Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 It was game day.  The Prellis baseball team was going to have their first
game of the year.  That wasn't all that was going on though.  Before we get
to your excitement, dear reader, we'll see three conversations that were
taking place in different parts of the school.

   Miss Armstrong had finally pinned down Mr.  Steadworth in his office. 
"Do you have any idea what Miss Hartick is doing to our baseball team?"

   Mr.  Steadworth was a nervous sort of man usually, but this time he was
annoyed instead.  "I assume that you're talking about the new sports
reporter?"

   "Of course!  I was there to see six of the boys undressed."

   "And I take it their nudity offended you?"

   "What?  No."

   "So you enjoyed it?"

   Of course she did.  How could she not?  But she said, "No.  It was
terrible.  What they're doing to these boys is awful!"

   "Miss Armstrong, it seems to me that while this might be uncomfortable
for the boys that it is not truly harmful.  It might even be a good cause.
How many other high schools would allow something as progressive as a girl
sports reporter in the boys' locker room?"

   "You're not serious!"

   "Miss Fox has already been to see me.  She said that you were apparently
very upset, but she has a very different point of view.  And she was there
for the same display that you were.  From her view, this is good for both
the boys and girls and I'm inclined to trust that judgment since it is
supported by Miss Hartick and Miss Devasquez both."

   Miss Armstrong knew the score.  Mr.  Steadworth was afraid of Miss
Hartick like everyone was.  "Okay, so you can ignore me.  I'm going to get
some other opinions on the matter, and when I do, you won't be able to
ignore us all."

   Mr.  Steadworth really didn't want to hear that.  He just wanted this to
go away.  He knew that Miss Armstrong was right.  He also knew that he
might have to intervene if there was demand for it from other teachers.  "I
really wish you would learn to be a little more modern in your thinking,
Miss Armstrong."

   She didn't answer him.  She just stormed out.

   Somewhere else in the school, Miss Hartick was also having a
conversation about the interviews.  Miss Hartick was talking to Miss
Bridle, the school counselor that had been there to see the six baseball
players stripped naked in detention.  "So, you see why I've encouraged
Shelly the way I have?"

   "Yes," Miss Bridle said, "but aren't you concerned about the boys and
their privacy?"

   "I am, actually, I just don't believe that's as big a priority as the
rest.  Girls need their opportunities.  This is also a great way to show
girls that they should be respected and that their female natures are
valid."

   "At the expense of embarrassing the boys regularly?"

   "I'll be the first to admit that the boys are a little embarrassed, but
it's not that bad for them.  I know that because of their reaction.  You
saw it yourself.  When the boys are exposed, they react to it in the most
positive way with their erections."

   "Couldn't those erections be the result of their embarrassment?"

   "I've thought about that.  I just don't think it's likely.  The boys
would react to embarrassment in different ways, wouldn't they?  But they
don't get hard sometimes.  They get hard every single time they are
interviewed or otherwise displayed."

   "Not every time?"

   "Every single time without fail."

   "Every time," Miss Bridle said a bit breathlessly.  She wanted very much
to side with the boys.  She knew that was the right thing to do.  Not even
her compelling attraction to the hot bare bodies and hard ons she had
witnessed could change her mind.  Not on its own, anyway.  She had other
wonderful rationalizations to convince herself with.  Other teachers and
students agreed with Miss Hartick.  The boys had actually demanded the
exposure of another player.  The boys' grades had not fallen.  In fact,
they had improved.  There was no sign that their social lives were damaged.
If all that was true, then might a little bit of embarrassment not be
harmless?  Miss Bridle even wondered if a bit of embarrassment at the hands
of the girls might not be good for them.  She really wanted to believe
that, but as much as she tried, she just couldn't convince herself to
believe that Miss Hartick was in the right.  "If only I could speak to some
of the boys about this."

   "Oh, I agree," Miss Hartick said.  "In fact, I think that I should have
some of the boys speak to you in person.  I want you to be as unbiased as
possible."

