Hannah Morgan entered the lunch hall later than everyone else, so got served without delay, looked around and went to join her best friend, Mary Cartley, who was sitting alone at a table in the corner.

“How did it go?” Mary asked as Hannah sat down opposite her.

“How did what go?”

“Durr! Your meeting with our beloved vice-principal, Mr Dowell?” Mary, a slim girl with chestnut brown hair in contrast to Hannah’s long blond locks, had finished her meal and sat watching Hannah pick at hers.

“Oh that. Not great. A full day in Saturday detention.”

“That was it? No alternative? That means you’ll miss the parade on Main Street.”

“Big deal! It won’t be any different to the parade last year, and I can catch the parade next year, so I won’t be missing much.”

“You’ll still miss hanging out with the boys.”

Hannah paused. “It’s not that. The thing is, I like Miss Trent. I regret saying those awful things to her.”

“Yes, I don’t get what caused you to erupt like that.”

“I guess I was in a bad mood to start off with, and then I just found her droning on about conjunctions and present perfects and such just plain boring, and then she called me out for yawning. It was just too much.”

“Most of us would agree with you, but we need to learn that stuff. And we managed to avoid telling her exactly what we thought about her lesson. And we didn’t swear at her.”

“I did apologize to her afterwards. Sort of.”

“Not enough to stop her reporting you to Mr Dowell, apparently.”

“No.” Hannah stopped speaking long enough to swallow a few mouthfuls of her salad before she spoke again. “I do still regret what I said to her, though.”

“Saturday detention does have that effect on you,” Mary nodded wistfully.

“Does it? Maybe,” Hannah replied. “The thing is, I usually get on so well with her.

She’s a great soccer coach and so friendly out of school hours. I feel I want to make it up to her somehow.”

“Bribe her with chocolates, you mean?”

Hannah smiled. “No, I was just thinking.”

“Thinking what?”

“Nothing.”

****

“Miss Trent, could I have a word?”

It was nearing the end of the lunch interval, and Sarah Trent was sitting at her desk in her classroom preparing notes for her afternoon’s lessons. When she looked up and saw Hannah at the door, she frowned.

“I guess. Come in, Hannah,” she replied reluctantly, not wanting another confrontation with the attractive eleventh grade student.

Hannah approached the teacher’s desk and sat down in a chair that sat to one side of the desk, close to the teacher.

“What do you want, Hannah?” Sarah Trent asked tetchily.

“I, er, I just wanted to apologize again for my outburst this morning. I so regret what I said.”

“Well, thank you, Hannah, but you already apologized, and the matter has been dealt with by Mr Dowell. You’re in detention this Saturday, I believe.”

“That’s correct, yes.”

“Okay, so let’s put this behind us. It’s settled, or at least it will be once you’ve served your detention. Okay?” The auburn-haired teacher suggested.

“Not really.” Hannah looked down at the floor, her long blond hair falling around her pretty face.

“So, what? There’s nothing more to be said, is there?”

“I want to even the score between us, kind of.”

“Serve your punishment on Saturday, Hannah. Then we’re all okay. Right?”

“I-I’m sensing it isn’t, not really, Miss Trent. I’m sensing I’ve spoiled a lot of what we had.”

Sarah Trent just stopped herself from denying she now regarded this pretty student differently since her uncharacteristic outburst. Hannah was a sensitive girl, most of the time, and she had read the situation well.

“So, what do you suggest?”

Hannah felt her mouth go strangely dry. “I, er, I’d like you to ask Mr Dowell to paddle me,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry?” Hannah coughed. “I

would like you to take me to Mr Dowell and ask him to paddle me, Miss Trent.”

“That’s what I thought you said. Hannah, a full day Saturday detention is a pretty stiff punishment. Oh, you’re not suggesting this just so you can go to the parade on Saturday, are you?”

“No. No, I’m not, Miss Trent. I’ll take the Saturday detention as well as the paddling.” “Wow!” The teacher leaned back ion her chair. “What are you hoping to achieve by that, Hannah? What will a paddling accomplish that the detention won’t? Other than giving you a sore butt, that is.” Sarah Trent smiled, slightly awkwardly.

“Maybe I need a sore butt, ma’am. I’d like you to be the witness.” Hannah looked at the teacher. “I think that might make things good between us.”

