Mean Girls (for Jinchu)

[bdaniel]

Karen Smith was having quite the day. After school, she had gotten into a long conversation with Tim, her latest crush, after her commented that her skirt today was even shorter than yesterday. Karen had giggled and promised to wear one even shorter tomorrow, and it led to them flirting in the hallway until they were the only ones left.

It was only when she got to her car that she remembered today was supposed to have been her tutoring session. Last week she had gotten hauled into the principals office along with her parents where they told her she was failing all her classes, as if she didn't know that already! Everyone was making such a big deal about it, but to Karen it was just the same as things had been the last two semesters. Her mother had pleaded with the principal to give them some options, and he finally offered her a tutoring session where she could make up some of her missed work, with all of her teachers present to help her. She had meant to go, but let the time slip away talking to Tim, and by now she'd be more than 15 minutes late, so she figured there wouldn't be any reason to still go. She noticed one of her teachers waving at her frantically as she neared the parking lot gate, and she gave a friendly wave in return, but thought to herself that she certainly was not about to turn the car around just for this.

Besides, she had to get to the mall. She didn't actually have a shorter skirt than what she was wearing, and Tim had made her promise she would follow through with that promise. She walked into her favorite store at the mall, and picked out the perfect skirt for the occasion, and bought couple more that happened to catch her eye. She needed a pair of heels that would go with the color, so headed to a few more stores to find some good shoe options as well. She ended up grabbing a couple of crop tops to make sure everything would match.

She was so excited about all that had happened that she called Regina on the way home, noticing in the process a few missed calls from the school and her mother. She was still on the phone with Regina by the time she got home, and awkwardly opened the door with her elbow, talking loudly with the phone to her ear in one hand and four bags of shopping in the other.

[Jinchu]

Olivia Smith was living a rather care-free life, if one compared it to the lifestyles of a less fortunate women of her age. Her hubby made enough money that the Smiths lived in a big house in the most respectful area of the town, and Olivia hadn't been working for many-many years now. Most of the house chores were on the hired service as well. And it gave Olivia a lot of time to watch tons of soap operas and talk shows on her huge ultra-flat TV.


But everyone needs to feel exhausted and overworked sometimes, and for Olivia it was because of her daughter Karen. Karen was, say, not the brightest kid in school. Putting it very mildly. Which meant that every now and then her teachers interrupted Olivia's bing-watching with their concerned or enraged calls. Some of them also complained about her behaviour and especially the wy she dressed to school. Olivia repeated all those cpmplaints to Karen, but it seemed to have little to no effect.


Thankfully, TV shows gave Olivia an idea how to solev all of her problems.


About two weeks ago a hit talk show came out, in which an aclaimed pedagogue, a single mother of five and a few religious authorities discussed how the fear of corporal punishments affected US of A so badly, and how loving discipline is the best and maybe the only method for a proper upbringing - especially in case of teenage girls. It was the most watched TV slot in the country, and Olovia watched it as well! Of course, other media followed the example immediately - soon Olivia saw the same discussinons in half of dozens other shows, one women even walloped her teen brat in prime time. A number of women's magazines put the articles on corporal punishments, one even putting a pouty schoolgirl in the corner on it's cover. If tsomething's dicsussed on TV and in the press, it has to be a good thing, Olivia belived. She immediately purchased the famous pedagogue's book "Don't sit on the problem!" and freshly printed "The Full Guide on Discipline for Concerned Parents" and studied them for the previous week.



And after a number of really unplesant conversations with Karen's teachers and vain attempts to call that teen brat Olivia decided it was time for practice. The beautiful red-haired woman in her early 40's, wearing elegant white summer dress, was sitting in the living room with her books and her hairbrush and waited for Karen to appear.


"Karen! Put down teh phone nad come here, now!" she ordered as soo as her daughter came in.

