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"Where do you think you're going? You know you're grounded." Shane asked as he saw Peter come down the stairs, dressed in the striped tee and jeans.
"I'm going to tell my friends bye." Peter said, his eyes flickering toward Wesley, who was slummed on the couch, messing with a rubex cube out of pure boredom. "Wes is coming too."
"Says who?" Shane rose his eyebrows at him, dropping the newspaper. "You really think that you can just do whatever you want? As if you didn't run away for nearly a week."
Peter sighed, his hand gripping the staircase. "I didn't ask you because I knew you would say no."
"Of course i'd say no. I don't even know who these kids are. They could have gotten you in trouble." the man looked in disbelief at his son. Peters eyes flickered, seeing his mom peaking around the corner in worry. Peter didn't make it known she was there, knowing his dad would just yell at her.
"That's part of having friends, Dad. I'm gonna get in trouble, and i'm gonna learn from it. I can't just be locked away in this house all the time and play you're golden boy for the sake of other people." Peters wave of confidence took all three of them off guard. "I'm getting older, I want friends, I wanna be able to live my life and figure out who I am. I've figured more out about myself in the one week I was gone more then I have in my entire life."
"It's different for us. You know that. Our family, our reputation." Shane gave him a shake of his head, standing up from the lazy boy. "The business, my business. You think people are gonna sale to me if they know my sons off getting himself into trouble? They're gonna look at me and think i'm a shitty father for the way I allow you to act."
"What do you think people will say if they knew you threw a wine glass at me?" the second Peter said it, he regretted it. His hand touched his face on instinct, being able to feel the little indention from the scar. He pulled his hand down when he realized he did it.
"Peter." Wesley looked at him with a shake of his head, eyes wide.
"Dad, i'm not gonna go off and bomb a school or something." Peter looked at his dad again before he had the chance to get himself into any more trouble. "But I wanna live my life, and my friends are currently the best part of it. I know it's hard to trust me, and you worry, I know. It's like growing pains. I'm growing up, and it hurts you, but you have to let me live more."
The room was silent. Darcy cried, turning her head. Wesley didn't move, frozen on the couch while Peter stayed on the stairs. He planned an escape plan to run up the stairs if his father lunged at him, locking himself in his room and hoping Wesley ran to the basement or outside. Shane stared at Peter. "You can tell your friends bye. But you're coming right back. Both of you are still grounded. That's the last I wanna hear of it."
It wasn't freedom, but it was enough.
Peter smiled, hurrying toward the door as he waved Wesley over. The shorter teen jogged after his younger brother, shutting the door as the went into the drive way. "Bet he's gonna strangle you in your sleep."
