My name is James Longfellow and I am the principal here at Franklin Heights Alternative School, an alternative school for troubled students who have had disciplinary or other issues in regular school programs. Some of these kids come from disadvantaged families, some made poor decisions. And others, well their stories run the gambit.

My job here at Franklin Heights is pretty rewarding, and I enjoy working with these young people, especially when I see a turnaround in one of my kids here. When one of them gets their life back on track and begins the road back to a successful, happy life, it makes it all worthwhile.

However, there are some kids that find the road back a bit harder than others. And a very few continue to break the rules and fight the system despite the consequences. This is the story of three of those "hard cases"– known here at Franklin Heights as "The Bad Girls Club".

Holly Adams, Kimberly Henderson, and Heather McNichols make up this troublesome trio. All three girls are juniors in our high school program here however both Kimberly and Heather would have already graduated had they gone through the regular school program.

But both girls flunked twice (each at separate times and different schools) before entering our school. So they are nineteen-year-old juniors. Being that old and still having two years of school left does not help their attitudes!

Holly is the youngest and newest of the Bad Girls. She has only flunked once and is now eighteen years old but also still has two years to go before she will be able to graduate–if things go well for her. But being the youngest, she is a follower and susceptible to the mischief that the other two girls get into.

I came to be principal at Franklin Heights last year after the principal at the time, Mrs. Kennedy, had a sudden heart attack and had to retire early.

Normally in a school such as F.H., there would be a lengthy hiring process for a replacement for the job, but her sudden retirement put the school district in a bind and they needed a replacement right away.

School was set to start in two weeks and there was no time for the regular procedure. Luckily for me, I was the only one at the time qualified (and willing) to take over. Franklin Heights is not an easy school to run and a lot of the applicants, when they heard where the job would be, declined the position.

Being a former Marine, I was used to taking and giving orders. I was in charge of my squad and if I could control eight rowdy Marines always looking for a fight, I figured I could run a school of high school kids–even if they were delinquents, outcasts, and hellions.

I would soon learn, however, that the same tactics I used to harness my Marine subordinates would not work on the youth of F.H. Most of the kids were pretty easy to curtail–they were respectful and just wanted to get their degree and get out of school in one piece. They appreciated this second chance at an education and didn't want to mess it up.

But the Bad Girls were another matter. Being older than most of the other students and having disciplinary issues going way back, they pretty much figured they ran the school. All of the other girls gave them a wide berth and tried to avoid any kind of confrontation with them, which only seemed to empower them more.

And they made a point of trying to tease and taunt as many of the boys (and male teachers) as they could. Yes, until now these three had established themselves as the "queen bees" of Franklin Heights. And no one dared challenge their preconceived authority. Until I came along at least.

I started at Franklin Heights just after the Christmas break the year before and between then and the end of that school year I had seen this trio on three different occasions.

I was well aware of their "reputation" and their self-appointed ruling of the school. So the start of the following year I was more prepared to deal with their antics and shenanigans.

It didn't take long for their rebellion and misconduct to begin either. About two weeks into the new school year I had three incorrigible young ladies waiting in my office.

"Good afternoon ladies," I said as I walked into the school office and saw them sitting there. "Are you waiting to see me?" I knew full well they were, I just wanted to see what they would say.

"Yeah, Mrs. Cowbell sent us here." The other two girls snickered at Heather's joke.

"You mean Mrs. Campbell?" 

"What-ev-er." Heather said in her sarcastic, derisive manner as she crossed her arms and looked away from me with a bored, I-don't-need-this-shit look. Obviously, Heather was the ringleader of this band of rogues.

"Well, it says here that you have been disruptive in class, not paying attention to the teacher and distracting the other students as well."

"Hey, I can't help it if the boys find me attractive!" 

"And that wouldn't have anything to do with the way you are dressed now would it?" 

"I like to dress nice–is that a crime? I am a girl you know!"

"Oh, I know you are a girl, Heather. But there's dressing nice and then there's this." I looked her up and down, surveying her less than conservative attire.

"And what's wrong with what I'm wearing? I'm not showing anything!"

"No you aren't technically showing anything, but your outfit is more than a little suggestive don't you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Heather, I have seen hookers that had more on than you do!" The open-mouthed look of shock on their faces wouldn't have been so comical if I thought for an instant it was genuine. But I knew better.

