Thank you to my faithful readers who took the time to read and review the first chapter. I already had this one more or less written, so I am putting it straight on now. Progress will be somewhat slower after this! I have ideas for at least a few more chapters, but have yet to write them. Hope you like it. I'm enjoying writing Rosie, who is a fun character!

Chapter 2

The next day Rosie did not want to go to school. She knew she was gonna be kept in at recess and she hated staying inside.

"Come on Rosie, stop playing with your food and eat your breakfast!" said Darry

"I'm not hungry. I've got a belly ache, I think I may be getting sick." Rosie said looking up at Darry with her big green eyes.

"Hmmmmm." He put his hand on her head. "You don't feel hot and you look just fine to me. You can't get out of school that easily darling." He smiled, knowing her usual tactics for trying to get out of school. He knew she wasn't really sick and he couldn't afford to miss work and stay home with her.

"Are you worried about something?" he asked.

She shook her head "I just don't wanna go to school."

"Well, sorry kiddo, you don't have a choice about that." He ruffled her hair fondly.

"Tell you what Rosebud." Said Soda using their Dad's nickname for Rosie. "How about we go to the playground on our way back from school this afternoon?"

Rosie's face lit up immediately. "Yes please Soda!" she grinned.

He grinned back, it was so simple to cheer his little sister up.

"Pony, you wanna come with us?" Rosie asked.

"Nah, I gotta go to the library and finish my history assignment."

"You didn't tell me that." Darry complained.

"I'm telling you now. What's the big deal?"

"If you're going somewhere after school I need to know about it." Said Darry. "Is Two-Bit going with you?"

Pony shrugged "I was gonna go on my own. He'll probably try and steal half the books or try and chat up the librarian." Pony moaned and Soda laughed, realising Pony was probably right about that.

"Well, I'd rather that than you walking home alone."

Pony rolled his eyes. Darry was so paranoid.

"Just humour me Pony, ask Two-Bit to pick you up at least."

"Okay Darry."

"Thanks Pone. Come on Rosie, grab your bag and shoes. We need to get going."

Rosie's morning at school went as normal until recess where she had to stay and clean the blackboard. At least at lunch she went to the canteen as usual and could sit and talk with her friends. After they had finished eating she was allowed to join them outside for the last 20 minutes of lunch. Mary went off to the bathroom, so Rosie made her way out to the big school yard on her own. She spotted a group of girls in the corner playing a game with a jump rope, chasing each other and trying to catch each other with the rope. It looked really fun.

The person who seemed to be in charge of the game was a girl called Lillian. She was a pretty girl with long blonde curls and blue eyes. She always wore pretty dresses and had a ribbon in her hair. What Rosie liked best were her black patent leather shoes. She would have loved a pair like that, but all she had were her sneakers or a clumpy pair of brown boots, which used to belong to Pony.

Rosie went over to see if she could join in the game. She was a bit nervous because although Lillian looked very sweet and angelic, actually she could be pretty mean and she could be a bit of a bully. But, Rosie really wanted to join in the fun catching game, so she plucked up the courage to ask.

"Can I play?"

Lillian turned and looked at her with a sneer on her face.

"No sorry you are not qualified to play this game."

"What does that mean?" asked Rosie innocently.

"The rules are that only people who have a Mommy and a Daddy are allowed to play." She said nastily.

Rosie felt her stomach turn over at the mention of her Mommy and Daddy. That was a really low blow and she felt herself becoming angry.

"And anyway," Lillian added in a whiny voice. "you smell and we don't want you to play with us."

Rosie tried to count to ten, but she only got to five and she just couldn't contain herself any longer.

"I do not smell and I do have a Mommy and Daddy, just they are in heaven now!"

"Don't be stupid, Greasers are bad and they don't go to heaven." Lillian sneered.

No-one had ever called Rosie a greaser before, but she knew her brothers were, so she supposed she must be too. Anyway she knew it was not a nice thing for Lillian to call her. She felt madder than ever and she swung her little arm back and threw her fist into Lillian's face. Lillian looked very surprised and Rosie noticed that her nose was bleeding. A small smile crept onto her lips. 'That'll show her!' she thought to herself. But she didn't have long to bask in her success as she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder and Miss Blunt, one of the lunchtime teachers, said

"Primrose Curtis, you are going straight to the Principal's office! Maria and Tracy please take Lillian to the nurse's office and get her seen to."

