Chapter 01: Outward Bound
There were five of us who piled in the car on a hot Saturday in June. Cherry's boyfriend had been called into work and couldn't join us for the trip to the beach. Still, that meant we could all travel together, Sharon and Dave, Ryan and me - and Cherry. It was us girls in the back and the boys up front, with Ryan driving.
Although we got caught up in traffic, no one really minded as we were having a great laugh! I can't remember how but we got on to talking about embarrassing incidents β mostly times when people had been caught in a state of undress or even having sex. I just about got the courage up to tell everyone about when my older sisters had spied on me masturbating to a picture of a naked man I had found when I was a teenager. They teased me mercilessly for weeks and threatened to tell my parents unless I did their chores and ran errands for them.
Then Sharon confessed to having sex in the bathroom at someone's party with people banging on the door as she was taking so long for what she was supposed to be doing! That got the others talking about the most daring places they had made love: Cherry claimed hers was in sand dunes in broad day light and Dave and Sharon had had sex on the balcony of their honeymoon hotel bedroom. Ryan and I hadn't even made out in the back of a car so the most 'dangerous' place for us was probably the stairs in our own home!
As we were exchanging tales of sexual mischief we turned into some motorway services. In the shop Dave bought a music quiz CD to play on the rest of the journey. I was quite relieved when everyone thought it would be a good idea as I was kind of embarrassed about the conversation we had been having - partly at the boldness of the others regaling us with their exploits and partly at not having much to contribute.
Back on the road I was doing quite well in the first round of the quiz β most of the questions seemed to be about my era, the 80's, and apart from Ryan everyone else was probably a little young to remember much of what was popular back then.
Then Dave said, "let's spice this up a bit β if anyone gets a question wrong they have to take something off!"
I took it to be a joke and thought Sharon would tell him not to be silly or something. In fact she was enthusiastic about the idea.
"Hey, yeah! That would be fun β as long as it's fair and we all have the same amount on."
"I was enjoying the quiz as it was." I ventured.
"That was 'cos you were winning." Cherry retorted; seemed like she was up for it too.
Ryan added, "Which means you don't have much to worry about.", trying to ease my discomfort.
"Well you're driving, you can't take anything off." I pointed out.
"Ryan will have to be referee and we will get him next time!" Cherry suggested. Yes she was up for it.
Sharon may have been getting cold feet, or may be she was trying to rescue me, and said "How about just down to what we would show off on the beech?"
"Fine by me," Dave responded, "I'm already in my trunks."
"But I wouldn't strip off in front of everybody." I objected.
"Come on, Kay, your underwear covers up just as much as your bikini; let your hair down!" Sharon said - half encouragingly, half exasperatedly.
I weighed things up quickly. I didn't want to be a killjoy and Ryan was right - on my performance so far it didn't look as though I would have to be divesting much. I still wished I had thought of putting on my swimming things before coming out...
"Okay," I said, "bet you I'll have more clothes on at the end than any of you!"
Excitedly everyone began totting up the items they were wearing. No one had much on, it was so hot, so sunglasses and jewellery were also counted in for five things each. Cherry's summer dress counted for two as well: she could take off the top half for one wrong answer and the skirt part for another.