   While all of that went on, Shelly was also in the middle of something.
She was interviewing Coach Grady.  Unlike the boys, the Coach wasn't about
to doff his clothes, and considering that he was kind a crusty old
hardcase, Shelly didn't mind.  "One last thing, Coach.  Isn't it a bit
intimidating that the first game you'll play is against the notorious
Grable High?"

   "Well, I suppose I see it this way.  If we lose, then it won't mean
anything more than it ever has when we've lost against them.  If we win,
then it means that we've accomplished something we haven't been able to do
in years."

   "Thanks, Coach."

   "Thank you, Shelly.  Now, off the record, let me ask you a couple
things."

   "Okay."

   "Do you know why it is that I've let your locker room shenanigans go
on?"

   "Uh, no I don't." She didn't either.  It made sense that even rough old
Coach Grady might give in to Miss Hartick once or twice.  How had even Miss
Hartick been able to keep this man in check all the time though?  That
didn't make sense.  Not even for Medusa Hartick.

   The Coach explained it to her, "There's two reasons.  First, I've read
your articles, and you're the best sports reporter this school has had in a
long time.  Maybe the best period."

   "Thanks, Coach." She was beaming at the compliment.  It meant a lot
coming from him.

   "The other reason is that it hasn't affected the boys.  You've seen them
at practice.  They don't exactly suck."

   "No, they're great."

   "This might be the best team it's ever been my privilege to coach. 
That's why I'm telling you what I already told Miss Hartick.  I don't want
you in the locker room on game day.  Not before the game and not after. 
Before the game, I need that time for the team.  And after the game, they
need it for themselves.  If they lose, I don't want the added pressure of
having you in there.  If they win, then I want them to enjoy it. 
Understand?"

   "Yes, Coach, I do." Shelly thought about it.  We already know that she
had no conscience when it came to stripping the boys down and enjoying it.
She did have a conscience when it came to the sports though.  She loved
sports as much as any of the boys did.  For the first time she wondered if
the team might not be better off without her interfering.  Her confidence
was a bit rattled.

   He told her, "I put my foot down with Miss Hartick, and she wasn't happy
about it.  She listened though."

   Could Coach Grady really put Miss Hartick in her place?  If he could,
then maybe that was the best thing for the team.  But then she wouldn't get
to see any more naked boys.  Shelly wasn't sure what to think.

   He said, "I had to compromise a little though.  You'll be allowed to
interview the players on the field after the game of course.  Before the
game you'll want to talk to some of them, I know.  So we've set up a
special interview.  Since you can't go in the locker room today, you'll
have it in Miss Hartick's office.  I'll send Arhur, Chad and Philip to her
office and you can talk to them there.  All right?"

   "Whatever you think is best, Coach.  Thanks."

   Wow, that was a lot of plot without any payoff!  That's not the way we
do things in this story.  Let's get to the fun as quick as we can now.  In
case anyone is rereading this and skipping all that, I'll sum it up real
quick.  Miss Armstrong is getting nowhere, but she's still determined to be
the villain of the story.  Miss Bridle might also put the brakes on the
whole thing, but she's got to talk to some of the boys first.  Shelly has
limited access on game day, and making it worse, for the first time she's
seriously thinking about giving up her locker room interviews!  She
couldn't live with herself if her grand prank were to sink the baseball
program!

   So we'll cut now to Miss Hartick's office.  Miss Hartick was there to
oversee the thing and make sure the boys behaved.  Shelly arrived at about
the same time that her guests did.  To make up for the lack of locker room
entry, Miss Hartick had decided to let Shelly invite two guests, so that
there would be one girl for every boy.  Jean was there, waiting eagerly to
see some more dick.  Shelly's other invitation had gone to Danielle. 
Danielle was surprised about that because she wasn't exactly on friendly
terms with Shelly.  Danielle was a very popular girl though.  Shelly knew
she couldn't make homecoming queen, but she also knew that it could only
help her to let girls with social influence in on the show.  Danielle had
heard about Shelly's interviews, but she had no idea how far they really
went.  So she wasn't expecting anything.  She knew that it was in Miss
Hartick's office though, so she certainly wasn't going to skip it.  That
might be terrible.

