tables, while Suzy stood by, enduring the ogling of the passing crowd. She was sure she was permanently red now, she had been blushing for so long. Finally, Miss Copoletta had finished her perusal of the books, pondering two of them for several minutes before deciding against the purchase; and the two were off again. They made only a couple of short stops before they passed the food court, which Suzy was aghast to see was absolutely packed with shoppers, and arrived at a tiny store in the very back corner of the mall, marked with the sign: Prometheus Books.

When they stepped inside, Suzy was surprised at how large the interior was. Although the front of the shop was only about eight feet across, the interior had two offshoots or wings that were just filled with racks of books. Although at first she thought the store was empty except for the two people behind the counter, she soon noticed a couple of people browsing in each of the wings.

Miss Copoletta led her straight over to the counter, and Suzy blushed again as she saw the expressions of surprise on the two faces; surprise with a tinge of disgust on the face of the teenage girl who was obviously a clerk; surprise and delight in the eyes of the man, a strong, rather handsome gentleman who seemed to be about her teacher's age or maybe a little older.

The girl turned away abruptly and moving to a cart up one of the aisles, started to put more books on the shelves.

"Sweet my Helen, you are radiant today. And this must be one of your pupils. I seem to recognize her, but I can't think where."

Suzy started as his eyes scanned her form quickly, but carefully, then returned to look into Miss Copoletta's eyes, even as she turned toward her teacher. "Your name is Helen?" she asked in astonishment, as this teacher's given name had been a secret that the students had never been able to discover.

"No, dear," she smiled. "That is just a childish joke of William's." She turned back to the man, and continued, "You may well have seen her. You did go to our production of 'Our Town', didn't you?"

William looked at Suzy again. She was actually shocked at how piercing his gaze was. It made her feel totally, horribly, naked. She felt more naked standing here topless than she had totally nude on the dias in the public Art Gallery. Suddenly William's face broke into a grin. "You were Emily, weren't you? I just loved your performance. I'm William Baxter, owner of this emporium of enlightenment." Suzy smiled back, pleased at the recognition and nodded her corroboration of his statement, as she shook his proffered hand. "You looked absolutely delightful in those outfits, but today, you seem to be trying to adopt the Stage Manager's costume."

"It's not exactly her choice," Miss Copoletta intervened, seeing her charge blush one more time. "I've told you about our punishments; well, she is under a punishment until next week."

"Good God! What did she do to deserve that? Shoot someone?"

"Even more heinous than that. She was late for a class, addressed a teacher incorrectly, then appeared to be insolent to that same teacher."

The man appeared shocked for a moment, then recovered his composure, and returning to his earlier bantering tone said, "Sweet Helen, you must tell me all about it. May I bribe you two lovely ladies to tell me all by buying you both dinner?"

"No!" shrilled Suzy, then in a more reasonable tone added, "Thank you very much for the offer, but I have promised to treat Miss Copoletta myself, and I must keep my word." She took a deep breath, and praying that she had enough money with her, offered, "Of course, I would be delighted if you would join us."

"I can't allow you to pay for him," interrupted Miss Copoletta, "but I will gladly treat you to supper with us at the food court, William."

"An offer I can hardly refuse, but only if our little nymph promises to tell the whole story of her transgressions; otherwise, I will insist on paying."

"Alright, you blackmailer," laughed Miss Copoletta, as she saw Suzy nod agreement, "but this is first time I've had to be blackmailed into refusing a gift."

"And only if you tell me why you call her Helen," suddenly piped up the topless scholar.

"Very well," he answered. "That reminds me, your book arrived this afternoon." He pulled a package out from under the counter. "Why don't we leave it here, and you can pick it up after supper?" Miss Copoletta just nodded, and as William came around the counter, he called out to the teenage clerk, "I'm off on supper break, Maude. The store's yours for the next hour."

Suzy took a deep breath as they stepped out of the quiet shop into the hurly-burly of the mall proper.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 4 - Suppertime

The sound of the crowd as the three of them passed through the door into the crowd of shoppers reminded Suzy again of her lack of attire. She had managed to forget her topless state in the gentle bantering, now it was brought back to her full force. She started as she felt a hand on her shoulder, but quickly realized that William had slipped his arm around her teacher's waist, as a boyfriend might, and had placed his other arm on her shoulders, just as her father did. She would hardly have noticed this touch had she been fully clothed, but in her present state the knowledge that a handsome man was touching her body, even a touch as asexual as this, sent a flurry of emotions through her entire body, and her nipples hardened into little bullets.

They were at the food court almost at once, and of course his arm was withdrawn to carry his tray. It took a while for them to obtain their food, as they had to go to three separate places. Since Suzy had to be with Miss Copoletta when she ordered and Miss Copoletta had to be with William to pay for his, and since she would not let Suzy be alone in this crowd in her present state of undress, all three went to each stand. Miss Copoletta ordered first, a Chinese combination plate with a cup of tea. Next Suzy decided to honor the fact that she had come here on behalf of Catherine by ordering fish and chips, to which she added a small salad, and a large glass of milk. Finally, William, claiming that he was going to bankrupt Miss Copoletta for refusing his offer, picked up a double-burger, large fries and large coffee, as she laughed at his joking manner.

When they had all been served, they looked around for a place to sit. Only one table was available, right in the middle of the open entrance. It had only three chairs as it had obviously been shoehorned in against the low planter that separated the food court from the main mall corridor with its throngs of shoppers. William hurried over to claim this last available spot, and the two ladies followed more slowly. Suzy was shaking with emotion, and had to concentrate very hard to avoid spilling the tall glass of milk.

Finally, Suzy found herself seated at the table, but she felt no less uncomfortable. Miss Copoletta had arrived at the table just before her, and had taken the seat that faced out of the court. Suzy wondered at this until she noticed that the two adults hands would drift under the table from time to time, and realized the two were at very least close friends. This arrangement meant that she was seated sideways to the court, and her naked breasts were visible to over half the food court, as well as to the crowd bustling past on her other side. "OhMyGod," she thought as she realized that she would be seated topless only about three feet from and directly in front of a handsome older man. She shivered as she imagined his lustful gaze on her large white orbs, on her rock hard nipples. And they had become rock hard once again, she realized.

In order to keep her mind from those piercing blue eyes she asked Miss Copoletta why William called her Helen if it wasn't her name. "Just a silly joke," her teacher replied shortly.

Suzy gave her best little-girl pout, and when her teacher ignored it, she turned back and gave the same look, the one that had always worked so well on her father, to William.

"Ah, how sweet. A perfect pout! A marvelous moue! Oh, Helen mine, I cannot resist thy little naked nymph." Suzy blushed scarlet at this reminder of her bare breasts, but kept up her pout. "Of course you've heard of Helen of Troy, the greatest beauty of all time. You probably also know that famous quote from Marlow's Doctor Faustus. I don't really like the play but it does have a couple of good passages.

"Well, after our first dinner, as I walked her home, I was determined to kiss her that night, so I held her face gently and began:

'Is this the face that launched a thousand ships
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.'

"The swine." Miss Copoletta sounded annoyed, but Suzy could see the smile she was trying to hide behind a fierce demeanor.

"I continued with:

'Her lips sucks forth my soul--see where it flies!
Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again.'

"You shouldn't talk like that to the youngster." Suzy was surprised, no, shocked, to see that Miss Copoletta was actually blushing at his tale.

"I finished off with:

'Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips,
And all is dross that is not Helena.'

Suzy toyed with her fish and nibbled a few chips as she tried to bring her emotions under control, and Miss Copoletta quickly reviewed the punishment policy of the Cronenberg School for Girls, adding that this past semester, punishments seemed to be longer than ever before. She then asked Suzy to describe her offenses. Suzy refused to tell her story until she had agreed with her teacher that all this conversation would be "off the record", that it could not be used either against her, or against anyone else. Miss Copoletta agreed readily, as she was sure that Suzy had not committed any grave offense, but was just trying to make sure that nobody else would get in trouble; but in return, Suzy agreed to keep her teacher's friendship with this man quiet, with the exception that she could speak about it to Catherine after extracting a similar promise form her. Miss Copoletta was willing to make the exception as she knew her pupil would want to discuss tonight's exposure with her best friend, and that Catherine was a trustworthy young lady. Besides, she was doing nothing wrong, it was just that she wanted to keep her private life private.

Suzy recounted how she had been trapped in the toilet stall and thus been made late for class, causing her to lose her blouse; how... a fellow student had chanted "Miss", causing her to use the wrong title with the dreaded Ms. Carpenter. She saw a smile flit over her teacher's face at the brief pause before "a fellow student". Suzy trusted Miss Copoletta not to make trouble for Jackie even if she used her name; but it seemed better to maintain her anonymity, thereby keeping her favorite teacher from having to choose between her promise and the Cronenberg code. She continued with the description of how this same fellow student had managed to trick her into emphasizing her error, and how Ms. Carpenter had assumed that she was being deliberately insolent.

"Seems unfair to me," replied William. "Suzy was late due to circumstances beyond her control. Why can't she just say so?"

"If Suzy said it, I would believe her, as she has never lied to me even to escape punishment, but some of the other students would lie their heads off." Suzy smiled happily at her teacher's praise, took a small sip of milk and started to eat her fish and chips, her appetite fully restored. "However, there is a mechanism to counter this type of treachery. If a student can prove that another student forced her into committing the act, that other student is punished even more severely that the original would have been. It can be as little as double the punishment, either twice as many items removed or twice the time, but is usually a "double-double", twice as many items for twice the time. If Suzy could prove that Ja- uh... this fellow student was the one who locked her in the stall, and that her actions in chanting caused the other offences, that student would probably lose all her clothes for two weeks."

Suzy smiled to herself at Miss Copoletta's little "error". She was aware that she was being told that her teacher knew who had gotten her into trouble, but understood her need to keep it quiet.

"I'm surprised that doesn't happen more often," William answered. "Surely some of these students are smart enough to rig a frame."

"Well, let me tell you a little story about an attempted frame," began Miss Copoletta.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 5 - Josie's Story

"It happened last semester, just a couple of weeks before Catherine -- that's the Stage Manager -- started her nude career by hitting another girl. There had been a series of girls being pushed aside at the class door just long enough to make them late, and this roughhousing was one of the reasons I actually welcomed the new regulation against violence, even if it is a little too arbitrary for my liking. This pushing had only just recently begun, hadn't it, Suzy?"

Suzy blushed again, but this time her toplessness had nothing to do with it. She remembered only too well that the most humiliating day of her life had begun when she and Jackie tried to push each other aside at the door and she had won, knocking Jackie down, then closing the door behind her.

William looked at her curiously. "There's a story here, isn't there, Suzy? Did you do that to somebody?"

"I... uh... um..." Suzy stammered, as she tried to decide how to answer. She did not want to lie and Miss Cronenberg obviously knew what had happened; however, she did not want to be too explicit, even if it was off the record. "Um... Let's just say that if I was asked that when the conversation was not off the record I'd probably take the fifth." She smiled ruefully as she looked at her plate, then she looked up directly into Miss Copoletta's eyes. "But if I did, I think I have been more than adequately punished for it."

Miss Copoletta just smiled back and nodded her head gently.

"What happened to you? And why?"

"Another time, William. At any rate, this particular Monday morning, first period actually, I heard a thud at the door, and looked over just as the bell rang. Eloise was inside the door, walking to her desk, and Josie was just getting to her feet outside the door. Of course, by the time she entered, she was late, and I had to ask for her blouse. I wasn't sure it was her fault, but the regulations are strict about tardiness, and she has to be able to prove it wasn't."

Josie was furious. She couldn't believe that this was going to happen to her. She always got others into trouble; she never got punished herself.

"It wasn't my fault, Miss. Eloise tripped me. You saw and so did the headmistress." Eloise looked totally stunned at the revelation, but the rest of the class was almost as shocked that a student would rat on another student. They knew that Josie had often tricked others and this action shocked them.

"Very well, Miss Renfrew, we will see if you can substantiate that, and if we do, Miss Pouladi, it will be blouse and bra for two periods." Miss Copoletta summoned the headmistress, and she arrived almost immediately. Josie repeated her story, but the headmistress did not support her story entirely.

"I came round the corner in time to see Miss Renfrew and Miss Pouladi collide and Miss Renfrew fall, but I have no idea who pushed whom. However, the janitor was in the hall, looking at the two of them and grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. Miss Johnson, you go find him. He should be just down the hall."

Millie scurried out, and less than five minutes later had returned with Mr. Philips, the current janitor. The headmistress asked him to describe what he had seen.

"Well, ma'am, I seen these two girls," and here he pointed at Josie, standing right in front of him, then at Eloise, seated at the front desk of the window aisle, "walking toward that door there, as fast as they could. Not quite running, you understand. I seen they were goin' to run inter each other like, so I watches. This one here," pointing at Josie, again, "she look up the corridor just as youse come round the bend, like, and though she's still not quite touching t'other girl, she throws herself back like she been pole-axed. She seemed ok, like, so I goes about me business."

"Thank you, Mr. Philips. Please wait for me a minute; I have something to discuss with you. As for you Josie Renfrew, this evidence shows that your accusations are false, and that Miss Pouladi was not responsible for knocking you down and making you late. Do you have anything to say on your own behalf? And don't even think about lying again!"

Josie knew that she had really jumped right into the middle of the fire, and anything she could say would only make things worse, so she just gazed intently at the floor, and shook her head lightly.

"Very well. I want you to understand why the punishment for what you have done will be severe. Josie, you are a practicing Christian, are you not?" Josie just nodded, too ashamed to speak. "Very well, do you believe that one of the Ten Commandments forbids lying?" Again Josie nodded. "Class, raise your hands, those who agree with Miss Renfrew." She nodded as almost every girl raised her hand. "You're wrong."

