We never even thought about taking a shower in middle school. The teacher actively discouraged it and the one time a couple guys did shower, he got upset with how much water they got everywhere. There were only four stalls, all with curtains and they were used for changing, including by myself. I was still wearing briefs at that point and I was very afraid of being made fun of by the relentless teasers that are middle school boys.
Where I grew up, we were required to take two semesters of phys ed, usually one freshman year and one sophomore year. I knew the locker room was much, much more open than middle school. It didn't even have toilet stalls, let alone shower stalls. So I breathed a sigh of relief the summer before my freshman year when I got my computer-generated schedule and discovered I wouldn't have to face gym class until second semester.
Soon enough, though, the holiday break came, one year rolled into another and the semesters changed. I had gym second-to-last period of the day. We had an orientation period our first class, going over expectations, picking lockers etc. The teacher emphasized that he couldn't require showers, but they he did strongly encourage them and would be more than willing to give enough time after class to make sure everyone could shower.
I knew that showering was the right thing to do, so I packed a towel and some supplies the next time I had gym and prepared to face the showers. After class, I was surprised when only one other guy decided to hit the showers. He treated it mostly as a joke too, an excuse to make other guys uncomfortable by running around the locker room naked. I, meanwhile did the towel dance and headed to the showers wrapped up.
The way the locker rooms were arranged, the shower bays were along one side. There was a drying room with an entrance from the middle of the proper locker room, and then one bay to the left and one to the right. The way things were built, you couldn't actually see into the shower bays from the locker room. Each bay had seven shower heads: three on the wall opposite the door, two on each of the sidewalls and two on the front walls next to the entrances. For some reason, the other guy and I both used the same shower room and both used the showers next to the entrances. I think we actually wanted the most privacy if anyone came in.
The shower was normal, pretty quick. Afterwards, I left the shower bay and wrapped myself in my towel as I entered the drying area. And that's when the laughs started. At first I wasn't sure what happened, but then I looked down: I had a small erection under my towel. Pretty much the most embarrassing thing possible for a high school freshman.
There wasn't a lot of showering the rest of that year, for me or for anyone else. Sophomore year, though, I had gym earlier in the day and a lot more guys had become more comfortable with the showers because of sports and just the general passage of time. I still couldn't join them. I was too afraid I would get another erection and be labeled again. Even when a cute girl asked me why I didn't shower after class like the other guys, I couldn't force myself to overcome my fear. I only ever used the high school showers again when I was alone in the locker room.
And since high school, I've never used a communal shower. I've barely even used a locker room. However, I would like to work on overcoming this fear. I think the idea of a communal shower is completely natural and practical. They seem like a normal thing to do. I'd like to find a locker room with an open shower near me and start to work up the courage to use it with no fear. And no erections.
Sorry this was so long. I haven't really told that story in the 10+ years since it happened because I've been so embarrassed. Need to let it out to make things better.
