Ugh You again~

Grounded

By the time I got home, my head was pounding with the events of the night. I quietly unlocked the door, hoping to sneak in without waking anyone up. As I stepped into the living room, I was greeted by the sight of my mom, arms crossed and an angry scowl on her face.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, her voice a mixture of anger and worry.

I sighed, knowing this conversation was inevitable. "I was at a party with friends. I'm sorry I'm late."

"Late?" she scoffed. "It's nearly morning, Blackfire. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? You didn't answer your phone or leave a note."

I could see the worry behind her anger, but I was too tired and frustrated to deal with it calmly. "I'm fine, Mom. Nothing happened. I just lost track of time."

"That's not good enough!" she yelled. "You're grounded. No more going out for the next month."

"Mom, that's not fair!" I protested, feeling my own temper rising. "It was just one night."

"Enough," she said, her tone final. "Go to your room."

Angry and exhausted, I stomped up the stairs and slammed my door shut. I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to calm my racing thoughts. The fight with Tsukishima, the jealousy, the confrontation with Kuroo – it was all too much.

I needed to talk to someone. I grabbed my phone and called Sario. She picked up after a few rings.

"Hey, Blackfire," she said, her voice sleepy. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry to wake you," I said, my voice breaking slightly. "I just needed to talk to someone. Tonight was a disaster."

Sario's voice immediately became more alert. "What happened?"

I filled her in on everything – the party, the fight with Tsukishima, the argument between him and Kuroo, and my mom's reaction when I got home. By the time I finished, I felt a little lighter, though the weight of the night's events still lingered.

"Wow," Sario said. "That sounds intense. I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"Yeah, it was pretty awful," I admitted. "I just don't understand why everything has to be so complicated."

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you handled it pretty well," she said. "And as for your mom, she's just worried about you. Give her some time."

"I guess," I sighed. "I just wish things were easier."

As we talked, my phone buzzed with a new message. I glanced at the screen and saw it was from Kuroo.

Kuroo: Hey, Blackfire. I'm really sorry about tonight. How can I make it up to you?

I stared at the message for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Part of me was still angry, but another part appreciated his attempt to make things right.

"Sario, Kuroo just messaged me," I said, reading the text aloud to her.

"Sounds like he feels bad about what happened," she replied. "Maybe give him a chance to make it up to you."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, still feeling conflicted.

I typed out a response, my fingers hovering over the keys before finally sending it.

Me: It's fine, Kuroo. I just need some time to cool off. We'll talk later.

Putting my phone down, I took a deep breath and tried to relax. Tonight had been a mess, but at least I had friends who cared. Maybe tomorrow would be better. For now, all I wanted was to forget the chaos and get some much-needed sleep.