It all began when she needed money to pay her rent at Dildopolous.

Actually, it really all began when she was a teenager. Or possibly even before that. Even if she was a little fuzzy on the true time of the origin, it still all started with her mother.

Growing up Annie came from money. Both her parents made enough at their jobs to live a comfortable and even sometimes lavish lifestyle. Even after the divorce Annie and her mom still lived in a nice house and always had nice things. Ideally Annie would not have had to know true want until after she moved out on her own. But her mother was always very tight fisted when it came to providing for Annie. She didn't starve her or made her wear rags. Rather she only bought things for Annie that SHE felt her daughter needed, rather than things Annie wanted for herself. "No Annie, I'm not buying you ice cream. Sugar isn't good for you. I'm not getting you a bike Annie. If you need to go somewhere I'll just drive you. I don't care if Susie's mother is taking everyone to Adventure Park; I'm not giving you money for a ticket. You go on all those rides and you'll just come home sick and over stimulated." And in addition to never buying anything for Annie that she didn't approve of, Annie's mom also never gave her an allowance or any spending money. (The only exception to this being her 'period fairy' monthly dollar. And Annie suspected her mother just did this because it proved that Annie hadn't tarnished the family name by becoming pregnant.)

Eventually Annie realized why her mother was doing this. Annie's mother wanted her daughter under her control. And by completely denying her monetary means, she kept Annie firmly under her thumb. If there was something Annie wanted that her mother didn't want her to have or do, she got her way because Annie had no other way of getting or achieving it on her own.

It was from this that Annie came to the realization that money equaled freedom. Her mother was able to control her because Annie needed her financially. But if she had her own money she could someday use it to do things she wanted to do. And not just buy frivolous things, but attend a college of her choice, or travel, or live on her own. So from the age of twelve Annie saved every cent she ever got. Every period dollar, every check from birthdays and Hanukkahs, all the money her relatives gave her for her Bat Mitzvah. It all went into a bank account she set up that her mother couldn't get to. In addition Annie worked any job a teenager could do when she wasn't studying for school. Some were fairly traditional, like babysitting and working as a cashier at a clothing store. Other jobs, such as working as a clown for children's parties one summer, were less so. But Annie persisted and by the time she was in twelve grade she had accumulated enough of a nest egg where even her Adderall addiction (the only thing she ever ended up dipping into her savings for) didn't put a dent in.

It was due to her meticulous saving that Annie was even able to get the help she needed. After crashing through that plate glass window Annie told her mother that she needed to go to rehab to beat her addiction. Her mother flatly refused, terrified of what it would do to the family name. And when Annie said that she was still going her mother told her, in a nastily smug tone, "And how do you plan to go if I'm not paying? I doubt they give out scholarships to attend rehab."

Annie had to admit that she got a lot of satisfaction out of telling her mother she would be paying to go to rehab herself. It was even sweeter when her mother declared that if she went she would be cut off, and Annie replied that she had the means to take care of herself. Because of her realization and her hard work she was able to go to rehab, get clean, and move out on her own.

She kept up her careful planning when she moved out. She moved into the cheapest apartment she could find (even if it was in a terrible neighborhood) and bought a car that had seen far better days. But in spite of her planning Annie didn't realize just how expensive living on your own could be. After only a year her nest egg pretty much dried up. Naively she had thought it would last until she graduated from college. But she realized that that idea was just a pipe dream.

So like always she looked for ways to make money and support herself. She brought empty cans to distributors and got a job after the whole Pierce drug play fiasco. Luckily she didn't have to resort to selling her eggs (though she did seriously look into it when she missed her rent one month and was told she'd be evicted if it happened again). But she was always on the lookout for a way to make extra cash.

And then one day Britta brought to light one thing she could do.

During a lecture in their Feminist Representations in Media class, the instructor asked the class if they felt it was demeaning for a woman to be naked while others were clothed, such as on a film set or in a photography studio. And Britta was passionately on the side where it wasn't demeaning. When their teacher asked if she had any personal experience on the matter Britta said she didn't. But later when she had lunch with Shirley and Annie she informed the two women that she hadn't been truthful in class.

"You used to be a nude model?" Shirley shriek/whispered in surprise.

"Yea, when I was living in New York," Britta said as she shrugged. "I just did it for a few life drawing classes. It wasn't that big of a deal."

"How naked were you? Were you topless, or where you, naked naked?" Annie whispered.

Britta sighed as she shook her head. "Annie, trust me, it's not as big a thing as you'd think."

"Maybe for you. But I could never let a bunch of strangers see me in my birthday suit," Shirley said.

"I'm not trying to talk you into doing it. I'm just saying it wasn't that bad. After a while you almost forget you're even naked. And people who draw in an art class actually leer at you less than people on the street do. I honestly felt more objectified walking home in my clothes then in the studio naked."

"Would you ever do it again?" Annie asked.

