Gemotions

The news arrived in a barrage of texts and calls. “Did you see this? OMG, it’s you!” The digital tombstone for her teenage self, “Ava’s Angst Zone,” taunted her from her phone screen. Ava's head spun. She felt a buzzing in her ears.

She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She stumbled towards the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water, which she barely managed to swallow. The details, the adolescent angst, the embarrassing crushes – it all replayed in her mind, a relentless loop.

She felt a desperate urge to run, to hide. Her past, once safely tucked away in a locked box, had become a digital wildfire. She had no control. She was paralyzed.