Freya had invited me to Zumba and I'd said yes, mainly on the grounds that I'd never tried it before. I was at that stage in my life where I was ready to have a go at new things and sample all those experiences that were out there waiting for me. Not that I thought Zumba was going to be anything special -- I'd seen people do group exercise and it didn't seem like my thing. Still, I didn't exercise much, so I needed to do something, at least if I wanted to maintain an attractive figure and a basic level of fitness.

Freya and me had known each other since high school, and as we were going to the same college, it only made sense to stay friends. I guess she'd always been a bit more sporty than me, or perhaps it would be more honest to say less unsporty. In PE lessons, she'd taken part with a decent amount of enthusiasm, but I don't think she'd ever been on any proper teams or anything. On the other hand, I'd always done more or less the minimum, never really pushing myself or caring much if my side won or lost.

We'd arranged to meet at the sports centre entrance one morning, so we could get in a session before our classes started. Freya told me that I'd feel much more positive and full of energy, but I can't say I was convinced.

We'd both come with our gym gear under our regular clothes, so we just quickly stripped off the outer layers in the locker room and headed off to the dance studio. I don't know if it was because it was too early in the day, but there only five of us there besides the instructor. Everyone else seemed to more or less know what they were doing, but for me it was a case of always being one step behind. Thankfully, no one seemed too bothered. What made it all a whole lot more challenging was that it was bloody hard work! I was amazed by the stamina of everyone else -- I don't think Freya slacked off once. On the other hand, I had to stop and rest quite a few times, and I was dripping with sweat before we were half way through -- thank God I'd come prepared with a towel and a complete change of clothes.

I guess I kind of liked it, or at least I saw the appeal -- if I'd known what I was doing and had been able to keep in time with everyone else it would have been a lot more enjoyable. And there was no question it would keep me fit if I managed to start going on a regular basis, but I certainly wasn't ready to make a definite commitment then and there -- maybe once I'd had a chance to cool down and see what state my muscles were really in, then I'd decide whether or not to give it another go.

Once we were done, time was quite tight if I wasn't going to be late for my first class. Freya was chatting to another girl she obviously knew, so I said I had to run and headed straight off to the changing room. I guess it was a slow time of day, as there was no one else in there, so I just retrieved my bag from the locker and, with my towel, shower gel and a clean set of undies in hand, went in search of the showers. What I'd thought was the showers turned out to be the toilets, so I kept on going and found the entrance to the showers at the far end of the changing room, but they weren't quite what I'd been expecting. It was a tiled room with another entrance on the far side which, based on what I could hear, seemed to lead to the swimming pool. It had six showers, three along each wall, but no stalls or concessions to privacy whatsoever!

At first I wasn't quite sure what to do. I mean, I wasn't in any fit state to go to class, but I'd never in my life used open showers like these ones, well except for ones by the poolside, when you keep your cossie on for obvious reasons. But I was also aware that I only had twenty minutes to get to class right at the far end of campus. I didn't have time to waste dithering.

Fuck it, I said to myself. When in Rome and all that. If Freya can do it, so can I. Except I wasn't quite sure how things were supposed to work -- there were no hooks or anything, so the only place I could put my towel or clothes would have been on the floor, where they'd obviously have got soaked. Taking a deep breath in, I headed back to where I'd left my bag and began to get undressed.

Had Freya deliberately not warned me about this, or had she just not thought anything of it? I guess plenty of girls did this all the time and weren't shy, so it probably just seemed natural to her by now.

I paused momentarily once I was down to my sports bra and knickers, but I really didn't have time to mess around, so I quickly pulled the bra over my head and slipped my knickers off. Making sure that my towel was on top of my bag, and the clean undies right underneath, I resolutely made my way back to the showers, carrying only my shower gel. I was only too aware that anyone entering the changing rooms right then would get a clear view of my naked behind. I guess you might have said my body was lean more than anything else. If I was being honest, my boobs were A cup, and my hips were quite narrow, giving me a clear feminine body shape, but only just. On the plus side, I had no more than a hint of any extra weight, and even my stomach was nearly flat.

Anyway, I was quite relieved to find no one in the showers. I quickly turned on the nearest one and, facing the wall, got underneath and began to lather up. It might well have been the quickest shower I'd ever taken. Despite my attempt at bravado, I was keen to get out of there before anyone else came in, but no such luck. I heard someone entering from the swimming pool side just as I was bent over soaping up my legs. Glancing around, I saw her looking at me, seeming a bit startled, but she quickly turned round and faced a shower at the opposite side. No doubt she didn't want to appear rude.