The headmistress paused to let the murmur of surprise die down. "Or more accurately, you are only partly right. There is a prohibition, but it is 'Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.' To put it another way, you will not tell a lie to bring unwarranted punishment on someone else. Whether you are Christian, Jew or Muslim, you must believe that this action is not only wrong, it is a heinous sin. Since this forms the basis of our offence of perjury, I find it a very serious offence in a student here. I am explaining this to you so you will realize the hideousness of what you have done today, and will realize that the punishment is severe in nature, but fair, or even lenient, in relation to your actions."

Josie had been looking apprehensive when the headmistress first mentioned a severe penalty, and the speech seemed to pass her by, but she did hear it, although she did not process it at this time.

"Miss Copoletta, had you decided on a punishment?" The teacher nodded her head. "What was it?"

"Double-double, Headmistress, blouse and bra for two periods."

"Very well. Miss Renfrew, your original punishment for being late was blouse for one period." She held out her hand, and Josie slowly, shamefacedly undid the buttons down the front, pulled the hem from her skirt, and passed the white cloth to the headmistress who placed it on the desk.

"For trying to evade a legitimate punishment, I would normally double the punishment to two periods, but because of the way you did it, I am going to double the number of items, too. Your bra, please." Once again she held out her hand. Josie reached behind her back to unhook the plain white bra that was all that kept her breasts hidden, when she suddenly noticed Mr. Philips still standing there, his eyes burning into the cups of her bra. She turned back towards the headmistress to complain, but when she saw the implacable hardness of that woman's eyes, her common sense took over and she just undid the hooks, and let the loose bra slide down her arms, baring her B-cup breasts to the entire class. She had always been ashamed that her breasts were so small, which was why, in spite of all the pranks she had pulled, she had always been so careful not to be caught. The dark tan she had built up during her summer with her parents on the beach in the Caribbean was fading fast, but the breasts had been covered by her bikini and they seemed to her to gleam like two tiny spotlights. Her eyes began to water as she saw the entire class gazing at her small globes, and worse still, Mr. Philips as well. She was quite surprised, in spite of the humiliation, to notice that he did not seem to be disgusted by her pert little breasts, but seemed to be enjoying the sight.

"Had you succeeded in what you were trying, Miss Pouladi would have suffered a penalty, a double-double of yours. Since your penalty is two articles for two periods, this punishment will be followed by four more periods, with four articles removed." The entire class gasped at this, although they saw the justice in her serving what she had tried to inflict on another. "Since the changeover is between periods this morning, and since you have wasted so much time, I don't want to take the chance of you being late for another class, so we will take the other two items now." Again the class gasped, as the headmistress' hand stretched out one more time. They had seen punishments extended a period or two to end at a major break, but of course this was the first time that successive, harshening penalties had been assessed.

Josie could not hold back her tears. She was going to be seen naked by her entire class. And by Mr. Philips. She couldn't see anything through her tears, but found the button by touch, slid the zipper down and let the skirt slide to the floor She bent down to retrieve it, her taut buns, covered only by her white cotton panties, thrusting out towards her class mates. Through her sobs, she could hear the gasps at the sight. Knowing what had to be done, she turned so her rump was no longer facing the class and, hooking her thumbs in the sides of those same panties slid them down to her knees whence they fell to the floor as well. She stepped back out of them, hearing the gasps of her classmates as they studied the dark brown streak of hair that nestled just above the almost bare pussy lips, the "Mohawk" she shaved her pussy hair into to be sure it was covered by her bikini acting as a narrow arrow pointing directly at the lips that were at the apex of the bright white triangle of untanned skin. As she bent to retrieve the little piece of cotton that had been her last vestige of modesty she heard a gasp from behind her, and realized that her hard buns and all her most private parts were being most blatantly displayed to a man. As she passed her last protection to the headmistress, that lady used her other hand to pass her a tissue, which she used immediately to dry her eyes, and wipe her nose.

"Finally, as an exemplary punishment, to ensure that both you and all your classmates understand just how serious we feel this is, I am going to add a final punishment, a double-double of your current one. Right now you are basically at one day, with four articles lost, a double-double should be two days with four more articles, but since you have nothing left, I will make it four days instead. To ensure your fellow students see your punishment, I am only counting class time in assessing it, but you must serve the time between as well. You may resume your clothing after supper on Friday night."

Josie stumbled back to her seat, heedless of everything else; the headmistress' quick exit and Mr Philips' slower, more reluctant one eluded her entirely. Only one phrase drummed in her brain: "After supper on Friday Night", a full five days away.

"Of course," Miss Copoletta continued to her two dinner companions, "she could hardly have chosen a worse day to begin her punishment. For Monday afternoon was the..."

"Track Meet!" blurted out Suzy, as she swallowed the last of her fish and chips and picked up her milk, which she had barely touched. "I saw her at the bus, and asked what had happened, but she wouldn't talk about it then. I planned to talk to her later, but Catherine and I got involved in something and totally forgot about it."

Suzy remembered seeing the humiliated Josie trying to ignore her blatant nudity as she competed that afternoon. She was particularly ashamed as none of the other athletes were currently being punished; every other one was fully clothed. There were several girls in the stand who had lost their shirts, and two who only wore bra and panties, but there was nobody else there who was even topless, let alone completely naked.

A long series of images passed through Suzy's mind. Josie with her legs spread, sprawled on the mats after jumping the high bar; Josie at the start of the 200 meter race, her head down, her small breasts, not hanging but rather pointing down, her buttocks high and taut as she took the ready position, her vaginal lips and anal pucker visible to the crowd behind her, many with binoculars and cameras; Josie standing on the podium, receiving a ribbon for her first place in the 400 meters. Image after humiliating image flashed across her mind's eye. Finally, her favorite memory -- the look of shock and shame on Josie's face as she stood by a low fence just after one of her best efforts, gasping for oxygen, her breasts bobbing with every breath, her body streaked with dust and sweat, and heard the voice of a young girl, maybe six years old: "Mommy, that woman is Naked!"

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 6 - Suzy's Slipup

"Mommy, that woman is Naked!" The voice was too clear for a memory. There, about five feet from her, right next to the low planter stood a curly-haired tot, about five years old, looking and pointing directly at her bare breasts and repeating in that piercing voice that children have, "Mommy, that woman is Naked!"

Suzy reacted without thought as she saw the child's bright eyes staring at her and also saw every head in her line of sight swing toward her, bringing her hands across her chest to hide her nakedness. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that she was still holding her glass, and the sudden movement slopped a cup or more of the white liquid into her lap. This brought her back to herself at once, but it was too late. Quickly she put the glass back on the table and sat with her arms down by her sides, blinking back her tears, as a frustrated mother dragged a youngster who was still crying out "But, Mommy!" down the mall, and the shoppers and diners, having had the excuse to stare at the nubile nude, slowly turned away, back to their own business.

Suzy raised her damp faces to look directly into her teacher's sad eyes, and listened to the fateful question. "Suzy, did you spill something on your uniform?" Miss Copoletta's voice was extremely soft and gentle. Suzy nodded slowly. "And why did this happen?"

Suzy gulped. She wanted to deny what had happened, but she couldn't lie, not to Miss Copoletta, particularly not after what the teacher had said about her, not after she had said she trusted her. Taking a deep breath that threatened to turn into a sob, Suzy murmured, "Because I was covering up."

"You have shown disrespect for your uniform and you have done so while breaking a rule. You know I have no option but to take your skirt. However, since you have been so honest, since you are a day student, and since we are not actually at a school function, I will be as lenient as possible. You must remove your skirt, but this punishment will last only until you are able to replace it with a clean one, only until you get home tonight."

Suzy suddenly realized that she had for the first time a perfect understanding of the word ambivalence. She was extremely happy, even ecstatic, that she would be able to wear a skirt to tomorrow's dance; going in only her panties would have been too much. On the other hand, she had to remove her skirt immediately, strip to her panties in front of the whole food court and the shoppers passing by.

Suzy dragged herself to her feet as quickly as her quaking heart would let her. She knew that standing, her naked breasts were far more visible the huge throng of diners, but she also knew she would incur a further punishment if she tried to avoid humiliation by slipping the skirt off while seated. The milk had created a dark patch of wetness on the front of her short tartan skirt, from about halfway down to the hem. She had certainly spilled a lot of her drink.

"I'm sure you could rinse that off and dry it with the hand dryers in the ladies' washroom," said William, trying to be helpful.

Suzy dropped her hand to the waistband of her skirt at her side, and undid the button. She recalled just how humiliating it had been the last time she had had to remove her skirt for punishment. And that had just been at the front of the class; not as here in front of over a hundred strangers. She could see the flush of shame turning her large white breasts a deep rose; she wondered just how red her face must be. The thought that others would be able to see how embarrassed she was humiliated her still more. But she forced herself to slide down the short zipper, then slid the tartan shield down her legs exposing her white cotton panties and soft white unprotected thighs to the world. She could hear voices far off.

"She can't do that. Not here."

"William, this is school business. You mustn't interfere with me while I am dealing with a student."

Suzy bent quickly to pick up the stained skirt from the floor and quickly placed it on the little table in front of her teacher. She did not want to be exposed to the eyes of these strangers any more than she had to be, so she sat down immediately. The chair would help hide the fact that she only had on her underpants. Already she was dreading the coming walk through the entire length of the mall to get to her main destination, but that was unavoidable; at least sitting would reduce her exposure now.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she felt a sudden coldness against her buttocks from the chair She realized her mistake at once. She should have accepted the extra exposure long enough to check the chair. Some of the milk must have missed her skirt and landed on the edge of the chair seat. When she got up to remove her skirt she moved the chair enough that these drops had rolled to the center and she was now sitting in that tiny puddle.

Miss Copoletta guessed what had happened and asked as gently as before, "Have you soiled another part of your uniform?" Suzy looked down between her legs. She could see one errant white drop on the plastic between her pale thighs, one drop as white has those panties. She did not need to check any further to be certain of what had happened.

"I think so," she muttered without even raising her head.

"Stand up and turn so I can check," the gentle voice replied.

Suzy was totally humiliated. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she complied. She stood up and turned so her back was to her teacher, so that Miss Copoletta, and, she was certain, the entire food court, could see the wet patch on her white dainties. Of course this exposed her entire front, naked but for the little bit of white cotton, to the entire crowd of shoppers passing by. She could not prevent a couple of tears from running down her face.

"Yes, they have been. Turn around. Now, Suzy, why did you not check the chair before sitting down?"

"Because... because..." Suzy sniffled. "Because I didn't want all these people staring at my p- panties."

"Because you wanted to reduce your humiliation." Miss Copoletta's voice was firm, but still surprisingly gentle. "You must realize that that violated at least the spirit, if not the letter of regulation 143. You will have to remove those panties."

Suzy was upset by the statement, and started to cry gently, but it was William who was surprised, even shocked.

"You can't make her do that. Not here."

"William, I've already told you not to interfere with me when I am disciplining my students. I promised to uphold the regulations when I joined the School, and I intend to do my duty." Her voice was hard and cold for the first time that Suzy had ever known.

Suzy had hooked her thumbs in the sides of her panties, but the sight of the throng of people had made her pause. Miss Copoletta turned back to her pupil. "Since this is your second infraction of this regulation in a very short time, I think we will have to be stricter this time. Maybe I let you off too easily before. So listen carefully." Suzy slid the last pretense of modesty down her thighs. "The punishment will be for a full week." Suzy's tears fell faster, as she thought of being naked for an entire week. The past few days were the first time, other than that one miserable day, when she had even had to be topless in public. She had always been good, and so very careful. "You must remove those panties, and you may not replace them until after supper next Friday." Suzy let the tiny, but oh so important piece of cotton fall to the floor, stepped back then crouched and picked them up, dropping them on top of the skirt that still lay on the table in front of Miss Copoletta. Her teacher handed her a paper napkin, and she carefully dried the seat, the applause and whistles from the other shoppers deepening her embarrassment. Just as she finished this job, she suddenly stopped, stood up and looked at her teacher with astonishment, receiving a smile and a nod in return. Suzy was still blushing, still feeling the humiliation of being totally naked in a public place, this time without the bevy of uniforms around her to identify her as a Cronenberg student being punished and not just some wanton slut displaying herself, but she was no longer crying, she was actually smiling as she sat down. She gasped as she felt the cold plastic against her naked skin, the feeling keeping her nakedness very much in her mind.

"How can you do this to her? And for something so petty. I don't understand why you want to humiliate her like this. I never thought my Helen could be so cruel. So hateful."

"Please, Mr. Baxter, don't say that. She's not hateful. She obviously likes you, and I think you like her. You just don't understand. She wasn't being cruel, she was being kind." William looked, if possible, even more shocked at this spirited defense by the subject of the cruelty than he had been at the punishment itself. He opened his mouth, but as all he could bring himself to utter were a couple of incoherent grunts.

"You asked how she could do this to me. She didn't. I did it to myself. The rule she mentioned is one I know by heart. Rule 143: 'Any attempt to deliberately cover up or hide any area of the body that has been exposed by the imposition of a punishment is an offence, and shall be punished. Such punishment may take the form of an extension of the time the punishment shall endure, removal of a further item of clothing, or a combination of the two, depending on the severity of the offence.' I was trying to cover myself when I spilt milk on my uniform. The regulations specify that uniforms must be kept clean at all times. While there is usually leniency for accidents, there is none if that rule is broken because you're breaking another. Teachers always make you remove the dirty item. Usually any punishment given for covering up extends to the end of original one; and the rule uh... implies that. But she knows I don't want to be naked at the dance tomorrow, so she said I only had to lose it for this evening."

