Changing Time

This story is one of my older stories, written and first published (elsewhere) in November 2009. The story is gentle and sweet and all the characters are 18 or older. I live in New Zealand and I have kept the New Zealand terminology, so when I use the term changing room I am referring to what Americans call a locker room.

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Part 1: Christchurch

Rose and Tim were in their last year of high school when they moved to New Zealand. Their mother had died when they were 9, and their father, an officer in the US Air Force, could not deal with the idea of raising twins on his own. Because he had various posting in all parts of the world, he arranged for them to attend boarding school in San Diego where their elderly grandmother could provide some input into their lives.

Finally, age and promotions saw an end to their father's days as a pilot, and he was offered a senior role at the Operation Deep Freeze base in Christchurch, New Zealand. This posting finally provided an opportunity to live in a normal suburban home in a peaceful Western country. Secure in the knowledge that his children were mature and level-headed and sufficiently self-sufficient to look after themselves when he was busy at work, he wasted no time in arranging for them to join him.

Rose and Tim were both smart and successful. Tim was the quiet one who poured most of his energies into his studies with extraordinary academic success. His only other interest was basketball. While he lacked any particular talent or height (he was five foot ten), hours of practice had honed his skills and provided a clear head for strategy. Rose was the more social of the twins. Academic and sporting success came easily to her, and left her with plenty of spare time and energy to enjoy a full social life. She was full of confidence - something her brother lacked. He certainly had no confidence around girls. As is often the case with close siblings, Rose looked out for her brother and tried to encourage him. She even set him up on a few dates, which were invariably awkward affairs.

One of the first things that Rose did when they settled in their new home was to push Tim to join the high school basketball team. Basketball is a relatively minor sport in New Zealand compared to the dominant position of rugby. The school basketball team had a low profile in comparison, and Tim's skills would certainly guarantee him a place in the starting five.

Rose's own sporting interests, however, hit a major roadblock. The dominant female sport at school was netball. While similar to basketball, Rose considered it a very poor substitute. She could not muster any enthusiasm for the game. The somewhat small high school that Rose and Tim attended did not offer basketball as an option for girls. In fact, in those days girls' basketball wasn't even an option within the school sports system. Rose did discover that some of the larger schools entered women's teams in the adult basketball leagues, but her own school was resistant to the idea because they were worried that it would weaken their netball team. This injustice brought out the fighting spirit in Rose. She pushed the issue among the staff and students, and did manage to recruit sufficient numbers to make a team viable. However, as there was no staff member able to be their coach, the idea was squashed.

The major turning point in Tim's social life came as a result of a serious knee injury which ended his basketball hopes for the season. The injury left Tim distraught, and he retreated into his academic studies. Rose became very concerned for him as he became increasingly withdrawn. Then she hit upon an idea that would meet both their needs. She approached Mrs Milligan, an older economics teacher at school, with a proposal for a girls' basketball team. If Mrs Milligan agreed to supervise the team, Rose promised that she would persuade Tim to provide the coaching.

Rose's charm worked as well as she had hoped with Mrs Milligan, and an agreement was quickly obtained. Now she had to convince Tim, which proved to be far more difficult. The idea of coaching a team of girls his own age was mortifying. However, once Rose had an idea in her head, there was no way of denying her. The basketball team had its supervisor and coach, and assembled for its first practice.

Rose's success in creating the team, and her general air of carefree, confident American-ness, had provided a polarising effect in the school, which followed through to the composition of the squad that assembled. The defection of Lucy, the goal attack from the top netball team, had caused a great deal of rumblings within the conservative factions of the school. While an excellent netball player, Lucy was a huge basketball fan who jumped at the chance to play. The netball team was smarting at the loss of such a key player.

Another huge shock to the establishment was Cassandra, the school's Head Girl. An academic, responsible and straight-laced girl, she was desperate to break the mould of being the proper girl everyone had always expected her to be. She was keen to re-establish herself as Cassie, a person who didn't need to live up to everybody else's expectations.