[bdaniel]

Karen noticed her mother out of the corner of her eye as she came in, and vaguely heard her say something more sternly than usual. She was engrossed in her call, and so gave her mother a quick smile as she held up her finger in a “one minute” motion as she set down her bags of shopping. She did so, and started walking upstairs, chattering away to Regina, who was complimenting her on her success with Tim. The praise made her feel overjoyed.

[Jinchu]

Olivia was not happy with that reaction at all. Fortunately, teh books gave her good instrictiosn for cases like this as well. She swiftly followed karen upstairs and aproached her from behind, grabbing her daughter's ear firmly. Olivia used her other hand to take Karen's phone. "Sorry, draling, she cannot talk right now. Karen is a bout to have a serious conversation with mommy" Olivia informed whoever was more important for her daughter then her own mom, before shutting down the phone.

[bdaniel]

Karen’s mouth rounded in shock. Her mother had never been so aggressive with her at all. She felt full of embarrassment at having this happen to her with Regina in the middle, she knew she’d never hear the end of being treated so childishly by her mom. And besides, she was really enjoying the conversation!

She twisted in her mother’s grip, wincing as it put pressure on her ear. She was not used to pain.

“What the fuck! Let go of me right now! And give me back my phone!” She stomped her foot firmly.

[Jinchu]

"That's no way to talk to your mother and nort a language for a proper young lady!" Olivia scolded, twisting karen's ear a bit harder. "But we'll talk about that later. First we have to discuss your studying... or, rather, lack of it. You know how many times your teacher had called me today? Eleven! I know you are not good with math, because she had told me that, but even you should realise it is a lot for just a few hours. You waved at her while skipping your tutoring session! Do you know your father payed for it?!.."


While saying all these Olivia led her daughter back to teh living room, still holding her ear firnly enough for karen to have zero chances for escape.

[bdaniel]

Karen stumbled as she walked, stunned at what was happening.

“I was distracted mom! I had more important things to do than stupid math! Just tell them to stop calling you! If you really want I’ll go to tutoring another week! But why are you treating me like this?”

[Jinchu]

"What things are more important then math, in which you have the worst gardes in school and the whole town, may I ask?" Olivia responded harshly. "And you will go to tutoring all right, I don't doubt it Not after the talk we're going to have..."


She finally let Karen's ear go and sat back on teh sofa, making her teen daighter stand right in front of her. The books with very clear illustrations on teh cover nad the massive oval wooden brush were lying beside Olivia, but she wasn't sure her daughter could, so to say, do the math...


"You were acting up constantly, your school gardes are beyonde horrible, and you're mouthing off at me. There is only one way to cure all these things in a spoiled young lady like you, Karen, and from now on I will use it asw much as necessery" Olivia announced strictly.

[bdaniel]

Karen was starting to feel concerned at how her mother was acting. It wasn’t the norm for her to be this strict, or for Karen to not start getting her way after pushing back. She decided to switch to a different strategy. She sat down next to her mother on the couch, setting the books and the hairbrush on the floor out of her way, paying no more attention to the books than she ever did. She took her mother’s hand and said sweetly, “Mommy, I’m sorry for all that. You know I’m a good girl at heart, and I promise I won’t make you mad any time soon.” She started filling her in on the events of the day, trying to change the subject, and figuring Olivia wouldn’t want to pass up the chance to hear her open up.

[Jinchu]

Olivia smiled at her daughter, her fcaial expression getting seemingly softer. But in reality the woman had already made a decision, and today's events made her angry enough to follow the TV's advice till the end.



"I know you're good at heart, Karen. Which is why I am planning to help you to be good on the outside as well. Your brattiness, bad habbits and lack of attention prevent you from acting on your heart's desires. As that habbit to overspend way past your allowence, of which you were talking just now" Olivia said in a loving, yet firm tone as soon as karen made a pause in her chatting. "You might be good at heart, but you have a very bad behaviour. And recently I learned that thyere is only one sure way to fix the bad behaviour..."


With thatm Olovia suddenly pushed Karen's back, forcing teh teen who was sitting by her side to bend over the owman's lap.