She totally forgot.

Fuck me, I'd actually managed to forget this moment was coming. Here I was, still struggling to even look my roommate in the eye while she was bottomless, and now she was asking me to take off my pants too? No way, I couldn't do it, this was way too much, I'd made a horrible mistake coming here—

"Hey." In a blink, Sionna was kneeling beside my bed. Mercifully, it put her crotch out of my field of view. "You okay?"

Come on, Ami. Deep breath. I fought to **** down the panicked thoughts. Really, it wasn't such a big deal, was it? It wasn't like I'd be alone. It was just like Sionna said, we were all in the same boat; no one was about to judge me, I wasn't going to get in trouble.

"Do I have to?" My voice sounded embarrassingly small.

"I mean, I don't think anyone'll care right now," Sionna admitted, shaking her head. "There's still people showing up who aren't changed yet. But, like, you're gonna have to do it soon anyway, right? Why draw it out?"

Dammit, she had me there. What are you so afraid of? You literally came here so you could get over this shit. Just do it.

I took another deep breath. "Yeah...okay. Fuck it."

The smile that got out of Sionna made it worthwhile. "There ya go!"

Screwing up my resolve, I got up off the bed and went to my wardrobe. Opening the door, I was faced with just what I'd expected: a set of clean, freshly pressed Drexel uniform blouses and blazers, all, I'd been assured, fitted to the measurements I'd sent in when I'd accepted my admission. In a last effort to delay the inevitable, I shed my jacket and t-shirt first, keeping my plain bra on while I reached for one of the blouses. I struggled to ignore Sionna's presence behind me, though I could see in the mirror inside the wardrobe door that she wasn't looking away while I went about my business here. Well, she was about to see everything that mattered anyway, and I guess we both knew it.

The blouse was a perfect fit, the material still a little stiff, but comfortable enough. Just like Sionna's, it fell to about halfway between the bottoms of my breasts and my bellybutton. The blazer was tailored just as well. I couldn't deny it was a good look, though my jeans made for an awkward match.

Hesitating again, I considered my reflection. I didn't really have any problems with my body in particular. I'd always been on the full-figured side, but exercise, healthy eating, and the end of awkward adolescence kept the softness nicely concentrated in the places I wanted it, with just a little about my tummy that no longer bothered me. I'd had the guts to wear a two-piece to the beach over the summer, and my usually pale skin still showed a bit of a tan. Last year, I'd finally taken the plunge and ditched most of my straight, light brown hair for a bob and bangs that were definitely a lot more flattering. I liked to think of my face as "heart-shaped" on good days; I wasn't sure if this counted.

"Seriously, honey, just go for it." Damn, nothing got past Sionna. "Trust me, you'll feel way better."

I'd like to say I found my courage, but honestly, I was just so distracted by Sionna calling me honey that I forgot I was embarrassed about taking off my bottoms. In one swift set of motions, I unfastened my jeans and pulled them down my hips along with my panties, bending a little to get them down far enough. Freeing my ankles and straightening up, I was met with my reflection al fresco. In a fit of boldness fueled by excitement about today—God, who was that girl?—I'd shaved everything down there. Now, I regretted the loss of that one tiny bit of cover.

I stood there, heart racing. I waited. The world failed to explode.

Sionna started clapping. "Hell yeah!"

Okay...I'd done it. I was doing it. The thing was being done, by me.

For some reason, I found myself smiling. Probably just adrenaline. "Hell yeah."

"Seriously, congrats," Sionna insisted. "That's the hardest part. You okay?"

Wow, that sure was a question. Was I okay? Well, I was standing here bottomless, talking to another girl just as much so, and we were both acting more or less like functional human beings. That was already a big step up from my previous comfort record with nudity, which amounted to staring silently at the locker room wall while changing as quickly as possible. "Yeah...I'm okay. I think."

"Great." Returning to her own wardrobe, Sionna grabbed one of her blazers to complete her uniform. "Still up for the tour? It'll help if you build on the momentum."

To my amazement, the thought of walking out of this room so exposed didn't make me want to sink into the ground and disappear. Sionna was right about that first step being the hardest: I was already bottomless in front of her, so what would be the big deal about adding some other girls into the mix, especially if they were also dressed just the same? "Momentum sounds good. Let's do it."

While Sionna retrieved her shoes, block heels with an open toe, I selected a pair of my opaque black thigh-highs and slipped on my own simple flats. One more time, I turned back to the mirror. To my surprise, the sight that met me brought a rush of comfort and...pride. The girl standing there looked every inch a Drexel woman, nothing to separate her from Sionna or any of the other students I'd seen on the way in. Nothing to mark her out as the awkward freshman who was still scared to be seen like this. And on top of that, I had to admit, I looked good. I might not have had Sionna's Instagram model physique, but the cut of the blazer managed to flatter my own busty shape just as well, and the stockings-and-shoes look did make me feel stylish. Maybe there was more to the whole uniform thing than I'd even realized.

Sionna was waiting by the door with a bookbag slung over her shoulder. "Ready?"

Retrieving my own backpack, I tossed in my phone and room key, reminded of one of the more practical downsides of not wearing pants. "Yeah, let's go."

Blessing me with one more smile, Sionna opened the door.