September was going by so quickly. CJ could hardly believe that the first month of school was almost over. With the teacher's assigning a LOT of work, giving the excuse that they had to get ready for high school and with her new 'job' as announcer CJ really was too busy to cause any trouble.
She had decided that although the principal had always just read the list of announcements in the past, that was not how she was going to run things. They were a boring part of the day and so she decided to make things a little more exciting. She turned it into a news broadcast format and added things like the joke of the day that were picked from student entries. Mr. Thompson was amazed; he had gone along with Miss Parkin's suggestion not because he thought it would work but because he really was at a loss of how to keep CJ out of trouble. And here she was not only staying busy and out of trouble but also taking initiative and designing a new system so to speak.
CJ had trained Steven on how to use the PA system as well, just in case she was sick or away one day. And he was the fill in whenever the second chair student couldn't make it. The two kids were enjoying themselves and the student body was paying more attention to what was being said.
Now September was generally not hot in DC but this year it was uncharacteristically so. CJ and Steven had spent many lunch breaks just sitting against the school waiting for 'playtime' to be up, it was too hot to run around or do anything.
The middle school 'playground' wasn't much of a playground at all. It was a rectangle of tarmac. Now this tarmac was surrounded on 2 sides by a public park. Unfortunately the students were not allowed in this public park as it was considered 'off' school property. CJ had always thought this rule to be stupid. It had a set of swings, a baseball diamond and a climbing apparatus. Now on this very hot day CJ wasn't actually interested in any of those things, what she wanted was to sit in the grass under the shade of a tree to escape the heat. On this particular day CJ was feeling lousy, she was hot, tired and generally just not feeling well. CJ approached the teacher on duty, which unfortunately was Mr. Gillis, and asked if she and Steven could just sit under the tree not 10 feet from the edge of the tarmac. CJ took care to ask respectfully and explain why she was trying to escape the heat. Mr. Gillis sneered at the two kids and hastily replied "Absolutely NOT, you are not to go off of school property at any time during the school day." CJ then asked, again respectfully, although it was much harder after the answer she had received, may we go inside and get a drink of water and spend a few minutes cooling down. Again the curt reply was a no. CJ wasn't in the best of moods to begin with and so didn't take it well that Mr. Gillis was denying her a way of feeling better.
It was the feeling that he was being unreasonable that led CJ to make the decision she did. Once Mr. Gillis' back was turned she walked straight over to the tree and sat down. Steven didn't know what to do, he looked between his friend and the teacher several times before following CJ to the tree. The friends sat talking for only a few minutes before Mr. Gillis standing with his toes at the edge of the tarmac called over "Hey… you two… get over here right now"
Whether it was his tone, what he said or the fact that CJ could care less what he thought she completely ignored him and continued her conversation with Steven. Steven on the other hand was immediately in great turmoil; stay with his friend or follow a teacher's direct instructions.
Mr. Gillis called over again. "The pair of you had better get over here right now or I will be sending you to the principal's office." This got Steven's attention, he may have been in cahoots with CJ last year but he had never ended up in the principal's office and wasn't about to start today. He turned to CJ and said "Com' on CJ" it's not worth it, recess is almost over and then we can go inside.
"You go Steven, I don't want you to get in trouble, but I'm going to make a point"
Wincing Steven stood shifting his weight from foot to foot not sure what to do. "GO" CJ barked at him, and so he turned and walked to the tarmac taking a position to the left of Mr. Gillis. Mr. Gillis didn't even acknowledge that Steven had obeyed but continued to threaten CJ. "You have to the count of ten before you're going inside."
What an idiot CJ thought. She wanted to go inside; she didn't want to be out here anymore, she didn't care about what he thought. CJ felt she could make a good case to Mr. Thompson about why she was putting up a fight about sitting under a tree. And so CJ sat and Mr. Gillis counted to 10 out loud, slowly. CJ laughed inwardly, you don't need to count slowly, I'm not changing my mind. When he finally got to 10 he pointed at the door to the school and yelled "IN…NOW", ok thought CJ that is what I wanted. She walked quickly not because she was worried about his response but the faster she walked the faster she was inside where it was cooler and there was water to drink.
CJ was disappointed when she got to Mr. Thompson's office both he and Miss Parkin were nowhere to be seen. After having taken a long drink at the water fountain CJ sat with her back to the cool concrete wall and waited with her eyes closed. The bell rang not too long after she had sat down and she wasn't sure what she was to do. Wait at the office or return to class. She didn't have to wait long before Mr. Gillis rounded the corner. Standing over her he snarled "What did Mr. Thompson have to say about your behavior Miss DiNozzo?"
