292 Grounded (1/2)

We ate our breakfast slowly as Mr. Atkins hurried through his. He was in a rush for an 8am showing, yet still wanted to scold us so early in the morning. I felt guilty, Noah looked depressed, but the twins looked a little defiant and no longer apologetic.

”I'll be back with dinner.” Mr. Atkins had taken his dishes to the sink and was getting his coat on. He grabbed his briefcase. ”I will call your mom in just a few hours to explain what you boys did last night. When she calls you, you better pick up on the first ring and not a millisecond later. Understand?”

”Yes.” Noah mumbled.

”Sure.” The twins said simultaneously.

Mr. Atkins looked like he wanted to say more to them, but he held back, shook his head, then left out the front door.

”This is messed up.” Dave clenched his fork, stabbing his scrambled eggs with aggression. ”We just hung out with friends. It's not like we were drinking, speeding, or vandalizing property. I feel like we deserve some respect and recognition.”

”For breaking the house rules?” Noah questioned, skeptical. ”Be real. We're lucky he didn't whoop us to high heaven and bury us in the backyard. The disappointment was practically oozing out of him.”

I nodded in agreement. ”My Mom would- well I don't know what she would do since I wouldn't dare step out so late.” I looked down at my plate, and pushed some food around. ”Somehow his disappointment hurts more than my moms fists. Bruises can heal, but isn't it difficult to earn someone's trust back?”

The table got quiet. The four of us just slowly munched on the rest of the food.

”Just because we're in the wrong, doesn't mean he's in the right.” Kyle muttered. ”Dad is treating us like kids. Little kids. Middle schoolers have more freedom.” He let out a sigh. ”How can I ask Marie out on a date now? Take Mom or Dad with me? Wait till summer break begins? Or just forget about it?”

”I'm pretty sure Marie will kill you if you forget about it.” Noah replied with a grin. ”Heck, if you don't text her this morning, she might just come over herself to choke you.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. ”Ugh. Don't even joke. I really don't know what to do.”

”All we can do, for right now, is hang around.” Noah shrugged. ”Mom might call before lunch. That's when we'll know how bad it really is.”

The twins nodded in agreement.

”We should super clean the house today.” Kyle suggested, making us cringe. ”Don't be like that you guys. Just hear me out. Dad said to clean just because we're on our own and grounded. I'm sure if he comes back to see us go above and beyond, he'll be amazed and maybe a little more forgiving.”

”Will he start trusting us again?” I asked.