Messy

Note: So normally I don’t specify EXACTLY what is real and what is fiction, but I want to state definitively that I have never been spanked by a nun. Everything else in this story is pretty much as close to fact as my memory allows, and since it involves real people, I just want it to be 100% clear that the spanking part didn’t happen.

Oh and note 2: I have been putting off posting this story for more than 6 months, because I’ve been working on another project and didn’t feel inspired to illustrate this one. I finally decided to post without drawings, except for the one. Maybe I’ll add some drawings later on.

Believe it or not, Xen was rarely in trouble in her younger years. Her university was Catholic and old fashioned, and boys weren’t allowed in the dorms after 11pm, but Xen didn’t have a boyfriend so it wasn’t a hard rule to follow. True, she had slept over in the boy’s dorms more than a few times, but that was just sleeping on a couch after playing Magic: The Gathering with friends after curfew, and she’d never been caught, so she hardly thought it counted as breaking the rules. She didn’t like the taste of alcohol, or even the dizzy unrestrained feeling of being buzzed, so parties didn’t hold much attraction. 

With zero study skills to speak of, she struggled to keep up with her courses, and quickly dropped her intended science degree in favor of art.  She was able to manage mediocre grades in spite of frequently sleeping through classes, terrible time management overall, and sporadic attention. She kept her head down and didn’t cause problems. By junior year she had a cramped single room to herself on the first floor. It was a disaster, the loose carpet hardly visible under piles of clothes, crumpled handouts, and abandoned unfinished assignments, but she kept her door closed and didn’t invite friends in. She barely knew her RA’s and they rarely had cause to speak to her, much less enter her room, in fact she spent more time talking to Jenna, the friendly young janitor who was often around right when Xen was putting off leaving for class. Sometimes they’d get caught up talking and she’d get late enough that she’d end up skipping class, while the older girl hurried to get back to work before her supervisor caught her idle. Xen doubted the Rectoress, Sister Louise even knew her name, though her room was right across the hall from the older woman’s door.  

Truth to be told, Xen’s life in college was a barely held together anxious mess, hidden by her shallow veneer of quiet manners. Since school was far from her hometown, she usually stayed on campus during shorter breaks, and this year, she’d decided to stay for spring break as well to catch up on homework. She hadn’t had much success in catching up, in fact she’d barely glanced at a book, but while her classmates went home or partied in the tropics, Xen was just relieved to relax and have some quiet space with no obligations where she wouldn’t have to feel guilty for wasting her time. Jenna was around more than usual, with deep cleaning scheduled during breaktime, and Xen chatted with the freckled girl easily during the week while she worked, enjoying more in depth conversations with her, thought she usually found socializing fairly taxing. 

On the last day of break, Xen spotted Jenna vacuuming in a common area, and greeted her happily, but Jenna averted her eyes with a halfhearted “hello,” and hurried to a different part of the building. Xen shrugged, pretending her feelings weren’t hurt, and decided to go for a walk. She slipped into her room, dancing precariously over the piles of chaos on her floor to grab a hoodie, and then slid back out, closing the door quietly behind her. She walked towards the exit but only made it a few steps when a sharp voice stopped her in her tracks. “Xen, come into my room, I need to speak to you.” Xen blinked in astonishment at Sister Louise. Apparently she did know her name! The woman was looking straight at her with a stern frown, magnified behind round wire-rimmed glasses. Her short iron grey hair made her look more severe, though her face was usually more cheerful. Just now she looked as serious as Xen had ever seen her.  Xen turned around and crossed the hallway nervously.

Sister Louise put a hand on Xen’s arm and led her into her room. Feeling awkward, Xen allowed herself to be steered inside, where she looked around curiously, having never seen the inside of the rectoress’s room. In stark contrast with Xen’s dark and cluttered single, Sister Jean’s space was a comfortable apartment, warm and neatly organized. It made sense, the woman lived there year round and had been the rectoress for more than a decade, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see such a normal feeling home inside the dorm building. 

Hand still on her arm, Sister Louise gave her a tiny shake and jolted Xen out of her thoughts. “Aren’t you ashamed?” She scolded and Xen stared at her, slowly filling with apprehension.

