Sophia stood there screwing up her courage to actually follow through with her threat.
She knew she had to, because she knew Janet was just testing her to see how much she would let her get away with.
She considered waking up Delia and asking for help, but decided not to.
“I can do this,” she said to herself. “Just stay calm and be firm.
Don’t let her get to you.”
After her little pep talk, she walked deliberately down the hall and opened the door without knocking.
Janet looked up in surprise, her eyes widening at the sight of her older sister standing in the doorway.
“Sophia, I can explain,” she started, her voice high and nervous. “I was just…”
“Save it, Janet,” Sophia interrupted, shutting the door quietly.
“I have heard all your excuses twice already tonight.
I have no need to hear them again.”
She started toward her little sister.
“No, Sophia, you don’t understand,” Janet whined.
“I understand,” Sophia answered, “that I told you to go to bed six and a half hours ago and I have warned you three times to stay off this computer.”
She hit the power button on the mini-tower and watched the screen change from the game Janet had been playing to black.
“I understand,” she continued, keeping her voice level and trapping Janet in her chair with her body, “that you have not only violated your bedtime by an insane amount of time but have further directly disobeyed me three times in less than seven hours.
Well, kiddo,” she said, grasping Jordan’s wrist in her hand and pulling her up to a standing position, “you just struck out.”
She moved toward the bed, but Janet wilted and dropped like a dead weight onto the floor.
“No, Sophia, noooo. I’ll go to bed.
I won’t touch the computer again tonight.
I promise,” Janet said in her most reasonable voice, relying on her dramatic flair to get her out of this.
“You’re right, Janet. You won’t touch the computer again tonight.
In fact, you have lost your computer for two weeks because of this.
And yes, you will go to bed, but only after you and I take care of some business.”