Cinders

~75~ Clean Your Room

We're hanging out playing video games when there's a knock on the door. Dad gets up to answer it, and it's mom.

Fantastic.

"Hey El! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! Oh my gosh, you're getting big!" He grins, giving her a hug.

"Since when did it become appropriate to comment on a woman's size? You wouldn't believe how many strangers I have come up to me and tell me that the doctors are wrong, and I am actually having twins. People are nuts! I'll let it slide with you, but goodness," she grins as she gives him a kiss on his cheek.

"Somebody's a little touchy about their weight," he teases.

"No, I just don't get why being pregnant gives everyone a free pass to comment on it. I had a guy tell me yesterday that I better eat all the ice cream I want now, because by the time I have this baby, I'll be too busy losing the baby weight."

"Wow!" Dad laughs.

"Not that I'm not happy, but whatcha doing here?" He asks, getting her a soda out of the fridge.

She takes it, and then looks over at me. "I came to yell at our son." She says nonchalantly as she takes a sip.

"What could I have possibly done now? I haven't even been home!"

"Did I not ask you to get your room cleaned before you left this morning?" She asks with an attitude.

She seriously came all the way down here for that? She bugs me

"Nope. I don't really recall any asking out of you... Demanding? Nagging? Annoying the crap out of me? Yeah, you did. But asking? Nope, mom, can't say that you did," I say, putting my feet on the coffee table and crossing my arms.

Mom chuckles. "Ok, I see how it's going to go. Ok, fine. You have two options, young man. You can either drive your sorry butt to my place and clean your room, or I will spank you before I leave here."

"What?" I gasp. Pregnancy has made her crazy!

"Oh I'm sorry. I wasn't asking then either, was I?"

"Dad and I are leaving in 30 minutes to go to that concert. I don't have time to do that." I snap as I stand up and walk over to her.

"So you're choosing a spanking?" She asks, nodding her head.

"Umm NO!"

Dad is just looking between mom and me, seeing which one is going to volley next. He doesn't even look mad. More like, interested to see who's going to win this damn game.

Mom serves it up next. "Well, I only gave you two options, and you declined the first one."

"Mom. Those chairs in the arena are uncomfortable at best. I will be completely miserable! Can't I just come over before school tomorrow and clean it?"

"You had that chance this morning. Why didn't you?"

*****Silence*****

I dropped the ball. She won the set. Shit.

"I'm sorry. Can I please just come by in the morning? Please? I've been looking forward to this concert for weeks." I'm literally about to start begging.

Mom sighs and looks at dad. "Fine. If you are not over at my place in the morning before school, I will be back over here after school. Am I understood, young man?"

"Yeah. Thank you"

I'm thanking her right now? My life sucks.

"K" she says and she turns, smiles at dad, and leaves.

Dad and I just look at each other. Dad finally chuckles and shakes his head. "You got lucky, kid. With that look in her eye, I thought for sure you were getting the paddle."

"Me too"

~*~

The concert was amazing. Dad and I didn't get back until after 2 am, and I went straight to bed and passed out instantly from exhaustion.

I wake up to dad shaking me. "Liam Alexander, you were supposed to go to mom's. You're going to be lucky if you even make it to school on time at this rate. Get up!" he says, smacking my thigh lightly.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"It's 7:30. You've got to get up, right now."

"Oh no! I never set my alarm! Mom is going to kill me." I groan, lying back on the pillow roughly.

"Yup, afraid so," dad agrees with no sympathy in his voice at all.

"What do I do?" I panic.

"Well, Liam... you get out of bed right now and hurry to school. Then, you take the spanking from mom, and then head to work. I don't see a whole lotta options here."

"Can't you get me out of this?" I ask as I stand up and put my pants on.

"How am I supposed to do that?" He asks with obvious amusement in his eyes.

"I don't know—Can't you try?" I ask, finding a shirt and putting it on real fast.

"No, kid. She gave you three chances from how I understood that conversation yesterday. You've got to figure out how to prioritize your time. Look at this room? I've been asking you to clean it for a week now. Just because you have a job doesn't mean everything else gets pushed to the side...Get to school, before you're in trouble for that too," he snaps.

I hate this dad...

"Thanks so much, dad," I spit out as I sling my book bag over my shoulder and shove past him, literally making him lose his balance.

"That was uncalled for, Liam," he snaps as I shut the front door.

~*~

The day drags on, and all I can think about is my impending doom—It's so much easier to get it when you're not expecting it. The 'waiting for death' crap just ruins your entire day!

Once I get home, I've got a knot in my stomach. Dad is already here—He had a light case load today, and he knew mom was coming over.

I get inside and I'm relieved to see that mom isn't here. Maybe she changed her mind.

All hope is shattered when ten minutes later I hear a knock on the door.

Shit

"Your executioner has arrived. Any last words?" Dad jokes

"You're hilarious."

He smirks at me as he gets to the door and lets mom in. "We've been expecting you, El."

Mom doesn't even acknowledge dad as she turns her laser eyes on me and makes me instinctively clench my ass cheeks.

"Did you think I was bluffing?"

I sigh and roll my eyes. "No, ma'am. I forgot to set my alarm. I'm sorry."

I have literally no hope

"You didn't think to call me and explain that?"

"Would it have made a difference?" I ask, surprising myself that I don't even have an attitude. I'm so far past screwed that I just throw my hands up in surrender.

"No," she admits. "You could have come by after school to do it, instead you came here...."

Well, ok, that's a fair point.

"I've got work in half an hour. Can we just get this over with?" I sigh as I fight a yawn. I'm so tired

Mom nods. "Change out of those jeans. I'll be there in a minute."

I silently get up, and just do what she says—I'm so ready to turn 18. I'm over all of this.