The nun wasn’t particularly tall, but she didn’t need to be to look down at Xen, and her piercing eyes made her look rather formidable, especially when her dark grey eyebrows were pinched down in disapproval. Xen shrank inwardly but tried not to flinch and kept her face blank. “I’m sorry…?” she asked, with real confusion. She and Sister Louise had never spoken more than a few polite sentences to each other, and Xen’s mind spun trying to think of what she might have done to land in trouble. Was Sister Louise angry that Xen had slept in until 2 that afternoon? Did she know that she’d slept that late because she’d been up all night on a friend’s couch after another long gaming session, finally sneaking off the boy’s campus at 7 in the morning once curfew was no longer in place? Did Sister Louise know about her midterm philosophy grade, which Xen would be lucky to raise to a D? Without any hints to go on, Xen kept coming up new reasons why she might be “ashamed,” and her panic grew rapidly. 

Sister Louise released her and crossed her arms. “Your room,” she said, and Xen only gaped at her dumbly. The older woman sighed. “It’s disgusting. Aren’t you ashamed to live like that?”

Xen shook her head, still a bit confused, but relieved that the nun wasn’t upset about anything more serious. “I… no? I mean…” she stammered uncomfortably while Sister Louise raised an eyebrow incredulously. “I don’t really mind. I just…” she trailed off and shrugged, looking away to break the intense eye contact. Sister Louise made a sound of distaste and Xen looked past her and pretended to study the books on the shelves, feeling embarrassed and resentful. And yes, a bit ashamed. 

“Student rooms are cleaned over break,” said Sister Louise. Xen’s eyes flicked to her and then away again. “Jenna said she could barely walk in the room, much less get in to clean.” Xen felt a flare of indignation that her privacy had been invaded. She had no idea the janitorial staff went into student rooms. Admittedly, it was probably outlined in one of the many handouts Xen had never bothered to read. Apparently having roommates had kept her room a notch above “disgusting” In previous years, but she no longer had that going for her.

Xen shrugged again. “Oh. Sorry,” she said, unsure what else to say. She was starting to feel a bit angry herself, but did her best to hide it. What business was it to Sister Louise what her room looked like? No one else had to live there. She hadn’t asked for anyone to clean and hadn’t expected anyone to go in. 

Sister Louise pursed her lips at Xen’s response, which she obviously found inadequate. “Jenna found a plug-in skillet,” she continued accusingly. “That’s very clearly against the rules. You hadn’t even put it away, it was just sitting out in plain sight. Next to the toaster. Which is also against the rules.” 

In spite of her best efforts, a flush was creeping up Xen’s face. She tried to hold on to her anger, to direct it at Jenna for tattling like a little kid. She couldn’t quite bring herself to do it though. She knew Jenna was only doing her job. In addition to the humiliation of being called out for her room being messy, Xen felt a bit guilty for putting her friend in the position of having to report her. The shame made her angry again. She could feel the blank look on her face slipping into a contrary frown. “I didn’t use them in my room,” she said sullenly. “I bring them down to the kitchen if I want to make something.” That was a lie. But she’d managed to clear out the smoke from the last time she burnt her toast before she set off the building’s smoke detectors, and she hadn’t used it since. The unwelcome thought turned her frown into a full scowl. 

Since Xen refused to look at Sister Louise, the grunt of dissatisfaction told Xen clearly enough that the nun was unimpressed with her explanation. “You could be fined as much as $200 for each of those.” Xen didn’t respond, keeping her eyes stubbornly on the books, which ranged from religious texts to murder mysteries. Inwardly she cringed and felt more desperate than ever. She’d managed to smooth over her struggles to her parents, so they believed she was doing well enough in school. That she was happy. She wasn’t sure how she’d explain away a $400 dollar fine.     

When Xen stayed silent, Sister Louise continued, “OR, you could be kicked out of the dorm. Fire hazards are serious.” That pronouncement startled Xen into looking up and meeting the woman’s uncompromising eyes. She looked away again almost at once trying not to show her dismay. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if she was kicked out of the dorm. Xen felt suddenly exhausted and sad. 

