Renée stood nervously in front of Betty Johnson’s desk. She self consciously kept attempting to flatten out the wrinkles in her nursing uniform and picking off pieces of lint that she sworn hadn’t been there when she left her room.
Renée had only been in the nursing program at the university for a little over a year and up to this point had been doing quite well; and then this had to happen. Renée wouldn’t have been so worried about her handling possible consequences appropriately if her boyfriend Sid was present on campus, but he had been called away on a family emergency.
Betty cleared her throat loudly, having finally glanced up from the papers laying across her desk, interrupting the young woman’s unpleasant reveries.
“You’re taking all this casually, aren’t you?” Betty asked snidely.
Renée flushed. “Oh no, Betty, I’m not,” she protested.
“So what exactly do you have to say for yourself, Renée,” the woman who was basically second-in-command of the nursing program wanted to know.
“About what?” the raven-haired young woman asked attempting to sound coy and innocent.
Betty flew to her feet and slammed her fist down hard on her desk to emphasize her point.
“Don’t fuck around with me, Renée. You know damn well what I’m talking about. You’d better be straight with me,” Betty warned while stepping out around her desk.
Renée gasped and unconsciously took a step backwards. She had never heard Betty speak in such a manner. Renée never would have believed it possible.
“Well, I’m waiting.” Betty glared at her in impatience.
“Oh,” the young woman replied tentatively, “you mean about the way I got pulled down in that mosh pit. That wasn’t my fault, Betty.”
“Yes, Renée,” Betty spoke sarcastically. “I mean about you running around naked during the homecoming concert in front of twenty thousand people, many of them visitors to the university.”
“W-Well, I didn’t know-,“ Renée attempted to speak.
“No, you didn’t!” Betty screamed suddenly in a rage because of the manner in which the intelligent young woman was attempting to portray himself as a half-wit in order to escape the adverse consequences of her poor decision making.
In her anger Betty stepped closer literally pushing her face up into Renée’s. Renée noticed some spittle hanging from the corner of Betty’s mouth.
‘What’s wrong with her? Why is she acting so insane about this?’ she wondered of her school superior.
“It all happened because you were wearing that slutty outfit. You’re lucky you’re not in jail right now!” Betty shouted in only a slightly lower tone.
“I’m sorry, it’ll never happen again,” Renée whined wringing her hands.
“Oh, I get it, you’re soowry,” Betty snapped. “Am I supposed to kiss it and make it better for you?”
Renée flushed again and began to tremble in her anxiety. “No, of course not, Betty -.”
“Renée!” Betty ordered. “We are not at a birthday party. We are in my office, behave as such!”
“Ms. Johnson,” Renée replied attempting to sound sarcastic, but she was far too frightened to pull it off.
“What should you have done when you first were pulled naked into that mosh pit?” the woman demanded.
“Pulled some clothing off someone else?” Renée said tentatively.
“Why, yes,” Betty agreed. “So why didn’t you?”
“Well, I was -,” the young nursing student began, but was quickly interrupted by a continuing irate Betty.
“No more bullshit, Renée! Never mind, you’ll have two weeks to think about it,” Betty informed her.
“Two weeks!” Renée echoed in a tremulous voice.
“Yes, two weeks,” the older woman reiterated. “Doctor Carson and I discussed it and you have been suspended from the university for a period of two weeks and frankly I think you got off lightly.”
“Oh no!” Renée whimpered with tears forming in her eyes and then rolling freely down her cheeks.
Having delivered her message successfully, Ms. Johnson stepped back behind her desk and sat down. When Renée realized there was nothing more to be said, she turned to leave.
“Where are ‘you’ going?” Betty demanded harshly.
Puzzled, Renée turned back to older woman and explained, “I’m going to my room to pack to leave.”
“Not with that nursing uniform on, you’re not,” the woman protested.
“What?!” Renée responded aghast at what she was hearing.