I did my level best to finish off without looking like I was rushing, or showing any amount of agitation. I mean, it was a shower, you're supposed to get naked, but that didn't stop my heart rate from going through the roof. Much as I was playing it cool, I was feeling anything but inside. I guess you could say I was getting a bit of a thrill out of the whole experience, though I wasn't sure how I would feel when I reflected on things afterwards.

I took a peek behind me to see that the other girl was showering in her bikini. I guess that's normal when you've been in the pool -- it's what I'd always done, but then I'd never been to a pool where you had to share with people just out of the gym who didn't have swimwear! It was quite a modest bikini too, definitely meant more for swimming than for showing off your body, which meant that quite a lot of her skin was still covered up and so wasn't going to come directly in contact with soap or water. I guess when you're swimming you just make do with rinsing as well as you can and hoping for the best.

After a quick rinse, I turned off the shower and waited a moment to at least let some of the water drip off me. Then I headed back to the changing room, forcing myself to walk calmly with my arms by my side, much as I was dying to run towards my towel so I could cover up. I was still a few paces away from my bag when the door at the other end opened and Freya came in. She looked startled to see me like this, but after taking a good look at my body she made eye contact.

"Sorry about that, Scarlett, I just hadn't seen Stella in a bit and wanted to catch up," she said as she went to get her stuff out of her locker, turning her back to me as she did so.

"No, worries, I've got to dash to make my first class anyway," I replied. I really wanted to wrap my towel around me to cover up, but given that Scarlett and the girl in the shower had seen everything already, there didn't seem much point. More importantly, I wanted to show Scarlett I was body confident and not fazed by the whole experience, even if that wasn't true. So, I began drying my hair, before moving down to my face, neck and chest, all the time standing tall and not making any attempt to hide my nudity.

Freya kept her back to me as she retrieved her bag, before placing it on a bench opposite. Only then did she turn round and look at me again. I thought I caught the hint of a smile crossing her face as she regarded me, but she soon turned around and began to check her phone. By the time she started to get undressed herself, I was already putting on my underwear. I guess that marked the end of my adventure, as from that point on I wasn't showing anything that hadn't been on display in changing rooms countless times before.

Freya didn't seem to be in a hurry, or maybe I was just being super quick, but by the time I picked up my bag and headed for the door, she was only just down to her undies.

Taking a look over her shoulder she asked, "Have you got time to meet for lunch?"

"Yes, can do," I replied casually. "Text me." And with that I was gone.

I found Freya sitting a table in the student cafeteria. Harri and Lacey, two of our other friends were there too, so I put my tray on the table and took the last free seat.

"Scarlett," Freya began, "have you ever been to the sports centre before?" There was a grin on her face -- why had she found this morning so amusing?

"No, I haven't. I think I quite liked the Zumba though -- I might give it another go."

"It's just, those showers you were coming out of are for the swimming pool. You know there are other ones for the gym?"

I didn't at first twig to what she was getting at. Actually, I saw a reaction in Lacey first which was enough to prompt me to figure out what was up.

I tried to keep a smile on my face. "No, I didn't realise that," I said. Then I thought I'd play with her a little. "Does it matter who uses which showers?" Much as I tried to play it cool, I felt my face turning red, which no doubt gave a lot away.

"Do I understand right?" Harri asked.

"That you do," is all Freya said in reply.

"What's the big deal?" I asked them all. "Do I take it there are cubicle showers for the gym?"

"Yes, you nana," Freya answered. "They're in the other room where the toilets are. The ones on the right are toilets, the rest are showers."

"Well, who cares?" I asked. "It's a sports centre, people have always showered naked after sports."

"You might have, I haven't," Lacey said with a giggle.

"OK, so it was a first for me too," I said. "But I couldn't see any other way to do it, so I just got on with it." I was trying to put this conversation to bed.

"If it makes you feel any better," Freya began, "I think you have a very sexy body."

That was enough for Harri and Lacey to burst out laughing.

"I guess I can see the funny side of it," I said smiling. "If nothing else it can be a story to tell the grandchildren or something."

"I'm impressed you're taking it so well," Freya said. "Shall we keep it as our little secret, or would you rather boast about it?"

"What do you think?" I asked, trying to put a bit of a stern tone into my voice.

That seemed to put paid to it, as the conversation moved on. I was content just to listen as I ate my sandwich. Actually, my mind was still on the events of that morning. I guess I'd done something really stupid and been lucky to get off so lightly.

