Jo heads to school

The alarms went off early for the family the next morning. Carol, stretched awake, while Joe was jumpy as a cat. He hadn't slept well that night, and really wasn't looking forward to this next day.

"Just calm down, Joe," Carol said. "You show up, they recognize their mistake, and you're out of there."

"Yeah, yeah," Joe grumbled, "Easy for you to say. You're not the one reporting back to school."

"It'll be breeze for you, though," Carol purred, rubbing her hand along Joe's chest. "You've already done it."

"Jo!" Kelly called, "Let's go! We have to get you ready along with ourselves! We need some time to do that!"

Carol kissed Joe's cheek. "For the girls?" she asked, sweetly.

"For the girls," Joe begrudgingly said. He threw on a tee shirt, pulled on some jeans, worked some socks on his feet, and laced up some high top sneakers. He was now ready. He brushed his teeth, shaved, pulled his hair into a ponytail as he usually did and wandered over to the girls' room.

Joe HATED this. He wasn't a school girl, of school age, or even close to being in the mood to be teased by his stepdaughters. He was already in a foul mood when he walked into his stepdaughters' room, crossing his arms on his chest, his anger on a slow boil.

Kelly looked up from doing her makeup as Joe walked in. She was already in the school uniform: Starched white blouse, pleated plaid miniskirt, white knee high socks, and low block heeled loafers.

"That's what you're planning on wearing, JO?" she asked, laughing.

"This is all a horrible mistake," Joe said. "It'll all be cleared up within minutes of my showing up."

"You really shouldn't do that," Kelly warned, looking at her step father critically for the first time. Under the right circumstances, he could be viewed as... kinda feminine?

"The teachers and staff can be kinda.... strict." Her hands absentmindedly went to her bottom, as if she was talking from experience.

"I don't care," Joe snarled. "I won't be there long."

Kelly shrugged. "Up to you.... Jo Parks," she giggled, thinking that Joe could be in for a surprise when he showed up.

Diane came into the room then, in a robe and with her hair in a towel, obviously just out of the shower. "You're wearing that?" she asked Joe.

"And what is wrong with this?" Joe asked, slightly perturbed by his step daughters at this point.

"Well, you know... the staff can be kinda...."

Kelly elbowed her sister and shot a look of daggers at her. Diane shut up then.

"I'll leave you to it then," Joe said as he went downstairs and made him and Carol a cup of coffee.

Carol came downstairs and had her coffee with Joe. After a while, she went to the bottom of the stairs and called up, "Come on, girls! Let's go!"

Kelly and Diane, both now wearing identical uniforms with backpacks slung over their shoulder, came down the stairs.

Joe came out of the kitchen, still grumpy. "OK then, let's get this over with."

The four of them got into the car and headed off to school.