Gemotions

The notification popped up on her phone, a smiling emoji next to her best friend’s name. A link, a shared article. Her breath caught in her throat. The colour drained from her face, leaving her feeling hollowed out, empty. She felt a burning in her eyes, prickling and painful.

She stormed out of the library, shoving past students without a word, the crisp air doing nothing to clear her head. The familiar scent of old books and dusty pages became a suffocating shroud. She needed space, air, to escape the feeling that the world was closing in.

She found herself outside, her hands shaking, and lit a cigarette. The smoke, acrid and unwelcome, still offered a small measure of control. Each puff was a defiant act, a refusal to be consumed by the unwelcome publicity.