Disclaimer : I do not own any of the NCIS characters.
This story may contain the corporal punishment of a minor. If you have a problem with this please DON'T READ. Simply go back to the menu!
This story can be read on its own yet is really part of a larger story arch and will make more sense if you read at least "Pranks 'R Us" first.
There was only a three of weeks left of school before the summer break and CJ was spending all recess and lunch breaks in the office as part of her punishment for the long string of pranks she'd been pulling since spring break. For the first few days CJ sat on a chair watching the secretary run around like crazy being the personal assistant to the principal, doing photocopying for the teachers, answering phones, doing her own paperwork and recording attendance for the entire school. CJ couldn't believe that everyone would treat Miss Parkin like she was their personal slave. They weren't very respectful and they expected things in 2 minutes and paid no attention as to whether or not she was busy or in the middle of something else. So on day four CJ decided to do something about Miss Parkin's problems.
When she entered the office instead of taking up her position on the chair beside the principal's door she approached Miss Parkin's desk and asked "Is there anything I could help you with?" The stare that she received suggested that maybe she hadn't made herself clear so she tried again. "I've been here a few days now and you seem to be busier than you can deal with and I'm sitting here doing nothing, which seems kind of wasteful. Don't you think?"
Miss Parkin wasn't sure what to think about CJ's offer. Her only interaction with this girl was when she was in trouble. Stories in the staffroom varied wildly from trouble maker who couldn't be trusted to smart responsible kid who needed an outlet for her extra energy. It only took Miss Parkin a few seconds to decide that an extra set of hands regardless of who they belonged to was needed and she shouldn't kick a gift horse in the mouth.
"Ok. I'll let you help but you need to promise me you'll stay out of trouble, I'm supposed to make sure you stay in the chair and out of trouble."
CJ raised her right hand and placed her left hand over her heart "I solemnly swear that I will help you and stay out of trouble" and gave her best charismatic smile. Miss Parkin suppressed a laugh but allowed herself to smile.
For the next few days CJ followed Miss Parkin around the office, learning how to work the different machines and when things needed to be completed. When Monday came CJ was able to predict what Miss Parkin needed and help out before she was asked.
Miss Parkin quickly grew to like this kid. She was polite, happy, energetic and more helpful than anyone she'd ever worked with. Miss Parkin understood how CJ could be misinterpreted, but she decided that she was in the camp of those who thought she was smart kid who needed to be kept busy to stay out of trouble.
CJ's time with Steven was limited to the walk to and from school. But it was still long enough to discuss the end of year prank. Steven had no interest in being part of such an activity no matter how much CJ pleaded. So she went with plan B get someone else to pull the prank and make sure she was in the vicinity to appreciate it.
In the past couple of years the tradition of the grade 8 graduating pulling a prank on the principal. CJ came to the conclusion that this tradition needed to be resurrected. She just needed to figure out how. She figured she had two major problems, the first she wasn't in 8th grade and didn't know very many of the kids who were. The second was that she needed to get whoever she convinced to pull the stunt to do it when she couldn't be blamed for it.
CJ used Steven as a sounding board for ideas. Although he wasn't going to participate directly he was happy enough to discuss hypothetical situations. He didn't want to admit that he really did have fun with her when they were setting up the pranks. His problem was that unlike CJ he didn't think the spanking at the end was worth it. The closest he would get to helping was suggesting that CJ talk to Dylan Rogers as he was a grade 8 student Steven knew from his soccer team last summer and Dylan seemed the right guy for the job.
Time was running out as summer was fast approaching and CJ didn't have recess or lunch to converse with Dylan. So it was on Tuesday afternoon once the final bell rang that CJ caught up with Dylan as he was leaving the school yard with his two buddies Rob and Seth. They initially laughed at CJ wanting to talk to them but quickly listened when the idea of a traditional end of year prank was brought up. CJ started small simply giving the boys the idea. She then ran off to catch up with Steven.
The next morning before school started Seth and Dylan cornered CJ at the bike rack as she arrived with Steven. At first she was little nervous them being so much bigger and her over active imagination getting ahead of itself. But quickly came to understand that they were there for help. A satisfied smile broke across her face; she had them hook, line and sinker. Now she needed to make sure that she played so little a role that she could not be blamed for the stunt. During the conversation she simply gave the boys a few different suggestions and the principal and Miss Parkin's schedule throughout the day; she'd recently become quite the expert.
After spending her breaks with Miss Parkin again she made a mental note to talk to the grade 8 boys, she didn't want the prank to involve the young secretary. When she caught up with them again at the end of the day she asked that the secretary not be involved at all. The boys seemed happy to comply as a thank you for the idea and scheduling help. Satisfied that all would go well CJ walked home with an extra lightness in her step.