Part 4

                                    

                                          
As the car pulled up to the house, the early morning light was just starting to creep across the sky. Justin and Maddie climbed out, each silently thanking their luck for having made it home undetected. The twins shared a relieved look, thinking they'd somehow pulled it off without a hitch. They carefully closed the door behind them, the house still and quiet.
"See?" Justin whispered with a grin. "Told you we'd be fine."
Maddie let out a quiet sigh of relief, nodding. "I can't believe we actually got away with it."
They tiptoed through the hallway, hoping to make it to their rooms without waking anyone. Just as they reached the stairs, a door creaked open, and Ruby stepped out, rubbing her eyes.
"Where did you guys go?" she asked, her voice small and groggy, but sharp with curiosity. She blinked at them, taking in their messy hair and the lingering smell of alcohol that clung to their clothes.
Justin and Maddie froze, exchanging a panicked look. Ruby, although only seven, was no fool. And worse, she was very much a mama's girl. They knew she would tattle if they didn't handle this delicately.
"Nowhere, Rubes," Maddie said quickly, bending down to Ruby's level. "We were just, um, hanging out downstairs. Why don't you go back to bed?"
Ruby wrinkled her nose, clearly not buying it. "You smell funny," she said, her little face scrunching in suspicion.
Justin tried to chuckle, though his heart was racing. "It's just... uh, pizza. We went to grab pizza late last night after the game. Nothing weird."
Ruby's eyes narrowed further. "Mom says we can't eat pizza that late," she said, her voice growing louder. "I'm telling her!"
"Ruby, no!" Maddie hissed, panic rising in her voice as she reached for her little sister. "Come on, don't wake them up. We'll take you to Mom and Dad's bed, you can sleep with them, okay?"
But before they could say anything more, Ruby darted down the hall, her feet light and quick as she bolted toward their parents' bedroom.
"Mom! Dad!" Ruby yelled, throwing open their door without hesitation.
Justin and Maddie shared a look of horror, rushing after her, but it was too late. Ruby had already climbed onto the bed and was tugging at the sheets, her little voice ringing loud in the quiet morning air.
"Justin and Maddie went out and they smell weird!"
Taylor and Travis stirred, blinking awake as Ruby continued her tattling. Justin and Maddie stood frozen in the doorway, their faces pale as the weight of their decision finally came crashing down on them.
Travis sat up first, groaning as he rubbed his eyes. "What?" he muttered, trying to make sense of what Ruby was saying.
Taylor was already more awake, her eyes narrowing as she took in her two teenagers standing awkwardly in the doorway. "What's she talking about?" she asked, her voice low but sharp.
Maddie shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Justin for backup. "Uh... we—"
"You went to the party, didn't you?" Taylor interrupted, her voice now sharper as realization dawned on her. Her eyes flicked to the clothes they were wearing and her expression darkened. "And you've been drinking."
Justin swallowed hard, trying to keep calm. "It wasn't like that, Mom. We just went to hang out for a little while—"
"And you lied to us," Travis cut in, his voice firm and disappointed. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his expression hardening as he stood up. "We told you no parties. We trusted you."
Maddie's heart sank as her dad's words hit her, guilt flooding her chest. "We just—"
"No excuses," Taylor said, sitting up now, her tone final. "Both of you. Go to your rooms. We'll talk about this later."
Justin and Maddie nodded, too ashamed to argue. They shuffled back to their rooms, the silence of the house now suffocating them as the reality of what they'd done settled in. Ruby, oblivious to the full consequences, climbed happily into bed with her parents, snuggling up under the covers.
As they closed their bedroom doors, Justin and Maddie knew one thing for sure: the morning wasn't going to be as quiet as they'd hoped.