by NTS
Sarah found the door she was looking for and knocked. There was no answer right away, so she took a moment to look around her surroundings. There wasn't much to see though - it was mostly an empty hallway, dotted by big mahogany doors, a water fountain and a few benches. Sarah was alone except for a small group of three people about halfway to the other end of it. Sarah thought she recognized one of them - a tall, white haired man - but she couldn't place him. He took only enough notice of Sarah to shoot her an angry glare though, which made her feel threatened and uncomfortable. She dug her bare toes into the carpet, and almost jumped inside when the door finally opened.
"Sarah!" Tom said in surprise. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."
There were two other lawyers in the room besides Tom, Sarah recognized them both as partners in the firm. The man was Sam Matthews, Tom's gray haired older brother, and the other was Sandrine Eclaire, a tall woman in her forties.
"I was asked to bring this over," she said, handing Tom the folder Kierra had given her earlier.
"Ah," Tom said. "Thanks - we needed this. Why don't you hang around for a little bit? We're going to order lunch soon."
"Thanks, I will," Sarah smiled. The trip over here hadn't been fun, and now that she was here she wasn't eager to repeat it. Especially since going back to the office would just mean subjecting herself to whatever else Kierra might have in store for her today.
Sarah sat in for about an hour, listening to the lawyers debate strategy - opening statements were in a few days, and they were here today make sure everything was squared away with the Judge. A lot of it went right over Sarah's head - she was, after all, only a pre-law college freshman - but she was also pleased with herself by how much she was following. Sarah remained silent the whole time, unable to offer anything to the discussion, but took a lot in just by listening.
Thankfully they turned to more mundane topics once they broke to order a pizza, and Sarah was able to participate in the conversation. She was pleased to learn from Sandrine that she had a reputation in the office as intelligent, reliable, and hard working - it gave her a little pride to be known as something more than "the naked girl". Sam was a little more businesslike and looked at her body with a slightly more appreciative eye than Sandrine, but he remained friendly and professional, and talked about law school with her.
They all dove into the pizza when it arrived, and the conversation slowed as they ate. But in an offhand comment, Sarah asked: "Hey, do you know who that white haired guy outside the opposite conference room was before? I think I've seen him before, but I can't place him and it's been bugging me."
Tom answered: "Louis White. Northeast regional manager for S-mart. Over half of the class action complaints come from his region, so he's been pretty heavily involved in this case. I don't know where you'd have met him though; maybe you've seen his photo in the office?"
Sandrine added: "Too much of this case depends on him, actually - whether the jury believes his testimony and finds him sympathetic."
The three of them debated that point while Sarah pondered. Tom's explanation only made her more curious - it didn't help her to place him, but she was sure she knew him from somewhere...
A minute later, Sarah shouted "Ah ha!", to the confusion of the lawyers in the room. "Oh," she said, a little red faced. "Sorry, I just remembered where I saw him before - he was at this anti-nudist demonstration on the fourth."
The implications of Sarah's words hit the lawyers a lot faster than they did Sarah. "What?" Sam said. "Say that again?"
"On the fourth of July I was at this protest. Well, counter protest really. But anyway, yeah, he was on a stage and gave some spiel about how immoral nudists are and everyone should act more Christian."
Sarah suddenly felt self conscious as she developed an inkling of why they were so excited. "I... I took some pictures. He might be in one of them..."
Sarah didn't make it back to the office that day. She was suddenly intimately involved with a complete restructuring of the plaintiff's case.
Chapter 17
Sarah stood below the half naked lady justice in the main entrance hall of the courthouse. Sarah wondered what the symbolism of her nudity was; was justice supposed to be immodest? Was it supposed to say that Justice was transparent and exposed? Or did the sculptor simply like boobs?
It had been three weeks since the last time she'd been here - a whirlwind of long hours and intense preparation with Tom and the other lawyers, preparing Sarah to give testimony at the trial.
The judge hadn't been too happy with the last minute addition to the witness list or the fact that Sarah was so closely associated with the law firm, and the defense attorneys had attempted to block it. But ultimately it had gone forward, and it all led up to this: Sarah was about to take the witness stand.
She was nervous, to say the least. Now that the actual moment was fast approaching, her anxiety was climbing proportionately. Her testimony had the potential to make or break this case; it was an intense amount of pressure to be under.
Of course, it also didn't help that she'd be doing this stark naked. The one silver lining is that she'd been so busy preparing for this that Kierra was effectively kept off her back - but the black girl had been positively elated to discover what was going on. The thought of Sarah on a witness stand, naked, in front of lawyers, a judge, a jury, a courtroom full of reporters, and TV cameras... it filled Kierra with as much glee as it filled Sarah with dread.
