The Swift Playbook

Part 6

Justin stormed into Maddie's room without knocking, his face flushed with frustration. Maddie, who was sitting at her desk attempting to focus on homework, looked up in surprise.

"This is total bullshit, Maddie," Justin said, pacing back and forth. "Two weeks? No football? I didn't even do anything!"

Maddie sighed, putting her pencil down. "Yeah, like I want to miss two weeks of cheer. This is so stupid."

Justin shook his head, still pacing. "All we did was go to a party. Everyone does it. And now we're being punished like we did something horrible."

"I know," Maddie muttered, leaning back in her chair. "It sucks, but what can we do?"

Before Justin could respond, the door swung open again, and Ruby and River bounded in, both of them grinning like they had just discovered the juiciest piece of gossip.

"So you're grounded, huh?" Ruby teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "No football for you, Justin. No cheer for Maddie."

River joined in, laughing. "Yeah, you guys are in big trouble!"

Justin's eyes narrowed, and his frustration boiled over. "Get out of here, Ruby. This is all your fault!"

Ruby blinked, taken aback. "What? No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!" Justin snapped, his voice rising. "If you hadn't run into Mom and Dad's room and told on us, none of this would've happened! You're such a little snitch!"

Ruby's face fell, her grin disappearing as the weight of Justin's accusation hit her. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble..."

"Well, you did!" Justin shot back, his fists clenched. "Maybe next time mind your own business instead of tattling!"

Maddie, sensing things were getting out of control, stood up quickly. "Justin, calm down."

"No, Maddie," he said, still glaring at Ruby. "She needs to hear this."

Ruby's eyes welled with tears, and before anyone could say anything else, she turned on her heel and ran out of the room, sobbing. River stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do, before darting after his sister.

Justin, still fuming, let out an angry sigh. "This is so messed up."

Maddie, who had been watching everything unfold, crossed her arms and stared at her brother. "That was too far, Justin."

"What? No, it wasn't!" he protested, running a hand through his hair. "She needed to know she messed up."

"She's seven," Maddie said sharply. "What do you expect from her? She didn't know any better. She's a kid, and you scared her."

Justin paused, guilt flickering across his face as he realized Maddie was right. But the anger and frustration of being grounded still burned inside him. "I just—I can't believe we got caught."

Maddie sighed, her own annoyance simmering. "I know. But blowing up on Ruby isn't going to change anything."

Justin slumped down on Maddie's bed, rubbing his face with both hands. "I guess."

Maddie sat back down at her desk, shaking her head. "We'll survive this, okay? Just... try not to take it out on Ruby."

Justin nodded silently, but the heavy feeling of disappointment lingered between them, knowing they were stuck dealing with the consequences of their actions—and maybe hurting people they loved along the way.

Maddie was right. Going off at Ruby hadn't changed anything—it had only made things worse. The guilt settled heavily on Justin's chest, but before he could fully process it, he heard muffled voices from downstairs. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened—Ruby had gone crying to Taylor and Travis.

"Oh, great," Justin muttered, sitting up from Maddie's bed.

Maddie glanced over at him, her expression knowing. "You're gonna have to deal with this, you know."

Justin sighed, standing up and rubbing his temples. "Yeah, I know."

They both heard footsteps approaching the stairs, and moments later, Travis's firm voice called up, "Justin, Maddie—downstairs. Now."

Justin swallowed hard, and Maddie shot him a look that said, I told you so. Together, they made their way down to the living room, where Ruby was curled up on the couch, sniffling, with Taylor sitting next to her, gently rubbing her back. Travis stood nearby, arms crossed and his face a mix of disappointment and frustration.

"What's going on here?" Travis asked, his eyes landing on Justin first.

Justin hesitated, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on him. "I—uh—I got mad at Ruby," he admitted, his voice low. "I said some stuff I shouldn't have."

Ruby looked up from Taylor's shoulder, her eyes red and puffy. "He yelled at me and said it was my fault that they're grounded."

Taylor's gaze softened, but there was still a firmness in her voice as she spoke. "Ruby was only telling us the truth, Justin. She didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"I know," Justin said quickly, his stomach twisting with guilt. "I shouldn't have said that. I was just... angry. It's not her fault."

"Damn right, it's not her fault," Travis cut in, his voice steady but stern. "We're the ones who grounded you, not Ruby. So you don't get to take your anger out on your little sister."

Justin nodded, his face flushed with shame. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Maddie shifted awkwardly beside him, trying to avoid eye contact with her parents.

Taylor gave Ruby's hand a squeeze before turning her attention to Justin. "Apologizing is a good first step, but we also need to talk about how you handle your anger. You're frustrated, I get that, but you can't lash out at Ruby or anyone else."

"I know," Justin mumbled, feeling smaller by the second.

"Look," Travis said, softening just a little, "we know you're upset about being grounded. But sneaking out, drinking, and breaking the rules we set—that's on you. You made that choice, and now you have to deal with the consequences. Ruby didn't make you go to that party."

Justin nodded, glancing over at Ruby. "I'm really sorry, Rubes."

Ruby sniffled again but nodded, wiping her nose. "It's okay."

Taylor gave Ruby a gentle smile before turning back to Justin. "You're both going to need to think about how to rebuild trust with us—and with your siblings."

Maddie finally spoke up, her voice soft. "We get it, Mom. We messed up."

Taylor and Travis exchanged a glance, then nodded.

"Good," Taylor said. "But the grounding still stands. No football, no cheer. You both need to show us you can follow the rules before we even think about changing that."

Travis sighed, stepping forward. "And Justin, next time you get angry, talk it out. Don't take it out on Ruby or anyone else. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Justin replied, feeling the last bit of his frustration melt into regret.

"Alright," Taylor said, standing up. "Let's all take a breather. Ruby, how about you come with me and we make some pancakes?"

Ruby nodded, wiping her eyes again and offering Justin a small, forgiving smile before following Taylor into the kitchen.

Travis lingered for a moment, looking between Justin and Maddie. "I'm serious about the trust thing. You've got a lot of work to do."

"Yeah, we know," Maddie muttered, glancing down at her feet.

As Travis walked away, Justin let out a long breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "That went about as well as expected."

"Could've been worse," Maddie said, shrugging. "At least Ruby's not holding a grudge."

"Yeah," Justin muttered, glancing toward the kitchen. "Guess I'll be on my best behavior for a while."

Maddie smiled faintly. "Welcome to the club."