Ditching Gambit
She entered Mr. Scott's room on the third floor of Sun Valley High school with a trepidation that shivered along her skin, thudded at her chest and made her want to run screaming from the school. Mr. Scott was her favorite teacher, a man who could make history come alive, who was less concerned with dusty dates and more with context, connections, and analysis. She loved him like she had never loved another teacher and that love made her chest ache for what was coming next. She was at once thrilled and terrified, but it was her own fault.
Mr. Scott was sitting at his desk, head down, grading papers with a bright red pen. At her quiet footfalls, he looked up. When he saw her, his scowl turned to a small, surprised smile.
"Ms. Evans, good to see you. Where have you been this week?"
She took a deep breath, steadying herself for her answer. "Ditching."
The look of shock on Mr. Scott's face was worth a good, long laugh, but she was too nervous to laugh. She didn't understand why she wanted this, only that she couldn't stop thinking about it, planning for it.
"Ditching? But why?" he asked, clearly bewildered.
"Do you remember when we talked at the beginning of the semester?"
Mr. Scott just looked confused.
"You told me in the first week that I was an amazing student, that I was sure to get top marks and that if I didn't, you'd spank me yourself. Remember?"
The slow light of realization crept across Mr. Scott's shocked expression. He nodded slowly, "All right, I remember."
"Well, your syllabus clearly states that a week of unexcused absence is grounds for failure."
Mr. Scott laughed a little and shook his head. "There's no way you're gong to fail my class, Ms. Evans. A little ditching isn't going to change that."
"But, you promised!" She yelled, almost screeched, and stamped her foot like she had when she was a little girl.
Mr. Scott stood and spread his arms. "Ms. Evans, what's going on here? You're an amazing student. You're not going to fail my class and I would never spank you. What is the problem here?"
And she began to cry. She knew plenty of girls who had been spanked at this school, a prestigious school known for its strict discipline. Never, in her four years attending, had she earned even so much as a reprimand. It wasn't fair.
"You said you would," she mumbled past the tears, the light salty flavor slipping past her lips.
She had closed her eyes and balled her fists and closed herself to the disappointment and humiliation she had created, so she didn't see Mr. Scott come around to the other side of the desk. When he hugged her, she relaxed into the embrace.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
"I love you, I want you to spank me."
She'd said it. She didn't understand it, but she'd said it. Whatever happened next, she would never take it back.
Barrister
The only thing missing was the spanking and I almost didn't miss that as the story was well-written and captivating. This is a story that I could see actually happening in real life. I'm sure it has, in fact. It made me want more.
Jess email
If I'd only had the nerve to do something like this when I was in school. Oh how I had wanted it! And that's part of what makes this story so great... the way it portrays thoughts/feelings of many of us who've always known we wanted to be spanked. We didn't generally understand those feelings, and we weren't always sure what to do with them, but they were there.
The author used some great descriptive language in the story and that helped the scene come alive. We get a clear sense of character in this as well. Moreover, I liked that the story was original and didn't overwhelm us with clichés. It was a somewhat familiar premise, but it was done just differently enough to make it a good story.
Mija email
First, an admission of bias. I don't generally like stories where children try to manipulate adults to spank them -- such stories generally feel forced and unreal. That said, this story feels different. The "coming of age" pain of being a teen with a crush, of finding ones way from childhood into adult desire, comes through quite clearly. The embarrassment and disappointment of Evans is sweet and almost painful to read. Because in the end, after her confession of love, she's bound to be disappointed. Her beloved teacher will either not spank her because he's a good man and can't after knowing her feelings, or he will, proving himself unworthy.
Poor Evans. Lovely story.