"I wouldn't do it here," Britta exclaimed as she waved her hands wildly. "Not where people see me on a daily basis. But in general? Yea, I guess. Like I said you get used to it after a while, and it made me more comfortable with myself and my sexuality."

"So that's where you got it from," Shirley said in a low judgmental voice.

Britta glared at Shirley before continuing. "Plus it was a way to make some extra cash."

"Really," Annie said, trying not to sound too eager. "How much did you make?"

"Well I don't know about here. But in New York I usually made fifteen to twenty dollars an hour. A couple times I made thirty an hour when the class's model dropped out and I had to fill in at the last minute."

When Annie went home that night she thought about it a great deal. At first it seemed completely insane. Standing naked in a room full of strangers. She'd be modified. But the pay seemed good. It wasn't enough to live on. But it could allow her to put a little bit away so she hopefully wasn't always just scraping by. Plus they had raised her Dildopolous rent, so she could definitely use some extra money for food and general stuff.

And there could possibly be a secondary good thing to come out of posing nude.

It was well known that Annie was uncomfortable with her sexuality and her body. Again it was another thing that originated from her mother. Growing up her mother both insisted that Annie always look nice and presentable, and that she be conservative in her appearance. She'd dress her up in what she felt were appropriate outfits, and then belittled her on everything from her posture to her hair. If she wore something like a sundress without tights and a scarf or wrap it was deemed to 'showy and inappropriate'. "Your appearance counts Annie. People will get the wrong idea about you if you don't look a certain way." In high school Annie rebelled against her mother by gaining weight, cutting her hair, and dressing sloppily (wearing old clothes she'd find in discount thrift stores.) Once she entered rehab she lost weight due to detoxing and grew her hair back out. But even with her physical change and being on her own she was still uncomfortable with herself and with anything overtly sexual (though even she realized the irony of that given where she lived). Her first year at college she was fine with it. But now that she was in her second year she wanted to try to get over her hang-ups. She wanted to someday be able to dress like an adult and not feel like she was a kid playing dress up. Or say things like the 'P' word out loud. Of maybe even have a boyfriend actually see her naked (the two times she slept with Vaughn they did it with the lights off and she refused to have either of them actually see the other naked.)

So after several days of heavy debating with herself, she finally decided to take the plunge and give it a try.

Like everything she did, Annie started her new venture by doing research on the topic. It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. Most material she found was for people who wanted to draw nude subjects, not people who wanted to be nude subjects. But after much searching Annie found a memoir about a woman who worked as a nude model. Annie bought and read the book thoroughly, taking notes on what would be helpful for her.

After that she checked out listings for drawing classes that needed nude models. Like Britta she already knew that she'd never be able to do it at Greendale. But she was able to find other places off campus that were looking for models. She finally settled on an adult education drawing class a few towns over. Annie called up and scheduled an appointment. And after meeting with the instructor she was told to show up on Thursday at 7pm for a trial run.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie stood outside the studio room, clutching her duffle bag protectively against her chest. She had been a bit excited when she woke up that morning. But the entire car ride over she became nervous as she realized exactly what she was about to do. And now that she was actually here she was downright terrified.

What am I doing, she thought. I'm about to let a bunch of strangers see me naked. What if they cat call me? Or make lewd comments. Or just stare at me the entire time. What if I get scared and run out of the room. Everyone will think I'm a bigger prude then I already am and I'll be mocked and made fun of. The group will find out and Britta will think I'm not an 'empowered' woman and Jeff will still think I'm just a kid.

It was Jeff's reaction that seemed to make up her mind on the matter. Shaking her head defiantly she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A few moments later Mr. Miller, an older hippy type with long grey hair and Birkenstocks over sock covered feet, opened the door. "Aw, Miss Edison. Come in."

Annie nervously followed the instructor into the studio, taking everything in. Over a dozen chairs and easels were set up in the room. Most were already filled with students of all ages. They barley paid any attention to her as they chatted and got their art equipment in order. In the front of the room was a small round dais, which looked like a stationary wooden Lazy Susan.

"Ok Miss, class will be starting in a few minutes. There's a bathroom over there in the corner. Why don't you get ready and I'll call you out when it's time."

"Ok," Annie said in a small squeak of a voice. She hugged her bag tightly against herself as she practically sprinted over to the bathroom.

Once inside she locked the door, double checking that it was indeed locked before switching on the overhead light. She took her terrycloth robe out of the bag and slowly took off every piece of clothing she had on, carefully folding each article before putting it in the bag. Once that was done she looked at herself in the mirror, going over her physical mental checklist. She had shaved her legs and arm pits when she showered that morning. She had checked herself over for bruises, acne, or any blemishes before she left (thankfully finding none). After one final inspection of herself she took out her hair brush and ran it through her hair to get out any wayward knots and frizz. Once it was smooth and silky she realized there wasn't anything else she could do to prepare. Now all that remained was the act itself.