"But... The panties... the week..."

Suzy blushed scarlet again at the reminder that she was now totally naked but for her shoes and socks. "I know, but I broke rule 143 again, by sitting down without taking the time to check if there was still milk on the seat. I was too worried about others seeing me. And again I broke the rule about clean uniforms. A second screw-up so soon is always treated very harshly, but again she was extra kind." Suzy smiled again at the lack of understanding in the man's eyes, but continued before he could break in. "She has to humiliate me, that is what Cronenberg is all about. I can't say I like it, but I know she is not doing it to hurt me, but to improve me. And she has to make the punishment long. What is usually done, as I said, is to remove the clothing for the rest of the punishment, naked till Tuesday. But she was kind; she said I had to remove my panties and leave them off for a full week. This is longer than the original punishment, but means I can wear a skirt the whole time, except tonight -- including the dance tomorrow. I won't tell anyone else about it, except my best friend, in case the other teachers think she's failing to punish properly."

"Then you're happy? You like what she is making you do?"

"Oh God, No! I hate what she is doing to me. But I also know that she has done what she can to make the punishment as easy on me as possible. I just don't want you to misunderstand what she has done. She was being as kind to me as she could. She is not hateful but very loving."

William turned to Miss Copoletta and apologized, pleading a misunderstanding of her actions. "I just like you so much, and this seemed so out of character -- at least from the outside -- that I reacted from shock."

Miss Copoletta accepted his apology, but with a warning never to interfere with or criticize her treatment of her students, certainly not in front of the student. Suzy sat happily drinking her milk, at least as happy as she could be at the thought of the rest of the evening.

At last all three had finished, and Miss Copoletta said, "I think it's time we got moving." She stood up, taking the two items of clothing from the table, and the store owner rose just as swiftly. Suzy rose more slowly, shuddering at the knowledge that her little pussy, that tiny tuft of brown hair, and her naked taut buns were now on display to all these people, as well as her large, firm breasts.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 7 - Suzy's Purchase

As she stood up to leave the food court with the other two, her two fully clothed companions, Suzy remembered how she had felt when she was about to enter the mall, was it only an hour ago? Topless at that time, not nude, she had known she would be showing herself off to a large number of people tonight. She had shuddered at the thought, but had consoled herself by focusing on the one thought: "I am doing this for Catherine, and she is worth it." Once again, she took a deep breath and steeled herself, then rose from her chair, exhibiting her now fully nude body to the entire food court. "I am doing this for Catherine, and she is worth it."

"I am doing this for Catherine, and she is worth it." She focused on that thought as they stepped out of the court into the main mall and made the trip back to Mr. Baxter's store. The walk to the food court had been embarrassing enough, but the walk back, now that she was totally naked from her knees up, was downright humiliating. She could not miss the whispers, whistles and comments from the other shoppers, but she did manage to keep from actually crying, although tears were blurring her vision. "For Catherine." She tried to concentrate. "Worth it." She realized that she was not quite convincing herself. She still wanted to do something to make Catherine feel better, but the cost was becoming too high.

She could not believe how much longer the walk back to the store was than the walk from it to the food court. But eventually they reached the end of the mall, and the three of them left the stream of shoppers and entered the quiet of Prometheus Books. The teenaged clerk looked up from behind the counter and her jaw dropped at the sight of the now naked girl. Suzy cringed and blushed at the look of disgust on Maude's face.

"What's she doing in here like that?" the young clerk sneered as the owner joined her behind the counter. "How can you let that ..." she paused trying to find the best word, then gave up and just continued, "into this store?"

William stood back up straight instead of picking up Miss Copoletta's book, and turned to his employee. "Maude, you saw her in here earlier, and know from that outfit that she is a pupil at Cronenberg. She is being punished, as I am sure you have guessed. You know that stripping is the standard punishment at that school." Maude started back, surprised at the vehemence of her boss's reaction. "Maude, you know that I insist on politeness to all my customers, and those comments were definitely impolite." As the clerk hesitated, unwilling to apologize to a slut who let herself be exposed to everyone, her boss continued in a less harsh, more ruminating tone. "You know, that young lady is one of the sweetest and politest people I have ever met. If the Cronenberg system works so well, perhaps I should institute the same regime here for employees who fail in their duties."

Maude shivered at this statement. This job paid the same as most of the other jobs at the mall, but her boss was more willing than most to adjust her work schedule to allow her time off for school and other activities. Besides, she did like to read, and working here could read any of the second-hand books, as well as getting an employee discount on any purchases. She knew she could not find as good a job anywhere else. But if he did as he seemed to be thinking, if she had to work topless... Or, God forbid, nude. She shivered at the very thought, then realized just how bad the naked girl in front of her must be feeling.

"I... I'm very sorry... about what I said. I didn't... I was just so surprised." Suzy had a hard time suppressing the giggles she felt rising inside her, keeping the smile from her face at the look of terror that had wiped the disgust from the clerk's face. She was sure that Maude was experiencing the humiliation, the terror of being stripped naked in the store, and, although part of her felt sorry for the girl, mostly she was enjoying the discomfiture of the very apologetic clerk.

"That's all right," Suzy replied. "Your boss was even more surprised when I had to strip off everything in the middle of the food court." This time she could not help giggling at the look of absolute horror that crossed Maude's face, and at the blush that swept over William's features. "He could not believe it was happening."

"Suzy," William began, trying to cover his embarrassment, "I give a 10% discount to any student who either presents a student card, or who comes in in uniform, like you" Suzy had the grace to blush at this statement. "You know that you and all your schoolmates will be welcome here at any time. However, you also know I like your teacher, and I don't want you to have such a bad feeling about this evening that you will try to turn her against me and my store."

"I would never..." Suzy began, but was interrupted by William who ploughed ahead as if she hadn't spoken.

"I would like to just give you a book to make up for what happened to you, but I am sure your teacher would consider that I was 'interfering with her disciplining a student,' and would not allow it." A slight nod from the teacher confirmed his guess was correct. "However, she has mentioned that you are a very smart student." Suzy smiled delightedly, as she looked at the floor, trying to hide her pride in her teacher's high opinion of her. "So I'll ask you a question, and if you can figure out the answer, I'll give you any paperback that you wish."

Suzy looked up at him and smiled. She had always enjoyed quizzes in class, and at least this one had no downside. "Why did I choose the name Prometheus Books for this store?"

Suzy puzzled at this for a moment, then smiled. "The 'Books' is obvious, so it's the other word you are asking about. There are many legends about Prometheus, the Titan; that he created man; that he warned man of the deluge that Zeus sent; but the best known one is that he brought fire to man, for which he was eternally punished. And I think that is the reason. You welcomed me to this 'emporium of enlightenment' when I first arrived. Most people treat the story of fire as just about fire, but I read once a theory that this was an allegory, and that 'fire' was actually 'knowledge' as in the fruit of the tree of the 'knowledge of good and evil', a parallel to the story of the Garden of Eden. I bet you knew this theory and named this store after Prometheus, the bringer of knowledge."

Suzy smiled as she finished, partly form sheer pleasure at having given at least a good explanation, even if she could not be sure it was the correct one, partly at the look of surprise on William's face. William shook his head slowly, then smiled at Miss Copoletta.

"Damn. You were definitely right. She is one smart little lady." Suzy beamed at this compliment, obviously heartfelt. "I wanted her to have a book, and was trying to think of a question you would accept as hard enough but that she was sure to get, as a backup for when she gave up on this one. I certainly did not expect her to get the answer dead on, or at all for that matter. Well, I'm out a paperback. Pick any one you want."

"Actually my father keeps saying things like 'As Heinlein says, "Stupidity is the only universal capital crime"'. I'd like to find out where he is getting them from."

"That is from the 'Notebooks of Lazarus Long', I believe, which is part of Time Enough for Love, right over here in the science fiction section." William led Suzy over to that section at the far end of the left-hand wing. There were three people browsing in that wing, all three looked up from the shelves and did a double take, but Suzy was so intent on her acquisition that those looks made no impression on her. William immediately pulled down a thick volume from the shelf and handed it to Suzy.

"That's such a thick one, it must be more expensive. I can take another one, instead," she stammered ashamed at her apparent greed.

"Nonsense. I said any paperback, and I meant it. Besides, Heinlein is always a good choice. Do you read much science fiction?"

"Actually, I've never read any."

"Your father quotes Heinlein, and you've never read any science fiction. You must be a terrible disappointment to him." Suzy looked up at him, then realized that he was teasing her. When they returned to the counter, William suddenly said, "Excuse me," and dashed into the back room. He was out in a moment with a old soft-cover in very poor condition, the spine was broken in several places and the cover creased and torn; the whole thing was held together with an elastic band.

"This is Methuselah's Children. It is about the same character, Lazarus Long, as the other one, and is in fact the start of that story. You might want to read it first." He continued as Miss Copoletta tried to refuse it. "I'm not sure I could sell it in that condition, and I certainly wouldn't want to sell a book that badly damaged. But if Suzy will promise not to say where she got it, I would be glad to have it taken off my hands. Here, let me put those in a bag." He reached out and Miss Copoletta handed Suzy's discarded clothing to him.

William carefully folded the school skirt on the counter top, making a small rectangle of it. Suzy blushed scarlet and Maude giggled as he picked up the white panties and carefully laid them on top of the folded tartan, gently brushing them flat. He then slipped the two items into a plastic bag. He placed that bag and the two books into a larger one. Finally he picked up the package from under the counter and slipped both it and the bag into a third bag, this one with handles.

Miss Copoletta paid him for her purchase, and after a hasty goodbye the two women headed back out into the mall.

Suzy was once again overwhelmed by the embarrassment of being seen naked by the crowd of shoppers. The mall was still crowded; obviously while some people had left, others who had dined at home were now arriving for the evening shopping. The whispers, the comments, were audible, and often even understandable by the nude girl. She blushed continually, every whisper reminding her that she was showing all of her body to the entire world. Fortunately Miss Copoletta did not stop as often as she had on the way up to the bookstore, although she did stop at two more book displays, spending several minutes at each one while her naked companion tried to position herself where she would be least visible, or visible to the fewest people, but without much success.

"I am doing this for Catherine, and she is worth it." Once again, she focused on that thought, but once again it was hard to persuade herself it was true. It seemed like hours before they reached the far end of the mall and entered another small store. The two women seemed surprised to see a naked girl, but accepted Miss Copoletta's explanation quite readily.

"Her outfit is probably more appropriate here than anywhere else," was the only comment.

Suzy explained what she was looking for and why, and the clerks were able to suggest a number of items, and took a good deal of time and effort to ensure that the young girl had the widest choice possible. Between Miss Copoletta's and Suzy's explanations the women had realized that this young girl had deliberately submitted herself to extra embarrassment in order to help a friend, and they wanted her to be rewarded for that effort, so they made sure that Suzy's selection would be as informed as possible. They were both very experienced in this field, and both recommended the same item, a very beautiful choice, and Suzy agreed with them on their recommendation, purchasing that set, as well as an additional item for herself. Miss Copoletta was talking to her as the clerk rang up the sale, and she did not notice the 30% discount that the clerk rang in, reducing the price in honor of Suzy's bravery.

The two women left the store with the purchase buried in the bag with Suzy's books. As Suzy was finding the exposure ever more humiliating, she persuaded Miss Copoletta to leave by the first exit, rather than walking back up to the door nearest the car. As they stepped up to the outer doors, they could see that the cool windy evening had changed to a downpour. Miss Copoletta pulled a folded plastic bandanna from her pocket and tied it on her head, then buttoned her light coat, before stepping out into the wild night.

Suzy felt the cool water pelting against her bare skin, goose bumps rising immediately over her entire body as the two walked across the parking lot, the water bouncing of the asphalt. Her hair was instantly plastered to her skull, the ends hanging limp, water coursing off them.

Her tender breasts were being hammered by the downpour, her nipples hard and extended, only partly from the cold. She could feel the water running down her body over her pussy hair and between her legs, tickling her lower lips. She shivered again at the feelings that were being roused in her.

Fortunately, the rain was causing the customers to run to their cars, usually with heads down, so she was mainly unobserved as the two ladies, one bundled up, one naked, crossed the wide lot. When the two reached the car, Miss Copoletta slid into the driver's seat, dropped the parcel on the back seat, and then leaned across to unlock the door for a drenched Suzy. The naked girl slipped into the car, shivering from the cold water on her bare skin. She rubbed her body and legs, sweeping the water off her skin onto the floor of the car, as Miss Copoletta removed her rain hat and undid her coat before turning the key in the ignition.

The engine turned over, but failed to catch. "This old rattletrap always acts up in the wet," the teacher explained. "I hope it catches before the battery runs down, or I'll have to take you home on the bus." Suzy shuddered again, and not from the cold this time. She could imagine herself on the bus totally naked, topless had been bad enough, but naked! Her shivers were no longer from cold, but from fear.

Miss Copoletta turned the key again, and again the engine failed to catch.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 8 - Preparations

As Suzy stepped off the top step on her way Catherine's room, she shivered, her naked breasts bouncing from the movement. She could not prevent that little frisson of terror as she remembered her feelings in the car. She was now stuck, totally naked at the Mall near the city, at least an hour's bus ride from home, and Miss Copoletta was telling her that the car might not start in the downpour, and if it didn't they would have to go home by bus. All this because she had wanted to purchase a little gift to cheer Catherine up.