Cindy, a shy American girl who was also the daughter of an Operation Deep Freeze officer, was keen to be included in the team. She had been struggling to make friends during her time in New Zealand, and was keen to be taken under Rose's wing.

Another recruit was Katrina, a girl who had recently grown to six foot one and was struggling to cope with how conspicuous she felt everywhere she went. Rose sat beside her in maths, and the two had clicked instantly. Rose's invitation to join the basketball team seemed as much about friendship than a simple comment on her tallness, and Katrina found herself accepting the invitation.

The remaining three players were Anna, Heather and Suzanne. All were netballers who were disappointed to miss out on places in the top netball team. The squad only had eight players, which was the absolute minimum needed to enter a team in the competition. They had been forced to turn away a number of younger girls since the adult competition required all players to be aged 18 or over.

The key thing that brought the team together was the influence of Rose. Whatever their circumstances, Rose represented an opportunity to broaden their life experience. Being students at a conservative school in a conservative part of the city, the majority were approaching the end of their high school years with regrets that their teenage years were passing them by.

Mrs Milligan was wise enough to appoint Cassie as the official team captain, a decision that went a long way to pacifying the senior staff members. However, there was no doubt that Rose was the real leader of the team. She was universally popular amongst all members of the team, and was the main motivator and encourager.

At first Tim was popular with the team simply because he was Rose's brother. His shyness and determination to sink into the background even during coaching sessions was unlikely to attract positive attention. However, within a few practices he was popular in his own right due to his good humour and his compliments and encouragement of others. His shyness became endearing, and all the team were keen to draw him out of his shell.

At home, Rose frequently talked basketball with her brother. More than just skills and strategy, she also engaged him in banter about the individual players under his guidance. He would steadfastly refuse to believe that any of this group of pretty girls could be at all interested in being his girlfriend. Rose began to despair, and started concocting plans to break down the barriers that Tim erected around himself.

Mrs Milligan only occasionally attended the pre-season practices. Once the competitive games started she was happy to help out with transport and cheer from the sidelines, but didn't feel the need to attend the practices as well. In her mind the team and its coach were all lovely kids. She certainly figured there was nothing about their innocent teenage coach to lead the girls astray. Rose had other ideas.

The team's practices in the school gym were only an hour long, sandwiched between the boys' volleyball and the boys' basketball practices. Since most of the team were competent netball players, team discussions of strategy were just as important as practice on the court, so the team got in the habit of meeting together to talk in the changing room both before and after the practice. Tim would nervously knock on the door and wait patiently for the all clear before going in. Although he tried to appear nonchalant, his very entry to the room was exciting - the girls, the casually strewn about clothes and bags, the smells of sweat, deodorant and perfume, the steam from the showers, all of it invariably set his heart racing and made him stumble self-consciously over his words.

As Tim knocked on the changing room door before the third practice, Rose quickly scanned the room and made an impulsive decision. "Come in" she called, and Tim did just that. Rose herself had only her shorts and sports bra on, but that didn't concern her with her brother coming in. A number of her teammates were less covered, and there was a chorus of screams and yells and diving for cover as Tim came through the door. The first person Tim saw was Heather, walking back from the toilet stalls in a skimpy bra and panty set. She had a fair distance to cover before she could escape his eyes. As his eyes involuntarily followed her retreating bottom, he became aware of others in similar states. Cindy and Suzanne were topless, and he saw glimpses of their breasts as they grabbed clothes or towels to hold in front of themselves. Competing with this was the sight of Katrina's bottom in just a thong as she struggled to quickly pull on her shorts.

Time seemed to stand still for Tim as confusion, excitement and embarrassment competed with each other in his brain. Eventually he regained his senses enough to hurriedly retreat from the room. From outside he heard a chorus of squeals, giggles and protests, all directed at Rose. The only one who was genuinely angry was Suzanne, but even she softened at the sight of Tim's acute embarrassment when he was finally allowed in. He was mostly welcomed by a sea of knowing smiles and giggles, which seemed to increase the more he stammered and turned red. Most also recognised another element of his discomfort as he held his school bag in front of his waist like a shield. A few of the more confident ones indulged in a bit a light-hearted teasing.

