Chapter 9

I didn't, I couldn't move. My body remained frozen except for a growing itch between my shoulder blades; a feeling that I was fervently hoping would go away if I didn't physically move. Yes, I know that's how rabbits react when hit by a passing car's headlights but at that moment it was a feeling I could totally associate with.

"Turn around, Mr. Hayles," demanded the woman's voice and my worst fears were realised. I closed my eyes in despair and turned slowly to meet the bearer of my fate.

"I presume you have an explanation for what I've just witnessed, Mr. Hayles?" she asked sternly when I was facing her.

Nothing in my head was working as I looked at the woman stood before me.

She was Ms. Chandler, the vice-principal of the school and a stickler for discipline. I was actually surprised that she even knew my name, as I'd never really had any dealings with her.

"Well, Mr. Hayles, I'm waiting?" she demanded when I didn't answer her question.

I tried, my mouth opened but nothing came out; I swallowed and tried to speak again but no matter how hard I pushed nothing came out so I closed my mouth. I could hear the two girls shuffling behind me but they too remained silent.

"Nothing to say, Mr. Hayles? Then I think we need to go to my office." She glanced over my shoulder; "You can come with us as well, ladies." She gestured and I got my leaden feet moving, my mind still a block of ice as I made my way the short distance across the entrance foyer to the vice-principal's office. Behind me I could hear Natasha and Kirsty and then the steady clip, clip, clip. Chandler's heels striking the tiled floor.

Ms. Chandler was a woman in her mid to late forties, tall, slim and very business-like. She was often seen strutting around the school and seemed to have an innate ability to appear whenever mischief was occurring, to the detriment of the miscreants. Today she was wearing a dark sand-coloured suit, single-breasted with a short skirt. It wasn't as short as either of the girls' skirts but was of a fashionable length. Under the fitted jacket she wore a high necked black blouse. Her dark hair was pulled back in a bun exposing small drop earrings. Dark framed glasses completed a picture of restrained efficiency.

Her office I discovered was very much like her in appearance, not quite austere but definitely efficient with just the odd personal touch to break up the sterile corporate look. The three of us filed into the office and lined up in front of her desk and waited quietly to see what was going to happen next.

Behind us the door clicked shut and then there was silence, a silence that had me holding my breath for some reason. The door opened once more and Ms. Chandler said, "I will be back in a moment, stay where you are and keep quiet."

The breath I'd been holding escaped noisily as I heard her walk away and my body quivered as the tension was released.

I looked across to the girl stood next to me; Natasha appeared ashen and when I leant forward slightly to see beyond her I saw Kirsty stood silently with her head bowed. Natasha looked at me wide eyed and opened her mouth to speak.

I shook my head firmly, we'd been told to remain silent and I wasn't going to give Ms. Chandler anymore ammunition to use against us. I turned back to the front and tried to relax, slowly convincing myself that the vice-principle was playing mind games with us and that I wasn't going to succumb.

The staccato clip-clip of her shoes striking the floor announced her return from wherever it was she'd been. She entered the room, paused briefly to close the door and then walked around in front of us before resting her derriere on the front of her desk.

Without pausing she looked straight at me and asked, "So, Mr. Hayles, now that you've had time to collect your thoughts would you care to explain to me what was going on out there?"

I couldn't help glancing across at the two girls, their blazers hanging open and, in the case of Natasha one of her nipples clearly visible through her blouse and swallowed. What excuse could I give to explain what I'd been doing?

"Well, Mr. Hayles," snapped Ms. Chandler breaking me from my stupor. "Was it what it looked like?" she demanded, "some form of sexual harassment?"

I felt my eyes go wide at her accusation, 'Oh shit, I really was in trouble this time'.

"Ms. Chandler," said Natasha, "It wasn't like that."

"I wasn't speaking to you, Miss Young," barked the vice-principle. "I was asking Mr. Hayles to explain why he was staring in such a lewd manner at two of his classmates. A stare that he would no doubt have been mortified to be on the receiving end of himself."

'Attack! Damn you! Attack! It's your only hope, ' screamed my mind as I stood there on the edge of collapsing in a heap.

"Who, may I ask said that I was staring in a lewd manner?" I demanded, my mouth springing into action at last and trying desperately to sound firm rather than snivelling.

Before Ms. Chandler could say anything in response I pressed ahead, "What was going on was between consenting adults, was it not ladies?"

I turned to Natasha and Kirsty and prayed silently that they would back me up.

Natasha was the first to speak, "That's what I was trying to explain, Ms.," she said.

Kirsty nodded in agreement but remained silent, I just hoped that Ms. Chandler took this as her agreeing with me.

"I will accept," I continued, "that perhaps we were not carrying out our business in the most appropriate of places." I raised an eyebrow in question and then continued when she didn't respond, "but we were breaking no rules and infringing on no one else by our actions."

'God that sounded pompous even for me, ' announced one half of my mind whilst the other half screamed, 'Shut up you fool before you dig yourself in too deep.'

Ms. Chandler didn't look convinced but she did lean back slightly before continuing in a softer tone, "Then please tell me, Mr. Hayles, what exactly were you doing out there in the corridor?"

I looked heavenward and sighed, it was time for the truth and I silent prayed that it would be enough, though deep down I didn't believe it would be.

I looked straight into Ms. Chandler's hazel eyes and said, "I was ensuring that the two ladies had carried out a dare sufficiently well to avoid a forfeit."

Hopefully that should be bland enough to avoid having to reveal more.

I watched as Ms. Chandler looked Natasha up and down and the little vixen stuck her chest out even more. I cringed inside as her nipples stood out like organ stops. I'm sure the little minx was getting off on this!

Ms. Chandler shifted her gaze to Kirsty who thankfully stood there silently with her head slightly bowed and her toes pointing inwards, looking for all the world like a ten year old who'd been caught with her fingers in the cookie jar.