And then there was the "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" thing, which Sarah was having an especially difficult time with, because the last three months of her life had been a total lie. A pivotal case for nudist rights, and the rights of everyone living an alternative lifestyle really, now depended on a fraud - a girl who'd haphazardly become a nudist only out of desperation to get a job, not someone who felt a deep urge that society ought to let her go around naked. Should she be honest with the world? Could she? Was this a lie worth perjuring herself over? What if it came down to doing the right thing by the nudists who'd been discriminated against, or maintaining this facade?
It didn't get any easier as she made her way to the waiting room, located just outside the court where the proceedings were taking place. At least in there, she was alone. The solitude proved to be both a blessing and curse though. She was away from any staring eyes, but there was nothing to distract herself with or reduce the anxiety she was feeling. All she had to do was sit at the small table in the room and... wait.
She felt intensely aware of her body - every bit of it tingled, reminding her of how exposed it was. She felt the wood of her chair against her bare ass. The air conditioner blew chilly air over her bare nipples. She felt the irritated skin of her bikini zone where she'd trimmed and shaved earlier this morning, reminding her that there was nothing protecting it but her crossed legs, themselves bare.
Bare. Nude. Exposed. Vulnerable. Immodest. Starkers. In the buff. Au Naturel. Unclad, undressed, unclothed. Naked.
"Sarah Mariano," the bailiff stuck his head in to say. "You're up in a minute."
Sarah stepped through the heavy door and into the courtroom just in time to hear "... calls Sarah Mariano to the stand."
She approached the bench and took her seat on the stand in silence, the only sound to be heard in the whole room was the click-clack of her black heels. To her left sat Judge Judy, an aging woman in typical Judge's robes. The bailiff and twelve jurors were off to her right. In front of her was a small microphone. Beyond that sat Tom and the other lawyers from Matthews and Grant working the case, and the defense attorneys sitting on the other side. Beyond them was the audience. She spotted Yukiko right away, and her mom sitting next to her, both there showing their support. Kierra was two rows behind them, smiling - Sarah half expected that she'd have brought popcorn to this. In the front row were a few nudists, including Tom's wife Lisa, who was sitting rather immodestly with her legs parted. In the very back of the room was a TV camera, carryin
g her naked image to an unknowable number of TV sets across the country.
The bailiff approached her with a copy of the Bible. "Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" he said quickly.
"I do," Sarah said, surprised at how much the microphone amplified her voice. Every eye was on her.
"Plaintiff's witness," Judge Judy said.
Tom stood up and approached the stand. This part should go just as expected.
He launched right into it: "Sarah, can you tell the court where you were this past July 4th?"
"I was at a nudist protest," she answered.
"And would you please tell the court what you were protesting?" Tom continued.
"An anti-nudist demonstration," she answered.
"Sarah, did you take any pictures at this demonstration?"
"I did."
"Was this one of them?" Tom asked, handing her an 8x10 that was made from a photo she took with her cell phone that day, showing the stage at the anti-nudist demonstration.
"Yes it is."
"Sarah, can you identify the person in the photo?"
"Yes. Louis White."
Tom proceeded to enter the photo into evidence, and then continued questioning Sarah. "What was he doing on that stage, Sarah?"
"He spoke to the audience, the anti-nudist demonstrators," she said.
"Can you please tell the court what he said?"
"Objection!" the defense attorney yelled. The two of them argued at the judge's bench before she overruled it and let Sarah answer.
"He spoke of how immoral we - nudists - are. He said that it was shameful, disrespectful, and public nudity should be banned."
"How would you characterize the tone of his comments, Sarah?"
"Hostile. Threatening."
"Louis White testified before this court that he had, and I quote, 'no particular feelings, positive or negative, about the nudist lifestyle or the people or practice it.' He further testified: 'I've no interest in such a lifestyle, but respect those that do.' Based on what you heard him say at that demonstration, would you agree that those statements were truthful?"
"No," Sarah said. "I would not."
"No further questions," Tom said.
"Your witness," Judge Judy said to the defense attorney.
The defense took a moment to get his papers together. Sarah's heart rate doubled. This was the part that was unpredictable. Tom had warned her that her testimony was pretty unassailable, so they'd likely go after her credibility as a witness. What form that would take was anyone's guess, although Tom suspected he'd go after Sarah's nudist bona fides. But Sarah had no idea what specific questions she was about to be forced to answer in front of the whole world, and the thought terrified her.
Finally the attorney approached her.
"Sarah, when did you become a nudist?"
Sarah's heart skipped a beat. "April 30 of this year," she answered honestly. There were a few surprised looks. She wasn't sure that anyone at the law firm besides Kierra knew just how recently Sarah had last worn clothes.
"When did you begin your employment at Matthews and Grant?"
"May the 7th," she answered, trying to swallow her panic. She was afraid of where this was going.