She was issuing a silent but truly heartfelt prayer as Miss Copoletta turned the key again. Fortunately, it was a case of third time the charm, and the engine sprang to life, the most beautiful sound Suzy had ever heard. The ride home was uneventful; although Miss Copoletta's final words to her as she got out of the car had brought another blush to her cheeks. "I'll pick you up at the normal time tomorrow. Don't forget the additional punishment assigned tonight; you may not wear panties for a full week, not even after you regain your top."

She had managed to dash up to her room without any of her family seeing her in her current nudity, so that when her mother looked in to see her cleaning her shoes, naked, she had no way of knowing that her daughter had been wandering around the mall nude. Not that Mrs. O'Brien would have said anything, but Suzy did not want her knowing how foolish she had been.

As she stepped through the open door to Catherine's room, Suzy put all these reminiscences behind her, and concentrated on the moment. Her friend was seated at the small dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror, extremely glum.

As soon as she saw Suzy, Catherine brightened up immediately. She had been feeling sorry for herself because she had no date, but she felt better that she would be with her young friend, even if that friend would have a date of her own. She smiled again, somewhat ruefully as she remembered that she was now forced to be naked because she had gone overboard in trying to help Suzy by making sure she wasn't the only girl topless at the dance.

Suzy dropped the light box on the foot of Catherine's bed and the two girls hugged each other, bare skin on bare skin and breast against breast adding an interesting overtone to the basic friendship behind the hugs. The two decided that, since it was after five they would go down to the cafeteria for supper right away, then they would come back up to shower and get ready for the dance.

The cafeteria was crowded, and the two friends ended up sitting at a table with several other girls, most of whom had taken part in the play,. Our Town, and knew Catherine and Suzy from that period. All were excited about the dance. As they chatted about inconsequential things, the two friends scanned the room. About a quarter of the girls had already gotten ready for the dance, and fancy dresses were visible all around. There was of course no horseplay, none of those dressed up had any fear of being tripped or knocked, because they knew that if anything happened the perpetrator would be severely punished. Suzy and Catherine checked and rechecked the room, but there was nobody else there who was being punished. Not a single nude, or even topless girl. Not someone in bra and panties, not even someone who had lost her blouse and was showing her bra above her skirt. No, Suzy would be the only topless girl there, and Catherine the only nude. Everyone else would be fully clothed.

The two ate their dinner quickly, each squeezing the other's hand from time, as the realization of the ordeal she was about to undergo overwhelmed her. The idea of being the only one naked at a dance was somehow worse than being naked at a regular school function. Perhaps it was that the dance was a place for relationships with the opposite sex to develop, that this implied sex, and that their nudity was too blatantly sexual. Whatever it was, they could not keep totally calm at the thought.

Catherine, in particular, was feeling the effects. She would be at the dance alone, a target for every boy to approach, unlike Suzy who would be protected by her boy-friend. She thought of standing by the food table, naked, as the entire student body of the Terence Gilliam School for Boys, paraded by, ostensibly to pick up some snacks, but actually to leer at her naked body. The Terence Gilliam School for Boys, somehow the long form sounded worse than the normal "Gilliam School"; perhaps it was the word "Boys", emphasizing the sex of the students. "Speaking of sex," Catherine thought, "I seem to be reacting that way to my nudity again." Her nipples had hardened as she sat at the dinner table and she could feel the juices flowing in her vagina, flowing out and staining the chair; she prayed that the other girls would not notice.

When they had finished eating, Catherine dropped a paper napkin onto her lap and used the "accident" to surreptitiously wipe the chair and swab herself between her thighs, an action that was not lost on Suzy. Catherine dropped the napkin in the waste receptacle at the cafeteria exit; she did not want to leave it where the telltale odor could inform her schoolmates of her shameful feelings.

The two chums returned to Catherine's room, where they agreed they just had time for a shower before getting ready to leave; Catherine had to be at the dance early in order to help set up the food table. As they both removed their shoes and socks, Suzy suddenly realized she had never found out a very important piece of information.

"Catherine, how long is the punishment for? Miss Copoletta didn't tell me. She just confirmed that it included the dance."

"It's for..." Catherine began, the words sticking in her throat. She had never actually spoken the term out loud, and somehow saying it would only make it more real, more horrifying. "It's for five and a half..." She could not finish the sentence.

"Five and a half days isn't too bad," Suzy replied as she unzipped her skirt. "Or wouldn't be except for the dance."

"It's five and a half weeks." Catherine managed to force the sentence out as she grabbed her towel and fled out the door, hoping to get her emotions under control while she showered.

"Weeks?" Suzy let go of her skirt which fell in a puddle of cloth round her feet, leaving her totally nude. "How did you ever get five and a half weeks?" She could not stop the question even though Catherine was no longer in the room. Quickly she grabbed the towel that was lying on top of the folded roll-away bed in the corner of the room, and followed Catherine down the hallway to the washroom and the showers.

As she passed the only shower stall that was occupied, she could hear the gasps of someone who had been crying and was trying to bring her emotions under control. She realized that Catherine was feeling the punishment deeply, and decided that she would have to be very careful in extracting the whole story. Perhaps if she were to tell her own adventures, Catherine would not feel her own shame so deeply. She slipped into another shower, and let the hot water massage her worries away.

Soon, feeling relaxed and ready for bear, Suzy stepped out of shower, quickly dried herself, wrapped the towel around her waist as a skirt and started back to Catherine's room. As she stepped into the corridor, she saw the same mane of auburn curls sitting atop a bare, white back, bare buttocks and bare legs that had first drawn her attention to Catherine's punishment, only this time the vision was not even wearing shoes and socks, and was carrying a towel, not books. Suzy smiled to herself as she walked down the corridor.

She found Catherine seated at her dressing table, lipstick in her hand, staring gloomily at the reflection in the mirror. Suzy decided to play the scene as lightly as possible. She opened the large box she had dropped on the bed, removed the smart black purse, and walked over to stand behind her friend.

"Hurry up, I need to put my face on, too!"

Catherine smiled at the phrasing, her friend's lighthearted banter lifting a weight from her heart. She quickly applied the lipstick, then vacated her seat so Suzy could put on both mascara and lipstick of her own. Catherine stayed seated on her bed, watching her friend, and made no effort to get prepared. As soon as she was done with her makeup, Suzy pulled a tiny package from the box, opened it, and slowly pulled on the thigh-high holdup black stockings.

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" she asked as she pulled the black skirt out of the box.

"That's gorgeous; where did you get it?" Catherine parried, not anxious to think about her near nudity just yet.

"I wanted to get it for ages, but Mom didn't like the idea. It had a sort of halter top, two pieces that started here and here at the waist," Suzy pointed to the waist of her skirt, and Catherine could just make out the two four-inch lines that were basted on the inside top of the waistband, "and tapered to a string. The strings tied behind the neck in a bow. Since it would be backless, Mom thought it was too risqué, but when I had to be topless I persuaded her that it would be the easiest to modify, and now I can replace the top and I'll actually have the dress." Catherine could not help but be tremendously cheered up at her friend's obvious delight, both in getting the dress she so desired, and also in putting one over on her mother (although Catherine was quite sure Mrs. O'Brien was not that easily tricked, and that she had decided that her daughter would be old enough for the dress by the next time she'd have occasion to wear it).

"How does it look?" Suzy had stepped into the skirt, pulled it up, done up the zipper and button in the middle of the back, and was doing a little twirl to show it off. The material was very light, although it was opaque, and cut very full so that the skirt flared out at the slightest movement. When it fell back into place, the skirt only reached to about two inches above the knee. As Catherine looked at her friend, mouth open, she realized that Suzy had forgotten to put on panties, and further that there were no panties visible in the pile of clothing that her friend had left on the floor. The waist of the black skirt was tight, and the cloth lay against the youngster's hip in a manner that made it fairly obvious that she was naked under it.

"You naughty girl! You've been going without panties, but you have to wear them with that skirt, or you'll catch another punishment tonight. I think I have a pair of black ones you can borrow."

"I won't get punished." Catherine looked back, her hand still on the half open drawer. "I am being punished, by Miss Copoletta. No panties for a week."

"How did that happen?"

"It's a long story. We don't have time now; you've got to get dressed."

Catherine picked up her discarded socks, and prepared to put them back on.

"You can't wear those, you wanted to wear your green outfit, and you're going to wear at least what you can of it."

Her friend's statement was so positive that Catharine did not even try to reply, let alone argue. She got her emerald high heels from the closet, and pulled the light green stockings from their drawer, along with the garter belt. She drew the stockings on first, then started to place the garter belt around her waist, but paused, and held up the plain white utilitarian item.

"I never expected this to be seen. It's the only one I've got. I'd planned to get a fancy one for tonight, but forgot, and anyhow this would have been under the dress."

"I know," Suzy smiled. "Also, since that item would be above the thighs, it might not be legal to wear it if you can't wear panties. Miss Copoletta didn't know -- obviously it has never come up before -- and the headmistress was away. That's one reason I'm wearing holdups. I got them last night at the same place I picked up this for you."

She passed over a small box wrapped in gold foil and topped with a huge gold bow of ribbon, a veritable flower that was larger than the box it sat on. Catherine carefully unwrapped the foil, and slid out a tiny blue box with the words "Nearly Nude" in gold script on the top. She recognized the name of the most expensive, most exotic lingerie store in the area. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she thought of her young friend daring to go into that store to purchase her a gift. Most adults paused before going there, and walking into it was a rite of passage for the area girls much like purchasing his first packet of condoms was for a boy. And then she realized that Suzy must have done it topless. Walked through the mall and into the most notorious store in the state topless! She dropped the box on the dressing table and pulled her friend off the bed, giving her a real hug, murmuring, "Thank you, oh, thank you."

"I'm glad you like it, as it cost me my panties, but shouldn't you see what it is first?" Suzy giggled, happy that Catherine was so pleased.

Catherine picked up the box and opened it, discovering two green garters. Each one consisted of a dark, forest green elastic edged on either side by emerald green lace, three layers of lace on each edge. The lace trim was almost the exact shade of her shoes. They were so gorgeous, and so naughty; Catherine could not believe that Suzy had dared to pick them out, and wondered if she dared wear them, particularly since they would be on display to all the boys at the dance. She gulped as she looked at the delicate lace edging, and only then did she notice that a word was stitched along the elastic in the lighter emerald thread -- "Sassy". She quickly turned the other one in her hands and immediately found "Sweet". Blushing, she looked up at her friend, who was by now laughing heartily, her bare breasts bouncing from the mirth.

"Sweet.. Goes on the... right leg..." Suzy managed to gasp between giggles, "and... both words... must face front..."

Still blushing, Catherine pulled up her right stocking, which had slipped down when she rose to hug Suzy, and then drew the garter up it positioning it so that a half inch of stocking showed above the top of the lace. She then did the same to the other leg. She stared down at her legs, wondering how she could go to the dance not only naked but wearing garters that proclaimed she was "Sweet 'n' sassy". However, she slipped on her high heels and stood up, posing for Suzy.

"Sexy!" Suzy drew the word out, causing Catherine to blush again, and look down at the little clothing she had. Only then did she realize that the garters were only about four inches from her naked pussy, and that the words on them would give everyone an excuse to stare at her privates, and she felt her blush deepen.

"I thought they would enhance your red hair, particularly the hair down there," Suzy continued. "You told me at Christmas you were letting it grow back. I expected much more there. What happened?"

"I tried several times, but it itched so bad that I was afraid I'd be punished for acting up as I squirmed in class, so I had to quit each time."

"Oh." Suzy thought a bit, then asked, "Was it worse when you were wearing panties?" When Catherine nodded, Suzy continued, "Then this is the time to let it grow back. After five weeks it should have grown past the itchy stage. And it will be easy to scratch until then."

Catherine had been nodding as Suzy spoke, but at the final, laughing sentence she blushed, then started to chuckle. Suzy was a great antidote for depression.

"OhmyGod!" Suzy continued. "It's nearly six thirty. We've got to be at the main door in less than four minutes. You don't want additional punishment for failing to do the setup like you promised." Suzy dropped her friend's lipstick into the black purse, and together the two nearly naked girls hurried from the room, and down to the main door.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 9 - Spring Fling

There were four other girls waiting at the main door, three in party outfits, one in her uniform. Since the dance officially began at seven and ended at midnight, each of the girls would work for one hour (Suzy was not one of the workers, but she was sure Miss Copoletta would allow her to ride over with Catherine, since she would be spending the night with her), and be able to spend the rest of the night with her date. Since Catherine had no date, she would work the first half hour and last half hour, which would allow the other girls to spend some time with their dates at the beginning of the night, as well as dance the last dance.

The two were very fortunate, as they arrived at the same moment as Miss Copoletta, and so escaped any further punishment -- for now at least. As they stepped out the door into the cool evening air, the four fully clothed girls continued to chatter about their boyfriends, Suzy was thinking how she would be meeting Doug in such a short time, but poor Catherine was blushing and shivering as she foresaw an evening of humiliation and loneliness.

When they got to Miss Copoletta's station wagon, the three girls in cocktail dresses squeezed into the third seat and the sole girl in uniform, the shyest of the bunch, jumped into the front seat, leaving the two bare friends together on the middle bench. The trip to the other school passed both very slowly and very quickly for the two. Each second seemed to drag on as they drove, allowing wilder and wilder speculations, but it seemed that no time had passed when they found themselves being chauffeured up the semicircular drive.