   Then the boys arrived.  Philip, the star pitcher, Arthur and Chad. 
You'll remember that Chad was one of the holdouts that Shelly had only
gotten to see naked recently in the showers.  She'd gotten a handful of his
ass, but she hadn't even seen him hard yet.  That would change soon.

   Miss Hartick told them, "Boys, say hello to the girls."

   "Sure.  Uh, hello." "Hi." "Hi.  Uh, why are the other girls here?"

   "Just to enjoy."

   "Enjoy?" Philip said uncertainly.

   "That's right.  Enjoy.  We're going to treat this interview as though it
were a locker room interview.  You all know what that means."

   "Oh no!" "That's not fair!" "Give us a break!"

   "What's wrong?" Danielle asked.

   "Just watch," Jean said happily.

   Miss Hartick told the boys, "Get started.  The interview will not begin
until all three of you are totally naked."

   "Why?" "There shouldn't be any other girls here." "We should be able to
keep our clothes on this time."

   "Is this for real?" Danielle said.  She could tell it was though.  The
boys weren't faking.  They were horrified.

   Miss Hartick said, "This is very real.  Boys, I know this isn't a place
you would ordinarily undress in, but you have to learn to accept your
situation.  The fact that you complain like that only tells me that this is
necessary."

   There was no winning with this crazy woman.  She could talk herself into
anything.  Her crusade to empower girls had her convinced that the best
thing for everyone was for the girls to see and enjoy the naked boys as
though the boys' privacy were no concern.  Chad asked the reasonably
intelligent question, "But why do Danielle and this other girl have to be
here to see it?"

   If he'd known her name, he might have had a point.  You can imagine Miss
Hartick's irritation.  "This girl has a name.  Jean.  The reason for the
extra observers is to extend the effect of these interviews.  I don't want
Shelly alone to know the benefits.  The other girls should also have the
chance to know that they are important and that their sexual feelings are
important.  To put it directly, Shelly is here to do her job.  Jean and
Danielle are only here because they would like to see your penises."

   Arthur almost sounded defiant.  "Would you let us watch them undress?"

   "You watch your tone, young man!  I will not have that kind of talk in
front of the girls.  Keep your perverted fantasies to yourself!  In case
you don't understand it, I'll tell you that girls are very different from
boys.  When a girl sees a boy naked it is a different experience.  It isn't
just hormones the way it is with you.  A girl's sexual desires aren't
disrespectful to boys.  Girls are emotional about it.  They are passionate
and they need to know that is acceptable."

   The boys were dumbfounded.  There wasn't even a foolish question left to
ask.  Miss Hartick said, "I don't know what you're waiting for, boys. 
Strip down to your underwear now."

   The boys reluctantly started.  Surprising everyone, Shelly said, "I
don't know if this is really necessary this time."

   Jean hissed something that Shelly couldn't even make out.  Danielle
whispered, "Are you crazy?  I'm not missing out on a chance to see Carla's
boyfriend naked!"

   Miss Hartick gave Shelly a curious look.  "What do you mean, Shelly?"

   "Uh, well, never mind." She couldn't deprive the other girls of this now
that they were already there.  She would just have to live with her choices
and the effect it might have on the game.  She waited patiently for the
boys to get there.  They had stopped when Shelly had interrupted, but then
they started back in.  Chad was the one who got undressed the slowest.  He
was already beet red.  He hadn't been through this before and now he was
being forced to strip down for three girls and Miss Hartick all at once. 
They stood there in their underwear.  Jean said, "Make 'em turn around when
they get that off!"