Sister Louise stepped closer and Xen turned her face away, grimacing. “Xen are you even listening?” asked the nun harshly.

Xen nodded. “Yes,” she answered, after a thick silence. But she couldn’t think of anything else to say. She felt like crying and focused on breathing slowly so she wouldn’t fall apart. The silent stretched on, pressuring Xen to speak, and her heart thudded loudly in her chest, so hard she thought Sister Louise might be able to hear it.

After an infinity, Sister Louise sighed. “When I was in school we handled things differently,” she told Xen. “You’ve always been a good girl. I’m not going to throw you out of the dorm. And I don’t want to fine you. You’ve never been in trouble before.” Something in Xen’s chest loosened. Maybe she’d make it out ok. “Xen, look at me,” ordered the older woman. Xen took another slow breath and forced herself to meet the woman’s eyes. The intense scrutiny was painful, she kept her eyes still with effort. “Do I need to fine you, Xen?” she asked, “or should we find a different solution?” 

Confusion swamped Xen again, and she shook her head, but realized she needed to say something. “Uhm… different?” She suggested uncertainly. “Please? I… Don’t fine me please.” She had no idea what was happening. Sister Louise’s eyes narrowed and Xen felt a wave of panic again, fearing she’d answered wrong and Sister Louise had changed her mind. 

The nun grasped her arm again and led her away from the bookshelf. “Over here,” she ordered, steering Xen towards the plush red couch. She stopped and released her, gesturing at the coffee table. “Hands on the table,” she said. Xen stared at her, bewildered. Sister Louise’s eyes narrowed further and her brows angled down, and Xen obeyed hastily, leaning over and putting her hands flat on the low table.  

Xen waited quietly, unsure what else to do, and Sister Louise moved away out of sight then returned a few seconds later behind Xen. She felt a tap on the seat of her sweatpants and glanced back through her arms to see the upside-down nun holding a yardstick. Xen’s face flushed hot as she finally understood, and shock warred with embarrassment as she watched the older woman pull back the yardstick. 

She jerked her face forward and stared at the books laid out on the coffee table as the yardstick hit home with an audible clap. It had a bit of sting but it wasn’t truly painful. Xen’s quick uptake in breath was much more of disbelief than physical discomfort. A TV Guide, an Agatha Christie novel and a pretty black and white photograph book of Rome sat innocently on the table, mocking her with their normality. The yardstick landed again and the noise made her jump. Was Sister Louise allowed to do this? No. It landed again, and Xen closed her eyes, her face burning. She was sure it was not allowed. She stood frozen for two more strikes.

“Is this getting through to you Xen?” Asked Sister Louise. Xen didn’t answer, feeling more dazed and humiliated than intimidated. Her silence evidently annoyed Sister Louise, and the next three swats were delivered rapidly with more force. Xen felt a stronger sting, but her pants still protected her from any real pain. 

Sister Louise tried again. “Xen, are you going to keep your room presentable going forward?” She asked. She sliced the yardstick down again, but Xen’s tongue remained stuck in her mouth. She shook her head, more in denial of her situation than Sister Louise’s question, but the nun stopped and Xen could hear her inhale sharply. “Alright then,” said Sister Louise. Xen winced at her tone, and then gasped when she felt her sweatpants and underwear yanked down swiftly to her knees. Her eyes widened and she tensed in shock. 

This time when the yardstick hit her skin, the sting was much stronger, it faded quickly, but was genuinely painful. Xen shook her head once more and closed her eyes. Sister Louise hit her again, and once more, and Xen felt herself getting angry again at the rising pain, and even more so at her exposure and embarrassment. Was Sister Louise enjoying this? Was she being taken advantage of for some sick game?

The next one hit, and Xen remained stubbornly silent. Three more in quick succession, lower on her bottom, close to her thighs, and the pain started to demand her attention. She shifted her feet uncomfortably.

Sister Louise paused, resting the yardstick against Xen’s skin. “Let’s try this again. Do you think you can keep your room to human standards in the future?”

