I feel a little better after locking mom’s window, but the relief passes quickly. I storm into the living room and seal the chain on the front door. Mom won’t be getting back into this house without getting through me.
This doesn’t feel better either.
I check my phone but it’s infuriatingly silent. I open my texts with Alex and type out, “Last night was fun! Thanks for hosting.” But that sounds stupid. Like, thanks for kissing me even though you’ve previously made it clear you don’t want to, let’s do it again sometime. I delete the message before I can accidentally send it and drop my phone on the couch.
I sit down on the opposite side of the sofa from where I dropped my phone and turn on the TV. I flip through a couple of channels, but nothing catches my attention, and the audio just a