Catherine remembered the last time she had been on this driveway. On the first day of her previous punishment Mr O'Brien had been driving her and Suzy home for a weekend visit, and had stopped here to pick up his son. Catherine could feel the arousal as she remembered looking out of the car and seeing a group of about twenty uniformed young men standing at the foot of the main entrance, just like tonight. Only tonight, more than half were in dress suits, obviously waiting for the bus to arrive with the rest of the girls. That was the night that Suzy had met Doug, the night Doug had first seen Catherine naked. She recalled how blatantly Doug had stared at her at first, and felt her stomach churn at the knowledge that she would be suffering the same fate tonight, only from the entire student body of Gilliam's, not just from a single student.

The car swung into one of the visitor's parking spots just beyond the entrance, and Catherine took a deep breath. The moment of truth had arrived. She steeled herself, then paused, hearing the murmur of the boys' conversation increase as the gaily dressed girls slipped out of the back seat. A deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out into the evening air, her naked body in full view of the small crowd. To her surprise there were no yells or catcalls, in fact there was a dead silence as the boys realized that a naked girl would be attending the dance. Several of them were wondering what their chances were of getting a slow dance with that beauty.

Miss Copoletta opened the tailgate, and the students used this as an excuse to get closer to the girls, coming over immediately and offering to help carry the stacked trays into the school. It had been arranged that Gilliam's would provide the location and the drinks (non-alcoholic, of course), and that Cronenberg would supply the food. Therefore, the home economics classes had spent the last couple of weeks on "entertaining at home" with the past few days dedicated to preparing hors d'oeuvres and canapés and Miss Copoletta had transported the first lot of them.

Doug stepped out of the crowd, took both Suzy's hands in his and leaned forward kissed her on the cheek, being very careful not to brush her bare skin. He didn't think she would mind, but adults had such strict ideas of what was appropriate.

"I didn't know you were going to be working," he said, still squeezing her hands.

"I'm not, I just came over with Catherine."

"How about a walk before the dance starts, then?"

"You know I can't, Doug. The rules," and with that Suzy nodded toward the teacher. Doug just nodded; in his eagerness to be with her, he had forgotten that girls being punished had to be accompanied by a teacher at all times, but the nod was enough to remind him.

Meanwhile, Anthony had stepped up to Catherine, and rather diffidently murmured, "Hello, Catherine."

Catherine could see several of the younger boys snickering behind their hands and guessed that Anthony had made the mistake of telling his chums that he knew the naked lady personally, and that they were requiring him to prove it. If she snubbed him, it would definitely be painful for him. Perhaps Suzy would like that, but then Anthony was her brother, not Catherine's and Catherine had always found him to be as nice a boy as any that age ever is. She decided to help him out; it might be useful later if he owed her.

"Anthony, nice to see you again. Wasn't Christmas the last time?" She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a kiss very like the one that Doug had given Suzy. She made sure that the other boys saw it was real, not an air kiss. The other boys were definitely not laughing at him any longer. "Sorry, I have to go now; perhaps you can tell me later what has been happening with you. Oh, and keep a dance free for me, please." She almost burst out laughing when she said this. His friends' eyes had bugged out when she had suggested she would be interested in talking to a youngster like them, and when she not only permitted, but actually asked for a dance... Anthony had become almost a god in their eyes.

A minute later, the six girls were walking up wide steps with their teacher, followed by a bevy of schoolboys, each one carrying a covered tray. Catherine knew that the high heels she was wearing were imparting a tantalizing sway to her buttocks, her naked buttocks, and she could feel the hot gazes of the boys locked on her buns.

In a matter of minutes, the trays were in a classroom across a corridor from the gym. This small hallway was closed off from the rest of the school tonight and could only be reached from a door right behind the food table that was set up near the gymnasium wall. The boys had all been shooed out again and the girls were setting out the first set of goodies. Catherine was assigned to mixing the punch and spent several minutes in the classroom mixing various fruit juices in a large jug. Then she opened the chest freezer that had been moved into the room and pulled out a block of ice, about nine or ten inches a side and wrapped in cellophane. She checked that the top was open, and she would be able to slide the ice out easily, then picked it up and started for the door. She was surprised that the classroom door had closed, and in order to open it, she clasped the block to her chest with her left arm, the cellophane doing nothing to reduce the cold. The bottom of her breasts were pressed against the block, her nipples, which had softened as she performed her work in private, popping out. She shivered as she crossed the hallway and pulled open the door to the gymnasium. Once inside she was once again able to take the ice in both hands and hold it away from her now freezing body. Quickly she turned it over and placed it gently in the center of the large punch bowl, carefully sliding the cellophane wrapping off. She added the slices of fruit that were already on the table, then returned to the classroom, returning with the jug of juice and a large unopened bottle of ginger ale. Once again she had to hold the cold bottle against her bare skin with her left arm and the jug in that hand so she could use the right hand to open the doors.

She quickly poured equal amounts of both liquids into the punch bowl, then returned the partially empty containers to the fridge that had been brought into the classroom for this event. Once again the cold on her bare skin reminded her just how vulnerable she would be this evening, naked in front of all those boys. Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm herself, she joined the other girls in the gymnasium just as the main lights were turned off, the colored mood lights turned up, and the DJ started to play. The gym doors were opened and within a minute the first busload of Cronenberg girls was walking into the hall, along with a number of the Gilliam boys.

About half of the boys, those with dates, stayed with the girls, moving to tables set around the gym, but the other half made a bee-line for the food table, and the naked girl. Every one of them seemed to want something to drink, but it was odd how the choices were made. It seemed that every second boy would ask for a punch, so she would have to bend over the punch bowl, bringing her large breasts and dark nipples closer to the boys across the table. Fortunately, the punch bowl helped to hide her naked pussy and the fancy garters. However, every other boy seemed to want a soft drink, so she would have to turn away from the table and bend over the ice-filled cooler on the floor against the wall, putting her taut buns, and occasionally her damp vagina on display to the lecherous students. When she carried the can back to the table, her nipples hardened even more by the cold, she would often hear a comment like "lovely outfit", or "like those garters". Each new comment brought a further blush to her cheeks. She wondered when the male assistant would arrive.

Actually it was only about two minutes after the doors had opened that Steve arrived, wearing a very smart brownish-green suit, and took up his position behind the table. At the sight of the tall, seventeen-year-old a number of the boys further back in the line decided that they would go meet the next Cronenberg bus to see who might be arriving, and could get a drink later. Catherine tried to ignore Steve, but his eyes had a puppy-dog sadness that was melting her heart, annoyed as she was at his failure to ask her to the dance.

"I took this job when I heard you were on the table, so I would get a chance to talk to you. You know, away from your date," were the first words he uttered to her, when things had slowed down about fifteen minutes later.

Catherine was surprised at these words, but just nodded very curtly, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was dateless. Let him suffer at least a little longer.

"I knew a girl as pretty as you," Catherine blushed again at these words and was surprised to see that Steve didn't notice, as he was looking at his feet while talking, "would be asked out at once, so I wrote up an invitation the very day that the dance was finalized. I put the stamp on and left it on my computer monitor, to mail as soon as I had showered, but as I left my roommate asked if I wanted him to post my letters, and so I said yes. When you didn't reply I knew you had accepted someone else."

"But I never got it!"

"I know. This past Monday, I placed a diskette on the monitor, and it slid off the back when I accidentally hit the table. I couldn't see it on the floor, and when I jiggled the cables hard, it fell down, and so did this." He handed her a stamped, but rather dirty envelope addressed to her at Cronenberg. "I'd several other letters on my desk, and so my roommate never knew he had missed one. He probably knocked the desk picking them up." Catherine was ecstatic; he hadn't passed her up for someone better. "I knew that this close to the dance you had to have a date, so there was no point in asking you, but I wanted you to know that I did want to ask you, so I took this job and bribed the senior to let me work the same shift as you." He was quite breathless as he finished this tale, and Catherine found this urgency charming. He was a shy boy, but he liked her enough to force himself to tell her about the error, even though he obviously found it very difficult. She was glad that three couples had come to the table, and she could use the time required to serve them in order to get her thoughts and emotions in order.

Catherine served one couple, as Steve did the second, then she let Steve take the third couple as she opened the envelope. Inside was a white card with a formal, but very sweet, invitation to be his date at the Spring Fling carefully inked in gold calligraphy. He had obviously taken great pains to produce something very personal and very beautiful. She looked over at the gawky boy, thin, a bit awkward, two small pimples on the edge of his cheek, he was not as handsome as Suzy's Doug, but he was definitely a very sweet boy, and fun to be with. She remembered the fun they had had on the movie dates.

"I just wanted you to know." Steve's voice brought her back to the present. "I hope the guy you're with knows how lucky he is."

"Actually, Steve, I'm not with anyone."

"You're not with... You must be... Not with..."

Catherine rejoiced in the flattery implied by his stammered reply. "No. You see, nobody asked me."

"Nobody asked? A girl who looks like you?"

"Maybe they didn't know I'd look like this," Catherine teased the teen. "I didn't know it until yesterday."

Steve looked at her questioningly, then his eyes widened and he automatically scanned her body from head to toe and back, realized that she had taken his words to mean her nudity and blushed as red as Catherine had been tonight, realized that she had just seen him gazing at her nudity, and blushed even more. "I didn't... I meant.. You look... I mean clothed you..." He realized he was emphasizing her nakedness with that last phrase, blushed harder still and stammered to an end.

"I think I know what you meant." Catherine decided it was time to let him off the hook. "And if you haven't been snatched up by another girl, I'd like to accept your lovely invitation if it is still open."

"Still open, oh yes. Thank you, oh you are wonderful," and he stepped forward and swept her up in a bear hug. Of course, as soon as he started to squeeze, he felt his hands on her bare skin, and with yet another blush let go as if she had been a hot potato. Catherine smiled to herself. She had over a month to go on her penalty, but maybe he could visit her at the school, chaperoned of course; he would be fun to tease, as well as nice to be with; he blushed so delightfully.

The short time left in her first shift at the table flew by, and then she was walking across the gym to the table where Doug and Suzy were seated. She could feel dozens of eyes following her naked buns as they swayed across the floor.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 10 - First Dance

Catherine breathed a deep sigh of relief as she sat down behind the table beside Suzy. At last her lower nudity was hidden from the gaze of the assembled students, particularly the boys. Her naked breasts were, of course, still visible, but Suzy had chosen a table in a relatively dim corner, quite different from the bright area that was the food table; moreover, since Suzy was also topless Catherine did not find being visibly topless nearly as humiliating as it would have been had she been on her own.

Suzy was able to see that her friend was feeling the exposure, so rather than immediately asking Catherine for more details about her punishment, she just reached across the corner of the table and squeezed her hand. She was rewarded by a grateful smile. At this moment Andrew drew a chair up to the corner of the table and sat down between his sister and her friend.

"What do you want?" Suzy asked in that special tone of voice that sisters reserve for their bratty brothers.

"It's OK," Catherine inserted, "I invited him to join us. Before I had a date." And she turned and smiled at Steve.

"Does this mean the dance is off?"

Catherine saw the hangdog look on Anthony's handsome face, and also saw a number of youngsters standing in the background. She realized that if she blew him off now he would be teased unmercifully by his friends. She knew Suzy always complained about him, particularly about how his thoughtlessness in adding his red raver socks to the laundry had caused her to be completely stripped that fateful day, the day they met. While Catherine understood her position, she had already recognized that Anthony was Suzy's brother, not hers, and he had always been nice to her. She smiled at Anthony, then turned to Steve and said, "I'm sorry, Steve, but I did promise him a dance." She took a deep breath at the thought of being on the dance floor totally nude but for shoes and hose. "And I really don't like to break a promise."

Steve smiled back. "I wouldn't want a girlfriend who didn't keep her word. If you dance with him now, we can be together without interruption till the end of the dance  -- if you want that. Or maybe you want to sit here a while longer first."

The words 'a girlfriend who' did not really register with Catherine as she was thinking furiously about her next actions, but Suzy noted them happily, as did Anthony. Catherine did want to stay there, behind the table, at least partially hidden from the piercing looks of the boys, and to be fair, of many of the girls as well; but she also knew that she had to get out on the dance floor sooner or later. She knew that if she didn't dance with at least one of the boys, her teachers would probably accuse her of covering up, and would punish her even more -- as if over five weeks naked was not punishment enough. She smiled at Anthony as he formally invited her to dance, then rose taking his arm. She blushed furiously as she saw his classmates gawking at their friend as he started toward the dance floor, a beautiful naked woman on his arm. She continued to blush as she imagined their eyes focused on her naked buttocks, twin globes undulating above the pale green stockings that didn't cover her, that merely emphasized her nudity.

The current song ended just as they reached the dance floor, and a quicker tune began. A Charleston. Catherine could not believe her bad luck, but did the only thing she could and entered into the spirit of the dance, bopping furiously to the music. She could feel her breasts bouncing as she high stepped with her partner, whose eyes continually strayed to those swaying orbs. To give Anthony his due, he was trying not to stare, but even Catherine realized that any red-blooded American boy was going to be unable to prevent himself at least glancing at a pair of firm round titties bouncing in front of him; especially when they sported such hard, pointing nipples. Catherine felt herself blushing again as she realized just how hard those nubbins were.

She blushed even deeper when she found herself facing his class as she performed that movement that so defines the Charleston. Bent forward, hands on her knees, she had to spread her legs, giving the boys a clear view of her now moist pussy, a pussy not only not covered by clothes but also totally denuded of hair. No sooner had she given them a good flash than she brought her knees together then back apart, this time with her hands on the opposite knees, her arms crossing in front of her breasts, partially hiding the pendant orbs. Knees together, then spread wide again. She felt her blush deepening. Somehow this repeated exposure seemed especially obscene, like a dirty old man snapping open his raincoat to expose himself to a group of schoolgirls, then closing it again. She heard a low whistle from the other side of the dance floor, and it suddenly struck her just how much this position emphasized her naked buns, forced back and out as she bent forward. It seemed like hours later that than portion ended and she was able to stand upright again, but the embarrassment and the blush remained; she could not get the thought of that dual exposure, front and back, out of her mind, and she knew that she would have to put herself into that position again before the end of the dance.

