Coach Bryan was checking out the mid-year exam results, mainly to reassure himself that all members of the team were getting passing marks in all the required subjects. A missing pass mark meant the player would have to be dropped until his scholastic record was brought up to an acceptable level.
The coach wasn't too concerned. Most of the staff gave his boys a little leeway, pushing them up over the edge when needed. Knowing and accepting this little fact meant it came as a bit of a shock to him when he started checking Junior Bear's result. There was a big round zero next to his history test. No amount of glaring would change it into an acceptable pass mark. How, he wondered, did you achieve a zero in an exam?
It was true that Junior Bear wasn't the smartest person in the school, but he did have some intelligence. At least, the coach assumed he had to have some because he certainly didn't waste any by using it, but a zero? Investigation was required.
The final bell had rung and the school was empty of students, apart from those unfortunate enough to have acquired a detention. Coach Bryan ambled along to see Mrs Fotheringham. As well as being the Head-Mistress she was also the history teacher and was regarded as being a fair and reasonable marker.
He gave a perfunctory knock on her office door and walked in, stopping short at the sight that confronted him. A young lady was bent over Mrs Fotheringham's desk, skirt up around her waist and panties down around her knees. Her very nice bottom was on full display and seemed to be glowing with a nice red flush. Her face, when she turned her head to see who had entered, turned an even deeper red.
"Mrs Fotheringham, Eliza," Coach Bryan greeted them. "Ah, using corporal punishment now?"
"In some rare cases it seems to be the only answer to certain discipline problems. I assume that you're here about Junior Bear's results?"
A gracious nod of the head from the coach and Mrs Fotheringham continued.
"You can thank our little entrepreneur, Eliza, for those results. Do you want to explain to the coach, Eliza? No? I didn't think so."
Mrs Fotheringham sighed.
"Eliza has been selling exam answers to gullible students," she explained, "one of whom was Junior Bear. And that is a ridiculous name. What were his parents thinking of naming him like that?"
"If," said Coach Bryan, speaking carefully, "Junior had the answers then how did he fail? Was he caught cheating?"
"Not exactly. While Eliza was selling genuine exam results they weren't for this year's exam. She photocopied example exams and their answers from the library, carefully losing the face sheet that specified sample and the year. She sold these."
"But if people studied those answers they'd improve their answers for the real exam," put in Eliza quickly. "I was helping people. You can't blame me because Junior is a complete moron."
"So Eliza was scamming people which I assume is the reason she is here being reprimanded. What happened with Junior?"
"Part of the reason," agreed Mrs Fotheringham, giving Eliza a nasty look, "but just part of it. Junior, as Eliza just stated, is a complete moron. He took the old test answers into the exam room."
"What? He got caught with them? As they weren't this year's exam questions I'd have thought he could claim them as being study notes?"
"He didn't get caught. Neither did he read the exam questions. He just copied the answers from the old test against each question. By a coincidence there were ten questions and he had ten answers. The trouble was that the answers he had were totally irrelevant to the questions being asked."
Coach Bryan looked down at Eliza who was looking at him. She had a very odd look on her face. What was causing that, he wondered.
"So what is the situation with Junior now?"
"Confused. He's complaining that he gave us the correct answers and it's not his fault if we gave him the wrong test. His parents agree with him and are threatening to sue. Pointing out that even if he'd had the exam that he had the answers for he would have been washed out for cheating didn't help. They say it's our fault for letting him get away with cheating. I pointed out that we didn't, we've caught him, and they say it's our fault for catching him. You can see where he inherited his brains."
Eliza made a muffled sound drawing the eyes of both teachers to her. She was determinedly not looking at them.
"Well," said Mrs Fotheringham as she rose out of her chair, "I have finished my discussion with Eliza and I have to see the Principal to discuss the matter of Junior and his exam. You may wish to stay and have a few words of your own with Eliza, seeing she has cost you a player."
Mrs Fotheringham left, leaving Coach Bryan to have his own little chat with Eliza.
"How old are you Eliza," he asked with a sigh.
"Eighteen," she mumbled, apparently having difficulty at talking and too embarrassed to look at him.
"Eighteen and already embarking on a life of crime. How much did you make with your little scam?"
"About a hundred and it wasn't a scam. Not really. I warned anyone who bought the answers that I couldn't guarantee that the exam wouldn't change. They took their chances. Everyone passed but Junior and no-one asked for their money back. Ah, your hand."
The last seemed to be voiced a little desperately, the coach thought. What did she mean by his hand? Looking down he gave a small start. His fingertips were gliding softly over her bottom, easing the sting of the paddling she'd received. How long had he been doing that, he wondered.
"Oh, sorry," he said. "An automatic reflex. Comes from massaging bumps and bruises on team members, reducing possible bruises and relaxing muscles from cramps. I saw the redness and naturally took steps to ease it. Would you have refunded any of the money if asked?"
"No. I gave them fair warning. If they'd have had the sense to study old exams themselves they'd have known the answers were for an old test. I helped them by giving them material to study that would aid them in the exams. Several of them have thanked me for helping them pass. Um, you're still touching me."
"Like I said, just reducing the redness of your bottom and easing the sting. Don't worry about it. What did Junior say about the answers?"
"Um, when he complained I just told him it wasn't my fault they gave out the wrong exam. That was the school's responsibility. Ah, that's not my bottom you're rubbing."
Coach Bryan considered the situation.
