"Miss Savannah, get in here," Mr. Harrison called out.
I walked into his office that was filled wall-to-wall with books. He had a large wooden desk that took up almost the entire room. I sat down on one of the cheap chairs and tried to look innocent.
"What's were you thinking, Savannah?"
I folded my hands on my lap and stared at the floor. "I'm not sure, sir."
"What you did was absolutely shocking. Shocking."
I kept my head down and my mouth shut.
"I've called your parents and they should be here soon."
I glanced up. "You didn't have to do that, Mr. Harrison."
"This is a very serious situation. We need to have a talk with them."
"But you didn't have Greg's parents come in. Is it cause he's a guy?"
"No it's not because of that. I called them but they couldn't make it. I made sure to tell them every detail over the phone."
The buzzer on his phone rang. "Mr. Harrison, Savannah's parents have arrived."
Mr. Harrison bent over and pressed a button. "Thank you, send them in."
My mom and stepdad, Alex, walked into the room and sat down next to me. I looked up at my mom and saw the face of disappointment.
"What seems to be the problem that you couldn't tell us over the phone?" my mom asked.
"Well I don't know how to say this," Mr. Harrison began, "but I'll just have to tell it straight. You're daughter was caught in the bathroom with a boy. They were doing more than just talking."
My mom's eyes shot daggers at me. I quickly looked to the ground and kept my head low.
"Is this true, Savannah?" Alex asked me.
I wished I could tell him it was false but lying in this situation would only hurt me more. I nodded my head to acknowledge him.
My mom put her face in her hands. "I can't believe this. Why would you do such a thing, Savannah."
"I don't know, Mom," I replied.
"So what happens next?" Alex asked the principal.
"Well your daughter needs to be suspended. I think three days should suffice."
"That's very fair of you, Mr Harrison. And don't you worry, were going to punish her ourselves."
My mom and Alex stood up and shook Mr. Harrison's hand. "We really appreciate you bringing this to our attention," Alex said.
"Of course," Mr. Harrison replied.
My mom grabbed my arm in a death gripped and pulled me to my feet. "Get to the car, young lady."
The car ride over was awkward and silent. I didn't want to say anything because I knew it would only upset them further. I could feel the anger flowing from them and into the backseat of the car. My mind raced with how they were going to ground me. I knew I'd never see the light of day again.
When we got home, my parents made me sit down with them in the living room.
"How could you?" my mom asked me.
"I don't know, Mom."
"You could've gotten pregnant, Savannah, and your life would be over."
"I know. I know. But we didn't even have sex," I pleaded with them.
"Yeah only because you didn't get caught," she replied.
Alex chimed in, "Spare us the details, Savannah. You're grounded for three months."
"I figured as much."
My mom added, "That means no credit card, no phone, and no car."
My eyes began to well up with tears. "You can't be serious. How can I survive without a phone."
"You'll just have to deal with it," my mom said.
"And no car for three months? How am I supposed to get to school?"
"You stepfather will have to take you," she said.
Alex nodded. "Now give us your car keys."
I rummaged through my purse and surrendered the keys to my freedom. I wanted to scream at them but I knew it would only make things worse.
I walked upstairs like a man on death row. I went to my bedroom which was my new prison. The walls seemed to close in on me and everything was tighter than before. Even though this was my longest prison stint, I'd been grounded before and survived so I knew I could make it.
–
After a few days of being trapped in my bedroom, I already started to go crazy. Not being able to talk to my friends or go anywhere was a form of torture.
When my parents left to go to work, I knew I had to get out of the house. When I was younger and got grounded, my stepdad used to hide my Barbies underneath the bed. I used to sneak in there and play with them when they weren't home.