When the song finally ended, she found herself breathless, her legs weak, and she moved towards Anthony, putting her right arm on his shoulder and leaning on him as she took long, deep breaths, trying to calm herself, her breasts heaving.

A moment later a slow song began, and Catherine felt Anthony's arm slip round her waist, his hand resting in the small of her back, only about an inch above the crack of her buttocks. She automatically started to follow his lead and move to the music. "Just this one more dance," whispered Anthony. "It will give you a chance to recover. Besides, I wanted a slow dance with you." Catherine relaxed a bit, her breathing slowing to normal, as they moved around the floor. She pressed close against his body, reveling in the knowledge that her nudity was now hidden from the ever-present eyes, at least her frontal nudity was.

As she was moved gracefully around the floor, Catherine could feel her nipples gently rubbing back on forth on Anthony's blazer, carborundum hard nipples, nipples that ached with urgency. Her denuded pussy was flicked from time to time by the hem of that same jacket, the rough cloth teasing her bare flesh, keeping her total nudity in the forefront of her mind. Holding her partner tightly, she gazed at the other dancers, trying to free her mind from these sensations. For a short period she was able to see her friend Suzy, dancing with Doug. Like Catherine, Suzy was holding her partner close, shielding her bare breasts from the gaze of the other students. Anthony's hand in the small of Catherine's back, moving ever so slightly across her flesh as they whirled across the floor, continually reminding her that while her front was covered by his body, her naked backside was on display to the entire company, unlike her partly clothed friend.

The dance flew by, as Anthony chatted with her, asking her about Steve to try to keep her mind off her exposure, but at last it ended. Catherine smiled to herself as she thought that; she realized just how contradictory her thoughts were. She had enjoyed the time in Anthony's arms, she had felt safe and cherished; but she had also felt exposed with her naked ass on display. Anthony showed her back to the table where Steve was still seated, his gaze fixed on the naked beauty approaching him. When she reached her seat, Catherine glanced sideways at the youngsters looking on. She could see that Anthony's friends were still amazed that he had managed not one but two dances with the only naked girl at the dance, one a slow dance where he was pressed against her nude flesh. Catherine had needed the second dance to recover, and was grateful to Anthony for his gentleness, and his graciousness in talking about Steve rather than about himself as most teenage boys would, so she decided to give him a final little present. She said just loud enough for the classmates to hear, "Thank you so much for a lovely dance, Anthony," then leaned over, gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "You are such a marvelous dancer," she added when she heard a series of feminine gasps from some of the younger Cronenberg students. She was sure that Anthony would now not only be the envy of all his classmates, but would also be able to dance the rest of the night with any number of girls more his own age. Perhaps he would find one that he really liked.

As Catherine was about to take her seat again, Suzy, who had just returned from the dance floor on Doug's arm, said, "I have to go to the washroom. Catherine?" Catherine just nodded, and together the two set out across the crowded room, four firm, naked breasts, one naked, shaved pussy and two solid, naked butt cheeks drawing almost every eye in the crowd.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 11 - A Tale Told

The two girls were the only ones in the washroom that had been set aside for the visiting girls during the dance. Both girls were quite happy now, in spite of the undercurrent of humiliation they continually felt because of their nudity. Suzy laughingly dared Catherine to use one of the urinals, rather than the toilet. Both girls giggled hysterically as Catherine stepped up to the fixture hanging on the wall, but she decided she was laughing too hard to risk it, so both girls slipped into cubicles. As soon as that duty was finished, they washed their hands, and Suzy opened her purse, removing two lipsticks. She passed one to Catherine, and the two friends refreshed their makeup.

"I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes, Catherine." Suzy whispered as she replaced the two lipsticks in her purse. "Because you were alone, I didn't do this at Cronenberg, but now that you and Steve have hooked up... You do like him, don't you?"

Catherine kept her eyes closed as she breathed an almost inaudible "Mmmm-hmmm" of agreement. She wasn't sure what the clinking had meant, but there was dead silence now.

"OK. Now that you two have hooked up, I think we should add a bit to your makeup." Something cool and damp touched her right areola and Catherine's eyes opened wide. She glanced down and saw that her right nipple and areola were now almost exactly the same shade of red as her lips.

"No! You can't do that, that's too bright!" Catherine blurted out. "We have to remove it." She had always been somewhat upset that her nipples were so dark relative to her ivory skin; they were so obvious to anyone seeing them. That was one reason she had so hated being nude before, though that seemed to be changing. But to make them the same shade as her lips; to draw extra attention to them! Bad enough when it was necessary because of the stage lights, it was unconscionable to do it now, in normal public areas, now, when she wished to hide her nudity, not advertise it.

"Sorry, can't do that. I got this from Frankie; it is a slightly different shade but the same stuff she used for the play last semester. You know it won't wash off. I think you look so pretty with the brighter color. Anyhow it's on now. You can either go back in with this lopsided look, or I can paint the other to match."

Catherine gulped. She remembered that this special dye that Frankie had used had lasted several weeks. Frankie had renewed it at the beginning of each week of the play, but after that was over it had taken almost a month to disappear completely. "Why are you doing this to me?" she asked plaintively, but she nodded her head at the same time. Suzy took this as permission to continue, and gently applied a touch more to the right nipple, making sure that the darker skin was totally covered.

As she started on the left nipple, Suzy answered her friend's question. "Two reasons, actually. The first is that I really like the look of you when your nipples are prominent - in all ways." She giggled at that, and Catherine realized that her nipples, which had softened from the shock of seeing the bright makeup, had hardened again under Suzy's gentle touch. This caused her to blush so deeply her whole upper body tried outdo those two painted points in depth of color. "Also, Steve really liked you when he saw you on stage. I want to recreate that image in his mind." Once again Catherine turned bright red, thinking of how her new potential boyfriend had first seen her, and how he would be seeing her once again.

Suzy also put a slight amount of the sparkle she had also obtained from the wizard of makeup into Catherine's hair, brushing it thoroughly through the auburn curls. As she did this, she suggested that Catherine should tell just how she got her current punishment, and let the boys in on just how long it would be.

"I... I... I just... don't think I can... do that," stammered Catherine, flustered by the idea of recounting that stupidity in front of anyone, even friends.

"Tell you what," her friend replied, "I'll tell you and them why I am not wearing panties tonight, first, that might give you the strength to tell your tale. Don't forget, they can't see I'm not wearing them. So they don't know, at least not for sure." These comments revived Catherine's natural good humor and ebullience, and so she agreed to the "I'll tell you mine and you tell me yours" that Suzy was proposing. "Just one thing, I may skim over a few things so don't ask me any questions here. Keep them till we get back to your room tonight; I'll answer them when we are alone." Suzy looked her friend up and down, and Catherine blushed again under the frank gaze of the sixteen-year-old, her nipples hard as ever, and her juices starting down her legs.

They did not notice a rather unsteady Jenny O'Shea rush into one of the cubicles, but they did here the splash of a strong stream of urine, although they paid it no real attention, as Suzy reached into the nearest stall and yanked out a long strip of toilet paper. She wadded this up and gently patted her friend between the legs. Catherine gasped at the gentle touch on her most sensitive area but Suzy just grinned and said: "All dry."

Suzy gave her own hair a quick sweep and put the brush back into her purse, Catherine looked at herself in the mirror, shivering at the sight of the triangle of red points formed by her mouth and nipples  -- Thank God Suzy had not decided to paint her lower lips red as well, and Catherine was not going to give her any ideas -- and then the two friends headed back to the dance.

Catherine had no way of knowing that Anthony had been taking a hand in her future. He spoke to Steve for a couple of minutes, and strangely enough the subject was Catherine. He mentioned that Suzy had felt that Steve liked the red-head, and was upset that he had not invited Catherine to the dance. Steve repeated his explanation about the error with the invitation, and explained that he was overjoyed that Catherine was not, as he had expected, here with another date.

After a couple more sentences, Anthony left Steve and Doug at the table with the admonition: "Now, not a word to Catherine, either of you! Suzy wants this to be a total surprise, and so do I!" and headed out to the pay phone in the lobby. Doug and Steve spent the next few minutes trying to feel each other out a little more, knowing that if they managed to keep two girls who were as close friends as Catherine and Suzy seemed to have become, they would be spending a lot of time together, and they had better try to be buddies themselves.

It seemed only a minute before the two girls returned. The two young men could not take their eyes from the four bouncing breasts, at least until the girls were close enough for them to see their eyes. Anthony returned when the girls were still about twenty feet from the table, and he stopped his sister there; Catherine continued to the table unaware she was now alone, her eyes were on her new boyfriend, she could see the adoration on his face, and she could also catch the glint of a much baser emotion, also there but kept well in the background. She was happy to see both, as she would not want a man whose main emotion towards her was pure lust; on the other hand, she did like to know that she was sexually attractive, and that he was capable of reacting to the attractiveness.

Anthony whispered a single sentence to his sister: "It's all arranged and I've called Dad."

Suzy just gulped and said, "Ohmygod, I'd forgotten." She paused a second, then gulped again and whispered back, "OK. And they'll keep it secret?" Anthony just nodded, and the siblings parted. As Anthony headed off to ask one of the younger Cronenberg ladies to dance, he did not know, he could not know that the thought that was foremost in his sister's mind was "Five Weeks!"

Suzy's tale was somewhat delayed as Steve requested a dance with Catherine, and Catherine accepted his invitation. The four friends spent nearly half an hour on the floor before returning to their table, then the boys made a trip for some refreshments, bringing back both snacks and pops for the four of them.

As they sat there, Suzy explained to Doug and Steve just how she happened to be topless at this dance, and how Jackie Keaton was responsible for at least some, if not all of her punishment. I am sorry to say that the two boys, although they tried to work up a true horror of what Jackie had done, were unable to become too angry that it was her work that let them enjoy the sight of those two large white orbs that were Suzy's breasts.

At this point Suzy elicited promises from all three of her friends that they would keep her next tale totally to themselves. When they had agreed to this she told them how she had caught a glimpse of Catherine's nudity and had received confirmation from Miss Copoletta that the redhead would still be nude at the dance, and how she had decided to buy a present for her friend. When she told them how she felt walking into the large mall, Catherine's eyes actually misted up a bit and she murmured, "I still can't believe you did that just for me." Suzy continued her tale, telling of the bookstore and then of the fateful meal. She did mention that a male friend of Miss Copoletta's was there, but was careful to leave out the details of that relationship. When she told of the public stripping she had undergone both boys gaped in amazement, while Catherine shivered in sympathy.

The thought of her friend walking naked through the entire length of that great mall was arousing Catherine. She remembered how embarrassed she had been walking through the tiny local mall with Suzy's mother; she could only imagine how hard it was for the younger Suzy to make that long trek with no uniformed friends to at least show that she was a punished student, not a show-off. Catherine could feel her nipples hardening and her lower lips becoming moist as she imagined that scene.

It was only after Suzy had completed the tale of her trip into the notorious Nearly Nude while nude herself, a feat that brought an exclamation of "I can't believe you did that for me!" from Catharine and low whistles of admiration from the boys, and the trip home that the truth finally dawned on Doug.

"Wait a minute. Didn't she say you couldn't wear anything for a week?" Doug asked, very puzzled.

"Not quite. She was very explicit and said I must remove the panties and could not replace them until next Friday after school." Suzy blushed as she spoke of such intimate apparel in front of her boyfriend. "That's why I bought holdup stockings at Nearly Nude."

Suzy was still blushing as she started to giggle at the expression on her boyfriend's face; while Catherine and Steve both laughed out loud as he realized his girl was only wearing shoes, stockings, and a very floaty skirt.

Doug started to blush lightly at the laughter, but just then "The Twist" started to play. Doug remembered that this was the first of a long series of rock 'n' roll tunes, and smiled suddenly, as smile that gave Suzy an anticipatory shiver.

"C'mon, let's dance. This is a great series!" Doug leapt up and held out his hand to his girl.

Suzy knew something was up, so she just said, "What about Catherine's story?"

"There's plenty of time for that after. Let's not waste such good music," he replied as he slipped out of his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair.

Suzy did want to dance with her boyfriend, so she took his hand and they stepped to the dance floor. Steve asked his girl to dance, as well, but Catherine was not anxious to expose herself again, and the twist is particularly awkward for a naked person to dance; so she suggested that they sit out a couple, leaning against Steve as she requested this.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 12 - A Dance Interlude

Steve slipped his arm around Catherine's naked shoulders and pressed her against him. Suddenly he realized that the propinquity of this undeniable beauty, this undeniable and very naked beauty, was having a definite effect on him, and that he would rather sit out a couple of dances himself. They watched their friends gyrate to the Chubby Checker tune, and then waltz around the floor to the following slow song. Suzy's large breasts had bounced delightfully during the twist, and her face had reddened somewhat as she realized just how exposed they were; now she had it buried against Doug's jacket as she slowly recovered her emotions.

Just then the seated couple felt a couple of eyes on them, and looked around to see Miss Copoletta, playing her part as chaperone, standing just across the table and looking at them. Realizing that he was cuddling a very naked girl, Steve guiltily let go of her arm and tried to slide his arm inconspicuously from around her shoulders.

