At their study period, the trio heard how the coup was actually accomplished. Don, one of the students who had spoken to them from time to time in study hall, sat down next to them wearing a huge grin.
“Okay, Don, spill it. You got hot info, I can see,” prodded Cynthia.
“Shit, yeah. I won’t say who ‘cause it would be big problems, but some kids know their way around the stage, okay? So yesterday afternoon, this guy was working up in the flies, you know, above the stage? And Davis and Cirota come in with the tech guy who runs the systems, the lighting, audio, all that, okay? And he hears them talking about the assembly next day and finds out it’s about the Program, that there’ll be people using the wireless mikes and showing a video, all that stuff. So okay, he calls his friends when Davis and the others leave and they take a few mikes out and go to the balcony control room and patch the mikes into the sound system from there.”
“Wow,” Roger said. “Cool!”
“It gets better,” Don continued. “In the morning they come in and enable the remote control room override so their mikes’ output can’t be blocked. Then they leave the auditorium and come back in so their names get checked off, then they go back to the control room and to the lighting booths at the front of the balcony, you know, those little enclosures on the sides? Then they wait for the right time to cause that havoc. You saw the results.”
“Yeah, it was great,” Roger grinned. “What about after?”
“So, the best part. One of the guys stayed behind to take down the override and heard the Program people talking through the audio monitor, and realized that they hadn’t shut off their mikes. The auditorium sound system can be connected into the main school PA system so that school-wide announcements can be made from the stage, so he patched the wireless feed into the school PA system. That’s usually done backstage but there’s a duplicate sound board up in the control room. Wicked cool, huh?”
“Just freakin’ awesome,” Cynthia agreed. “Um, you wouldn’t personally know anyone involved with that stunt, now would you? Someone really close?”
He blushed. “Nobody I’d be willing to tell on,” he demurred but looked down as Cynthia fixed him with a steely-eyed gaze.
“Hey, Don, take some advice,” she said. “Don’t play any high-stakes poker, okay? You’d lose,” she grinned. “Your secret is safe with us. But if you tell anyone else, skip all the tech details. That was a give-away, okay? But that was a majorly awesome job, though.”
Roger looked thoughtful. “Something’s bugging me... I know, it’s about Cirota. I wonder where he was, the assembly was his kind of show.”
“Um, Cirota had to be at a prosecutor’s office in Riverside County... uh oh,” Don stammered. “Oh shit.”
Cynthia grinned at him. “Don, you may be a great tech guy, but don’t even think of becoming a spy, you hear? So give, what other wisdom did you learn, oh ye fountain of information?”
“Yeah, well, he told Davis that the county prosecutor was talking to all the people involved with providing student names to the regional Program office and he had a subpoena thing for today and couldn’t be here. That’s all. They didn’t talk much, just got the video system checked out and set out the mikes and stuff; then they left.”
“And your friends?” Roger asked. “They did great with their comments.”
“Just guys I know from the drama club. They’re good at changing their voices a little, you know? So their voices couldn’t be recognized easily. And a lot of acting calls for ad libbing. I knew they had a meeting Thursday afternoon so I texted one of them and they came running,” he grinned. “They couldn’t wait, actually.”
“Well, find a way to tell them thanks, that they did a super job. The performance of their high-school careers, actually,” Roger laughed.
As Don left, they all exchanged high-five salutes.
“Wow, and wow,” Cynthia said. “Everyone’s really making this anti-Program program work. What did that girl call it? ‘Controlled mayhem’?”
“I don’t think it was that, Cindy, but controlled mayhem is a great description of what’s happened, actually,” Roger chuckled.
Ayame had been listening to everything in awed silence. After Don left, she relaxed and slipped her hand into Roger’s.
“What do you think about all that stuff, sweetie?” Roger asked her.
“Better than any manga story could possibly be, Roger. But I also still can’t get rid of sight of that Karen girl in video, how she did sex stuff for video like that. When boy did that to her, I felt how you did it...” She shivered. “Got wet watching them too. Ugh.”
“I didn’t mean about the video, actually; I meant all the drama after that.”
“Errr, that was the manga part, like I am living in fantasy. I can’t believe all these things happen in real life. The video was the hentai part, the perverted one. Program sex like that in classroom? That’s perverted. You think maybe Program ends now? What Davis-san... Um, what Mr Davis said would do?”
“Well, I assume they’ll call people every week like before, but not go chasing after anyone who doesn’t show up. Maybe a few will even participate. Time will tell,” Cynthia mused. “Davis said they’d ‘go through the motions,’ after all.”
When school ended, the twins and Ayame met Tom at the door and the remaining Program students quickly ran out and began dressing.
Mary was beside herself with joy at the ending of her ordeal and even Elliott had a faint grin as he chortled, “Son of a bitch, all freakin’ done!” saluted the school building with his middle finger, shouldered his pack, and marched away.
“All over,” sighed Mike. “Damn, now I can relax and enjoy the next three years here without that shit hangin’ over me. No school events this weekend for me, Roger—oh, Jessica and Tom, you’re on the swim team... wow...”
“No fear, buddy,” Tom said. “We’re in suits. No skinny-dipping competing for us.”