"Nothing" thumbing in the direction of the office "he's not here this afternoon."
Mr. Gillis seemed stumped but quickly recovered ordering CJ to return to class and then to his classroom at the end of the day.
The afternoon dragged on, CJ had a headache and really wasn't paying any attention in any of her classes. By the time the last bell of the day rang CJ had been snapped at by every teacher and had loads of extra homework because she hadn't completed any of the in class work. She went to her locker packed her school bag and was about to slam the door when she realized that it would only make her own headache worse and not solve the problem she was about to face. Steven walked with her to Mr. Gillis' door and told her he would wait for her under "the tree". The smile and sarcastic way he'd said it made CJ laugh and she entered the classroom with a smile on her face.
"I can see you don't understand the trouble you are in Miss DiNozzo" he said roughly.
CJ uncharacteristically held her tongue. He wasn't worth it. She continued to stand just inside the door.
With a wave of his hand signaled for her to come closer to the desk in which he was seated. CJ walked without reservation or hesitation. She may have broken a rule, but it was for a good reason and she had made sure that she had not 'given' any attitude. None of this seemed to sway Mr. Gillis as she explained her actions and reasons. He sat there face expressionless and cold.
"I've been reading your file Miss DiNozzo… it seems you are not a stranger to trouble"
CJ stood there getting angrier by the second, her hands were now in her back pockets and she was bouncing on the balls of her feet. She may have disobeyed him but she had done it for a good reason, she had always been taught to do as your told as long as it was 'safe' and really being over heated and denied water was 'unsafe' was it not. And this man obviously didn't know what TROUBLE was, because she had maintained a polite tone every time she had addressed him. TROUBLE, she could give him trouble if that is what he thought she was.
"I told you that you were not to go off of school grounds and yet that is exactly what you did. I gave you an opportunity to return without punishment and you refused. You have no one but yourself to blame for the predicament you find yourself in now."
He stood and grabbed something from the opposite side of his desk, CJ didn't see the paddle until he'd turned around and was facing her again. She continued to stand there, hands in her back pockets, bouncing on the balls of her feet, showing no signs of worry, fear or relenting.
He moved his wooden desk chair so the back of it was up against the front wall. Pointing to the chair he ordered "Bend over"
Not changing position, not even turning to look at him CJ said "NO"
He stalked over to CJ and put his face within inches of hers and repeated "Bend over that chair NOW."
Without hesitation and without interrupting her bouncing she replied "no" again.
By this point Mr. Gillis was beyond furious, his face was red, he was breathing in gasps and he was punctuation each word with a grunt. But CJ didn't think she deserved to be punished, if Mr. Thompson, or for that matter Mr. Richardson had been around, they would have understood.
But then Mr. Gillis found the threat that worked. "If you do not bend over that chair by the time I count to 3 I will be calling both of your parents and then we will do this after they arrive." CJ was sure she could convince a non-family member of her innocence but not her parents and not after they had been called to the school. Dejectedly CJ turned on her heal and made her way to the chair. She sighed heavily before bending over the chair holding onto either side of the seat. This was not going to be an easy ride.
Mr. Gillis strode over to CJ quickly and with decisiveness and swiftness raised the paddle high in the air and brought it down hard onto the girl's backside. CJ was fuming she'd been manipulated into taking this punishment and that made her even angrier than when she'd first walked through the door not 5 minutes ago. The first swat hurt like crazy and he hadn't told her how many to expect. She clenched her teeth refusing to give any sign it was painful. He raised his arm again, and again brought the paddle down with a resounding thud. CJ starting counting the strokes in her head and tried to remember to breath. The school policy was that 4 strokes was the maximum punishment to be administered without parental consent for the specific case of misconduct. So when the fifth stroke landed CJ was confused and her anger spiked. She was too livid to cry or show signs that the fire on her ass and the underlying throbbing was getting to be too much to take. The sixth and final stroke landed on the already well chastised 'sit spot' and angry growl escaped past CJ's lips. She remained bent over the chair for what seemed like forever as Mr. Gillis returned the paddle to the far side of his desk, rolled down his shirt sleeve and adorned his suit jacket.
"You may stand" he casually declared.
Straightening seemed to be harder than CJ remembered it ever being; maybe the almost 4 months hiatus from needing to be in this position in the first place had made her forget what it was like. Once standing she turned towards the door and marched out, not waiting to be dismissed and making sure to walk without a limp or favoring her derrière. But as soon as she was out of range of Mr. Gillis she winced with every step.
She never understood the cartoons or movies where the person rubbed their ass after a spanking. She always found that rubbing reignited the fire rather than eased the throbbing. Whoever wrote those stories had definitely NEVER been on the receiving end of a paddle, strap or strong hand.
