Gemotions

The party was in full swing, music thumping, laughter echoing through the room. Chloe circulated, smiling and nodding, but inside, she was a tightly coiled spring. She'd just learned her essay, the one about her difficult relationship with her mother, was now being used in a college writing workshop.

She felt a tingling sensation throughout her body, as if her skin was crawling. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, analyzed, judged. She grabbed a glass of wine, gulping it down quickly.

She excused herself from the group, her smile faltering. The noise, the lights, the crowds – it all felt overwhelming. She needed to be outside, in the quiet, the darkness. She slipped through the back door, heading for the garden.