I didn't really think too much more about it until I got a text from Freya the next day asking if I wanted to go to Zumba again the following afternoon. My muscles were a bit sore, but I figured that if I kept at it, I'd soon get over that, so I said I'd go.

This time the session started at five, so we both got changed before heading to the dance studio again. There were a lot more people this time -- I think at least twenty, including a couple of guys. We found a spot at the back, which was great because it meant I could copy everyone else and not get noticed so much when I screwed up the moves. It was the same instructor, but I think she took things a bit slower this time -- maybe she thought the afternoon crowd weren't quite as full on as the morning lot, or maybe she was just knackered herself by that point.

When we were done, pretty much everyone headed straight for the changing rooms, so there was barely any space to get changed.

"We'll probably have to wait ages for a shower," Freya said as she got her bag out of the locker. "How about we just walk home and have showers at mine?"

I took her up on her offer as she lived in a student block just on the far end of campus. It was only ten minutes' walk. We both got our water bottles out and rehydrated as we went, so we were cooled down and reasonably refreshed by the time we arrived, even if we were both still covered in sweat.

"Do you want to go first?" Freya asked as we entered her room. She had an ensuite bathroom, but that meant we'd have to take turns.

"OK, thanks," I said, but for some reason or another a naughty idea popped into my head.

I set my bag down on the bed and fished out my towel, while Freya sat on her desk chair, the only proper seat in the whole room. Then I took off my trainers and socks, and then my vest top and shorts, but I didn't stop there. Keeping my back to Freya, I took off my sports bra and then bent down to remove my knickers. "I'll try to be quick," I said as I walked right past Freya on my way to the bathroom.

"Take as long as you want," she said as she regarded me with a bemused expression.

"You've already seen everything once, what difference does it make?" I asked in reply.

I really don't know why I did that, I said to myself as I got in the shower. Last time was a misunderstanding, but I didn't have a convenient excuse this time round. But then again, I wasn't really bothered either. We're all born naked, I reasoned. What's there to get excited about?

It wasn't long before I was out the shower and drying off. I didn't really want to drip water all over Freya's room, so I stayed into the bathroom until I was completely done. Deciding that now wasn't the time to start being shy, I hung my towel up on the radiator and went back into the bedroom.

"Am I going to have to get used to seeing a whole lot more of you than I'm used to?" Freya asked, doing her best to sound indifferent, but I could see she was fighting to hold back a grin.

"Don't you like what you see?" I asked back, coming to stand right in front of her. I honestly don't know why I was acting like this, but I was getting a bit of a thrill out of it. I mean, not only was I breaking a firmly ingrained taboo, but I was so exposed and vulnerable -- I was only inches away from Freya, and absolutely defenceless. But best of all, I knew she was looking at me, and I was enjoying the attention. I know I might have been making Freya a little uncomfortable, but that was half the fun.

"I like you just as well with your clothes on, thank you." Freya was still trying to play it cool, but I wasn't buying it. I gave her a grin, then went and sat on the bed, resting my back against the wall.

"Make yourself at home," Freya said, getting up and heading into the bathroom still dressed in her gym clothes. I guess I wasn't getting even a glimpse of any bare flesh.

As soon as she closed the door, I got up and began to wander round the room, revelling in my new found freedom. Of course, being naked in the privacy of a bedroom isn't really earthshattering, but doing it in someone else's was a bit of a novelty. There was a spyhole in the door, so I took a look out. A couple of guys were passing. What would they think if they knew they were being spied on by a naked girl from only inches away? That gave me an idea to look out the window. The curtains were closed, but I carefully pushed them aside just enough and peered out. There were a few people down below on the street, but I doubt any of them would have noticed me even if I'd opened the curtains all the way and stood in full view.

Deciding that I'd maybe had all the fun that was on offer, I fished my clothes out of my bag and put them on. Freya looked a little surprised to see I was fully dressed when she came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"Dinner's going to be over in fifteen minutes, so I'm going to have to run," she explained. Her accommodation was catered, so she had to stick to the times.

"OK, no worries, thanks for today." I got up and gave her a quick hug.

"You too. And thanks for putting on a show for me -- I feel honoured," Freya replied as I headed out the door.

I walked home, and was still thinking over what I'd done when I reached my flat. I shared with two other girls, but there was no knowing who was going to be home when. It crossed my mind that it would make things a lot easier in the morning if we didn't all lock the door to the bathroom when we were in the shower, but there was no way that I was going to suggest it with those two. They were just two random girls the college had paired me up with. We got on OK, but weren't exactly friends.

