The Swift Playbook

Part 7

Justin lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts racing. He hated being grounded. No football, no hanging out with his friends, nothing but being stuck at home. Maddie's words from earlier kept echoing in his head: "We should lay low. Don't make things worse."

But the more Justin thought about it, the more he felt cornered. The idea of missing out on another party—the excitement, the freedom—ate at him. His phone buzzed again. Another message from Kyle: "Come on, man, you're not gonna let your parents control you, are you? Jake's place is where it's at tonight. You in?"

Justin's resolve cracked. He didn't want to listen to Maddie, not this time. He was mad. Mad at being stuck at home, mad at the punishment, and most of all, mad that he felt like everyone else was moving on without him. What was another night out? He was already grounded; it couldn't get much worse. Right?

He grabbed his jacket and slid his phone into his pocket. Sneaking past his parents wasn't hard—they were probably in bed already, and Maddie was too busy doing homework to care. His heart pounded as he slipped out the back door and into the cool night air.

The party was loud, just as he expected. Music thumped through the walls of Jake's house, and the place was packed with people. Justin quickly found Kyle and a few of his teammates by the pool, each of them holding a red Solo cup.

"Dude! You made it!" Kyle grinned, slapping Justin on the back. "I knew you wouldn't let a little grounding stop you."

Justin forced a smile, though something didn't feel right. The excitement he'd been chasing didn't hit the same way. His mind kept drifting back to what Maddie had said—and the nagging feeling that he was making a mistake.

"Yeah, I'm here," Justin muttered, trying to shake the guilt. He grabbed a drink, hoping to numb the feeling. But the longer he stayed, the more he realized that the fun wasn't worth the trouble he was heading into.

By midnight, Justin knew he'd overstayed. He slipped out of the house, getting a ride back home from a friend before anyone could notice. When he got back, he quietly slipped through the door, trying to avoid making any noise. So far, so good, he thought, relieved that his parents hadn't noticed. He was sure he'd gotten away with it this time.

The next morning, Justin's illusion of getting away with it shattered when he came downstairs. Travis and Taylor were waiting at the kitchen table, both of them looking like they hadn't slept much. His heart sank immediately. He didn't need to ask what this was about—he already knew.

"Morning, Justin," Taylor said, her voice calm but icy. "Why don't you sit down?"

Justin hesitated but obeyed, pulling out a chair. He avoided looking at them, guilt and dread gnawing at him.

"You want to tell us where you were last night?" Travis asked, his deep voice filled with disappointment.

Justin swallowed hard, already feeling the panic rise. "I... I was just at home," he tried, his voice shaky.

Taylor shook her head, her expression a mix of hurt and concern. "We know you went to another party, Justin. Jake's place, right?"

Justin's heart raced. "I wasn't there! I swear, I just stayed in my room all night!"

Travis leaned forward, his eyes piercing. "Don't lie to us. We saw you sneak out."

Justin felt a lump in his throat, the walls closing in around him. "I... I was just trying to hang out with my friends!"

"Trying to hide it only makes things worse," Taylor said, her voice steady but laced with disappointment. "You're grounded for another two weeks. This time, no football at all. And if we find out you've been sneaking out again, you can expect even more consequences."

The weight of the punishment hit Justin like a ton of bricks. Missing four weeks of football? He'd be out of the rotation, maybe even lose his starting spot. Panic bubbled up inside him, but he couldn't argue. He'd done this to himself.

"You're not just grounded because you broke the rules," Travis continued. "We're trying to teach you something. You need to understand that your actions have consequences—serious ones. And if you keep pushing, those consequences are only going to get worse."

Justin's head hung low, the realization settling in. He'd messed up. Badly. And now he was stuck with it.

Upstairs, Maddie was in her room when Justin came barging in again, his face twisted with frustration. "They extended it," he groaned, throwing himself onto her bed for the second time in two days. "Four weeks, Maddie. No football for a month."

She didn't even look up from her book. "I told you not to go. You didn't listen. Now you have to deal with it."

Justin wanted to argue, to say that it wasn't fair, but he knew she was right. He'd been stubborn, and now he was paying for it.

Before they could say anything else, Ruby and River poked their heads into the room, grinning from ear to ear.

"Grounded even longer, huh?" River teased, hopping onto the bed. "Guess that means we get the TV to ourselves."

Ruby smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. "Told you sneaking out wasn't a good idea."

Justin shot them a look, but this time, he didn't let his temper get the best of him. He had already learned that yelling at Ruby wasn't going to fix anything. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I'm already in enough trouble."

Maddie leaned back in her chair, giving her brother a sympathetic glance. "It sucks, but you're just going to have to deal with it. Next time, maybe don't be so stubborn."

Justin sighed, knowing she was right. Again. There was no way out of this mess except to take his punishment and hope that, eventually, things would go back to normal. Until then, all he could do was wait.

Later that evening, the silence in the house was deafening. Ruby and River were in the living room, blissfully unaware of the chaos swirling around their older siblings. Maddie retreated to her room to avoid the tension, and Justin found himself pacing in his room, feeling trapped.

Just then, a text buzzed through from Kyle: "What's the plan for the weekend? Let's get a game together."

Justin stared at the screen, his heart racing at the thought of being with his friends again. He quickly typed back: "Can't. Grounded for a month."

"Dude, that sucks!" Kyle replied. "You should sneak out again!"

Justin frowned, the temptation tugging at him. But he thought about Maddie's words and the disappointment on his parents' faces. Deep down, he knew they were right. Sneaking out again would only make things worse.

As he paced, he could hear Ruby's laughter ringing through the house, and it made him feel even more isolated. The truth was, he missed the freedom he had before all this—before the rules and the consequences.

In that moment, Justin realized he was at a crossroads. He could either keep making reckless decisions or take responsibility for his actions. The choice was his, and deep down, he knew what he needed to do. But the path ahead felt uncertain and steep.