the Rec Center

Vanessa continued with the tour, doing the typical tour guide things that Mikayla had come to loathe. However, Mikayla's mood picked up when Vanessa brought them to the university's Recreational Center. "Finally, something actually relevant to my interests" Mikayla thought to herself.

"And this is our brand new, state of the art Rec Center! Isn't it fabulous? Construction just finished this year, and it's already one of the most popular spots on campus." Vanessa said gleefully. Mikayla had to admit, it was probably the nicest rec centers she had ever seen. The walls were made of almost completely clear glass, and the entrance was a quite the grand one, with marble pillars and a beautiful fountain in front.

"Oh wow... it's magnificent" Mikayla's father exclaimed. "Looks expensive though. And I was reading that RMU also just built two new dormitory buildings. How does RMU pay for it? Or is the cost passed onto us?" he noted, only half joking with the last bit.

"Oh no, not at all!" Vanessa answered. "Pretty much all construction costs are paid from the generosity of a group of very wealthy alumni. Tuition hasn't gone up a dime, at least since I've been here."

Mikayla's father nodded approvingly as Vanessa led the Schroeder family inside. Mikayla couldn't help but be amazed by what greeted them upon entering. It looked almost like a hotel lobby, with decorations and a front desk. There were about six different exits from this main lobby, presumably leading to different sections of the rec center.

"So each of these hallways leads to a different part of the rec center." Vanessa confirmed. "You play soccer, right Mikayla?" she asked the senior.

Mikayla nodded.

"Then you probably want to see our indoor soccer field!" Vanessa smiled. Mikayla was actually interested in the tour, for once. None of the past schools she visited had much of an athletic department, so there wasn't really anything worth showing prospective students on tours. RMU definitely blew them out of the water in that regard. Vanessa led the family through the second hall on the right, taking them to the soccer field. Upon seeing the field, Mikayla actually let out a whistle.

"Sounds like you're impressed! This field is actually made of grass, not turf! I'm not exactly sure how they managed to do that, but they did!" Vanessa informed her.

"Wow, that's amazing." Mikayla admitted. Vanessa showed them all around the field, pointing out all the various luxuries that this indoor field apparently has. Eventually, Vanessa and the family found themselves in front of two doors on the side of the field, underneath the bleachers. One door was labeled "MEN" and the other "WOMEN". Clearly these were locker rooms.

"Alright, now if the men would kindly step back, I will be showing the ladies here our state of the art locker room. Of course, if you want to see what it's like, the men's locker room is pretty much identical, so feel free to check it out and we'll meet you back here." Vanessa instructed. Mikayla found this odd. Why show the locker room, even if it's 'state of the art'? Shrugging it off, she followed Vanessa and her mother into the women's locker room.

Once again, Mikayla was impressed. It really was state of the art. It looked very much like a professional football team's locker room, with a ton of open space, carpet floor, and televisions displaying the latest sports news. On top of all that, it was spotless.

"This is the nicest locker room in the whole rec center." Vanessa stated. Mikayla wondered just how many locker rooms this place has. "It's reserved for student athletes only, so if you decide to come here this will all be yours!" Mikayla and her mother liked what they heard.

"And if you follow me, I'll show you the new showers." the blonde tour guide gestured towards yet another room in the locker room, which was more of a hallway with two rows of stalls on each side. "Aside from the shower itself, each stall has its own sink and mirror, along with fresh towels replaced daily."

This was like heaven to Mikayla. She hated the crowded locker rooms at her high school, and especially hated having to bring her own towels, or worse, use the school provided ones. Vanessa unlocked one of the stalls and motioned for Mikayla to check it out for herself. Mikayla eagerly entered the stall and was happy to see that her tour guide wasn't bullshitting her; it was amazing. But there was something odd about it. The shower section of the stall was a bit small, and she couldn't see a shower head or anything. Curious, Mikayla stepped towards the shower to inspect.

"Mikayla, wait!" Vanessa shouted. But it was too late. Water was already pouring out of the ceiling of the shower. Mikayla shrieked and jumped back into the section of the stall with the sink and mirror. Her mother gasped and Vanessa facepalmed.

"Gah! What the hell was that?" Mikayla demanded, shocked at what just occurred.

"Sorry... I tried to warn you! The showers are pressure activated, and dispense from the ceiling instead of a shower head." Vanessa said apologetically.

"Evidently..." Mikayla muttered sarcastically, shivering while standing in her wet clothes. Her mother was also clearly surprised by the sudden soaking of her daughter. It was all so sudden.

"Well what are we going to do about her clothes? She's completely soaked!" her mom asked impatiently. She was right. Mikayla's clothes were absolutely drenched. Her (unfortunate choice of) white blouse was practically see-through; her purple bra was perfectly visible through the wet and thin fabric. Her jeans, though less noticeable, were also soaked.

"Um, uh, well..."Vanessa stammered for a bit, unsure of what to do as she has never had a visiting student get surprise attacked by the showers before. Suddenly, she had an idea. "I totally forgot to mention it, but this locker room also has a washer/dryer! We can just pop those wet clothes in the dryer and they'll be good as new!"

Mikayla froze, despite having been shivering for the past minute. Did her tour guide just suggest that she strip off her blouse and jeans?

"Wait, you seriously want me to just take off my shirt and pants? I'd be in my undies, no way!" Mikayla pleaded.

Her mom started to speak up. Mikayla assumed she'd have her back and tell the dumb blonde tour guide to stop being stupid, but what her mom said shocked her even further.

"Well, you can't just stand around in wet clothes. You'll catch a cold! Unless you have a better idea, you might as well just strip off. We're lucky there's a dryer nearby." Her mother said, agreeing with Vanessa.

"Mom... seriously?"

"What's the big deal? You have no problem wearing those skimpy bikini's in the summer, what's so different about your bra and panties?"

Mikayla blushed and was about to argue, but realized her mom had a point, kind of. Reluctantly, she stripped off her blouse and jeans, which was more difficult than expected as the soaked garments stuck to her body. Slightly embarrassed, she stood in the stall holding her wet clothes, wearing just her bra and panties. Vanessa reached out her hand, and Mikayla slowly handed over her outer clothes.

"Thank you sooo much for being cooperative. And again, I'm really, really sorry this happened to you. I should have said something before letting you in the stall. I hope you'll forgive me." Vanessa said with guilt.

"It's... it's alright. Accidents happen." Mikayla said meekly. She wanted to be mad, and though she was quite annoyed with what just happened, she couldn't manage to be angry with Vanessa herself. She seemed genuinely sorry. It was just a mistake, after all.

Vanessa smiled, and led the now underwear-clad Mikayla and her mother to the dryer, where she threw in the drenched clothes. Pressing start, the machine sprang to life and Mikayla watched her clothes spin as they dried. It then occurred to her that it will take a while for her clothes to dry... so what will they do in the meantime? Just wait there for 30 minutes to an hour?