"Sarah, in your time since registering, have you attended any other nudist related events besides the one you testified about today, of a political nature or otherwise?"
"No, I have not," she answered.
"Have you joined any nudist clubs, organizations - done anything that would identify you as a nudist beyond your Federal Department of Lifestyles registration?"
"...I'm naked aren't I?" Sarah said. This got a small laugh from the crowd, making Judge Judy bang her gavel.
The defense attorney didn't miss a beat. "Sarah - don't you think it's the least bit coincidental that you became a nudist immediately before joining Matthews and Grant, while this case was underway, and that the only event you've attended happens to be the one you're testifying about today?"
"No, I don't think so," Sarah said, feeling some relief. He jumped to the wrong conclusion. He was making the case that Sarah was part of some conspiracy, that this had all been planned by Matthews and Grant - he was attacking the firm's credibility, not hers!
Her momentary relaxation evaporated with the next question though: "So then just why did you become a nudist on April 30?"
"Objection!" Tom yelled. This resulted in another argument before the judge about the question's relevance. For a moment, Sarah thought she might be spared from answering it - but then the Judge's answer came back "overruled".
Sarah looked out at the people in the audience. Her friends and family. People who looked up to her, people depending on her, people counting on her. All people she was about to let down. Because she knew, deep in her heart, that she couldn't lie under oath, she couldn't perjure herself. This whole summer had been pure insanity - a parade of embarrassment, humiliation, lies, and tumultuous emotions. She knew they'd all hate her after this - but it was time for honesty, it was time to come clean - and she'd accept the consequences.
"I..." she began, clearing her throat. "I don't know. I used to think I knew, but I don't really. You know, you can register in all sorts of lifestyles. But most of them - like, if you're a vegan, people might know - but walking down the street, you're still just like everyone else. When you're a nudist though - everyone can see it, all the time, it becomes who you are. There's no avoiding it. It defines you. I was impulsive. I know now, I know I definitely didn't think it through. It's been hard. Unbelievably hard, sometimes. But I've lived with it, and keep living with it. All I can say about why... is that it was the right thing to do for myself. I made it for me, and I'd still make the same choice again. I'm just a nudist. This... this is who I am."
By the time Sarah was done, her voice was raw with emotion. She was actually fighting off tears as she finished. It hadn't been what she'd expected to say. She'd simply resolved to tell the truth... and that's what had come out. She'd wanted the internship so badly, yes, but was that really why she was sitting her naked today, why she hadn't worn clothes for the last three months? She realized for the first time that it wasn't - that was just the catalyst. The real cause, the real reason she'd done this... it was inside her.
It was only when Judge Judy began banging her gavel calling for order that she realized the courtroom had erupted in applause at her statement. Her words had touched more than just herself.
The defense attorney backed off - he realized his "gotcha" tactic had backfired and got her off the stand as quickly as possible. Sarah quietly retreated back to the waiting room, where she sat down and cried.
Chapter 18
It was half past midnight when Sarah and Yukiko arrived back home. The day had ended with a celebratory dinner; the case was wasn't over yet, but everyone was convinced that Sarah's testimony had clinched it. Sarah had been obliged to attend - but all she'd really wanted to do was have some time to herself to think, and process the raw emotions that had surfaced while she was on the stand.
Now though, she could only think about bed as kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the couch to rub her sore feet.
Yukiko wasted no time in stripping as well, though she had a bit more to take off than Sarah. With a practiced skill, her clothes seemed to melt off as she walked through the living room. Her one piece dress went over her head in a single fluid motion as she stepped out of her shoes. Her bra - almost magically unsnapped in the same motion - fell off her shoulders a moment later. Her thong just seemed to flow over her hips and down her legs until she stepped out of them, and she pulled each of her socks off with her feet as she walked. Every bit as naked as Sarah, she collapsed on the recliner.
"Long day," she said, yawning.
"Tell me about it," Sarah huffed.
The two naked girls looked at one another sleepily, in an unspoken contest to see which one would finish winding down and head to her respective bed first.
Yuk
iko spoke, but it wasn't to announce she was going to bed: "That was really brave, what you did up there. I can't imagine what it was like. I just know baring your soul is a lot more difficult than baring your skin - I'm really proud of you."
A warm gush went through Sarah - it made her happy to hear that. "Thank you," Sarah said, with a slight blush. "I... I couldn't have done it without you being here all summer. This has been a difficult transition for me, and you... just, thank you."
Sarah again surprised herself by saying that, but again knew it was the truth. Since taking her clothes off, she'd been objectified, lusted for, disdained, and more by a countless array of people. But Yukiko had offered nothing but friendship and support from the beginning, and had been the only one in her life to do so. There was a real affection between them, and that meant more to Sarah than she'd realized before now.