Nobody speaks during the car ride home from the mall. Julie is still curled up in a ball fast asleep. Stacey is nervous about the punishment Mike's about to dole out once they get back to the Center. Lisa is just glad to not be in trouble for once so she keeps her mouth shut, knowing that's often what lands her over Mike's or Shane's lap. Carrie is simply enjoying the silence, she's always preferred a quiet atmosphere over a loud one. Shane is focusing on his driving since traffic is unusually heavy tonight. Mike is contemplating the best way to discipline the cousins for skipping kp duty and sneaking off to the movies while grounded.

Stacey's pov

Shane pulls into his parking spot at the Center and after he, Carrie, and Lisa get out, Mike turns to address me and Julie.

"I expect the two of you to go straight to my room to face your punishment for skipping kp duty tonight. Understand?" Mike is not amused by our mischief.

"UUGGGHHHH! We didn't even skip kp duty, Mabel gave us permission." I voice my displeasure with Mike's plan, knowing this won't end well for me but too tired to care. "Can't we just do this tomorrow?" I whine. "I just want to go to bed."

"Well, last time I checked..." Mike makes a point of looking at his watch, "... it was Mike's still in charge o'clock and I most certainly did not give you permission to miss kp duty." Mike's look is becoming more foreboding as his patience level declines. "So wake up your cousin and come straight to my room."

I sigh and roll my eyes in response.

"So help me God, Stacey, if you roll your eyes at me one more time tonight, I will not hesitate to belt you every night this week. Make no mistake about it, I will do whatever it takes to put an end to your entitled disrespectful attitude."

Mike's glare is making me extremely uncomfortable, so much so, I squirm in my seat and look out the window to avoid him.

"You have five minutes." Mike makes a point of closing the car door rather forcefully as he exits the vehicle.

Mike's room

Mike's pov

"So how do you want to handle this?" Shane asks, taking a seat in the chair by my bed.

"I don't know." I shake my head as I pace the floor. "I just don't know what to do anymore, Shane. Just when I thought things were getting better." I sigh and rub my forehead. "I was actually proud of them for how they were handling kp duty but then they pull this stupid stunt and I feel like we're back to square one. I just don't know anymore." I stand with my hands on my hips facing Shane, hoping he has some words of wisdom regarding our two oldest charges.

"You know I'll support whatever decision you make, Mike."

Not exactly the divine intervention I was hoping for.

"Was Neil right, Shane? Are the girls out of control? Is it our fault? Are we lousy guardians?"

Shane stands up and walks over to me.

"No bloody way. Neil was just upset when he said those things. I don't think he really meant them."

"Yeah, I know he was upset. HE PADDLED US, FOR CHRISSAKE." I turn my back to Shane. "That was really humiliating." I swallow hard, recalling that day in his office after the girls were pulled over by the police, remembering how much that hurt my pride and my backside for that matter.

"Don't let him get in your head, Mike. We both know Neil was just being a hardass 'cause that's what he does. I don't think he intended for us to doubt our parenting abilities, he was just pissed we left him out of the loop."

I think Shane's right. I let what Neil said and did that day affect my confidence and the girls have been capitalizing on my self doubt ever since. I need to gain their respect back. I turn around as I hear Stacey and Julie rap on the open door before they enter my room.

"Sit down!" I say sternly, pointing to my bed.

Julie obediently and quietly takes a seat on my bed. Perhaps her attitude adjustment in the mall parking lot was effective. Stacey, however, rolls her eyes and huffs, "Fine," under her breath.

Is she seriously kidding me right now?

"Come here!" I narrow my eyes at Stacey. This girl needs to know I mean business.

"What?" she whines, in an annoyed tone as she gets up and walks over to me.

"What did I say would happen if you rolled your eyes at me again tonight?" This girl is dangerously close to pushing me over the edge.

With a whole lot of attitude, she responds, "I don't know. What?"

I take a step back and attempt a deep calming breath. I'm honestly afraid I'm going to lose it.

"STACEY!" Shane snaps at her, and she tenses up. "Apologize this instant," Shane says coldly, as he gets to his feet, ready to take matters into his own hands.

