The Final Exam
By Ben

The exam was going to be really difficult, I knew, as I walked into the
room.  Math has never come easy for me, and Algebra is quite possibly the
worst experience of my entire life.  No matter how hard I study, no matter
what amount of time I spend in preparation, I just freeze when I take
Algebra tests.  I am lucky to have a C- average.  Lucky that Clara sits
across from me.  Clara got me through the first two tests, although
without her knowledge or consent.  At least without her consent, I did get
a glare from her at the end of each test.  But this test was the big one,
the final exam, and so last night I worked like I have never worked before
to prepare.  Do or die.  Get a D or F, kiss off Engineering school, or
Business, or any technical field.

I walked to my desk, and was surprised to see Clara looking at me.  The
smart girls didn't usually take an interest in a cretin like me.  "Hi", I
said politely.  "Hello, are you ready for the test?", she said brightly. 
"Yeah, as ready as I'm going to be", I said, trying to be polite.  "Well,
it should be pretty easy...if you studied", she chirped.  "I studied all
night", I said, with hardly any politeness at all.

We both sat down, Mr. Black passed out the exams, and I started to work. 
First one, a simple linear equation, child's play, I thought to myself.  I
solved it quickly, and went on to a graphing problem.  Easy.  I was going
to pass, I thought exuberantly.  About half way through the test, I hit
the story problems, and I hit a big wall.  Sure, they looked similar to
the ones I had solved last night, but they were different, and I just
couldn't work them out.  Shit!  Maybe Clara...No, not this time, I was
determined to work out the problems.  Two people are driving at identical
speeds, OK, let X equal their speeds.  They start 50 miles apart.  After a
half an hour, one of them stops for 5 minutes.  OK, let X be his distance.
 Wait a second, I already used X.  Oh, shit!  Well, I have to write down
something, so I do.  Maybe I'll get partial credit, I think.  Clara?...NO!

I do the last three problems, sort of, but on the last problem, something
to do with Mary's age being twice Ralph's, which is three years older than
Mary was when Ralph was two times Connie's age when Mary COULD EAT SHIT
AND DIE; I am not going to solve this problem.  No way.  I look over at
Clara, and she is looking at me!  She turns away quickly.  I try to look
at her paper, but she has her hand in the way.  Dammit!  Why won't she let
me look?  I wait patiently, wait for her to open her hand, and she finally
does, and either she wrote really light or there is nothing there, but
before I can be sure she puts her damn hand back!  Shit!  She puts out the
whole year, and on the last test, nothing!  Fuck!  I write down something,
maybe some partial credit, I think grimly.  Mr. Black collects the tests
and I take solace in the fact that I like french fries, and a career in
the fast food industry could be for me.

Next exam, Science, not a problem.  I breeze through it.  Aced it, I
think, as I fantasize my future Nobel prize.  "You are to report to the
office", says Mr. Bunson, my Science teacher.  "Why?"  "I don't know", he
says.  I walk to the office trying to think of what I have done lately
that would require such a trip.  Forgotten library book?  No, I've never
been to the library.  White out on the Spanish teacher's statue of
Montezuma.  No, nobody saw me do that one.  What could it be?

I enter the office and Ms. Goritan, says "Go right in", I am to see the
principal.  What is going on?  I walk into the office, and it seems I am
the last to come to this particular party.  To my utter surprise, standing
before me is the Principal Mr. Dillon, my math teacher Mr. Black, and
Clara!  What the hell is going on?  "Benjamin, do you know why we are
here?", says Mr. Dillon.  For the first time, I see the paddle laying on
his desk.  "No", I say weakly.  "Do you know anything about any CHEATING
on a math test?", said Mr. Black derisively.  How could they know?  And
why bring it up today?  My mind was numb from final exams and this
incredible meeting.  "I don't know what you mean?", I say with as much
confidence as I can muster, but I'm sure I look guilty as hell.  "Well,
you and Clara ended up with the same answers on some of the problems on
the exam, the same WRONG answers", says Mr. Black.

I'm dumbfounded.  I didn't cheat.  I thought about it.  I even tried to
look.  But I didn't do it.  Not knowing what to say, I look at Clara, and
she looks scared, really scared, and then, like a thunderbolt, the truth
hits me!  CLARA COPIED OFF MY PAPER!  SHIT!  "I have seen this before Mr.
Dillon.", continued Mr. Black, "On the last two tests, these students also
had a couple identical wrong answers, I was suspicious, but I wasn't sure
until today.  Now, I'm sure, one of them is cheating!"  He was wrong, both
of us were cheating, but what do I do, what do I say?  "Anyone want to
admit anything?  Hmmm?"  Clara and I just stare at each other.  She is
really scared, no question.  "I think it's him", says Mr. Black, pointing
at me.  "Did he look at your paper Clara?", asks the principal.  "No, uh,
I don't know", says Clara, and she starts to cry.  "I KNOW IT'S HIM",
yells Mr. Black.  What do I do?  "No!", I finally say.

