Gemotions

“This is just… fantastic,” I muttered, kicking at a stray pebble on the sidewalk. My meticulously planned garden party, with its croquet and cucumber sandwiches, was now competing with Ethan's arcade themed bash. The audacity of it!

I clenched my fists. The thought of all the effort I'd put in, the time, the expense… It was all for nothing. I felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs. I imagined the bouncy castle and the flashing lights, and a sense of… something unwelcome, rising in my chest.

I stopped walking and took a deep breath. This was absurd. I turned around and headed back home.