Dr. Katherine Porter, headmistress of St. Margaret's College for Girls, stood at her window and stared at the little church at the far corner of the college grounds. She was thinking about how times had changed and standards fallen. She sighed deeply and turned to face the young dark haired girl who had barely lifted her head up since she had come into the room. Her stringy hair hung down covering her face like a beaded curtain. Dr Porter shook her head in exasperation. She hadn't got a thing out of the girl and she had tried for a good half hour. "You may go, Carla, but remember, I've got my eyes on you now. I'll be watching you carefully from now on."
Her shoulders slumped, head still lowered, Carla slinked off closing the door behind her.
Katherine looked at the small pile of coloured bracelets on the desk. Something was going on with the girls and she was sure it involved boys. She could smell trouble a mile off where her girls were concerned. But, Carla hadn't told her a thing and neither had 2 other girls, who she had disciplined recently. She would find out somehow...
Outside in the car park, a little red sports car swung into one of the visitors bays. Connie Hunt swung her elegant legs out of the driver's seat and cursed as her expensive high heels sunk into gravel. She had come to see her 18 year old step-daughter. It was a rare visit. The two of them didn't get on too well, unfortunately, but she owed it to Tony, her husband, to keep trying. The girl had been moved around a lot in her young life and this was her third college in as many years. Thankfully, the girl seemed happy here. She made her way into the college buildings and was soon directed to her step-daughter's room. She was expected.
Kelly greeted her step-mum coolly, but, politely. She still blamed Connie for the break-up of her parent's marriage, although in truth her parents had grown apart long before she had come along. And the woman was too damn glamorous, with her dark curly hair, gorgeous figure and long elegant legs. She was the perfect "trophy" wife for her father and only 34. She was always perfectly made up and her clothes showed perfect taste. How irritating that was.
They managed polite conversation for twenty minutes before Kelly's room mate called for her. After the two girls finished chatting, Kelly turned to her step-mom.
"Please excuse me, Connie, there's a Rose Club meeting I have to attend. I won't be long. Make yourself at home."
As the two young girls left the room, Connie frowned as she looked at her watch. She had planned to take Kelly for lunch in the town then head back to London. Hopefully, this meeting or whatever it was wouldn't last long. She sat on the bed and looked around the room. It brought back memories of when she had been to college herself many years ago.
The minutes ticked by and she wondered how long Kelly would be. She idly got to her feet and started to look through the girl's wardrobe. There was a college uniform and shoes, some blue knickers and sensible shoes. Then she smiled as she saw a couple of short skirts, jazzy tops and a pile of panties in various colours. As she closed the door, she noticed a small box in the corner and curiosity made her pick it up. She sat in the bed and examined the contents. It was mostly filled with bracelets. They were all the same design but in different colours. She picked a couple out and examined them, they were obviously cheaply made but, nevertheless, rather nice. Idly, she put the two she was holding back into the box and picked out a black one. She clipped it on to her wrist. It matched her outfit very well. She had been looking for something similar to buy herself. Perhaps Kelly would tell her where to buy one just like it when they went into town for lunch. In the meantime, she decided to borrow the one she had on. She closed the box and put it back in the wardrobe.
How much longer would she have to wait? She was bored sitting here. She twisted the bracelet round her wrist and noticed a letter and number neatly engraved on it. What was the significance of that? A code perhaps? She wondered.
She stood up, looked out the window for the umpteenth time and sighed again. Waiting around for someone was always a bind. So, she decided to have a walk around outside and get some fresh air. Leaving a note for Kelly, she left the room, walked out into the corridor and down the stairs to the main entrance. It was a lovely college, there was no doubt about it, she thought as she walked through the quadrangle. Then she spotted the small church and decided to walk towards it. It was so quaint and peaceful. Going in through the side door she spent a few minutes admiring the stained glass windows and the alter.
She had a brief look inside the vestry then decided she had better go back to Kelly's room. The girl would surely be coming back there soon. She went out through the main door and found herself on the road outside the college premises. As she walked towards the college gates, she noticed a small group of youths talking together in a group. She got a few wolf whistles as she walked past them. As she glanced in their direction she saw them staring at her, pointing. Hadn't they seen a well dressed woman before, she thought. Then suddenly, they were all around her and eager hands pulled at her arm. "Stop that," she shouted. "What on earth are you doing?
It was the bracelet they were after and one of them pulled it off her arm. "Give that back, immediately," she demanded, but, they were too busy examining their prize. The boy who had it held it aloft, triumphantly, while the others drifted away. They were staring cheekily at her legs. "Lucky bastard," she heard one of them say to the remaining boy.
"Well," she said, addressing the boy who now stood on his own in front of her, "I'll have that back now please and with an appropriate apology."
He grinned at her. "I'll bet you would, sweetheart. but, you know as well as I do that there's only one way that you'll get this back."
Connie just looked at him with a puzzled expression. Whatever did the boy mean?
"I'll see you here at 8.00 p.m. and don't be late," he leered.
He examined the black bracelet, again. "You Rose Club girls are finally getting a bit more daring. It's nice to see teachers and parents being included in the fun. Better for us boys eh," he chuckled.
Connie turned away exasperated. The boy was demented and she wasn't going to demean herself by asking for the bracelet again. This would be reported to the headmistress. It was disgraceful that women were attacked at the college gates. Something must be done. She walked angrily down the path. "See you later, love, the boy shouted after her. Don't forget, 8.00 p.m."
"What!" Shouted Kelly as Connie told her what had happened.
She paced the room, her hands in her hair and hissed at Connie "Do you know what you've done?"
Connie shook her head, more confused than ever. She had expected some feminine sympathy at what had happened, but she had never seen her step-daughter so angry.
Then it all came out, about the Rose Club and the bracelets.
"Being a member of the Club is the best thing that's happened to me here," she explained. "For the first few months, I was an outsider. It was miserable. Then I made friends and they let me join. We do all sorts of things and have a lot of fun. Flirting with boys around town is part of it.
And, there is this game we play involving the bracelets. It's a coded thing, all to do with the different colours. The deeper the colour of a bracelet worn is an indication to boys as to how far we are prepared to go. White is for a kiss, just a kiss. If it's green, they get a flash of your knickers. Pink, is for a feel of your breasts. If they manage to grab your bracelet from your arm you are obligated to do what it represents."
Connie got the picture. It wasn't hard to see where this was going. She dreaded what was coming next but she had to ask. "And what does a black bracelet represent?"