"That's all right, son," the teacher said with the gentle smile that was one of the reasons so many of her students liked her so well. "Her shoulder is just fine. In fact, I would prefer to have your hand there, where I can see what it is doing." Steve and Catherine both blushed at the implication, but they knew that Miss Copoletta was not teasing them in a mean way, but gently letting them know that she knew the joys of the physical pleasures that they were still discovering. Steve replaced his hand and gave Catherine's shoulder a gentle squeeze, which surprisingly enough caused her to blush even deeper. Catherine liked his touch; it matched his gentle nature; but she had understood her teacher's jibe. Now she could not help thinking of Steve's strong but gentle fingers touching her under the table; she imagined them on her thigh, her inner thigh; they were sliding up her bare leg, now the edge of his hand was touching her pubic area, the skin extra sensitive because it was without its normal hirsute protection. She could feel his gentle fingers slipping down between her thighs, one tracing each lip, a third insinuating itself in the crack between them. The thought of him doing this, and doing it here in front of the entire student body of both schools was just too much for her, she could feel her juices flowing and her emotions rising to the point of climax. She bit her lip hard, almost drawing blood, and this pain, while it did not stop her orgasm at least prevented her from disgracing herself by crying out as she had in front of the janitor and Frankie at the theater that time.

Steve was amazed that she reacted so strongly to a simple arm round her shoulder, but told himself that she must really like him (and for once a boy's pride was actually accurate). Miss Copoletta also saw the physical reaction, but as Catherine's blushes hid the sex flush, and as her nipples had already been fairly hard, the teacher did not realize just how intense the feelings behind that reaction were.

"Actually, I stepped over here to suggest that you might wish to have a few dances, Miss Higgins. You have been sitting in this dark corner for quite a long while, and while I know there could be other reasons, one of the chaperones has suggested you could be punished for hiding during a punishment." Catherine blushed again at this double suggestion. She had been glad to sit at the dim table, where her lower nudity was fully hidden from the masses, and her bare breasts less obvious in the shadows, she was also glad to be in the sensual embrace of her new boyfriend; both parts of Miss Copoletta's statement were accurate -- and both embarrassed the girl. But even worse, she was now sitting in a small pool of her own excitement, and she knew that the dampness would be obvious if she stood up to dance. She sniffled a bit, as Miss Copoletta returned to the chaperones' table with the parting shot, "Just a word to the wise. A long set of dances might be a good idea for you, Catherine."

Fortunately for her, Steve had heard the sniffle and fumbled in his jacket pocket, drawing out a small pack of Kleenex, offering one to his date. Catherine had used this time to slip a paper napkin off the table in the hand furthest from Steve. While she took a tissue from Steve and ostentatiously dabbed her eyes, she was also busy dabbing between her legs, removing the worst of the moisture. Steve repeated his offer of a dance, and this time Catherine agreed. As Steve stood up and removed his jacket, Catherine quickly swiped her buns and the back of her thighs, then wiped the seat of her chair -- she did not want anyone else to find such clear traces of her excitement -- wadded the napkin tightly and dropped it under the table, where hopefully nobody would pick it up and notice the telltale odor.

As the couple approached the dance floor, they realized that almost everyone had quit dancing, and was standing around the edge of the floor. Only five couples were still dancing to the rocking tune, one of them the duo of Doug and Suzy. It was like a scene from one of the old disco movies as the five pairs of dancers tried to outdo each other. Doug and Suzy had only practiced a few of the more spectacular moves, but they were using all the basic moves to great effect. Suzy's bare breasts were beautifully displayed each time she bent backward, the arch of her back presenting them higher and firmer than ever. Her dress was also floating up with each spin, and on many of the longer twirls it rose high enough to give the entire audience a quick glimpse of Suzy's buttocks and of the little brown tuft of hair on her pussy. Suzy was so into the dancing that she had forgotten that she was naked under her skirt, and did not even hear the gasps and whispers that these little displays caused. It was not until the dance ended that she came to herself. Doug had ended with a great flourish, spinning Suzy away and then back, catching her round the waist and bending her back in a deep dip. It was bad enough for Suzy when she realized that her breasts, her very bare breasts were pointing up, the nipples hard from the excitement of the dance, but she could have borne that; what made the position so embarrassing was that her skirt had been billowing out when she was dipped, and had settled, not over her hips, but above her waist; she was bare from the waist down, her knees apart, her naked vagina, both pubic hair and bare lips, totally exposed to the audience; not just a quick flash but a total and prolonged exposure.

Suzy was scarlet when Doug pulled her up and her skirt fell back into a more modest position; she was almost as red as Catherine's painted nipples. Part of her wanted to flee the dance, but she knew that that was not an option; part of her wanted to sit down, but that would keep her bare breasts on display. Luckily, the music started for a waltz, so she just clung to Doug, and let him hold her tight as he guided her round the floor, her breasts pressed tightly against the cotton shirt.

Catherine also pressed her naked body against her boyfriend, trying to hide as much of her nudity as possible. She knew her buns were on display, but now at least her pussy and her breasts with the shocking red nipples were hidden, although the smooth coolness of Steve's nylon shirt was having a definite and unfortunate effect on her nipples, and without the heavy cloth of the jacket in the way there was no doubt that Steve could feel her excitement. She tried to think of something that would reduce the telltale projections, so she thought of her friend Suzy, of her humiliation at the sudden exposure of her fashion secret. Of course Doug must have known or at least guessed what would happen. Why had he exposed her to this shame? Perhaps he wanted to find out what her reaction would be to being naked in public, and this was a safe way to do it. Suddenly Catherine found herself turned on by the thought of her friend's embarrassment, and she realized at last why Suzy had painted her nipples; not, as she claimed, only to entice Steve -- Steve needed no further enticing -- but probably because she got a perverse excitement at her friend's shame, a bit of sadism that is part of every psyche. Of course, Catherine admitted to herself, in her case it might not be just that either; Suzy knew that she got a thrill from being naked in public when she could do that without the feelings of guilt that stripping herself caused, so Suzy probably believed that she was giving both of them a bit of a thrill, and, Catherine admitted grudgingly to herself, the little minx was quite correct.

The waltz was followed by three rock tunes that kept her exposed to the other students; that exposure and Steve's gentle touches as his hands caught her after a twirl, his hand sliding not over her clothes but over her bare skin kept her aroused, kept her simmering on the very edge of an orgasm. Another slow dance gave her a chance to bring herself down a bit, but the following rock tune put her right back up again.

They were both tiring fast now, and when Steve said, "Just one more, OK?" Catherine could only note her red nipples bobbing up and down as she gasped for breath, the moisture on her vaginal lips threatening to start down her thighs. The music began.

"Let's twist again!" The words and tune hit Catherine like a sledgehammer. She had been very careful to skip the original twist, but she had just agreed to dance it now. She decided to do the only thing she could, she threw herself as wholeheartedly into the spirit of this dance as she had with Anthony, trying not to look at anyone except her partner, even when the dance faced her away from him. She blushed as she twisted her way down, the posture as bad as -- no, worse than -- the Charleston. Then, at least her legs only opened for a quick flash, now she was squatting, her buttocks, tense from the strain of the position, presented to one side of the room, her vaginal lips, easily visible between her spread knees and which she knew must be shining from the moisture she was secreting, were kept on view for a long time as she crouched, unable to bring her knees together until she swivelled her way back up to the standing position. Even when she was erect, her denuded pussy was still visible, but at least her lips were not gaping, showing her most secret parts the way they did when she was crouched.

Was it hours later when the music stopped, or was it only minutes? Catherine could not have said. She was blushing as she walked back to the dimly-lit table; Steve's arm round her waist, his fingers only inches from her naked breast, both comforting her, and arousing her, giving her a sense that she was being protected, while at the same time reinforcing her total vulnerability. She could feel herself reacting to this ambivalent state, she felt a single drop of her juices run down her right thigh to the top of her green stockings, then another and a couple more down her other leg. She blushed as she realized that the stockings would show telltale dark patches where the moisture was absorbed.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 13 - Friends

Catherine could see Suzy and Doug seated together at the table as they approached, and noticed another couple approaching from the side. She did not know the boy, but she could not mistake the girl; it was a face she would never forget, the face of the girl who had first got her stripped, Jenny O'Shea. Catherine no longer felt any particular animus towards the pretty, olive-skinned girl; her first stripping had been almost as bad for the instigator as for her -- maybe even worse, as Jenny had had to perform naked on a trampoline at a shopping mall, and to dance naked with four of the least sexy of the Gilliam students. While Jenny had not been humiliated because of her attempt, her successful attempt, to extend the punishment, Catherine had always felt that her punch to the other girl's stomach was such an over-reaction to her teasing, having almost paralyzed the girl's pulmonary system, almost killed her, that she had never held that punishment against her. In fact she had apologized to Jenny the next day, and the youngster had accepted that apology very graciously. On the other had, the sight of her only reminded the red-head once again of the long punishment she had undergone, highlighting the fact that this time she would be naked for an even longer time, a full week longer. She shivered from the emotion, and felt herself dripping yet again.

The other couple arrived at the table at the same time as Catherine and Steve. Steve introduced the boy as Bob, his roommate, to the other three at the table. Bob was astonished, but no more so than the others, when Catherine reached across the table to shake his hand and said, "So pleased to meet the person who is responsible for my current outfit." Catherine could not help laughing at his expression; the word pole-axed sprang to her mind. "At least indirectly... very indirectly," she added before he recovered enough to reply.

Catherine was astonished to hear Suzy speak up, "If that is true, then you are also responsible for my exposure on the dance floor a few minutes ago. Again... very indirectly."

"You must tell me how I managed that," the youngster replied. Steve suggested the couple join them, and Bob immediately guided Jenny to a chair. Suzy looked upset for a minute; after all Jenny had teased her during her humiliating naked trip to the art gallery, but when she saw that Catherine did not seem to mind, she decided not to make an issue of it; Catherine had been humiliated far worse, so if Catherine could bear the girl's presence, she certainly could. Her only concession to her lingering dislike was to utter the phrase, "Only too well" when asked if she knew Jenny.

Moreover, as Suzy studied her friend's new boyfriend's roommate, she found herself somewhat impressed. Bob's hair was almost the same sandy shade as Steve's, but he was not quite as tall as Steve's six foot frame. He seemed to be treating Jenny with great care and courtesy. "Maybe he'll become her boyfriend," Suzy thought. "Perhaps if she does find a nice boyfriend, she'll no longer be one of Jackie's helpers, and will become a different person." She didn't really believe this, but Suzy's parents had raised a happy girl, one that tried to always look on the bright side and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Bob sat down and leaned forward so he could whisper to the others at the table that he was glad they had let them join the party. He explained that a couple of the seniors had snuck a large bottle of rum into the school, and Jenny had accepted a rum and coke from them. Perhaps because she was such a pretty girl and he wanted to get to her, the senior had poured with a heavy hand, making what was probably nearer a triple than a double. Jenny had never tried alcohol before (or so she had told Bob), so of course this much in a short time had hit her pretty hard. She was not exactly drunk, but she was definitely feeling very happy. Bob had stayed with her all evening, dancing with her to keep her from falling and trying hard to keep her well away from the chaperones, but he wanted to sit down for a while. He had managed to get her to eat a few peppermints so her breath was not a dead giveaway, but he was afraid her still slightly glassy eyes might give her away.

Suzy felt a little glad to hear of her enemy's discomfort, but Catherine, who had gotten drunk a few times with her mates back in England, was more sympathetic. She promised herself she would look Jenny up early next morning, and take her something for her stomach and head.

Jenny confirmed Bob's tale by looking directly at Catherine's bare chest and saying, "Nice makeup. Just like the play." Then turning toward Suzy, she added, "But you're the one who really needs it." Both girls blushed scarlet at the blatant comment on their nudity.

Steve saw her discomfiture, so he slid his arm around Catherine's shoulder and gave her a squeeze, whispering so gently that only she could hear him. "She's right, you know. You look even prettier now than before, amazing as that is." The sweet compliment did nothing to reduce her embarrassment, but it certainly increased her arousal; she felt more moisture running between her legs.

Doug, meanwhile, took Suzy's hand and, to get her mind off the thought of having her pale nipples on display while painted red, asked Suzy what she had meant about Bob being responsible for her exposure. Suzy replied that since she had only gone shopping in order to buy a present for Catherine for tonight, and as they knew from her story that it was because she was penalized at the mall that she wasn't wearing panties (she blushed again very fetchingly as she mentioned her state of undress), it was therefore Catherine's nudity that caused her to be seen with her skirt up and no panties to shield her. If Bob was responsible for Catherine's nudity, he must also be responsible for her display.

"A present for tonight? What on earth did you get her?" asked Bob, who of course had not heard the story of the mall adventure. Catherine saw him looking at her hard, taking in her bare breasts and obviously remembering her almost total nudity, and the thought of yet another young man concentrating on her private areas increased her arousal; her nipples could not get any harder, but she was lubricating even more, she could feel the juices running onto the metal chair, under her buns and thighs.

"I knew she wanted to wear a beautiful green dress, and that she wouldn't be able to, but I also knew she would prefer to wear her high heels when dancing with Steve, the heights match so much better; so I bought her a pair of garters to hold her stockings up, the stockings that match her dress and shoes." Suddenly Suzy smiled, a rather wicked smile in fact. "I bet you boys never even really looked at my present." The boys shook their heads. They had of course seen that Catherine was wearing garters, but since these were only a couple of inches from her privates, they had been careful to only glance at them. "Well, I think they are pretty, and you boys should admire them." Catherine realized what her little friend was doing, she was going to force her to show herself off the boys; she gasped from the flood of emotions. Sure enough, Suzy continued, "Stand up and come around by the boys." The two original couples were now seated on either side of the table at one end, with Bob beside Doug and Jenny beside him, nearest the dance floor.

