The family's baby

Chapter 8

*Grace's P.O.V*

"How long were you on the bus?" she asks once we hear Zahira's car start.

"Like 30 hours, give or take. Mostly give," I respond. I can see her trying to calculate how many days I had probably been on the bus but I can see the moment she puts all the pieces together.

"So you were not at a party when I called you yesterday. You lied to me, twice" Mom says it very slowly, as if trying to make sure what she is saying is correct. I quickly realize that maybe I should not have told her how long I was on the bus. Maybe I could have gotten away with the length of one bus but I can't exactly take it back now and try again.

"I wouldn't call it a lie... more like a fib, a very tiny fib... or a white lie." I say, trying and failing miserably to ease her anger as she pulls me even closer to her. I hate when she does this. She isn't much taller than me unless she is in heels but it still feels like she towers over me. It might be because it's impossible to stand up straight when she is glaring down at you.

"Fib? White lie? You think lying to your parents and sister about what you are doing and where you are, repeatedly, counts as a fib or white lie?" My mom asks with arched eyebrows.

"Yes? Shouldn't it being for a good cause count for something...," I say as I try to appease her. "I mean it would have spoiled my surprise and then you would have just been angry with me and not surprised. At least this way you are still a little surprised," I point out to her.

"So you knew I would be angry yet you did it anyway?" She asks. Of course that's the only word she hears.

"A little... but mainly happy to see me again and now we get to spend a whole extra week together!" I say. This seems to ease some of her anger with me since she allows me to take a step back from her. My thought is short lived though as she takes this opportunity to drag me to a corner and practically throw me in it.

"Since you want to act like a child so badly, young lady, you can stand in Jazmin's timeout spot until you are ready to explain your choices like a big girl. Am I understood?" My mom asks. After I take too long to respond from sulking about being in timeout, a slap to the butt draws me out of my sulking.

"I said, Am. I. Under. Stood, young lady?" Mom asks again and I can sense her hand hovering. I know she wont stop at one either this time.

"I understand... I'm sorry... mommy..." I say, just in total shock that not only am I in timeout, I'm in the spot Jazmin uses for timeout. My mother is giving me the same punishment as a three year old right now!

"Move from that spot or look away and I will know. Trust me when I say you won't like what happens if you try to test me." She warns me and I know she means it. Mom doesn't mess around with seeing her punishments through.

After what feels like forever of feeling her gaze on my back, I hear her turn the tv off and head into the kitchen. Now with her gone, I can finally think how I got myself in this mess.

It's all Zahira's fault! If she would have kept her big stupid mouth shut, none of this would have happened. My parents would have just been happy to see me and I would be off enjoying my day right now. Instead I'm stuck in stupid timeout and my mom thinks I'm a child!

I was giving pretty childish answers though... and avoiding answering the actual questions... and trying to run and hide... a lot. Okay, maybe I deserve to be here. After what feels like forever and a half of just standing there, staring at the wall, I decide I have to speak up. Maybe she is waiting for me to tell her I'm ready to talk again.

"Mom... mom... mommy!!" I say, each one a bit more loudly.

"No talking while in timeout, Grace." She informs me.

"But..." I try to protest but she cuts me off.

"No talking means no talking. When I think you are ready, I will let you out of timeout. Until then, you will quietly stand there." She tells me. That isn't fair at all! I'm ready now! I can't help but stomp my foot in protest of this unfairness.

"You just earned yourself extra time, young lady. Big girls don't throw tantrums, children do. All that did was tell me you need more time to think about how you will leave timeout acting like a big girl." My mom says from the kitchen. How did she even hear that!?

I swear I can hear a clock ticking in my ears even though there is no clock in the living room. Like in the movies, where each second seems to be so slow. That's how it feels to be stuck staring at the corner of a room. At first, I try to keep track of the time. I say try because it's not like I practice counting seconds in my free time so I can only estimate how long I am stuck in the corner.

I quickly lose interest in keeping track of time after reaching 120. Plus it had to be way longer than two minutes... at least it felt that way to me. I find it way easier to stare at the shadows of the corner and watch them move. As they move, I try to decide how much they move and how much time that equals. Based on their slow movement as they inch across the wall, I decide I clearly have been stuck in the corner for hours. There is simply no other explanation for why the shadows are moving so slowly.

"Come here, Grace, baby." I finally heard after what felt like hours. I was not happy at this point. I swear she forgot about me and from her tone this is her trying to make up for it. I won't let it work though. She won't be forgiven for leaving me in the corner for so long even after I tried to tell her I was ready hours ago! I'll make her work hard before I forgive her! And I'm not a baby!

"Stop pouting and come here already." My mom says. I do what she says, only because I don't want to be punished further but I continue to show her that I'm not happy about it. When I get close enough, she ruins my plans as she grabs my chin and forces me to look up and meet her eyes.

"What? Why are you pouting so much? Do you feel bad about how you have been behaving after your timeout?" She asks, clearly annoyed with me still. What happened to her feeling sorry for me! This isn't how it was supposed to go!

"No... well... you forgot about me and left me in timeout for hours!" I protest, crossing my arms and glaring at her. I want to look away for extra effect but she is still holding my chin so I'm stuck looking at her. My comments only earned a dramatic eye roll from her, which again, wasn't how this was supposed to go!

"Try 15... minutes. Not hours, minutes, Grace. Well deserved minutes and it's sounding like it should have been longer..." she starts to say before I cut her off.

"Nu-uh! It was way longer than that!" I protest with, earning another eye roll.

"Yes huh..." she says back with another eye roll, just as dramatically.