Short Story - Best Friends

Chrissie and Melanie were best chums at school, delighting in each other’s company, sharing the ups and downs of boarding school life, and getting into the odd scrape on the way.

People said that they were like twins, especially in their black gymslips, both being fairly tall and of medium build. They each had shoulder length hair tied back in a regulation ponytail, and the only thing that separated them at first glance was that Mel was a brunette, while Chrissie was a golden blonde.

The school maintained a strict regime, but somehow they always managed to stay below the radar; except that is, for the time that Mel got caught sneaking back through the fence, on the way back from an illicit raid on the village tuck shop.

That had earned her a visit to the headmistress, and caning, which also meant a black mark on her record. Chrissie had been with her on that outing, but had managed to sneak back into school without being caught. Mel, in true British tradition of loyalty to her friends, had not “squealed” and had taken the rap alone; even though it had been Chrissie’s suggestion that they go in the first place.

The incident had taken place a couple of years previously, and each had maintained an otherwise unblemished record but, when they reached the sixth form and the prefectures were handed out, only Chrissie was accorded the privilege. In the role, she was responsible for discipline amongst the girls under her charge and, if necessary, authorised to dispense up to six strokes of the cane.

She was not a strict disciplinarian as such, but neither did she believe in sparing the rod. In her defence however, she was scrupulously fair and only caned when rules had been broken. Rule-breakers could not expect mercy; neither did they receive it.

It was therefore unfortunate when Mel was caught using the Matron’s telephone by Chrissie herself, acting in response to a tip-off from a junior girl, and hauled up to the prefects’ common room to face the music.

Once in the common room, there was only one thing that could happen, and Chrissie reluctantly went to the cupboard and took out one of the canes. Three or four of the other prefects were lounging around, feigning disinterest, but each of them knew of the special friendship between the two, and they were secretly wetting themselves with the prospect of what was about to take place.

Mel wasn’t wetting herself though; she was almost shitting herself instead, because she knew that unauthorized use of the telephone was an automatic six of the best on the bottom. As she stood there waiting, the gnawing feeling in her stomach was transmitting signals to her ass, and she had to pinch her cheeks together to stop herself from farting. She dare not look around the room, but she knew that all the attention was on her.

Chrissie picked up a chair and placed it in the middle of the room. She said nothing but Mel knew it was for her to bend over. It stood before her like an executioner’s block.

Mel felt like crying because it seemed so unjust that her best friend, the one whose neck she had saved eighteen months before, was now going to beat her. And there could be no question of anything less than six vicious cuts of the cane through her knickers. The punishment was prescribed, and Chrissie would have to carry it out properly, or there would be questions asked.

Licking her lips with fear, and with chest pounding, Mel stepped forward, lifted the skirt above her waist and bent over the back of the chair, grasping hold of the seat tightly with both hands. She fidgeted slightly, then pushed up on her tip-toes in the approved manner.

The cane swished through the air and cracked against her bottom, echoing round the room like a pistol shot. Almost immediately, the searing pain ripped through her body in a sea of fire, and it was all she could do to clench her teeth together and gasp inwardly. No sooner had the surging shockwaves settled into a bar of raging torment across the centre of her buttocks, than a second stroke worked its way in; just as hard; just as painful. It was followed by four more, leaving her gasping for breath in their wake.

The tears welled up into Mel’s eyes with shame and humiliation. She stood up when the command came, and hurried from the room, running straight into the lavatories down the corridor. Having locked herself inside a cubicle, she pulled down her knickers, trying to look behind her to examine the damage, but it was physically impossible. She ran her hands over the bulging welts and felt their angry response.

Suddenly there was a knock on the cubicle door, and she heard a girl’s voice through the mist of pain. It was Chrissie………

“Mel! It’s me. Please open the door. I am so sorry. I didn’t have any choice. I had to cane you!”

The door flew open, and Melanie burst out, eyes red with tears and rage.

“You fucking two-faced witch!” she screamed and punched her former friend square on the nose. Then both grabbed hold of the other’s hair and soon they were rolling on the ground screaming at each other, with Mel’s knickers still down around her ankles.

They made such a commotion that half the school heard the noise, and came to investigate what was going on. Soon the lavatory block was filled with excited pupils all straining and pushing to try and get a better view.

In the end Miss Parsons and a posse of prefects arrived to separate the two belligerents, and restore some kind of order.

Then Mel and Chrissie were marched down to the headmistress’s office to explain themselves.