From that point onwards, a change started coming over the team. Their practice in the gym was their best yet, and team spirit was higher than ever. Tim slowly got over his embarrassment and became more animated and talkative. Following their allotted hour on court, Tim found himself swept out of the gym with the team and into the female dressing room, where their discussion continued for some time.

While they chatted on about the strengths and weaknesses of a zone defense, Rose took things to another level as she calmly stripping off her shorts and singlet, grabbed a towel, and sauntered off around the corner to the showers in just her underwear. She returned naked a short time later, and lazily pulled on her clothes. Tim was so engrossed in his discussion that his sister's actions barely registered. However, the rest of the girls couldn't help but be amazed at what they were seeing. They seemed to be looking to each other to see what to do next. No one made any remark out loud about Rose's actions.

As it happened, Cindy and Katrina were the next to act. Both were far too self-conscious to do anything as daring. However, there was also an unspoken agreement that Tim wouldn't be asked to leave. Both grabbed their towels and clothes and drifted off to the showers. From where Tim was standing, he would have to cross to the other side of the room to see into the shower area, and neither Cindy nor Katrina considered this to be at all likely.

One by one the rest of the team followed suit, heading off to the showers in their basketball uniform and returning fully dressed in their street clothes. Cassie was the last to move, indecision written all over her face. All of a sudden she made a move. Trying to look casual, but in reality trembling, she clumsily pulled off her singlet and shorts and headed to the showers in her rather modest sports bra and panties.

As Tim happily continued his basketball discussion, it had slowly dawned on him what had been going on around him. He had grown aware of the showers being used, and the increasing numbers of girls reappearing in different clothes and going about the process of doing hair, packing their bags, and so on. He desperately tried to act normally, afraid that the spell would be broken at any moment.

His composure didn't survive Cassie's actions. He stopped talking mid-sentence as his brain went into overload. Cassie noticed the effect as she walked away from him towards the showers, and she couldn't help feeling excited and pleased by the effect she had had on him.

Tim tried valiantly to carry on as normal, but he couldn't help making furtive glances towards the showers to see what would happen next. Cassie had only taken a towel with her, and Tim was dying with suspense to see what she would do next. Not surprisingly, on this occasion his wildest dreams were not to be realised. Cassie's bravery didn't last, and she reappeared with her towel tightly wrapped around her to retrieve her clothes before retreating from sight again. She was mostly staring steadily at the floor, but just once she looked in Tim's direction and fleetingly met his eye. He saw a shy smile flit across her face before she hurried away.

From that day onwards, it seemed that everyone was conspiring together to make Tim's presence in their changing room seem as normal as possible. The following week Tim was invited into their room before the practice to settle an argument about substitution rules, only to discover that none of the girls had started getting changed. There was no denying the tension in the air, as each of the girls tried to decide how daring they would be. Rose couldn't help smiling to herself as she watched her brother and her teammates talking nervously to each other. Most of the girls had taken off their footwear, and a few were nervously fingering various items of clothing. She could see the anticipation in her brother's demeanour as he would quickly glance around the room before determinedly fixing his gaze on the eyes of whichever girl he was talking to.

It wasn't just that Rose didn't see any need to hide her body from her closest relative and friend. It was also with a purposeful decision to push things along for the sake of her brother that she began to get changed in the middle of the room. The tension amongst the girls increased yet again. From where Tim was standing now, the only girls in his direct line of vision were Rose, Cindy and Anna. The remaining girls were behind him. Again it was Cassie who found unexpected reserves of daring. Standing immediately behind Tim, she started to peel off her clothes.