Recognizing the authority in Shane's tone, Stacey immediately accedes, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Shane. Stacey's already confirmed her week long reservation with my belt." I see Stacey's eyes widen upon hearing the sound of my buckle. "Shane, would you mind taking Julie with you to your room? I'd like a few minutes alone with our oldest daughter." I'm glad Stacey appears to be nervous after hearing my request.

"Of course not. Let's go, Julie." Shane escorts Julie out.

I wait until Shane and Julie leave before drawing my belt through my pant loops and doubling it over in my hand.

"Apparently, you didn't learn anything from the refresher course on respect I gave your cousin earlier."

Stacey is biting her bottom lip and anxiously scraping her nail along a loose cuticle, purposely avoiding my stern gaze.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you, Stacey Marie." I grab her chin to ensure eye contact. "Did you think I was joking when I told you I would belt you every night for a week if you rolled your eyes at me again tonight?"

Stacey quietly mumbles, "No."

I reach around and harshly slap my belt against her right thigh, eliciting an "ow," in response.

"No what?" I narrow my glare, challenging Stacey to flout my authority.

"No sir." Stacey may be stubborn but she's not stupid.

"If you knew I was serious, why did you think it was a good idea to test me?"

Stacey focuses on the floor as she softly responds, "I don't know."

Grabbing her right bicep and turning her sideways, I firmly slap my belt against her buttocks three more times.

Without loosening my grip on her arm, I say, "First, look at me when you're speaking to me. Secondly, I don't know is not an acceptable answer. Thirdly, when you're in trouble, you will end every response with sir." Raising my voice and tightening my hold on her, I ask, "Do I make myself clear?"

Stacey has tears pooling in her eyes, her bottom is stinging as she looks at me and says, "Yes sir."

"For skipping kp duty tonight, leaving without permission, failing to inform anyone of your whereabouts and going out while grounded, you're going to receive sixteen strokes with my belt. Do you understand why you're receiving this punishment, Stacey?"

I text Shane to give Julie sixteen strokes with his belt as her punishment for tonight. When I look up, I see Stacey scrolling through pictures on her phone. I swear I'm gonna lose it.

"STACEY MARIE! I asked you a question and instead of answering me properly, you're on your phone."

"Well, you were on your phone. So what's the dif?"

I yank her phone out of her hand, to which she responds, "Bruh, why you gotta be like that?"

"Let's get two things straight. I'm not your bruh and the dif is, I'm your guardian and you're my child. You will do as I say and treat me with respect or there will be unpleasant consequences. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, STACEY MARIE? Before you answer, keep in mind you're already facing sixteen strokes of my belt tonight and a belting every night for the rest of the week so think long and hard before you speak." A refresher course on respect is exactly what this girl needs.

Wanting to cut her losses, Stacey replies, "Yes sir, I understand. Now can I have my phone back?"

"No, I think I'll hold on to your phone for now. If you can go the entire day tomorrow without being disrespectful, I'll consider returning it to you. That means no eye rolls, no backtalk, no arguing, and no rude gestures, comments, or body language of any kind. Alright?"

"Okay," Stacey replies, highly doubting she'll be seeing her phone anytime soon.

God help me, I think to myself as I close my eyes and shake my head.

"How about an appropriate response now?" How much patience does one need to have while parenting four teenage girls? I wonder.

"Okay si..." Stacey catches herself and amends her response based on the frigid look she's receiving from me. "I meant to say, yes sir."

"Let's see if you can make it through this punishment. Bend over the bed, Stacey." As Stacey bends over the bed, I rest my right hand on her lower back and bring the belt down hard on her left buttcheek. The next three strokes follow in fashion, hitting the same spot with the same intensity. Stacey hisses in pain, pounding her fist down on the bed. She's lucky I'm not doing this with her shorts down. If she wasn't facing seven more nights of conversation with my belt this week, I wouldn't be spanking her over her shorts tonight.

I land the next four strokes across the middle of her bottom in rapid succession. Stacey's starting to sniffle now in a futile attempt to hold back tears. I tap the belt against her right buttcheek a few times before drawing back and swiftly spanking the sensitive spot above her left thigh, completely catching her off guard. Stacey clutches my comforter tightly as her tears start to fall. I land the remaining strokes across all areas of her bottom, making sure to leave no spot unpunished. I want her to have a painful reminder of the repercussions of her insolence every time she sits down tomorrow.

