“Mackenzie and Katie, I have some college-related news that has the potential to change your lives forever. Come to my office after cheer practice this evening. I’ll be working late.” I caught the girls between third and fourth period.
The girls showed up a little before five. Both were somewhat disheveled with the frizzy hair that comes from dried sweat. They each sported tank-tops and sweatpants with their backpacks on and cheer bags in hand. I smiled and breathed in to savor the moment. I had to be patient but it was difficult. I had been anticipating this interaction for over a week. “Hard practice?” I inquired with the right amount of interest to sound genuine.
“Yeah, coach Gosnell always pushes practices harder after competitions are over. I don’t know why. We were just talking about bailing. Neither of us plan to cheer at the collegiate level. It’s like, what’s the point, you know?”
“I understand, Kenzie. I recommend seeing it through. It’s good for your health, you love your team and you will be proud of yourselves to complete it until the end. I know it’s hard work, but you will not regret staying the course.” I gave a genuine smile. I really do care about these girls and love my job. You wouldn’t believe me if you knew my real thoughts and intentions, but I have resigned to being a walking contradiction. A hypocrite.
They smiled back but side-stepped the topic. “You said you have news about college…?” Katie clapped her hands with excitement and stepped on her tiptoes as if she were about to complete a back handspring.
“Of course, sit down.” I motioned to the chairs at my desk and turned my monitor screen so they could see. “You guys remember Brittany from last year, of course…?”
“Of course,” Mackenzie exclaimed incredulously. “Poor thing fell off the rails or something just before graduating. She was going to go to State and study design but last I heard she is working with her mom doing clerical work.”
“That sounds about right. Did either of you ever hear what happened?” Katie and Kenzie shook their heads. I toggled over to surveillance footage of Brittany cheating on the SAT exam. “I’ll show you.” As the video played, I narrated. Britt was so bright and had so much potential but her initial SAT scores came back way under mark for getting into State. She really is just not a good test taker. You can see her outsmarting the proctors right… here.” I pointed to the moment where she switched her calculators out. “But every year, we have cheaters, and that is why we double-up on securing the test with cameras.”
I could see Kenzie’s countenance change, though Katie remained more stoic. “Britt had a chance to make things right but she blew it. She lost her shot at State, and other colleges would not take her at that point. And, you were right, Kenzie. She is working with her mom at her maid business. Cleaning and clerical work. She is lucky to be doing so well in a town like this, honestly.”
“Now, 'Mr. V, why are you showing us this?' you might be asking yourself. Can you ladies think of why I might be violating all kinds of privacy rights to show you this footage?” I egged them on.
The glossy sheen of tears swelling up in Mackenzie’s eyes moved me to compassion. She knew what I had on them. I looked over at Katie. Shrewd as a fox, she is. “You said Britt had a chance to make things right. What happened?”
“That’s right, Katie. You are sharp as a whip and are going to do so well with your future. I see potential in you even greater than Britt. She had book smarts, but you can think on your feet. I can see you becoming a lawyer, judge or some top executive. You asked a simple question, and I will give you a direct answer. You see, I am the only one that has access to this footage. I gave her a chance to work for me and I would delete the evidence in exchange. She was torn with conflict. In her inaction, I made the decision to send the tapes in to the College Board and they took disciplinary action.”
“Work… for you…?” Katie mirrored.
I smiled again. This girl did not miss a beat. I was clearly out-matched by this eighteen-year-old girl in a ponytail. But, I held all the cards. “Yes, Kaitie. Two weeks is all I asked. Two weeks and she could proceed with her life as normal. And now, I’m going to give the two of you the same option. I have footage of the two of you cheating. In a single keystroke, I can send the evidence on to the power-that-be. We will see where the chips land, but I would expect that the two of you would suffer similar fates if I hit send.”
“I NEVER CHEATED!!!” Kenzie shouted through free-flowing tears. “I never…”
“Shut the fuck up, Kenzie. Playing the victim card here is not going to help.” Katie turned to me. “I want to see the footage.”
“You’re not in a position to make demands, Katie. However, I think it will be to your benefit to see what I could be sending. It is irrefutable. You both were so clever to circumvent the proctor’s watching eyes. None of the students even seemed to notice either. But it is clear on camera.” I could not hide the excitement in my voice.
“Here is my offer. You girls are mine until I send this. I want to hear nothing but 'yes' come out of your mouths and compliance with your actions or I pull the trigger. I am going to leave you alone for the most part until the end of school. You can enjoy prom and graduation as usual. Live your lives, be yourselves, have fun. But, after graduation, we are going to take a trip, the three of us. I’m going to be honest. It will not be fun for you at times. I actually intend to degrade, humiliate and use you in every way imaginable. You will both be my slaves. What I can promise you is that no harm will come to you, and at the end of two weeks, this footage goes away.”
I looked back and forth between the two of them. “Oh, and this starts now. I will send the tape at the moment I feel I do not have your full cooperation. I will not tolerate any complaints, arguments or counter-proposals. What I say goes, or we proceed to ruin your lives permanently. And keep in mind that if either of you are not on board, you both will go down for this. The video shows both of you cheating. Now, since I have made myself clear, here is your first directive. I am going to show you this video as promised. I also want a token of cooperation to ensure you both are on board.”
“We will start out slow. Stand up.” Both of them stood at their seats.
“You may refer to me as ‘Mr. V’ for now, but when I give a directive, I want to hear ‘yes sir’ immediately as you start completing my orders. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” Kenzie said.
Katie was clearly trying to think of a way out of this but could come up with nothing “Yes sir,” She said, resigned.
“Interlock your fingers behind your heads.” They complied with the obligatory “yes sirs” and I finally allowed my very disciplined sexual appetite to take over. Their tank-tops both came up revealing a peek at the toned abs that you would expect from eighteen-year-old cheerleaders.
I proceeded with a number of orders designed to get them used to the idea of immediate compliance. Turn around. Bend over. Sit down. Kneel. Stand up. All while their hands were behind their heads. All while repeating “yes sir” after each command. It felt a lot like Simon Says but with a chauvinistic, male-dominant twist that I liked.
When I was satisfied, I pushed them further. “Turn towards each other and touch your elbows together.” They complied with “yes sir”. This forced them to stand face-to-face. They pushed their elbows forward to afford them as much space as possible. I allowed it for now. I had to stay disciplined.
“While you are like this, you will answer my questions honestly. You must speak only to me and continue using 'sir' but you must also maintain eye contact.”
“Katie, who’s idea was it to cheat?”
“Mine, sir.”
“And why did you do it?”
“To help, sir. Mackenzie just needed a few more points to gain admission to her dream school. She had only one more chance to take the SATs. She could not risk failure.”
“So you helped her so she could go to college… her dream college?”
“Yes… sir.” Katie almost forgot to address me correctly.
“Katie, who of you is prettier?” I asked.
This made Katie clearly uncomfortable. She kind of shifted her weight and hesitated.
“Remember, I need honesty at all times. That goes for the both of you. Honesty and obedience are the pillars of a good student and a good slave.”
