Accepting an opportunity

"I...guess I'll do it."

"Yes!" Tracy shouted. I had some panic to play with after the loud shout, but a cursory glance confirmed we were alone in this section of the park.

"I...just really don't want to be seen by anyone."

"Even me?" I had to hesitate, since I was worried that I'd offend her. I knew she had an attraction to women, but she never said she was attracted to me. If she was, I don't know how I'd react...especially if I had no clothing protection. "Don't worry, I'd be too busy acting as your lookout anyway! And I want to make sure you're fully confident in conducting this very important experiment."

I wasn't sure I'd use the word 'experiment,' but I nodded in understanding.

"Now, I'll turn around and keep an eye out. If you need me to turn around to help, just say the word." True to her word, she turned around, giving me the privacy to 'conduct the experiment.' I wondered if I should just run away or give up, but I had made my decision, and Tracy would be quite disappointed in me if I gave up. Maybe I shouldn't have worried what Tracy thought, but it was important to have at least one ally in this school, since I had forgone so much socialization while coming up through classes.

I sighed and thought about what I needed to do. I was wearing a collared shirt and a very respectable maxi skirt, with black heels and practical undergarments. I had been having nightmares lately about, well, being inappropriately dressed in public places. Studying dreams was never a guaranteed success, but in my case I could see what my subconscious was telling me: I was too nervous for this.

I had debated on not coming out here and just driving straight to class, but I figured it would be better to set my alarm earlier than usual and come here for a stroke of confidence. Instead, I was being told to strip...though whether than would give me confidence or not was to be determined.

"Are you almost done Orlov?"

I blinked, surprised that I had just been standing there. "Uh...I haven't actually started yet."

Tracy turned around, trying and failing to hold back annoyance. "Ugh, come on, you can't do that. It's been nearly three minutes, and you're just having us stare awkwardly into space." I apologized, reminding her that I was not an expert in stripping. She walked over to a bench and motioned for me to sit. I did so, and she stood in front of me, hands on her hips.

"You know, if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. But you should try to show more confidence, you're a teacher now, right?"

I nodded. "I am, but...I'm just not ready for this yet."

"Fair, most people aren't ready for their first exhibitionism act."

"No," I began. "I'm...not ready to teach. I'm lacking confidence to appear in front of others." Tracy put a supportive hand on my shoulder. "Despite all the classes I've taken for this, they were never good enough to build that confidence up. The teachers here weren't exactly remarkable in that regard, but I used that as inspiration to finish my time here so I could return as a better teacher. And now that I'm here, I feel like I'm just going to fall into the same trap that all these terrible teachers probably did."

Tracy put her other hand on my other shoulder. "Come on, you're going to do fine. You're Courtney Orlov, the ultimate opportunist, the glamazon, the beast from the east!"

I gave her a leery look. "Someone's been watching wrestling again."

Tracy removed her hand briefly to wave my observation away. "My point is, Orlov, you've got confidence, you just need encouragement to show it."

I nodded. "I...guess I do." I gave a light laugh. "Honestly, at this point I'd probably feel more comfortable being stripped naked than teaching five classes of thirty kids."

Tracy got a big smile. "Well, luckily for you, and me, that's one thing I can help with at least!" I gave her a confused look, and she continued. "Stripping you naked!"

And with that, Tracy reached for the hem of my shirt and began pulling. I was shocked, but I could tell she wasn't pulling that hard. Hard enough to get my attention, but not hard enough that I couldn't fight it. If anything, her full strength would never override my arms to fully remove the shirt...unless I let her.

And part of me realized that I wanted to let her. I'm not sure why, I didn't see myself as an exhibitionist, and I didn't see myself partaking in the nudist lifestyle. Yet, there was a part of me that wanted to try it. A part of me that was saying that this was what I needed. Not necessarily to become more comfortable with my looks, or to discover any underlying exhibitionistic tendencies, but to finally gain my confidence.