Sarah Trent nodded thoughtfully. “And you’re definitely not saying this just so you can go to the parade?”

“No, ma’am. Like I say, I’ll take the paddling and still serve the detention.”

“You really think you deserve that? Mr Dowell is known to paddle hard, you know.”

“I’ve heard. I guess I’d prefer it if you paddled me yourself, but I’m not sure the school policy allows that.”

“No, it doesn’t. Only Mr Dowell has the authority.”

Hannah looked around. The hallway outside was totally quiet.

Sarah Trent immediately grasped where Hannah’s thinking was leading.

“Oh no, Hannah. I think this has to be official.”

“Okay. Then will you take me along to Mr Dowell’s office?”

“Are you sure, Hannah? Why don’t you go away and give it a bit more thought?

You’ve got a couple of days before you have to serve the detention. You don’t have to decide right now.”

“I know, but I’m sure this is the right thing to do.”

The teacher looked at her watch. “Okay, we’ve got time before afternoon classes begin. Do you want to do it now?”

Hannah nodded. They both stood up and Sarah Trent put an arm round Hannah’s shoulder as she led the girl out into the hallway. Neither spoke as they walked toward the secretaries’ station.

“Is Mr Dowell free?” Miss Trent asked one of the secretaries.

The woman, a middle-aged lady with mousey brown hair, checked her computer and answered, “He’s got someone with him, but he should soon be clear.”

Hannah and Miss Trent walked along the short hallway towards Mr Dowell’s office. Just as they arrived, the door opened and a ninth-year girl emerged. She had watery eyes and, as Hannah and Miss Trent watched her walk away, she gave the seat of her blue jeans a rub.

Hannah grimaced. Miss Trent tapped on the door and pushed it open when a male voice bid her enter.

“Wait here, Hannah.”

Sarah Trent entered the office and closed the door behind her so she could speak privately with Mr Dowell. As Hannah waited outside, she could hear the faint murmurings of conversation inside the office, but couldn’t make out what was being said. Miss Trent’s voice sounded notably different, softer, than the deeper, to-the- point tones of Mr Dowell, but they both seemed to have an equal share of whatever it was that was being said.

Hannah found herself taking several paces in one direction, then retracing her steps, and then wandering a short distance the opposite way. She wondered what was being said inside the office. Was Miss Trent arguing for or against Hannah’s plan? Was it Mr Dowell who was arguing for detention to remain as her sole punishment? Maybe Mr Dowell was happy to paddle her, while Miss Trent was arguing against it. She really had no idea.

Today, Hannah had on white cotton pants and a purple T-shirt. The pants would offer little protection from the paddle, and anyway Mr Dowell had a reputation for hitting hard. Students seldom returned for a second dose. Suddenly, her idea was starting to lose its appeal.

Some minutes later, the door opened and Miss Trent invited Hannah to enter. Hannah went inside and found Mr Dowell sitting at his desk, a large modern beechwood-veneered desk that was relatively clear, his computer and telephone being stationed on an adjoining table so the pair formed an L-shaped workstation. Hannah stood in front of the desk with Miss Trent standing beside her.

“So, Miss Morgan, Miss Trent here has told me you have requested I paddle you in addition to the Saturday detention I have already awarded you.” The vice-principal frowned as he looked at Hannah. “You’ve certainly come up with something I’ve never heard of before. Can you explain to me your thinking?”

Hannah coughed nervously and wrung her hands together in front of her as she struggled to find the right words.

“Well sir, I did a very silly thing in class today. In Miss Trent’s class, that is.” She paused, still finding it hard to express concisely her idea.

“Yes, I think we’re all agreed on that, Miss Morgan.”

“You see, I really enjoy being taught by Miss Trent. She’s a great teacher.” Hannah looked briefly at the young teacher standing next to her. “And she’s a great soccer coach too. I really enjoy being on her team.”

“I’m sure we’re all very proud of her, Miss Morgan. But that does not explain your rather strange request.”

“No, sir. You see, what I did in class today, that’s in danger of ruining the very good relationship I have with Miss Trent, and I just don’t want that to happen. I know I hurt her, emotionally, that is. I hurt her considerably, and I just want to make it right with her again.”

