by Rachel Burns
She must suffer from bad self-esteem to think that she was so horrible that no one had wanted her. He went back to his own room to look over her papers again.
Was he missing something?
Brianna had managed to get everything done, but it was after midnight when she finally fell asleep. She had wasted so much time giving in to her tears and crying.
The alarm went off, and she just couldn’t get up. She hit the snooze button, and then again the next time. At six she heard voices in the hall. She shot up in bed. She could already hear the other girls in the shower.
Brianna was almost in tears already. She knew that this day would come. She was in between a rock and a hard place because she had to be at the nurse’s office at seven.
Brianna got her things and went to the shower room and tried to avoid eye contact. She said good morning and got under the shower. A couple of girls were already staring. She was crying as she hung her head again. They said nothing.
Brianna hurried out and quickly got dressed again. She packed her bag and double checked that everything was there.
The nurse was unsure whether or not to let her go too class. “Your heart seems fine now, but you are so pale.” She left the decision up to Brianna. Brianna decided to go. All the girls from her floor were staring at her as she walked into class. She tried to keep her head held high.
Brianna took her test in math and handed in her paper in psychology. She handed it to the teacher after class so no one could see her do it. She couldn’t manage to speak as she did so.
“Thank you, Brianna” the teacher said, sincerely.
Brianna nodded.
She went to lunch to face the firing squad. The other girls were all quiet until Jennifer asked Brianna if she had almost died.
Brianna looked at the girl with the chain connecting her nose ring to her earring and tried to figure her out.
“I was born with a heart defect. It’s the wrong size, it used to leak, and it doesn’t pump regularly. I have been operated on it a couple times. Thus, those hideous scars.” Tears were in her eyes again.
“Brianna, they aren’t that bad honestly. A person notices them, but they aren’t hideous. Far from that.” Gretchen gave her a hug.
“Thanks, but I have eyes too. They really aren’t pretty.”
“Nonsense,” Stephanie said. “Battles scars are cool. Only the people who live have them.”
Brianna nodded at her and smiled. “You said that really nicely, thank you.”
“Is that why you are drinking water?” Paris asked.
“Yes, I have to do what I can to keep my blood thin. I also have to take four different pills every day. Three times a day.”
“Why are you at this school?” Maureen asked her.
“I’ve been in and out of school so much that my grades were crap, but the doctors assure me that after the last operation, I can lead a normal life now. If I am really good, watch what I eat, take my medicine and don’t overdue it, then I can live. I haven’t been to the hospital for over five months. That is the longest ever. But the other colleges didn’t care about the reason why my grades weren’t up to snuff. They just wanted to see good grades. That’s why I am here.”
“Did you know what kind of school this was?” Paris asked.
“No, but my school had a similar system.” Brianna watched as all the girls’ eyes widened.
“Where are you from?” Maureen asked.
“Alabama.”
Scott walked past the table in time to hear the question and the answer. He was wondering what the girls were talking about. They were all crying and hugging each other.
It surprised him to hear that Brianna was from Alabama too.
He was curious about her.
Chapter 5 – Trying to Get Away With Something Never Works
Friday came as it does every week. Scott sorted through his reports. He jumped ahead to Brianna’s report. She had gotten a ‘C’ on her math test on Wednesday.
He felt somehow responsible for that. He would have to spank her. Was there a way out of that? He owed her, and they both knew it. The rules were just so clear.
Scott got out her test and looked it over. Her mistakes had been little mistakes. She understood what she was supposed to do.
He knew that she had been up especially late on Tuesday night. She was normally the first one to bed.
He wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t need a spanking as motivation. She was right on track. He moved hers to the back. He could decide later.
Scott went from room to room again, and he had to spank less than last week. He was getting closer to Brianna’s room. It was already after nine by the time he knocked on her door.
She opened it and let him in. She had tears in her eyes.
He was making her cry again. Why didn’t it bother him when the others cried?
She sat down on her bed. He smiled to himself, she had remembered. He pulled out the chair and talked to her about her classes. Her teachers all praised her.
“But in Math you got a ‘C’ on a test. I have already looked over your test and noticed that all the mistakes were the tiny avoidable kind.” He flashed his eyes at her for a second. She looked completely ashamed of herself. “That means you are due your first spanking.”
“Isn’t there any other option?” She looked to see how he was taking her discussing this. He had raised an eyebrow but not in a mean way.
“I was thinking we could substitute something else for a spanking?” Her eyes looked hopeful.
Scott was shocked. He hadn’t expected it from her. Others had tried to hit on him so he wouldn’t spank them, but she just hadn’t seemed to be the type. It was now his job to give her enough rope to hang herself. “What did you have in mind?”
“I have several ideas actually. I could do a lot of extra math homework, write lines or peel potatoes. A big school like this one must have lots of potatoes. I saw a hangout for working in the garden in front of the building. No one signed up. I could be made to do it, all by myself.”
