Bill looked across the table at her lawyer before saying, "Your lawyer really should have explained all this to you before you even entered a plea." S...e was ignoring my advice at that point," the lawyer said rather defensively. "She said that she was just going to tell the truth and people would believe her." Whatever," Bill muttered, obviously upset. "The judge is going to sentence you not to a number of days or months or years, but to a dollar amount. You remain a slave until that dollar. Besides, she had been told her senior year would be the most fun of all her school career. And the idea of summer school wasn't any more palatable. Summers were hers she felt, and not to be spent making up for school year mistakes. "Please, Mr. Hanson. I really don't want to be expelled, and I never smoked in school before. Honest. It was just that one time. Can't we do something else instead? I'll do anything. Anything you want me to do." Benjamin Hanson didn't really want to expel the pretty. He finally took me into what he called the Punishment Room, it was a small court yard with a few sturdy benches that were obviously designed to secure a person down and on one wall was an array of canes and whips. It was a sobering vision knowing what must go on in here but the naughty curious side of me could not help but wonder what it would be like under the hand of someone like the Chief. After a few minutes he suggested that a demonstration might be in order and maybe I should lay down on. I waved back as I jogged toward her. "Hey, Mom." Alyssa, why didn't you call," she worried at me, "your father would have been more than willing to pick you up from the bus stop. The hardware store isn't that busy this time o' day." "I know, Mom," I replied slightly breathlessly after my jog. "I wanted to walk, though. It seems like it’s been years since I walked home from town. Besides, my skin could use a little sun after being locked in my dorm studying last term." I smiled as she brought me.