"Please, Ma'am," Kendra whispered. "It was my fault. I begged her."
The heavy oak doors of the principal’s office at St. Jude’s Academy felt like the gateway to a grim fate. Inside, Bella and Kendra stood side-by-side, their fingers twitching against the seams of their pleated skirts. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock and the rustle of paper as Headmistress Thorne reviewed the evidence. Bella And Kendra Caned For Cheating.mp4
Bella swallowed hard. She was the "golden girl," a straight-A student who had folded under the pressure of Kendra’s desperate pleas. Kendra, usually the life of every party, now looked pale, her bravado stripped away by the sight of the long, flexible rattan cane resting on the corner of the credenza. "Please, Ma'am," Kendra whispered
"You are dismissed," she said quietly. "Your parents have been notified, and you will retake the exam under my personal supervision on Saturday. Do not let me see you in this office for such a matter again." Jude’s Academy felt like the gateway to a grim fate
Bella looked at her friend, the shared pain creating a new, albeit painful, bond. "Next time," Bella said, her voice shaky but firm, "we just study."
The two girls limped out into the hallway, the sting of the cane still pulsing with every step. They didn't speak until they reached the courtyard.