The Lesson Terry Learned by shant

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I wrote the original version of this story, Gale gets taught a lesson, when I first began writing and submitting stories to this site. I was never really satisfied with the way it turned out and wished that I had not submitted it. One of the comments I received was that the ending was too predictable, and the person was absolutely correct writing that.

I decided why not go ahead and see what I could do if I rewrote it? The original story line remains, but a lot has been changed. I like it much more now, and hope that if you read it, you will enjoy it.

You guys have no idea how much comments are appreciated. A few of my favorite stories have come from comments I received about other stories I had written. It’s also nice to know if anyone is actually reading these stories. I don’t have a clue as to how many people read stories on this site. It encourages me to continue writing if I know that there are people that enjoy my writing.

I hope you enjoy this new version.
Shant

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I grew up in a small town and had the same classmates throughout all my years in school.

From as early on as I can remember, there was this one guy, Terry Maxwell, that was the class bully. He was not a big guy, about 5’ 8" tall, and weighed only about 140 pounds. He had a real mean streak in him, though, and most people, if they were smart, knew to stay out of his way.

I kept my distance, but I secretly did admire his hair. He had the thickest, blackest hair I had ever seen. He wore it slicked up and back with the sides covering about half his ears. The top was beautiful. Perfectly straight, it was probably over 8 inches long. He had a slightly brushed part on the left side and then brushed the top straight back, making it stand as high as he could get it. Once it was combed, it had so much body, that it never moved. He really had a magnificent head of hair.

Each day, five minutes before the bell rang and class ended, Terry would put his things away and head to the back of the room and stand in front of a large mirror and work on his hair until the bell rang again and we went to our next class.

He spent the time wetting his hair and combing it back into his trademark pompadour of which he was extremely proud. He didn’t care if anyone watched him while he combed his hair. He was so much in love with his hair that he could care less if someone watched as he combed it perfectly into place. He actually enjoyed seeing people watch him comb his hair. He knew it was beautiful and knew there were many guys that were envious of it. He loved showing his hair off. It would be impossible for him to be any more vain about his hair than he already was.

One day while combing his hair, he spotted Peter, a small guy he really enjoyed picking on, and went over to have some fun and hassle him. He got a big charge out of knowing that Peter was afraid of him. He did not realize, though, that Mr. Parks, the chemistry teacher, was standing behind him, and watching everything that was going on.

Mr. Parks was by far the largest man in the entire school. He was around 30, stood over 6’ 2" and weighed probably somewhere between 220 and 240 pounds. He had played football in college and was heading to the pros, until he blew out his knee his senior year, thus, ending his football career.

He moved to our town and taught chemistry and physics, and coached several athletic teams. He was a hunk! He had dark brown curly hair cut very short on the sides and back, but with a little length on top. Talk about a handsome, masculine looking man!

No one ever messed with Mr. Parks. You knew right away that you were no match for him and made certain that you didn’t cause him any trouble. He never raised his voice to anyone. Even though he had a reputation for being very strict, he was well liked and respected by just about everyone at the school.

Mr. Parks walked up behind Terry, and with only one hand, reached out and grabbed a handful of his long hair, and lifted him totally off the floor! Terry started screaming in pain, his feet dangling in the air.

"Why are you always picking on Peter?" Mr. Parks asked. "What has he ever done to you? You and I are going to have a talk. I want you to report to my room at the end of the school day."

That afternoon, Mr. Parks called Terry’s father and told him about what was happening at school and told him he felt that Terry needed to be taught a lesson before his behavior became even worse than it already was.

Terry’s father totally agreed. "Ever since he turned 15, he has continued to get more and more cocky. He’s so vain about how handsome he thinks he looks, and he is so in love with that hair of his, that it drives me absolutely nuts!"

"All he ever does is stand in front of a mirror, admiring himself. I can’t get him to do any work around here. I’ve told him repeatedly that he needs to get a haircut, but he just ignores me. I really don’t know how to handle him anymore and he still has two more years of high school to finish. What am I going to do if things keep getting worse?"

"You have no idea how far he is always trying to push me and see how much he can get away with. He knows I need him to help me on the farm, and yet, he does as little as he possibly can."

"Talk about feeling entitled! He thinks that since he is so good looking, no one can tell him what to do, and that he doesn’t have to do anything that he doesn’t want to do."

"I think if that hair of his was taken down shorter, though, his attitude might improve some. I think a big part of his feeling superior to everyone began when he started loving that hair of his so much. He believes that having such beautiful hair makes him stand out from everyone else and he knows that he attracts a lot of attention because of it."

"He gets so many compliments about how fantastic his hair looks that he has gotten a really swollen head. He spends so much time on his hair. I can’t believe how conceited he is about it!"

"I know he has nice hair, but he needs to learn that there are a lot more important things in life than just his pretty locks. I mean, it’s only hair! I hope he wakes up soon and realizes that there are more important things than just being good looking."

