by Lisa Berry
"Let go of me! Leave me alone!"
It was morning break, and Dawn was just coming out of the toilets, when she heard a familiar voice. That sounds like Karen, she said to herself. She quickly went to the end of the corridor and looked round the corner. Just disappearing at the far end of the corridor were two prefects forcibly dragging Karen along. She followed at a discreet distance as far as the prefects' common room where Karen was dragged in. What the hell's going on? wondered Dawn as she approached the door. Inside, Karen was standing glaring at the two girls that had brought her in.
"You can't do this to me!" she protested angrily.
"Can't we," sneered Carol Tucker, one of the prefects.
"And who's going to stop us?" said Melanie Cuthbertson, the other prefect, putting her face right in front of Karen's.
"I'll go to Miss Woods about this," yelled Karen.
"As if she'll believe you," laughed Carol.
There were two other prefects in the room.
"What's going on?" asked Pat Greenwood.
"This cheeky little brat refused to do the lines I gave her," said Carol.
"Shouldn't you go to her tutor?" replied Pat.
"No, it's time this one learnt a lesson. Her bum's going to be so sore by the time we've finished with her," retorted Carol.
"If anybody finds out, you're in big trouble," said Geraldine Arthurs, the fourth prefect.
"And who's going to say anything?" queried Melanie.
"I will," shouted Karen.
"You do and you're dead," snarled Carol. "Come on, Mel, let's get her over the desk."
Both girls grabbed a struggling Karen and pushed her down.
"Who's going to do the slippering?" asked Mel.
"Let's do half each," suggested Carol.
"How many?" asked Mel.
"We'll change after three and see how we go," said Carol.
"Sounds good to me," grinned Mel.
"I'll go first," said Carol. "Hey Pat, get one of my plimsolls out of my locker, will you."
"Get it yourself. I'm not having anything to do with this," retorted Pat.
"Me neither," interjected Geraldine.
"Alright then, I'll get it myself. Here, hold her down, Mel."
Carol quickly took a plimsoll from her locker and got into position.
"Get her skirt up," said Carol.
"Leave me alone," yelled Karen.
"Shut up, you little brat," snapped Mel.
Mel pulled Karen's skirt up over her back. "What about her knickers?"
"Yeah, let's have them down as well," said Carol.
"Might as well do the job properly," added Mel.
"I think this has gone far enough," intervened Geraldine.
"Shut up if you don't like it," retorted Carol.
Mel then pulled Karen's knickers down to her knees, to much protesting and wriggling from Karen.
"That's a lovely white bottom, let's turn it bright red," sniggered Carol.
Meanwhile, outside, Dawn was trying to hear what was going on. She could hear Karen shouting but couldn't make out what the others were saying. Then she heard a dull thwack! and a scream from Karen. Crikey, they must be slippering her, she thought. She waited and sure enough there was another thwack!
I must do something. I know, I'll fetch a teacher, she thought to herself. She dashed off to see who she could find. No sign of a teacher when you want one! She decided to make for Miss Woods' room. She knocked.
"Come in."
What a relief, thought Dawn, as she entered.
"Yes Dawn, what is it?"
"Oh Miss, come quickly, Karen's being slippered by two prefects," gasped a breathless Dawn.
"What are you talking about? Prefects don't slipper," replied Miss Woods.
"But I heard it," insisted Dawn.
"If this is one of your pranks, Dawn Atkins, you'll be over my desk for a slippering yourself."
"It's not, Miss. Please come quickly. I don't know what they're doing to her," pleaded Dawn.
"Oh, very well, but I'm warning you," said Miss Woods, getting up.
The two left the room and Miss Woods followed Dawn down the corridor.
"Please hurry, Miss," said Dawn, trying to break into a run.
Miss Woods finally followed suit and they soon arrived at the prefects' common room to find Karen outside leaning against the wall, crying and holding her bottom.
"You alright, Karen?" asked Dawn, putting her arm round Karen's shoulder.
"Just about," murmured Karen.
"What's all this about?" inquired Miss Woods.
"It's nothing, Miss," replied Karen.
"It doesn't look like it," retorted Miss Woods.
At that moment Geraldine come out of the room.
"Get back inside," ordered Miss Woods.
"Come along, Karen. Tell me what's happened," said Miss Woods.
Karen remained silent.
"Go on, Karen, tell her. I've told her that you were getting slippered," said Dawn.
"They held me down over a table and whacked me," said Karen.
"Right," said Miss Woods. "Dawn, take Karen to my room and stay with her until I get back."
"Yes, Miss," replied Dawn. "Come on Karen."
As the two made their way, Miss Woods stormed up to the door and strode in.
"Right! What's going on here?" she demanded.
They all looked at each other.
"What do you mean, Miss?" asked Mel innocently.
"You know what I mean. Who was responsible for beating that girl outside?"
"None of us, Miss," replied Carol.
"I see, the invisible girl I suppose. You are all in serious trouble. Don't any of you leave this room until I tell you," stormed Miss Woods. "I'll be back."
She then left the room and went back to her own room, where Karen and Dawn were sitting.
"How are you now, Karen?" asked Miss Woods.
"Alright now, Miss, Thank you."
"Now, I need to know exactly what happened."
"Carol Tucker gave me fifty lines and I didn't do them," said Karen.