Well, as luck would have it, Harri invited me round to hers on Saturday for a few drinks. She had a little studio flat just round the corner from where I lived. I knew that Freya was going too, and it didn't surprise me to find Lacey there as well.

Harri had poured us all glasses of red wine when Freya raised the topic that I knew was bound to come up sooner or later.

"I was wondering, given I saw Scarlett in the altogether at the gym, do you think it would be embarrassing if I caught her buck naked another time?"

"That's a good one," Harri began. "I mean, I bet you remember exactly what she looks like, so she's got no more secrets to hide."

"Surely anyone can laugh off a simple mistake," Lacey added, "but twice is doubly embarrassing because you haven't learned from the first time. What do you think, Scarlett?"

"I'm not embarrassed about either time," I said calmly, only realising as I said it what I was giving away. "It's just some silly rule society imposes on us -- I honestly couldn't give a flying fuck."

"I think your face says otherwise," Lacey observed. She wasn't lying -- I could feel myself turning red.

"So, tell us, Freya," Harri asked, "Is she worth seeing in all her glory?"

Freya grinned and looked at me teasingly. "Why not let the girls make up their own minds?"

I felt electrified just hearing those words. I don't know what had got into me, but just the thought of showing off my body was intoxicating. But I didn't want to seem too keen.

"I don't think Harri or Lacey have any interest in seeing me naked. It's not like I've got anything they haven't got themselves."

"Why not let us be the judge of that?" Harri asked, looking me intently in the eyes.

"How about if we like what we see, we let you stay naked all evening?" Lacey added.

"Come on," I objected, "Freya's seen me naked twice already this week. Isn't it time one of you three took a turn in the limelight?"

"Let's take a vote on it," Freya said. "Hands up if you want Scarlett to strip for us." Three hands went up like a flash. I felt super embarrassed doing it, but I raised mine too.

"I don't know why, but somehow or other I want to do this," I said as I put my wine down and stood up. "It's not going to kill me, and it might be fun."

Three sets of eyes were on me as took hold of the waist of my loose-fit T-shirt and began to lift. Soon it was over my head and off, revealing a lacy, dark-blue bra. Reaching behind me, I unclipped it and took it right off, displaying my bare breasts to the three of them. You might not think this was a big deal, but it was certainly more than Harri and Lacey had seen before.

"There you go," I said. "I think I'll keep my jeans on if that's OK with you all." But I remained standing in front of them all.

"I think it'll be your loss as much as it is ours if you stop there," Lacey suggested.

"You know me too bloody well," I admitted, bending down to take off my socks before straightening up and beginning to unbuckle my belt. My jeans were a tight fit, so it was a bit of a struggle to get them off without taking my knickers with them, not that it really mattered. Anyway, that left me in nothing but sexy, lace knickers that would have matched my bra if I hadn't already taken it off.

"Happy now?" I asked, looking from one to the other.

"I think you'd be much happier if you lost the knickers too," Harri prompted, smiling.

"I guess they're not hiding much are they," I said as I began to push my knickers down, before stepping out of them one leg at a time. Now I really was fully on show -- I'd waxed down below so I didn't even have that last line of defence.

"Look, she's smiling like the cat who got the cream," Lacey said, pointing towards my face.

It's true I was enjoying myself, but I also felt very calm, like what I'd done was just totally natural.

"You guys should try it too -- you don't know what you're missing out on," I said as I retook my seat and picked up my wine.

"I'll just tidy these away," Harri said as she picked up the pile of my clothes and took them somewhere behind me. I didn't bother to look where.

Believe it or not, that was the last that was said on the subject. We just chatted away like normal, and it wasn't long before we were on to the second bottle of wine. I was very aware of my nudity, but I didn't feel out of place or embarrassed.

It was around half eleven that Lacey and Freya announced they'd have to be going -- they both wanted to catch the last bus home rather than shell out for a taxi. I would have gone with them, except that Harri topped up my and her glasses with the last of the wine. "Let's not let it go to waste," she said.

I stayed in my seat as Harri hugged Lacey and Freya goodbye before letting them out. I sensed a definite change in atmosphere as she came to sit back down.

"How about you stay over, rather than having to walk back alone?" she asked. I felt her eyes on me as she said it.

"Sounds good to me," I said, without really thinking things through. "I guess I'm dressed for bed already." As if to make the point, I got up and lay flat on my back on Harri's bed, with my knees up and legs parted.

Harri came over and kissed me softly on the lips.