My return home was met with skepticism on the part of my parents.
They grimaced as they saw the "certificate of rehabilitation" that was given out, but it seemed their doubts were not abated by this one piece of paper, especially since I returned home with an entirely different set of clothes than the one I left with.
For the time being, they said, I would have to stay at home, no spending any prolonged time outside the house, and in return, they would buy me a few new sets of clothing, I did technically hold up my end of the bargain, heck, I even made it back home with the same amount she had going to the camp.
Now while I couldn't leave the house, I could technically lock my room's door (another privilege restored to me after my return), and as such, I could sneak out my bedroom window.
Now while it was true I could leave the house, I obviously needed to stay close by, since if my parents suspected anything, I needed to be able to easily sneak back into the house, they technically couldn't tell if I was truly locked in my room with headphones on and listening to loud music.
This meant that the most convenient people I could hang around would be Sara and Maya, my neighbor's daughters, that entire family seemed, at worse, mildly amused if not intrigued by and welcoming of my hijinx, if only my parents could be so laid back.
Fiddling with my phone, I called Sara to say hi to her and see how she's doing first.
"Hi, Luna is that you!? It's been weeks, where've you been?" I recognized Sara's digitized voice through the phone.
"It's a long story and it involves my parents being upset with my 'hobby', a weird camp, and a lot of stuff I want to catch up with you and Maya on," I summarized the time away at the camp, but left a lot of the spicy details out, I'd fill the girls in on it should we meet up.
"Can I come over?" I asked.
"Sure, but we're kinda busy with summer homework," Sara's tenor shifted into irritation, but she caught herself just in time "say, do you know much about Shakespeare? Specifically Romeo and Juliet."
"A little, you need some help?" I grinned, having acquired an excuse to employ should her parents catch me outside the house.
"Well then come on over!" Sara chirped up, and I could hear Maya's muffled excitement in the background "Mom and dad are out until the evening, so we're alone in the house."
I hung up, and a devilish idea popped into my head, I could go there immediately, or I could strip naked before heading over.
It was only next door, plus getting naked now meant there was no chance I'd lose any of my clothes over there, especially since I didn't plan on getting caught by my parents anyways.
But it was a risky proposition, what if someone else sees me? What if, for some reason, I couldn't get back into my room by sneaking in from the window, just as I planned to sneak out?
I sat there thinking about the girls' expression, seeing me standing naked at their doorstep.
... But I was being silly; I didn't know if the girls had planned to strip me, and I didn't want to assume that they'd be fine with me interrupting their study session with my antics.
Of course, I wasn't opposed to those antics occurring, but I figured I'd leave the initiative up to them.
I quickly snuck out my window, making sure to leave the phone in my room. I crept across the yard and up the steps to the neighbor's house, and was greeted by the two girls, Sara and Maya.
"Luna! We're so glad you made it!" Sara exclaimed as she opened the door, and I was ushered in.
"So, what do you wanna do?" Maya asked, and I looked around.
"I'm not sure," I said, "I guess I could help you guys with your homework?"
We all exchanged smiles as I took a seat between the two girls, and Sara handed me the assignment. It was a passage from Romeo and Juliette that we were supposed to interpret, and I could tell that Sara and Maya were just as eager as I was to get started.
We began discussing the passage, each of us taking turns to explain our interpretations and coming up with ideas for what might happen next. The three of us had a different approach to the situation, and it was fascinating to see where the conversation led us.
At one point, I suggested that the two girls perform the scene. I could tell they were both nervous, but they eventually agreed, and began acting out the scene.
As they spoke, I couldn't help but notice that the scene was changing subtly as they went. Instead of just repeating the words, they were adding their own elements, changing the tone and the emphasis of certain words.
"Hey Luna, do you wanna try acting out a scene?" Maya asked, giving a knowing glance to Sara.
"I don't know..." I said, still trying to follow along with the scene they had already performed.
"Come on, Luna, please?" Maya pleaded, and I knew she was right, so I gave in.
"So which scene are we doing?" I asked, waiting for Maya to read the portion of the play she intended on having us do.
"The scene before Juliette is forced to Marry Paris," Maya said, though I could have sworn she wasn't quite reading from the book "her mother, Lady Capulet, comes into the room to make sure Juliette gets dressed for the wedding and asks her to strip naked."
Was that how that scene went?
"I don't remember there being nudity in the play..." I said out loud, trying my best to remain stoic and not show the excitement on my face at the prospect of being forced to strip naked by these two.
"Oh, it's probably a different version than the one you read." Maya tried to bluff that pesky little detail away, and once more, I could have sworn I saw a wicked little grin on Sara's face from the corner of my eye.
I shook my head to rid myself of my imagination, and focused on the task at hand.
"Ok, let's start off with this scene," I said, picking up where Maya left off and starting to recite the passage she had given us.
The scene opens up at the Capulets' mansion, where Juliette is being prepared by her maids to marry the man who will soon become her husband, count Paris.
"...and as she was dressing, she heard the noise of the door opening behind her and turned to look at it. In the doorway stood her mother, Lady Capulet..."
"What art thou that dost make me so forlorn?" I read from the paper Maya had prepared for me.
"I am thy mother, Juliette, and I come to make thee ready for thy wedding night." Maya said as she read from her own copy.
"I am not ready for such a thing, mother! " I, as Juliette, objected to this.
"Thou must be ready, my daughter, for thou art to be married tomorrow. Now, take off thy garments and lay them upon the bed." Maya channeled her inner mother and commanded me to, essentially, strip naked.
"Nay, I cannot do this." I continued to read the passage, and was met by a chorus of giggles from the two girls, who clearly found it amusing to be able to see me naked very soon.
A little cough came from Maya, and she continued:
"Thou must, for I command it." Maya forced the laughter down, and once again assumed the role of the dignified Lady Capulet.
Now Maya stood staring at me, expectantly, this was the part where I started stripping.
"Go on, Luna." Sara said, her voice slightly hushed.
I could feel my face flush, I looked down, I was wearing the same black shirt I had picked up from my trip back from camp (the one that read "squirter" on it) and the booty shorts that Jackie had lent me, I also had some plain pink underwear on, I took a deep breath and began undressing what was, essentially, half of my entire wardrobe at the moment.
I slowly pulled my shirt off, feeling the cool air against my skin. My heart raced as I unbuttoned my shorts, and I nervously kicked them off. I was now standing there in just my underwear, feeling exposed and vulnerable.
I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself that I was in the privacy of the twins' living room, and no one other than them was watching, they had already seen me naked, but my brain was aware of the possibility that the parents might come back at any minute, yes, the girls told me that they wouldn't be back for a while, but I had no idea if that would actually be the case.
"I fear my heart will break if I must obey thee." I proclaimed, reciting the remainder of the script.