Hannah wasn’t sure if she imagined it, but Mr Dowell’s stern expression seemed to soften slightly.

“And you think being paddled will make it right. Is that correct, Miss Morgan?”

“Yes, sir. I guess that kind of sums it up really.”

The vice-principal nodded slowly as he considered all that Hannah had said.

“I think I understand you, Miss Morgan. I see what you’re getting at, and I like our students to have good relationships with their teachers.” He turned to the young teacher. “Miss Trent, do you have anything you’d like to say?”

“Only that I don’t feel Hannah has to be spanked for our relationship to be repaired. Yes, she did wrong and she has the Saturday detention to reflect on her behavior. That would do it for me.”

Mr Dowell chuckled. “This is new. A student asking for a paddling and a teacher trying to prevent it. That is really something.”

“It’s not that I disapprove of paddling, Mr Dowell,” Sarah Trent responded quickly. “I’m fine with paddling. It’s just that I want the best for my students and Hannah is a very good student. What happened today is totally out of character. I’m sure detention will be quite ample punishment.”

“Okay, let’s wrap this up. Afternoon lessons are due to start. Here’s what I propose. Hannah, you’re going to phone home and tell them you’ll be home a bit later after school. Miss Trent, at the end of lessons today, Hannah will report to your classroom and you will supervise her with a one-hour detention. Exactly how you do it is entirely up to you. Then you will bring Hannah to my office and I will administer five swats. The Saturday detention is cancelled. Is that okay with you, Hannah?”

“Yes sir, I guess.”

“Is that okay with you, Miss Trent?”

Sarah Trent hesitated. She looked at Hannah and saw almost pleading in the girl’s eyes.

“Yes, sir. I can do that.”

“Okay. Have a good afternoon, ladies. Hannah, if you want to change your mind and revert to the Saturday detention, that will be okay. Just let Miss Trent know and she can advise me. Okay?”

“Okay, sir.”

****

During the afternoon, Hannah had a chance to catch up briefly with her best friend, Mary, who thought Hannah was completely mad to volunteer for a paddling from Mr Dowell.

“It’s not like a quick session over your mom’s knee, you know.”

“Yes, I do realize that, thank you Mary!”

“It’s really going to hurt.”

“Yes, I understand that.”

“At least we’ll be able to go see the parade on Saturday.”

“Yes, that’s the good part.”

“And you can always eat your hotdog standing up,” grinned Mary.

“Thanks, friend!”

****

The afternoon’s lessons seemed to proceed unusually quickly and it was a nervous Hannah who walked slowly towards Miss Trent’s classroom while everyone else made for the exits and home. The door was open, and Hannah tapped politely.

“Come in, Hannah. Take a seat.” The young teacher waved Hannah to one of the front desks.

“Thank you,” Hannah replied, taking a seat right in front of Miss Trent’s desk.

“So, have you given your idea some more thought?”

“Yes, all through the afternoon.”

“And what is your conclusion?”

“I want to take the paddling.”

“And serve a one-hour detention now? Five swats; that’s going to be a hard spanking you know.”

“Yes, ma’am. I realize that.”

“And you still want to go through with this idea of yours?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Do you have homework you can be getting on with? I have a pile of essays to read through.”

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to concentrate on homework right now.”

“Worried about the paddling?”

“I guess.”

“You can still change your mind.”

“No, I kind of feel I deserve it, and I just hope it makes things right between us.” “Hannah, I’m not that delicate a flower. I will get over what happened earlier today without you getting your behind spanked. The Saturday detention is still on offer.” “No, my mind is made up. I’ll take the paddling. And, of course, the one-hour detention with you.”

“No problem, if you’re sure?”

“I’m sure. Should I be standing facing the wall with my hands on my head or something?”

“No, why?”

“It’s what usually happens for a classroom detention. I’ll do it if you want me to.”

“That’s for the younger students, Hannah. No, you’re fine where you are.”

As the waiting dragged on, Hannah pulled out her cellphone and checked the time frequently. Miss Trent was tempted to tell her switch the device off, but decided to be tolerant, given the circumstances.

Eventually, Miss Trent called an end to checking essays and leaned back in her chair to stretch her back and legs. She checked the wall clock.