On the way to there, it quickly dawned upon both girls that they were in deep shit. Fighting was strictly prohibited. At the very least, it attracted a severe caning. Since Mel had already received one of those not half an hour before, she was going to be in for a bad time. She could of course ask for it to be deferred, but she would need a good reason, and then it would come to light that she had just been beaten for using the telephone without permission.

Much as she hated to admit it, Chrissie had been doing her a favour by caning her, because that way it had at least kept the offence off the record. Now, with fighting added to her misconduct tally, she faced expulsion.

On the other hand, Chrissie was for it too, unless she got the blame laid firmly at Mel’s door. And in fairness, she had every right to do so, because it was the truth.

Mel had been guilty of breaking the rules and Chrissie had rightly punished her for it. The only reason she had gone to the toilets was to try to offer comfort. Chrissie was innocent in all this, and now she faced the choice of either being stripped of her prefect status, or shopping her erstwhile best friend.

Upon arrival outside the Head’s office, the two girls were instructed to sit down in the waiting room, while Miss Parsons went inside to brief Mrs Wilson, the Head, on the situation as she saw it. Mel and Chrissie sat at either end of the row of hard wooden chairs. Mel was fidgeting and Chrissie was wiping a couple of blood spots away from her nose. They were avoiding each other’s gaze.

Chrissie was called in first.  There was the muffled sound of two female voices; one lower pitched one being that of the headmistress.  It was impossible for Melanie to make out what was being said.  But it didn't need a genius to work out that she was being stitched up.

Presently the door opened and Mel’s heart sank. Oh dear God this was it. She was ready to beg and plead for reprieve. Okay, maybe if she just kept her mouth shut and she was really lucky, she might just get away with a caning. Could she take another caning? Her ass was already on fire…..

The tall, angular figure of Miss Parsons appeared in the doorway. Beyond her, Mel caught a glimpse of Chrissie’s back, as she stood facing the Head’s desk.

“Right Melanie,” said Miss Parsons. “You may go. Chrissie has told us what happened and we will deal with it.”

Mel’s jaw dropped open. Go? She did not understand. Why…..?

“Go on girl!” snapped Miss Parsons. “Don’t hang around here.”

With her knees still trembling from shock, and fear of the caning which apparently she was not going to get, she made her way shakily and uncomprehendingly towards the outer door, still unable to believe what was going on.

 As she reached the door, she heard the voices again coming from the inner office, followed suddenly by the unmistakable crack of a cane hitting someone’s bottom. It could only have been Chrissie’s. A second, and then a third followed. Mrs Wilson was laying them on hard; ……four……..five………..

“Oh God no!” Mel realised that somehow Chrissie had taken the blame for the fight and that she, Melanie, was going to get off scot-free. She wanted to burst back into the office and stop it. But she realised it was too late. Her friend had already sacrificed herself to save her, just as she had done when the situations had been reversed, eighteen months earlier. They were even now, but at what cost: their friendship?

Mel suddenly collapsed crying on the floor, great tears plopping onto the polished linoleum. If only she had been able to control her temper….

Eventually the noise of the caning ceased and the Head’s door opened; Chrissie appeared, holding her bottom and crying. When she stepped out into the corridor, she was met by Melanie who was shaking her head and crying too.

“I’m so sorry Chrissie,” she stammered. “I’m…..I'm.....”

She broke off in mid sentence. Chrissie was no longer wearing her prefect’s badge and red girdle of office. She had not only been caned, but had been reduced to the ranks as well.

Mel gasped in horror. “No!” she screamed. “Oh dear Jesus this is all my fault. I have to go and put it right.” She made as if to go back into the office but Chrissie restrained her.

“Don’t be stupid Mel," she hissed and dragged her down the corridor. “If you go back in there and tell them the truth, you are dead meat. They will expel you for sure. Now get your sorry ass upstairs, because we both need to get cleaned up. That toilet floor was disgusting. As regards the beating: forget it. I owed you one ever since you saved my neck that time, and now we are even, got it?”

It was true. But to Mel, it seemed that the price which Chrissie had just paid, was a high one.

“How many did you get?” She asked still sobbing.

“Eight. Now just leave it will you. I hated being a damned prefect anyway, because it came between us and I didn’t deserve to be one in the first place. Be positive: in three months we will both be out of here and finished with damn school. All we have to do is keep our noses clean and pass our exams. Are we friends again?”

“Of course we are Chrissie; friends forever!” cried Mel, as they went into the washroom and stripped off their clothes for a shower.

With the hot water cascading over their bodies, they took turns in soaping each other and examining their well-caned bottoms. It was so erotic, and both simultaneously realised the truth: they were in love……….