Chapter 4 Familiar Frustrations

• Vanessa was still pissed as she got to her house. Even after Carolyn calmed her down on her way home. As she got home, she flung herself onto her bed, the comforter bunching angrily beneath her. Her room, though not extravagant wasn't cramped or shabby. It held the comfortable familiarity of a lived-in space. Posters, a mix of inspirational quotes, and her favorite bands adorned the pale white walls. A wooden study desk held a pearl-designed lamp and a laptop with a sticker-covered case. A shelf overflowing with well-loved books sat above it.
• Despite the normalcy, it felt charged with Vanessa's simmering frustration. The remnants of Carolyn's calming influence hung in the air, only fueling Vanessa's annoyance. Her phone tossed carelessly on the nightstand, buzzed with an incoming call. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was her mom. With a sigh, Vanessa propped herself up against the pillows, the anger momentarily eclipsed by the familiar pang of seeing her mother's call.
• Vanessa answered the phone with a forced cheer, "Hey mom, how are you?" Her voice lacked its usual warmth, still rippling with the aftershocks of her earlier frustration.