She hides in the nearby lake

Rachel heard the sound of people coming down the trail. Even if she ran further down, she could still end up meeting others. She thought about climbing a tree, but she wasn't much of a climber. And there was no way she could hide among the vegetation with all those stinging nettles in her bottomless state.

Rachel glanced towards the nearby lake off the path. She couldn't swim, but it seemed like a good hiding spot. She dashed towards the water in post haste. Her plan was to just get in to cover herself from waist down. Just until the hikers pass and she can figure out a better plan. The lake wasn't really hidden from the path, but if anyone looked her way, they would just think someone was trying to catch a fish or something, right? Those people usually go waist deep into the water, don't they?

She threw her backpack down on the bank and stepped into the lake. Her boots filled with water and her socks soaked immediately. The water was really cold on her naked legs, but she didn't have time to hesitate. The further into the lake she went, the louder the noises from the trail became. Until she saw them.

A group of boys were chatting merrily along the trail. There were four: the youngest looked to be around 14 and the oldest couldn't have been more than 18. Not the kind of group she would have wanted to meet in her current state of undress. She hoped they would heed her no mind and just move along. Alas, instead of going further down the path into the forest, they got off and were headed straight for the lake. No!

"Look! Someone's already here." pointed out a small blonde, probably the youngest of the lot.

Rachel wished the lake had swallowed her whole. Not only was she bottomless in public, she had never been good at talking to boys. Or girls. Or anyone, really. Her social awkwardness made her dread conversing with people. Especially people she didn't know.

"Hey, dude!" the oldest of the group, a tall, muscular boy with dark brown hair, called out to Rachel. "Whatcha doing there?"

"Fishing..." muttered Rachel, ignoring eye contact with the boy, trying to pretend there were more interesting things in the water.

"With your hands?" laughed another boy, a portly redhead.

"Darn it!" thought Rachel. The perception of these boys was too keen to deceive. She had to come up with a better answer. Not that her original one would have fooled anyone.

"This guy's like that creature from Lord of the Rings, cathing fish with his bare hands." laughed the youngest. "Gollum!"

Everyone laughed at that. Everyone except Rachel. Her eyes were wide with the realization that these boys thought she was another boy. In all frankess, why wouldn't they? Wearing a flannel and a ballcap, with the water covering her from waist down, they couldn't see any of her womanly features. Not that she had many... But it was good news in all this mess. At least it might make them less interested in her. She concluded that a weird guy in the lake was far less interesting than a bottomless girl.

"Just kidding." she said with a fake smile, trying to sound a bit deeper than her usual voice. "Just... just thought I'd go for a swim." she added.

"Whatever, dude." shrugged the tall one. "Then I hope ya don't mind if we join you."