Chapter 6: Crime and Punishment

Melanie Lucas discovered the nature of Mabel and her sinister satellites' punishment quite quickly. Both were astonished at the sight of the trio of miserable, embarrassed ladies trying to act cool as they entered Physics class late. Mr. Gresham noted on his data pad the electronic late admittance notice.

"Now, everyone, enough comment! You'd think you were a herd of geese, not serious students of science! Pay attention to the test, please!"

Mabel knew he couldn't be talking to her. She was no serious student of science, as she was seriously in danger of flunking this course.

On the data pad in front of her, Melanie noted the e-mail she just received from Principal Arbuthnot, advising her that the miscreants responsible for the destruction of her property had been punished by having to forgo use of the same property. Melanie was horrified. Quickly, she typed on her pad six words: "We need to talk right now." She tagged it as urgent, and sent it on its way.

The response came back almost instantly. "Everything OK?"

"U made big mistake," she replied. "Meet ASAP." She added that she wanted Mabel and Mabel's two co-conspirators present as well.

Mr. Gresham's data pad buzzed. He glanced at it in annoyance, then nodded at Melanie, who had received a copy of the same e-mail. "Will this take long, Miss Lucas?"

"I hope not, Mr. Gresham."

"What's the matter," Mabel hissed as they started down to the main office. "This isn't enough for you?"

"This is far too much for me," Melanie hissed back, trying to keep the disruption to the classes down to an absolute minimum. "I'll explain when we get to Principal Arbuthnot's office."

Principal Arbuthnot herself was trying to figure out what Melanie meant with her all-too-brief note. As soon as the four girls arrived at the office, she had her assistant show them in.

Melanie did not sit down. The other three girls, nervous due to their nakedness, decided to follow her lead and remain standing as well.

"Miss Arbuthnot," Melanie said respectfully, "I think your punishment is a mistake."

"So you advised me in your message requesting this meeting," the principal responded coolly. "How so?"

Melanie took a breath. "I'm nude do to circumstances - it's voluntary. I'm not nude because I'm being punished, it's my choice. I could have someone get clothes from home, or wrap a towel around me and go home or to a clothing store and buy replacements, whatever. These three are not. And that's what's not right. Nudity should never be used as a punishment."

Miss Arbuthnot wasn't following. "And why not?"

"You are shaming them. You are sending the message that there's something about their bodies that they should be ashamed of, that they should cover up. That's the attitude that leads to eating disorders and loss of self-confidence and all kinds of other stuff. They just destroyed some cloth. They should pay me for the cost of replacing it. But they shouldn't be forced to walk around the halls nude. Look at them. They're naked right now, not nude."

"I don't see the difference," the principal confessed. She was, however, beginning to see Melanie's point.

"Naked means defenceless. They're terrified as well as ashamed. They must be feeling vulnerable - they've never been in a social nudity situation, and don't know how to act, you can tell by their body language. It's not what naturism is all about. Regarding their misbehaviour, they should be embarrassed that they were dumb enough to wreck my stuff, but that should be it. Please, Miss Arbuthnot, tell them they have to pay me for my clothes, but don't tell them they have to go naked. If they want to go nude, let it be their choice."

Miss Arbuthnot considered Melanie's brave words and sighed. "You've made your case. I can see your point, and it makes sense." She shifted her attention to the other three students. "Alright. My deepest apologies, ladies. There are your clothes. Take them, please - you can get dressed again if you want to."

As all three gratefully picked up their attire, Miss Arbuthnot added more loudly, "It's your choice whether you wear them or not, but you need to hurry back to class. Mr. Gresham isn't going to hold the start of his test forever."

Mabel had a lot to think about after that meeting, which probably explained why she utterly bombed the Physics test. She left the classroom still thoughtful, and still dressed.

Melanie expected that she would bomb the Physics test too - but she managed to get an 86%. Still, she felt she could have done better, if she hadn't had the distractions that Mabel insisted on dropping on her from a great height. She left the classroom relieved, and still nude.

Next was lunch. She looked forward to that, but not for the "get a break from durance vile" reasons. It was the one chance to get together with her coterie of friends, and pretend to be a normal girl, one who didn't have a parent running for election to the highest office in the solar system, and therefore didn't have the press following her every move. She could pretend the cameras, still and video, weren't waiting for her to leave the campus, that the silly stupid questions by silly stupid ambulance-chasing reporters ready to report every misspoken word as being reflective of a fluffy-headed and irresponsible teen girl. They had a story they wanted to write, about how the Tory candidate for President had a spoilt little princess for a daughter.