   "Oh my god," Danielle said.  "I'm really getting to see this." She was
suddenly very grateful.  She gushed, "Thank you, Shelly!  Hey Philip!  What
would Carla say if she knew that I was going to get to see you butt naked!"

   Philip's girl friend was Carla, another very popular girl.  Of course
not every popular girl in the school got along.  Danielle and Carla weren't
really enemies.  They were only rivals, but it was enough.  He asked Miss
Hartick, "Can't it be some other girl?  You hear what she's saying."

   "I heard, Philip.  I suppose I don't approve of Danielle's motives, but
I don't think your dating life is the only reason she wants to see you
naked."

   "Of course it's not!  He's hot!  So are the others.  Boys!  Get your
underwear off!"

   Jean was giggling.  Danielle was transfixed.  But Shelly finally knew
how Miss Devasquez and Mindy must feel.  She had such mixed emotions.  On
the one hand, she wasn't sure this was worth it.  On the other hand, she
was as completely enthralled by the bodies as always.  She watched them all
strip that last piece away so that they were standing there in a line of
bare naked butts.  Jean knew the rules, so she decided to reach forward and
pinch Chad.  "Hey!  Don't do that!" She just giggled and gave him another
pinch.

   Danielle was amazed.  Could they really get away with that?  It looked
like it since Miss Hartick nodded approvingly.  Danielle didn't quite have
the nerve to cop a feel yet though.

   Shelly really didn't want to drag this out.  "All right, boys, you can
turn around now."

   "But you can't cover yourselves like that," Miss Hartick said.

   "Yeah," Jean agreed happily, "let us see those dicks!"

   "That's not disrespectful?" Arthur said, but as he said it, he dropped
his hands.

   Miss Hartick just told him, "Have a little humor.  You should really
learn to be comfortable with the girls seeing you naked."

   The boys all colored more than they had before.  Be comfortable with
this?  They were standing there completely naked for three eager girls who
were eyeing their goods, and it sure wasn't with respect.  Jean was
delighted.  "We can see everything!  I love Prellis high, where a girl can
be a girl and the boys can be naked.  I wonder which one will get hard
first?"

   "Hard?" Danielle asked.  She didn't look away from the naked boys
though. She wanted to concentrate on Philip, but all three of these boys
were hot.  Hot and bare and blushing.  Danielle didn't even know why it
turned her on that the boys were blushing, but she loved it.

   Jean said, "They'll get hard ons.  We're going to see these three
penises standing up."

   "No way!" Why would the boys harden up?  Danielle hoped it was true, but
she didn't believe it.

   Shelly still felt her concerns about the big game.  She couldn't help
loving the show though.  She'd seen Philip naked a few times now, but he
was as embarrassed as ever.  He kept looking around the room desperately
like there might be some exit that he could use.  She had only seen
Arthur's cock one time when Miss Hartick had made him pull down his
underwear.  She even gotten a real quick touch, but only for a moment. 
Today he was on display again, fuming and glaring at the girls.  He put his
hands over his goods a couple times, but he remembered to move them again
each time before Miss Hartick had to say anything.  Shelly had also only
seen Chad naked one other time.  The last time she was in the lockers he
had been there in the showers.  Today, being put on show like this, he
looked so completely ashamed that it was pathetic.  That was only his
expression though.  His face and his body and his cock were anything but
pathetic.  He was wonderful.  Shelly wasn't sure if she was taunting him or
trying to comfort him slightly when she said, "You really do look good,
Chad.  Don't be embarrassed about anything you've got."

   Confronted with those three bare bodies, Shelly had to take a minute to
get her thoughts together.  She could usually play the part of reporter
with ease, but today she was a bit distracted by the penises that she had
meant to leave alone.  She sort of fidgeted with her notebook.  "Uh, I'll
start with, uh, Arthur.  You two can sit down, I guess until I'm ready for
you."

