Weeping Willow (Spanking Story)

Chapter 14, Part 1: Penny's POV

It felt as though all my strength, both physical and mental, had been knocked out of me by the time I reached my bedroom. Even though I could understand why Ben, Dana, and Cooper were upset with me, I still thought that they were overreacting. The longest amount of time I'd ever been grounded in the past was three weeks, and for way worse infractions than lying. But I knew there was no use in trying to argue for a shorter sentence; once my brothers made up their minds about something, especially punishments, that was that.

Besides, I was done. I was done arguing with my brothers, I was done trying to rationalize with them, and honestly, I was done speaking to them unless spoken to. Ben, Dana, and Cooper had made it pretty clear that there was a double standard set in this house, and I was on the losing end of it. How on earth could Owen get in-school suspension—SUSPENSION—and be rewarded with being allowed to go on a date? All I did was try to protect my friend's privacy, and I got sentenced to my room; and then I tried to hang out with said friend for one measly hour, and I got grounded for a month. How does that even make any sense?!

It didn't make sense. And I was tired of trying to make sense out of nonsense. So until my brothers woke up and came to their senses, I was done trying to be the perfect goody-two shoes that they wanted me to be. What the hell was the point? Apparently good behavior got me nowhere around here, while bad behavior only led to a slap on the wrist, if that, in this house ... so I was gonna start enjoying myself.

I was done.

As I changed back into the comfortable sweats I'd been wearing before I left the house, I didn't realize how slow I was moving until there was a knock on the door when I was still half-naked.

"I'm changing," I called out to whoever was on the other side of that door. I had a vague idea of who my uninvited visitor could be, but there was still the question of whether it was brother number one, brother number two, or brother number three.

As I hurriedly finished getting dressed, I prayed that by some miracle my brother would get bored of waiting for me to make myself decent, decide that my month-long grounding was more than enough of a punishment, and disappear back downstairs. But even I knew that would never happen. And as another knock on my door sounded one minute later, it affirmed that thought.

I sighed, knowing it was better to just get this over with. "Come in," I finally said.

As I watched brother number one enter my bedroom, the old me would've been relieved that it wasn't Dana and disappointed that it wasn't Cooper ... but this was the new me. I didn't really feel anything at seeing the disappointed expression on Ben's face. I felt numb.

"Penny, do you understand why we're so upset with you?" Ben asked.

"Understand it? I guess. Agree with it? No," I answered before sitting at my desk. "But you've made it pretty clear that my opinion doesn't matter."

"Penny ..." Ben sighed as he closed my door. Apparently he intended on staying longer than I wanted him to.

"Ben, please, save it," I said while picking up my phone. I then went to my text messages and chose my conversation with Caroline.

But before I could even start typing, Ben snatched the phone right out of my hand.

"I was just gonna text my friends to let them know I made it home," I defended. Surely Caroline would appreciate knowing that I made it home in one piece and alive ... even if I wouldn't be after my brother was done with me.

Ben's eyebrow rose in a challenge. "You mean the friends we just got finished telling you that you couldn't hang around anymore?"

I crossed my arms. "I have more friends than just them, you know," I said, only partially lying since I did have more friends ... but I hadn't really talked to any of them in a while. Hopefully that would change soon.