I didn’t wait to see what my mother would do next, and that was why I turned and hurried down the hallway with my chest tight, my head pounding, and anger buzzing under my skin like electricity. All I wanted to do was hide myself in my room. 

I slammed the bedroom door behind me, only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding. 

My hands were shaking. I dragged them through my hair, pacing the room once, twice, before heading into the bathroom. I splashed cold water on ...