"Okay girls, here's what we are going to do. School has just started this year and you all have two more years–this year and next–to get your acts together and pull your grades up to be able to graduate.

"I know it may not seem like a big deal to you now, but believe me when I tell you that out there, in reality, you are going to need every advantage you can get.

"I understand that until now you have been under the impression that you run Frankin Heights and that you can do as you please because no one is willing to stand up to you three. But there is a new sheriff in town and I am not impressed with your status or the hold you seem to have on everyone here.

"We will have the eight months together here roughly this school year, and we are going to learn to get along with each other. And by 'get along' I mean you girls will follow the school rules as well as my own.

"Unlike your teachers in the past, I will not suspend you or expel you for your bad behavior. Because I know that is what you want–to get out of school. Instead, I will make your life a living hell here. And if I deem it necessary, I will make it so you attend summer school as well so I will have you even longer. Won't that be fun!" 

All three girls whined in unison. "Summer school! You can't do that!" 

"I most certainly can and what's more, I will. You see, as principal, I only get paid for the school year. During the summer, even I have to find a part-time job.

"However, if I am the principal of summer school, that means a steady paycheck for almost the entire year. So aside from the joy of seeing your lovely faces every day, I will be getting paid even more. I have an incentive to keep you girls in school. Do you have enough incentive to prevent that?"

You could have heard a pin drop in the room when they heard that. This was something they hadn't counted on. I had their undivided attention now.

"Now that you know what I can do to you, why don't we see what you can do for me? I want the three of you young ladies to go back to class and let's see if the next time I see you is in the hallways between classes and not in my office, shall we?"

With that, I let the three girls go and think about what I had said. But I knew deep down this would not be the last time they graced my office!

Unfortunately, my instincts were dead-on, and about a week later I had all three of the girls waiting once again in my office.

"I see our little talk last week didn't make much of an impression. That's a shame. Well, it looks like I won't be needing to find a part-time job this summer. That takes a little worry out of the budget. The extra money I make thanks to you girls will look very nice in my bank account! I do hope you didn't have any major plans for this coming summer!"

Kim jumped up from her seat."No! You can't do that! You can't make us go to school all year and then summertime too! Summertime is our time to relax! That's not fair!"  

"That's right!" Heather added. "You are just a principal here, Mr. Longfellow, you don't run the School Board. My father will have something to say about this! We were planning a trip to Hawaii this coming summer! So you can't make me go to summer school!" 

"Sit down both of you, and listen to me. When I took this job I told the school board that I would do things my way and I didn't want any interference from them on my methodology. I assured them that everything I did would be legal and that the school board would not be implicated in any wrongdoing by me. 

"But Franklin Heights is a school for students like yourself who have, for one reason or another, had difficulties with the regular education programs. Many like yourself have disciplinary issues and others just couldn't understand what was required of them. Since there were no other applicants that wanted this job, the school board agreed–reluctantly, I will admit, but they agreed. 

"So you see, telling Daddy and getting him to talk to the school board won't do you any good. I have free reign here at Franklin Heights, and so long as I get you on stage at graduation, the school board–and your parents–won't have any issues with you going to summer school."

Finally, Holly, the youngest and quietest of the three, spoke up. She didn't jump up in a confrontational manner like the other two but was, in fact, more meek and subdued, sitting in her chair as she spoke. "Please, Mr. Longfellow... I can't go through summer school! Please, there has to be something that you can do!" 

"And why is it that you can't go to summer school, Holly?"

She hung her head and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "Because, Mr. Longfellow, I have to work during the summer so we can make our bills.

"You see, my father left Mom and me about a year after I was born and Mom needs me to work to bring in some extra money. My father pays child support until I graduate, but it's not very much. She needs my help or we are really in financial trouble. And I can't work if I am in school here."

Now it was my turn to be taken aback. The thought never occurred to me that one of these girls might have family issues like this. I mean all three girls looked very well dressed–a little on the slutty side, maybe, with their high heels and knee socks and dresses that showed a little more than they should– but they all looked pretty well off.

"I see, Holly. I am sorry that your family has it so difficult. I know how important it is to have a father and a mother in the home and in this day and age, two incomes is about the only way a family can make the bills. I will have to think about your situation a bit. 