She reached Steven and they walked home in silence. Steven knew what had happened, he didn't need to be told and CJ didn't need his words for him to convey the sympathy she knew it was there. At the end of Steven's driveway they nodded their silent goodbyes and went their separate ways.
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CJ surly mood persisted and after having changed out of her school clothes and into some loose fitting sweats she made her way to the kitchen to fix a snack. There were no messages from her parents about when they were to get home so she gingerly climbed the stairs and lay across her bed to do her homework. She had so much work to do that she didn't pay attention to the time until she heard the front door latch. "Oh crap" she said out loud to no one as she got up laboriously. She'd forgotten to get anything ready for supper. She made her way to the kitchen not hiding the fact that there was a hitch in her step.
Ziva only had to take one look at her daughter's movements, face and eyes to realize she'd been in trouble at school. Generally CJ would have tried to hide this fact but not tonight. Ziva asked without judgement "Did you start anything for supper?"
"No I had so much homework tonight I kinda got caught up in it and lost track of time. Sorry." CJ didn't whine nor was she angry with her mother's question. Ziva was now really intrigued by what happened at school today. CJ would either be on the defensive about such a question or whining that life wasn't fair.
"We will get something together now then, yes?" Ziva answered.
"Ya, what should we have?"
"You pick."
CJ got stuff out of the fridge and together they started to work on making a meal. They settled into a bit of a rhythm and this is when Ziva chose to ask the question. "What did you do to get into trouble today?"
CJ's stunned sideways glance quickly returned to the work in front of her. She stayed quiet as she contemplated how to answer the question.
Ziva waited, she knew how to wait, CJ needed time and she could give her what she needed.
"Mama, you promise not to be mad at me? You promise not to punish me again?"
"CJ I cannot promise how I will feel about something until I know what it is."
"Can you promise not to punish me than?"
Ziva stood quietly working on supper. Looking at her daughter she realized that whatever had happened today CJ wasn't trying to hide it and that was enough for her to agree to the stipulation of not punishing CJ further for whatever the transgression.
"Yes, I promise that I will not punish you further."
The girl continued to work away at the counter and didn't look up as she started to explain. She told her mother the whole story, starting with asking nicely to go sit by the tree and ending with the punishment itself. She didn't leave out the part where she refused to leave the tree, or where she initially refused to bend over. CJ decided that if she got her mother's support for her feelings of being picked on they would be given knowing the whole truth.
Ziva mirrored her daughter's actions, preparing dinner not looking at her directly but listening to the story intently. She was listening for more than the words. She was interpreting the feelings behind the words her daughter said. She waited patiently as CJ tried to find the right words to convey the story and she waited again at the end to see if CJ would add anything else. As soon as she realized the story was over and CJ wasn't going to say anything else she leaned over and kissed her daughter's temple gently.
"CJ can I ask you a couple of questions?"
"Uh um" really feeling sorry for herself now.
"Are you 100 percent certain you conveyed your need to cool down in a courteous way?"
"Yes" CJ insisted "I was real careful because I already know Mr. Gillis doesn't like me and I didn't want to give him a reason to say no"
"Were you really feeling unwell enough to make an issue of not being able to sit under the tree?"
"Yes, I've had a headache all afternoon and I still do." Her answer starting to sound less controlled now.
Ziva walked to the cupboard and took out the bottle of headache tablets and handed two to CJ. "Take these" she said with a smile of understanding.
"Are you also certain that he administered six strokes and not four?"
CJ rolled her eyes at her mother before answering with a resounding "YEEEESSSS, I think I can count to 6 without too much trouble".
Ziva gave a stern look, to reel in her daughter before continuing.
"Did he hurt you?"
"Well, ya… taking six with a paddle from a guy over six feet tall that was really pissed at the time hurts"
"CJ, that is not what I mean, did he hurt you" while emphasizing the word hurt Ziva tried to pull the waistband of CJ's sweats away from her body hoping to catch a glimpse of her backside to assess if the man had been reasonable in his punishment as Ziva was doubting his judgment the more she heard. Swatting her mother's hand away CJ growled and looked straight into her mother's deep dark eyes. "No, he didn't hurt me hurt me… it just 'hurt' OK?"
"CJ I am not asking to make you feel embarrassed I am asking because when I go to complain to Mr. Thompson about this teacher's behaviours I want to make sure he and I have all the information, understand?"
It took CJ a few seconds to process what she had just heard, call Mr. Thompson to complain, all the information…. Her mom was taking her side… she did think she was being picked on… she believed her… CJ turned and quickly wrapped her arms around her mother's neck in a bear hug. "Thanks for not being angry at me" she whispered into her ear.
