Anna didn’t want to be awake at three in the morning. It was just hard to sleep when there was a massive clap of thunder every couple minutes and the rain pounded on the dorm room window, both deafeningly loud even through the pillow clamped down around Anna’s head.

She rolled over and groaned. She cracked an eye open and saw the dim outline of her roommate on the bed across from hers, sound asleep with the blanket barely covering her body. Figures, Anna thought. She throws a fit if you wake her up before noon, but she somehow sleeps through all this. She rubbed her temple and scowled. Ugh, I hope this headache goes away. It’s like there’s some huge pressure or something; maybe it’s the storm?

After what could’ve been ten minutes, or an hour, or maybe thirty seconds, Anna sat up and reached out for her phone on the table at the foot of her bed. Briefly blinded by the brightness of the screen, she loaded up her “chill beats” playlist and slipped on her headphones. It helped drown out the noise of the storm, but just barely.

She got maybe an hour of sleep before her alarm went off.

“Get up, Anna!”

Anna groaned and rolled over, away from the sound of the voice. “Five more minutes.”

“No, now! You’re gonna miss your class!” Elena grabbed Anna’s shoulder and yanked her up and out of her bed.

“Ow!” Anna yelped, landing on her butt and glaring up at her roommate. “Don’t do that! It’s rude!”

“Well, I tried nearly everything else I had to wake you up!” Elena chuckled. “Now, up, up! Your first class is in fifteen minutes!”

“Alright, fine, I’ll…” Anna blinked. She hadn’t taken a good look at Elena up until this point, but now that she had, she couldn’t help but notice Elena’s attire. Or, rather, the lack thereof. The tan-skinned woman was wearing nothing but a black thong and a pair of tennis shoes, her large breasts and athletic build on full display. Along with her, uh, other hair. I don’t like shaving down there either, but if you’re gonna be wearing that, you might wanna at least tidy up. “Uh, Elena?”

“Yes?”

“Are you, um… forgetting something?”

Elena tilted her head to the side. “Um… no? I don’t think so, anyway.”

“You don’t think it’s weird that your boobs are out?”

“Why, do you have a problem with them?”

Anna blushed. “N-No! They’re, uh, nice. I mean, u-um!” She stood up and ran over to her dresser, picking up her shower caddy and rushing out of the room before she embarrassed herself further. God, why does she do that to me? She knows I’m gay, she doesn’t have to rub it in!

She walked down to the bathroom and sighed. Whatever. I just wish she’d stop teasing me when she knows we can’t be together. She only has eyes for the boys down at Hillview Academy. Anna opened the door and stepped over to the sink, preparing to at least brush her teeth and comb her hair since she didn’t have time for a shower. As she looked around the room, however, she realized that everyone else was wearing practically nothing. Some had towels wrapped around their waist but nothing covering their chest, some wore bras but no panties, and more than a couple didn’t have on anything at all.

Even stranger, no one seemed embarrassed or uncomfortable with this. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to walk around, brush their teeth, or just chat with their friends while nearly nude. No one even seemed to acknowledge the fact that Anna could see them; her lesbian-ness was no secret to anyone, but even the girls who had been shitty towards her for being gay didn’t care that she could see every inch of them.

Anna realized she was staring and forced herself to look away, shaking her head in disbelief. Am I still dreaming? No, my butt stings too hard for that to be it. So… is this like a prank? Ugh, I’m too sleep-deprived for this shit. Hopefully the rest of my day will be normal.

Her day did not get any more normal. As soon as she stepped outside her dorm room, she noticed even more women wearing only the loosest definition of clothes. Bras, bikini tops, maybe a pair of boyshorts. But hardly anyone was wearing anything more than that. Anna had never felt overdressed before, certainly not when she just had on a sweatshirt and jeans, but this just bizarre.

She almost thought it was some sort of hazing ritual at first. But when she walked over to the quad, she realized, to her horror, that nearly everyone on campus was dressed the same way. Or, to be more precise, not dressed. Oh, god, what is happening today? Did someone send out a mass email I didn’t read? A-And is that a professor I see without a top on?

“Anna?” said a voice from behind. Anna turned around and was relieved to see at least one other person wasn’t going streaking today.

“Hey, Kasumi,” Anna sighed. “You have any idea what… this is about?”

