This is my first fic so apologies in advance for any newbie mistakes. Reviews would be very much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. This fic is about characters from the TV show The Lying Game, not the books, and features spanking, including parental spanking of a teenager. If that's not your thing, please move right along.
Chapter 4
Ethan was surprised by Sutton's silence. What with his criticisms of Ted and Kristen's parenting, and the things he had just revealed about his own upbringing, he was fully expecting her to start mouthing off.
After all, this was Sutton Mercer: the girl had a smart mouth, and she wasn't afraid to use it. Which was the whole problem, Ethan thought wryly. He couldn't believe Ted and Kristen put up with her attitude.
It was one thing for a kid to test their parents and push the boundaries, but Sutton didn't care to pay attention to boundaries. But then, Ethan figured, nobody was teaching her where they were, or making her respect them.
Sure, Ted and Kristen cared about Sutton. They just didn't care to be parents, instead of trying to be her friend. From what Ethan could see, they gave her everything she wanted, indulged her at every turn, then wondered why she acted like a selfish, spoiled brat.
"Tell me something," Ethan said. "Have your parents ever actually disciplined you properly?"
"Which means what, exactly? Whether they've thrashed me and locked me in a tower?"
"I'm just wondering if they've ever given you a punishment that actually made you feel remorseful, rather than just half-heartedly grounding you."
Sutton let out a wry laugh. "Of course they haven't! Don't you get it, Ethan? They can't be bothered. They want everything to be perfect – they want me to be perfect – without any effort needed on their part. Sure, they're always buying me stuff. My life is just super peachy. But you can't buy respect. Oh, hey, Sutton, we spend all our money on you so could you please just be a model daughter now? Oh, wait, you're not. Well, that doesn't fit into our vision of the perfect cookie-cutter life."
"I get it," Ethan said. "But you're 17, not seven. You're a bit old to be throwing tantrums. At the end of the day, you're basically punishing your parents for being too nice to you. Maybe you should try being a bit more grateful."
"Funnily enough, that's exactly what my dad said."
"What your dad said when?" Ethan was intrigued. If Ted had said that, he didn't exactly seem to have done anything to reinforce it.
Sutton leaned forward, and spoke almost in a whisper.
"The one time he tried to spank me."
Ethan certainly hadn't seen that one coming.