"As for you other two, Heather I know your father is a prominent businessman in this town... doesn't he own the Traveler's Rest Hotel on the north side of town by the freeway interchange?"

"That's right, and he also owns The Paramount restaurant next door to it. He is very influential in this town."

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean his daughter can just do as she pleases. His money doesn't change the way I do things. And as for you Kim, your father is a branch manager at the First Federal bank correct?"

"That's right."

"Well I am sure he wouldn't like to know what his little girl has been up to while he is busy at the bank, now would he?"

"No, Sir. He would be really mad."

"Probably so. I know if I had a daughter who was causing mischief like the three of you I would be quite upset." I sat there quietly for a couple of minutes both to think about what I would do and to give the girls a little time for their imaginations to work on them.

Finally, I said. "Girls, I am going to think on this for a couple of days. Heather and Kim, you two can thank Holly and her special situation for this respite–if it weren't for her financial circumstances, you both would be headed for summer school without a second thought. When I figure out what to do with all this, I will call you back in here to discuss... options."

With that, I dismissed the girls and they left my office. 

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It was three days later, I think, when I told my secretary, Miss Blakely, to summon the three girls. She got on the school public address system and made the announcement:

"Attention students... Would Heather McNichols, Kimberly Henderson, and Holly Adams please report to the office right away. That's Heather McNichols, Kimberly Henderson, and Holly Adams please report to the front office right away. Thank you."

A few minutes later all three of them had arrived and were waiting in the front office. With my idea in place, I went out to get them.

"Hello, girls. It's time we had a little chat. But rather than having all three of you in my office at once, I want you, Kim, to go wait in the vice principal's office with Ms. Rayburn. Holly, you can wait out here with Miss Blakely. That leaves you and me, Heather. Step into my office, please." 

The girls looked aghast that I would separate them like this but I knew that the best way to get to these girls was to keep them from sounding off of each other.

In the Marines, when we needed to grill someone and get information from them, we kept them away from their comrades. I was pretty sure it would work here too–especially with this element of surprise.

"Have a seat, Miss McNichols." I waved my hand at the chair set in front of my desk. She could see a large file set on top of my desk with her name on the tab. It was very thick and imposing, but it was only a prop... I had asked Miss Blakely to save a bunch of the papers she would normally throw out and I used them to make her "file" look threatening!

"I-Is that all about...me?" The leader of The Bad Girls Club was suddenly very humble!

"Yes, I'm afraid you have gotten quite a file in your time in school! Yes, there are some very interesting things in this file–I was impressed at what you have managed to pull off!"

"L-Like what?"

"Oh, that's not important right now. That is in the past. What I want to talk to you about is your future."

"My future?"

"Yes. Heather, you are young and impetuous. You have no idea what lies in wait for you outside these walls. You have been sheltered and coddled by your father and his money–you don't know what it's like to have to work for a living and struggle with bills and such. Trust me, your days of wine and roses are coming rapidly to an end and you will need to be prepared for reality to smack you right in the face. 

"When I was your age I had a friend–a very good friend–who was a lot like you. He was carefree and grabbed at the most fun he could have with no thought about the future. His father was well-off just like yours and money didn't mean a lot to him. He got whatever he wanted and I envied him a lot growing up. 

"But then one day his father was killed in a very bad accident. A semi-truck ran a red light and hit him on the driver's side door. He never even knew what happened. But suddenly Robert, my friend, and his mother were left without that plush income. 

"Oh, they got something from the life insurance, but that quickly disappeared with funeral costs and bills. Robert's mother, having never had to work before, could only get a job as a waitress at a local diner, and Robert, who didn't even have a high school diploma, was reduced to sweeping floors for the local Mom and Pop market. He couldn't even join the service because he didn't have his diploma. 

"When his mother died, Robert found himself alone and unable to support himself. He was homeless on the streets. That's the last I ever heard of him."

Heather was suddenly very quiet. So I continued.

"Heather you are very young and very pretty. I don't want something bad like this to happen to you. I know you think you have the world at your feet but you really don't. Right now things may be going your way but things change.

"There's an old saying 'Nothing good or bad lasts forever'. And if they are good now, they can only change one direction. You need to be ready for that change so you can take care of yourself during the hard times. A diploma is a big step in that preparation.

