Gemotions

She tried to laugh, but the sound caught in her throat, a choked, desperate sound. The party buzzed around her, music, chatter, the clink of glasses. She excused herself, heading to the patio, seeking refuge from the artificial cheer. She’d found the phone tucked away in a drawer, the missed calls from an unfamiliar number. The world felt suddenly fragile, unstable. She looked around, the faces of her friends, all of them smiling, a sea of normalcy, and felt an abyss opening beneath her feet.