Seventeen

Zina

I didn't want things to escalate, so I left the living room and headed outside to breathe. 

My chest felt tight, and I could feel the remnants of anger still choking me. I didn’t like how I had lost my temper in front of everyone, especially since it might make it seem like Anthony was beginning to affect me more than I wanted to admit. 

The last thing I needed was to give anyone, especially Vivian or my mother-in-law, any reason to suspect something was happening between us.

But Gwen was doing too much. She had a way of getting under my skin like no one else could. The longer I stayed in this house with her, the more I disliked her.

There was nothing between us that felt remotely warm or welcoming. She acted all closed off and self-righteous, as if she had some moral high ground.

Some boy moms, like Gwen, seemed to think they owned their