   "In a moment," Jean said.  "They're starting to grow!"

   Miss Hartick agreed.  "This won't take long, Shelly." She was very proud
to see that Shelly's dedication to her work really was more important than
the buffet of bare hunks in front of her.  Still, helping Shelly was only
one part of this.  Miss Hartick was going to make sure the boys also
learned how to cope with this.

   Shelly actually squirmed and blushed a bit.  It wasn't like her at all,
but this wasn't what an interview was supposed to be.  She was supposed to
enjoy lording it over the boys.  She was loving the exposure as always, but
she would have actually shown a bit of mercy this time.  Only for the sake
of the game, of course.  She still didn't care at all about the boys'
pride. It still made her feel just a bit of embarrassment herself to be
made to watch the naked boys stiffen up.

   They did stiffen up too.  It was a slow rise for them all, but the
moment they knew the girls were waiting for it, they couldn't help it.  All
three penises rose up almost like it was synchronized.  It was a little
over half a minute, but then they were a trio of hard, humiliated cocks for
a trio of happy girls.

   Jean wasn't about to miss the opportunity.  She reached forward to Chad
and slid her hand up his dick.  Danielle had been skittish about touching
the boys when she saw Jean pinch Chad, but now she couldn't help it.  Even
if it turned out to carry a sentence of a month of detentions, it would be
worth it to get a feel of Philip's dick.  When she wrapped her hand around
it, she was amazed at how hard it really was.  Philip shuddered, and she
could actually feel that through her hand.  She ran her hand up his staff
slow, then at the top, she let the tip of her finger play across the tip of
his penis.  When she sat back down her heart was racing.  She had to put
her hand to her own chest to feel that.

   Arthur knew that he was lucky beyond measure.  The other boys had been
felt up, but not him.  For some reason, Shelly let him off the hook.  He
did have to keep standing there with his penis pointing up though.  The
other two boys got to sit down.  That wasn't exactly comforting though. 
Jean and Danielle were whispering to each other as they gazed at the boys'
laps with those pointers standing out of them.

   Most of the attention was on Arthur though.  Shelly asked him, "You'll
be the first batter of the year.  What do you think about that?"

   "Uh, well..." He was all too aware of the girls and the vice principal
staring at him.  He had to shut his eyes and tilt his head back to think of
an answer.  "I can't tell you what I expect.  I think I'm going up against
Grable High's big time pitcher.  I don't know how well I'll do.  I'll do my
best though."

   "It'll be enough, I'm sure," Shelly said.  "I've seen you at practice."

   Arthur grinned a moment.  He was proud enough of his skill that the
compliment made him smile in spite of his naked embarrassment.  That didn't
make his embarrassment any less though.  It only made Miss Hartick that
much more sure that he wasn't as embarrassed as he wanted them to believe.

   He gave a shiver that wobbled his dick.  Jean and Danielle laughed out
loud.  Shelly gave him a sympathetic look.  She kept up her interview while
his nakedness continued to entertain.  When she thought she had what she
needed, she said, "Okay, you can sit down now, Arthur.  Chad?"

   He groaned and rolled his head.  Shelly felt bad for him, but what could
she do?  Because Arthur had been center stage, Chad had lost a bit of wood.
He was still over halfway up, but not all the way.  He knew he would only
harden up again, and he was dreading that.  These perverted girls had
already seen him rise up once.  Now they would get it again.

   Then there was a knock on the door.  "Come in," Miss Hartick said like
it wasn't important.  The boys all did their best to cover their intimates.
Another girl student came in, Rita.  She was as bland as would be expected
running an errand for a teacher, but then she realized she was in a room
with three naked boys.  She stopped a moment, and she stared.  "Wh-what's
going on?"

   "Shut the door at least," Chad said.

   She did that, but without turning away from the naked boys at all.  Miss
Hartick was perfectly casual.  "It's a sports interview, that's all.  The
boys are just acting as they would in a locker room.  Boys, you know
better. Don't cover those penises.  I'm sure Rita would like to see them
too."

