Gemotions

"Seriously?" Maya barked, the word escaping before she could stop it. Her jaw clenched. Across the tiny kitchen table, Chloe fiddled with the loose thread on her jeans. “You’re just… leaving?” The words tasted sour on Maya's tongue.

Chloe nodded, her voice barely a whisper. “Yeah, it’s… a great opportunity.” Maya felt a sudden, inexplicable heat flush up her neck. She stood, pushing her chair back with a scrape against the linoleum floor.

She walked to the window, staring out at the familiar, boring street. She could see the cracks in the pavement, the weeds pushing through the gaps. Everything looked… wrong. She wanted to scream, to smash something.

The silence in the room was deafening. After a moment, Maya turned back, her voice tight. “When are you going?”