I'll be the first to admit I used to be something of a prude when it came to nudity. I guess it was just how I was raised, which was probably typical by most middle American standards. But things can change and sometimes that change can be pinpointed to a specific, formative event in one's life.
In my case, that formative event took place over seven nights, and it's a story worth sharing.
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Night 0 (vs. the Stakes)
"Bow before me, your Queen of Bear Creek!"
I rolled my eyes at Becky's pronouncement, made while perched atop her boyfriend (and my best friend) Chuck's shoulders. The blonde held her arms wide as if accepting the applause of a crowd, one that didn't exist.
"Sorry," I muttered to Eve, my partner in our losing effort at playing chicken in Becky's backyard pool. Unlike the other two, and much to my chagrin, we weren't a couple. The four of us had grown up together in the small neighborhood of Bear Creek, attending the same schools and sitting in a group on the bus twice a day for a decade. I'd crushed on both girls over most of our high school years. Circumstance and fear of messing up a good friendship had prevented me from ever asking Eve out, even after Chuck and Becky broke through that unspoken barrier.
"Don't worry," Eve said, clearly not too bothered. She ran her hands through her brunette bob to pull the water out after being unceremoniously dunked. "Becky cheats."
"You're just a sore loser," Becky taunted while Chuck simply smiled and avoided getting between the two girls.
Max, a new-comer to the neighborhood but one who'd easily meshed with the four of us thanks to his goofy, easy-going nature, chimed in from his seat on the side of the pool. "There's no cheating in chicken. I'm afraid this round goes to Becky."
"Your queen." Becky winked.
Becky and Eve, despite their differences, had been best friends since grade school. They'd also shared something of a rivalry, often an open and heated one, over just about everything. Each had a competitive streak a mile wide. Fortunately, they made up quickly when things got out of hand. Chuck and I had long since learned to stay out of the fray.
"I'd hardly call a game of chicken enough to warrant that title," Eve said. "Not even close."
"Oh, I smell a challenge coming on," Max said, sliding fully into the water. There was a glint in his eye and I couldn't help but smile. As a spectator, this could be fun.
"Bring it, then," Becky said, tapping Chuck on the head to get him to let her back down.
"As if you could beat me in anything." Eve crossed her arms beneath her modest breasts, which only served to draw my attention that way. Where Becky tended to dress fashionably in tight everything, leaving little to the imagination in terms of her curvy figure, Eve preferred to dress casual and modestly, making her summer bikini appearances something of an annual revelation.
"Okay, so it's to be a challenge," Max said. "I nominate myself the referee. Anyone opposed?"
No one objected.
"Let's find a suitable challenge," he continued. "Eve -- what's the most daring thing you've ever done?"
Eve tilted her head in thought. I'd heard a few of her stories, including some things she and Becky had done during summer camps together. The single-most daring, however, I had no idea.
"Probably the time I went up to a stranger's house in nothing but my underwear and rang the doorbell," she said. There was a hint of blush to her face as she said it, visible even under dim lights of the pool at night.
Becky blew a raspberry. "That's it? That's nothing!"
"Yeah, well, I had to do it alone and at night," Eve continued. "And to win the dare, I had to borrow their phone and call my friend to prove it."
Wow! I was impressed. I was also surprised she'd had the guts to do it.
Becky seemed slightly mollified. "Better. But did you actually do it?"
Eve smiled. "Of course I did. And the guy who answered the door was cute. Too old, but I'm pretty sure it made his year.
"But I suppose you think you can do better than that?"
Everyone's attention turned to Becky, who was already grinning with confidence.
"I went skinny dipping in a stranger's pool," she said. "Also on a dare. Had to spend ten minutes in it, too."
And to think I'd been impressed with Eve's adventure. Skinny dipping? It boggled my eighteen-year-old mind. Becky had a lovely figure and full chest. Given the skimpy bikinis she liked to wear, it didn't take much imagination to picture her nude. My mind had certainly gone there more than a few times and I jealously cursed Chuck for having gotten to see the real thing.
Eve seemed less impressed. "And did anyone see you, or was this under cover of darkness?"
Becky shrugged. "My cousin, Wendy. Can't say if anyone else did. And, yeah, it was dark out."
Max raised his hands. "Okay, I think I see the challenge here. Both of you seem less than impressed with what the other did at their most daring. So, it's time to back that up."
He turned to face Becky. "Becky, your challenge is to visit seven different houses over seven days, all in Bear Creek. At each, you must pose in your underwear with the owner or a resident."
Becky blanched a little but didn't say anything.
Max grinned. "Oh, if you want the title of Queen of Bear Creek, you're going to have to earn it. To make this a worthy challenge, there are a couple complications. First, the person you're posing with also has to be in their underwear."
"What!?" Becky couldn't hold back at that. Eve just smiled.
"And..." Max let the tension build. "You need photographic proof."
Becky groaned. "Perv. And, geez, that's not going to be awkward trying to get all that."
"A lofty title needs a serious challenge," Max said. "And, don't think I'm going easy on you, Eve."
Eve, bobbing in the water beside me, tensed up. After hearing Becky's challenge, she had good reason to be nervous.
"You get to go skinny dipping. Same deal -- seven different pools over seven nights, all in our neighborhood."
Eve tried to look unmoved. "Of course."
"With pictures for proof," Max said. "But you're allowed to blur out the private bits."
That was a hell of a challenge, for the both of them. On the surface, it seemed like Eve had the worst of it, but then she apparently didn't have to interact or have witnesses. It might just mean a lot of sneaking around late at night.
"Yikes, those are both rough," Chuck said, echoing my thoughts.