Betty picked up a book off her desk and reaching across thrust it into the young woman’s reluctant hands.
“Nursing Program Policy and Procedure, Renée,” Betty said bitingly. “Didn’t you even read it once you became a nursing student?”
“Well, I meant to,” the dark-haired woman’s voice fell away.
“Nursing Program Policy, number fifteen; conditions to be met when a nursing student is suspended,” Betty recited. “Procedure number five – nursing student is to immediately turn in uniform.”
“Okay,” Renée agreed attempting to be pleasant despite herself. “I’ll just turn it in when I return to my room.”
Betty shook her head. “No, that isn’t near good enough, Renée. I couldn’t possibly allow you to go out into the hospital still representing yourself as a nursing student when you’ve been suspended. Why, you could go out and start directing orderlies to do any crazy thing or lie to your comrades about your absence.”
“I would never do that, Ms. Johnson,” Renée replied. She was intensely trembling and having great difficulty with not breaking into tears again. “I know, you could walk with me to my room and then I could give you my uniform.”
“No, I haven’t the time for that. I’m late for another meeting as we speak. Now give me your uniform. I’m tired of messing around with you!” Betty declared angrily.
Renée couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Betty had always appeared so cordial towards her, but it was obvious by now that the older woman had some deep seeded resentment towards her and was using this situation to take it out on her.
Renée realized there was nothing else she could do at this point but to do as Betty ordered. Under her watchful eye, Renée proceeded to slowly unbutton her uniform blouse. She still couldn’t believe that Betty was making her strip down to her bra and panties.
‘Maybe she’s just trying to teach me a humiliating lesson and then she’ll return my uniform to me to wear to my room. Yeah, that must be it,’ the dark-haired young woman decided.
She unbuttoned her sleeve cuffs and then pulled her blouse from her skirt. Renée flushed knowing her bra, that was now completely visible beneath her opened blouse, was of the flimsy lacy variety hiding very little of the charms of her bountiful breasts, but she hadn’t any choice that morning as the underwear that she usually wore on duty was still in the laundry.
Renée removed her uniform blouse and Betty said harshly, “Place it on my desk.” Hardly daring to raise her eyes to look at the older woman while she did as ordered, Renée was stunned to observe Betty gazing back at her with an obvious malicious smile.
‘Why, she’s getting off on my degradation,’ Renée thought indignantly. ‘What did I ever do to deserve this?’
Renée lay the uniform blouse on the desk in front of her. Renée’s hands were trembling which caused it to be difficult to unclasp her skirt. She finally accomplished this and then pulled the side zipper down. Renée felt herself reddening with embarrassment and shame as she lowered her skirt to the floor and then stepped out of it. She realized her panties were no more than a transparent thong through which her entire pubic area could be clearly seen.
Renée quickly lay her skirt on top of the blouse and turned to leave again. She realized it would be horribly embarrassing once she reached the corridor but maybe some passing student or instructor might take pity on her and help her acquire some sort of apparel. At all costs, Renée just desired to flee the office and the malevolent gaze of Betty.
Renée hadn’t even taken one step when she heard Betty order, “Your shoes too, Renée.”
‘Okay, this has gone far enough,’ Renée thought angrily as she whirled to confront her superior officer.
“Surely you’re not saying that someone might mistake me for a nursing student in my bra and panties?” Renée demanded petulantly. “Just because I’m wearing shoes.”
“Renée don’t get snotty with me. You brought all this on yourself,” Betty responded caustically. “Those shoes are hospital issued therefore they are part of your uniform. You are not to leave my office wearing those shoes if you don’t want to be immediately escorted off university property.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Renée snapped flushing again but this time from anger.
“Try me,” Betty challenged glaring at the young woman.
They stared at each for almost a full minute with neither one looking away or even blinking and then Renée gave her answer by slightly leaning down and pulling her shoes off. She slammed them down on Betty’s desk.