Miss Blunt held onto Rosie's arm and dragged her into the hallway and down to the Principal's office for the second time that week. She sat in a chair outside the office with her stomach churning wondering what the Principal was going to say to her this time. She hoped he would understand she had no choice when Lillian mentioned her parents like that, but she had a feeling he wouldn't. She stared down at the hole in her sneaker toe and wished she was like Lillian and those other girls with their pretty clothes and shoes. If she was like them then they would have let her play and Lillian wouldn't have been mean to her and made her hit her.

"Come in Primrose." Mr Harper called in a stern voice. He sat back down behind his desk and Rosie stood in front of the desk looking down at the floor. "Well, Primrose, I am very disappointed that you are back in here so soon and for hitting another child. Do you have any excuses this time?"

Rosie looked up and made eye contact before she spoke. "She said my Mommy and Daddy were bad and they aren't in heaven." She felt a sob rise in her throat as she said those words and her eyes filled with tears. Mr Harper's face softened slightly and he shook his head.

"Well, I'm sorry she said that, she shouldn't have, but it's not an excuse for hitting her like you did. If you had gone to a teacher and told them what she said then it might be her standing here in trouble instead of you, did you ever think of that?"

Rosie shook her head sadly as another tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to call your brother and get him to come and pick you up. When something like this happens I have to suspend the child concerned, that means you are not allowed back in school till next Monday but I will have a word with your brother when he comes and see if we can find a way around it."

He felt sorry for the little girl in front of him. She had been dealt a rough hand in life and he wanted to be kind and make things easier for her if he could.

"Okay, go and sit back outside until Darrell gets here."

The little girl nodded "Thank you Mr Harper." She said in a tiny voice.

She could not sit still while she waited for Darry to arrive. She knew he would be really mad at her and she wished with all her heart that the Principal would not be able to get hold of him and have to call Sodapop instead. Things would go much better for her then. Sadly her wish wasn't granted. About 45 minutes later, what seemed to Rosie like an eternity, Darry came striding through the door of the school office. The glare that he gave Rosie was all she needed to see to know that she was in big trouble. He didn't even say hi to her, he went straight and knocked on Mr Harper's door and was invited in to talk to him. Rosie waited outside again, wondering what was being said in there. She was glad that at least Mr Harper seems to be on her side. Eventually Darry emerged from the office with Mr Harper just behind him.

"Come back in here for a moment please Primrose." Mr Harper said gently. Once they were back in the office he began "Now, I have spoken to your brother and I agree that you were provoked by the nasty things that Lillian said to you. I am willing to withdraw the suspension if you will apologise to Lillian for thumping her."

Rosie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did they really expect her to say sorry to that nasty creature after what she had said?! She felt her resolve harden and stubbornly folder her arms across her chest.

"No!" she said simply.

"What?!" Darry yelled.

Rosie looked nervously up at her angry brother, but she still couldn't bring herself to agree to this. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. Lillian was the one in the wrong and she deserved what she had got.

"No, I won't say sorry cos I'm not sorry." She pouted.

Darry grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "You will apologise Primrose Elizabeth! Mr Harper is kindly giving you a chance to make things right and you will take it."

"I can't." she said obstinately.

Darry looked as if he was about to explode, but Mr Harper spoke calmly.

"You understand if you don't apologise you will be suspended and that will go on your permanent record?"

Rosie shrugged.

"Answer Principal Harper!" Darry barked, disgusted at her disrespectful behaviour.

"Yes sir, I understand."

"Okay then Primrose, we will see you on Monday and you will be kept in at recess for 2 weeks once you get back."

"Yes sir." She answered before Darry could yell at her again. Darry grabbed her arm and dragged her to the door.

"Thank you Mr Harper for trying to help, I'm sorry my sister is so disrespectful and stubborn."

"It's okay Darrell."

Darry nodded and pulled Rosie after him all the way to the parking lot. She had to run to keep up with his long strides. Darry opened the truck door,

"Get in!" he commanded.

Rosie sheepishly clambered in and sat herself as far from Darry as she could. She was scared at how mad he was. He had never been so mad with her before and she wanted this journey to last forever so she didn't have to deal with the conversation they were going to have when they got home. When they arrived Darry got out then came round to Rosie's side of the truck and opened her door. Usually he would give her a hand down as it was pretty high up for her. This time he grabbed her around the waist and deposited her on the ground, having no patience to gently aid her out of the truck.

"Inside young lady!" he bellowed. Rosie quickly ran up the porch steps and Darry followed her in.

"Sit down!" he pointed to the couch.

Rosie sat down, her heart beating fast and tears threatening, She looked down at her hands which were twisting and untwisting round each other with nerves.