"I’ve been thinking lately, that he might be a hell of a lot less cocky, if he didn’t have all that hair he loves so much! I really do think that’s what started him to have the attitude he has. All he ever thinks about is how great he looks and how wonderful his hair is!"

"I have heard him talking to himself, saying how beautiful his hair is and that no one has hair that can compare to it. I’ve heard him say that he knows many of the guys in his class are jealous about how awesome his tremendous mane looks. I hear him say how much he loves his hair every single day, and most of the time, I hear it a lot more than just once! He just goes on and on, talking about his wonderful hair. It never ends. I wish that I could just take him and sit him down and buzz all his hair off! Maybe that would teach him a lesson."

"If you can figure out a way to cut his hair as part of his punishment, go for it! I would love it if you could do that to him! He really has it coming! I completely give you my permission to go ahead and do whatever you think will help get him to straighten up his act. "I have to admit that I would really love to have you take those long, precious locks he loves so much and chop them totally off!" Mr. Maxwell said.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be glad to include that as part of his punishment. I just wanted to talk with you first and make certain that we were both on the same page here. I definitely don’t need an angry parent coming back complaining about the way I disciplined his son."

As the final bell rang for the day, Terry reported to Mr. Park’s room. Mr. Parks was in the front of his classroom, grading papers, just waiting for him to show up.

"Good, you’re on time. That’s a positive start," he said. "I’ve been watching you bully Peter several times and that has to stop. You need an attitude adjustment."

"I don’t understand it. Peter has never done anything to you and tries his best to stay out of your way. It seems you enjoy getting to make his life miserable, just because he is smaller than you, and you can get away with it. Does that really make you feel proud of yourself?"

"Also, every day I see you cutting out of class early, so you can go in back and spend time combing that pretty hair of yours. The class ends when the bell rings! There is no time worked into the schedule for you to comb your hair! You need to realize that the rules apply to everyone, including you."

"I’ve got a few more minutes of work to do. I want you to go in back and comb that pretty hair of yours into the best looking pompadour you can. When I come back, I want to see every single hair in place. You’re so proud of that hair of yours. I want you to show me how good you can make it look!"

Terry didn’t understand why Mr. Parks wanted him to do that, but no one ever argued with Mr. Parks. He went to the back and began working on his hair. It took only a minute or two before he forgot that he was here because he was in trouble. All he thought about was how much he loved his hair and how awesome it looked. "No one has hair as nice as mine," he said to himself, as he admired his beautiful mane.

In a few minutes, Mr. Parks came back to where Terry was standing. He had Terry sit in a chair across from him and began talking to him. "Terry, you really need to make a change in your attitude. Why do you get such pleasure from having people be afraid of you? Do you really enjoy having people be uncomfortable around you all the time?"

"You throw off so much negative energy. That is not going to be a plus when you finish school and are out in the real world and have to work and get along with people. You need to be taught a lesson, something to remind you that it is wrong to go around bullying people all the time."

Mr. Parks by then was standing behind Terry while he was saying this, and it surprised Terry when he felt Mr. Parks calmly reach over and run his hands through his hair. "You did a good job combing your pretty pomp. You really do have wonderful hair. I can totally understand why you love it so much," he said as he continued running his fingers through it.

He then lifted up a large lock of Terry’s hair and chopped it off, almost down to the crown! Realizing what had just happened, Terry tried to jump up and escape, but he was no match for Mr. Parks.

"You just sit there and take what’s coming to you! When I’m done cutting your hair, you won’t have to worry about spending so much time combing it. If you change your attitude and quit bullying the other guys, you will be allowed to grow it back out again and you can have your pretty hair for your last two years of school."

"If I hear one word from anyone that you are picking on someone, though, I’m going to have you back in this chair and cutting all your pretty locks off again! It’s totally up to you how your hair will look the rest of the time you are in high school. You just need to think twice before you act, because you know what the outcome will be."

"You wait till I get home and I show my father what you have done to my hair! He’s going to be down here as fast as he can, and you are going to be in a lot of trouble," Terry said.

"Actually, I talked with your father this afternoon and he and I came up with this plan. He says you’re getting too cocky for your own good and need to be taught a lesson, so don’t expect daddy to come running down here to defend you. Now you just sit there and let me finish this, and then you can go home and think about what has happened here today."

From that point on neither, Terry or Mr. Parks said another word. Mr. Parks continued lifting up Terry’s beautiful locks and chopped them off. By this time, Terry had tears running down his face. He knew that he just had to sit there and take it. He just hoped Mr. Parks would leave him enough hair so he could still comb it back.

Mr. Parks was secretly enjoying himself. He hated that his own hair was curly and therefore he did not grow it out very long. Many times he had watched Terry comb his hair and thought how great it must be to have such perfectly thick, straight hair. He was envious that Terry could comb his hair almost anyway he wanted and it looked great.

Many times he had thought how much he would like to cut all Terry’s hair off and take him down a peg or two. He never dreamed that it would actually happen, it was just a fantasy about what he would do to this punk if he could. He couldn’t believe that right now he was totally manhandling this boy’s beautiful hair and was soon going to cut almost all of it off! He also felt great knowing the father was actually looking forward to Terry losing his hair and he couldn’t wait to see it happen.