   Rita's eyes were saucers.  "Oh wow!" She saw Arthur standing there and
Philip sitting there, but what had her attention was Chad's straight out
dick because it was slowly gaining altitude.  No one said a word as his
penis betrayed him, rising up for their greedy eyes.  Once he was perfectly
stiff, Jean and Danielle starting laughing softly.  Rita was just gaping at
him and the others.  She had no idea how to handle this situation.

   Miss Hartick said, "You needed something?"

   Rita still couldn't turn her unblinking eyes from the fabulous
erections. She had to stumble to Miss Hartick's desk.  "Miss Harney said
you needed this." She set the envelope on the desk and tried to control her
breathing.

   Miss Hartick looked at it.  "Thank you."

   Rita said, "Can I stay?"

   "You'd better get back to class."

   "Right, right.  I'll see you later, Chad, Arthur.  Uh, can Philip at
least stand up once before I go?"

   Miss Hartick motioned for him to do that.  He muttered something as he
got to his feet, his penis pointing up at about three fourths of the way
hard.  Rita said, "I can die happy." Then she was gone.  Philip sat back
down before he could harden up again.  Arthur also took a seat.

   Chad had to step forward for the interview.  He was hard as a rock and
reaching for the sky.  None of the girls could help staring at his stiffy,
not even Shelly.  She made her questions short and to the point though. 
Poor, red faced Chad didn't have to stand there long.

   Then it was Philip's turn on the hot seat.  He didn't even wait to be
told.  He just got up and stepped forward where they could all ogle his
naked body.  He was only a little over half of the way hard by then, but he
could feel the embarrassment buzzing in his cock the moment it was put on
display again.  He was surprised that Shelly wasn't giving him that
sinister half smile they had all come to know.  It was bad enough anyway
with Jean and Danielle staring at him.  Even Miss Hartick was none too
subtle about checking out his package.  He tried to pretend that he wasn't
naked while he answered Shelly's questions.  "I'll admit that Grable's
pitcher is better than I am, but our batters can contend with him better
than their batters can contend with me." He almost felt dignified for a
moment since he could answer without any hesitation or any breaking of his
voice.  Then he felt his penis perk back up.  "Oh no."

   "Oh yes!" Jean said.

   The girls were all eager to watch him lift back up into position. 
Shelly tried to distract him with some easy questions, but it was no good.
Once he started, he kept going until he was at his height again.  Jean
teased him, "You just can't help it can you?"

   "Is this almost over?"

   He didn't get the answer he wanted.  A voice sounded over the
loudspeaker, "Miss Hartick, you're needed in the front office."

   Miss Hartick thought about that a moment.  "I guess I've got to go.  Can
I trust you boys to behave?" She didn't exactly get an answer.  They all
just shifted positions nervously.  Surely she wasn't really going to leave
them alone with these girls?  She was.  "Good.  I'll only be gone a
minute."

   Shelly said, "The interview won't last long anyway.  Once I'm done, I'll
let the boys get back to class."

   "Sure," Miss Hartick said.  The instant she was out the door, Jean and
Danielle turned on the boys with villainous eyes.  "Alone at last."

   Danielle said, "Stand back up, guys.  I want to see you lined up again."

   Shelly wanted to put a stop to this, but what could she say?  "Uhm, I
think the interview's over, really."

   "Good," Jean said.  "Then I can do this." She put one hand on Chad's
butt and the other on his cock.  He wasn't even all the way back up yet, so
she got to feel him harden up in her grip.  "Oh my."

   Danielle was slowly running her hand up and down Philip's tool.  "Has
Carla ever gotten to see you naked?"

   "No," Philip admitted before he caught himself.

   Danielle laughed.  "Ha!  She's never even seen his cock, and I've gotten
to touch it."

   Shelly said, "Girls, I think we'd better call it a day."

