Chapter 291 Grounded
ššæš²ewšbš§oššš¹.comWe 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.
"Iāll 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. Itās 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. Weāre lucky he didnāt 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 donāt know what she would do since I wouldnāt 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 isnāt it difficult to earn someoneās trust back?"
The table got quiet. The four of us just slowly munched on the rest of the food.
"Just because weāre in the wrong, doesnāt mean heās 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?"
"Iām pretty sure Marie will kill you if you forget about it." Noah replied with a grin. "Heck, if you donāt text her this morning, she might just come over herself to choke you."
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Donāt even joke. I really donāt know what to do."
"All we can do, for right now, is hang around." Noah shrugged. "Mom might call before lunch. Thatās when weāll know how bad it really is."
The twins nodded in agreement.
"We should super clean the house today." Kyle suggested, making us cringe. "Donāt be like that you guys. Just hear me out. Dad said to clean just because weāre on our own and grounded. Iām sure if he comes back to see us go above and beyond, heāll be amazed and maybe a little more forgiving."
"Will he start trusting us again?" I asked.
"Ehh, it wonāt be that fast. Weāll just have to be super good this week." Kyle said. "Today, we divide and conquer. Iāll do the kitchen: dishes, sweeping, mopping, and the such. Dave, youāll do the living room and stairs. Vacuum and dust down everything. Noah and Jake, you two will do the yard."
I looked over to Noah to see what he would say. Iāve never done yard work before.
Noah frowned. "But itās still cold out." He glanced towards me. "Yard work is the same as hard work. Weāll have to rake the leaves, pick the weeds, and mow."
"Itās not that cold today. Plus, you only have to do the front yard. Thatās what Dad will see first when he gets home. Just think of it as muscle building."
Noah let out a sigh. "Okay. I guess thatās better than being trapped in the kitchen."
We finished breakfast and got started on the chores that Kyle distributed. We worked out in the front yard all morning, starting with pulling out the weeds, raking them up with the leaves to put them in the waste bin, then I watched Noah mow the grass. I didnāt volunteer to help with that last part; Mostly because I didnāt know how to work it, but also because it looked heavy to push and pull.
The chore kept us out of the house for the majority of the morning; only after a few hours did we go back in.
"Did Mom call yet?" Noah asked Dave, who was scrubbing down the banister.
Dave took a break. "No. She sent a text though." He sighed. "She doesnāt even want to speak with us. At least, not yet. She said ājust wait until I get back home on Friday.ā"
Noah let out a sigh too. "Thatās not good, but I also feel relieved. Iām not ready for her to be mad. Maybe we can soften up Dad this week, and heāll help us convince her that we already admitted our mistake."
"Donāt hold your breath." Dave said. "Best case scenario, is that sheās already busy with Zekeās trip. Worst case scenario, sheās so mad that sheās giving us the silent treatment."
Noah let out another sigh. "I hope itās the former." He looked at me. "Sorry we got you in trouble too Jake."
Trouble? "I do feel uneasy letting them down, but to me, this isnāt any trouble." Trouble is fighting for your life against your own flesh and blood.
Noah looked even more upset, yet was able to squeeze out a tight smile. "Okay. Why donāt we go watch some baseball? Preseason already started so there must be something on already." He led the way back to the living room and we settled in on the couch. "Or we can watch some how-to videos on playing second base?"
"Is there something on how to cover first base if the first baseman is fielding the grounder?" I asked.
Noah started a search on the web. "Iām sure we can find something. Thereās nothing in baseball that hasnāt been talked about." He got to work, pulling up clips for us to go through so I could learn. It didnāt stop there either. Anything that was pertaining to second base was watched and analyzed. I even recognized some of the videos of ones Iāve seen before, when I first joined the team. They made even more sense after I gained just a few games worth of experience. Not bad for being grounded for the first time. In fact, I felt productive.