“Twenty minutes to go before we’re due in Mr Dowell’s office,” she said, looking at Hannah. “I guess we could go see Mr Dowell now and get the next bit over with, if you want?”

“Then I wouldn’t have served the full one-hour detention, ma’am.”

“He might let you off the final twenty minutes.”

“I’d prefer to finish my detention, ma’am.”

“Okay. It’s up to you, I guess.”

“I kind of feel I should be on my feet facing the wall, or something.”

“There’s the wall, Hannah. Be my guest.”

Hannah stood up and placed herself so she was staring at the wall behind and to the teacher’s left side, her nose just six inches from the pale green painted plasterwork. Miss Trent, meanwhile, found a textbook in her desk drawer and began reading.

While the student became ever more anxious as the minutes dragged slowly by, the teacher found the book tedious, so the time passed slowly for her too.

“I guess we ought to be getting along to Mr Dowell’s office, Hannah,” the young teacher said softly as the clock showed four minutes to five.

Hannah immediately looked at the clock. It would take them several minutes to reach Mr Dowell’s office, so she understood the teacher probably wanted to get the next stage of Hannah’s punishment over with so she could get off home. Hannah reluctantly turned away from staring at the wall.

“Let’s have a hug,” Miss Trent suggested.

“Is that appropriate behavior?” Hannah asked.

“Probably not, but who cares? Anyway, I need a hug if I’m having to watch my favorite student getting her backside swatted.”

“Okay,” Hannah replied, smiling weakly, and the two embraced warmly.

“Come on, let’s get this done,” Sarah Trent said as she pulled away.

It took just four minutes to reach Mr Dowell’s office. The school was quite empty, most students and much of the teaching staff having left, yet the two females walked silently along the hallways, both lost in their own thoughts, both not knowing what to say.

“Ready?” Sarah Trent asked as they reached the vice-principal’s door.

Hannah nodded briefly.

The teacher tapped on the door and immediately heard the gruff voice telling them to enter.

As soon as she was inside, Hannah spotted the paddle lying on Mr Dowell’s desk. It appeared to be made of maple and was about two feet long in total, and about three inches across. One end had been shaped into a handle about eight inches long. It was about half an inch thick and had been well sanded to provide a perfectly smooth surface.

The next object to catch Hannah’s attention was a small chair placed to one side of the office, its back pointed towards the three occupants. Its purpose was clear.

“Ladies,” Mr Dowell greeted them as he rose from behind his desk. “I guess your presence here means you, Hannah, still want to take the five swats. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you’re happy to witness, Miss Trent?”

“Yes, I am, sir,” Sarah Trent answered. “Perhaps we could get this done. I’m sure Hannah has been thinking about this all afternoon.” Once again, she put an arm around Hannah’s shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.

“I’m sure she has. Hannah, can you make sure any back pockets you have in your pants are empty?”

“No back pockets, sir.” The blond-haired replied, running a hand over the seat of her thin white pants.

“Hannah, I’m sure you know what that chair over to the side is for. When you’re ready, go across to it, stand behind it and bend over the back. Get your head down and stick your butt out.”

“Take your time, Hannah,” Miss Trent added, putting an arm round the girl’s shoulders. “There’s no rush.”

Mr Dowell smiled, but didn’t speak.

Hannah took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before she broke away from Miss Trent’s comforting arm. Her legs felt unsteady as she moved slowly across to the chair. After standing there holding onto the back rail for some seconds to steady her nerves, she slowly bent over and forced her head as low as was comfortable. She was still able to push her bottom a few inches further back, knowing she was making as good a target as she could for Mr Dowell to spank her with the paddle.

“It’s five swats, Hannah. Now, you can have them quick or slow. It’s entirely up to you. Your choice.”

“I’ll, er, I’ll take them slow, please sir.”

“Okay, slow it is.”

Not realizing quite how close Mr Dowell was, Hannah jumped when he touched the paddle against the seat of her white pants. She braced herself when she felt her backside being patted by the firm wooden surface. After four pats, there was a pause and then a loud crack that echoed off the walls as the paddle slammed across her bottom.

“Eeesh!!” She screamed out.

“Yes, it does hurt, Hannah. Please keep nice and still, I don’t want to miss your behind.” The vice-principal’s words were spoken in a warm kindly way, although the raw pain Hannah felt across her bottom made her almost impervious to what and how Mr Dowell was speaking.

