I keep my head on my arms until I hear Carlisle come back inside. When he does, I sit up straight and wait for his orders. Emmett and Jasper stay slouched over.
"I want you boys to go up to your rooms. I'll be there in a moment and we'll take care of this behavior." He says. Edward rolls his eyes and Carlisle notices. He puts his hand on Edward's shoulder. "I suggest you behave yourself. You're in big enough trouble already."
"Whatever," Edward mumbles. He shrugs Carlisle's hand off and stands, then stomps off to his room. Emmett and I follow suit, but we're more respectful about it. We stand, push our chair back in and leave the room without making a scene.
We go out separate ways once we reach the upper level. Emmett and I don't really have any issue with each other, it's Edward that we're pissed with, but we don't speak.
"This is not how I planned our time." I hear Carlisle sigh from downstairs.
I lay on my bed and bury my face in Alice's pillow. I hate knowing he's disappointed. Although I don't regret what I did to Edward's phone, I really wish I could have found a way to get even without making Carlisle mad. His disappointment with me is second only to Alice being gone.
"This behavior isn't going to repeat itself, is it?" Carlisle asks me. I push myself up from the bed and rub my aching backside.
"No sir." I say with a shaky voice. He's only giving us fifteen licks instead of the standard twenty for severe bad behavior. He said our punishment isn't over with our whoopings, though.
"Jasper, I understand why you were angry. Edward should have had his phone charged and should have respected you when you said no. But you cannot handle your anger like that." He says calmly.
"That phone was my connection to Alice."
"I know. Don't worry, though. You two will stay in contact."
I nod and remember Edward at the table. I can't help but worry that Carlisle's idea of staying in contact has a different definition than my idea of staying in contact.
"What's that look for?" Carlisle asks. I look up at him questioningly.
"What look, sir?"
"The look you just had on your face. Like you wanted to say something."
"It's nothing, sir."
"It doesn't seen like nothing, Jazz. You know I'm here to talk if you need it."
"It would be incriminating," I sigh.
"To you?"
I pause for a moment. It would be nice to rat Edward out...
"To someone else."
"I see." Carlisle sighs, and I'm pretty sure he knows who that someone is. "Anyways, you'll be allowed to talk to Alice. I wouldn't take that from you."
"Thank you, sir."
"And cut out that 'sir' business." He throws me a light smile. I give him a small, weak smile back. I can't help but feel insecure about all of this.
"Sure thing, Dad."
"Go wait with Emmett in the hall. I'll explain the rest of your punishment when I'm done with Edward."
I nod and leave the room. Carlisle trails behind me, but when we reach the hall, I go left to stand at the end with Emmett and he goes right to Edward's room.
Emmett is reacting much like I am. No sobbing or tears, but his voice shakes and he tries to discretely rub his backside. We exchange small, sad smiles, then return to our own brooding.
Edward argues with Carlisle in his room, but it's short. Carlisle is busting his tail in just a minute or two. Edward chokes back a sob, but then reigns his emotions back in. I really expected him to put up more of a fight. Carlisle scolds him for insisting on using my phone and for calling Rosalie such an awful name. Edward doesn't say anything in response. They come out, Edward trailing behind Carlisle with his head ducked. When they reach us, Carlisle stops.
"We're going to walk through the house and you boys will gather what I tell you to gather. I don't want to hear any arguing about it. Understand?"
I nod, and so does Edward, but Emmett just gives Carlisle a confused look.
"What are we gathering?" He asks.
"Whatever I tell you." Carlisle repeats.
"But why are we gathering these things?"
"Because I'm asking for your cooperation on this. It will be explained fully later on."
Emmett nods, and we're on our way downstairs.
Carlisle points to the key rack next to the front door and asks for our keys. I grab them, and we move to the kitchen. Phone chargers are plugged into the wall, and a radio is mounted under the cabinets. He wants the chargers and he wants the radio to be unplugged. Emmett and Edward make it happen. We go to the living room next. That's were most of the things he asks for are. He wants Edward's and Emmett's laptop, the cover for the piano keys to be shut and locked, the television to be unplugged, mine and Edward's MP3 players that are on the coffee table, the Xbox, all the phone chargers, and the small radio. Between the three of us boys, we grab what he asks for, lock what he wants locked and unplug what he wants unplugged. Carlisle has us go back upstairs.
"Why do you want these?" Emmett asks again.
"Take what belongs to you and put it in your room. If there is anything that doesn't belong to one specific person, then decide amongst yourself what room it will be staying in." Carlisle says. Else exchange looks, but we sort through it, find what's ours and decide to send the Xbox with Emmett and the radio with Edward. When we return to the hallway with Carlisle, he pulls out his set of keys.
"Did you leave your car keys in your rooms as well?" He asks. Edward nods, but Emmett and I shake our heads no. "Go put them there now."
We go back to our rooms, put away the keys and go back to Carlisle.
"I want you boys to pay attention, and please do not interrupt me." Carlisle says and walks down the hall. He stops at each of our bedroom doors, locks them, and move down to the next one. "You're grounded, which means you're privileges are highly restricted. No video games, no television, no music. Of course, all of your phones are ruined because of the fight in the river, so that's not a true concern now. Your rooms are off limits. You boys will learn to get along with each other."
"Wait, so we're suppose to stay in the living room or something?" Emmett asks.
"The living room, the kitchen, the hall. Anywhere other than the bedrooms. You can't fix your problems by locking yourself away from them."
"You can't be serious," Emmett groans and rolls his eyes. "There is no way you can reasonably expect me to spend all my time around some asshole who called my wife a slut!"
"He's been punished for his misbehavior. You need to work through your issues with him."
"Hell no!" He says angrily "I'm not doing it! He called Rose a slut!"
"I know he did, Emmett. Like I said, he's been punished for it and now you need to handle the problems between you two." Carlisle says. His voice is calm but his emotions say differently. He's losing his patience. I imagine Edward is realizing that Carlisle isn't messing around, too, because it's not like him to stay so quiet while being insulted.
"I'll sooner break my damn bedroom lock than talk to him!"
"You will do no such thing!" Carlisle scolds him.
"I refuse to speak to that little fucker!" Emmett yells.
Carlisle grabs him by the ear and smacks his bottom, making Emmett hiss. Carlisle doesn't flinch, though.
"Do I have to take my belt off again?" He asks Emmett. Emmett doesn't respond, he just growls. "Go downstairs. You're getting your ass whooped."
Emmett grumbles when Carlisle lets go of his ear, but he does what he's told and goes downstairs. Edward and I are just stuck here, staring at Carlisle and not daring to look at each other.
"Let this be a lesson to you two as well as to your brother: I will not tolerate any hateful behavior. You boys have damaged your relationships with each other enough, and I will not stand to see you cause any more damage. Emmett will be punished in my and Esme's room and that room will only be used for punishments. Other than that, it stays closed. As I said earlier, you boys can go anywhere in the house other than your bedrooms, and if something is unplugged, keep it unplugged. If I hear the television or radio running, your butts will get busted again. Understand?"
"Yes sir." I say as Edward nods.
Carlisle goes downstairs and Edward follows him. I stay here in the hall and sit with my back against the wall.
I don't have a phone, and Carlisle took my laptop way. How the hell am I suppose to talk to Alice?
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