I'm an introvert. I like peace and quiet and my own company. I get on alright with others, even in groups, but I'm not what you call wildly popular. I do have some good friends, though, and they are real friends, not just one of a crowd.
One side effect of being an introvert means that I don't really go in for team sports. I like a more personal style of competition. What I finished up doing was learning acrobatics. I'm quite good at it, too.
One nice thing about acrobatics is that I can practice on my own. I have an instructor, but I only have to take standard lessons from him. After I've learnt something new I can go off by myself and practice.
Basically, this means that I grab the gym at school when no-one else is using it. I can work out for as long or as little as I like and I know that the change rooms and showers will be all mine when I finish.
One Friday after school I headed down to the gym. There were a few routines that I wanted to run through and I knew the coach had given the team the day off. That meant I had the place to myself.
I went through my routines. Then I went through them again. And again, trying out variations. I sweated my butt off, using the parallel bars and the uneven bars, until finally I was satisfied with what I was doing and could call it quits for the day.
This point, of course, is where going solo has its down side. No-one to help me put the equipment away. So I sweated some more, cleaning up after myself, and was finally able to hit the showers.
I was standing next to my locker, stripping off when I thought I heard some noise from elsewhere in the change room, but I didn't pay it any attention. After all, I wasn't the only one who would take a solitary practice and then use the change rooms. Unusual to bump into someone else, but it happens.
I strolled down to the showers and as I came out from the row of lockers I saw movement off to the side, so naturally I turned and looked. Stepping out from a row of lockers further down were a couple of cheerleaders, both of them beautifully naked, holding towels, soap and such stuff. And there was me, naked.
I knew them. Hell, I doubt that there's a guy in the school who doesn't know every cheerleader by sight. These two, Petra and Michelle, were two of the longest serving cheerleaders. Both eighteen and in their last semester at the school.
I was a couple of months older than them, just having turned nineteen. So from the lofty arrogance of being older, male, and in the right, I spoke to them.
"Girls," I said, nodding to them. "You do know this is the boys changing room?"
Of course, my equipment chose this moment to decide to embarrass me. I didn't get an erection, but I did rise to half-mast. Not being erect, it didn't stand, just sort of poked out, nice and fat and gracefully waving to the girls. I concentrated hard on not having it snap to attention.
Now in any argument between a man and a woman, the man is wrong, no matter how much in the right he is.
"What on earth are you doing in here?" snapped Michelle.
"And how dare you wave an erection at us?" demanded Petra.
"I'm having a shower and getting dressed after my practice, in the men's changing room. The women's is next door," I added, pointing in that general direction. "And," I said, addressing Petra's comment, "if you weren't blushing virgins you'd realise that I don't have an erection. Half-mast at the most. May I ask why you two are in here?"
"What makes you think we're virgins," demanded Michelle, sounding in a bit of a huff, "and we came in here for a shower because none of the boys are having practice tonight. You're not supposed to be here, so go away."
"And you could at least have the decency to cover up and stop looking at us," Petra added, blushing fiercely.
"Why would I do that," I asked. "You don't seem to be in a hurry to cover up. And you both seem to be looking me over." That was a bit unfair. Their hands were full of shampoos and stuff. They didn't have a free hand to use to cover themselves.
"I am not looking at you," Petra lied, hastily moving her gaze. Michelle only grinned and continued to enjoy the view.
"Will you please go away so that we can have a shower?" Michelle asked, apparently hoping charm would work.
"No," was my reply, "but don't let me stop you. You still haven't said why you're using the men's change room."
"Too many people in our one, and this one is supposed to be empty," said Petra. "This is sexual harassment, you know."
"Probably," I agreed, to her surprise. "But don't worry. I won't lodge a formal complaint."
At her look of consternation I explained.
"Look at it from my point of view. I'm simply in the men's change room having a shower when a couple of women walk in, look me over, and start making comments about my genitalia. But do I complain? No. I rise above that. Now if you don't mind I'm going to take my shower."
"We did not comment on your, ah, that is, we didn't mention your, um, genitalia," said Petra, blushing.
"Yes, you did. You accused me of having an erection. Don't let it worry you. Like I said, I just put that down to your innocence."
"It looks like a fucking erection to me," I heard Michelle mutter.
"Obviously you haven't seen a proper erection," I chided. "When you do you'll recognise the difference between an erection and a half-mast. An erection stands tall and is ready for action. A half-mast has just swollen a little while it contemplates if there is any reason to get excited. Don't worry. It'll die down fairly soon."
For some reason both girls were now glaring at me.
"What?" I said.
"Oh, nothing you need to worry about," snapped Michelle. "We'll just take our unattractive selves to one of the other showers."
I reviewed what I'd said. I suppose it could be interpreted to mean that they weren't worth my getting a boner.
"Ah. I didn't actually mean that you were unattractive. More a case of I can't see any benefit in getting excited about a pair of unsophisticated virgins. Petra would have a heart attack if she thought she might be in danger of sex."
My helpful explanation went down like a lead balloon, both girls glaring at me even harder.
"What?" I said, spreading my hands and looking baffled.
"Why are you so insistent that we're unsophisticated virgins?" demanded Petra, while Michelle's glare seemed to agree.