"Why not?" asked Miss Woods.
"I didn't think I deserved them," replied Karen.
"That's no excuse for not doing them. We'll sort that out later. Now what happened in the common room?"
"One of them held me down over the desk. Then she pulled my skirt up and pulled my knickers down. Then they took it in turn to slipper me," explained Karen.
"Who did?" asked Miss Woods.
"Carol Tucker and Melanie Cuthbertson."
"What about the other two?" asked Miss Woods.
"They had nothing to do with it. They actually stopped it going any further," said Karen.
"So let me be perfectly clear about this. They forced you to go to their common room and beat you with a slipper?" asked Miss Woods.
"That's right, Miss."
"Now, Karen, I need to see your bottom."
"Why?" asked Karen.
"If I'm going to go to the Headmistress about this, I need to tell her the extent of how bad it was," emphasised Miss Woods.
"I suppose so," said a reluctant Karen.
Karen stood up, lifted up her skirt and pulled her knickers down.
Miss Woods looked closely.
"Alright, Karen, you can pull them up now and we're going to see the Headmistress," said Miss Woods. "Dawn, you can go. Thank you for coming to me so promptly."
Dawn left and Miss Woods and Karen made their way to Mrs Atkins's office.
"Yes, Miss Woods?" said Mrs Atkins, turning round from standing looking out of the window.
"We have a very serious case of bullying, Headmistress," announced Miss Woods.
"I see. You'd better fill me in about it," replied Mrs Atkins, going to sit behind her desk.
"This girl has just been beaten by two prefects," said Miss Woods, with her hands on Karen's shoulders.
"What! I think we need to discuss this in depth. Do have a seat," said Mrs Atkins, indicating to Miss Woods and Karen. "So what has happened?"
"This girl was given 50 lines by a prefect; she didn't do them so the prefect and her friend took her to their common room, bent her over a table and thrashed her bare bottom with a slipper. I've seen the marks and they back up what she's told me. Your daughter heard some of what was going on from outside the door and it was she who alerted me to what was happening," explained Miss Woods. "I then went into the prefects' room and questioned the girls concerned and they denied it."
"Anybody else present or involved?" asked Mrs Atkins.
"There were two others present, but Karen says they took no part in it."
"Pity they didn't stop it," commented Mrs Atkins.
"They did eventually. They managed to persuade the perpetrators to stop," said Miss Woods.
"Do we have the names of these two?" asked Mrs Atkins.
"Yes, Headmistress. It's Carol Tucker & Melanie Cuthbertson," replied Miss Woods.
"So, is there anything else you would like to add?" enquired Mrs Atkins, turning her attention to Karen.
"No, Miss, that's what happened," replied Karen.
"Very well. As you know, I take any instances of bullying extremely seriously, and this is the worst I've come across in my teaching career. You can rest assured I shall be taking the strongest measures possible with these two. Where are they now?" asked Mrs Atkins.
"I've told them to stay in the common room," replied Miss Woods.
"I'll see them right away. Rest assured Karen, retribution will be swift and painful. I want to take this opportunity to apologise for the unpleasantness that you've suffered and I hope that something like this will never happen again. I shall of course write to your parents and offer them an apology," said Mrs Atkins.
"Oh no, don't do that Miss, please," said Karen.
"Why ever not?" asked Mrs Atkins.
"I'd rather my mum didn't know about it," replied a worried Karen.
"If you're sure."
"Yes, Miss, please don't do it," pleaded Karen.
"Alright, if you insist," said Mrs Atkins. "Might it be something to do with the lines you got?"
Karen nodded.
"On this occasion I might be able to stretch a point. Now, if there's nothing else, I'd like you to send the culprits to me please, Miss Woods."
"Certainly, Headmistress," replied Miss Woods.
Miss Woods and Karen left the office, and a few minutes later there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The two miscreants entered the office and stood in front of Mrs Atkins's desk. She sat and stared hard at them for some moments. The girls who only minutes before had been so sure of themselves were now like two jellies. Mrs Atkins then sat back in her chair. "Anything to say?" she asked.
"About what, Miss?" said Melanie.
"Don't you come the innocent with me, girl," snapped Mrs Atkins, sitting back up again. "I know exactly what you two have been doing. You disgust me. You have a position of responsibility and you have abused it. You have betrayed the trust of the person who put you in that position. And what about the poor girl who was the recipient of your bullying?"
Mrs Atkins was getting into full flow.
"But what is it we're supposed to have done?" protested Carol.
At this, Mrs Atkins exploded. "How dare you have the nerve to stand there and say you haven't done anything. One girl has come forward who heard what you were doing. Another girl was found by Miss Woods outside your common room in a distressed state. Her body shows all the evidence of a brutal slippering, and you have the gall to deny it. Do I have to get the other two who were in the room with you to come and verify what happened?"
"No, Miss," replied Carol, who was beginning to crumble under the verbal onslaught.
"Ah, so we have an inkling of contrition, do we? It would save us a whole lot of time and energy if you just admit it," said Mrs Atkins.
Carol Looked at Mel, who still seemed determined to fight on.
"Well, is one of you going to answer?"
Carol could stand it no longer and broke down in tears. "Yes, Yes. It's true, we did it," she snivelled.
"Sensible girl. What about you?" asked Mrs Atkins, looking at Mel.
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