For Good

Chapter 4 - Nicolette

Once the door had shut behind them, Skie turned back to Nicolette with a smile. "Hi. I'm Skylar Matthews, but everyone calls me Skie. And you're Nicolette?"

"Uh-huh." Nicolette looked at the ground.

Skie considered the girl. Maybe she is shy. "Your mom called you Lettie?"

Nicolette looked up and wrinkled her nose. "Only she calls me that. I hate it."

Skie kept her smile on. "Gotchya. Do you just go by Nicolette then?"

Nicolette looked back at the ground. "Call me Nikki."

Skie mentally took a deep breath. "Ok, sounds good. I'll show you around the school if you want to come with me."

"Sure."

Skie led the way out of the office and down the hall. Nikki walked several paces behind her, rarely looking up and shuffling her feet.

"What form are you, Nikki?" Skie asked as she walked down the hall towards the classrooms.

"What's that?"

"Sorry. What grade are you?" 

"Sixth."

Skie nodded. "We call that upper first at this school."

Nikki wrinkled her nose again. "Why?"

"Well, we've got two blocks of seven forms. So there's lower years and upper years."

"That's a dumb way to name grades." Nikki muttered.

Skie chose not to respond. For a shy girl, she's sure got an attitude.

Skie led Nikki around and pointed out various classrooms, as well as the hallway where her dorm would be. Nikki said very little, mostly following slowly behind Skie and muttering sullenly when spoken to. Finally, Skie led her down to the discipline room, smiling slightly as she remembered how Hazel had talked to her here on her first day two years ago.

"This is the discipline room, if you get in trouble that will usually happen here, unless the headmistress is the one dealing with you."

"Like detention?" Nikki asked.

"Kind of like detention. What we call detention here actually happens in the classroom next door. Detention is pretty rare, though. Usually we try to take care of things as soon as possible."

Nikki made no response, instead pulling up her knees to her chest on the firm couch.

"Do you have any questions?" Skie did her best to stay in character as head girl, but really, she felt out of her depth with this girl.

"What do you actually do here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, instead of detention."

Skie shifted slightly. "EHPA uses corporal punishment."

"You actually spank kids here?" Nikki looked up, her face showing doubt.

Skie nodded.

Nikki looked back down. "Ok."

"Any other questions?"

"Uh-uh."

"Ok, we can head back to the office then." Skie got up and held the door open for the younger girl. Nikki took one more look around the room, then walked out, following Skie down the hall back to the office. Her parents were waiting outside the doors, and Skie noticed Hazel standing a bit away.

"Ready to go, Lettie?" The mother gave Skie another simpering smile. Skie returned it with her own tight smile.

Nikki ignored her mother and hurried back to her father, who took her hand and ran his other hand gently through her hair. "Did you have a good time, Coco?" he asked quietly. Nikki gave him a small nod.