So...I raised my arms. Tracy happened to give one final tug, a bit stronger than usual. The timing was perfect, as it allowed the shirt to come off almost painless; my ears got yanked a bit due to my earrings. But it was worth it, because as soon as the shirt was gone, I felt a feeling I never felt before. It only pinged briefly in my mind before embarrassment and fear took over, but I had to imagine that feeling was confidence.

"W-wow," Tracy said, looking from me, my shirt, and then back to me again. I couldn't be sure, but I was pretty sure she was focusing on my bra-clad breasts. "I uh, was just playing around. I-I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," I interrupted. I stood up, and though I wanted to cover myself, I settled for rubbing my forearms. "I uh, I think I'll be needing help for, um, everything." Tracy's eyes bulged. Her ability to hold a smirk was gone for now, replaced with the shock that I was asking her to strip me. I tried encouraging myself to do it on my own, but I couldn't get my arms to move.

Tracy dropped the shirt. "Well, Orlov, I'm not going to pass up on an offer of a lifetime, so I hope you don't renege on this." Tracy came over to me and kneeled before me, reaching behind me to begin removing the maxi skirt. "Though, obviously, if you want to stop, we can, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"I know, and...well," I paused, afraid to my my next admittance. Tracy paused as well, and I realized I needed to encourage her to continue. "I'll...be more comfortable...if you do it."

That was all I needed to say to get Tracy's big grin back. "Yes ma'am! I'm happy to help then!"

Almost instantly, she removed the dress, and carefully lifted my legs to get me out of it. She tossed it aside and stood up, waiting a few minutes to look me over. "You know, if we stopped here, I'd be forever satisfied." I opened my mouth to say something, but she put a finger to my lips. "But I know, you want me to take the lead on this, and I think I know why."

She grabbed my arms and gently pushed them down, getting them away from my chest...and my bra. She worked quick, making sure I was topless in seconds. Tracy examined...me, nodded in approval, tossed the bra, and kneeled down.

Tracy lightly pushed my arms away from my sides; I didn't even realize I was blocking access to the straps of my panties. But soon they were out of my reach, as Tracy lowered them. She took the longest for this removal, and I felt the most nervous about this. I hadn't ever been seen like this before, and to think it was my childhood friend Tracy who got to see me this close and personal.

"I appreciate that you trimmed yourself today."

I laughed. And just like that, I felt free. All the obligations, the stress, the anxiety, it floated out of me. It felt almost cliché to say I felt liberated, but I did. As Tracy walked backwards, she picked up my clothes and stood a few feet away. Right then and there, a breeze came off the mountains. I couldn't help but raise my arms and spin in place to let it hit me everywhere.

"How does it feel?" Tracy asked, a smirk surely on her face.

I turned to face her fully. "The breeze feels so good."

I closed my eyes again, just letting the winds blow up against me. I felt better now than I had ever felt before. Just like when my shirt was removed, I felt the ping. But now I knew that feeling was a ping of confidence, and this time the feeling was ongoing.

"Alright girl, let's see you do a sexy walk."

I hadn't expected the request, but I was ready to fulfill it. I flung my hair around like some shampoo model, and stretched. I gave the most confident grin I could muster, and walked forward. Tracy actually started to clap, which only made my smile bigger.

As soon as I got close, I did a twirl, and bowed in respect. She clapped even harder. "Bravo, Orlov, bravo! Now that's the confidence I knew you had!"

Instinctively, I hugged her to show my thanks. It took a few seconds to realize I probably just made it awkward for her...but it wasn't awkward for me. My confidence felt unlocked.

"Sorry, I'm just in the zone."

"It's okay, I uh, I'm glad you were." We both had to laugh at that. Once we calmed ourselves, Tracy continued. "So, now that you've cooled off and taken your first steps toward nudism, what's next? Get dressed, or, maybe, just maybe...get a bit more daring?"