Mr. Parks finished cutting each lock off until Terry had little hair left remaining. Little did Terry know that the scissors, however, were just the beginning of the haircut. Once Mr. Parks finished cutting off all the length, he pulled out his clippers.

Terry couldn’t believe what he was seeing Mr. Parks getting ready to do. "Oh please, Mr. Parks! Don’t cut all my hair off! Please don’t use the clippers on my hair! I promise I will quit bullying everyone! I’ll do anything you say if you will leave me with at least some of my hair!"

Mr. Parks ignored Terry’s pleas to not have the clippers used on him. He was so stoked getting to do this. He put a #2 guard on the clippers, forced Terry’s chin almost to his chest, and ran the clippers, starting at the back of his neck and ran them up and over the crown all the way to the very front of his head. Terry was going to end up with his hair cut down to about 1/4" all over. Terry really lost it when the clippers were running all over his head. That really got him sobbing.

When Mr. Parks finished buzzing Terry’s head, it was unbelievable how much hair there was on the floor. Terry definitely wasn’t feeling too cocky right then. Mr. Parks told him that he could leave and he would see him in class tomorrow.

Mr. Parks and Terry never said anything to each other about what had occurred that afternoon. It was like it had never happened.

Fast forward almost two years. It was now the last week of Terry’s senior year in high school. He had learned a lesson that afternoon with Mr. Parks, but it was not the lesson his father and Mr. Parks had hoped he would learn.

He had definitely learned that he would never do anything to cross paths with Mr. Parks again. More than anything though, he wanted to get even with Mr. Parks, and make him pay for cutting off all his beautiful hair!

It had taken over a year for his hair to get to be as long as it had been before Mr. Parks chopped it all off! Every time he looked in the mirror, he would think about all the wonderful hair he had lost, and he vowed he would make Mr. Parks pay for cutting it!

The final week of school, Mr. Parks was again sitting at his desk, grading papers. He heard a knock at his door and looked up to see Terry standing there. Terry asked Mr. Parks if he had a minute to talk with him. "Sure," Mr. Parks replied, "Come on in."

Mr. Parks was impressed. He thought that Terry had stopped in to thank him for helping him get back on track. Terry never caused any more trouble in school after that haircut. Mr. Parks quickly thought to himself how much he had enjoyed cutting off Terry's awesome hair. For a brief moment, he thought how much he would like to do it again. Terry's hair was even longer than when Mr. Parks had cut it and it looked even more amazing now.

Terry surprised him however, and said, "I’ll never forget that day you cut my hair. It probably did help me out more than anything else could. I was so in love with my hair and nothing was more important to me than having it. Actually, I still am in love with it. Before leaving here I wanted to tell you, though, that I think you were, and still are a real prick for doing that to me!"

"You really enjoyed humilating me like that and I promised myself right then and there, that before leaving this crappy little town forever, that I was going to leave you with a memory you would never forget either!"

Suddenly, four big guys entered the room. They were Terry’s friends, but had not gone to school here. "I thought I’d bring some of my buddies along to help me thank you properly," Terry said.

The next moment, all five guys moved in on Mr. Parks, who was still sitting at his desk. Mr. Parks may have been a big, strong man, but he was totally outnumbered, and there was nothing he could do.

One guy immediately closed the door to the classroom. The guys tied Mr. Parks in his chair and then took tape and taped his mouth shut so he could not make any noise. There were so many ropes tied around him that he couldn’t move at all. They all wanted to be absolutely certain that he would not be able to free himself, because they were definitely afraid of him and what he might do to them if he got the chance.

Terry moved in beside Mr. Parks and started running his hands through his thick, full head of hair. Mr. Parks had actually grown his hair a little longer over the winter months and he really did have nice hair. He would never admit it to anyone, but he really was fond of it. His head was covered with curls that were about 1 1/2 inches long. They were so thick and they looked really fantastic, especially with the sides being cut so short.

"You enjoyed buzzing all my hair off so much that I decided that I wanted to do the same thing to you," Terry said. "I remember how you gloated while running the clippers over my head. Well, let’s see how much you enjoy having the clippers being run all over your head and having all that pretty hair of your’s being buzzed off, just like you did to me!"

Terry didn’t give Mr. Parks a chance to react. He immediately ran the clippers straight down the center of his forehead. He wanted Mr. Parks to really pay for cutting all his beautiful hair off, so he put a #1 guard on the clippers, instead of a #2, resulting with Mr. Parks’ hair being even shorter than Terry’s was when Mr. Parks had cut it.

When Terry finished buzzing Mr. Park's hair, he said, "There, that should make us about even, don’t you think? Now you’ll get to see how you like having to grow your hair back out until you like the way it looks again!"

The guys then just walked out of the room, leaving Mr. Parks tied to the chair. They knew there were still plenty of people in the building and someone would come along and untie him, but hopefully, they would be long gone before that happened!

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