So, I redid the next chapter to give a better segue.

Reworked chapter 20 ending

Any attempt to resist was interrupted as two of the adult teachers dragged her to the lockers. At the entrance of the woman's locker room, she finally stopped resisting and stormed inside. She dressed quickly in her gym clothes, yanking each piece on and ignoring the pain from her brawl. She stormed out to find two female teachers ready to escort her to her car.

“Where is Meris?”

“Her father will pick her up.” It was a curt reply that welcomed no response. They didn't leave her side until she got into the car and drove off. Sonja considered circling back for Meris but fought the urge. Instead, she pounded on the wheel of her car and drove home at speed far in excess of the speed limit.

Chapter 21: Grounded

A half hour later, Sonja's car raced down the street. She kept her foot on the accelerator, driving too fast and not caring about the roar of her engine or the whine of the gears. As soon as she saw her driveway, she released the accelerator, twisted hard on the wheel, and then slammed on her brakes.

The car screeched loudly as the pressure around her increased. It fishtailed violently, clipping the mailbox and a garbage can before tearing down the drive. She only relaxed her brakes enough to bring the car to a long, grinding halt that threw gravel in a cloud ahead of her. Sharp rocks peppered her mother's black BMW and the front windows before it came to a shuddering halt.

Sonja shook as she gripped the steering wheel. White knuckles clutched to the wheel and she could feel the Corinthian leather straining from the pressure. Dried tears itched her face; she didn't have to look in the rear view mirror to know that her makeup had run and she was a mess.

Her thoughts for the entire drive continued to spin in her head: Meris. The sight of her girlfriend being pinned to the ground was disturbingly close to the rape scenes she had seen in movies. If the principal hadn't shown up from Sonja's fighting, they may have done something horrible to Meris.

Sonja's lips tightened into a snarl. No one would hurt her lover. It didn't matter if they were stopped or not, she knew now how far Betty and her friends would go. They wouldn't stop at beating Meris or humiliating her, it was only a matter of waiting before their cruel games became something worse: rape and torture.

She shook her head and fought the new tears burning her eyes. She wanted to be the better person, to weather Betty's storm and get through high school. Then Meris and her could go somewhere else, away from Betty and her cabal.

The front door of the house slammed open.

Sonja jumped and looked up to where her mother stood in the light, her body dark with the bright light behind her. It looked like there were wavers of heat surrounding her body.

"Sonja!"

Sonja flinched at her mother's tone. It was her pissed on tone, one that usually came out when her mother was slightly drunk. It was alone one that Sonja hadn't heard since they moved to California; between the first months of absence and the recent months of incest and fucking, a part of Sonja had hoped the bitch of her mother was gone.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!"

No, the bitch was back.

"I just got off the fucking phone with Sarah fucking Goldstone! Why did you do this to me!?"

Gweneth stormed down the stairs as Sonja got out of her car. Sonja barely had enough time to close the door before her mother shoved her up against the door, pinning her back. The cold metal easily sank through Sonja's gym clothes but the rising anger inside her kept the discomfort in bay. "Do you know who Sarah Goldstone is!?"

"The bitch of a woman who raised Betty, that's who!"

"She's also fucking powerful around her. You do not piss off people in charge!" Gweneth shoved Sonja's shoulders against the wall. Her touch was hot, almost searing. "I fucking taught you better than that!"

"Betty started it!"

"I don't care if she stabbed Meris, you don't---!"

Sonja's anger re-surged. She slapped her mother hard without thinking. In the stunned silence, she snapped back in a low voice, "Don't you dare ever threaten her."

Gweneth stepped back. She didn't raise her hand to her cheek, but the furrows of her glare deepened in the light from their porch. The air shimmered around her, heat seemed to roll back but it wasn't as obvious when she was pinning Sonja against the wall.

Sonja took a deep breath. "They attacked us. Betty and her friends. They were going to do something to Meris. In front of everyone. I had to do something."

"You were in a fight." As if that explained everything.

"They hurt my Meris."

"You hogtied the daughter of an Anvil club founder. In public. In front of everyone. Of all the things you could do to her...." Gweneth's voice trailed off.

"Why does the Anvil club have to do with it?"

Gweneth's glare deepened. "You... you don't understand. You can't do that to these people. That isn't what normal people do. And not here, not with the Goldstones."

"Or what? Betty hit me first. Everyone saw it. She hit me and I defended myself."

"That isn't what the principal said when he called to say you were suspended."

"S-Suspended!? Why was I suspended? Was Betty?" Sonja gasped with shock, not at being suspended but how fast they made the decision. She thought there was suppose to be a discussion or conference first.

Gweneth sighed. "Yes, Betty was suspended. You, on the other hand, aren't even allowed to go on school property for three weeks."

"Three weeks!?"

Gweneth stepped forward and the heat buffeted Sonja. "Yes, three weeks for starting a fight. And---!" She held up her hand as Sonja tried to interrupt her. "Even if you didn't start it, you won and humiliated her and yourself. You had a fucking cat fight and ended up parading around naked in public!"

"She ripped my dress!"

"An expensive dress I paid for!"

Sonja stepped forward, balling her hands at her fists. "No, you didn't! I bought that damn dress with my own money! My job. I earned it! At my job!"

Gweneth stepped back and pointed to the house. "Not for three weeks. I've had a talk with Meris' father also and you aren't allowed to go back there until we both say so."

"What!? Why?"

"Because you are being a spoiled bitch, that's why!" Gweneth gestured to the house. "Now, get your fucking ass into the house before I call him back and have him fire you!"

Sonja refused to move.

Her mother glared at her. "Listen, right now, the only thing you should do is march into the house and act like a proper daughter."

"What? The one you ignore for months or the one you've been fucking---?"

"Get in the fucking house!" Gweneth's scream echoed against the front walls of the house. Somewhere, glass rang out from the shrill tone.

Sonja shook her head, unwilling to move.

Gweneth stormed forward and grabbed Sonja's arm.

Sonja tried to yank free of the hot grip, but couldn't.

Gweneth slapped her with her other hand. Before Sonja could do anything, she was slapped twice more. Each blow burned on her cheeks and Sonja tasted blood in her mouth. She shoved Sonja against the car again, grinding their bodies together. "Listen, you fucking bitch, you are not in a position to talk back, do you understand?"

Sonja said nothing but her teeth ground as she glared at her mother.

"Now get in the fucking house. You are grounded and if you say one thing, one fucking thing," the grip on Sonja's arm tightened, "I will ground you for two months."

Cheek stinging, Sonja glared at her mother.

Slowly, Gweneth released her grip and stepped back. The heat seemed to follow her and the cold air pricked Sonja's skin with its passing.

Gweneth gestured to the house. "Now, go in inside like a proper daughter."

Sonja fought for only a second. "Fuck off."

She stormed inside the house.

Behind her, her mother let out a snarl. "Two fucking months!"