Lunch

She hesitates for a moment, feeling self-conscious about walking through the crowded cafeteria fully nude. She takes a deep breath and decides to face the situation head-on.

As she walks into the cafeteria, all eyes turn to her. She can feel the weight of their stares on her bare skin, making her feel both vulnerable and exposed. She scans the room for Mark, hoping to see his familiar face in the crowd. But he's nowhere to be found.

She walks towards the food line, her head held high, trying to ignore the whispers and giggles around her. As she reaches for a tray, she notices a group of guys leering at her, their eyes focused on her chest. She feels a surge of embarrassment wash over her, wishing Mark was here to protect her. As she reaches the end of the food line, a voice stops her in her tracks.

"What do you think you're doing, young lady?" The voice is stern, with a thick Italian accent. Veronica turns around to see an older woman with graying hair pulled back into a tight bun, wearing a white apron over her dress. She looks like she's been working in the cafeteria for decades.

"I'm just getting some lunch," Veronica replies nervously.

"Naked?" The woman's eyes narrow as she takes in Veronica's bare chest and legs. "What are you thinking, walking around like that? This is a school, not a... what do you kids call it these days? A 'rave'?" The woman shakes her head, tsk-tsking. "Young people today have no shame. No self-respect."

Veronica feels her cheeks growing warm with embarrassment as the woman continues to scold her.

"I-it's not my fault," Veronica stammers. "The Dirigent...he's making me do this."

The woman raises an eyebrow. "The Dirigent? Why would he do that?" she asks skeptically.

"He says it's to get used to it," Veronica explains. "Since it will be my costume during the Pajamas concert, he wants everyone to get a good look at me beforehand."

"So.. you decided that you want to be seen fully nude during one of the biggest events there is. I've never seen such stupidity in my life." She shook her head, still looking at Veronica in disbelief. "And you're not even the least bit embarrassed?"

Veronica shrugged. "I mean, I'm a little nervous, but I'm not embarrassed." She smiled wryly. "I guess I've always been a bit of an exhibitionist."

The kitchen lady laughed. "Well, you certainly have guts, that's for sure. It's your body, you can chose to do whatever you want with it." She turned back to the naked young girl and left.

Veronica sighed, took her salad and started looking for a place to sit.