Gemotions

Maya slammed her locker shut, the metal door rattling against the flimsy frame. Of all the people to find her online, it just *had* to be Mr. Henderson. The man was practically ancient, and she’d never imagined he even knew what Instagram was, much less had an account. A hot wave crawled up her neck.

She glared at her phone screen, replaying the notification. “Mr. Henderson started following you.” Great. Just great. Now what? She pictured him, hunched over his phone, peering at her carefully curated feed. She could practically hear his judgmental sighs.

The walk to her next class, Physics, felt longer than usual. She fiddled with the strap of her backpack, avoiding eye contact with anyone, including the overly cheerful Principal who always stood at the doorway. Everything felt wrong.