Peripheral vision is both a wonderful and a tantalising thing. Tim could hear the rustle of clothing and the sounds of zips, buckles and bra straps. Out of the corners of his eyes he could see vague bits of bodies, and various items of clothing appearing on the benches and floor. Again he had the overwhelming fear that the slightest move would break the spell. He fixed his eyes rigidly on Cindy and Anna in front of him (neither of whom had moved) and tried without success to speak normally. A blush crept over his face.

The tension was broken by Anna, who was struggling to keep a straight face. She burst out laughing, which was quickly joined in by all the other girls. Tim's impersonation of a statue was both hilarious and adorable. As the girls behind him changed, they then wandered in front of him, as if showing off the fact that they were now in their playing gear. Cassie then cheekily reminded Cindy and Anna that they still needed to get changed, to a chorus of giggles from the rest of the group. Not surprisingly, they snuck round the corner to change.

Throughout that afternoon's practice, Tim couldn't help dwelling on how his life was changing. A few weeks ago, his sister was the only girl in the world that he could really be comfortable with. Now there were another seven girls who he was laughing and bantering with. They were starting to touch him as well. Suzanne bumped into him catching a wild pass. Lucy steadied her balance with a hand on his shoulder as she examined a non-existent scratch on her knee. Cassie's hand held his elbow as she caught his attention to ask a question. He could tell that in many ways they were similar to him, overcoming their own nervousness, feeding on the encouragement of his sister.

Tim decided to try his luck at the end of the practice and accompanied the team into their changing room without waiting for an invitation. Once inside, however, he nearly panicked because he wasn't actually talking with anyone and he quickly realised he had no good reason to be there. There was an awkward lull in the conversation. Rose quickly came to her senses and headed over to rescue him with some question or other, but to her pleasant surprise Cassie beat her to it. As Cassandra, the responsible head girl of the school, she was used to playing hostess and getting over awkward situations. And as Cassie, the young woman determined to do her own thing, she was delighting in the naughtiness of having Tim in the girls' changing room. Even more than that, she knew she was starting to develop feelings for him. She boldly stepped up to him and asked him his opinion on various bands she liked.

There is something about sports underwear that makes it slightly less personal. Still, as Tim stood there talking with Cassie, he was still taken aback as he saw all the other girls strip down to their underwear before grabbing their towels and street clothes and disappearing into the shower area. For much of their conversation Tim held Cassie's eyes. However, she couldn't help noticing his eyes quickly flicking away at regular intervals. She couldn't deny feeling aroused by the situation, but she also noticed feelings of jealousy at Tim's interest in her teammates. She resolved to grab his attention, and surprised herself with her decisive actions. Declaring that it was about time she had her shower, she immediately pulled her singlet up over her head and pushed her shorts down to her ankles and stepped out of them. The expression on Tim's face assured her that he was in her power, which increased her sense of daring. As she stood in front of him in her underwear, pushing her chest out slightly, she deliberately looked down at his groin where she was rewarded with the sight of a pronounced bulge. She looked him in the eye and gave him a winning smile. "Catch you later".

The team was settling into a routine of practices and competition games within the city and surrounding countryside. However, Tim's experiences in the changing rooms were not the least bit routine or ordinary to him. Surprisingly it was Anna who upped the ante. It was surprising because Anna was the only one of the girls with a steady boyfriend, and she had no intention of indulging in any real flirting. Maybe this gave her an added sense of freedom to indulge in some relatively harmless exhibitionism. The girls had grown accustomed to Tim seeing them in their sports underwear, but had remained shy about being seen in more revealing lingerie. This started to change the day Anna walked back from the showers wearing a low-cut lacy bra and matching boyshorts. This started a lingerie fashion parade during the ensuing weeks. Tim observed a variety of body sizes and shapes barely covered by small pieces of satin, lace, and lycra. Black, white, colours and patterns - Tim could scarcely believe what was happening and wondering what he had done to deserve it. As a girl, of course, Rose knew very well that they were showing off their best items. The old and mismatched underwear that girls typically wear on a normal school day were nowhere to be seen.