A Lesson in Modesty - Chapter 2 posted (Oct 25th)

[SDS]

A Lesson in Modesty - Chapter two- Wishing to be heard

Megan was the last to enter the classroom, a forlorn look on her young face, her emotions inside still brittle and hurt from the failed attempt at connecting with her schoolmates.

“Megan, to the front of the class” Said Mrs Miler. Her voice loud and stern but not quite a shout rang across the classroom turning all eyes to the new girl. Megan blushed a sudden panic and fear gripped her. It sounded like she was in trouble, but she had only a few seconds behind the other youngsters back in from their break, so surely it wasn’t for being late. The girl she had seen outside handstanding skipped quickly back to her seat from the front of the room near the teachers desk and sat down with a smug cheeky grin on her face.

“Yes Miss” Megan mumbled, her head down to avoid her classmates' stares. She watched her own red checkered dress sway and her bare legs and blank pumps step out rhythmically as she nervously walked towards the front of the room, past the rows of other desks. There was snickering and whispers all around as she passed. The whole class knew how mean the old battleaxe could be especially when targeting a girl she didn't like. Megan was mortified by this attention, she was a good girl and never got into trouble at her old school.

Megan stopped in front of the teacher's desk, but the older woman ignored her and started shouting out the register, making sure the whole class was back from their break. The tension was unreal as the poor shy girl stood awkwardly in front of her classmates. She rubbed her hands together nervously risking a glance back at the class and most were looking at her, waiting to see what she was in trouble for. She blushed looking down again which seemed to bring another round of giggles from the others.

Finally the teacher turned back to Megan, making the poor girl wilt under her ancient stoney stare. “Do you know why I called you up here Megan?” the woman asked accusingly. Megan had hoped whatever it was it would have been dealt with privately, but obviously this wasn’t the playbook of this old-school educator. Again the teachers words were directed at Megan but broadcast for all to hear in the room.

“Nnn-no miss” Megan stuttered.

The old woman's stare pinned Megan in place, her face draining of colour as she knew now she was in trouble, just not not why. The teacher was very good at using long awkward silence to really make a girl feel small.

“What did you do at break time?” She asked after the uncomfortable pause.

“Nothing Miss!” Megan squeaked.

“Well, that is what we call a lie, isn’t Megan? I suppose you just want us to believe you just stood outside doing absolutely nothing all break then?”

“No .. miss…yes..I mean …” Megan gasped confused and mortified about being put on the spot like this, her mind racing trying to figure out what she was being accused of. And a liar! She had never been accused of that before.

“Stop stuttering girl… What did you do at breaktime” Mrs Miler asked her again.

“I…I…I did some” started megan quietly before being interrupted.

“Speak up” boomed Mrs Miller totally throwing Megan off balance again. She risked a look back at her classmates, most were grinning or smiling, not a hint of sympathy for her. In fact they all seemed to be rather enjoying her distress.

“I just did some gymnastics Miss,that's all” Megan finally said, turning back to the teacher assuming there had been some confusion or she’d been wrongly accused of something.

“And was that appropriate Megan?” The aging woman asked, setting a trap.

“Appropriate? …I thought it was Miss… Other girls were also..” Megan continued to sweat dripping down her brow, heart pounding in her chest, what rule could she have possibly broken!

“And were these other girls dressed like you?” the teacher continued.

“Yes…I mean …no. No miss” She said blushing finally starting to realise what the problem might have been. A jot of fear froze her, she remembered that second as she was upside down dress falling down her body, her private undergarments on show.

A hand shot up from the crowd, although Megan was too busy staring down at a scuff on one of her pumps to notice.

“Yes Betty? You have a question?” The teacher said her voice turned sickly sweet for one of her pet students.

“Miss, why is it inappropriate for a girl to handstand in a dress? Lots of girls do that in skirts or dresses at break time” Betty said cheerfully. Megan looked up sharply, this new speaker was sitting next to the girl who had been also doing gymnastics outside with her. As Megan watched the girl from outside leaned over to whisper something to Betty. Both girls giggled and Megan couldn't help feeling a conspiracy.

“Well class, that is a great question, why don't we ask Megan. Megan, why was it inappropriate for you to handstand outside, was it because you were wearing a dress?