“I was gonna ask you that,” Kasumi chuckled. She usually dressed a bit preppier than Anna, and today was no exception, with a cardigan over a blouse, a skirt over tights, and a sensible pair of flats. She usually stood out at least a little bit, since half the people on campus showed up to class in sweatpants; today, though, she looked like she just came in from a different planet.

“Yeah, it’s… weird.” Anna wasn’t sure that word was descriptive enough for the sheer oddity of the situation, but she was still trying to process what she was even looking at.

“Well, I’m sure you’re enjoying yourself,” said another voice. Anna recognized the snarky attitude anywhere. She turned around and was almost disappointed to see that Morgan was also unaffected by whatever was going on with everyone else on campus. Wait, why am I disappointed? She’s just dressed like normal, that’s fine!

Anna rolled her eyes. “I’m more confused than happy, Morgan.” She eyed the other woman up and down, noticing something odd about her. “What happened to that jacket you usually wear?”

“It’s too hot out!” Morgan groaned, dramatically fanning herself. Even without the leather jacket, she was an almost stereotypical example of a punk, with a faded t-shirt of some band Anna had never heard of, ripped jeans, and black combat boots, plus a nose ring and spiky black hair that turned to a neon blue at the tips. “Anyway,” Morgan continued, “aren’t we here to, like, learn and shit?”

“Yes!” Kasumi said, gripping Anna and Morgan’s hands tightly. “We need to get to class! No time for gawking at the nudists!”

Fortunately, it seemed Anna’s film studies professor was one of the few who weren’t affected by whatever was happening to the rest of the campus. She sipped her coffee and scowled at the students in the lecture hall, looking as though she was trying not to vomit.

“Alright,” she said finally, slamming her cup on the desk in front of her. “I don’t know what kind of TikTok challenge or whatever is going on here, but if you all think this is funny, it’s not.”

There were a few murmurs of confusion amongst the other students. One of them raised her hand and asked what she was talking about. The professor’s expression grew even more sour. “Don’t act dumb! You know exactly what I mean!” She groaned and rubbed her temples. “Ugh, you know what? You win. I’m too tired to deal with this crap. You all get an extra couple days to get through Sunrise, just… put some clothes on next time, alright?”

Anna picked up her backpack and headed for the door along with everyone else. She couldn’t deny a little thrill as the other students crowded around her, their bodies pressed together as they all tried to get out of the lecture hall as soon as possible. Seriously, does no one else notice how weird this all is? It’s like they don’t even realize they’re half-naked. As Anna walked through the halls, she peeked into one of the other classrooms. Her jaw dropped when she realized that her English literature professor was giving a lecture topless. Holy shit… I always thought she was hot in a MILF-y kinda way, but… Anna shook her head. Wait, what am I saying? I can’t fuck my professor!

Her stomach gurgled as she tried to expel her dirty thoughts. Breakfast. Maybe that corn flakes guy was onto something and it’ll make me less horny. Hell, that’d make more sense than anything else that’s happened today.

“Well, I’m just glad we got a break,” Morgan said, stabbing her pancakes with her fork. “I still haven’t even watched that stupid movie.”

“I think that’s more of a ‘you’ problem,” Kasumi smirked, taking a sip of orange juice. “Seriously, it’s like an hour and a half! Just get it over with!”

“But there’s no words in it! It’s so boring!” Morgan leaned over to Anna expectantly. “C’mon, you agree with me, right?”

Anna shrugged. “I dunno, I liked it.”

“Well, duh, you would like it,” Morgan replied. “You’re kind of a hipster, y’know?”

“Liking old movies doesn’t make someone a hipster, Morgan.”

“And who even calls people ‘hipsters’ anymore?” Kasumi interjected. “2010 called, they want their insult back.”

“U-Um.”

Anna barely heard the quiet voice behind her. She turned around and smiled. “Oh, hey, Lena! C’mon, saved you a seat.”

Lena nodded and quickly sat down next to Anna. Her hazel eyes were wide as she scanned the dining hall, utterly bewildered by the scene around her. “What’s… going on?”

“Fuck if I know,” Morgan mumbled, her mouth full of pancake. “Woke up and everyone decided to go streaking. Weird shit, right?”

“Yeah… really weird…” Lena nervously fidgeted with her glasses, her cheeks beet red. She was the type of person who liked to disappear into the background; under any other circumstances, her hoodie, cargo shorts, and short brown hair would make her look entirely anonymous.

