It was Arianne’s idea. Or more precisely, she was the impetus. She told us Miss Perkins had given her a B on her final paper. Arianne had never gotten a grade below A before. To say Ari was incensed was to put it mildly.

“We’ve got to do something,” she told us, us being me, Miguel, and Crayton.

“Like what?” we asked.

“Fix it somehow,” Ari said.

“You mean like hack the grading system and change the grade?” I asked.

“Can you do that?” Ari wanted to know.

“Sure,” I said, “but she’ll find out.”

“What if we fix it so she can’t find out?” Crayton proposed.

“How would we do that?” Ari asked.

“Better if you don’t know,” Crayton said, “but I know the perfect spot,” he added. “The married students’ complex way out on County C.”

“There’s nothing there. Demolished years ago,” I pointed out.

“Right,” Crayton said. He said he’d been out there a couple of weeks ago. “The only things still standing are some clothes poles.”

“Clothes poles?” Arianne questioned.

“Solid as fuck,” Crayton said. “A hurricane wouldn’t blow them over.”

We divided up the tasks. Ari would buy the sheets, clothesline, and clothespins. Miguel would get the chloroform. Crayton would make the clamps in metal shop. I’d hack the system and change Ari’s grade.

Three days later we were ready. I got into the system just before final bell. Nothing to it. Just before signing out, I glitched the parking lot security cameras.

As Miss Parks was leaving the building, I interrupted her, asking if she’d be interested in an advisor’s role for next year’s thespians. “There’s a play about lesbians I think might interest you,” I said. She wrinkled her nose. I bumbled a few more minutes of enthusiastic explanation. By then the faculty lot was all but empty. Ari was waiting for Miss Perkins by her car.

“Miss Perkins, can I talk to you about my paper?” Ari asked, just as Miss Perkins unlocked the door.

“Now’s not really the time,” Miss Perkins said, sliding into the driver’s seat. Ari clamped the chloroform-soaked rag over Miss Perkins’ nose and held tight. It only took a few seconds and Miss Perkins slumped forward. We shoved Miss Perkin’s limp body over to the passenger seat, and Ari and Miguel got in and drove to the married students’ housing complex. Cray and I followed in Crayton’s car.

“I hope they remembered to turn off her cell phone,” I said.

“What I don’t understand is why we didn’t just finish her and be done with it?” Crayton wanted to know.

“Seriously?” I answered.

“Make things a lot simpler,” Crayton said.

“What fun would that be?” I said.

Crayton was right about the clothes poles. Solid. While Ari strung the clothesline and hung the sheets, Miguel and I removed all of Miss Parks’ clothing and propped her against a pole so Crayton could drill the holes. Miss Parks was groggily coming awake as Crayton finished bolting the neck clamp in place. She was barely able to resist when Crayton clamped her wrists behind the pole. “What do you think you’re doing?” she managed to ask. “This hurts my neck.”

“Then stand still,” Crayton said. “I’m almost done.”

He fashioned a hangman’s noose out of a length of clothesline and bound Miss Parks’ legs behind the pole. “Now she can’t kick us,” he said.

Ari meanwhile had set up the tripod with the camera. “Smile,” she told Miss Perkins.

“What do you want?” Miss Perkins asked. “You’re all in big trouble, you know.”

“You’re the one in big trouble,” Arianne said. She affixed a clothespin to Miss Parks’ nipple.

Miss Parks squirmed but the clothespin held fast. “Take that off right now,” she demanded.

Arianne clamped a clothespin on Miss Parks’ other nipple. Miss Parks shook and shook but the clothespins continued to grip her nipples.

“If you had bigger breasts maybe you could get more whipping action,” Ari speculated. “Or if you had smaller nipples...”

“I think her breasts are very nice,” I said. “Her nipples too. I kind of wish I was one of those clothespins.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Miss Parks spat.

“Too late for that,” I said.

“What about a clothespin for her clit?” Crayton suggested.

“I doubt if her clit’s big enough,” Arianne said.

“Maybe if we got her real excited,” Miguel said. “I heard clits fatten up like dicks.”

“Go ahead, give it a shot,” Ari said.

“Really?” Miguel said.

“No harm in trying,” Ari said.

Miguel knelt before Miss Parks.

“Don’t you dare,” she said.

“She’s probably frigid,” Ari said.