"Mr. Black, I'll find your cheater for you.  Or...I'll call you when I'm
finished", says Mr. Dillon.  Mr. Black walks out of the room shaking his
head.  Mr. Dillon turns back to us.  "Benjamin, come here", he says
lifting the paddle.  "Stand there", he says and he hands me the paddle!!! 
"Clara, bend over", he says, "Now Benjamin, I want you to spank Clara" 
"But Mr Dillon..."  "Son, spank her, and make it hard"  "Clara has tears
running down her cheeks, but she obeys the principal, and bends over.  She
is not at all bad looking, for a smart girl.  Her thin waist yields to
gently sloping hips and a very nice rump.  Bent over, her bottom looks
round and tight.  "Start now, Benjamin!", says my principal.  WHACK!  I
slap her butt with the big paddle, but pretty easily.  "Again, but harder"
 WHACK!  I slap her bottom again.  Clara is crying, but I don't think its
from the paddling, I have barely touched her.  "OK, switch places,
Benjamin, bend over".  So that's it.  We are going to spank each other.  I
hand her the paddle.

"Clara, begin, and make them hard"  Clara gives me a mild spank. 
"HARDER!"  Clara swats a little harder, but my butt is undamaged.  In
fact, the feeling is sort of erotic.  And then WHACK!  My butt is on fire!
 Mr. Dillon had grabbed the paddle from Clara, and was showing her how to
do it.  Tears are welling up in my eyes.  "Now you take over again Clara,
and if you don't swat him hard enough, I'll give you the next swat. 
WHACK!  It was harder, she put some force behind it, but it was almost a
relief after Mr. Dillon's swat.  "OK, stand up Benjamin.  Clara, remove
your pants", and Mr. Dillon grabs the paddle from her.  Clara resumes
crying but complies.  "Take them all the way off.  Now bend over"  Clara
bends over, and my principal brings the paddle back and gives her a
terrific swat.  WHACK!  "Owwww", cries Clara, and I know exactly how she
feels, my butt is still burning.

"Benjamin, remove your pants"  I do this, and he says, "Now does anyone
want to admit cheating on the Math final?"  Clara wants to tell, I can
tell she wants to come clean, but the words just won't come from her
mouth, she just stares at the paddle.  "OK, give each other three swats,
and I better see some flinching or I will take over, and you don't want
that.  Benjamin, you first"  I bend over, Clara is handed the paddle, and
she begins.  WHACK!  WHACK!  WHACK!  The swats are harder, much harder
than before, but still not as hard as my principals.  "Not bad, you'll
only get one from me"  WHACK!  And my butt explodes in pain.  "Owww", I
cry in pain, a couple tears dripping down my face.  "OK Clara, take his
place"  Clara looks at me, her face pleading with me to take it easy on
her, but not too easy.  She is really quite pretty, I decide.  And when
she bends over again, the sides of her bottom cheeks  escape her panties. 
Very nice.  But this is not the time for niceness, its a time to get Clara
to confess to copying off me!  I bring the paddle way back and WHACK! 
"Nooo", Clara cries out.  WHACK!  "Ohhhh"  WHACK!  "OhhhNooo"  Clara
stands up, and her face is wet from tears, and she gives me the dirtiest
look...

"OK, anybody ready to confess yet?"  Clara just glares at me.  She knows
the truth, and she knows I'm next, and the look says, 'you are going to
get whacked'.   "Bend over Benjamin"  I do, with considerable disgust, and
Clara takes the paddle, and gives me a light WHACK!  Not even as hard as
the last ones!?  WHACK!  WHACK!  "No, that won't do Clara"  WHHHACCCKKK!  
"Yeooww"  WHHHAAACCKK!   "Owwwwwww"  WHHHAACCCCK! My principal repeats my
three swats, and my butt is burning, and probably very bruised, and pretty
Clara is drying her tears, and looking coldly at me.  "Anybody want to
confess yet?"  She just glares at me and sniffles, I guess I have let her
down somewhere along the way.

"OK, Clara, you are next.  Benjamin, give her five".  Clara gasps.  I am
determined to punish her.  I pull back the paddle, and WHACK!  Clara
groans and cries anew.  WHACK!  WHACK!  WHACK! WHACK!  I give her five of
the best swats she has ever taken, and she is crying piteously.  "Switch" 
WHACK!  Clara barely swats me and I know I am going to lose the game.  No
matter how hard I paddle her, she is going to swat me lightly, and let Mr.
Dillon finish the job, and I am no match for that.  So I confess to
cheating.  "Why didn't you say something sooner Benjamin?", says my
principal.  "Because, I think she cheated off me all year", I say, "and I
thought I was entitled to copy off her paper on the final"  "Did you?",
says Mr. Dillon to Clara, holding the paddle menacingly.  "Yes", she says
between tears, surprising me with her lie.  "Well then I think this worked
out pretty even", said Mr. Dillon, and Clara and I both agreed.