As Annie looked at herself she thought back to a passage she read in the memoir she had gotten. The first 30 seconds I'm naked are always the most jarring, no matter how many times I've posed. Slipping off my robe and suddenly going from clothed to unclothed is a shock both to myself and to the ones drawing me. Everyone's attention is on me as they take in my features to capture them in paint or charcoal. I feel more real in those first moments, both vulnerable and powerful in my nakedness, then I do during the rest of my time up there.

"30 seconds," Annie nervously said. "You just have to get through those first 30 seconds and you're good." She put on her white terrycloth robe and opened the bathroom door a crack. The class had started, with the professor lecturing on the importance of capturing the feeling of a subject in a drawing rather than just the subject itself. After a few minutes he called over to her, telling her she could come out now.

Annie walked out of the bathroom on shaky legs, desperately trying not to run out of the room as she walked over to the dais. As she climbed on she remembered another passage from the book. Most first time posers will try an elaborately complicated pose. While it might visually look impressive, one has to take into account that they will be holding that pose for a long time. And that even simple poses can hurt one's body after a while. I've found that it's best to pick a pose that's natural to you; making sure to evenly distribute your weight so no one body part is taking on extra strain.

Grateful that she had already practiced poses before she came here, Annie took a deep breath and took off her robe, dropping it on the floor next to the dais.

The first five seconds or so she didn't even think about it as she maneuvered herself into position. But once she had her legs situated and her arms by the sides of her thighs, it hit her like an electric shock. I'm standing here completely naked, she screamed in her head. As she looked out into the class she saw that everyone was looking intently at her. For a moment she wondered if she was having that dream when you go to class and you're the only one who's naked. Then she almost cried when she realized it wasn't a dream.

To try and focus on something else she looked at the professor out of the corner of her peripheral vision. She fully expected to see him staring at her like everyone else. But to her surprise he was sitting at his desk in the corner, with his head buried in a newspaper. He wasn't even looking at her. As she took that in she realized that this wasn't new to him. To him she was just another art subject. And as she glanced out into the crowd of students she realized the same thing was true to them. She was just another person they had to draw for class. That thought seemed to take some of the shock out of what she was doing.

After a while her arms and legs started to get stiff, and she had an inch on her forehead. She tried to block it out as she looked out into the class. Most of the students were vigorously drawing, only occasionally looking at her. One woman in the back seemed to stare at her for a long time before she finally picked up her pencil to start her work.

Before she knew it she heard Mr. Miller yell out "Ok class, break time. Everyone be back in ten." Annie looked over at the clock and saw that 30 minutes had passed. It simultaneously felt like she had been up there forever and for no time at all. She quickly scratched her forehead before putting her robe back on and going into the bathroom to do some stretches to work out her sore muscles.

The rest of the three hour session went the same way. She'd pose for 30 minutes, and then get a five or ten minute break. During each break she's go to the bathroom to stretch or just hang out in the room while everyone else chatted and compared their work. Then she'd get back on the dais and stand there naked. Each time she shed her robe she found it got a little easier. By the time she did it during the last drawing session she miraculously found that it wasn't that shocking anymore. And as she stood there she found that she wasn't even really aware she was naked unless she glanced down at herself.

"Ok class, time's up. Clean up your work stations and I'll see you next week."

Annie jumped off the dais and put her robe back on before going into the bathroom. Once she was dressed she came out to find that almost everyone had left. She went over to Mr. Miller, who was packing up his stuff. "So…how'd I do?"

"You were fine Miss. Edison," he said without looking up.

"Really?"

"You stood there without moving around too much. That's important with a real life subject. How long have you been modeling for?"

"This was actually my first time."

"Really? That's surprising." He reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here's your voucher. Just bring it to the bursar's office sometime tomorrow and they'll give you your check. Would you be interested in doing more posing for drawing classes?"

"Um…" Annie fidgeted as she thought about it. Truthfully she had been so focused on getting through it the first time she hadn't given much thought on if she'd do it again. Before she could think it over to much she said "Sure."

"Wonderful." He reached back into his bag and pulled out a few business cards. "I'll put you on my model rotation. I like to switch up my subjects so you won't be called in every week. I teach Tuesday and Thursday nights so generally I can get you here once every three weeks. Though if someone cancels I might call to see if you can fill in. I also know a few other art teachers here and at other locations. If you want I can see if they need any new subjects."

"Ok…thanks."

"Take one of those cards for yourself and write your name and number down on another please." He waited as she gave him her information. "Thanks. I'll be in touch Ms. Edison."

As Annie walked down the hallway and out of the building she couldn't believe what she had done. She, Annie Edison, the girl who in high school gym class would wait until everyone else was out of the locker room before changing, had just stood nude in front of a bunch of strangers. It had been terrifying and exhilarating. And even more shocking was the fact that she had agreed to do it again. She couldn't believe it.

Though, she thought as she looked at the voucher in her hand, there were worst ways she would make some spending money.