“I see.” He was relieved that she wasn’t planning on using her womanly wiles on him. “I’ll be right back.”
“No wait, they were just suggestions. I wasn’t trying to be – noncomplying with you.” She used the word from the handbook.
Scott left her to worry for a bit. He went to his room and called the Dean and explained what had happened. He told the Dean he didn’t feel right spanking her when he too was to blame. The Dean told him to bring her over.
“Brianna, come with me, please.” Scott peeked into her room. He had left the door open. He saw her jump and lay a hand over her heart.
“Sir, I really wasn’t trying to pull anything.” She was nervous and babbling.
“Yes, you were. Come on. Let’s make this quick so I can get back again. Put your shoes on. Let’s go.”
Brianna got up from the bed and slipped into her shoes. She turned out the lights and locked the door. She looked up at him unsure.
Scott walked with her out of the building and across the campus. He looked over at her scared expression again and again.
He opened all the doors for her. She thanked him every time.
He went up the stairs to the third floor. She was winded when they got to the top of the stairs.
Scott looked at her strangely. “You have to get up and away from your desk more often. You should get out more.”
At first, she was offended. Then she understood. “Yes, exactly. Maybe in a garden.”
She thought he was agreeing with her. That hadn’t been what he meant, but whatever. He knocked on the Dean’s door and waited.
“Come in.”
He opened the door and gave Brianna a slight bow, letting her know that she should go in first.
She went to the Dean and shook his hand. “Good evening, sir. I’m really sorry for disturbing you at this late of an hour.” She was surprised to see that the Dean was her church buddy.
“Nonsense, Miss Banks. I
have been looking forward to meeting you again. How are you feeling this evening?”
“Nervous,” she smiled at him, “but otherwise, I am fine.”
“Glad to hear it.” He looked like he meant it.
“So Scott, explain to me the idea this young woman had.” The Dean and Brianna both looked at Scott to see what he would say.
“Brianna, got a ‘C’ on her Math test on Wednesday. That is lower than the allowed ‘B’ she had for that class. At the same time on Wednesday, I was in here with her psychology teacher explaining what had happened. I know she wasn’t feeling well on Tuesday. Brianna has never had to be spanked before. She came up with the idea of doing garden work instead.”
“I see. Garden work? Do you feel up to that?”
“Yes Sir, getting away from my desk would probably be good for me. Getting my heart pumping without overdoing it.”
“I see, I see. Let me think about this. You could take a brake whenever you need it. Yes, that could work. Everyone would see you doing that, and they would ask questions. Others could learn from you. Plus, it would become known that it is possible to attend this school without being spanked, which is against popular opinion.” The Dean looked at her closer. “You would have to set a good example. If you don’t succeed, you will get your original punishment. Agreed?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Shall we set a time limit?”
Scott and Brianna nodded.
“Four hours? Time being served tomorrow after lunch?”
They both nodded again.
“Marvelous. It’s all settled.”
Brianna thanked him again and smiled at him. The Dean smiled back. He knew about her. Her father had been his roommate in college. He was only too glad to help the child. After all, he was her godfather, even if he hadn’t seen her in a very long time.
She had been played a pretty bad hand this week. If they had come to him, he too could have attested to the child’s innocence. He had read her paper, and he would push to see it published.
Who knew how long the girl actually had?
Her father had been desperate to get her in. Her parents had placed all of their expectations in this one child. She already had a cross to bear. He was glad that he had been able to help her.
“Brianna, if there ever is a next time, there will be no exceptions.” The dean hoped that she would never slip up again.
“Yes, sir. I understand, sir. Good evening.”
“Good evening, sir.” Scott smirked as he followed a very happy Brianna out. He stopped her half way back. “Brianna, this is a generosity that this school has never shown before. You heard the Dean, I expected you to work quietly and not complain. You can have a break half way through for half an hour. But if anything goes wrong, you get a visit from me tomorrow evening.”
She nodded at him, thankful for the darkness so he couldn’t see her red face.
“Next time you don’t even need to ask. The punishment will be given as deserved. No fussing, promise?”
“No fussing, I promise, sir.”
He wished that she would stop calling him that. But for now he was glad that his presence wasn’t making her cry. She had avoided him all week. He wanted a certain harmony to be the rule on his floor.
Everyone stopped and asked what Brianna was doing. They were all wide-eyed. Scott was surprised that she even owned a pair of jeans like a regular girl. She had gone straight to work and didn’t say a word.
He felt stupid watching a woman do heavy work and not helping, but she had wanted it this way.
The entire campus had stopped by to see what was going on. It was a hot day today.
When the Dean came over and brought Scott an ice cream, he thought that she would say something, but she didn’t.
She had gotten rid of all the weeds in the first two hours. After her break, she would turn up soil, and then she could replant.
Brianna was wrong about it going quickly. She just turned up more weeds. She picked them out too. It was hot out, and she was constantly wiping sweat away from her forehead.