Xen’s anger smoldered and she looked at Sister Louise, expecting to see some kind of sadistic glee. But the older woman just looked determined. Determined and… disappointed. Xen winced as Sister Louise decided she’d taken too long to answer and hit her twice more. Chagrined, Xen’s shoulders slumped and her anger flared down, still present but outweighed by her shame and embarrassment. “Ok,” she said belatedly. “I mean yes. I’ll try.” 

Sister Louise snorted. The yardstick stung Xen again. She squirmed in place. “You’ll TRY.” Said Sister Louise disdainfully. “You’re 20 years old Xen. You WILL keep your room to a reasonable standard of order.” She brought the yardstick down again.

Xen grunted at the growing pain. “Yes, Sister Louise,” she said dully, not really believing it.

“What are you going to do with the skillet Xen?” 

Another stroke and Xen hissed. Her mind spun furiously, the question demanding a more formulated answer than simple agreement. Having learned that silence would earn quick punishment, Xen stalled, “I, uhm. The skillet… will.” She heard a sigh and tensed. “I’ll throw it away?” She offered hurriedly.

The yardstick rested against her tingling skin and Xen cringed, waiting. It tapped against her bottom instead. “I think it would be acceptable to simply pack it safely away,” said Sister Louise in a slightly gentler voice. 

“Yes, Sister Lousie,” said Xen, relaxing slightly. Another stinging smack with the yardstick, but not quite as hard. 

“What will you do with the toaster, Xen?” 

“Pack it away, Sister Louise,” answered Xen immediately with some relief. 

“Good girl,” said the nun, and hit her once more, eliciting a grunt. Once again she held the yardstick to Xen’s bottom. “So. When you leave this room, you will tidy up your room, and pack away any prohibited items, so when Jenna is ready to finish her work this evening, she’ll be able to access your space, and won’t see anything inappropriate. Are we clear?”

Xen bit her lip. She knew what time Jenna usually left the dorm and she was genuinely uncertain whether she’d be able to clean her room in just a few hours. The yardstick tapped with a hint of impatience. “Yes, Sister Louise,” Xen finally answered, though secretly she still wasn’t convinced. 

“Good girl,” said Sister Louise again. Xen held her breath again and tensed. Sister Louise patted her on the back and said, “Let’s finish up and get you on your way.” 

The yardstick drew back and fired back down, cracking down steadily 5 times, blazing one right under the other. Xen stood on her toes and let out a small whimper, and Sister Louise put down the yardstick then gave Xen’s sweatpants a quick yank, pulling them most of the way up. Xen straightened hesitantly, and when Sister Louise didn’t object or scold her, she bashfully adjusted her pants, pulling them back fully in place. 

 Sister Louise surprised her by slinging an arm comfortingly around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze, followed by a grandmotherly kiss on her cheek (though Xen didn’t think she was quite that old). She relaxed and couldn’t stop a small smile of relief that she wasn’t bent over a table with her naked ass in the air. In fact, she felt a bit like giggling at the absurdity of it all, but managed to hold it in. She still felt incredibly uncomfortable and anxious. “That’s the spirit,” said Sister Louise. “You’re a bright girl, I know.” Did she? Xen wondered. “You can get this taken care of, and I know you’ll be more responsible from now on, won’t you?” 

Xen nodded and smiled tightly at her. “Yes, Sister Louise,” she answered obediently, but she still didn’t believe it. She kept the agreeable smile on her face to cover that she suddenly felt like crying again. Sister Louise gave her a final hug and sent her out the door. 

“Have a good day, Xen,” Sister Louise told her, as though they’d just been having a friendly chat.

Xen nodded. “You too, Sister Louise,” she said politely. She walked shakily out of the room feeling lightheaded and bemused. She was still as confused as she was chastised, and she felt like a little girl slinking away after the punishment. Jenna was vacuuming down the hall again, and this time when she looked up, it was Xen who averted her eyes. She hurried into her room and closed the door quickly behind her. She stood with her back resting against the door shaking, her heart thudding. Finally she gave up any hope of making the afternoon make sense, and reluctantly settled in to clear up the mess.