Lear makes it home. He wonders where Aaron is when he hears just Alex in his room blasting music. He's glad that Alex is at home and not rebelling but he's going to be upset if his one responsible kid is out doing something he shouldn't. He peeks into Alex's room and it looks like he's asleep. Lear creeps in and turns his music down. He looks in Aaron's room and he's not there. Before Leer does anything else, he makes sure that Aaron is safe. He calls Sherry.
"Hey, is Aaron over at your house?" Lear asks
"Yes, he's watching a movie with Kian, Mariah, and Malaya. You seem to be home early. Do you and Alex want to come over and order some food? It's a weekend."
"I'll be over in a minute. Alex is asleep but if he wakes up he should be able to come if he wants." Lear says. He feels bad for Alex having to be cooped up in the house. Sherry gives him the ok and he showers and heads to her house.
Everyone enjoying dinner. Talking and laughing. Luke comes over just to help out with Malaya. Kian and Aaron avoid as much conversation around Alex as they can. Sherry does notice that Kian had a little pep in his step early so she decides to poke at that.
"Kian, you seemed a little happy earlier. Do you have any good news to tell us?"
"Uh nothing much, just that Nessa and I got back together." Kian says.
"What do you and Aaron always down play things? That's great news." Mariah says.
"You guys are so nonchalant." Luke says.
"Hey, you are too." Aaron teases.
"Well, I'm happy for you two. I knew the problem would pass over. This doesn't mean the punishment passes over." Sherry says. All the kids sigh.
"When will the punishment be up?" Kian asks. "I know Nessa and I just got together again but I'm sure Aaron and Mariah are tired of being cooped up in the house and not being able to see their significant others."
"Honey, I think he has a point. They have been really good about the rule." Lear says. If only he knew about Alex's recent activities.
"Hmmmm, I'll think about it. Give me and your dad time to discuss." Sherry says. The kids have learned to not push her for the best results. They start their movie and watch until they fall asleep. Lear lets Aaron stay and heads home so that Alex doesn't wake up with no one else in the house.
Lauren managed to get past the night without her parents noticing. As she goes to take a shower the next morning, she makes sure that she takes her makeup with her. Any run in can give her secret away. She hasn't put much thought into getting Alex in trouble. She can't. She feels like she's going to breakdown when she thinks about it. Just because he hit her doesn't mean that she lost all love for him. She still has feelings. It also doesn't mean that she wants to be with him still. She's conflicted. It's hard to process all of this, especially when you're trying to keep it a secret.
Alex wakes up the next morning and doesn't even feel like getting out of bed. He's upset with himself. He hasn't been acting like him self for awhile now. Football is calling his name right now. Just to get his mind off of things. He keeps having these urges to workout and is always hungry. He knows what makes him like this but he just can't stop. It's addicting. It makes his football game better. If the coaches see that he can play really good, his grades won't matter. He has to keep taking them no matter what they do to him.
Aaron wakes up in the morning. Of course Sherry is cooking breakfast.
"Mom, do you ever take a break?" He asks.
"Aaron, don't worry about me. I promise I don't need a break right now. Taking care of you guys is what makes me happy." She says. Aaron lets her do what makes her happy. He heads home to go take a shower and change clothes. He'll eat breakfast at his mom's house. He walks into his house. Alex is just getting out of bed. Aaron walks right past him. He can't deal with him today. He's never felt like this towards him before.
Roni is stuck on her project still. She thinks she needs a break from it. It'll clear her head. She goes a talks to Nessa just a little. She left her alone so that she could talk to Kian on the phone. Roni goes back to her project. She sits for a second and a wave of inspiration goes over her. She immediately gets up and starts sketching. She doesn't stop until latest that night when she realizes she's been sketching and measuring all day. She decides that she needs to eat, shower, and go to sleep. She gets up from her desk and checks her phone. She sees that Aaron called and texted her. She texts him that she'll call him back. She goes and showers and orders food. She brings her food back upstairs and calls Aaron on her laptop, ready to tell him the good news about her being able to start on her project. He seems upset. She tells him the news and he brightens up a little. He explains why he's upset and doesn't want to be home with Alex. He informs her about the rule about to be lifted and she smiles. She tells him to look forward to that. She always knows how to brighten his mood and look on the bright side of things.
