After the situation with the mud-pit yesterday, and the car the day before, Scott was taking no chances with Rogue and had assigned her to laundry duty. Standing in the laundry room in the basement of the school - the actual basement not the state of the art top-secret training facility basement - Rogue looked at her prison for the day. Industrial sized washers and dryers were on one side of the room, laundry baskets were on the wall to her left, with each basket categorised colours, whites, towels, sheets and so forth.
A huge storage rack was covering the entire back wall filled with detergent, softener, bleach, and other cleaning products.
~ At least ah don’t have to do the ironing ~ Rogue thought. Picking up a basket of laundry Rogue started loading the washers. ~ Ah feel like ah’m in a low rent prison movie ~
She had just finished loading the first washer when the door swung open and Scott walked in.
“Oh good you’ve started,” he said. “I just want to go over the rules.”
“There are rules to doing the laundry?” Rogue asked.
“Where you are concerned, yes.”
“Let’s hear them then my jailer,” Rogue mocked.
“Rule number one, no tricks....” Scott started but was interrupted by Rogue.
“Like what? How can you do tricks with the laundry?”
“No bleaching, shrinking, or dyeing the clothes. No stealing them and pinning them to the notice board or putting them up the flagpole.”
“We have a flagpole?”
Ignoring the interruption Scott continued, “No getting your friends to help. You have an hour for lunch then you are to come right back. I will be checking on you throughout the day, to make sure that you are here. You finish at half-past five and not a minute sooner. Are we clear?”
Snapping to attention, Rogue hollered, “Sir, Yes, sir,” and saluted him.
Glaring at her as best he could from under his shades, Scott walked out the door, leaving Rogue to her punishment.
A few hours later Scott, Jean, Hank and Ro sat in the professor office going over the schedule for the coming week.
Looking at Scott, Ro asked the question they all wanted to know. “Where’s Rogue today?”
“In the laundry room,” Scott answered. “With Janis ill I assigned Rogue laundry duty,” he explained.
“Is that a wise idea?” Hank asked. “Rogue seems to be rebelling against your authority. Do you think it is prudent to put her in a position where she can cause so much damage?”
“I gave her a list of rules, told her what she can’t do.” Scott replied.
“Do you think she will listen?” Ro asked.
“Yes I believe she will. I think the problem with the last few days is that I’ve given Rogue too much leeway. I gave her tasks to do, but I didn’t give her any rules to go by. This time I have. Rogue will do as she’s told. She won’t risk having her sentenced increased by disobeying me,” Scott answered confidently.
“I hope your right Scott,” Jean said, “for all our sakes.”
At twenty-five past five Scott made his way down to the laundry room with Jean and Ro following behind cautiously.
“I don’t know what you two are so worried about,” Scott said looking at the two women. “I told you everything will be okay. I checked on Rogue just after lunch and she was doing as she was told.”
“And that doesn’t worry you Scott?” Ro asked.
Jean added, “I mean, when does Rogue every do what she told?”
Stopping and facing Jean and Ro, Scott took a deep breath, “I know Rogue has issues with authority figures and because of Logan in her head, me in particular. But she has to learn to take responsibility and that is something I’m going to teach her. With Logan not here at the moment it should be easier. Rogue is going to realize that everything is not one big joke. That is what today’s lesson was about and I think she’s beginning to understand that.”
As the three approached the laundry room they could hear singing. Opening the door slowly, Ro and Jean put their hand over their mouths to stifle their laughing.
Rogue was cleaning up the room singing,
On a Monday I was arr-ested (uh huh)
On a Tuesday they locked me in the jail (oh boy)
On a Wednesday my trial was at-tested
On a Thursday they said guilty and the judge’s gravel fell
I got stripes – stripes around my shoulders
I got chains – chains around my feet
I got stripes – stripes around my shoulders
And them chains – chains they’re about to drag me down
On a Monday my momma come to see me
On a Tuesday they caught me with a file
On a Wednesday I’m down in solitary
On a Thursday I start on bread and water for a while
Rogue spotted them standing at the door before she could go into the chorus again.
“Hey guys,” she greeted as she waved at the laughing Ro and Jean. “Well, ah’m done for the day, if that’s okay with you warden?” she said to Scott.
“Erm, yes. Its five-thirty, I said you could go at five-thirty” Scott stuttered.
“Thanks,” Rogue drawled, heading out the room.
“I think Rogue really beginning to take this seriously,” Ro laughed. “How many days left?”
“Twenty-seven,” Jean told her. Looking up at the ceiling, Jean smiled.
“What is it?” Scott asked looking at his wife.
“Listen and you’ll hear,” she told him. Listening carefully, he heard the unmistakable sound of Rogue screaming.
“LOGAN!”
“Oh god,” he groaned, “Logan’s back,” before stomping off.
Jean turned to Ro with a smile and said, “I think I’ll double my bet.”
“Me to,” Ro replied. “Poor Scott he won’t know what’s hit him.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to CaffineYankee for the beta. A bit of a slow chapter this time.
I Got Stripes is by Johnny Cash.
I Got Stripes is by Johnny Cash.