"What do you have to say for yourself young lady?! I have had to miss half a day's work because of your behaviour and I want a good reason for it!"

Rosie swallowed and looked up. "Sorry Darry." She almost whispered. "I didn't mean you to miss work. I just got mad. Lillian said I smelt and she said that Mommy and Daddy are not in heaven cos greasers are all bad. It's not true is it Darry?" she said, tears now cascading down her cheeks.

Darry took a deep breath, "Of course it ain't true and she should never have said those things to you, but it is never right to hit someone, okay? You need to control your temper and take a deep breath and go tell an adult if someone does something like that again. But you never punch them. Mr Harper said you really hurt that girl and she had a bloody nose."

Rosie couldn't help a twitch of her lips and a small smile. She was glad she had hurt her.

"It is not a laughing matter Primrose and certainly nothing to be proud of!" Darry yelled. "And I never want to see you being so disrespectful to your Principal like you were today, especially when he was doing all he could to try and help you."

Rosie did feel ashamed she had disrespected Mr Harper, She did really like him.

"There is still a chance that you can make things right. We are going back to school tomorrow and you are going to apologise to that girl for pounding on her."

"No, I can't do that Darry. I'm not sorry and that would be lying. You always tell me not to lie."

Darry gritted his teeth to try and control his temper.

"I am telling you that is what you are going to do. You are going in there and you are going to tell her you are sorry for hitting her!"

"It ain't fair Darry! She should say sorry to me." Rosie protested.

"It ain't fair that either me or Soda will have to miss work for the next 3 days to stay home with you because you are suspended, when you could make things right by just saying you are sorry. Now I don't wanna hear any more arguing about this!"

Rosie pouted then stood up and stamped her foot indignantly.

"I won't say I'm sorry, I won't!" she yelled.

"Okay, I have had enough of this behaviour. I am going to do what I should have done a months ago to teach you some manners and some respect for your elders."

Rosie's eyes grew round as she thought she knew what was coming. Darry sat down on the couch and pulled Rosie down with him, flipping her over his knee.

"Get off me!" Rosie yelled. "No Darry, please don't hit me!"

Darry spoke calmly and firmly to Rosie. "Primrose, I am going to spank you, just like Dad would have done if you had behaved this way to him. You are to listen to what I say, you are to do as you are told and you are not to answer back and stamp your foot at me. Do you understand?"

Rosie was crying now. "Okay Darry, I promise not to do those things anymore. Please don't spank me."

"I'm sorry Rosie, it's too late for that. Next time you are tempted to behave like you did today, hopefully you'll remember this spanking and you won't do it."

"But I don't wanna be spanked!" wailed Rosie.

"That's the whole point Rosie. You don't want this to happen again, right?"

"I don't want it to happen at all. Please let go of me."

Rosie tried to wriggle off Darry's lap, but he held her in place with one hand. With the other he pulled up her skirt, leaving her panties on and brought his hand down on her butt.

"Owww!" Rosie yelped. Before she could say anything else Darry brought his hand down again and again. Rosie was squealing and sobbing by the time Darry laid down the 12th and final swat. He pulled her skirt back down and pushed her up to standing.

"Okay Rosie, I don't want to ever have to do that again, so please be good. Tomorrow you are going to apologise to Lillian and if you still refuse you will get another spanking. Do you understand me?"

Rosie nodded through her tears and then flung herself into Darry's arms. He closed his arms round and made soothing noises as he calmed her tears. Once she was calmer he released her.

"Now go to your room, Rosie."

Rosie flew to her room and lay face down on her bed sobbing into her pillow and rubbing her butt. It really stung and she couldn't believe that Darry had actually spanked her like that. She must have made him really mad. She cried even more when she thought about the fact that she was going to have to say sorry to that awful Lillian girl the next day. She felt an ache inside her at the very thought. It was so unfair, but she didn't want Darry and Soda to have to miss work. Even at her young age she knew that money was short in their house and they couldn't afford to miss out on a day's pay. Also, she did not want Darry to follow through with his threat and spank her again. It hurt a lot! She was just going to have to swallow her pride and say the words, even if she definitely wouldn't mean them. After about 15 minutes she fell asleep, exhausted from all the crying.

Darry sighed with relief where he was in the kitchen, hearing that her tears had finally stopped. He hated to hear her cry but he knew he'd done the right thing. Without their Mom and Dad around it fell to him to teach her right from wrong and her being such a stubborn little thing maybe a spanking was the only way to get through to her. He hoped it would work, as he really didn't want to have to do it too many more times!