"Heather you are a high school girl–a very attractive high school girl. And like all high school girls, your mind is on boys... how to tease them, how to get what you want from them, and how to give them what they want so they will stay with you. I get it–believe it or not, I used to be one of those boys the girls were thinking about.

"And with the load they put on you these days you need all your mental strength and stamina to learn what is required for you to graduate. You don't need to fill your mind with thoughts of boys and all the other mischief you and your cohorts come up with.

"Now what I am going to propose to you may seem radical–even crazy or outlandish–but if you listen to my idea all the way through you will see it makes sense. And it will definitely help you with your schoolwork, make the days go by faster and easier, and make you actually want to come to school. Wouldn't it be nice to get up in the morning and be excited about going to school?"

"That's impossible! How are you going to make me excited about school?"

"I am going to make you excited about coming to school because I know you girls–you are always wanting to know if your guy is the best, the strongest, the most handsome, and the best in the sack. Well, I am going to give you the satisfaction of knowing you have something no other girl can claim. You have me!"

"What? I don't get it..."

"Simple. Would you rather have some bumbling, awkward boy who isn't sure how to do it or even what to do? Or would you rather have a guy who knows his way around a woman and knows how to please her so she never wants for sexual adventure and satisfaction?"

"Mr. Longfellow, are you suggesting..." She didn't want to finish that sentence.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. If you could look forward to getting a good hard satisfying fuck at school, wouldn't that make the day so much nicer?

"You wouldn't have to worry about some girl taking your guy from you, you wouldn't have to worry about comparing yourself to the other girls here, and you wouldn't have to worry if he was cheating on you. You also wouldn't wonder or wait for the next time he decided you weren't as important as some football game or the time he spends with his buddies. 

"No girl here is going to take me away from you, you don't have to compare yourself because you have the best there is already, and you wouldn't have to worry about me cheating on you. I don't have a girlfriend or a wife or family, so I would be all yours. I don't watch sports of any kind, and I don't have any buddies to take me away from you."

"But isn't this like against the law or something?"

"No, it isn't. You are nineteen, over the legal age in this state. Now it might be frowned upon as far as the school or your parents are concerned but they don't need to know about this. And once you get your diploma, all this won't matter at all. You will have the key to your future and how you got it will be a moot point."

"I-I don't know, Mr. Longfellow..."

"Well, Heather you have a few options. None of them look very good, but they are still options. You can say no and go to summer school, forgoing that Hawaii trip you were planning on going on. 

"You can say no and not go to summer school, in which case I can almost guarantee you won't have enough credits to graduate–how are you at sweeping floors and taking out the trash? 

"You can refuse my offer and go out to find some other line of work that a high school dropout with a nice body and an empty stomach can do, but they tend to frown on prostitution in this state. And I don't think Daddy Big Bucks would approve of your career choice, either.

"Or you can agree with my proposal, and we can work together to make sure none of those other options happen. The choice, my dear, is yours."

"C-Can I think about it?"

"Certainly. I have to talk to the other two girls. So you have until I have talked to them to give me your answer. But remember this is just between you and me. Any mention of this discussion to anyone and the deal is off. You might as well tie a mattress to your back right then and there because you will not graduate."

"Yes, Sir."

"Sir... I like that. Nice touch, Heather." And I ushered her out of the door and into Mrs. Rayburn's office while I talked to Kim.

Once I had Kim in my office I began talking to her just like I had with Heather. It was pretty much the same pitch too... about how hard it is to make a living without a diploma, how her options would be limited to menial jobs or illegal prostitution or something. The same things I had told Heather.

Only Kim would prove to be a little easier to convince than Heather. After our talk, Heather still wanted to "think about it". But Kim didn't need to think about it.

She didn't have her father's big bucks to fall back on. Her father made a decent living as a bank manager, but he didn't have the financial clout that Heather's father had. So when she learned that it was my way or the hard way, she didn't need to think about it. She decided that she would cooperate.

So I knew I had one of the girls on board with my plan. Now it was time to call in Holly and see how she felt about all this. I escorted Kim out to the main part of the office and told her to sit there while I talked to Holly.

The girls exchanged glances but I didn't let them speak to each other because I didn't want Kim to warn Holly or influence her decision. Each of the girls would have to make up their own mind after hearing what I had to say and without any preparation for it. If they knew what was coming, they would already have their answer in their heads. And I wanted them to have to decide on the spot.