Catherine took a deep breath, which again attracted a look from the males on the far side of the table, stood up and walked around the table to stand between the two boys, who really did not need Suzy's "Come on, now. Don't you think they are pretty? Look how delicate the stitching is. Isn't the lace lovely?" for them to gaze at the sight before them. They could not believe that they were being asked to look closely, since there was no way that they could gaze at those garters without seeing her most feminine place.

Catherine was blushing at the thought of those two gazes looking at her privates, her arousal only too plain to see. She knew that the dark patches of moisture at the tops of her stockings were right at the garters, so even if the boys missed the signs of arousal on her lips themselves, they could not miss this proof of her emotions.

Suddenly, Doug leaned forward till he was only inches from her right leg. "Sweet. The garters say 'Sweet'"

Bob also leaned forward so he could make out the stitching in the dim light. "Sassy!"

The two boys looked at each other and sang out together, "Sweet 'n' Sassy!" Doug added, "How appropriate," before the two broke into gales of laughter. They were laughing so hard that they didn't hear Jenny as she leant forward, then sat back and muttered only "Wet!" but Catherine did and she blushed even deeper at that word.

Suzy insisted that she stop beside Steve and that he take a long look at his date's apparel. Steve was, however, so shy that he blushed scarlet as he peered at that so sacred place and could not get out a single coherent word. This gentle reaction increased Catherine's affection for the gangly teen, at the same time as it turned her on more.

Fortunately, the boys laughed so much that they decided they needed some more drinks, so Doug and Steve headed back to the refreshment table for another round of pop, and a few more nibbles. By the time they returned to the table, Catherine had her emotions more or less under control, at least to the extent that she could speak coherently.

"All right, Catherine, I'll accept responsibility for your friend's display, but only if you can show that I am responsible for your nakedness. And I don't see how that can be," Bob said as he picked up the drink his roommate had placed before him.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, Chapter 14 - Catherine's Tale

How was Bob responsible for her nakedness? Catherine realized that she had once again placed herself in an awkward situation. She knew that Suzy had described her own adventure to make it easier for Catherine to describe hers, but Catherine did not wish to admit just how foolish she had been. Suzy at least had not intended to strip herself, she had been trapped by circumstances and by Jackie. Catherine had only her own stupidity to thank for her current situation, and she didn't want to admit it, particularly not in front of the girl who had stripped her the first time and a strange boy. On the other hand, they would all find out soon enough, she could hardly expect to keep the cause from them for more than a month, and better they learn it from her than from general gossip.

Catherine started her tale by telling how Suzy had been very upset that she was going to be the only one topless at the dance, and Catherine had decided that since she would only be at the refreshment table, she would be topless too. Suzy was absolutely delighted when she heard the reason; she would find a way to thank her friend, perhaps even in bed tonight. Catherine continued the tale detailing each step on the way to her final punishment, including the punishment of the other girl, Ellen Jacoby, who had tried to help her. Catherine could see that all five of the others were hanging on her every word, even Jenny.

The other five were staring at her, oblivious to everything else, but before she continued with her final stupidity, she took a deep breath and looked around the room. She noticed the girl behind the refreshment table had seen her and was waving, so she nodded to her. The girl pointed to the clock on the wall, and Catherine realized that she was due to start her second shift. She raised one hand in the V signal, to indicate she would be over there in two minutes and got a brilliant smile and a nod in return. Turning back to those at the table, she continued her tale.

"This time I didn't just talk, I commented on his punishment. I whispered, loudly, to Ellen: 'Six periods, topless. That will be a breeze.' Of course he heard me. I had meant him to hear that I was talking but not the actual words. I remember his exact reply, 'If six periods won't keep you quiet, we'll make it twelve.' Since I had calculated that that would bring me to Monday noon, as near to perfect as I could possibly hope for, I was very careful not to say or do a single thing; but then he spoke up like the voice of doom itself: 'And since topless is such a breeze, we'll take the bottoms as well.'"

Catherine blushed as the bellows of laughter rang out. Even Suzy was laughing at the expression on her friend's face. As the laughter died down, Bob spoke up, "But I don't see how I'm responsible for your nudity . It seems to me you did it to yourself."

"Bob, it was only because I thought I was going to be on the refreshment table most of the night, that I would not be embarrassing a date, that I even thought of getting myself punished so Suzy wouldn't be alone. If you had mailed Steve's invitation, I would have accepted, and would never have acted up like that in class. And speaking of the refreshment table, I have to go back for my next shift."

Everyone at the table was laughing again, even Catherine this time. She was just standing up, when Bob said, "All right, I'll will accept a very small portion of the responsibility, but I must say that I don't feel at all contrite. I only wish every one of my errors could result in such a sexy and beautiful result." Catherine blushed at this compliment, and decided that Bob was probably a pretty good guy, a little swifter in repartee than Steve, and one who might be a good influence on Jenny. "At least, I didn't cause you too much trouble. Admittedly this party may be a little embarrassing, but it's only to Monday noon. You will be back in your full uniform on Monday."

"Even before Suzy," chimed in Doug.

"Not exactly." Catherine had risen during Bob's speech, and now she leant over the table towards the two boys. "Only after I had forced this penalty did I discover that Mr. O'Connor meant phys. ed. periods. Since I only get two a week, and since I have eleven left, I will be naked for the next five and a half weeks."

She delivered this bombshell, and without waiting to see their reactions, turned and walked over to the refreshment table. She missed a marvelous sight. There were five open mouths, five pairs of staring eyes, five very glazed looks. Catherine would have been amused by four of them, but she would have been very surprised by the fifth; after all, she had told Suzy how long her punishment would last. Steve was the first to recover, he excused himself to the table, reminding them that he was also required to be at the refreshment table, and headed off to be with, and, he hoped, to comfort his girl.

"Oh dear, Doug, I think there's a problem," Suzy began, but she was interrupted by a loud voice.

"I don't believe it. God, will Jackie be pissed. Or amused!" Jenny began. "We go to all that trouble to strip her, and now she goes and does it to herself." She thought for a second. "And for even longer."

Suzy jumped on those statements, and asked Jenny just what she meant by "We go to all that trouble." Jenny would probably not have said anything at all, but the alcohol she had drunk earlier had not totally burned off yet, and her censors were down, so she explained the whole event. How Jackie had overheard how frightened Catherine was of being seen naked, how Jackie had set up the game of 'Truth or Dare' which culminated in Frankie shaving Catherine's pussy into the shape of a heart, how Jackie had persuaded her to taunt Catherine into hitting her so that Catherine would be stripped naked. She even explained how it was Jackie who had set up the second teasing, the one that got Catherine's punishment extended past the day of the play and how she had done the research on the rules and on the critic, and finally how it was Jackie who had brought it to the attention of the headmistress that under the rules Catherine had to perform in the nude, just as Jackie had planned it.

All three people listened carefully to this tale, the two males with great excitement, and even admiration for the trickster, but Suzy with a growing anger towards the girl who had so callously forced her friend to endure such a long period of humiliation. The fact that Catherine had probably won her acting prize because of this, the fact that Catherine seemed to actually enjoy the exposure did not register with the sixteen-year-old; she only saw the attempt to hurt her friend. She would have to find some way to get back at Jackie.

By the time Jenny had finished her tale, there were only enough time left for a few dances, so Bob asked Jenny to finish the evening in his arms, and Jenny gladly accepted; she liked this boy, perhaps something could develop here.

When those two had left, Doug extended the same invitation to Suzy, but she replied that she had a problem, and wanted him to help her with it. He listened to her with his mouth opening ever wider, then reached into his pocket and a minute later he and his bare-breasted beauty were leaning over Doug's small pocket diary, making some very interesting calculations.

"We have to tell them, both of them," was Suzy's reaction when the calculations were finished.

"You're right, but let's leave it as late as possible; we'll do it after the last dance," Doug replied. Suzy agreed, and the two stepped out on the dance floor as a cha-cha started, and soon they lost themselves in a dance. This was followed by the last dance of the evening, a waltz of course.

As soon as the music ended, Suzy slipped over and spoke to Miss Copoletta. As soon as she heard what Suzy had to say she agreed to send the other four "refreshment girls" back to the school on the bus with the rest of the Cronenberg students, and to wait and drive Suzy and Catherine back when they were ready.

She then joined Doug and together they walked slowly and very deliberately over to the now denuded refreshment table. Steve was busy stacking the trays on the table, as Catherine walked back in from the storage room, drying the punch-bowl she had just rinsed out. This and the trays were the only things that needed to be returned to Cronenberg; the rest of the cleanup would be done by a squad of boys the next day.

"Steve and I were just talking about dating, and he has suggested we go to the movies sometime... not till next month, of course."

Doug had pulled over two chairs a moment ago, and now dragged up two more.

"I think you two had better sit down," Suzy began, wondering just how to begin. "I don't think you had better make too many plans just yet." She wanted to soften the blow, so she asked, "Catherine, why did they have the dance, tonight?" Catherine only looked at her friend curiously, not understanding the question. "It was to give us a chance to relax before exams begin. Monday is the first day of two weeks of exams, followed by the two week spring break." Suzy could tell from the expression on Catherine's face that the horrible truth had struck her. She forced herself to continue, "We don't have any classes during this period, so eleven phys. ed. periods will actually be nine and a half weeks, not five."

Catherine shuddered as Suzy's words drove home the cruel fact; she would not be naked for a week longer than her previous time, it would be twice as long. Provided, of course, that she did not receive any more punishments. She was looking at the floor, so she missed the glance the two boys gave each other, missed Steve mouthing "Nine and a half weeks", but there was no way that she could miss the splutters of laughter that escaped from the two boys, hard as they tried to suppress them. She looked at them horrified at their lack of sympathy, as did Suzy, and the stricken looks on the girls faces was the last straw, both boys burst out laughing.

Tears welled up in Catherine's eyes as she saw the one guy she thought might be sympathetic, the one she now recalled had named her his girlfriend, laugh at her misfortune. As soon as he saw the tears, Steve forced himself to stop laughing, but was only partially successful. He actually was giving gasps that acted like hiccups as he explained.

"It's no-ot that," he gasped. "Pro-omise you wo-on't tell the teachers. Doug and I ho-oked u-up the first week of scho-ol. We deci-ided to go see a movie, toge-ether." He was slowly regaining control of his voice, but the gasps were still coming; Doug was still holding his sides. "We snuck into a restri-icted film. It was a very sexy story about a wo-oman who has an adventure that i-includes a lot of pu-ublic nudity. It was called:" and here Steve took a great gasp and the title exploded from his lips, "Nine and a Half Weeks."

Both girls continued to look at the boys with surprise, but Catherine remembered that she had seen that movie herself, sneaking into it with her friends. While it wasn't a true match with her situation, she could see how appropriate the phrase was, given her condition. The anger and disappointment left, and she joined the laughter of the boys. Suzy, who had never seen the movie, was possibly as shocked by Catherine's laughter as she had been by the boys'.

"You can't blame them, Suzy," Catherine managed to say through her laughter, "for seeing the joke. If you knew the film, you might be laughing too." Suzy was a bit upset at being the only one who didn't get the joke, but she was happy that her friend was laughing again, rather than downcast by the bad news.

As the laughter died down, Catherine said, "I wonder when this punishment will be over; I never thought to look that far ahead."

"We worked it out," Doug replied, becoming serious again. "Suzy said not to make plans to see too many movies, because you won't be wearing clothes until the Monday before the final exams start."

"And that's if you don't receive any more. Knowing you, that seems very unlikely to me." Suzy couldn't resist the little jibe, but Catherine took it in good spirits.

However, Catherine did look sad as she turned to Steve, and said, "I'm just sorry that we won't be able to see those movies."

Steve opened his mouth, but seeing Suzy shaking her head violently, remembered his promise, and just said, "So am I."

The four of them gathered together the trays and punch-bowl and carried them out to Miss Copoletta's car, with the chaperone leading the way. Once these items were safely stowed, the two couple fell into passionate clinches, with matching kisses. Miss Copoletta, seeing that there were no other teachers around to criticize a lapse of guardianship, slipped into the driver's seat and started the car. It was only after she had the car running that she stepped back out, and cleared her throat loudly.

"All aboard that's goin' aboard!" she called out, as the four friends jumped guiltily apart. "You two girls get in right away, or I'll make you run back to the school."

The two girls giggled at this and climbed into the second seat, laughing happily. Miss Copoletta was pleased to hear their happy chatter as the old station wagon made its way back to the school. She could not know just how happy the two were, and perhaps it is just as well that she could not read their thoughts.

Catherine was as sure that Steve and she were right for each other as she had been about Doug and Suzy. She was so happy that she had decided to go to the dance even without a date. She wasn't even sorry she had gone naked, as she had not only found a boyfriend, but had been able to support her friend. Steve had promised to come over to the school as often as possible, and she would enjoy that. But if only they could be together elsewhere.

Suzy was thinking how strange it was that she had felt she was making a big sacrifice by going to the mall topless, when her friend Catherine had been willing to become topless just to support her, just so she would not be the only topless girl there. She knew in her heart she would have been far less happy had she not had her naked friend there. Catherine's good heart (and bad judgement) had placed her in this state of nakedness for the next two months. Suzy was going to do whatever she could to thank her for her sacrifice, and that thanks would start tonight. Suzy thought of their times together last fall and at Christmas and decided that the roll-away cot in Catherine's room would be empty from after bed check until the morning. Suzy would use this time to thank Catherine. And it would not be a sacrifice on her part either.

Catherine, a Friend Indeed, The End