Her ponytail was sinking, and she had to tug it back into place with her dirty hands. Her hair stuck to the back of her neck. It would be a lot of work getting all the snarls out later.
She stood up often, trying to bend her back the other way before she dropped down and went back to work.
Brianna had learned to garden from her mother. They had a beautiful garden at home.
Scott kept watching and waiting for her to give up or at least complain. She even seemed to be enjoying herself. He was glad that this was a one time deal. He was doing a lot of running back and forth to make sure that the others weren’t pulling anything.
The motto, while the cat is away the mice will play was proving to be true. Every time he came back, he asked someone to turn down their music and to not slam doors etc. He really hated slamming doors. He even had a feeling that he could stay away from Brianna because she was being good.
She just had a half an hour to go. She couldn’t finish the planting in that time, but she did want to stay longer and do it right.
“Brianna Elisabeth Banks!” a loud voice called out.
She turned and saw her father. “Oh shit.”
Scott looked at her surprised. He didn’t think that she could swear.
Her father marched over to her and grabbed her upper arm. “What do you think you are doing?” He gave her a shake.
Scott stepped forward to protect Brianna. “Can I help you, sir?”
“This one is my daughter. I have every right.” He stared Brianna down as he answered Scott. “Answer my question, Brianna.”
“I’m being punished, sir. I got a ‘C’ on my math test on Wednesday.” She hoped that by adding the day that her father would be putting two and two together.
“This kind of punishment wasn’t mentioned.”
“Well, sir, I thought that – umm,” she stammered.
“This was your idea? To get out of a spanking?”
“Well, kind of, yes.”
“In the heat? Are you crazy?” Her father was furious with her.
Scott wasn’t sure why her father should be so mad. “Sir, I have been watching her and making her take breaks.”
“You are the disciplinarian, and you approved of this?” Charles Banks turned on Scott.
“The Dean approved of it, sir.” Scott was worried that her father would go for him next.
“What? I’ll kill him. But first, I will deal with you.” He looked at Brianna.
“Daddy, I can’t leave yet. My punishment isn’t over yet.”
“That’s right, sweetheart. It’s just starting.” He marched Brianna up to her room. He stopped in front of her door.
“Open it up, Brianna.” Other girls were already starting to look. She got her key out and unlocked the door. She walked in quickly.
Her father closed and locked the door behind them.
Charles looked around her room and focused in on the desk chair. He pulled it out, and then he removed his belt. “Brianna, don’t make me say it.”
She opened her jeans, pulled them down and then her panties.
Her father removed his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt sleeve and rolled it up. Charles sat down and picked his belt up off of her desk. He motioned her forward. He very carefully helped her over his knees. Once she was steady, he asked for her hand.
She balanced herself on one hand and gave it to him. He took and held it tight to the curve if her back. With her other hand she reached back and grabbed hold of the chair.
“That is the single stupidest thing I have ever seen you do. And I will prove to you now that it didn’t even work. You are about to get the licking of your lifetime. That young man could learn a thing or two from me.”
He raised his belt and let it crack down on her bared backside. After a minute, he took a break to scold his sobbing daughter some more. “Did you even think about what could have happened? Even for a second?”
; “I did, sir. It was just that – I didn’t feel I deserved a spanking and,”
He cut her off. “It isn’t your place to decide what you are or are not due. If that young man says you get one, then that’s the end of it. Do you hear?”
“Yes, sir,” she sniffled.
“When I think what could have happened –” He was still so mad. “And after the nurse had to call this week.” He raised his belt and brought it down as hard as he could. She had to learn this lesson and the sooner the better.
The other girls had gathered out in the hall. They were whispering amongst themselves.
That was how Scott found them. He too could hear Brianna’s father going at her. The obvious sound of the belt was louder than her crying.
“See, I told you it wasn’t Scott. It’s her father. I saw them going in. He sure is mad.” Hannah informed Karen who just refused to believe her.
“But it doesn’t make sense. I believe you now, but we were all sent here because our parents couldn’t. Her father doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.”
“Yes well, this is none of our business. Everyone to their rooms.” Scott tried to move them on.
“It just makes him nervous when he isn’t the one doing the hitting.”
The girls all giggled at Rachel’s joke.
“Who said that?” Scott wasn’t about to start accepting disrespect.
All eyes darted to Rachel.
“Rachel, I will be right into your room. Anyone else?” The girls all disappeared in their rooms. He went back to his room to get his hairbrush.
He could still hear Brianna’s father going at her. Scott had to wonder what had made him so mad. He was probably the stand by your mistakes kind, or he had just found out about something she had done in the past.
He went into Rachel’s room and pulled out the chair. “Come here, Rachel.”
Rachel went to him and opened her jeans and took them and her panties down.
Scott helped her over his lap and quickly had her in tears. He scolded her about minding her own business and about having respect in all situations.
She apologized and promised that it would never happen again. “I’m sorry, Scott, I didn’t think. It was just the idea of anyone spanking Brianna. It made me nervous.”
