Tantrum

Ch. 21 A Familiar Feeling

*** Gwen's POV ***

I am not content with the speed at which the licensing board is taking in responding to Ben's legal maneuver. I want to know which bitch I am gonna have to cut for messing with my family.

"Shouldn't we just focus on Christmas rather than vengeance?" My mom tries to suggest, recognizing my fixation.

"Stay in your lane, Moe." I advise.

"Your tantrums have always been your downfall, Gwen." Mom replies with sass.

I shoot her a glare and stick my tongue out. She rolls her eyes and throws a handful of tinsel at me. I have to pick it out of my mouth and hair. "Now who's throwing things?" She shrugs innocently. "I'm going to confront Heath."

"Is Spencer aware of this plan of yours?" Moe questions.

He isn't but he knows I am growing impatient while waiting for the other shoe to fall. I'm not sure if he knows me well enough to know that I will get answers through whatever means necessary.

"I don't know." I shrug.

"Are you going to confront his friend too?" Moe cocks her head.

"Maybe. We'll see if I need to." I state.

"You need to be careful, Gwen. If they do another evaluation and you're harassing folks, especially that PTA douchebag, it won't be viewed favorably. You need to think of the boys." She urges.

"I am, Mom! Whoever did this is a threat to us. I'm handling the threat." I justify my actions.

"I know, baby. Just...be careful, okay? I don't think you'd handle it well if the boys were taken from you." Moe tries a different angle that makes me want to pull my hair out.

"Yes, yes. Bye. I love you." I huff as I kiss her cheek and stroll out to my car.

Twenty minutes later I am meeting Heath at a local coffee shop. We never met at places like this in the past, always opting for a watering hole of a different variety. Heath wears a mask of concern as he sits with his peppermint mocha. "What's going on? You sounded a bit panicked when you asked me to meet you."

"Someone is trying to get Spencer in trouble for our relationship. It's causing a hubbub where they might reevaluate my circumstances with the boys." I lay it out there. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Heath never had a good poker face. He registers anger at my first words but then confusion at my insinuation. "Gwen, come on. Why would I do something like that? You're my best friend and I know what you and those boys have been through."

"Maybe you didn't expect this to blow up the way it did. Maybe you just hoped to put Spencer in his place." I push.

"His place is next to you and the boys." He declares. "Look, I know I have been a shit friend. And am I jealous of all the attention he gets that used to be mine? You better believe it. But I also know how good he is for you all. And that my jealousy is just growing pains because now I have to share."

I scrutinize every inch of him and not one thing tells me that he is lying. But I still push, just in case. "Would you be willing to bank our friendship on your word? Because I find out that you're lying..."

"I am right there with you, Gwen. Let's find the piece of shit that did this to you and stop wasting time here. Do you have other leads?" He asks.

"Two..."

"That dipshit that I beat up at Mason's school." Heath guesses correctly.

I nod and hold up one finger. "And..."