“No miss,” Megan blushed again, face going warm.

“Megan! Look up when your addressing the the class, it is bad manners to not make eye contact” Mrs Miller scolded her quickly and waited until the red faced girl looked back over the crowd. “Now, tell the class nice and loud, what was the problem with you doing handstands and cartwheels outside?”

Megan’s blush deepened, her embarrassment pushing down her fear as the dominant emotion. “I…I wasn’t wearing any shorts under my dress” She finally said, breaking the tension.

The classroom erupted into loud giggles and whispers, a few boys sitting up straighter with new grins and mischievous looks on their faces. This has suddenly become a very interesting topic for them.

“And why should decent respectable girls wear shorts underneath their dresses Megan?” the foul toothed woman grinned learning in close as the young girl squirmed in embarrassment, desperate to look down but knowing she would just be told off again.

“So they don’t show them Miss” Megan stammered, face warm and clammy. Her eyes darted around the room avoiding the boys trying to find any sympathy from the girls. Unfortunately even the girls seemed to love her embarrassment.

“Show what Megan?” Mrs Miller added a confused look on her face although the answer was obvious to the whole class.

“Their…” Knickers, frillies, smalls, panties, undies, underwear… oh god what was the appropriate term to say in public the poor girl thought blushing in mortification. “...their underwear Miss” she eventually said another round of giggles from the crowd. Just saying the words made her blush deepen and her knees go weak.

“Yes, quite right! Girls wear shorts to protect their modesty. Were you modest today Megan? ” The old woman asked her, digging the poor girl deeper and deeper into embarrassment.

“No miss” she squeaked.

“So you were too busy showing off? Do you like doing your fancy-pancy gymnastics and showing all the boys your knickers? ”

“No miss! I don’t think anyone saw” Megan replied aghast as her character was attacked.

The teacher turned back to the room, yes this would be a perfect teaching moment, she did not like little harlots in her classroom, this girl would need to learn a lesson in modesty.

“No one saw? Let's find out shall we? Hands up class, who saw Meghan's knickers today?”

Megan let out a squeak of shame as several girls' hands flew up followed by at least five boys.There was no way that was true! She hadn’t been on stage with all eyes on her as she showed off her undies, it had been a quick handstand near a quite corner of the playground.The boys giggled.

“They’re lying miss, it was just one quick handstand, I washing showing them off!” Megan squeaked anger rising to meet her embarrassment.

“I’m not lying miss they were white” Said Robbie a cheeky boy sat on the front row next to her tattletales that had started this whole mess off.

Megan blushed even more as all the boys in the room laughed at the colour of her underwear being revealed. She knew Robbie was playing football at the time with most of the other boys and far out of her view.

“Megan, is that true, are your knickers white?” The teacher challenged her.

“Yes” was all the shy girl could muster looking down again, a tear threatening to escape her eyes.

“Well it seems to me that the only liar in this class is you Megan. Really hanging upside down showing off your little panties for the whole world to see! Shameful! A girl must have modesty”

Megan had no words to fight back now, she was shaking mortified beyond below as the class spoke about her underwear and described her as a show off and a little tart who wanted people to see them.

Mrs Miler was old school, when she had been thirteen her father had caught her smoking and made her smoke the whole pack until she vomited. She had never smoked a cigarette since. She tapped on the desk eying Megan an idea coming into her head.

“So Megan, show off and a liar, that is not a good start to your new school is it?”

“Miss I’m not lying" She stuttered.

“Fine, then it’s time for a demonstration of your fine gymnastics skill that you're so keen to show off” the teacher concluded.

The room fell silent, anticipation rising as silent questions flooded every youngsters thoughts.

[mikewozere]

Love it! Wonder if she'll be made to do gymnastics in just her underwear

[SDS]

Love it! Wonder if she'll be made to do gymnastics in just her underwear

You'll have to wait and see... all I can say is it will be quite a performance.

Each chapter so far has had a bit of foreshadowing...

She experienced a brief taste of attention and that was all she wished for her school day! Just someone to notice her.

... Obvious now with the cliffhanger from chapter two...She will soon find everyones attension on her... the notice of the whole class.

And the hidden foreshadowing from chapter 2: "She hadn’t been on stage with all eyes on her as she showed off her undies"