“Well, sorry I won’t be there, you know...” Mike said.
“That’s cool, kid. We understand.” Tom assured him.
Jessica waved, “See you later, guys. Warmups an hour before meet time, right?”
“Yeah,” chorused Tom and Roger.
Tom put his arms around Cynthia’s waist and kissed her. “Gonna come cheer for me, doll?”
“Actually I cheer for Roger. You can pick up the leftover cheers, though.”
Tom made a mock sour-faced expression. “Maybe a tiny little cheer for me, too? I’d ask you for a favor of yours to wear, like the knights of old got from their damsels, but I’m afraid that there’s no place for me to wear it in the pool. So a tiny cheer will work instead,” he asked plaintively.
Cynthia giggled. “You goof! Of course I’ll cheer for you. I’ll even give you a hankie of mine and you can wear it, um, next to a favorite part of mine,” she blushed.
“Oh, god, no! Do you know how difficult it is to swim with a hard-on?” Tom exclaimed, and chuckled while the others roared with laughter. “I know! Make it a light-weight hankie and I’ll wear it under my racing cap! That way you’ll be on my mind the whole meet—on my big head, not on the little one below,” he finished while trying to keep a straight face.
That got everyone laughing again.
“Wow, Tom, you’re really a goofball, but what a great idea, I love it,” Cynthia exclaimed when she caught her breath. “So how’s it feel to be done with the Program now?”
“Big relief, actually. I was always waiting for the shoe—maybe I should say clothes—to drop.” They all chuckled. “But now I can really relax and not worry about what may happen in the next class. Hey, we’ve got to get going ‘cause we need to be back in about three hours.”
The teams from the three competing schools assembled at poolside as the swim meet commenced, and all the competitors lined up along the pool’s edge as their names were announced to the crowd. Suddenly Cirota appeared and walked to the scorer’s table and asked to speak to the official in charge. He came over and spoke briefly to Cirota, then motioned the coaches from the three schools to join him. Roger drifted closer to try to hear the discussion; Cirota was making no attempt to speak quietly.
“Two students from this school are improperly dressed for the meet,” Cirota exclaimed, and the coaches from the other two schools looked over at the assembled swimmers in confusion.
“Everyone is legal,” one coach said. “There’s nobody in an illegal swimsuit there...”
“That’s the problem; two students mustn’t be wearing any suits, they’re in the Naked in School Program.”
The official looked at Cirota, then at Coach Jerter. “Coach, are your swimmers wearing the appropriate suits for this match?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, then, gentlemen, no more delays. Let’s begin.” He turned toward the pool.
“Wait!” Cirota called. “They can’t swim. They have to be disqualified!”
The official turned back to Cirota. “The matter is settled. Please leave the pool deck or I’ll have you removed by security. Now. And if you attempt to interfere with any future match, I’ll make sure that you’re arrested on the spot; is that clear?”
Roger grinned to himself, went to Tom, and whispered what he had overheard. A whistle blew and the first event was announced.
At the end of the meet, the results were extremely close. When all the points were tallied and checked, it was determined that for the boys’ team, Roger’s school and their close rival had tied in points and the third school trailed significantly. The girls’ team took second place.
In the locker room after the meet, the coach spoke to the team.
“Okay, guys, that’s our toughest competition in the division, but not in the state. So if we’re gonna have a shot at the title this year, we need to improve. In most events, the difference in places today was less than a second, so I know you can pull out the extra effort, so next week, let’s train real hard and try to pick up a second, maybe two, on your heats, okay? This was a good result for the first meet of the season, but now I’m gonna expect some real effort from you all.”
As they were dressing, Roger asked Tom if he had made any plans for his barbeque.
“Oh, hell, I didn’t mention? Damn, can you still come? I clean forgot, so excited about the Program being over. Yeah, is 3 p.m. tomorrow good? That’s when my resort friends will get here.”
“Sure, that’s fine. We were keeping Saturday clear for you, but the distraction of that damn assembly blew it out of my mind. Say, we’ve got a story for you about the assembly, too. Wait till you hear it,” Roger responded.
“Cool, see you tomorrow then; I gotta run to meet my folks now, it’s Mom’s birthday and Dad is taking us out for a late meal for her,” Tom said and left.
A few minutes later, Roger left the locker room; Ayame and Cynthia were waiting.
“Slowpoke,” Ayame grinned at him. “Tom done quicker. He swim quicker too?”
“No way. But he’s still pretty good—damned good backstroker,” Roger allowed.
“Yeah, that was a ‘kiss-and-run’ he just did with me,” Cynthia smiled. “Taking his mom to dinner for her birthday. Well, he did say to come tomorrow at 3. I wonder how it’ll feel being nude with a bunch of other kids our age?”
Ayame frowned. “Not little step, this one bigger step...”
Finally. The kids get a chance to learn about the Program's operation in other schools. But before that, they learn how others overcame their innate modesty to embrace the lifestyle of social nudism. Meanwhile, their school tries to make the Program work in the face of student resistance. And their new contact from another school shows them, in detail, what they were missing by not experiencing the full Program in their school. Spring break brings special treats and graduation looms -- will they be allowed to graduate?
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