After stroke sixteen, I loop my belt back around my waist.

"Turn and face me, Stacey." I better hear a sincere apology in the next twenty seconds.

Stacey wipes the tears from her face.

"I'm really sorry I disrespected and disobeyed you, Mike, I mean sir." Stacey wipes her eyes again, still crying.

I pull her into a hug, holding her against my chest.

"I know you're sorry, sweetheart, but you're still going to have a refresher course on respect led by my belt every night this week. Understand?"

Stacey grips the back of my shirt tightly and buries her head deeper into my chest.

Finally coming to the realization that it wasn't an idle threat, she responds sadly, "Yes sir."

Meanwhile in Shane's room

Shane's pov

Shane checks the text he just received from Mike.

"Well, it appears Mike and Stacey are going to be occupied for awhile."

Julie looks up at me expectantly, her eyes still red and swollen from her earlier encounter with Mike's belt.

I hate to be the one to add to her discomfort right now but she still has to answer for skipping kp duty and breaking the terms of her grounding. Julie starts to tear-up when I remove my belt. I take a seat on my bed and call her over.

As she stands in front of me, I ask, "Do you know why you're going to be receiving this spanking with my belt, Julie?" I know she hates having to explain why she's being punished but a little humility is in order here after the way she disrespected Mike in the parking lot earlier.

"I skipped kp duty and went to the movies when I was grounded, sir."

Surprisingly, Julie's response is polite and respectful. Apparently the attitude adjustment Mike provided earlier was quite successful. I guide Julie over my left knee, laying her upper body on my bed. I grip the waistband of her shorts in my left hand and pull them up tightly, unintentionally giving her a slight wedgie as I pull her feet off the ground and balance her bottom while it teeters on my left thigh.

Julie winces at the uncomfortable position. Hopefully she'll think twice the next time she wants to disrespect my best mate.

"Sixteen strokes for your misbehavior tonight. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Julie says, quite humbly.

I slap two painful strokes across the middle of her bottom. Julie shifts uncomfortably so I pull the waistband of her shorts up tighter to prevent her from losing her balance over my thigh, keeping her bottom up nice and high in position. I can see the red marks on the crease of her thighs where Mike focused her earlier discipline.

I land the next five strokes over the same area, causing Julie to cry out in pain, "Owwww! Son of a bit..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," I interrupt Julie mid-curse, while landing three harsh strokes to her right buttcheek as it peeks further out of the bottom of her shorts.

She's gripping my bed sheets so tightly her knuckles are turning white. Her shoulders are shaking as she sobs into my pillow.

I stripe the next three strokes underneath her left buttock, compounding the angry red streaks Mike's belt left earlier on her pale skin. For these last three strokes, I pull her left ankle under my right leg stretching her legs apart and opening up the area between the bottom of her cheeks. These are really going to sting because it's such a sensitive area and she's not going to be able to clench as much in anticipation of the next stroke. I put more strength behind these strokes, drawing my arm back further before slapping the brown leather belt in an upward motion right between her cheeks. Julie lurches off my lap after each of the last three strokes, requiring me to reposition her every time.

As soon as I stand her up between my knees, she begins vigorously rubbing her stinging bottom. I grab hold of her hands in mine, my heart aching as she cries hiccupping sobs, her shoulders shaking as her breath hitches.

"Julie, look at me," I say, in a soft and gentle tone.

Reluctantly, she lifts her chin and meets my gaze briefly. She keeps averting her eyes, embarrassed by this punishment and the fact she's crying and unable to hide her face as I'm still holding her hands.

"Julie," I say softly, wanting her to look at me.

Julie finally looks at me long enough to apologize, her voice cracking as she's still crying, "I'mmm ss_ sorrry I ww_wentt to the mm_ moviess and mm_outhhh_ed off to Mm_ikke."

I stand, wrapping my right arm around her waist, pulling her to me so I can comfort her. God I hate punishing her and seeing her cry but she has to learn she can't continue to break the rules and disrespect Mike without consequence. She clasps her hands together at the small of my back, holding the left side of her face against my chest, close to my heart where she already occupies substantial real estate.