“Well, at least some of us still know how to dress ourselves, right?” Anna said, trying to lighten Lena’s mood. She was always awkward even before everyone went crazy. I can’t exactly blame her, being one of like three trans girls on the whole campus.

“Oh, thank Christ, you girls are still normal.” The fifth member of the table didn’t even ask before sitting down next to Kasumi. She didn’t have a tray with her, instead chowing down on a granola bar and a bottle of Gatorade.

“Hi, Barbara,” Kasumi said happily, hugging the other woman tightly. “Yeah, we’re all talking about how everyone’s lost their minds. One of those days, huh?”

“You’re telling me,” Barbara chuckled. “Coach had to ‘gently remind’ everyone that they still had to wear at least a sports bra while they were out on the track.” Right, she does running stuff. Anna wasn’t very close to Barbara; she was more Kasumi’s friend than hers. At this point, however, she’d probably be friends with anyone who recognized what was going on around her. Barbara certainly looked like the kind of person who did track-and-field, her red hair tied into a sensible ponytail and a tank top and yoga pants showing off her toned physique.

Morgan jabbed an elbow into Anna’s side. “Bet you would’ve liked to see those girls out there, huh? Imagine them doing jumping jacks as part of their warmup.”

“Huh?” Barbara stared at Morgan. “What, just because she’s gay that means she’s also a pervert?”

“I-I didn’t–” Morgan cleared her throat and looked away from Barbara and Anna. “I mean, like, you don’t have to be a pervert to wanna watch hot people… do… stuff.”

Barbara shrugged. “I mean, there are worse things to look at while you’re working out. I’d just feel bad for their boobs. You ever tried running, like intense running, without making sure your girls are safe and secure? It’s awful.”

“I-I would’ve thought the heat would be even worse,” Lena said.

“Yeah, it…” Barbara blinked. “Y’know what? Lemme just…” She reached down and, in one fluid motion, pulled up her tank top and tossed it to the side. “Ahhh…” she sighed, smiling. “Soooooo much better.”

The rest of the table all looked at her in shock. Kasumi was the first one to speak up. “Barbara… what are you doing?”

“Uh, cooling off? What’s it look like?”

“But you can’t just go around without a top on!” Anna interjected.

“Why not?” Barbara motioned towards the rest of the dining hall. “I’m not exactly underdressed compared to everyone else. Besides, it’s not like I’ve got my tits out or anything.”

Morgan scratched the back of her head and looked down at her plate. “I mean… she’s got a point, right? If she wants to go around like that, let her be.”

Anna glared at Morgan. Weren’t you getting weirded out about this too? Why’re you suddenly so accepting? She sighed and went back to her food. Whatever. I shouldn’t blow up at her over this. I just hope whatever the fuck is going on is over by tomorrow.

It was nearly midnight, but Anna was no closer to falling asleep. The rain which had subsided all day was back with a vengeance, maybe even louder than it was the night before.

Elena didn’t seem to mind, though. She was dozing away, without even a blanket to cover her naked body. Anna wasn’t the kind of person to stare at people while they were sleeping, but if she was going to be awake anyway, she was at least grateful she had something nice to look at.

The quiet buzz of her phone startled Anna. She picked it up and squinted at its bright light in the darkened room.

Kasumi: Anyone else still up?

It was a message to the group chat they’d set up. Anna quickly shot off a reply, which was soon joined by Morgan and Lena.

Anna: This storm sucks. Can’t get any sleep at all.

Lena: Same here.

Morgan: It fucking sucks dude.

Kasumi: Well, if we can’t sleep anyway, does anyone wanna hop online? I just finished setting up my private Minecraft server.

Anna sighed. She knew all the risks about eye strain and tiredness from gaming all night. But with the torrent outside and the strange pressure steadily building around her forehead, she knew she might as well do something until the morning came. She rolled out of bed and turned on her laptop, loading up Discord and logging in to the game.

As the night wore on, Anna couldn’t stop thinking about the craziness that had gone on that day. What could’ve caused the whole campus to stop putting clothes on? Was it just a one-time situation, or would it only get worse as the days rolled on? Anna shook her head and took a sip of an energy drink she grabbed from her minifridge. Those were questions for another time. For now, all she and her friends needed to worry about was riding out the storm in the warm glow of their laptop screens.