Listening to her parent's request left Liona with no choice but to tell them where she had been. Until this point, her relationship with her parents was based on trust and understanding, but she had always known that if she broke that trust, it would cause restrictions and boundaries that she didn't currently have. It was now time that she found out just how badly she was going to get in trouble and what restrictions were now going to be part of the consequences of her breaking their trust.
"I was at our cabin in the woods…" She looked down at her feet for a moment, ashamed of her actions before looking back up into the disappointed faces of her parents, who looked at each other before looking back to her.
"We won't ask why you were there when you were supposed to be at your school dance. However, this breach of our trust in you has left us severely disappointed in your behavior, especially after you made such a convincing argument about how you were grown up now and should have more freedom. So your mother and I have decided that is what you will lose because of your actions. You are hereby grounded." Her dad was firm and stern with his proclamation.
"You are to be grounded until graduation and until that day, you are to go straight to school and back, have no friends over, and you are to hand over your phone." Her mother held out her hand with a frown.
"What?! Why am I losing my phone?!" Liona cried, outraged that she was to lose the one thing that would keep her in touch with Erik.
"Young lady, do you really not know or are you testing your mother's and I's patience?" Her dad had a hint of irritation in his voice.
Liona knew why, and if she pushed it any further, the punishment could end up way worse than just this grounding. It was only a month. How hard could it be? She sighed and handed her phone over to her parents with some reluctance as part of a small protest.
Once she headed to her room to change and shower, she fought the urge to let her frustration out in a scream. She wanted to seek comfort in the arms of Erik, but that was what got her in trouble. As she removed her makeup to prepare for her shower, she realized just how many marks were on her skin that she had hurriedly covered up before leaving the cabin. The concealer she used to cover her freckles worked great at covering other things too, and she was glad that her parents hadn't seen them. Come to think of it, they hadn't asked if she had been there with anyone. They had just left it at her punishment for being out past curfew and for ignoring their calls.
The next day was Sunday, so she spent the day moping around her room, barely leaving it for meals before going back. Her younger siblings just shrugged her behavior off. Their worries lay with what they were going to do for their summer plans after school. She just harrumphed and lay on her bed.
Monday was school. Temporary relief of her suffering, or so she thought. She figured she could stop by the coffee shop on her way to school and see Erik to explain that she had been grounded. However, that didn't happen. She overslept for the first time in a really long time so she rushed out the door to school, her siblings having already been up and eaten and long on their way to school. That was OK. She could visit him at his work after school if she hurried.
Getting into her car, she programmed her destination to the fast-food restaurant but was met with an unexpected message. Her destination was blocked by the admin. This caused Liona to let out a small sound of frustration. She hated this. She hadn't seen Erik all day and now she was locked out, going there by her dad. Just then, a brilliant idea hit her. She switched her car to manual mode and would drive there herself. But that too was foiled. Another message popped up on her car's HUD. This action was too blocked. This time, she literally screamed in frustration. Her dad had disabled all paths to seeing or talking to Erik. With no choice, Liona headed for home in a foul mood.
At school the next day, Liona hunted down Alli and Chloe, since she had missed them yesterday. She was afraid that her absence would give Erik the wrong idea. Her only option, it seemed, was to have her friends play messenger. Finding Alli first, Liona pulled her aside. "Alli! Ugh! Can you believe it?! I was grounded! My dad has even disabled my car from going anywhere other than home or school!" She whined like a little child who had her toys taken away, but she was frustrated and desperate.
"Sorry, Liona. We tried our best to let you know well in time for you to get back without being too late, but we literally couldn't get a hold of you!" Alli seemed mad, which took her aback a moment.
"What our dear friend here has failed to tell you is we got busted, too. Our parents found out that we lied to your parents about not being able to reach you. Thankfully, we only got grounded for a week." Chloe sauntered over and slung an arm over an irate Alli.
"Where have you been? I have been looking for you all day!" Alli complained.
"Mom decided she was going to tear into me again, because I gave her attitude, so I was late today." Chloe shrugged the attitude of their friend off.
This gave Liona pause. She didn't realize her friends had been busted again because of something she did. She was quite the villain if she thought about it and if she was a villain, then did that make her the ringleader, leading her friends down a bad path in life?
"I can see what you are thinking. You aren't a bad influence on us, Liona." Allison sighed and hugged her.
"Yeah, we're in it together no matter what, and that's what we decided long ago!" Chloe chimed in.
"Okay, fine! Then I have another favor for you two. Since my phone is confiscated, I need you two to tell Erik what happened. I'm grounded until graduation, so the only chance I'll be able to see him is if I can convince my parents to let me off the hook early."
"Got it. Tell Liona's boyfriend that she hates him and never wants to see him agai… Ow!!!" Chloe yelped as Allison elbowed her at her inappropriate joke.
"Sure, we can do that. But what are you going to do to convince your parents? My parents were pretty mad when yours contacted them asking about you. Our parents are on top of their game when it comes to us. I guess we kind of do have a reputation for covering for each other…" Allison was lost in thought toward the end.
"I don't know yet, but I'm sure if I bat my eyes and beg my dad, he'll let me off the hook sooner. He can't resist when I do that." Liona was kidding herself, but she wasn't against trying anything to get to see her mate sooner than graduation.
Before she could talk any further with her friends, the end of lunch bell sounded, and it was time to get back to class.
As the weeks wore on, Liona tried every trick she could think of to reduce her sentence, but to no avail. She had truly gone and done it to herself. She grew despondent and the little notes she was getting passed back and forth between Erik and her friends for her were her only salvation from going completely mad. Those brief notes smelled like her mate, so she kept each one safe next to a pheromone absorption patch that would collect all of his scent for her. It was better than nothing and slept with it under her pillow every single night.
May was well on its way out and, with only a short time left until graduation, her listlessness continued. Dreams of Erik were getting more and more intense, as well as the frustration that followed. Her studies were suffering since she wasn't allowed to spend any time with her friends to study except during lunchtime at school, which was not nearly enough for her pitiful grades to keep up with. Erik had been her only saving grace with her grades in school.
Getting home from school, Liona was prepared to go lock herself in her room again, but the mention of shopping for groceries pricked her ears. She would take a chance.
"Dad? You're going to the grocery store? Can I go with? Pretty please?" She batted her eyes at her dad and hoped for the best.
"I believe you are still grounded, Liona. You still have a few weeks left until graduation and until then, school and home are all you're allowed to go to." Her dad looked close to giving in, but still had said no. This was the worst time of her life.