-Wild Enough by Elina Stridh-
Irene wanted to cry, scream, curse, punch something, hit somebody - anything to express the many emotions going through her right now. But she had to be calm because her husband was already on the cusp of freaking out.
A crying Melina stood before them, explaining herself.
"I swear, I didn't want to do it, but Erica, she just - she's always pressuring me to do things, okay? Always making me feel bad because I follow the rules, and I just, I couldn't take it anymore."
"So, you had sex?" Mason turned to her, eyes full of fury.
"Mason -"
"No, Irene!" Mason couldn't even manage to keep his voice down. "There are stages to this stuff. Everyone knows that. You sneak out of the house. Go to a party with drugs and alcohol. You even try weed, but sex? You work your way up to that."
Irene held the bridge of her nose as Mason started pacing again.
"Erica said that I should get it over with. That - that, it wasn't a big deal, and everyone was doing it. And her boyfriend was telling Tony the same thing. And every time I go over there, she always invites them, and then Tony and I are basically third wheels. They leave us in the basement while they go do, well have sex."
"Wait a minute," Mason stopped again. "So, you've met this Tony more than once. At Gina's house?"
Melina gulped, nodding. "Gina's never home, so Erica invites them over all the time."
"Of course, of freaking course," it took everything in Mason not to curse. "Gina has no regard for being around her own damn kid. Why would she care to keep an eye on ours? And that daughter of hers -"
"Don't," Irene stopped him before he said something he might regret. "Pressure or not, Melina made the decision. Let's focus on Melina, not Erica."
"But Gina -"
"We'll talk about Gina later," Irene knew the topic of her cousin would just send him up the roof.
Mason scoffed, shaking his head as he turned away.
"I swear, I didn't want to do it," Melina cried. "I just . . . Erica she's always looking down on me, and I just, I got tired of it. I got tired of her calling me the goody two shoes and the killjoy, and -"
"Honey, why didn't you tell us she was inviting boys over without any supervision?"
"Because of Erica, aren't you listening, Irene?" a seething Mason caused his wife to sigh deeply.
"I get that part, Mason. I just thought that we'd taught Melina better than that," she looked at her daughter. "That we taught you to always do the right and safe thing even if you're the only one who does."
"And you did," Melina gulped. "You did, and I know that. But when it comes to Gina, I just - I feel like I need her approval. I don't know how she gets into my head, but she does."
Feeling her husband's gaze, Irene looked away. Every one of Melina's words resonated with her, more than she was willing to admit right now.
Getting another question, Irene looked at Melina. "Is that why you were crying that weekend? Two months ago?"
Melina nodded silently. "I regretted it. I woke up the next morning and felt so . . . dirty. I realized I had lost my virginity in some cold dingy basement with some guy that I don't even like. And when I tried to explain it to Erica, you know what she told me?
