Burning It Down, All the Way to Bat Country

Matt’s POV
32 days. 32 days of my daughter answering anything that was said to her with monosyllabic grunts or biting sarcasm, 32 days of glaring and open hostility. I know she was pissed off, but this shit has to end, she isn’t eight and she needs to stop acting like it. I upped the speed on the treadmill; it was too hot to go running outside. I was working on my fifth mile when my daughter’s agitated voice cut through the calm I had been living in.

“Dad, will you fucking listen to me!?” I shut off the treadmill and turned to face her,
“Talk to me like that again and you’ll be cleaning the pool every day for the rest of the summer. What’s up?”
“What’s up? When the hell is this grounding going to end? It’s been a month and all I’ve done is sit at home and clean the fucking house! The only time I get to leave is when I walk the dog or when someone needs help with grocery shopping. THIS IS RIDICULOUS!” She screamed, fisting her hands in her hair, I quirked an eyebrow at her and crossed my arms over my chest,
“Are you done?” She took a deep breath and nodded, putting her hands the pockets of her hoodie.

“The grounding will end when you realize that you did something wrong. And I realize that all you do is sit at home, that’s the point of being grounded. I’m sorry that you feel this is unfair, but I still can’t trust you Trin.”
“But I didn’t do anything wrong dad! I had sex with my BOYFRIEND, not some random guy I picked up at a party or something.”
“Trinity, you having sex isn’t the problem. I do see that as a problem; and we’ll be talking about that later, the problem is you snuck out when you were already grounded, stayed out 3 and a half hours past curfew, and we found you in a hotel room with Mitch. Do you realize how close I was to calling the police? What if something had happened to you Trin? That’s why you’re grounded, and I can’t trust you enough to give you back your freedom.” She glared at me before turning on her heel and stomped upstairs. That honestly went better than I thought it would, she had been acting like we were ruining her life for the past month. I guess I kind of understood where she was coming from, but I wasn’t going to let her get involved with the same shit that I did when I was a kid. Trinity was basically a good kid and I was determined to keep that alive in her. I sighed as I grabbed a towel and went upstairs to shower, still thinking about my daughter and her current attitude. I turned on the water in my bathroom, stepping in once it was at the correct temperature. I rested my head against the cool tile and let the water cascade down my back, soothing my aching muscles.

The doctor had told me that I should take it easy for the first month, but did I listen to him? No, I had to be all macho and now I was paying for it, my side was burning. I sucked in a deep breath and quickly washed myself, turning the water off and stepping out, grabbing a towel to wrap around my hips. I walked back into my room, smiling when I saw Steph passed out on our bed. I pulled on some boxers and basketball shorts and laid down next her, pulling her into my side. She murmured sleepily and snuggled closer, wrapping an arm around my waist. I relaxed into the bed and smiled, with everything that had happened; I hadn’t gotten any time to just relax with my girlfriend. I was just starting to fall asleep when my door opened and Trinity’s head popped through,

“Can I talk to you?” I sighed and nodded, disentangling myself from Steph and following Trinity to her room. I sat down at her computer chair and waited for her to start speaking.
“I’m sorry about sneaking out and making you worry. I’m sorry that I broke the rules and violated your trust. What I’m not sorry for is sleeping with Mitch. That was my choice, a choice I felt comfortable with. I think that grounding me was a fair decision, but it’s seems really harsh to not give me at least time frame for how long it will last. I understand that I am your child and that at the end of the day, you make the decisions. All I’m asking for is that you either end this term of imprisonment, or give me an end date. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request.” She stated and crossed her arms over her chest. I got up and pulled her into a hug, resting my chin on her head.

“It’s not an unreasonable request, and I’m glad that you realize what exactly you did wrong. I’ll think about it ok? I really do love you Trin; I just want what’s best for you.” I felt her nod against my chest,
“I love you too daddy.” I released her and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before walking out of the room. I walked back into my room and gave my now awake girlfriend a quick kiss.
“I need to talk to you about Trinity.”

Time Elapse: 3 hours later
I sat in the chair across from Trinity, watching her fidget in her seat. I set a pad of paper and a pen in front of her, almost laughing at the look of confusion that flashed across her face.
“Alright, I talked to Steph, and we both agreed that it’s time for your grounding to end. However, you are still going to be on restriction. That means that you will still be able to have your phone and computer, but I’m installing software that will record all your chat logs, and I want the logins to your emails, MySpace, and Facebook. Your new curfew is 11pm, and by that I mean in the door at 11, unless you call and a new time is approved. You will let me know before you go anywhere, and you will call if you’re going to be changing locations. You aren’t allowed to be alone with Mitch unless you’re going to be in a public place. Those are the rules, take it or leave it.” She looked at me in shock; I guess she really hadn’t been expecting the new rules.

“What are the consequences of breaking the rules?”
“That will determined at the time of the rule break.” She sighed and nodded,
“Alright I’ll take it,” she stated, grabbing the pen and paper from the table. Five minutes later and she slid the paper to me before holding her hand out expectantly. I grinned at her and slapped her phone into her open palm.
“Your computer will be back in your room as soon as I finish installing the software. And Steph needs to talk to you about something, she’s in our room.” She nodded, kissing my cheek before bolting upstairs. Well that went better than I thought it would.

Steph’s POV

I smiled at Trinity as she walked into our room and patted the space beside me on the bed.
“So dad said you needed to talk to me?”
“Yeah, we were talking and we decided the idea of… birth control would be better broached by a woman.” I watched her face turn bright red, right before she fell back on the bed and groaned,
“Do we really have to talk about this?”
“Yes, we really do. Now sit up and pay attention.” I waited for her to sit up and face me,
“Did you and Mitch use protection?”
“Yeah, we used a condom.”
“That’s good, but I wanted to talk to you about going on birth control, and going to a gynecologist.”
“Oh my god, no, no way.” She said, trying to get up. I reached out and tugged her back onto the bed,
“Yes. If you’re going to have sex, then you need to protect yourself, and condoms don’t always work. Are you ready to be a mom?”
“I think I could handle it if I really had too.” I looked at her before getting up and going to Jasey’s room, pulling her into mine by her arm.
“Our dear Trinity thinks she could handle being a mom at 16 if she really had too.” Jasey looked at her in shock,

“Really now? So you’re ready to be fat for ten months, have horrible back pain, insane cravings, and having a screaming infant that is completely dependant on you for their well being and safety? Being awake at all hours of the night for feeding and diaper changes, feeling like a horrible mother when the baby is screaming and screaming and you can’t figure out how to make her stop? Are you ready for feeling so exhausted and overwhelmed that all you can do is sit on your bed and cry? Are you really ready for that Trinity?” She looked at us before shaking her head,
“No, no I’m not ready for any of that.”
“So will you please just go to the doctor with me?” I asked her, sighing in relief when she nodded.
“Thanks Jace.” She nodded and hugged me before walking downstairs.
“Alright sweetie, you have an appointment in an hour so get ready.” She nodded and walked out of the room. I collapsed face first on my bed, that was not something I ever wanted to do again.