This is a fictional story and all the characters in it are imaginary.
"Gavin, Why aren't you down in the courtyard?"
The voice from the third-floor classroom door brought me out of my introspective thoughts to the real world. Looking up, I saw my class leader, Mark, standing in the doorway patiently waiting for my answer.
Searching his eyes for his intentions, I finally replied after a lengthy pause, "Oh, I don't know. The whole thing just creeps me out. I just got here. You know I'm not used to this sort of thing." I put my head down again not wanting to meet his gaze.
Slowly, Mark walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulders. The tropical afternoon humidity kept our uniformed bodies perpetually covered in a light sweat and I detected his unique scent as he lowered his head and whispered in my ear, "I understand." His breath felt warm in my ear and his lips almost tickled as he spoke. "You come from a country where corporal punishment has been outlawed for decades. I get that. But you're here now, and it's my job to help you fit in." His hand glided down my shoulder and under my arm where his fingertips searched through my white shirt around my chest. My heart skipped a beat as Mark gently pinched my growing nipple. "We're high school seniors now, and we have to set an example for the others." As Mark teasingly twisted my nipple with his thumb and forefinger, his lips and tongue glided down from my ear to my neck and he began savoring my accumulated salty sweat from the long day. I just let him have his way with me. In fact, I kind of liked the attention. I hadn't made any friends yet, and Mark was nice to me.
Mark had given me a tour of the school on my first day. He took time from his other classes to help me get acclimated. We'd eaten lunch together every day. He said that, as class group leader, it was his responsibility to take care of new students, but I could tell he seemed to enjoy being with me.
The hand toying with my nipple flattened against my chest and, with his other hand, he gently took hold of my chin and turned my head to face him. He came closer and his lips tenderly touched mine. I could feel his warm breath through both his mouth and nose. I raised my arm and caressed his back, first on top of his untucked shirt, then underneath. The feel of his very smooth back took my breath away, and no sooner did I slightly open my mouth that I felt his tongue press through my parted lips. Fish! That's what I tasted. I guess that's what he's eaten for lunch. I didn't care! With the euphoric bliss that was suddenly washing over me, that was the best fish I'd ever tasted! I opened my mouth more and let him in as his one hand pulled my torso up and his other hand wrapped around the back of my head to secure his kiss. I couldn't get enough air through my nose! He knew how to kiss. His teeth gently hit mine only a couple times. His tongue wrestled with mine as I became lightheaded from lack of air and delirious euphoria. Finally, Mark came up and playfully bit my lower lip. He knew I was new to this kind of attention, and I was more than happy to let him lead.
Mark's hand remained on my neck afterwards as he looked down at me and said, "You need to go to the assembly. You know what'll happen if you don't."
"Yeah, I know. I'll get the same punishment, but I don't care. That boy doesn't deserve to be tied naked to a whipping post, left there all night, and beaten with a leather strap in the morning. It's really mean!"
"He was caught cheating. He knew the consequences."
Sternly looking Mark in the eye, I said, "I'm not going. I'm staying right here!" At this, Mark looked gravely disappointed, his facial expression changing to one of near pity.
Mark's hands came up and embraced my face on each side leaving no question in my mind that the words he was about to say would be very important. "Who's going to whip that boy?"
My eyes looked away. I knew the answer.
"Tell me!" Mark said a little louder as his fingertips tightened.
Taking a deep breath, I whispered, "That boy's class leader."
As my eyes returned to Mark's, he whispered, "I don't want to do that to you. I know the system is wrong, but it is what it is." Then his hand took my wrist, and he put my hand on his chest. Through his white shirt, I felt his extremely fast heartbeat. I knew part of that fast heart rate was from our very recent kiss, but part of it was also fear. I could see it in his eyes. I could also tell from that look that he really did care about me. Maybe he was falling in love, I don't know. I was feeling a whirlwind of emotions which I wasn't going to try to figure out in the the heat of the moment.
Looking out the window, I saw a boy, still in his school uniform, being escorted to a sturdy wooden whipping post in the center of the courtyard by his class leader. The post was about eight feet tall with locking iron shackles on the opposite side. They stopped a few feet in front of the post and the boy's class leader began unbuttoning his white shirt. Apparently the boy had resigned himself to his fate and submissively left his arms at his sides has his clothes were removed.
"He's our age," I said. "What's his name?"
"Yeah, probably seventeen. I don't know him. Most cheating is done by flunking seniors nervous about not graduating."
As the naked teen faced the post, his arms were raised, arms wrapping high around the post, and his wrists were securely shackled. I gazed all up and down his slender naked frame and thought how truly awful that leather whip would feel as it lashed across the smooth skin of his back, butt, and legs. I wanted to help him.
Now, with just a hint of resentment in his voice, Mark said, "I'll be doing the same thing to you tomorrow evening."
I slowly turned from the scene in the courtyard and, looking into Mark's eyes, I nodded my head as if to say, "You can whip me ... if I'm still here!" I knew right then that I had about twelve hours to do what, in my heart, I knew what I had to do.
Part Two will be coming soon.