A couple of soft taps soon followed and then, after a brief pause, the paddle crashed across the seat of her pants for a second time.

“Uunhh!!” She grunted, and arched her back as the fresh bout of agony spread like wildfire across her bottom.

“Stay down, Hannah.” This voice was softer, the advice clearly coming from Miss Trent.

“I’ll try,” Hannah wailed, and ducked her head down and pushed her bottom out. More taps, and a third stroke pounded across her entire backside.

“Aahh!”

This was the first school paddling that Hannah had received. She’d been across her mom’s lap for several hand spankings, but this was something quite different. The vice-principal was giving her his standard spanking, of that she was sure, and now she could understand why it proved so effective in deterring students from repeating bad behavior.

Two taps heralded the fourth swat, and it too hurt like the devil as it slapped across the seat of her pants.

“Yeeoww!”

“Almost there, Hannah,” Miss Trent said softly, her voice slightly quivering.

With no warning at all, the fifth and final stroke spanked hard across Hannah’s backside, and the sudden pain brought tears to her eyes. She raised herself into a half-standing position without being told and cupped her hands instinctively around the lower portions of both buttocks.

“It’s okay, you can stand up now.” The voice was soft and feminine.

“It hurts!” Hannah bawled, tears now streaming down her face.

“I know,” Miss Trent cooed tenderly. “Come on, let’s get you to a rest room and get you cleaned up.”

Hannah allowed herself to be led from the room by the young teacher Mr Dowell held the door open for them. There was a ladies’ rest room at the end of the hallway, and inside Miss Trent filled a sink with warm tepid water.

“Come on, wash your face off. It’ll make you feel better.”

“Thanks. I guess my make-up is all messed up now?”

“Yes. Just wash it all off. The natural look is quite popular now.”

The attempt at humour was lost on Hannah as she rinsed her face in the warm water. The water was refreshing and she began to feel a little more in control of herself.

The young teacher paused to pull several paper towels from a dispenser. “Here, dry your face with these.”

“Thank you. Thanks for everything.”

“No problem. You know, I found it quite tough watching you bending over that chair while Mr Dowell pounded away at your bottom. I nearly asked him to stop after the third swat.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. I needed to take the full dose.”

“Yes, I kind of see where you’re coming from now. How does it feel?” Hannah finished drying her face and deposited the wet paper towels in the bin.

“My butt is really sore!”

“That’s kind of the idea. You hadn’t been paddled in school before, had you? What about at home?”

“No, never at school. I’ve been across mom’s lap a time or two, but that was just like hand spankings.”

“Uh-huh. So, are we good now?”

“For me, yes. How do you feel about things now? That’s what really matters.”

“Hannah, they’d have been good once I’d gone home and had a couple of glasses of wine. I’m really not so delicate I can’t take an argument with a student without it upsetting me that much. I even thought the full-day Saturday detention was pretty harsh. Half a day would have done it for me.”

“No, I was really out of line this morning. I deserved my spanking.”

“Here, you’ve still got a bit of eye shadow smeared on your face.” Miss Trent took a paper towel, dipped it in the water and wiped the marks off Hannah’s face. “There, all gone.”

“Thanks. Do you mind if I check the marks on my butt?”

“Go ahead.”

Miss Trent watched as Hannah unbuttoned the waistband of her white pants, slipped the zip down and pushed the pants down to mid-thigh. Leaving her brief white panties in place, Hannah turned her back towards the long mirror that ran behind the row of sinks, then looked over her shoulder.

“OMG, it’s bruised all over.”

“Slip your panties down so we can see properly.”

Hannah delicately slipped her brief white panties down to her upper thighs, then looked again in the mirror. The teacher also viewed Hannah’s now naked backside with interest.

“I’ve seen worse. You’ll live.”

“Gee, thanks Miss Trent!”

“You’ll have missed the school bus. Do you want a lift home?”

“I’m not sure I want to sit down just yet,” Hannah said, pulling her pants and panties back up.

“You can kneel on the seat, girl!” Miss Trent replied, giving Hannah the gentlest pats on her now clothed bottom.

“You’re so clever, Miss Trent.” Hannah grinned.

The End

© Kenny Walters 2022