Johnny Kepler had not had it easy. Raised as an orphan, abandoned on the street at 3, in and out of orphanages and adoption centers, that had been his life so far. How many times do you have to be rejected before you take control of your life for yourself?
For the last four years he had been at a Catholic boarding school. They fed him and gave him a bed and tried to fill his head with dogmas and ideas which he never was able to accept. But he was grateful for a place to stay warm and as he was growing older, grateful at least that he was getting an education.
His time at Saint Michael's academy had been tainted with numerous punishments. It seemed like he was always the fall guy for his friends. He knew how to get the cigarettes and the booze. Everyone wanted that here. Everyone liked him too, but every-time the smokes were found, every time the empties were sniffed out, he was blamed by the school.
Johnny sat in the administration office thinking how bland and weak his punishments had become to seem. Swats on the hands with rulers, swats on the ass and bare thighs with a rod. None of it hurt anymore. Just a regular mundane part of life.
The new charge against him was bringing in porn magazines to the school. Yes magazines. The administration held such tight reins over all the school computers and student cell phones that it was virtually impossible to view any image or video deemed "illicit" by the school.
Johnny had found a shop on Baker street in the red light district that still sold them. He took up collections from time to time and bought them for his friends and him. It was the third time in two years they were found out.
He was called into Mother Francine's office. He knew her well. He knew where to sit, what to say. He knew how to behave. He knew what was coming...A night of red lumps all over his ass and thighs.
She sat reading a folder from her desk. He could see the tab on the outside of it. It read "Kepler, J."
Mother Francine rose from her desk, walked to an open cabinet and returned the folder. She poured a glass of water from a vase and returned to her chair. Taking a drink and setting the glass on a coaster next to her she crossed her arms and looked at Johnny.
She was stern, Johnny always sensed anger in her. Her glasses hung low on her nose and she watched him over the top of them. Johnny looked away from her. As much as he knew she couldn't hurt him, he had never seen the damn lady smile. All his senses told him that if she had any idea her swats and whippings no longer hurt him, she would find some new way to torment him.
Mother Francine raised her glasses over her eyes and picked up a notepad reading it while she addressed him.
"Johnny Kepler," she remarked, beginning with only those words. She removed her glasses and placed them by the glass of water.
"Do you know why you are still in this school?" She asked. Johnny didn't speak as she glared at him, her light, piercing green eyes staring directly into his.
"You are here because you have no where to go. Any other student would have been expelled long ago." Francine folded her arms and sighed.
"Alcohol, cigarettes. We have never had so much in this school and they are inappropriate for student use!" She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Alcohol I can accept as a normal transgression. Tobacco I also accept as minor but..." she paused to gather her words.
"Pornography is completely unacceptable in this institution!" Francine slammed her fist down hard on her desk. Johnny could see some of the water oscillate and spill over the side of the glass. She sat back in her chair and opened one of her desk drawers removing a hustler magazine. She flung it at him angrily and it hit him in the leg. Johnny froze. This was a new level of anger for Francine.
"Pick it up Mr. Kepler," she demanded, quickly regaining her composure.
"Are you aware this is a sin against God? This is not a sin against a school or against a government. It is not a sin against mankind. It is a sin against God!"
Johnny could not look at her. She rose from her desk and walked over to him to retrieve the magazine.