“Mom, I swear, it's all just a misunderstanding!” Martin follows his mother into the house. She’s not at all thrilled that he got detention.
“The principal caught you with those photos in your hand, Martin,” his mother's voice is tense. “What can I possibly be misunderstanding? And that poor girl, Marjorie? Martin, how could you?”
“I didn't,” Martin replies weakly.
“Then why did you have the photos?” his mother stares at him with her hands on her hips. Martin looks away. He doesn't want to sell out Max, but he doesn't want his mother to think he's lying either.
“Can you just believe me when I say I didn't do it?” Martin pleads.
His mother shakes her head and sighs. “Martin I'd like to, but given your track record, I'm not so sure.”
“I'm different now,” Martin shakes his head. “I'm not that guy anymore. I've changed.”
His mother looks at him sympathetically. “Honey, I know you meant it when you gave your heart to Christ, but sometimes we still do bad things. Your faith is only a few weeks old. Did Marjorie say something to you, or do something to you?”
Martin shakes his head. “No. Besides it doesn't matter. I wouldn't do something like this.”
“Well then who did?” his mother looks at him intently. When Martin doesn't reply she sighs. “Martin, I have no choice but to ground you. And your father wants to talk to you tonight as soon as he finishes up at the court house.”
Martin frowns and shakes his head. His father had gone back to work after the conference and his mother had brought him home after school. Martin had thought when they defended him that they actually believed he might be innocent. He’d been wrong about a lot of things today.
Martin goes to his room and sits on his bed, fiddling with his phone. When Mr. West walks through his bedroom door, Martin sits up.
Mr. West sits next to Martin on his bed. “Detention, Martin?”
Martin looks at his father. “I know how this looks, dad, but I didn’t do it.”
“Martin, when will you learn?” Mr. West shakes his head impatiently. “First it’s fighting, then it’s vandalism, and now this? Do you realize what you’ve done? You humiliated Marjorie in front of the entire school.”
“I had no idea those pictures would ever get out,” Martin slips. His father’s eyes narrow.
“So you were there the night those pictures were taken, weren’t you?” Mr. West glares at Martin, who melts under his gaze, but says nothing. Mr. West clenches his jaw. “Martin, you lied to me. You lied to my face. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“I’m sorry,” Martin replies softly, head bent low. He looks up at his father. “I’m really, really sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” his father speaks gruffly. “Sorry you got busted?”
Martin opens his mouth to say something, then shuts it. Mr. West closes his eyes and takes a long breath.
“Martin, I thought I could trust you,” his father speaks slowly. “After today, I know that I can’t.”
“Dad,” Martin begins, but his father holds his hand up.
“Until further notice, you’re grounded. You can forget having a social life, and you can forget about anything outside of church and school. If you want your mother and me to trust you again, you’re going to have to earn it. Understood?”
Martin nods his head and frowns. His father leaves, the door rumbling fiercely behind him.