Ziva pulled her daughter off and kissed her on the forehead. As the two got dinner set out at the counter to eat, so that CJ could stand, Tony entered with a quizzical look. Ziva shook her head imperceptibly when CJ's head was down to signal to Tony not to get into it again. He understood the gesture and quickly came and sat down at the stools to eat with his "ladies".
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The next morning CJ left for school, picked up Steven and got to the office to start preparations for the announcements. While she and Steven were making last minute adjustments, Ziva stormed through the office and walked directly into Mr. Thompson's office. Steven gave a look of surprise both because of Ziva's tornado like entrance and CJ's lack of response. He lifted his eyes towards the door with the unspoken question of "What's going on?"
CJ's unspoken answer meant he would be finding out later.
CJ couldn't hear what was going on through the closed door but she could imagine, she'd seen her mother angry before. The announcements went on without a hitch and the two kids started to pack up when Mr. Thompson asked CJ to come in to the office for a minute. Swallowing hard she passed her books and supplies to Steven and again he carried them to first period class for her.
"CJ your mother has raised a serious issue of misconduct and I wanted to verify the details with you. Do you understand that I need you to be completely honest and straightforward?"
"Yes, sir" a movement out of the corner of her eye made CJ turn slightly to find Mr. Gillis was standing at the back of the office watching the whole proceedings. Ziva sensing CJ's nervousness came up behind her and put a hand on both shoulders.
"When you spoke to Mr. Gillis about sitting under the tree were you cordial?"
"Yes sir"
A humphf was heard from the back of the office, Mr. Thompson glared at the man making the sound and it stopped.
"When you asked to enter the school because you were feeling unwell, were you truly feeling unwell?"
"Yes sir"
"When you sat under the tree did you realize that you had not only broken a school rule but disobeyed a direct instruction from one of your teachers?"
"Yes sir"
"When you were sent to the office did you try and find me?"
"Just at the office sir, Yes sir"
"When Mr. Gillis tried to punish you, you initially refused?"
"Yes sir"
"Why?"
"Because I didn't think it was fair to be punished for not listening to a teacher when the teacher was making a decision that I felt made me unsafe"
"You felt unsafe" Mr. Thompson said raising his eyebrows.
"Well maybe unsafe is a little strong… " again a humphf could be heard from the back of the office and again Mr. Thompson's glare stopped it. "I felt unwell, I had tried to sit in the shade, I had tried to get water inside and I was denied both of these things, I felt I was justified in taking matters into my own hands." CJ was sweating and feeling really uncomfortable… it was hard enough telling her mother how she felt but now Mr. Thompson AND Mr. Gillis… she was feeling like she was going to throw up.
"CJ are you sure that Mr. Gillis administered six strokes, are you really sure?"
"Yes sir, I am absolutely positive, I always count the strokes off in my head" CJ gave Mr. Thompson a knowing smile which he returned.
"Thank you CJ, you may return to class, Miss Parkin is sitting in there until Mr. Gillis and I are through with our meeting."
CJ left and made a beeline for the washroom rather than class. She splashed cold water on her face and held the basin until she felt the wave of nausea subside. Ok … that was harder than she would have imagined it would be. She actually joked with herself that a paddling from Mr. Thompson was easier to take… at least it had never made her feel like vomiting. Pulling herself together she made her way to the class and cautiously lowered herself into her desk. The class was working on seat work and Miss Parkin approached with a copy of the papers for CJ. "You OK?" she whispered. CJ's smile was her only response.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully for CJ and the mornings 'meeting' was all she and Steven talked about on the slow walk home. CJ was surprised to find Ziva already at the house when she unlocked the front door.
"Why are you home so early?"
"We solved the case and Tony is finishing up the paperwork so that I could be at home when you got here."
CJ was still feeling a little uneasy about the morning's events around those involved. Steven was a different story; he wanted to hear the gossip so she was more comfortable with him. Not giving her mom a chance to say anything CJ pushed passed her in the hall way and up to her room to shower and change out of her school clothes. She found her mother sitting on the edge of her bed when she returned to her room.
"There a problem?" CJ enquired.
"No, I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you."
"Really?" CJ was worried this was going to backfire on her.
"Really… yes… you stayed calm in the situation yesterday, you told me about it in a mature and ordered manner, you remained calm today in the principal's office even though you were being goaded by THAT man… I am very proud of the control and maturity you have showed." Ziva took her daughter's face in her hands ever so gently and planted a kiss on her nose. She left CJ to ponder the whole situation alone.