   "In a minute," Jean said.  "I've got to do this." She took a permanent
marker from Miss Hartick's desk.  "Turn around, Chad." When he did, she put
one hand along the bottom of his butt like a frame.  Then she started
writing.

   Shelly said, "What are you doing?"

   "I'm giving him an autograph!" There was her name, Jean Greenbaum, on
his butt.

   Danielle took the marker and urged Philip around.  She said, "Since she
doesn't get to see you naked like I do, then at least Carla won't see
this." She put her name on his ass.

   She handed the marker to Shelly.  Ordinarily our heroine would have been
excited to be a part of this.  This time it felt more like peer pressure,
but she didn't see a graceful way to refuse.  She was happy to hear Arthur
say, "Do we have to let them do this?"

   Philip spat out the words, "If we don't then we'll get in trouble
somehow.  I don't want to end up naked in Miss Devasquez's room again."

   So Arthur turned around.  There was no way out of it, so Shelly shrugged
her shoulders and decided to enjoy.  She'd never put her name on a naked
boy before.  She signed "Shelly Marks" right on Arthur's left butt cheek.
In spite of herself, she took a handful of the other cheek before she was
done.  Jean took the marker from her.  "A souvenir," she said.

   "You can get dressed now," Shelly told the boys.  The boys were
disgusted at the whole thing as they get covered up.  Never once did the
girls avert their eyes.

   That should be the end of this chapter, I know.  It can't be though,
because Shelly is the sports reporter.  Even so, this isn't exactly a story
about baseball.  Unless that's a euphemism of some sort.  There's going to
have to be a no nudity epilogue to this chapter because I have to tell you
how the big game started and ended.  Shelly sat in the stands feeling a
wonderful anticipation.  The team was great this year, and she had been
dying to see them in action.  She only hoped that she could take some
decent notes while watching the game.

   "First up to bat for the Prellis Jaybirds is Arthur Preston."

   Shelly was on the edge of her seat.  That famous Pitcher for Grable,
Anderson, was already out there.  Arthur didn't keep the crowd in suspense
for very long.  The very first pitch, and he hit a triple.  The crowd went
wild.  Shelly was in heaven.  For her a game like this was as good as her
locker room interviews.  The Jaybirds not only won the game, which seemed
to be against all odds, they won by six runs!  The team was celebrating so
hard that the boys didn't even seem to mind her being there to talk to
them. Of course they knew their locker room time was safe from her after
the game anyway.  She got a few good quotes when she could get past all the
cheering.

   When things started to die down, Coach Grady pulled her aside so that no
one else could hear.  He said, "There's our little good luck charm."

   "What?"

   "Shelly, put away that notepad.  I want to tell you something that I
don't want you to ever repeat to my players."

   She agreed to that easily.  Coach Grady was happy to tell her, "From now
on, I'm going to support you and Miss Hartick all the way.  What you've
been doing with the boys is a big help."

   "What?"

   "Shelly, I know the boys hate it, and I don't know what all goes down
there.  Don't tell me either!  What I do know is that all that
embarrassment hasn't hurt the boys' grades or their social lives and it
certainly hasn't hurt their ability to play.  You said it yourself.  The
team looks better than it ever has.  Take the game tonight, which of the
boys really stood out?"

   That was easy.  "Philip, Arthur and Chad.  Whoa!" It hadn't dawned on
her during the excitement of the game.  She saw it when Coach Grady pointed
it out though.  "The boys I interviewed earlier, they were great!"

   "That's right.  I've got to go talk to the boys now.  Remember, it's our
secret, but I'm going to make sure you can keep doing your thing."

   Shelly was glowing.  All of her confidence was restored.  Not only had
she not damaged the team, she had been helping them the whole time.  Of
course the boys would never realize that, but that was fine with her.  She
would never hold back again.  She couldn't wait for the next practice so
that she could see some stiffy again.